The Long View
One of the most misquoted Scriptures in the entire Bible is Jeremiah 29:11 - “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future.” This year, as we have faced two deep personal losses and a seemingly hopeless situation, we have had many fellow Christians attempt to brush off our pain by tossing this quote at us like Tylenol to a cancer patient. Along with John 10:10, it is often twisted by those (such as Joel Osteen) who embrace the “Properity Lite” gospel: God doesn’t necessarily want to make you rich, but He promises you The Good Life as defined by our society.
The fact that so many would interpret this verse as a promise of prosperity and protection to all individual believers indicates just how Biblically illiterate most Christians are. It doesn’t take a degree in Biblical studies (although my wife has one) to realize just how far this interpretation deviates from the text. All that is required is to read it in context – that is, Jeremiah 28 and 29.
Around 600 B.C., the Babylonians invaded Israel, destroyed their glorious temple and cities, killed many of their people, stole all of their resources, and hauled off their best and brightest to live in their own capital. The exiles left behind their homes, their dead loved ones, their country, and all their broken dreams. While not slaves, they were probably second-class citizens, forced to live in the land of their enemy. They wanted nothing more than to escape this pagan land, return home, and rebuild their lives – and hopefully their nation. Similarly, those left behind remained under the thumb of Nebuchednezzar, the king of Babylon (this was known as the Babylonian Captivity).
Shortly after arriving in Babylon, a self-proclaimed prophet named Hananiah began proclaiming in Israel that God would soon deliver them from their oppressive foreign, that the king of Babylon would meet his downfall and the exiles would be back in Jerusalem within 2 years. Their ordeal would be brief. They just had to sit tight and they would soon be home, “raptured” from evil Babylon. (Any of this sound familiar? Reminds me of a certain bestselling fictional series about the end times…) It was exactly what they longed to hear. And it was wrong.
The prophet Jeremiah rebuked Hananiah and prophesied his death, which occurred within a few months. He then proceeded to tell Israelites the true situation: they would be ruled by Babylon for 70 years. The exiles were to make it their home, to pray for it, to be a blessing to that city and to their neighbors, to build their lives there. AFTER that 70 years was up, “they” would return to Israel and once again prosper as a nation, worshipping the One True God and seeking after him.
I say “they” because, life spans being what they were then, almost none of them would ever see their home again. They would die in Babylon, as would most of their children. But their grandchildren would see Home again. There was a future. There was a hope. But it was a promise to their nation as a whole, not to each individual – and it was a long way off. Only those who accepted their situation and submitted to the difficult course God had marked out for them could cling to that hope in any fashion.
In his landmark study of corporate success, Good To Great, management scholar Jim Collins identifies one of the keys to achieving greatness as “Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet Never Lose Faith),” and illustrates it with the experience of American POWs in Vietnam. Those who succumbed to despair upon being captured usually died within a short time, as they had lost the will to live. However, those who believed that rescue was imminent rarely lasted much longer: their optimism carried them admirably at first, but once they realized that their hope was false, they too succumbed to despair and died. Only those who faced their situation without false hopes – expecting to spend years in captivity being tortured and deprived – while simultaneously holding on to the eventual hope of deliverance, lived to see America again. Only those prepared to persevere, believing that their perseverance would be rewarded, lasted to the end.
As we have faced our trial, we have heard the voice of Hananiah – the voice of false hope – from many well-meaning Christians. We have also found the commiseration of despair from our non-believing friends. Ironically, the former has proved to be more grating. With the exception of the few who gave truly wise, Biblical advice, we preferred friends who would cry and rage and even curse with us than friends who – however unintentionally – belittled our pain.
Most of the anger is past. The despair, like fog, has gradually cleared. We have confronted the brutal facts and accepted them. And we have begun to find our feet firmly planted on hope. But that hope is not based upon cliches. It is not based upon “promises” which simply aren’t in the Bible. It is based upon something much more concrete.
We know that our Father will never leave us or forsake us, that He has a calling upon our lives and intends to use us to be a blessing to others. He has led us clearly to something difficult and emotionally wrenching that will cost us in every way. He has promised to give us the strength to do all the He calls us to do. And He has promised that His purposes will one day ultimately triumph. That is our hope. We are taking the long view and committing ourselves to perseverance.
The fact that so many would interpret this verse as a promise of prosperity and protection to all individual believers indicates just how Biblically illiterate most Christians are. It doesn’t take a degree in Biblical studies (although my wife has one) to realize just how far this interpretation deviates from the text. All that is required is to read it in context – that is, Jeremiah 28 and 29.
Around 600 B.C., the Babylonians invaded Israel, destroyed their glorious temple and cities, killed many of their people, stole all of their resources, and hauled off their best and brightest to live in their own capital. The exiles left behind their homes, their dead loved ones, their country, and all their broken dreams. While not slaves, they were probably second-class citizens, forced to live in the land of their enemy. They wanted nothing more than to escape this pagan land, return home, and rebuild their lives – and hopefully their nation. Similarly, those left behind remained under the thumb of Nebuchednezzar, the king of Babylon (this was known as the Babylonian Captivity).
Shortly after arriving in Babylon, a self-proclaimed prophet named Hananiah began proclaiming in Israel that God would soon deliver them from their oppressive foreign, that the king of Babylon would meet his downfall and the exiles would be back in Jerusalem within 2 years. Their ordeal would be brief. They just had to sit tight and they would soon be home, “raptured” from evil Babylon. (Any of this sound familiar? Reminds me of a certain bestselling fictional series about the end times…) It was exactly what they longed to hear. And it was wrong.
The prophet Jeremiah rebuked Hananiah and prophesied his death, which occurred within a few months. He then proceeded to tell Israelites the true situation: they would be ruled by Babylon for 70 years. The exiles were to make it their home, to pray for it, to be a blessing to that city and to their neighbors, to build their lives there. AFTER that 70 years was up, “they” would return to Israel and once again prosper as a nation, worshipping the One True God and seeking after him.
I say “they” because, life spans being what they were then, almost none of them would ever see their home again. They would die in Babylon, as would most of their children. But their grandchildren would see Home again. There was a future. There was a hope. But it was a promise to their nation as a whole, not to each individual – and it was a long way off. Only those who accepted their situation and submitted to the difficult course God had marked out for them could cling to that hope in any fashion.
In his landmark study of corporate success, Good To Great, management scholar Jim Collins identifies one of the keys to achieving greatness as “Confront the Brutal Facts (Yet Never Lose Faith),” and illustrates it with the experience of American POWs in Vietnam. Those who succumbed to despair upon being captured usually died within a short time, as they had lost the will to live. However, those who believed that rescue was imminent rarely lasted much longer: their optimism carried them admirably at first, but once they realized that their hope was false, they too succumbed to despair and died. Only those who faced their situation without false hopes – expecting to spend years in captivity being tortured and deprived – while simultaneously holding on to the eventual hope of deliverance, lived to see America again. Only those prepared to persevere, believing that their perseverance would be rewarded, lasted to the end.
As we have faced our trial, we have heard the voice of Hananiah – the voice of false hope – from many well-meaning Christians. We have also found the commiseration of despair from our non-believing friends. Ironically, the former has proved to be more grating. With the exception of the few who gave truly wise, Biblical advice, we preferred friends who would cry and rage and even curse with us than friends who – however unintentionally – belittled our pain.
Most of the anger is past. The despair, like fog, has gradually cleared. We have confronted the brutal facts and accepted them. And we have begun to find our feet firmly planted on hope. But that hope is not based upon cliches. It is not based upon “promises” which simply aren’t in the Bible. It is based upon something much more concrete.
We know that our Father will never leave us or forsake us, that He has a calling upon our lives and intends to use us to be a blessing to others. He has led us clearly to something difficult and emotionally wrenching that will cost us in every way. He has promised to give us the strength to do all the He calls us to do. And He has promised that His purposes will one day ultimately triumph. That is our hope. We are taking the long view and committing ourselves to perseverance.
Labels: Theology
posted by Scott M Roney | 11:15 AM
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