![]() In fact, in verse 10, God announces that the Babylonian captivity would last for “seventy years.” The generation of Israelites to whom Jeremiah prophesied had no hope of ever seeing their homeland again. In order to realize the blessings of God’s promise, the Israelites had to pray for and work toward the prosperity of their enemies, the very people who had made them slaves! The hope and future God had in store for them did not include an immediate return to their homeland or the restoration of their freedom-the two things the Israelites wanted most. God linked the Israelites’ hope and future prosperity to the success and prosperity of Babylon. “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” ( Jeremiah 29:7). The details of God’s plan are tied to a set of instructions found four verses earlier. In fact, God’s plan was approximately 180 degrees from what the Israelites envisioned. But it wasn’t the plan that the Israelites envisioned. The Lord did, in fact, have a plan for the Israelites-one that offered hope and a prospering future. Jeremiah exposes Hananiah’s lie, and in Jeremiah 29:11 he quotes God’s actual promise. So the task fell to Jeremiah, the true prophet of God, to set matters straight. Hananiah proclaimed that God would free the Israelites from captivity and return them to their homeland within two years, which was a lie. ![]() ![]() And a false prophet named Hananiah was only too happy to take advantage of their desperation. In exile, the Israelites were desperate for hope. Their homeland had been conquered by the Babylonians, and they had been taken prisoners as punishment for their disobedience to God. The people of Israel were in exile in Babylon. The context of the Old Testament passage, however, casts a different light on the verse. They anticipate a moment when their suffering ends and their flourishing begins. The verse has inspired and comforted countless believers who interpret it to mean that if they endure their immediate circumstances, they will emerge victorious, triumphant, and celebrated in God’s ultimate plan of prosperity. With its references to God’s plans, prosperity, protection from harm, peace, and a future filled with hope-Jeremiah 29:11 is often offered as a spiritual “security blanket” to people who are struggling. 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. ![]()
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