Jeremiah 29:11

How to apply it to your life

Jeremiah 29:11 has become the bumper sticker of verses. And recently there has been a big attack on the verse so that people do not apply it to themselves. They are right. In many instances, this verse has been applied in treacherous ways which promote material prosperity. Material prosperity can be part of the blessing of God, for sure. But it is not the only way, and is not necessarily what this passage is speaking about. Obviously context is crucially important. Considering Jeremiah was a prophet to Israel and this chapter is a letter to the exiles.

Today’s Christianity is often not amenable to the challenges posed by being a Christian in this world. The call is hard. It is full, yet it is simple. Consider the rest of Jeremiah 29. Essentially, a pastoral letter is being written by Jeremiah to the people who have been carried away into Babylon by those who have destroyed their homes. They were basically captives in a foreign country and subject to a cruel empire. As an Israelite at the time, it would feel as if God had abandoned you. Left you to rot in a foreign land. Add to that, the temple was destroyed, meaning your usual ways of worshipping God is cut off. This would be a deeply distressing moment. Actually, it would be great cause for deconstructing their faith to fit better with the Babylonians. And into that environment, Jeremiah sends them a letter saying this,

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ⁵ “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. ⁶ Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. ⁷ Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” (Jer. 29:4-7).

This would be immensely challenging. You are being called to prosper, not simply materially, but in settling down, marrying, having kids, planting a garden, and seeking the best for your enemies. Curiously, each time the above passage mentions “peace and prosperity” it is referencing the Hebrew word shalom. Shalom may be familiar to you and you may even know it means peace. But its meaning goes deeper. Peace as in life to the full. Life made completely whole. In Genesis 28:21, Jacob makes a vow with God and in it says, “that I may return shalom to my father’s household.” Returning in shalom means to return in safety. In Exodus 18:7, shalom is used to inquire of one another’s well being, like asking “how are you?” Deuteronomy 23:6 warns Israel of the dangers of Canaan and the NIV says, “do not seek a treaty of friendship with them.” But the Hebrew says, “you shall not seek their shalom.” Jesus fulfills the promise of peace. According to Isaiah 9:6, Jesus will be the prince of shalom. In the New Testament, we see a similar idea around peace, although the word is different, obviously cause its Greek. The word is eirene. In Matthew 10, Jesus sends out the twelve and instructs them to, “let your eirene rest on it” if the house is worthy. Later on in the same passage, Jesus says, “Do not suppose I have come to bring eirene on earth.” And then in the next paragraph explains father will turn against son, and mother against daughter. The connotation with peace is also relational. And yes, this Matthew 10 passage deserves its own exploration as well.

So, when Jeremiah says to seek the peace and prosperity of the city, the people are invited to seek the wholeness and fullness of the city through their relationships, business dealings, and even simply the way they interact with a stranger. They are to shalom in the city of Babylon until God brings them shalom by returning them to the promised land.

Jeremiah 29:11 falls right in the middle of this entire passage explaining that God has plans for the exiles, and that He will bring them shalom. We have to keep in mind what shalom means so that we are not distracted by the various ways we do attempt to apply Jeremiah 29:11. The promise is in regards to your life. It will be full and complete in Jesus as you follow Him. And ultimately, the promise of Jeremiah 29:11 will be fulfilled when we get to heaven, since then we will be completely made whole, being in full and proper relationship with God, which is the only way to have true shalom.

Keep in mind as well, that the exiles are currently in a place where they do not want to be. Into that environment they are instructed to live with shalom. I’m not bashing prayer or Bible study when I say this, but they are instructed to essentially, “be fruitful and multiply.” There are echoes of the initial covenant God makes with humanity in Genesis 1. The exiles are to live well within their context.

So, how might we live with shalom in our context?