HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1063
JER EM IAH 29
page 693
I have put a yoke of iron on the necks of all
these nations, forcing them into slavery under
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. I have put
everything, even the wild animals, under his
control.’”
15 Then Jeremiah the prophet said to Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent
you, but the people believe your lies. 16 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘You must die.
Your life will end this very year because you
have rebelled against the Lord.’”
17 Two months later* the prophet Hananiah
died.
A Letter to the Exiles
Jeremiah wrote a letter from Jerusalem
to the elders, priests, prophets, and
all the people who had been exiled to Babylon
by King Nebuchadnezzar. 2 This was after King
Jehoiachin,* the queen mother, the court officials, the other officials of Judah, and all the
craftsmen and artisans had been deported from
Jerusalem. 3 He sent the letter with Elasah son
of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah when
they went to Babylon as King Zedekiah’s ambassadors to Nebuchadnezzar. This is what Jeremiah’s letter said:
29
4 This
is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
the God of Israel, says to all the captives
he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem:
5 “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant
gardens, and eat the food they produce.
6 Marry and have children. Then find
spouses for them so that you may have
many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not
dwindle away! 7 And work for the peace
and prosperity of the city where I sent
you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for
its welfare will determine your welfare.”
8 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s
Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let
your prophets and fortune-tellers who are
with you in the land of Babylon trick you.
Do not listen to their dreams, 9 because they
are telling you lies in my name. I have not
sent them,” says the Lord.
10 This is what the Lord says: “You will
be in Babylon for seventy years. But then
I will come and do for you all the good
things I have promised, and I will bring you
home again. 11 For I know the plans I have
for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans
for good and not for disaster, to give you
a future and a hope. 12 In those days when
you pray, I will listen. 13 If you look for me
wholeheartedly, you will find me. 14 I will be
found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end
your captivity and restore your fortunes.
28:17 Hebrew In the seventh month of that same year. See 28:1
and the note there. 29:2 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant spelling
of Jehoiachin.
I will gather you out of the nations where I
sent you and will bring you home again to
your own land.”
15 You claim that the Lord has raised up
prophets for you in Babylon. 16 But this is
what the Lord says about the king who
sits on David’s throne and all those still
living here in Jerusalem—your relatives
• Hope
JE R E M I A H 29:11
This verse appears in the middle of
Jeremiah’s letter to the people of Judah
who had already been exiled to Babylon.
The exiles were going to spend a long
time away from their homeland—seventy
years—as God’s discipline. After that,
God would return them to the land. In
other words, God had a plan for their
future.
Our sinfulness often leads to dismal
situations and feelings of despair. But we
must always remember that hopelessness
does not come from God. God is the
author of hope. Even the Exile, with its
seeming hopelessness, was part of God’s
long-range plan for his people. And his
plans were good.
If you are facing hopelessness, you
may be inheriting the results of some
other person’s sinful decisions and
actions. Or you may be reaping the consequences of your own sins. You may not
have really discovered the hope that is
found in God’s love for you through Jesus
Christ. Reject despair and seek out God’s
plan—and his hopes—for you.
• Presence of God
JE R E M I A H 29:11-13
That which we seek determines the
nature of our search. If we seek financial
wealth, our activities must include hard
work, disciplined saving, and sound
investments. If our goal is physical fitness,
another type of program helps us to attain
it. And if we desire to know God, we
must seek him in earnest worship, Bible
study, and prayer. A theology professor
once said, “You may hear the voice of
God without devoting yourself to the
spiritual disciplines of prayer, Scripture
study, and worship, but if you do, it will
be by accident.” Do we dare leave our
relationship with God to accident?