My Least Favorite Verse

Since my cancer diagnosis put me on the path of reading and trying to understand the Word, one verse in particular has been thrown at me or in my vicinity, much to my irritation. It says:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
— Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

Folks seem to enjoy tossing it about as though it were a pleasant message from the Lord, a random nice thing that He wants us to know. It irritates me because it is so often quoted without context, and the context of the verse is that God is punishing Israel for their centuries of demon worship and turning away from Him. They’ve lost the Promised Land, been driven into exile, and now live at the mercy of people who are demon worshipping pros instead of merely rebellious Jews.

A few verses earlier, God tells the Jews what He expects from them:

“Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.”
— Jeremiah 29:5-6 (NIV)

God’s saying, “look, this is not going to be a quick punishment. Get used to your situation. Some of you will die of old age before I’m done with you. Embrace it, because I’m not changing My mind.” A couple of verses later, God says to ignore the people trying to happy-talk their way past the punishment:

“…Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name.”
— Jeremiah 29:8b-9a

One gets the idea that God wants the Jews to sit with this and think about what they’ve done to anger Him so. The promise of 29:11 comes after this, almost as a way to soften the message of the punishment He is administering. But it also comes with a description of the attitude of the heart He demands from them:

“Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you in exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
— Jeremiah 29:7 (NIV)

God is saying that the people are where He wants them to be, and He knows the kind of rulers they have now. Nevertheless, God commands the people of Israel to pray for their oppressors, and to seek the peace and prosperity of the whole city of Babylon. He wants them to pray for their enemies and desire what’s best for them. He wants their hearts changed and submitted to His will, agreeing with His holy desire to reconcile all people to Himself. It’s a picture of God’s heart for His enemies, echoing even Christ’s message to Saul of Tarsus.

This is your punishment. Get used to it. Maybe think about why you’re here. Pray for those who persecute you. Seek their wellbeing.

God doesn’t even allow for resistance against their new masters, insisting on a desire for peace. It is only after all this ground is covered that God offers the promise of His plans for the people of Israel, and immediately bookends it again with submission to His will:

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
— Jeremiah 29:12-13 (NIV)

God’s promise in Jeremiah 29:11 isn’t just a sack of goodies dropped in by helicopter. It’s in the context of a process of punishment and refinement. It’s connected to a submissive heart attitude, of being grateful for the circumstances in which we find ourselves, of praying for those who oppose us, and of seeking God with all our heart. It’s a reiteration of “love the Lord your God with all your heart”. To be sure, it is part of a love letter from God to His people, but it’s a tough love letter, not a warm and fuzzy one. These are things I think about every time I see Jeremiah 29:11 quoted without context.