Commentary - Jeremiah 29:1-9

Bird's-eye view

In this chapter, we have a crucial piece of pastoral correspondence from the prophet Jeremiah. The people of God are in exile, a situation that is ripe for despair on the one hand, and cheap, sentimental hope on the other. Jeremiah's letter, sent straight from the throne of God, comes to demolish all false hopes and to establish a true and robust one. The central command is not to sit on their suitcases waiting for a quick return, but rather to build a civilization in the midst of a pagan one. They are to settle down for the long haul, to seek the welfare of the very city that holds them captive, and to be utterly deaf to the siren song of the court prophets who were peddling lies. This is not a message of grim resignation, but a summons to long-term, dominion-oriented faithfulness. It is a foundational text for understanding how the people of God are to live as exiles with a mission, in any and every age.

Outline

Context In Jeremiah

This letter must be read against the backdrop of the events in the preceding chapters. Back in Jerusalem, Jeremiah was in a direct spiritual war with false prophets, most notably Hananiah (Jeremiah 28). Hananiah had prophesied a swift end to the exile, within two years, breaking the yoke of Babylon and bringing everyone home. This was, of course, exactly what the people wanted to hear. Jeremiah's message of a seventy-year judgment was profoundly unpopular. This letter to the exiles is Jeremiah's long-distance counter-offensive. The same lies Hananiah was peddling in Jerusalem were being circulated by opportunistic prophets in Babylon. God, through Jeremiah, sends this letter to cut the legs out from under that false hope and to establish His people in the hard truth. This is God's pastoral care for His flock, protecting them from wolves in prophets' clothing.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 1 Now these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the rest of the elders of the exile, the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken away into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.

The communication is formal, official, and authoritative. This is not a private opinion piece; it is a "letter from Jeremiah the prophet." He is acting in his capacity as God's spokesman. It is sent from Jerusalem, the covenant city, to those in exile. Even in judgment, God maintains communication with His people. The letter is addressed to the entire covenant community, from the leadership down to "all the people." God's word is for everyone, and the leaders are responsible for ensuring all the people hear it. Notice also that Nebuchadnezzar is named as the agent of the exile, but as we will see, he was only the secondary cause.

v. 2 (This was after King Jeconiah and the queen mother, the court officials, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths had gone out from Jerusalem.)

The historical context is provided to anchor the letter in reality. This is not a theoretical discussion. This is post-calamity counsel. The elite of the nation had been skimmed off and deported. The king, the royal family, the government, and the skilled laborers were all gone. This was a brain drain and a strength drain. This context is what made the people so vulnerable to the lies of a quick return. When you have lost everything, the promise of getting it all back tomorrow is potent. But God's counsel is never based on what we want to hear, but on what we need to hear.

v. 3 The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying,

God is pleased to work through ordinary means. He doesn't just teleport the letter to Babylon. He uses a diplomatic mission. King Zedekiah, the puppet king left in Jerusalem, sends envoys to Nebuchadnezzar, and Jeremiah piggybacks on this mission. The men carrying the letter are sons of Shaphan and Hilkiah, names associated with the godly reforms under King Josiah. These are not just random postal workers; they are men from a faithful heritage, trusted to carry this weighty and unpopular message. God's truth is delivered by reliable hands.

v. 4 "Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon,

Here is the theological anchor for the entire passage. The letter begins with the ultimate authority: "Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel." And then comes the hammer blow. Who sent them into exile? Not Nebuchadnezzar, not ultimately. God says, "...whom I have sent into exile." If the people did not grasp this point, none of the following commands would make any sense. Their exile was not a cosmic accident. It was not a sign that Marduk had defeated Yahweh. It was the sovereign, disciplinary, covenantal action of their own God. He is still the Lord of armies, and He is still the God of Israel, even when Israel is in Babylon. This is hard providence, but it is not random providence. God is in control.

v. 5 ‘Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their fruit.

The first command is a direct assault on the short-timer, refugee mindset. You don't build a house if you think you are leaving in a year or two. You live in a tent. You don't plant a garden, which requires time to mature and bear fruit. You buy your food at the market. God's command is to settle in. Invest in the place. Put down deep roots. This is a command to be builders, to be cultivators. This is a long-term, dominion-oriented assignment. They are to create a stable, productive, and settled existence right where they are.

v. 6 Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease.

The command moves from property to posterity. Build families. And not just for one generation. They were to be thinking about their children's marriages. This is a command to plan for their grandchildren being born in Babylon. This is multi-generational faithfulness in the raw. The goal is explicit: "multiply there and do not decrease." In the midst of a pagan empire, as a defeated and deported people, they are commanded to be fruitful and multiply. This is the cultural mandate applied to exiles. God's purpose is that His people would thrive and grow, not just survive and shrink.

v. 7 Seek the peace of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to Yahweh on its behalf; for in its peace you will have peace.’

This is perhaps the most stunning command of all. Seek the shalom, the welfare, the flourishing, of Babylon. Pray for Babylon. Not for its destruction, but for its peace. This is not a command to assimilate, to become Babylonians in faith and practice. It is a command to be a blessing. They were to be such good citizens, such productive workers, such honest neighbors, that the city itself would be better off for having them there. And the reason is practical and profound: "in its peace you will have peace." Their well-being was now tied to the well-being of their pagan captors. This is the biblical basis for Christian civic engagement. We are not to withdraw into a holy ghetto, nor are we to be bomb-throwing revolutionaries. We are to work and pray for the good of the city, for in its shalom, we find our shalom.

v. 8 For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to your dreams which you dream.

After the positive commands comes the necessary negative warning. The greatest threat to this program of faithful, long-term building was not the Babylonians. It was the false teachers from within their own ranks. Notice the possessive pronouns: "your prophets," "your diviners," "your dreams." The people were culpable. They were encouraging these deceivers. They were dreaming up these fantasies of a quick return, and then finding prophets who would sanctify their wishful thinking. God commands them to stop it. Do not be deceived. This requires spiritual vigilance and a love for the truth, no matter how hard it is.

v. 9 For they prophesy a lie to you in My name; I have not sent them,’ declares Yahweh.

God gives the reason for the warning. The message of these prophets is a lie. But it is a particularly insidious kind of lie because it comes packaged "in My name." This is the essence of blasphemy, to attach God's name to human lies. This is taking the Lord's name in vain in the highest sense. And the ultimate indictment is simple and final: "I have not sent them." A true prophet's authority comes from a divine commission. These men were self-appointed, sent by the desires of the people and not by the God of heaven. And so their words were worthless, and worse than worthless, they were poison.