Jeremiah 29:1 - Meaning and Application

Jeremiah wrote a letter to the captives in Babylon in the Lord’s name. Jeconiah, also called Jehoiachin, had already surrendered with the queen mother, the palace officials, many princes, and also the carpenters and smiths. These workers were taken too, so the people left in Jerusalem would have fewer skilled hands to build defenses or make weapons. After that, Nebuchadnezzar came again and carried off more people, including elders, priests, prophets, and others from Jerusalem, as he chose.

The captives’ situation was very sad. They may have felt especially low because being singled out like this could make them seem like worse sinners than the people who stayed in Judah. So Jeremiah wrote to comfort them. He told them they had no reason to give up hope for help, and no reason to envy those left behind.

This shows that written Scripture is truly from God, just as spoken prophecy is. Writing was a good way to spread God’s will to his scattered people. It also reminds us that we can do real good by writing helpful, godly letters to friends who are far away. We may not be able to speak to them in person, but we can still send them encouragement and wise counsel. What is written remains.

Jeremiah sent the letter by the messengers whom King Zedekiah sent to Nebuchadnezzar, likely to pay tribute or renew his submission. The captives may also have hoped these messengers would help them in some way. Using those messengers gave the letter honor, because it came from God. It also meant the captives would hear from home, which was a real comfort when family and friends were far away.

Jeremiah says he wrote in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel. Jeremiah was only the writer, the one who put the message on paper. It would comfort the captives to know that God is Lord of all armies, and so he has power to help and deliver them. It would also remind them that he was still the God of Israel, still bound to his covenant people, even while he corrected them.

God also openly claimed responsibility for their exile: “I have caused you to be carried away” (Jeremiah 29:4, 7). Babylon’s king could not have done this unless God allowed it. Babylon had no power over them except what was given from above. When we remember that our troubles are appointed by God, it becomes easier to accept them patiently. Like the psalmist, we can say, “I was silent, because you did it” (see Psalm 39:9).

God then tells them to settle in Babylon and make the best of their time there (Jeremiah 29:5-6). They were to build houses, live in them, plant gardens, and eat their fruit. They were also to marry, have children, and let their children grow up there. This meant they should not keep waiting for a quick return, because that would leave them restless and unhappy. If they expected an immediate rescue and it did not come, they would sink into despair and make their situation worse.

Instead, they were to act as people who would be there for a while. Even if they would die in exile, their children might live to see better days. If they feared God, they could still live well in Babylon. They would still weep when they remembered Zion, but tears should not stop them from sowing. They should not grieve as people without hope, because they did have hope.

This is wise for every stage of life, make the best of the place and condition God has given you. We naturally feel attached to our homeland, and that pull is hard to explain. But if God moves us elsewhere, we should learn to live peaceably there. If the earth belongs to the Lord, then wherever a child of God goes, he is still on his Father’s ground. The place where we are well off is our country, in that sense.

They also were not to torment themselves with fears of unbearable hardship in captivity. People in trouble often imagine the worst. They might think it would be useless to build houses, because their masters would not let them live in them or enjoy the fruit of their vineyards. But Jeremiah will go on to answer those fears and show them that their labor would not be wasted.

Never fear, says God, if you live peacefully among them, you will find them civil to you. Gentle and quiet people, who work hard and mind their own affairs, often find far better treatment, even from strangers and enemies, than they expected. God has often made captors pity his people, as in (Psalm 106:46), and it is a sad thing if those who have built houses do not get to live in them.

He also told them to seek the good of the country where they were captive (Jeremiah 29:7), to pray for it, and to work for its welfare. This kept them from trying anything against the public peace while they remained subjects of the king of Babylon. Even though he was a pagan, an idol worshiper, an oppressor, and an enemy of God and his church, they still had to honor him while he protected them. They were to live quiet and peaceful lives under him, with godliness and honesty, and not plot to throw off his rule. Instead, they were to wait patiently for God to bring deliverance in his time.

They were also to pray to God for the peace of the places where they lived. That would help keep those people kind to them and prove false the charge against their nation, that they were harmful to kings and provinces and stirred up rebellion (Ezra 4:15). Both wisdom and innocence called for them to be loyal to the government under which they lived. For in the peace of that land they would have peace themselves. If the country were torn by war, they would feel the worst of its trouble.

In the same way, the first Christians prayed for the rulers of their day, even when those rulers persecuted them. If the captives were to pray for and seek the peace of the land where they lived, we have even more reason to pray for the welfare of the land where we were born, if we are free people under a good government. When the land has peace, we and our families have peace too. Every passenger has a concern in the safety of the ship.