Seventy Years

Answers Bible Curriculum Year 2 Quarter 3 Lesson 12

This week in Sunday school, we look at Jeremiah’s seventy years prophecy. What was this prophecy? Why did God give it? What does this prophecy have to do with the famous Jeremiah 29:11 verse? We’ll look at these questions and more.

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our second year of the answerers Bible curriculum our Chronological Study Through the Bible at this point both Israel and Judah have been judged for their stubborn sin and idolatry both kingdoms are no more many of the Israelites and judeans have been slaughtered most of the survivors are removed from the at the fall of Judah Judah was destroyed and taken captive by which nation were there or how many steps were there to judah’s destruction three using Answers in Genesis timeline in what year did Judah experience their first phase of Destruction that that’s closer to the last phase the uh of Destruction 607 607 BC is the first phase of the destruction and phase one Babylon invaded invaded Judah besieged Jerusalem and defeated the judeans but was rather light in terms of uh the oppression they imposed they took some Treasures from the temple they took some of the best young men to be trained as Babylonian officials and servants and they forced the king of Judah jeim to be subject to Babylon but they allowed the original King to stay on the throne that was Phase 1 607 BC phase two happens in 599 BC in phase two Babylon again invades Judah besieges Jerusalem and forces the king surrender this time Babylon takes most of the Treasures of the temple and most of the Treasures of the king’s Palace takes all the great and skilled men of Jerusalem and the surrounding area takes King je hoakin and his family prisoner and then sets up another king from the line of David zedekiah in place of jein now that’s 599 BC Phase 2 when’s phase three 586 587 Answers in Genesis says 588 but within the that three-year time frame yes that’s the Final Phase of judah’s Destruction and the fall of Jerusalem in total in phase three Babylon again invaded Judah besieged Jerusalem and this time didn’t surrender oh yeah it didn’t surrender they were besieged for 2 years the king fled but was caught and then judgment was passed on him Babylon took all the treasures that were left in the city took all the survivors that were left killed many of the officials killed the king’s Sons blinded the king that’s King zedekiah destroyed the temple broke down the city walls and burn the whole city of Jerusalem so with phase three judah’s fall was complete God’s prophet phes of judgment had come to pass phase three was 588 BC but even in this destruction this multistep destruction there was hope God was not done with Judah or even with Israel and God even spoke us specific prophecy to Judah regarding how long Devastation and Exile would last we’re going to look at that prophecy today along with some other words given to Judah when Judah goes into exile so here’s our lesson outline well first look at the announcement of the 70-year prophecy in Jeremiah 25 we then look at the reiteration of that prophecy in Jeremiah 29 and Jeremiah’s other words to the Exiles and then we’ll consider application for ourselves today let’s pray Our God thank you for this word from Jeremiah help us to understand it help me Lord to be able to explain it and help us to apply it in Jesus name amen let’s begin by looking at Jeremiah 25 please open your Bibles to Jeremiah 25 we’re going to be looking at the first 14 verses of this chapter Jeremiah is a large book of Prophecy we’ve examined some of the prophecy already but here’s a section we didn’t get to look at with the 70-year prophecy from Jeremiah first appears so Jeremiah 25 1-4 page 780 in the Pew Bible follow along as I read the word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of jeho Kim the son of Josiah king of Judah that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to all the people of Judah and to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem saying from the 13th year of Josiah the son of Ammon king of Judah even to this day these 23 years the word of the Lord has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again but you have not listened and the Lord has sent you all his servants the prophets again and again but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear saying turn now everyone from his evil way and from the evil of your deeds and dwell on the land which the Lord has given to you and your forefathers forever and ever do not go after other gods to serve them and to worship them do not provoke me to anger with the work of your hands and I will do you no harm yet you have not listened to me me declares the Lord in order that you might provoke me to anger with the work of your hands to your own harm therefore thus says the Lord of hosts because you have not obeyed my words Behold I will send and take all the families of the north declares the Lord I will send to Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon my servant and I will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these nations round about and I will utterly destroy them and make them a horror and a hissing and an everlasting desolation moreover I will take from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the Bride the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp the whole land will be a desolation and a horror and these nations will serve the king of Babylon 70 years then it will be when 70 years are completed I will punish the king of Babylon and that Nation declares the Lord for their iniquity and the land of the calans and the land of the calans and I will make it an everlasting desolation I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it all that is written in this book which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations for Many Nations and great Kings will make slaves of them even them and I will recompense them according to their deeds and according to the work of their hands we’ll stop there following our inductive steady method let’s begin our analysis of this text with simple observations this prophecy is given in the fourth year of king jeim and the first year of Nebuchadnezzar this means prophecy is given in 607 BC what else happens in 607 BC the first step of judah’s Destruction the first invasion of Judah by Babylon happens in 607 BC the same year that this prophecy of Jeremiah is given Daniel corroborates this uh this observation listen to Daniel 1:1 and then I’ll explain it a little bit Daniel 1:1 says in the third year of the reign of jeho Kim King of Judah Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it and they say wait I thought you said that corroborates it said third year and this one says fourth year well this difference is easily reconciled when we understand that they’re using different ways of recording the years of the Kings Daniel says or Daniel uses the Babylonian Reckoning of King’s years which excludes partial years so if there was any more than three years but less than four years it counts as three years in the Babylonian Reckoning but the Hebrew Reckoning of King’s Reigns keeps the partial years and counts them as full years so if Joakim reigned for three and a half years the Hebrew would say four years and the Babylonian would say three years they’re actually talking about the same same year this is the third full year of jeim and it’s the year when Nebuchadnezzar invades Judah for the first time and it’s also when Daniel goes in Exile so God’s word through Jeremiah is given in the year and before the Babylonian Invasion incurs occurs for what back here in Jeremiah for what does God rebuke the people that’s right you have not listened to the voice of my prophets you’ve not listened to me Jeremiah instead what are the people continuing to do that’s right provoking the Lord with the work of their hands that is other gods they’re Idols they’re continuing to worship idols not listening to the voice of God’s prophets how long has Jeremiah prophesied to Judah at this point 23 years that’s a long time to be giving the same message and the people are not listening and of course there are many prophets before Jeremiah so God rebukes the people what did God promise to Judah as a result of her stubborn sins judgment specifically it’s specific judgment though what does he say will happen I will bring what does he say I will bring he’s going to bring someone from the north he actually identifies the nation by name I will bring the Babylonians and I will bring the king of the Babylonians Nebuchadnezzar I’ll bring them down and they will devastate you they will be the judgment on you how does God describe Nebuchadnezzar says my servant I’ll bring my servant I’ll bring my servant against you from the north and God gives a specific Proclamation regarding timing what does God promise will take place for 70 years who’s going to serve the king of Babylon the Jews the judeans they will but not just them if you look back at verse 11 he’s just talked about how all the nations near Judah are going to be devastated by Babylon and then in verse 11 saids these nations will serve the king of Babylon seven years so that is certainly going to happen for seven years what about the first part this whole land will be a desolation and a horror does that take place for 7 years as well well if we actually go back over to Daniel we see yes it does those two parts are actually happening together the devastation and the service of the king of Babylon are going to take place for 70 years actually turn over to Daniel this time turn to Daniel 9 Daniel’s a little bit forward Daniel 91 and2 that’s page 893 in the Pew Bible Daniel’s going to make a comment about the 70-year prophecy So Daniel 91 and2 here’s what Daniel says in the first year of Darius the son of azerus of median descent was made King over the kingdom of the calans in the first year of his Reign I Daniel observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem namely 70 years what does Daniel say would take place for 70 years Jerusalem would be devastated there would be desolation in Jerusalem for 70 years where did Daniel get his understanding he he read Jeremiah he saw the same thing that we’re actually looking at today and so it’s right for us to understand that when we’re talking about what’s taking place for 70 years it’s service to the king of Babylon it’s also Devastation to Jerusalem and the surrounding area not just Judah but the other nations this is all happening for years now back to Jeremiah 25 besides ordaining that Judah and her neighbors would be devastated and serve Babylon what does God specifically promise will happen at the end of 70 years Babylon will be punished Babylon will be destroyed they will be devastated they will be conquered and they will be subdued by many nations and God says I’m going to do this because of her what yeah because of her evil because of babylon’s you I’m not forgetting about that they’re going to be judged and this happens the text says in accordance with the other prophecies given by Jeremiah about Babylon there elsewhere in the book of Jeremiah we haven’t looked at them and we don’t have time to examine them today God says after 70 years Babylon will be judged for her sin when before have we seen God Proclaim and later bring judgment to pass on an agent of God’s judgment uh Danny probably there are multiple examples in the Bible but certainly we know that there was another nation that was used to judge God’s people but then God said I’m going to judge that Nation Assyria remember the book of n was all about that God was saying get ready make your defenses ready but it’s not going to do any good you’re going to be Destro destroyed and I can’t remember if it’s nahem or if it was another one of the prophets who says Judah can hear this and rejoice because God is vindicating his people he’s judging those who have oppressed them so you see the same thing happening here God says my agent of judgment I’m bringing him against you but then I will judge him I will judge him for his iniquities all right we’ve made these observations let’s step back and ask some interpretive questions in what sense is Nebuchadnezzar God’s servant doing what God wants in what way okay he’s fulfilling a prophecy uh go ahead johe right so he you noted that God even uses evil to accomplish his purposes and Nebuchadnezzar is fitting in that he is accomplishing God’s purposes this is God’s Sovereign purposes he is a a means of God’s Sovereign will being brought about in that sense the servant shouldn’t understand him in the same way as the Messiah is servant this is not a righteous God-fearing servant of God this is just an agent of God’s Sovereign will God is bringing something to to pass through this Pagan King Nebuchadnezzar by the way way where have we seen before I think we’ve seen before already a similar phrase used of another Pagan King Cyrus yeah I I think we’ve looked at that already but maybe we haven’t but God says behold Cyrus my servant but again that was not a godfear that was not someone who actually obeyed the commands of God but he accomplished God’s Sovereign will and in that sense he was God’s servant another question why did God choose the exile to last for 70 years why not some other amount of time yeah right okay that’s that’s an interesting thought that’s a long enough time for a generation to pass away perhaps it’s a judgment on that generation Su you’re going to say rest okay that’s a keen observation it’s not mentioned here but sue you mentioned that doesn’t does this have something to do with the sabbaths that the people are supposed to give the land and actually from our previous lesson in 2 Chronicles 36 there was a word about the land keeping Sabbath and this length of time making up for that look back over to 2 Chronicles 36 for a second so now going backwards in your Bible 2 Chronicles 36 so this is Page 483 2 Chronicles 36: 20- 21 page 43 in the PE Bible here’s what 2 Chronicles 3620 to 21 says those who had escaped from The Sword he carried away to Babylon and they were servants to him and to whose Sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths all the days of its desolation it kept Sabbath until 70 years were complete now sue you began to explain what the land keeping Sabbath was all about this goes back to law Moses this goes back to the Covenant given to Israel specifically in Leviticus the Israelites were to whenever they worked the land farming and growing Vineyards Etc they were to let the land lie fallow every seven years they were to give the land a Sabbath and every 50 years there would be a Year of Jubilee and they were also again to give the land a Sabbath so every 50 years there’d be eight Sabbath years for the land this was to do this to obey this command was an act of trust by the people of Israel in God because if they’re not so and reaping crops doing all the work of Agriculture how are they going to have enough food God says don’t worry by doing this you show your trust in me and I will abundantly provide for you you will actually have so much in the other years that you won’t need anything from the year that you let the land be fallow and you also allowed to eat from whatever naturally Grew From the land you had to let the land have its Sabbath that was part of God’s law God warned that if the people rebelled and refused to give the land sabbaths the people would be removed from the land so that the land would would have the sabbaths that the people would not give it let me actually read to you a section from Leviticus Leviticus 26 Leviticus 26: 27-35 listen to the language here because I think you’re going to notice sounds very similar to what we’re reading about from Jeremiah and Chronicles yet in spite of this you do not obey me oh yet if in spite of this you do not obey me but act with hostility against me then I will act with wrathful hostility against you and I even I will punish you seven times for your sins further you will eat the Flesh of your sons and the Flesh of your daughters and the Flesh of your daughters you will eat I then will destroy your high places and cut down your incense altars and Heap your remains on the remains of your Idols for my soul shall abore you I will lay waste your cities as well and make your sanctuaries desolate and I will not smell your soothing Aromas I will make the land desolate so that your enemies who settle in it will be a H over it you however I will scatter among the Nations and will draw out a sword after you as your land becomes desolate and your cities become waste then the land will enjoy its Sabbath all the days of the Desolation while you are in your enemy land then the land will rest and enjoy its Sabbath all the days of its desolation it will observe the rest which it did not observe on your Sabbath while you were living in it so we can see the language of Leviticus describes exactly what has come to pass for Judah God says I’ve removed you from the land your land is now desolate and then Chronicles tells us it’s in part due to not keeping the sabbaths for the land but still why 70 years specifically the Lord’s reasoning seems to be that the 70 years equals the number of Sabbath years that the people of Judah refus to give the land its sabbaths it could be that 70 is the exact number of the M Sabbath years in both the kingdom and the judges period add them all up you get 70 or it could be that 70 is a representative number of the generally missed sabbaths of the approximately 450 years that there has been a kingdom in Judah if you do the calculations and hopefully I didn’t mess up when I do my calculations because math is not my strong point every 50 years there are eight Sabbath years so in 70 is so if there are 70 Sabbath years then there are 442 years go back 4 42 years from 607 BC and you arrive at about 1050 BC which was approximately the start of the Kingdom in Israel so whatever the Lord’s reasoning whether it was an exact number or whether it was just representative of the generally missed sabbaths during the Kingdom Period God determined that 70 was the right number for the land to enjoy its Sabbath and for the people to be in Exile now consider the spiritual state of Judah diagnosed by God as he gives this prophecy why does God speak this message to the people of Judah there goad okay I’ll repeat your comments well you mention that God is making clear that his hand is involved in everything that’s happening to them and will happen to them uh he makes clear that it’s for their sin and that it also is involved in giving them hope I wouldn’t say that this passage is emphasizing The Hope though that’s true they can draw Hope from this 70-year prophecy but remember the the state that God diagnoses of the people of Judah is that they are evil and stubborn and have not listened to His prophets he says therefore I’m bringing the Judgment so I would say that the emphasis here is on the warning of judgment that says I’m bringing Calamity on you because you have not listened to my word and yet even when I do that I’m not going to be unfaithful to myself or to my covenants as boy was bringing up there is still hope for you I’m not going to forget my Covenant even when I bring judgment on you because I will judge the one who does judge you and I will also restore you after 70 years so there is hope in this message but I think the emphasis here is more on the judgment and warning against sin the other passage that we’re about to look at is a little different I think a little bit more on the hopeful side turn now over to Jeremiah 29 Jeremiah 29 and we’re going to look at a longer section here verses 1 to 20 follow along as I read 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 NE Nebuchadnezzar had taken in Exile from Jerusalem to Babylon this was after King Janiah and the Queen Mother the court officials the princes of Judah and Jerusalem the Craftsmen and the Smiths had departed from Jerusalem the letter was sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon I’m sorry the letter was sent by the hand of elasa the son of shaan and gamariah the son of hkaya whom zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon saying thus says the Lord of hosts the god of Israel to all the Exiles whom I have sent into Exile from Jerusalem to Babylon build houses and live in them and plant Gardens and eat their produce 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 seek the welfare of the city where I sent you into Exile and pray to the Lord on its behalf for in its w you will have welfare for thus says the Lord of hosts the god of Israel do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your divers deceive you and do not listen to the dreams which they dream for they prophesy falsely to you in my name I have not sent them declares the Lord for thus says the Lord when 70 years have been completed for Babylon I will visit you and fulfill my good word to you to bring you back to this place for I know the plans that I have for you declares the Lord plans for welfare not for Calamity to give you a future and a hope then you will call upon me and come and pray to me and I will listen to you you will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart I will be found by you declares the Lord and I will restore your fortunes I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you declares the Lord and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into Exile because you have said the Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon for thus says the Lord concerning the king who sits on the throne of David and concerning all the people who dwell in this city your brothers who did not go with you into Exile thus says the Lord of hosts behold I am sending upon them the sword famine and pestilence and I’ll make them like split open figs that cannot be eaten due to rottenness I will pursue them with the sword with famine and with pestilence and I’ll make them a teror to all the kingdoms of the earth to be a curse and a horor and a missing and a reproach among all the nations where I have driven them because they have not listened to my words declares the Lord which I sent to them again and again by my servants the prophets but you did not listen declares the Lord you therefore hear the word of the Lord all you Exiles whom I have sent away from Jerusalem to Babylon May notice a certain very famous verse in this section that we read but in context means something different than most people think it means let’s observe that context and all the parts of this passage this word of Prophecy comes later than the one in Jeremiah 25 first message was given shortly before Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion in 607 BC but according to verses 1 and two here what has already happened before this new word of Prophecy one all the phases not all the phases but we have mention here that the king and his family have been taken into Exile along with all the skilled uh the skilled men of the land what phase of Destruction does that sound like not the first one the second one the first one was 607 that was the one in Jeremiah 25 second one is the one we’re talking about here 599 BC the second time that Babylon invades Judah it may have been thrown off by the name Janiah you say I don’t remember that King jeanah is an alternate name for jein just as Kona is an alternate name for jein and you can see there’s a linguistic similarity in the names so this is given in the second phase of Jerusalem’s destruction 599 or rather after the second phase sometime after in 599 BC there are many more Exiles that are now in Babylon and the King and his family have been taken care captive while Jeremiah’s previous word was spoken in the hearing of the people of Jerusalem and all Judah how does this word arrive to its audience it’s a letter a letter sent by Jeremiah who is Jeremiah’s audience the people in Exile the people in Babylon Jeremiah is in Jerusalem he writes to the people who are in Exile so Jeremiah didn’t go with the second wave of Exile he he’s still in Jerusalem but he’s writing to the Exiles from Jerusalem via letter whom does God identify as the true source of judah’s captivity he himself says I have sent you into Exile three times he says that I sent you into Exile what instruction does God give to his people the people in Exile in verses 5 to 7 build houses get married have children yeah pray for the welfare of the the city and the country that you’re in you’ll have welfare in that basically settle down get settled where you are and Exile put down roots what warning does God give in verses seven and N regarding prophets yeah just yes that’s right he says you got false prophets in your midst don’t listen to what they’re saying don’t listen to what the false prophets are saying notice the word four in verse 10 that word four at the beginning this word indicates that what comes next is the reason for what was said before what does God promise in verse 10 yeah Danny fill his promise he will fulfill his promise after 70 years so what he had just said is based on that truth after 70 years I will visit you but there will be 70 years and he says I will bring you back to your land there’s another four at the beginning of verse 11 so there’s another reason for what was just said before and just so we’re clear whom is God addressing in verse 11 say that again the Exile the Judean exile God says something about his plans for these people what does God clarify he says I haven’t abandoned them I have a purpose for you and what kind of purpose is it yeah it’s a good plan it’s for their good they’re going to have uh something good in their future these plans the what I’m doing is not for your destruction it’s for your preservation it’s for your good future my plans are for your Prosperity these are meant to give you hope and verses 12 to 14 what promises does God give regarding the people in Exile it’s at least four what’s one Joe right yeah I think that’s implicit he says you will call upon me that’s going to happen and we know it’s because God is going to make it happen he says you will call upon me you will pray to me and I will listen to you similarly you will seek me with all your heart heart and you will find me what else does he promise I will restore your fortunes and what else I will gather you from all the nations and bring you back into the land so be are some great promises great plans then there’s a shift that takes place in verse 15 God again brings up that the people are saying that God has raised up new Prophets prophets in Babylon and in response God declares another word about whom is this word of Prophecy starting at verse 15 someone say the king in Jerusalem and whoever’s left in Judah he has a word about them what does God declare regarding this latter group they will be judge severely the same language we heard in Jeremiah 25 is applied to them they will be desolated they will be a horror they will become a hissing when people hear about what happened to them they will be terrified because it’s going to be so horrible they will be destroyed they will become an example of Terror to all the nations of the Earth the king and the people who remain in Judah why will this happen to them according to God they didn’t listen to God’s word they didn’t listen to God’s prophets that’s the same thing he said in Jeremiah 25 what startling clarification though does God give at the end of verse 19 yeah he switches from talking about them and he starts talking about you you did not listen they didn’t listen you didn’t listen either and then there’s a therefore in verse 20 another one of those transition words therefore indicates a conclusion based on what was just said what’s the conclusion that God gives in verse 20 therefore what should the audience do listen to the word of the Lord listen now you Exiles to God’s word okay we’ve made observations let’s ask some interpretive questions and we got a number of them for this passage just finish out the slide here why does God tell the people to settle down have kids and prosper Denny wants to rebuild a nation I think that’s a that’s a good conclusion to make it’s not said directly in the passage but he wants them to multiply rebuild or repopulate the nation from when he brings them back but there’s another reason that is more or less stated in the text yeah really okay that’s not something from the text but that’s also true the the continuation of the abrahamic line is going to fulfill the the promises that God has made about about a messiah and about a deliverer so that’s another reason why they should multiply Dwayne right yeah that’s the point of the four in verse 10 why should you do all this why should you uh settle down and multiply because you’re going to be there a while it’s going to be 70 years before you come back so settle down get married have children but those other things that Roy and Danny you said are true 4 when you come back I want you to be a multiplied people and then ultimately the Messiah will come from you now what were the false prophets prophesying it’s not stated here specifically nor is it stated anywhere in Jeremiah but based on the way these words are arranged and a little bit of what comes after our par our passage we can come to a strong inference glance down to verses 21 and following in chapter 29 so that be the next page in the PE Bible in these verses God rebukes false prophets by name and he foretells judgment on them and one of the people he rebukes is shemiah look at verses 24- 28 God’s rebuke to shiah is going to help us get an idea of what these false prophets were saying verse 24 to shiah theel nalite you shall speak saying thus says the Lord of hosts the god of Israel because you have sent letters in your own name to all the people who are in Jerusalem and to Zephaniah the son of Messiah the priest and to all the priests saying the Lord has made you priest instead of JEA the priest to be the Overseer in the house of the Lord over every mad man who prophesies to put him in the stocks and in the iron collar now then why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of anathoth who prophesies to you for he has sent to us in Babylon saying the Exile will be long build houses and live in them and plant Gardens and eat their produce okay let’s make sure we understand what what was happening there shemaya from Exile so he’s one of the people one of the prophets rebuke the priest for not doing something the priest had not rebuked and put Jeremiah in the stocks he says it was your job to stop the Mad Men Who prophesy you’ve got a Madman in your midst and haven’t done anything to him Jeremiah anthon by the way that’s Jeremiah who we’re talking about that’s the one who wrote this book what was it that Jeremiah said that shemiah found so offensive s settle down because you’re G to be there a while we don’t this is not a good thing for Jeremiah to say the he’s saying that it’s going to be a long Exile the people should settle down and put down their Roots so shemiah is making this objection to Jeremiah’s words and calling for Jeremiah’s condemnation then shemiah must have believed and taught what it must be the opposite he must be saying or proclaiming the opposite of what Jeremiah is saying the Exile is going to be short don’t settle down you’re going to be back in Judah soon yeah Dwayne yeah actually previously of Jeremiah there’s a prophet Hanah whoh prophesied that God oh okay thank you d i I did not see that before that’s Jeremiah 28 chapter okay yeah Jeremiah 28 we have another false prophet haniah who who said specifically that okay the Exile is going to be short two years God’s going to judge Babylon and bring everybody back into Judah so we have an example of what these prophets were saying from both haniah and from shemiah this is this appears to be their message they’re saying the Exile is going to be short don’t worry you’ll be back in Judas soon this is all temporary God’s going to accomplish your deliverance in just a short amount of time but God says in our passage in Jeremiah 29 don’t listen to these prophets your Exile will be long get used to living here you will go back to your land but not for 70 years some of you are going to die before that happens but you will as a people eventually go back so we get an idea of what these false prophets were saying look uh think again about verses 15 and 19 in Jeremiah 29 what event was God foretelling in these verses Devastation and Slaughter for the people remaining in Judah including the king what event is that third step of Destruction that’s the third time that babylon’s going to evade and remember it is a Slaughter it is Carnage when Babylon evades for the third time and he’s retelling before it happens here in Jeremiah 29 though that prophecy is about the people remaining in Judah it is not addressed to the people living in Judah it’s not a warning to them it’s actually given to the Exiles why does God tell the Exiles about the coming destruction of the people in Judah okay I think there’s something to that Shay you’re express the idea that it’s so that people won’t think that they got off easy or that they were somehow better or something like that talk about that more in just a second remember the conclusion of verse 20 he told them that they ought to listen to God’s word don’t listen to the false prophets listen to the true prophets or listen to the true Prophet the true Prophet says the Exile is going to be long you’re not going back anytime soon false prophets say you’ll be back shortly here’s what happens to those who or here’s what happens to those who listen to the false prophets they’re going to be destroyed and by the way since this is going to happen you aren’t going back anytime soon so don’t listen to the false prophets listen to the true Prophet listen to Jeremiah listen to God’s true prophets what is the difference between the two groups of these judeans besides that one are in Exile and are not going to be destroyed and one is in the land and will be destroyed is there any other difference between the two no there isn’t I mean you could say one gets God’s mercy and then one doesn’t but that’s really the only only difference because as we saw in verse 19 it says this happens this is happening to them because they didn’t didn’t listen to God’s prophets and by the way neither did you you both deserve the same thing but I’m choosing not to give it to you I have good plans for you but for them there are not any good plans not for their good speaking of plans what are the plans that God promises to the you in Jeremiah 29:11 does God tell us what those plans are I would say he does what are other plans yeah Joe well even in that verse we know generally they are for welfare they are to give hope yes but what specifically does God have planned for the Exiles he will cause them to seek him they will seek Him He will grant them repentance he will restore their fortunes he will bring them back into the land it’s exactly what he spells out in verses 12 to 14 we don’t have to wonder about the plans he says it in verse 10 he says in verses 12 to 14 I’m going to bring you back after 70 years I will bring you back these are my plans for you these are are good you can have hope look at what I’m going to do those promises in verses 12 to 14 as we went over them before they may sound a little familiar to you why should those promises sound familiar I’ll restore your fortunes I’ll bring you back to the land I’ll bring you from all the different nations you will seek me and you will find me why does that sound familiar say that again okay it does go back to the different covenants that God has given even as far back as Abraham why else yeah that’s also true going back to the prophecy of Moses that God’s going to circumcise the heart of his people and he’s going to restore them and many promises in the law about when they return to God they will be brought back into the land but even more recently the other prophets that we’ve studied have said the same things they not God says I’m going to judge you or judgment is coming but I’m going to restore you go back to Isaiah just for one example where he says uh I’m going to take Israel back and she will call me my Lord and my God and uh other Prophet saying the same thing I’m going to cause the hills to dissolve into wine I’m going to uh I’m going to restore a king there you’re going to be United under one people God has always been giving these promises about restoration about the people coming back into the land that’s we’re seeing the same things here this is a in a sense not a new declaration this is a reiteration of God’s good plans or his people God says to the Judean Exiles I will fulfill the good word that I’ve spoken to you and about you don’t think I’ve forgotten my promises don’t think I’ve forgotten my Covenant I will do good to you yet I will bring you back to the land therefore believe my word and obey me now because there’s a larger context to these promises are the words given here in Jeremiah 29 these promises are they fulfilled when God restores the people to Jerusalem under the Persians I think we have to answer certainly in part they are fulfilled yes they are fulfilled in part because that’s the whole point of the 70 years right in 70 years you will be brought back into the land due to the Exile there was indeed some measure of repentance among God’s people the people in part did seek God and God in part did return them to to the land and restore their fortunes however as we’ll see over the coming lessons the people seeking after God does not last and many of the Exiles did not or could not return to Israel not just from Babylon but from many of the other nations large Jewish populations would develop and persist all over the Middle East and in the Mediterranean starting from the Exile in Babylon especially in Egypt Syria and Asia Minor many Jews would live most the people don’t go back to Israel indeed the Jewish diaspora that began in the days of Babylon lasted beyond the days of Jesus and you could say persist to this day today there are more Jews living outside Israel than in Israel they have not yet been brought back from all the different nations just as God’s words of restoration through the other prophets have not yet been fully fulfill fulfilled so these promises I argue have not yet been fully realized yes there is a partial fulfillment but there’s not yet been a full fulfillment the people do not seek the Lord and they have not found him yet one day though they will God will completely fulfill his promises here and elsewhere he will circumcise the heart of his people once and for all draw them back to their land from every nation around the world give Israel dominion over the Nations and Rule from Jerusalem as their messiah in these two passages that we’ve looked looked at today what do we learn about God what’s one thing it’s totally Sovereign right his power is absolute he raises up kingdoms and he cast them down he sends in Exile and he brings back from Exile he has all the power he’s totally Sovereign what else he judges sin he’s holy judges sin both in his people and those who are not his people those who oppress his people he says Judah I’m judging you for your sin but those who oppress you I’m going to judge them too God is Holy he judges all sin whever it appears what else yeah Danny fath God is faithful that’s one of the very emphasized themes here he keeps Covenant he brings all his promises to pass for blessing or for judgment the whole thing about the land keeping at Sabbath God’s faithful to that said I told you that this was what I was going to do and now it’s coming to pass but I also told you that I would eventually bring you back I would cause you to seek me that’s still true God keeps his covenants we could also say God is compassionate his his good plans show that he is determined to do good to his people God is merciful there was no reason for him to have compassion on the Jewish Exiles other than his Covenant it they were just as evil as the one still in Judah but God had mercy he gave what was not deserved he was undeservedly kind to those who had resisted his word we could probably say other things but certainly those God is holy God is compassionate God is faithful God is Sovereign God is merciful so we’ve observed these two passages and we’ve come to a number of conclusions based on the interpret interpretation questions let’s talk about application how can or should we apply what we’ve seen today first let’s ask this question do the words of Jeremiah 29:11 apply to Christians today may be a difficult question we have to acknowledge that these words were spoken to a specific group of people the Judean Exiles and the plans God refers to are his plans to bring them back from Exile these aren’t just any sort of uh vague good plans God spells it out Jeremiah 29:11 is a as a specific word of comfort to a specific people in a specific situation we can’t just grab that verse and say it applies to us in whatever situation we have if we do say Jeremiah 29:11 applies to us or applies to all people then why doesn’t Jeremiah 29:17 apply the same way which if you look back at verse 17 that’s the one that says I’m going to make you a hiss and a terror and a horror and all that you see and I know many of you know this it’s what we’ve emphasized in this course if we do not interpret the word in its original context according to its original meaning to its original audience and we risk isoing the text that is we read into the text what we want it to mean rather than executing the text reading out of the text the meaning God put there Jeremiah 29:11 is not a statement of prosperity for Christians in all circumstances it is a word of comfort and hope for Jews enduring Exile because of their sin but this is not to say that Jeremiah 29:11 is therefore irrelevant to us no indeed most of the Bible is not written directly to us or about us nevertheless it’s all for us but we must study each passage carefully to know precisely how each passage applies to us must ask questions like how am I connected to the person God is talking to or talking about how alike to that person or how unlike am I am I physically or spiritually related to him have I elsewhere been given a promise or warning similar to the one this person receives and because God’s character never changes what can I discern about God’s character manifest in this situation that shows God will manifest the same character towards me when we ask these kind of questions we can answer my my second application question here how is Jeremiah 29:11 relevant for Christians and people today multiple ways what’s one yeah right I think yes we see a principle here that if God if it was true for Judah that when they seek him they will find him it will be true for others who seek him they will find him and we actually see that promise reiterated in other places in the Bible even in the New Testament right seek and you will find not going to will be open you seek the Lord in a in a humble heart he’s not going to cast you out so we see that what else from Jeremiah 2911 in context is relevant for us today yeah Danny does have plans for us he does specific yeah yeah do we have plans that are for our good and for our welfare we do that’s what the New Testament tells us again and again right that’s what what the basis for persevering and actually being holy you’re going to inherit a kingdom that cannot Fade Away Jesus is going to be with you he’s going to be with you in every situation you go through he’s going to provide for you he’s going to protect you from every evil Temptation and every evil attack he’s going to deliver you into his Heavenly Kingdom we have similarly good plans for us if we’re actually part of God’s people because we can see also from Jeremiah 29 that there’s a difference between the plans God has for his Chosen and those who don’t belong to him God destroyed the people who remained in Judah but he preserved and chose to bless those he sent into Exile it’s the same for us we can point to the promise specifically given in Romans 8:28 right that we know all things work together for good for those who love him for those who have been called according to his purpose we can be confident in the same way the judeans could have been confident in the good plans of the lord we can be confident too because God also has good plans for us those who belong to him we could point to some other principles here God’s good plans for his people include discipline for sin that’s a principle we see here if you really belong to the Lord expect the Lord to give you hardship and pain not only as a corrective for sin but as a way to train you in righteousness and we see that reiterated in the New Testament we see the principle of God’s Sovereign mercy and judgment we’re like the Judean Exiles we were stubborn in sin we didn’t deserve the Lord’s Mercy but God gave it to us and we can be thankful to God for that we can trust God to keep his promises to us not only can we be hopeful and encouraged by his plans but we can trust God to fulfill them that’s another thing that God says in the New Testament he will be faithful even if it means he has to be faithful to judge if we turn away from God God says I will judge you If you deny me I will deny you I can’t deny myself and we can point to others so yes Jeremiah 29:11 sorry we’re on time so I can’t get to your comments and questions Jeremiah 29:11 is for us it is relevant for us it is applicable to us but we must be careful how we say it is applicable to us this isn’t simply a a guarantee of prosperity in every circumstance and to every person we must be careful not to take the verses out of context and make the verses say we want say something we want them to context is King as has been said one last question this is kind of our theme I guess today when someone uses the Bible out of context how should you respond someone quotes a verse or his teaching based on a verse how should you respond Joe yeah we we know that God’s word brings benefit but it’s only benefit according to its original meaning where we have opportunity we want to correct things that are taken out of context but graciously don’t humiliate especially if it was done out of ignorance and and out of a just a mistake don’t humiliate those who take something out of context as you have opportunity take that person aside and say have you considered the original context of that that verse you brought up or something along those lines certainly there’s a higher standard for teachers and we are aware that false teachers they basically as their modus operandi take verses out of context and so we are to reject that rebuke that expose that warn people against that but especially for our brothers and sisters we want to show them the true meaning of God’s word but in a gracious way don’t humiliate them and remember that you yourself have I know this is true of me you yourself have taken things out of context by mistake from the Bible also that’s it for today next week we review what we’ve learned this quarter if you have any other comments or questions come see me afterwards let’s pray Lord we thank you for this word we thank you for your mercy to us we thank you that you do have good plans for us through Christ through the promises you given to us we don’t deserve it but we’re so thankful for it God on its basis let us listen to your word let us seek your word and let us obey it in Jesus name amen