This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” [Jeremiah 29:10-11 (NLT)]
Jeremiah 29 consists of two letters written by the prophet to the exiles in Babylon. The first (29:1-28) was sent to the recently deported elders, priests, and prophets as well as to King Jehoiachin, his mother, and the officials, craftsmen, and artisans who’d been taken as Nebuchadnezzar’s captives several years earlier. Countering the message of the false prophets promising a quick return to Jerusalem from Babylon, Jeremiah bluntly told the exiles that Israel’s captivity would last seventy years. This was unwelcome news and, preferring to believe comforting lies rather than the painful truth, people accused Jeremiah of being crazy and a false prophet. The second letter in this chapter addresses one of his accusers.
It was important for the exiles to understand both the reason for and the duration of their captivity and, unlike the phony prophets, Jeremiah was not about to give them false hope. If the deportees continued believing their exile would be brief, they’d fail to make lives for themselves in Babylon. Not wanting anything to hinder a swift departure, they wouldn’t acquire possessions, practice their trades, commit to marriage and children, or work the land. Moreover, the false hope of a speedy return to Jerusalem could cause the exiles to provoke their captors. Nebuchadnezzar was not about to tolerate insurrection and God wanted His people to thrive in captivity, not be destroyed in a rebellion! Rather than fall into despair at Jeremiah’s news, the Lord told His people to move on with their lives and put down roots in Babylon—to build homes, plant gardens, marry, and have children.
Jeremiah’s prophecy of a lengthy captivity didn’t leave the exiles without hope. Both their exile and release had been foretold and, once Israel repented and returned to the Lord, their captivity would end. The Lord promised to bring his people home after their seventy years of judgment; He would gather them and restore them to their land. Promising them “a future and a hope,” God’s plan for His people was for their welfare, not disaster. The promised future and hope, however, went far beyond a return to Judah and the restoration of Jerusalem. In Jeremiah 30 to 33, in what is called “The Book of Consolation,” we find prophecies that go far beyond Judah’s immediate situation and point to the Messianic Age and both the first and second comings of Christ!
While we never may be captives in a pagan country as were the Judeans, we can find ourselves feeling like “captives” in a location we’d rather not be, a situation we don’t like, or doing what we’d rather not be doing. The loss of a spouse, child, job, financial security, or physical ability can exile us to a “new normal” and leave us feeling like victims in a tragic story. God didn’t want the Israelites defined by their tragedy nor does He want us to be defined by ours. Like the exiles, we have a choice of how we respond to the calamities, heartbreaks, and loss that are part of this fallen world. We can give into bitterness, anger, self-pity, and despair or we can settle into our new normal, make the most of a bad situation, and claim God’s promise of “a future and a hope.” God did not forget the Judeans in their exile and He will not forget us in ours!
After feeding a multitude with little more than a handful of food, Jesus sent the disciples across the Sea of Galilee to Bethsaida. He stayed behind to send the people home and then, exhausted, went into the mountains to pray. During the fourth watch (somewhere between 3:00 and 6:00 AM), Jesus looked out at the water and saw that the disciples were struggling against the wind and waves to keep the boat on course. Seeing their distress, he walked on the water toward them. Seeing Him walking on water, they thought Him a ghost and cried out in terror. Phantoms of the night were said to bring disaster and it was thought that the last thing a boatman saw before drowning in Galilee was a ghost on the water! It’s no wonder they were frightened at first.
When I first started reading the psalms, I suspected David might have been bi-polar—his highs seemed so high and his lows so very low; now I understand that he was just being truthful. In his psalms, David unabashedly expressed his deepest feelings to God. Pouring out his soul, he openly shared his emotions—whether anger, disappointment, sorrow, regret, shame, joy, love, fear, doubt, or even his desire for vengeance upon his enemies. No matter how troubled he was, David never was afraid to speak from his heart. I’m not sure we are willing to be as vulnerable and straightforward in our prayers as was David.
In Psalm 23, the King James version translates the original Hebrew “gay tsalmaveth” as “valley of the shadow of death.” A more accurate translation, however, would be a dark valley or a valley of death-like darkness. While people often associate this psalm with death, it uses the metaphor of sheep and their shepherd and sheep have no concept of death. But, because of their near-sightedness and poor depth perception, they are reluctant to move into dark places. Nevertheless, whether referring to the unknown, danger, or even death, David’s words are ones of comfort and hope to all who read them—we are not alone as we travel through the dark valleys of life.
Several years ago, I purchased a beautifully drawn coloring book featuring scenes from the Colorado mountain town that had been part of our lives for thirty-five years. Since it was a gift for one of my grands, I asked the artist to sign the book. She added these words to her signature: “Don’t be afraid to color outside the lines!” Was the artist’s advice limited to her book or was it about something more?
The Israelites had experienced about two years of God’s power and faithfulness the first time they approached Canaan. After walking through the Red Sea on dry land, they saw Pharaoh’s army drown in the same waters. They heard God’s voice and were led through the wilderness by His cloud during the day and fire at night. God’s power turned bitter water sweet, fed them with quail and manna, and led them to victory against the Amalekites. Nevertheless, it seems as if all of that was forgotten when the twelve spies returned from their forty days scouting Canaan.
Devotions of the Heart 