A Future And A Hope

   In the context of Jeremiah 29, the nation of Judah was in its death throes. King Jehoiachin, his mother, Judah’s important officials, and skilled craftsmen were taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 597 B.C. In Jeremiah 29, Jeremiah wrote a letter to these exiles, telling them that their stay in Babylon was not a temporary arrangement (vs. 10). Therefore, they needed to build houses, plant gardens, marry, and bear children. In vs. 11, God told the exiles that his ultimate plan for the people was not destruction but “a future and a hope.” In this text, we see both the dangers that threatened to prevent the Jews from having hope and the blessings that would accompany the fulfillment of this hope.

The primary danger the exiles faced was believing the deceptions of false prophets who painted rosy pictures that had no foundation in truth. In Jeremiah 29.21, we learn of two false prophets, Ahab and Zedekiah, who lied about the length of their exile (as well as sleeping with their neighbor’s wives!) and met a gruesome end as a result (vss. 21-22). Such lies posed a danger because rather than building their lives on the bedrock of God’s promises, they comforted themselves with empty hopes.

Jeremiah not only gave a sweeping declaration of doom, but also focused on the blessings that would come from God in this coming future. God promised to hear the prayers of his people (vs. 12). God promised to be found if sought by the exiles with their whole heart (vs. 13). God also vowed in this passage that the Jewish captives would eventually be brought back from their exile (a promise which he kept) and strongly hints of a future time when he would unite his people under the banner of the Messiah, Jesus.

Do we harbor false hopes? The expectation that my Christian life will be carefree, without pain or friction in my relationships is false (2 Timothy 3.12). The expectation that my Christian community revolves around me and my needs is false (Matthew 20.25-28). The expectation that I’ll be able to compartmentalize my relationship with Jesus so that it is contained and doesn’t demand too much of my life is false (Luke 9.23-24). The danger of false messages of hope lies not only in trusting words that are not from God, but also in neglecting the real promises that God actually did make and ignoring the requirements he sets to participate in their fullness.

Godly hope is never unrealistic or untrue. Godly hope is not based on our desires, wishes, or whims, but firmly anchored in the reality of promises that God makes. Rather than tempt us with sugar-coated lies which conceal our true spiritual condition, God exposes the horror of our own sin to us in order to bring us back from spiritual exile. Surely the reality of hope is infinitely more satisfying than the delusion of sin!                                                                          Nathan