My comment: I believe in the whole Bible, I believe it is inspired by God, and we should read it in it’s entirety. The mistake that some make in the ‘Name It And Claim It’ gospel is they will pick a verse without totally understanding as this author points out. I hope you come away from this with a clearer understanding of what the Gospel say’s.
Nicola Menzie/Christian Post
“‘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.'” Christians quote Jeremiah 29:11 all the time, nearly as often as they quote John 3:16, but some apparently fail to understand the meaning of the Old Testament verse.
(Photo: Tony Alter/Flickr Creative Commons)A man on the beach is seen with Jeremiah 29:11 tattooed on his back in this June 30, 2012, photo.
“Now most people know that verse and we use that out of context to say ‘this the college I want to go to, this is the boyfriend or girlfriend I want and this is the job I want, so those are my plans and now God declares that,'” offered spoken word poet Jefferson Bethke in his recent YouTube video.
Bethke threw his two cents into the discussion Wednesday on “the most misinterpreted verse in the Bible,” joining the likes of Christian minister John Piper, who recently offered a take that varies from the 24-year-old author’s assessment.
“The first thing we have to understand is that we can’t just take one verse out and kind of prostitute it out on our Facebook and our Twitter without looking at the narrative,” said Bethke, suggesting that readers should always consider the historical and literary contexts of a Biblical passage.
“I think sometimes we take verses that God meant for a specific people for a specific time and we then wrench it out of its context and use it for (our) individual walk.”
The Washington state resident who attends the Neo-Calvinist Mars Hill Church explained in his five-minute YouTube video that Jeremiah 29:10-11 appears in a letter written by the prophet Jeremiah to the Jewish community taken exiled in Babylon (6th century BCE). The letter, expressing God’s comfort to and judgment of the former inhabitants of Jerusalem, informs the recipients that they will return to their homeland after 70 years because God intends to fulfill His promises to bless them.
“First off all, He’s not saying that in the context of ‘right now it’s all gonna get better,'” according to Bethke. “He said (for) 70 years you will be in exile longer. Some people don’t even live 70 years.”
He further added, “Notice that He says ‘for I know the plans I have for you.’ I think a lot of time with this verse, we really prostitute God out, turn Him into a Santa Claus or turn Him into a genie… We make our plans and then say ‘now God do them.'”
Watch Bethke on “The Most Misinterpreted Verse In The Bible (Jeremiah 29:11)” below:
While many agree that Jeremiah 29 applies only to a specific group (as opposed to an individual), living in a specific period of time, Piper, on the other hand, believes the promises made to the ancient Jewish exiles in Jeremiah 29:11 are transferable to the Christian community.
The Calvinist Baptist minister and theologian recently tackled Jeremiah 29:11 and the question of whether the passage applies to Christians.
“Yes, Christians can lay claim to this, and they do it because of Christ,” said Piper in a May 29 recording of his “Ask Pastor John” series.
Piper suggested that Christians “love” the Jeremiah 29 passage due to the setting in which God devlivered His message to the Jewish community exiled and enslaved in Babylon.
“We Christians, we Gentiles especially, go to it and we love it because it holds out the prospect of not destruction for us, but life and hope and joy in the future,” said Piper. “The reason we can do it is because at the Last Supper, Jesus lifted up the cup which represented his blood and he said ‘this cup is the new covenant in my blood.'”
Piper went on to suggest that Christ’s crucifixion meant that the Old Testament promises would be fulfilled with those who come to faith in Jesus.
“Everything that God meant to be fulfilled for His people Israel now is going to be fulfilled in his people of the New Covenant. So that not only Jews but also Gentiles, through faith in the messiah, become part of the covenant people of God, so that every promise can be laid hold on by Gentiles who are in the messiah, in Christ Jesus,” Piper added, citing 2 Corinthians 1:20 and Romans 8:32 to support his argument.
While many agree that Jeremiah 29 applies only to a specific group (as opposed to an individual), living in a specific period of time, Piper, on the other hand, believes the promises made to the ancient Jewish exiles in Jeremiah 29:11 are transferable to the Christian community.
The Calvinist Baptist minister and theologian recently tackled Jeremiah 29:11 and the question of whether the passage applies to Christians.
“Yes, Christians can lay claim to this, and they do it because of Christ,” said Piper in a May 29 recording of his “Ask Pastor John” series.
Piper suggested that Christians “love” the Jeremiah 29 passage due to the setting in which God devlivered His message to the Jewish community exiled and enslaved in Babylon.
“We Christians, we Gentiles especially, go to it and we love it because it holds out the prospect of not destruction for us, but life and hope and joy in the future,” said Piper. “The reason we can do it is because at the Last Supper, Jesus lifted up the cup which represented his blood and he said ‘this cup is the new covenant in my blood.'”
Piper went on to suggest that Christ’s crucifixion meant that the Old Testament promises would be fulfilled with those who come to faith in Jesus.
“Everything that God meant to be fulfilled for His people Israel now is going to be fulfilled in his people of the New Covenant. So that not only Jews but also Gentiles, through faith in the messiah, become part of the covenant people of God, so that every promise can be laid hold on by Gentiles who are in the messiah, in Christ Jesus,” Piper added, citing 2 Corinthians 1:20 and Romans 8:32 to support his argument.
Listen to “Ask Pastor John” in which Piper Discusses Jeremiah 29:11:
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The Holy Spirit sent to all who repent and turn from their sin is the best teacher,for there will always be those who choose a life away from God and twist the scriptures to deceive many. “As also in all his epistles,speaking in them of these things;in which are some things hard to be understood,which they which are unlearned(NOT taught of the Spirit)and unstable wrest(twist),as they do also the other scriptures,unto their own destruction.Ye therefore,beloved,seeing ye know these things before,beware lest ye also,being led away with the error of the wicked,fall from your own steadfastness”.(2 Peter 3:16,17).We are to:”Study to shew thyself approved unto God,a workman that needeth not to be ashamed,rightly dividing the word of truth”.(2 Timothy 2:15).God Bless This Ministry of truth.
Julia
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Amen Julia! We are to search out the scriptures like the Bereans!
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Excellent video and interpretation. Even so, Je29:11 still does reveal God’s loving and unchangeable character toward us.
There are many verses that speak of God’s grace. Heb13:5 states ‘I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee’. Pr3:5,6 tell us to ‘Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths’. 3Jn2 states ‘Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth’. Ro8:31 ‘…If God be for us, who can be against us?’.
~Drgold http://drgoldsite.wordpress.com
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‘. . . and its Light will be darken.’ Delete ‘be’.
AWL, www
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Jeremiah 29:
10) This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.
11) 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.
12) Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
We have discussed the need to read the prior and after verses clarify the meaning of the middle statement.
I agree with John Piper. As history is frequently exciting, the prophecies are just as edifying of our future as in the past. If we do not hear and heed JHVH’s wisdom, this will be our last turning . . . and its Light will be darken.
Albert, www
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Yes, I agree, it’s imperative to read the verse before and after. A good example of this is Isaiah 9:10. If our leaders had understood that this verse was ignoring the need to turn to God instead of man’s ability to rebuild, they wouldn’t have touted it like it was. And Drgold, yes God’s grace is found throughout the Bible. Even under judgement, God said, even though you are in exile, I have plans for you, don’t be afraid.This is an example of this, even in suffering God will be with us. We can take comfort from this, for sure, however I agree that it is also twisted at times. Our focus should be on what the Apostle Paul said when he was explaining his own suffering, God told him ‘My Grace is sufficient for you.’ He and the other Apostles knew that we would suffer, but what God has planned for us, will carry us through to the end. Unfortunately there are a large number of Christians who think we have been promised a life free from suffering. This is not so. We are promised that through our faith we are son’s and daughters of the kingdom of God. I just thank God every day for His grace and promise that He will be with us even unto the end of time. So in reality we are in exile as the Jewish people were, we are exiled into a world of sin and denial of God, but know that God is with us, as the Bible tells us ‘No ear has heard or eye seen what God has in store for us.’ God Bless, and thanks for the insight.
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