This time of year Christians send and receive a variety of graduation gifts that feature Jer. 29:11 \u2013\u201cFor 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a wonderful biblical promise. The problem is \u2026 it\u2019s not for graduates.<\/p>\n
As Christians in the U.S., we have a tendency to Westernize, personalize, and lift out of context many passages of Scripture so that they lose their original meaning \u2013 and worse, lose their intended application for modern readers.<\/p>\n
Using this verse, let\u2019s look at three ways we sometimes misuse biblical promises. E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O\u2019Brien identify these common errors in their book, Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes.<\/p>\n
Ignoring the context
\nIn Jeremiah 29, Jerusalem is captured, looted, and burned. The Babylonians kill King Zedekiah\u2019s sons, then gouge out his eyes, shackle him and lead him into captivity. The kingdom of Judah is about to spend 70 years in exile.<\/p>\n
We are tempted to ignore the context because it doesn\u2019t apply to us. It\u2019s ancient history, and we want to fast forward to the promise of prosperity.<\/p>\n
So we cling to verse 11 as a \u201ctheme verse\u201d and claim what we think is God\u2019s promise to provide excellent career prospects, a trophy spouse, and a worry-free life.<\/p>\n
This may be one reason so many 20-somethings drift away from the church. They become disillusioned when they swim in an ocean of college-loan debt and find themselves working minimum-wage jobs. This isn\u2019t the biblical \u201cpromise\u201d they claimed as graduates.<\/p>\n
Making it about me
\nA second way we misread this passage is to take it personally. When the Lord says \u201cyou,\u201d He is speaking about His people \u2013 Israel. Certainly Zedekiah couldn\u2019t take the promise personally. Nor could the grieving families whose sons and daughters were slaughtered in the battle for Jerusalem.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must teach every new student that the \u2018plans to prosper you\u2019 involved the killing and enslavement of thousands of individual Israelites (2 Kings 24-25), who might dispute the promise \u2018not to harm you,\u2019\u201d write Richards and O\u2019Brien. \u201cMoreover, Jer. 29:4-7 indicates that God\u2019s blessing extended to Israel\u2019s enemies, the nations in which the Israelites were living as exiles. \u2026<\/p>\n
Certainly many individuals languished without prospering, without the prospect of a bright future. Enslavement and suffering were their plight. The promise may not apply to me, but that doesn\u2019t mean it doesn\u2019t apply to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fast-forwarding
\nFinally, we are inclined to fast-forward the outcome. For the Jewish exiles, God returns them to their land after 70 years. There is suffering and uncertainty throughout the two generations that feel the full force of God\u2019s wrath on the southern kingdom. Nevertheless, He keeps His promise.<\/p>\n
Richards and O\u2019Brien offer a good summary of Jeremiah 29: \u201cEven though Israel is in the condition of exile, God will prosper them by prospering those who enslave them (Jer. 29:7). Someday He will deliver them from exile, but that will happen well in the future. Until then, Israel is to rest assured that God is at work for their deliverance, even when He does not appear to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, how can we encourage graduates in a more biblically accurate way?<\/p>\n
Perhaps a better \u201ctheme verse\u201d is Eph. 2:10, which tells us that we \u2013 New Testament believers \u2013 are God\u2019s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.<\/p>\n
God may shower us with wealth and wisdom as Solomon enjoyed, or a double portion of His spirit as Elisha received. Or He may blaze our path to eternal reward through the dark valleys of persecution and premature death as the heroes of Hebrews 11 experienced.<\/p>\n
The measure of our lives is not how long we live or how prosperous we become. It\u2019s how faithfully we manage the time, talents, spiritual gifts and other resources God has entrusted to us.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This time of year Christians send and receive a variety of graduation gifts that feature Jer. 29:11 \u2013\u201cFor 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.\u201d It\u2019s a wonderful biblical promise. The problem is \u2026 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":11936,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_selected_social_profile":[]},"categories":[35,38,5,8,30],"tags":[197],"yoast_head":"\n