This one is everywhere. When I say everywhere, I mean I see and hear it quoted and misused by people from every denomination and background. It’s on coffee cups, it’s on t-shirts, bumper stickers, billboards, everywhere. We all want to believe that God has nothing but blessing for us, all the time. It seems harmless because it has been misquoted and misused so often and for so long that we just blindly accept the false meaning.
One of the reasons I get upset about this one is because I often hear it used in an effort to give comfort to people who are hurting, grieving, or going through very difficult times in their lives. Most of the people misusing it in this way are doing so with good intentions, but it ends up giving false hope to those who are hurting; making promises for God that He did not make and is therefore not obligated to keep. Others I hear “claiming” this verse for themselves, seeking prosperity and blessing. And let’s be honest, they mean wealth, health, and an easy life.
When correctly interpreted and applied, it’s another beautiful promise from our Lord, which He fulfilled. He didn’t forget His people, and eventually delivered them from captivity. We remember that He has not forgotten us, His people, in exile here on this earth (sojourners). We are reminded that He will fulfill His promise to one day deliver us from our captivity to the effects of sin and death into the Promised Land (His Kingdom), where we will be with Him forever!
All misuses of Scripture can be harmful. Some are more dangerous/harmful than others. This misuse in particular is actually very dangerous. There are several separate errors working together to make a mess of what the Bible is actually saying. I want to bring just a little attention to each of them.
ERRORS
– Out of context it again makes promises for God that He did not make; leading people to be disappointed with Him and discouraged in their faith when things don’t go their way.
– It promotes the idea that Scripture is about you/us instead of being about Christ, placing our focus on us instead of our Creator and Savior.
– It is a go-to verse for the purveyors of the “prosperity gospel”.
Jer 29:1-14 ESV (Emphasis mine) [1] These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. [2] This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the eunuchs, the officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had departed from Jerusalem. [3] The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. It said: [4] “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: [5] Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. [6] 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. [7] 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. [8] 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, [9] for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, declares the LORD. [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. [11] 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. [12] Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. [13] You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. [14] 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.
CONTEXT
Let’s use our first three rules for sound biblical interpretation… context, context, and context. So many of the errors we see on this one can be fixed just by reading the first few verses in the chapter. We don’t even have to go back a full chapter. It is explicit in verse 1. It’s literally like looking at the front of an addressed envelope. It tells us who it is from and it tells us who it is to. That’s one reason this misuse is so egregious. Putting it back in context makes it painfully obvious who the Lord is speaking to through the prophet Jeremiah.
So, who is the “you” in verse 11? It’s plural… His people, Israel. More specifically His people that He sent into captivity. Where I’m from it would be interpreted as “I know the plans I have for Y’ALL”. He’s not talking to me or you. This letter was written to a specific people at a specific time in history. The fact that it’s prophetic doesn’t change the audience it was written to.
In fact, it was not great news to everyone hearing it. While it does contain a promise from the Lord, and he does always keep his promises, most of the people hearing this prophecy wouldn’t even be alive to see the blessing and deliverance. Actually God even says as much. He tells them they will be there a hot minute (70 years). He tells His people to basically set up shop there. He tells them to have families so their numbers do not decrease, ensuring He has lots of people to eventually deliver.
So, in context, we see that this verse is…
NOT ABOUT YOU/ME
The Bible is written to several people and people groups directly; none of which are me and you. As believers, some of it is written to us indirectly, but we are not the object or focus. It is written first and foremost to reveal to us God and His character and His will. It is written specifically to reveal to us Christ and His plan of redemption, His gospel (Luke 24:27, John 5:39). Jesus says several times that it is all about Him. Thank God that he graciously includes us in His plan of redemption! But, the Bible is NOT about us.
We can’t just read a biblical passage and assume that it is speaking directly to or about us just because the word “you” is there. That is an interpretation error known as eisegesis, where you read yourself or something else into the Text that isn’t there. By using this technique people make the Bible say pretty much anything THEY want it to say. As opposed to how we are supposed to read it known as exegesis, where we read out and properly interpret what is actually there.
PROSPERITY GARBAGE
So much is wrong with this misuse. First, it’s ripped out of its immediate context of the same chapter of Jeremiah. Secondly, it’s ripped out of the context of what we see in the New Testament and what Christ Himself promises us and calls us to. He will always be with us, but there will be troubles and persecutions. He promises sufficient grace and power to overcome our sinful flesh. He calls us to take up our cross daily and follow Him. He calls us to deny ourselves. He calls us to Spirit-empowered humility, loving and serving others.
In this Passage not only did God allow His people to be taken captive, He plainly says that He SENT them into captivity. He did this. That’s one reason He sent the letter; to let them know it was Him who sent them into captivity. He also wrote warning AGAINST those prophets who were speaking immediate blessing and favor from Him. He said do not listen to those who are speaking of quick deliverance. He said I’m going to leave you there for a while.
Yet this verse is notoriously used as part of the “prosperity gospel” to “name and claim” all kinds of selfish, self-promoting “blessings” and “favor”. They use it as part of their doctrinal foundation to help prop up their false theology and convince people that God always plans to bless you, heal you, and prosper you; He only intends good for you on this earth, in this life. I’m not going to go on a rant here other than to say that this version of the “gospel” is so destructive and dangerous, and actually is no gospel at all. It leads people to be focused on themselves, seeking earthly treasures and pleasures, believing empty promises, and could ultimately lead to some very dark places spiritually. If you want to be miserable, focus on yourself, your desires, what you don’t have, and what you think you deserve.
CONCLUSION
The Bible is a beautiful book, alive and active, full of beautiful promises from our loving Father. He does see us. He does care. He does provide. He has not forgotten us. He has saved us. And He will one day ultimately save and deliver us. Does God know the plans He has for us? Absolutely! Are those plans for now as well as later? Yes. Does He share all those plans with us? No; and He has not promised that He would. Does He plan to prosper and bless us; to give us hope and a future? Yes! We get eternal blessings, adopted into the family of God; to be with Him in His Kingdom forever instead of the eternal punishment and torture we rightly deserve… He will absolutely bless us and He has already done so above and beyond anything we could imagine! Does He plan on blessing us here and now, in this life, with finances, health, relationships, etc… Possibly. But this verse does not promise that. And I can’t find anywhere else in Scripture where He promises to bless Christians in that way. There are multiple verses, especially in the New testament and lots of examples from His disciples and apostles that say otherwise.
The promises that God does make and that He will keep are so much better and sweeter and more comforting than any of the cheap, empty promises, made in His name, that only appeal to our sinful flesh.