Jeremiah 29 Commentary
I Know The Plans I Have For You
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KEY THOUGHT: …thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. [Jeremiah 29:11b NKJV]
Kindly read your Bible before going through the commentary!
Jeremiah 29 NKJV
Jeremiah’s Letter to the Captives
29 Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the elders who were carried away captive—to the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. 2 (This happened after Jeconiah[a] the king, the queen mother, the [b]eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths 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, saying,
4 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:
5 Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. 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. 8 For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. 9 For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord.
10 For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. 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. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.
15 Because you have said, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon”— 16 therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king who sits on the throne of David, concerning all the people who dwell in this city, and concerning your brethren who have not gone out with you into captivity— 17 thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will send on them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like rotten figs that cannot be eaten, they are so bad. 18 And I will pursue them with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence; and I will deliver them to trouble among all the kingdoms of the earth—to be a curse, an astonishment, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them, 19 because they have not heeded My words, says the Lord, which I sent to them by My servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; neither would you heed, says the Lord. 20 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, all you of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon.
21 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a lie to you in My name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall slay them before your eyes. 22 And because of them a curse shall be taken up by all the captivity of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, “The Lord make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire”; 23 because they have done disgraceful things in Israel, have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and have spoken lying words in My name, which I have not commanded them. Indeed I know, and am a witness, says the Lord.
24 You shall also speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying, 25 Thus speaks the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: You have sent letters in your name to all the people who are at Jerusalem, to Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying, 26 “The Lord has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, so that there should be officers in the house of the Lord over every man who is demented and considers himself a prophet, that you should put him in prison and in the stocks. 27 Now therefore, why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth who makes himself a prophet to you? 28 For he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, ‘This captivity is long; build houses and dwell in them, and plant gardens and eat their fruit.’ ”
29 Now Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet. 30 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying: 31 Send to all those in captivity, saying, Thus says the Lord concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, and I have not sent him, and he has caused you to trust in a lie— 32 therefore thus says the Lord: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his [c]family: he shall not have anyone to dwell among this people, nor shall he see the good that I will do for My people, says the Lord, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord.
Footnotes
a. Jeremiah 29:2 Jehoiachin, 2 Kin. 24:12; 2 Chr. 36:10
b. Jeremiah 29:2 Or officers
c. Jeremiah 29:32 descendants, lit. seed
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Jeremiah 29 Commentary
Chapter 29 is world-famous for its Verse 11. However, the saint may be interested in knowing the context of this statement by the LORD.
Of course, it fits into the general notion that the LORD has good plans for mankind – the plan of salvation. The grand plan involved an exodus-like restoration of Israel back to her own land – the land promised to Abraham.
It appears the LORD is obsessed with the idea that Israel settles on this particular piece of land. It represents a trip back to the Garden of Peace and tranquility – Eden, the Garden of God.
It would, therefore, appear like the good plans of the LORD have nothing to do with a man’s holiday trip to the Bahamas. The LORD defines the term ‘good’ for us.
Stop for a moment and think about it. The scattering of Israel here is comparable with the scattering that Adam experienced. The LORD scattered him out of Eden. Later, the LORD would enter into a contract with Abraham. The details of the contract involved obedience on Abraham’s part, and provision of ‘land’ and a blessing on the LORD’s part.
Israel had constantly breached the terms of the contract and finally, the LORD acted by scattering Israel away from the ‘land’. Yes, scattering happened, but wait a minute. The LORD has good plans for Israel. Chapter 29, therefore, displays the compassions of the LORD in high definition!
We can draw a thought from the term used to describe the exiled elders – the surviving elders. The surviving individual, that is, the reader here and anyone else still living today, the LORD has good plans for you!
The LORD speaks of good plans for you, to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Verse 11.
We shall read about the means and the details of this plan, but nothing rivals Isaiah’s details. It is about a new dispensation under a new government. Under the reign of the Son called Immanuel. He is also the Servant of Isaiah 53.
See how the scripture keeps on referring to the original blessing of increase, prosperity, and dominion. Prosperity in the plans of the LORD is a direct reference to the original blessing – Genesis 1:28.
They would prosper, have the Messiah’s rule, and be back in the Garden – the Promised Land.
Verse 7 is yet another important poster verse from this chapter: “Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
The saint can connect all these pieces and understand the meaning of “being in the world though not of the world”. At the same time, it spells out for us the correct word for responsibility or ministry.
In the meantime, and while in Babylon, don’t listen to the false prophets. They preach the wrong gospel. The saint is warned.
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