Jeremiah 29:11 and Right Division #4

Thursday, May 23, 2024

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” (Jeremiah 29:11 KJV).

What is the truth about today’s Scripture?

It is extremely easy to isolate Bible verses from contexts. After all, it has been done for centuries upon centuries upon centuries—and, blindly following this example, a great many sincere souls do not realize their error. Since whole theological systems and entire denominations have been constructed on these “proof-texts,” such a habit of ripping verses out of their settings is not so readily abandoned. To complicate matters, religious tradition is difficult to address because it is a personal, sensitive topic. Still, if we have any hope of understanding and enjoying the Bible, we must start treating the Scriptures with more respect.

All of the Bible is for us, it is all for our learning (Romans 15:4), but not all of the Bible is to us or about us. Whenever we find good news in Scripture—such as the promise of a blessing (see today’s Scripture, Jeremiah 29:11)—that does not automatically mean God the Holy Spirit is addressing us. If we will believe the verse, we must also believe the context when it restricts the verse to a specific audience, time, and/or place.

Since it is shoddy handling of the Holy Bible, we must forsake our tendency to leave all the curses for Israel while claiming all the blessings for ourselves. In Jeremiah chapter 29, both the blessings and the curses belong to Israel instead of us. If we do “name and claim” today’s Scripture as applicable to us, we must also “name and claim” the fact we will be deported to Babylon for 70 years (verse 10). Such Bible usage makes no sense, does it? At this point, someone inevitably voices a concern: “But is it not true that God has something good in store for us as members of the Church the Body of Christ?” Definitely, without a doubt, we have some wonderful promises from God—but we do not have to commit spiritual larceny (steal Israel’s verses) to “name and claim” them!

Let us see God’s Word to and about us….