Jeremiah 29

Read Jeremiah 29

Helpful Background Information: 

• Jeremiah recorded this letter in chapter 29 around 597 BC. This is after the community of Judea had been deported to Babylon in 609 BC. In this passage and others, Jeremiah claims that Babylon will rule over Judah, which was fulfilled in 539 BC - which is seventy years later - when Babylon was overthrown. 

• The letter recorded in verses 4-23 was sent to the exiles was to address their expectations and anxieties which they faced in a foreign land. This encouragement was to accept their current situation in the land that they were exiled to.

• At the time, there were false prophets deceiving the people with false statements about who God is and what He will do. Jeremiah made sure to call these false prophets out in his letter. One of these false prophets requested that Jeremiah be restrained to stocks and neck irons (verse 26). The Lord then gave a message of condemnation to Jeremiah against Shemaiah the false prophet. 

Reflection Questions: 

• As the people of Judah are foreigners in their exile, God tells them to be content where they are at. What does knowing this compel you to pray for? How can you pray for peace in your circumstances as opposed to a change of circumstances?

• In verses 10-14, God promises to restore His people back to Himself. God’s heart in leadership is made clear in these passages, that He knows His people and cares for them. How can you find encouragement in this, as someone who is loved by God in the same way? How can your faith be strengthened in this?

• Even in the time of the exile, there were false prophets who claimed to speak for God but were deceptive. What does God think of these false prophets? How can this passage help identify the characteristics of a false prophet?