What is the Context of Jeremiah 29:11?
Jeremiah 29:11 has been a source of great hope and inspiration for those struggling; however, what is the context of the verse? Is this really a word of encouragement for God’s Hand in prospering us? This blog breaks down the backstory, context, and intended meaning of one of the Bible’s most famous verses.
Who Is Jeremiah Speaking To?
The prophet is speaking to a group of exiles. They are under God’s judgment and have been exiled to Babylon. As Christians, I want you to also identify with them, that there is the biblical context that we, too, are exiles here.
“Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires which wage war against your soul.” 1 Peter 2:11
It would be helpful for the church to recover its understanding of being exiles but exiles who are on a divine mission. Consider a rediscovery, as a Christian, that we’re not ultimately where we belong fully in the Father’s presence until He restores all things.
With that in mind, I want to share three things regarding Jeremiah 29:11.
Jeremiah 29:11 Explained
1) We Are Capable of a Grand Delusion
Most of Jeremiah’s words spoke of God’s judgment of His people for their rebellion of idol worship. In this era of history, they would not only go to the Temple and worship Yahweh outwardly but also give their hearts to other gods of the day, including sacrificing their children before pagan gods.
What this passage reminds us of in the big picture is that all of us are accountable to God. The Bible says one day, you and I will give an account of our lives, every word we’ve ever spoken before the throne of Jesus.
I cite that reality because we can all live under the canopy of grand delusion that we won't be accountable if we’re not careful.
What’s the Backstory?
So, the people of Israel became acculturated and began worshipping the idols of surrounding nations, although God called them to repentance through Jeremiah and others. It was foretold if they did not repent, God would, out of love for them, judge them because their evil was destroying them.
God had repeatedly shared there would be consequences apart from repentance. Although what God said through Jeremiah was true, the people believed it was false or unreal. False prophets told the people, “Don’t give up; there’s still hope. God will surely send a miracle of deliverance as He has in the past. This is temporary and won’t last long.”
Yet when we look six chapters earlier, we see God had already told them through His prophet, Jeremiah:
“This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you; they fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD. They keep saying to those who despise me, ‘The LORD says: You will have peace.’ And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts, they say, ‘No harm will come to you.’” Jeremiah 23:16-17
But Jeremiah's message was far different from that. He was proclaiming love because there was no last-minute miracle on the way. The judgment of God had fallen, and it is falling. The judgment was: The Babylonians ended up serving as God’s vessels of judgment upon His people.
Jerusalem is conquered.
Their houses are destroyed.
An invading army plunders their belongings and livestock.
The Temple is destroyed.
The people are exiled to Babylon.
They are under imperial rule and living a long way from home. The Babylonians are now under the enemy's control. Many emotional and physical stressors affected God's people; They were traumatized and had lost everything, including their way of life, their beloved Jerusalem, their heart language, and their culture.
Then suddenly, we get to chapter 29. In verse 11, Jeremiah writes to exiles who had already been deported to Babylon, and in the middle of it, we find this remarkable verse of comfort and hope.
A Misunderstood Verse About Generations
Key verse: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
Ironically, this is a popular verse coming from a very unpopular prophet.
This verse is not uncommon. A parent might use this verse for a college student facing a challenging final exam. They may say, “Just know God has plans for you, declares the Lord's plans for your welfare, not evil, to give you hope and a future.”
But if we read this in Jeremiah's context, this promise wouldn't be fulfilled for another 70 years. For us to understand verse 11, we need to understand verse 10.
“For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place (Jerusalem).” Jeremiah 29:10
Can you imagine putting this in context for a college student? I don't want to be too trite with that, so let’s be careful here. I am not suggesting in any way that God does not have hopes for the future of every human being. We’ve been created in Christ for good works that he’s prepared us to walk in long before we were born. Be mindful that God has given numerous promises for us to rely on Him, and He will direct our path as long we surrender our way to Him. Let’s make much of that.
But here’s what we can learn from Jeremiah 29:11: God thinks generationally! So, if God thinks generationally, we should also think generationally!
When Jeremiah speaks, he isn’t saying God would swoop down and make everything easy for them. He merely told them that even though it’s hard right now, so put their faith in and trust Him.
The Harm of Cherry Picking
I invite you to be wise. A cherry-picked Scripture, applied in the wrong way and out of context, can mislead people and, in some ways, also misrepresent God or what He can do through people in difficult times.
In my decades of ministry, on numerous occasions, I’ve heard, “I’m spiritual, but I don’t want anything to do with the church.”
One of the common themes they share is that they somehow feel that their life’s not working out the way it should, so they’ve built a wall with God. They often share a few Scriptures that have informed them of an unbalanced view of who God is and how He works in the Church.
God works amid deep pain and trials. Scripture is filled with people suffering through brokenness, such as Joseph, Daniel, David, Apostle Paul, and the Disciples. But the testimony we’re to be raised in is that God is faithful and will see it through, even as you suffer for His glory.
When we see the Son of God beaten and suffering on the cross, is the message that you and I will never suffer? Or is the message that there will be a resurrection one day? Your suffering is not the final chapter.
A Word on False Prophets
When we lift the revelation of God, let’s be wise that we do so in a way that develops people in the beauty and grandeur of who God is. This is why Jeremiah made us aware of false prophets (which is not unique to the Old Testament). The false prophets were part of the cocktail that got them into this mess!
“For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 29:8-9
There were many lies the false prophets proclaimed, but there were two primary lies propagated.
1) A Two Year Sentence
The first lie was that the people of God would only be exiled for 24 months before He would lift His hand to freedom. However, Jeremiah tells them, no, you’ll be there for 70 years, and it will be difficult, but God will see you through it.
In Western Christianity, we have been conditioned to believe we will not suffer for Christ. For believers worldwide, suffering when standing for Christ is the norm. We’ve been led to believe that we can follow Jesus and never pay the price. That is simply false.
2) A Burgeoning Revolt
The second lie was that while exiled in Babylon, they were to engage in the political process and overthrow the government.
Before we go further, don’t misinterpret that. We need Godly people engaged in the political process, locally and nationally, and we pray for those with leadership capabilities. However, the problem was that the people of God were turning the political process into their Messiah. That was a falsehood.
We’ve got a Messiah; He is Yahweh. Jeremiah’s instruction was don’t let revolt be your hope.
2) We Are On A Divine Mission
“Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” Jeremiah 29:5-7
Instead of pulling back from society, God inspires Jeremiah to instruct His people to integrate into society and avoid the temptation to isolate themselves outside the culture.
That sounds great on the surface until you realize Jeremiah says this to them amid a hedonistic culture governed by Godless leaders.
God is pushing back on the notion that they are to merely tolerate the surrounding culture.
God is pushing back on the notion that they are to simply exist within the surrounding culture.
God is pushing back on the notion that they are to be indifferent to what is happening in the surrounding culture.
Instead, what God shares with them, as people who are aliens and exiles, is to seek the welfare of the city and to live as missionaries. Pray on behalf of the city and its people.
Living Out Fruitfulness
Think about the city in which you live. Baltimore, Birmingham, Dallas, Dubai, Memphis, or Mumbai, wherever that may be. Seek the city's welfare, and pray to the Lord on its behalf. Those six cities that I just mentioned, or any city on earth for that matter, there are severe problems.
For those reading the news and seeing the devastation, perishing, and suffering all around us, it’s easy to become angry, and that’s not sinful! The Bible says to be angry at injustice (but avoid the temptation to sin when angry).
However, if you're feeding more on the news cycle than you're feeding on the revelation of God, you may be more prone to giving more time to anger about your city than to giving yourself in prayer to God for your city.
The second most important issue of your life is fruitfulness. Salvation is number one, but in coming to Christ, we are called to live fruitful lives.
“Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” James 1:19-20
When it's redemptive, anger may be a catalyst for action, but anger will not transform. No one will transform a city when their anger does not produce the righteousness of God. Pray on behalf of your city and behalf of your nation. Pray for your city and nation’s leaders, regardless of their affiliation.
“Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross!” Philippians 2:6-8
Wherever you live, God has a divine appointment for you in your city. Acts 17:26 tells us, “From one man he made every nation of men that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.”
That means that when you land in your city, whether by birth or move, God has ordained you to a divine mission.
3) We Are Anchored By An Eternal Hope
“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you.” Jeremiah 29:12
God is saying a relationship would be restored. He then says:
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.” Jeremiah 29:13-14
Three to notice about that verse:
1) Heart Direction
God honors the direction of your heart. The Lord promises that He will draw near to you if you draw near to Him. If you surrender to the Lord, He will be honored, and you will find Him in your life.
2) Gather at the Throne
It’s foreshadowing, but a day is coming for all aliens and exiles when “all the nations will gather” at the throne of God.
3) New Cultivation
God knows how to cultivate good things and new growth, even after decades of destruction and defiance. You may be reviewing your life and saying that God can come into your life, except in this or that area. The text illustrates it’s never too late. That’s the Gospel of Christ for you. Jesus went to the cross to take our sins. We become a new creation when we surrender, confess our sins, and put our faith in Jesus. We will have new life in Christ then.
TL;DR
Jeremiah 29:11 addresses a group of exiles judged by God and exiled to Babylon.
The people of Israel had turned to idol worship despite God's call for repentance. False prophets deceived them with messages of false hope, while Jeremiah proclaimed God's love and impending judgment through the Babylonians.
Jeremiah's message focuses on God's judgment for the people's rebellion and idol worship. It serves as a reminder that everyone is accountable to God, and we must not delude ourselves into thinking that we won't be answerable for our actions.
Jeremiah 29:11 is a famous verse, but it teaches us that God thinks generationally, and we should also adopt a long-term perspective rather than expecting immediate ease or comfort.
Applying cherry-picked verses out of context can mislead people and misrepresent God's nature. We must understand that God works through suffering and trials, and our faithfulness to Him should not depend on life without hardships.
Instead of isolating themselves, God instructs the exiles to integrate into Babylonian society and seek the welfare of the city they are in. They are called to live as missionaries, praying for the city and its people, even amid a godless culture.
God promises restoration and a renewed relationship with Him. He assures those who seek Him with all their hearts will find Him. This points to a future gathering of all nations at the throne of God and His ability to cultivate new growth even after destruction.
Related Reading
How to Understand the Old Testament by Grant Caldwell
How Do I Read the Bible by Grant Caldwell
Is Scripture Really That Important by William Merriman