Is Jer. 29:11 YOUR Promise? Pt. 4 of 4

Jeremiah upset the applecart in Jer. 29:11.  All around him were people who had an angle on things.  The way they had it figured, recent reverses suffered at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar were merely temporary setbacks - Happy days would be here again soon.  Unfortunately for them, God's plan, the only plan that matters, was not drawn from the same script.  In God's plan, the losers were the ones with a future.  The "lucky ones" would lose it all.

Let's be clear about the intended recipients of Jer. 29:11 - this promise was given to Jewish exiles living in Babylon in the first half of the 6th century BC.  The fulfillment of the promise was offered to and experienced by SOME of their progeny about 70 years later.  No one reading today's post at light-work.com is on the "intended recipients" list.  So here we are two and half millennia later, wondering how this promise has implications to help equip men and women of God (like us) for every good work.

Hermeneutics is "the art and science of biblical interpretation" and there is no shortage of texts, classes, and seminars on the subject.  But when it comes to the challenge of application, which is "the identification of specific ways in which the interpretation of a biblical passage has implications for those in the immediate audience and beyond," we are not so fortunate.  I have been interested in this topic for years and have collected everything I can find, but it ain't much.  We need a good book on the subject, maybe with the title:  "Applineutics:  How should we then live, in light of what the text means?"  Alas, this definitive and, I am sure, much needed resource will have to wait.  For now, "A few humble thoughts about how to apply Jer. 29:11," will have to suffice.

(1) One interpretation, many applications.  Although Jer. 29:11 was intended to say one thing to its original audience, there can be many implications which arise from this passage, both to the original audience and those outside this circle.  Here's the basic interpretive core of the verse:  God says to a small group generally regarded as losers that, in His plan, they have positive prospects for the future.  How one thinks, what one says, and what one does can be shaped in a whole host of ways by this solitary point.  For example, the exiles are given a sound basis in this verse to make a change in how they think, namely, to replace discouragement with hope. 

(2) If I am not the immediate recipient for a message, then I cannot directly apply it to myself.  I was not there in Babylon to receive Jeremiah's letter.  Neither was my father or grandfather.  So when God says, "I know the plans I have for you," I am NOT the "you" he is addressing.  I have no right to say this:  "God says in Jeremiah 29:11 that He has a plan for my welfare."  It is TRUE that God has a plan for my welfare, but Jeremiah 29:11 is not the place to go to prove it.

(3) All biblical passages can give me insight into one of the four "grand" topics - God, man, the relationship of God to man, and the relationship of man to man.  Jeremiah 29:11 teaches us some glorious truths about God.  He is not bound or constrained by conventional logic or the popular view.  He is Lord of the impossible.  What men would consider a disaster can become in His hands the means of blessing for His people.  This ministers encouragement to me - God, my God, is the same God who gave a future to those who seemed to have none.  I have a sound basis to hope even if things look thoroughly hopeless when my hope is in God.  When I compare this promise to actual historical events that occurred around 535 BC, I can see that God came through just as he promised!  The promise of my God is reliable even when it's unbelievable!   

(4) Passage A (in which I am NOT the immediate audience) can serve as an illustrative echo of passage B (in which I am included in the immediate audience).  In 1 Corinthians 15:58 (passage B) Paul says:  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord (1 Cor. 15:58 - NASB95).  Because of what Paul says in the forward in 1 Cor. 1:2, Paul is making this promise to all men everywhere who call on the name of Jesus.  So 1 Cor. 15:58 is written to ME!  There may be no shortage of voices crowing, "Spending your life for Jesus is a waste of time."  In moments of discouragement, I might even FEEL justified saying, "What's the use?"  But 1 Corinthians 15:58 turns this notion on its ears and declares, "It WILL be worth it."

Jeremiah 29:11 (passage A) becomes illustrative reinforcement of 1 Corinthians 15:58, especially because of the ironic element they share.  Jeremiah's promise shows us that just because someone thinks it's hopeless, doesn't mean it is.  When God is factored into the equation, MEN'S estimates of what can and can't happen are irrelevant.  The promise of Jer. 29:11 was fulfilled just as God purposed.  So I have in Jer. 29:11 a GREAT reason to trust Him when He promises ME in 1 Cor. 15:58 that serving Jesus will be worth it, despite any man's opinion to the contrary.

Comments

[RLF]

"Applineutics" is a great idea whose time has certainly come! Maybe you could write a book and share the principles here and/or at a Harvest Guild! Jeremiah 29:11 is just the tip of the iceberg.

[Alex Marshall]

If/When you write this book, please let me know. I definitely want to read it!

[Scott]

One resource I just read touches on this in the for of Exegetical Eschatology or e2.
Applying the LIGHTS principle to reading scripture:
Literal Principle:Reading the Bible as Literature
Illumination Principle
Grammatical Principle
Historical Principle
Typology Principle
Scripture Synergy
These are fleshed out in Hank Hanegraaff's new book "The Apocalypse Code"
A very good book and some very good tools for reading the Bible for all it's worth.

[Rufus]

Based on I Cor 1:2, are all the commands, exhortations, promises, etc contained in the letter for "all men everywhere"?

[Jim Fleming]

Rufus,
Here's how I would attempt to capture it. See what you think? Based on the forward (In 1 Cor. 1:1-3), the entire book was intended to be of direct benefit to all saints. But there are places where Paul describes circumstances and events that are relevant to the church in Corinth, but which may not be the experience of all saints. For example, when Paul says - "But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse" (1 Cor. 11:17 - NASB95) - I don't think he is describing every local gathering of believers. I certainly HOPE NOT! But he is definitely putting all saints on notice that it is possible for a gathering of the saints to be a spiritual liability, not an asset, if we aren't careful.

[Rufus]

It would seem that Paul's letter to the Corinthians is just that - Paul's letter to the Corinthians. I see Paul using his introduction (1:2) to place the Corinthian church "together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." I don't really see Paul expanding his target audience - just placing them in the rapidly expanding 1st century church. I think it's a stretch to use v.2 as the basis for assuming that Paul was thinking of anyone beyond Corinth (authorial intent) when he wrote the letter.

[jg]

Isn't there a passage in the New Testament that says that all Israel went through was written for our benefit, so that we might learn spiritual lessons from it all? I may be remembering that wrong, but I think the point is that none of the Scripture may have been written directly to us, but that doesn't mean that God's Spirit can't use the words to touch our spirit. I think there is more to learn from the historical books or the Psalms, for example, than history lessons or what a man after God's own heart was feeling on a particular day. Or for that matter, I think there is more to those books than learning "about" God through His dealings with men. I think we can hear directly from Him through the Scriptures. Isn't that what II Timothy 3:16 means?
For example, let's say you are dealing with something very difficult, or maybe you have a decision to make. Your daily Bible reading has you in I Kings. The passage isn't particularly relevant to your situation, but the wording is such that it seems to grab your attention. Maybe there are words or phrases that describe what you are feeling or dealing with, words that only you and God would recognize as significant. You come away knowing that you have heard from the Lord. Is this not the experience of most Christians? Not that you this happens every time you read the Bible, and I know you have to be careful not to read too much into every passage you come across; not everything is meant to be personally applied. It's also important to pray for wisdom so that you will have eyes to see, ears to hear, etc. what it is God wants you to learn from Him And this is also not to say that God will speak to your particular situation every time either. He may speak to us, but not in the way we are expecting. I think Hebrews 4:12 helps with all this too. Please tell me if my thinking is wrong on this!

[Jim Fleming]

Rufus and other L-W readers - is there any evidence in 1 Cor. (or in other Pauline epistles) that Paul contemplated a larger target audience for his letters than just the original recipients?
JG - You have raised a big enough question to warrant a more expansive comment. This is a REALLY GOOD QUESTION - so look for a "postscript" on Thursday or Friday of next week.

[Rufus]

I am not familiar with any passages in I Cor that would indicate that Paul was addressing a broader audience outside of the Corinthian church. He does sometimes expand his letter's address to include other churches - the "churches" of Galatia and directing the Colossians and Laodiceans to exchange letters for example.

[mjc]

Thanks for your post jg. I know that we have talked about this is and I am interested to hear more about it from Jim.

My take on it was that sometimes when I am reading God's word it shows me an aspect that I had not considered or leads me to a broader thought than what is in my current frame of reference.

I remember that I gave you, jg, the example that with Jer 29:11, I haven't taken that to mean that "Oh yea! I am going to prosper and have no hardship." (My previous life experiences have already made the idea of a "happy fru-fru life" null and void. And I don't think there is enough adventure in that kind of life for me anyway!:) ) Plus, I don't want it all to be easy sailing, because I know I wouldn't remain as steadfast with the Lord or get to experience the joy that only He brings amidst the hardship. And that is a beautiful joy to be given and to embrace in your life!

BUT, I know that I have read Jer 29:11 and been reminded that yes I do have a hope and a future, because I am a child of God. My hope is eternal! I know that verse does not mean that specifically, but I do know that I feel God used that to remind this child of His, that my hope lies in Him and His eternal promise, not in what the world sees as "hope."

So, I can't wait to hear more about this topic! I'm looking forward to the postscript Jim!

[mjc]

By the way, concerning my post below, I forgot to say that I would not use that which I feel God showed me through Jer 29:11 as counsel for anyone else. I see it fit only for me at the time I read it. Just wanted to clarify!