Stop Using Jeremiah 29:11 As Your Exhortatory Text.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  – Jeremiah 29:11

Last night I was reading through the book of Jeremiah. Some particular verses stood out to me as if I had never seen before. I was tempted to open my laptop and make Image Scriptures out of them, but I had decided to keep on reading until I complete a certain portion of Scripture as a part of spiritual discipline. When I reached Jeremiah 29:11, I couldn’t keep myself going. I remembered how many times I had heard people around me using that verse for all kinds of exhortations in all kinds of settings: birthdays, exam times, graduations, farewells, partings, fresher’s meet, home fellowships, and even in churches. I decided to write a blog post about it. I remembered a professor in a seminary who instructed us to maintain our Title in a positive tone as often as possible. Well, I believe in this case a negative tone that too in an imperative mood serves us much better. So, “Stop Using Jeremiah 29:11 As Your Exhortatory Text!”

As I set out to write a short article, it occurred to me to see if or how many article(s) on it are available on the internet, because I did not want to waste my time telling the same thing if many have written about it. Lo and behold! There were lots of articles on it by some reputed personalities. I skimmed through some of the articles and found some to be very short and some others to be of in-depth treatment. I was hard-pressed to write a new blog post or to put it away, but my mind was still not relaxed, because of all those misuses I had heard in the past. Consequently, I decided to publish a blog post online for anyone to see it about my concern regarding those misuses. Someday, when I hear people misusing or when people ask me about its misuse, I can just send a link of this page, “Stop Using Jeremiah 29:11 As Your Exhortatory Text!”

Well, you can surmise the reason why I used the strong word “stop,” it’s because every now and then people keep on misusing this verse. There are lots of other scripture portions for anyone to use for exhortatory texts. Come on, why default to Jeremiah 29:11, which is very common to the point that it has no more effect on the hearers, and also almost always wrong every time we hear it? Of course, Jeremiah 29:11 can be used as a text of exhortation as it can be of any text of Scripture, but it has to be done in its context. As Steve Lawson would say, “You can eulogize even the devil; he is consistent!” We can always come up with good words or exhortation from any passage of the scripture. The principle here is, if you aren’t sure of what it means, go for other texts of scripture that you are sure of. Or else, just don’t! Please stop!

Why do we often use Jeremiah 29:11? I think it’s because of its contents. It has soothing words. It has promise. It has a direct assurance from God. It has a personal effect on the hearer. It is very clear in its promises by the way of contrast. Its promises encompass both the present and the future – of hope and peace. Wow! A perfect message you would like to tell others in their birthdays, graduations, farewells, any occasions. The message is perfect, inerrant, and true, but is it for you, us, or anybody? Are you (or we) the perfect people to get this perfect message? There lies the line!

How do we know which verse is for us and which is not? Well, each and every verse in the Bible is for us. The question here is, how do we understand a particular verse and apply it to our life? Take for an example from the preceding chapter, Jeremiah 28:16 “Therefore thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will cast you from the face of the earth. This year you shall die . . .” Try this one for a birthday or farewell speech! What is the basis for not choosing this text? If and since everything that the Bible says is infallible and sure, it means this is true too. Some may argue, “Well, this isn’t appropriate for a birthday” and I would press on, “What if this is the most appropriate one, for he may die today?” No matter what your intention, feeling, desire, or prayer is if it’s the truth it is. You can sip a bottle of poison thinking it as a fruit juice, believing it will give you good health, but if you drink, you are dead! It doesn’t matter what may seem appropriate or not appropriate, we must be certain what is appropriate, and to be certain we must have a basis or a standard to find out its appropriateness.

How do we find out the appropriateness of any passage in the scripture? Well, we have to read the context: a few verses or chapters before and after any passage we seek to know. That’s not something of insight; that’s just normal and plain to us. We do that in each of our conversations, when we listen to the news, or when we read any letters or text messages on our phone. Don’t you remember yourself asking, “what did he say before that?” or “what did he say after that?” when you missed some part of news reporting on the television? We read anything, listen to anything, evaluate anything, and apply anything based on the fuller version of anything, not just in a few words of our choice for our indulgence. That’s often called “out of context” or “proof text” or “pretext,” and is negative in its connotation.

I want to remind you that this blog post is about to Stop Using Jeremiah 29:11 As Your Exhortatory Text, please don’t expect me to devote a section on how to use this verse as an exhortatory text. Weighing the issue at hand, it’s better off without that section. And, mind you, the title is not even “What is the meaning of Jeremiah 29:11?” but I am sure you will find out the answer to this question as you keep reading. Before we read verse 11, we must read v.10. “For thus says the LORD: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place.” Verses 10-13 are in the future tenses, “will,” that will happen only after 70 years of captivity in Babylon. The “you” here refers to the people of Judah (v.1, 4). Actually, most of the hearers of this news would not survive for 70 years to see the promises of v.11-13. It is for their children, being still the people of Judah, who will live to see it. For the original audience, their life will be hard and rough and die eventually (v.4-9)!

Now we see, this is for the people of Judah; we are not. This is also not even for all the people of Judah, it is only for those who survive the 70 years in Babylon; we’ve not been to Babylon. It is only for the good figs, for those are chosen by God as we see two types of people of Judah in Jeremiah 24 – the good figs and the bad figs; we are neither the good figs nor the bad figs of Jeremiah’s vision. And no matter who they are and how they live, this is a promise which will be fulfilled not in the lifetime of its hearers.

The people and timeline of Chapter 29 are the same as in chapter 24 and chapter 21. What is applicable in chapter 29 is applicable in chapter 24 and chapter 21. The only difference is those who are in Babylon and those who aren’t. Let’s see for those who aren’t in Babylon in Jeremiah 21:10 ““For I have set My face against this city for adversity and not for good,” says the LORD. “It shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.””Also in Jeremiah 24:9-10  ““I will deliver them to trouble into all the kingdoms of the earth, for their harm, to be a reproach and a byword, a taunt and a curse, in all places where I shall drive them. And I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence among them, till they are consumed from the land that I gave to them and their fathers.””

You see! You aren’t in Babylon. You aren’t their children. You aren’t the people of Judah. You aren’t even reading properly the context of Jeremiah 29:11. Please Stop Using Jeremiah 29:11 As Your Exhortatory Text!

"Context is Queen!"

Image Scripture: Proverbs 5:21-22

A Devotional Reflection of Scripture

Biblical Principles for Discipline and Corporal Punishment

I believe every parent faces difficulty in bringing up their children to adults. To bring them up in godly ways is indeed difficult but it is not impossible because God has given us the right methods in the Bible. I grow up in a society where a parent who did not spank or discipline his children is seen as a selfish parent. Today, modern philosophy gave the impression that those who spank their children are very unloving and senseless parents. Now, parents are confused.

I realized, it is because parents do not examine the Scriptural teaching. They either followed the traditions of the past (by which they were brought up by their own parents) or by the trends of the present time (which is just a surrender to pressure without conviction, an abdication of responsibility). However, Parents must have experienced already that neither “all-permissive” nor “all-authoritative” parenting works. There must be some form of discipline and corporal punishment. Ephesians 6: 4 says clearly: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” The Bible teaches that physical discipline is appropriate, beneficial, and necessary. Here are some of the Principles for Discipline and Corporal Punishment:

1.      Chastening and love go hand in hand in Scripture. God, the ultimate Parent, chastens those He loves when one goes astray. We should also do the same with our own children. Hebrews 12:6 “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

2.      Spanking must be painful and timely (Hebrews 12:6). We don't pretend that certain aspects of discipline don't hurt. The word 'chastise' is very strong and indicates that at times, chastisement needs to be very painful to accomplish its goals. It has the idea of flogging.

3.      When spanking, we must avoid these two things: 1) spanking out of frustration or anger, and 2) the tendency to spank for every type of offense. God has not said that you must spank for every type of offense, nor has He specified which offenses require spanking. That’s what Proverbs 13:24 implies. “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.”

4.      Discipline must be consistent. Parents must spank it on the basis of clearly defined rules, not on the feelings at that particular moment. Like police officers, we can choose to enforce God’s Moral Law on them. Proverbs 19:18 ​“Discipline your son, for there is hope; do not set your heart on putting him to death.”

5.      A clear explanation for spanking must be made known to Children or the reason for the punishment, and your expectations for their future behavior. The discomfort of swift consequences helps a young child associate the offense and the painful result. Rom 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Prov. 13:15 “Good sense wins favor, but the way of the treacherous is their ruin.”

6.      Focus on positive behavior rather than directing negative attitudes toward children. The end goal is to produce children that love and respect God and others. The doctrine of depravity tells us that they do not need help developing more self-esteem! They need encouragement to grow in humility and servanthood. Since as sinners, we’re all rebellious at heart, kids need to learn submission to proper authority as a part of godliness. Ephesians 4:24 “and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

7.      Disciplining should never lead to actual physical damage. It should not cause lasting pain or permanent scar. The rod is just one part of the correction process. We can use other tactics like a restriction of liberties, rebuking, distraction, and other things to work in conjunction with using the rod. Proverbs 23:13 “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die.”

8.      Start disciplining early on. Settling the authority issue with the small child can prevent many problems later. Corporal Punishment helps develop respect for authorities and self-control so that the child can reach their full potential as a human being. Without this discipline, the child will become a victim of his own evil tendencies. Ecclesiastes 8:11 “Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore the hearts of the sons of men are given fully to evil.”

9.      It should not be excessive. It should be balanced with instruction. Spanking should never be the objective of Christian parenting; it is one of many tools with which to achieve biblical principles in bringing up the child. Ephesians 6:4 “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

10. Spanking or Corporal Punishment should not be avoided. If a parent hesitates to discipline his child, he also has a problem with God. Because God chastises whom he loves. This displays His interest in our well-being. The parent shows love in doing so. Proverbs 23:13-14 “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you strike him with a rod, he will not die. If you strike him with the rod, you will save his soul from Sheol.” Hebrews 12:11 says, “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” Also, Deuteronomy 8:5-6 says, “Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you. So you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him.”

In Conclusion: Parents need to learn from God, our Father, how to discipline. If children are precious, then parents need to consistently follow these principles. Parents should also continually build close relationships with children. Parents need to remove all the things that become barriers between parents and children in order to imitate our heavenly Father who exercises both His authority and love.

Block Diagramming: Ephesians 6:10-12