Easter 5 - Jeremiah 29:11 - May 17, 2020

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you
a future and a hope.

Location, location, location. We are used to hearing location emphasized when it comes to property and home values. Location is probably the most critical component to property value. Truly, what one pays for a home or in monthly rent in our community, could go a lot farther in other parts of the country.   

Location also mattered in the prophecy of Jeremiah that forms the basis of our text today. Jeremiah was an lone prophet writing to people in captivity. They had been dragged away from their land and homes. Location would also play a key role in the rest of what Jeremiah would go on to tell them in this context. 

Location is also important as we apply this verse for our lives. The main thought is about the location of your heart. The divide we face in so many areas of our faith, especially in our confidence of faith, is found in the difference between centering our heart on ourselves, or centering it on the truth of Christ’s Word. As we study this passage from Jeremiah today, we consider these thoughts on location, both as they concerned the original readers, and as they apply to us today.

The passage before us today has been called the “John 3:16 of American cultural Christianity.” That may sound good on the surface, but the statement isn’t meant in a good way. The author who said that was indicating how important Jeremiah 29:11 is to many Christians today. Indeed, it has become one of the most famous passages in our society. You can find it on coffee mugs, home décor, and stationary. It’s re-posted and re-tweeting all over social media. It might be the only Bible verse from the Old Testament that many Christians know.

It’s certainly not wrong for a piece of God’s inspired Word to hold such a standing in our lives. The issue comes down to how the passage is used. Today, in modern American culture, it often serves as a message of personal empowerment and prosperity of the self. What do we mean by that? Well, in simpler terms, the passage is used to say that God has a special plan and blessing for each believer. That’s not a false concept by any means – God certainly loves and cares for all people. Without a doubt, you are special to Him. But that truth is never to center on ourselves, or exceed the boundaries of His Word

The danger of this modern, self-centered interpretation is that it ignores the entire context of Jeremiah 29, as well as the 51 other chapters of his book. You can learn from this verse, as we do with all areas of God’s Word; but God is not speaking directly about your life. God also does not promise a blessing of personal success or accomplishment in this verse. In reality, the Christian life is filled with hardships, persecutions, and general difficulties because of our faith. If we believe that God promises to eliminate these things from our lives we will be disappointed and led to doubt the effectiveness of God’s Word. All followers of Jesus live very problematic and troublesome lives here on earth to one extent or another. Jesus Himself said it would be so for those who walk by faith. Jeremiah is not assuring us that these things will magically go away because God thinks we’re special.

A critical part of this is believing that it’s okay if our lives are tough because of Who we believe in. That is the reality for the true disciple of Jesus and if we set up a different thought in our hearts about faith’s meaning and purpose, we’ll be coerced into changing what God really says for what we want Him to say. And sadly, that happens a lot with this verse.

Now, I don’t want to give you the impression that you shouldn’t apply this passage to your life, or that God has nothing to say to you through this verse. Quite the opposite, actually. We want to really see what God is saying in the entire context of this verse, so that we can know the truth of how these divine and holy Words affect our lives. Let’s dig into the context.      

Thoughts from the context:

1. Jeremiah was writing from Jerusalem to Jews in Babylon. (vassal state, under control of Babylonians). He was still tasked with ministering to these people (talk about a remote ministry). He is reminding them through verse 11 that God will not leave them behind. They will return to their homeland one day. God had a plan in action, despite the hardships of captivity. But, there were some things that still needed to be addressed by God. One of these things was judgment upon the people who were still living in Judea. As much as Jeremiah 29:11 stresses a positive thought, the predominant theme in this chapter is a call to repentance for God’s people. They needed to realize the stark reality of what their rebellion before the LORD had achieved for them. Many had not taken the message to heart yet, and so God, in His divine justice, would have to being them to bow the knee in repentance.

2. One of the direct messages to those in Babylon was given in verse 7: And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace. God tells the captives to be at peace where they are at. Essentially, the thought here is to seek God’s will, not your own personal interests. Understand and trust that there is purpose to everything in life – the good and the bad. God does not operate by chance. Instead of looking ahead to some moment of grand self-blessing and personal prosperity, as is often taught in verse 11, look to learn and grow where God has planted you today. Jeremiah tells the people to pray for the city where they were. It wasn’t their homeland. They were taken against their will. But, pray that God would bless the situation all the same. Trust God. Don’t try to get in His way. Believe that He has a plan.

3. The last major thought of the context is to stay faithful to God’s Word. When you take a look at the entire context, most of the passages are about some aspect of the peoples’ relationship with the Word of God. Jeremiah both calls them back to hear and apply the Word, but also to reject false prophets. The people in Babylon were tired of Jeremiah to some extent. They established their own teachers and prophets, without God’s consent. It was another aspect of what God was warning them about –a  deity of the self – putting personal choice over and above God’s Word.  A key step in this process was prayer. Jeremiah urged the people to return to prayer before God. Prayer respects God’s Word. Prayer is regular communication with God. Prayer dictates trust in God’s plan, not trying to forge one’s own way. Prayer involves more than requests for personal goals, but also to praise, give thanks, confess, acknowledge His power. Like all good relationships, prayer builds a healthy and well-rounded relationship with God by regularly and comprehensively communicating with Him.

These three areas from the context greatly influence the way we understand verse 11. This is not a personal blessing of empowerment, but rather a life ring of hope amidst a sea of divine condemnation and in the backdrop of a pressing need for repentance. The LORD allowed His people to be captured by a wicked and foreign power because they were too interested in their own dreams, desires, and pursuits. He wouldn’t use that very judgment to offer them a promise consisting of the same attitude that got them into trouble.

Like all calls to repentance, it was about getting back to God, and that started with getting back to His Word. Jeremiah describes the issue well in verses 19: For they have not listened to my words," declares the LORD, "words that I sent to them again and again by my servants the prophets. And you exiles have not listened either," declares the LORD.

The Word is our lifeline because it tells us what God wants – what He expects from our lives. Following the Word is important in the same way that eating healthy is important, or maintaining personal hygiene is important. The Word of God forms the basis of healthy spiritual living. But, God directed them back to His Word because it was also the complement to His call for repentance. As important as God’s Word is as a guide and rule for our lives, it is even more critical as a message of forgiveness for the times we have strayed.

No one is perfect. God knew the about Judah. He knows that about you. We should know it about ourselves also, at least enough to build our hope of renewal in something other than ourselves. Sadly, we mess this up often too. God doesn’t just tell us about Himself to give us comfort over our sins, He gives Himself. Our hope for a bright future is based on what God has done for us. We don’t get that promise directly from verse 11 for our lives. Those words were given specifically to the captives at that time, speaking of the moment when they would return home.

But, we can take hope in the same promise for our souls because of the testimony of other sure sections from God’s Word. One prime example comes two chapters later in Jeremiah, when the prophet foretells of a new covenant based on the forgiveness of sins that God would establish in the future. Those words speak to our lives. That promise was fulfilled in Jesus. He is, as the New Testament says, “the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called might receive the promise of the eternal inheritance, because a death has taken place for redemption from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.” (Hebrews 9:15)

You see how we land on truth when we use God’s Word appropriately, and how that truth gives comfort and purpose to our lives. It is so much better than going our separate ways and interpreting each word from God in our own individual ways.

Properly understanding the context of this section, in God’s truth, brings much richer and more fulfilling promises than a generic thought of God blessing us because of who we are: 

1. Approach God in humility. Don’t be so impatient to move beyond the trials of your life, that you fail to discern the Lord’s plan through them. He has a purpose to everything you experience. He is trying to teach and strengthen you through those times. Faith in Him includes a desire to learn what His purpose is. Often, like Judah, He is call you to repentance. Not to strike you down further, but to lead you to forgiveness in Jesus, which is the best blessing to lift us out of any hardship.

2. Be at peace where you are at. Opening or lockdown – there is peace and joy in any setting. Jesus has redeemed you and is with you each day. Nothing in this world, or even in hell, can take that gift from you. Only you can give it up by trusting in yourself or by following something false.

3. Faithfulness to God’s Word. Use online resources. Read your Bible. Flee from sin. Don’t act like truth doesn’t matter. Stop contributing to the breakdown of our society by promoting and condoning godless lifestyles and behaviors. There is a difference between constant compassion and empathy that comes from Christ and promoting a religious ideology that opposes Christ. You don’t have to support or share in wickedness to help a person who is caught in sin. With that, pray. Take this extra time to build your relationship with God. Talk to Him. Thank Him. Don’t be me-centric in your prayer life. Don’t pray while doubting. (James)

This one verse from Jeremiah has a lot to say about location. For God’s prophet, it was about ministering to those who were far away – a tough task to be sure. For Judah, it was about a promise that they would return home one day. For you and I, the location of this verse is about truth. We want to be where God intends us to be. That doesn’t come about by taking His words and promises out of context. The truth is about being centered on God, not ourselves. Through Jesus, the one who delivered forgiveness in truth by His atonement for sin – His Word of truth really is the best, most valuable, and healthiest place to be. Amen.