A Future Hope
7/24/26 Bible Thought (Jeremiah 28-29)
Main Idea: Circumstances aren’t the true north of God’s love.
A Look at the Text:
In Jeremiah’s time, false prophecies abounded. This was an issue leading up to the exile, and it was even still an issue during it.
In 597 B.C., King Jehoiachin had surrendered to the Babylonian forces. As such, Jerusalem was spared, but many of the people were taken as captives to the land of Babylon (see 2 Kings 24:10-17). It was during this period of time between the initial wave of captives and the final destruction that today’s text took place.
With this, some of the prophets believed that Babylon was a short-term trip.
Hananiah, a false prophet, claimed that in a mere two years the Babylonian yoke would be broken (Jer. 28:3). To this, Jeremiah put forth the truth: it would be seventy years (Jer. 29:10).
As such, the people ought to get relatively comfortable in Babylon. They should build houses, plant gardens, and have families (Jer. 29:5-6). Even more, they ought to seek the welfare of Babylon, for in Babylon’s welfare, they would find their own welfare (Jer. 29:7).
Yet, they could rest assured, even though they were hundreds of miles away from the Promised Land and subjected to divine discipline, God had not forgotten them.[1]
God had sovereignly assigned a seventy-year captivity, but in His timing they would return. For God was not done with them yet:
“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” (Jer. 29:11).
A time was coming when God would hear their prayers again. If they would seek Him, He would be found by them (Jer. 29:14). He would restore their fortunes. The exile wasn’t going to be the end of the story. One day, they would go home.
Bringing it Home:
Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most quoted and beloved Bible verses, but it’s also very readily misunderstood. In the original context, it is found nestled in a letter Jeremiah sent specifically to the first wave of exiles in Babylon.
Nevertheless, even though it wasn’t written to us, it was written for us. This passage powerfully reveals truths about God’s nature. God is fundamentally kind and compassionate. He will not be angry forever. His disposition towards His people is good. Like a Father, He desires good for us to an even greater degree than our earthly parents do (Matt. 7:11).
Yet, at the same time, sometimes what is good for us doesn’t feel good at the time. God’s great love for us does not mean that we will always be healthy, happy, and prosperous. The Christian life isn’t all rainbows and unicorns. It’s often very hard, and all of the hardships of this life come either by God’s direct decree or His permission.
In the midst of these times, however, we cannot lose hope. The end of the story for those who are in Christ is good. It is filled with hope. God’s good plans of a new creation in which righteousness dwells will come to pass.
So if we feel forgotten because of hard times in the present, let us rest assured we serve a God who will not forget us. Even more, while our presently earthly sojourn might feel like exile at times, the end of the story is filled with hope because the end of the story is filled with God.
Challenge:
Do I ever struggle to believe God loves me when life is hard?
[1] Hetty Lalleman, Jeremiah and Lamentations: An Introduction and Commentary, ed. David G. Firth, vol. 21, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Nottingham, England: Inter-Varsity Press, 2013), 218.