Jeremiah 29:11; You're Doing It Wrong

It doesn't take long after entering a Christian community to hear people use Jeremiah 29:11 to encourage themselves or others. It seems to be many Christian's go-to verse for encouragement during hard times or when looking forward to the future. This practice needs some examining. Let's start with the good stuff.

Jeremiah 29:11 reads, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." That's great news. That is a beautiful promise from God for his people called Israel. I believe this is true for all God's people and not merely the specific audience it was delivered to. At the same time, there is truth in this passage that we can apply to our lives. The original audience was being promised something that was dealing with their specific situation (this will be discusses momentarily) and even though the plans, hope, and future are different for us than for the specific original recipients the general truth still applies. The plan for people now is to be reconciled to God through Christ. The hope now is in Christ and for the future of eternal life with God. The prospering is an eternal prospering in which we live together with God as our All in All.

This is part of what many believers are thinking when they use this verse to encourage others. Other times believers use this verse because of the notion that God just wants to give us good gifts, which is also true. Yet, too often we read this as a good word to the individual reader of today as though it means God is going to take care of us and give us all the good things in life we think we need like a new car, a paid off home, and affordable private school for our kids. That's not the case. God does have a plan for all people and they have a choice to live into it or not. Whatever we do, whatever happens, God has a plan for that reality. We will live into God's plans even if we're not living into his ideal plan for us (that we be reconciled to him and do his work on earth as a faithful people). God will direct us according to his will and our choices (example: Pharaoh in Exodus). Encouraging one another with these truths is an excellent practice. However, when we use this verse to communicate these things we are forced to neglect the context of the verse which is far less encouraging (get ready to lose that new car and paid off home).

This verse represents and communicates theological truths if left alone but the verse isn't alone in scripture and we want to be careful to not misuse it. Just because this scripture wraps up several wonderful truths in a neat little bow (when out of context) that doesn't mean we ought to reference it to serve our purposes, even if those purposes are backed with righteous motivations. We can speak these truths without compromising our understanding of or future approach to Jeremiah 29:11. Let's approach the verse with context in mind and see what comes about.

What is the context? The opening verse of chapter 29 tells us that "This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon." Here we see a specific author (Jeremiah), a specific group of recipients (surviving elders, priests, prophets, and various people among them in exile), and a spcific situation (exile from Jerusalem into Babylon). Later we will learn this exile is due to disobedience (we also learned this earlier in chapter 27). Verse 2 gives a little more context about the time and situation stating, "This was after King Jehoiachin and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the skilled workers and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem."

Verse 4 states that God brought some (not all) of his people into Exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. The following verses are instructions from God to the exiles to set up a life in their exiled city and get settled, basically making it home. "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" (v. 7). All hope is not lost for these Israelites but they can plan on being exiled for a long time. Exile is now home. From here God begins his message that involves verse 11.

"When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place" (v. 10). The encouragement begins. Exile will last a long time (about 70 years it seems) but then the exiles will be returned. Then verse 11 shows up, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" God has plans for these Israelites, specific plans, and those plans involve a long exile and then a return to Jerusalem. Long exile then a return is the plan (or at least the foreseeable part of the plan). There is hope in the return to Jerusalem and future in Jerusalem but the immediate future is exile.

Verse 12 shows God saying, "Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." When will this happen? After the return to Jerusalem. After the exile and the return from captivity God will hear the prayers of his people and they will find him with their heart. For right now though, he has exiled them. God has exiled his people. God is disciplining his people and he does this because he loves them (Proverbs 3:11-12) and since he is just they must deserve it. Verses 15-19 state, "You may say, 'The LORD has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,' but this is what the LORD says about the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your fellow citizens who did not go with you into exile—yes, this is what the LORD Almighty says: 'I will send the sword, famine and plague against them and I will make them like figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten. I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse and an object of horror, of scorn and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. For they have not listened to my words,' declares the LORD, 'words that I sent to them again and again by my servants the prophets. And you exiles have not listened either,' declares the LORD." All of this is a reference to Jeremiah 27.

With these verses we understand that those in power (nobles), those in Jerusalem, and those in exile have all not listened to God's words. All have worked against God, disobeying him by listening to the words of false prophets. Thus, God is disciplining his people and allowing his wrath (which derives from his love) to fall upon them just as he had promised, giving to them what results in disobedience against God. Even now, God disciplines those he loves. Jeremiah 29:11 is applicable to our lives but so is the rest of the chapter (and book)! We're wayward! We sin! We don't listen to his words! We need a loving God! We need discipline! Because of all this, and because God is in relationship with us, we need the whole chapter.

We can also gather from this that God will not be thwarted. His plans will prevail, somehow, and it's best if we have faith in what God is doing, even if it seem strange. We are to follow God and none but him. If we do not do this we will find consequences which have already been explained to us. The consequences are a natural result of our choices and God is working his plans out in it all.

So yes, God has a future for us and desires to give us good gifts, but he also has discipline and exile for us. He has wrath. This passage is great for discussion on discipline and the results of rebelling against God but as far as talking about the overall future plans God has for our lives, it's not the most encouraging. It only fits our purposes when it is out of context and we shouldn't use scripture to fit our purposes. When Jeremiah 29:11 is out of context we can please our own ears and put money in our pockets by selling it to others (and plenty of Christians do it). Fortunately, God is just and, as they ought to know, he has plans for those who tickle ears and prefer profits over prophets. Those plans may not be exactly what those folks expect or want.

Let's approach scripture considering context and learning the lessons from it the author intended. Sure, the Spirit will speak truths to us that may not be the exact message the author intended but we have to be careful how we present scripture to others and ourselves. If we are reading Jeremiah 29 to people to say they're going to make it through hard times we're not giving them the full message of the passage. We have to be responsible with scripture, serving God with it and being transformed by it instead of using it for our own purposes. Many scriptures are encouraging and speak of God's love, promises, provision, faithfulness, and more. Let's use those scriptures which are most appropriate for those times.

Gender-Neutralizing Hymns; Is It Right or Wrong?

My sister StephanieP wrote a really good blog today entitled I sang neutered Christmas songs today. In it she writes,

In Church today, a few lyrics of certain hymns were a bitdifferent than I remembered them. “Good ChristianMen Rejoice” had quietly changed to “Good Christian Friends Rejoice.” In Joy to the World, where we hadpreviously been commanded to “let mentheir songs employ,” the verse now proclaims “let us our songs employ.” GodRest Ye Merry Gentlemen still references gentlemen, no longer encourages us“with true love andbrotherhood, letothers now embrace,” but rather “with true love and charity…”

Stephanie feels that the gender-neutral changes are bad because they could lead one to believe there was something wrong with the original lyrics. In these cases, she worries that a person may think that perhaps the church which changes the altered lyrics is claiming that the original lyrics showed a type of unChristian chauvinism (though, all chauvinism is unChristian I suppose) and we don't want to lead people down that path since it isn't true of the author's intent.

I agree with her. However, I disagree that a change demands the notion that there was a problem with the previous work. Things can move from good to better or from one thing to a different thing. It doesn't have to be a bad thing to a good thing or a wrong thing to a right thing. Gender-neutralizing beautiful works isn't always an attempt to right wrongs or to say there was a problem with the work in it's original form. It's entirely possible that such action is merely an attempt to make the song more personal for different minded or nurtured participants. People in the 2012 might need to sing different words than people in 1912, 1812, or 12. I am of the opinion that we need to embrace our classics, even in their original form, but we must also sing evolved forms of our classics so as to be closer to the message than we otherwise might be. We can have both and I think we should.

Stephanie goes on to explain that "brotherhood" and "men" were not terms meant for males alone and she does a good job of presenting this truth in a short amount of time (clearly she is better as being short-winded than I). Again, she's right but even though they may not have been chauvinistic terms they easily can be today (and have been in recent history for some sects) and since times, culture, communal experiences, and perspectives change we need to be able to make sure that we're doing what we can to communicate the original message of these works to people who are different from those who would have originally encountered the hymns. Now, the message may not be heard/received today the way it was originally if it were left in the same exact words. It depends on the involved parties. Changing up the lyrics can help with that in certain times and places. It can be a benefit to change lyrics in this fashion if our changing of lyrics can shed light on the fact that we are a people who know our culture and desire to communicate the gospel message as best we can within that culture (be it in evangelism or isolated worship). So why not go for it?*

Finally, Stephanie makes the case that, "...we keep to the original text of the Bible and of Christmas hymns." Here's the rub though; if we're going to commit to keeping the original texts then we all better start learning Greek, Aramaic, and Hebrew and stand against English translations of the Bible. If we want to be really purist about this we shouldn't even have hymns that put scripture into English in their lyrics but rather we should only sing hymns that have scripture references in the original language. There is danger in changing the lyrics but I would argue there is as much, if not more, danger in being a purist about the original lyrics. I'm not trying to call Stephanie a purist here but a statement like the one she made can easily be embraced by such a mindset. If she is a purist I apologize for assuming her not to be one [insert wink].

I see Stephanie's concern, and it's a good one, but while we fight being hyper-sensitive to an ever-changing pluralistic society we have to keep in mind the reality of the historic cultures from which the vocabulary used in those works derived and remember that those were cultures filled with chauvinism and male dominance. The lyrics may not have been meant to be chauvinistic but they may very well be born of a chauvinistic culture and thus possess the DNA of that culture within them. Even if that's not true, many parts of our culture will assume that. We can't ebb and flow with every passing fancy of our current cultures but we have to speak the language and we have to convey the Gospel message as appropriately as we can. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to push the agenda of relevancy needing to be a top priority because I think focusing on relevancy itself is most often a damaging action that leads us away from truly doing our work as the Church.At the same time, there is a balance between knowing our history, the true meanings and intentions of those wonderful works of praise and being intimate with the message of the works as a different community with different vocabularies and nurturing as the ones in which those works were birthed. We want to do what we can to communicate the truth of Christ as clearly as possible, especially in liturgy.

So let us be creative! Let us compliment one another! Let's share our art and do what we must with it for the sake of Christ's ongoing work which happens through his body and bride known as the Church. Let's do cover songs and switch up the lyrics whether we're doing it with the works of John Mark McMillan or Heinrich Suso.

*I realize that many will take issue with the altering of a deceased artist's work and that would be a big reason to not tamper with such masterpeices. We wouldn't give the Mona Lisa highlights in her hair or put her in a Lady GaGa outfit after all. However, when it comes to communicating the message of the scriptures, the love of God, the story of Christ, we are at liberty to release ownership of our art to the community so that we own it as a unified body that transcends time and place. If we accept this, claiming that the message is more important than the artwork remaining in it's original condition (in other words, saying that the message is more sacred than the catalyst) then we are at liberty to make such changes.

How & Who Christians Fight

Christians are a people who love their neighbors, even when those neighbors are their enemies or the enemies of those they love. Many Christians in the United States find it a duty to fight for the United States, a nation they love, in times of war. There is often a strong bond between our discipleship with Jesus and our citizenship in the USA. I'm of the opinion that this is often taken too far, to a point in which we compromise our discipleship for the sake of our citizenship and I often see it happen through the channel of violent activity on behalf of the country. However, this is not merely something Christians in the U.S. deal with but an issue Christians in all nations through time have dealt with and continue to deal with. I always hear Christians crying out "How do we fight for what is good in this world as Christians? We can't all die on a cross and be a saviour!"

Christians are to fight for justice but this can be done without compromising our kingdom of Heaven citizenship. Jesus says, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world" (John 18:36). Even though Jesus was making a revelation of who he was (and simultaneously those who are a part of his kingdom) with this statement he speaks the truth that people of his kingdom aren't fighters, at least not in the way the world knows fighters.

This is echoed by Paul when he writes, "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds" (2Corinthians 10:3-4). As Paul defends his ministry as an Apostle he makes it clear that the people of God, Christians, aren't fighting the same wars as the world and aren't using the weapons the world uses to fight because the aim of kingdom people who belong to Jesus is different from those in the world. While the world is focused on fighting enemies who are neighbors and using wounding and lethal weapons such as guns, knives, bombs, gases, sprays, and more the citizens of the heavenly kingdom are seeking to demolish strongholds in this world with a different kind of arsenal.

Paul makes more sense of this when he writes in Ephesians 6:10-21

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

In the crosshairs of the Christian, the kingdom of heaven citizen, is the devil (Satan) and his schemes. The aim is to demolish Satan's strongholds. The strongholds of Afghanistan, North Korea, the Taliban, Saddam Hussein, even Adolf Hitler are not the aim for Christians. However, those strongholds may be deeply within the strongholds of the devil. We must be careful not to mistake one for the other lest we kill the creation of God in the grips of Satan's claws.

To make sense of this look at Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkein. In the second book/movie The Two Towers there is a king of a land called Rohan named Theoden. Theoden is a ruler who was once good but has become corrupted to the point where death and injustice permeate his kingdom. Think of him as the earthly ruler who breeds death and injustice. He had an adviser named Grima who was poisoning and weakening the king and thus his rule over the kingdom in order that that Grima's true master Saruman could rule the kingdom. For us, Saruman is Satan and Grima is an influential demon. This is the way our world works. People are influenced be rebellious angelic beings (demons) who side with the Prince of this World, Satan. When men give into this wicked influence they begin to see their kingdoms ruled by Satan. Even if God establishes the authorities, they can rebel and fall prey to evil influence and give their kingdom over to the enemy of God (and this happens in our personal lives as well). Eventually, Gandalf the White shows up in the palace in which Theoden resides. Gandalf casts out Grima from the kingdom and then destroys Saruman's possession of Theoden and as a result Theoden's health and mind are restored and soon his kingdom comes back to life and justice again exists.

Just as Gandalf had his aim on Saruman, whom he actually speaks against and casts out of Theoden, so we aim at Satan and his strongholds, seeking to demolish them so that people may be reconciled to God, embracing life over death, justice over injustice, and service over power. When Satan's walls are broken down people may walk on the path of their Creator who calls them into his nation to be eternal citizens. If Gandalf had merely killed Theoden the stronghold would still be in Rohan, plaguing the kingdom, but Gandalf saw through the mask and looked deeper into the truth of the situation. He knew the players and he acted accordingly, working to reconcile and save. He demolished a stronghold, not a neighbor. We are called to the same thing. Our battle is not against flesh and blood (people) but our true enemy who influences and grabs hold of our neighbors, Satan. His work is our target so we work against it and in doing so we work for our neighbor and our enemies of flesh and blood. If we are ever fighting flesh and blood we are fighting against the wrong enemy.

So how do we protect ourselves from the devil's schemes and stay strong in God as citizens of his kingdom? Paul says we put on the armor of God which consists of truth, righteousness, readiness from the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God. Elsewhere Paul might call this putting on the new self. The most offensive of these is the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. The Word of God is our weapon with which we vanquish the enemy. Just as Jesus proved in the desert during his temptations so we can stick to the Word and demolish strongholds (Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 4:1-13). Speaking the Word is a main weapon of God throughout scripture. From the Reed Sea waves to the demon's being cast out by Christ and his disciples, the Word is how this battle is fought and won for Creation knows the Word formed all things and has power over all things. The most rebellious aspect of creation is mankind. Demons, Satan, and elements of creation know and respect the Word, obeying it and shuddering at it but man is least likely to obey (so it seems). Regardless, the spoken Word of God is immensely powerful so we do well to speak it.

Next, Paul tells us to pray. Prayer is also a way in which we fight. It is no coincidence that Paul speaks of this warfare and then commands his recipients to be people who pray on all occasions. This is how Christians fight. Christians do not pick up swords but rather they put down knees (besides, they've been busy bending swords into farming tools so those aren't much of an option anymore). No, the people who pick up their crosses and imitate Christ are the people who join him in his kingdom, being different and not of this world, and choose to fight the strongholds of Satan through prayer and the Word of God instead of hurting their neighbors with earthly weapons.

Origen of Alexandria was a Bible scholar in the third-century who has heavily influenced the Church. He wrote that “as we — ​by our prayers — ​vanquish all the demons that stir up war, and lead to the violation of oaths, and disturb the peace, we in this service are much more helpful to the kings than those who go into the field to fight for them. None fight better for the king than we do. We do not indeed fight under him, although he demands it; but we fight on his behalf, forming a special army of piety by offering our prayers to God.”

The real fight is not the one against humans or the one that uses weapons created by humans. If we're using those weapons and fighting those wars then we're missing the reality in front of us. If we are doing that then we are of the world and not the kingdom of God. If we are in those wars with those weapons we are not helping in the best way possible. I agree with Origen that None fight better for the earthly king than the Christian who refuses to pick up arms and instead embraces the weapons of God which are prayer and the Word. The king may not understand, just as Theoden did not understand what Gandalf was doing, but this is the course of action and the focus that is needed.

We can be good earthly citizens by not fighting in our nation's wars against our neighbors. We can be just people but not using our guns, knives, gases, and other man-made weapons. When we pray we fight for our nation's and those against the nation we live in. We may not look like the great citizen many will want us to be but we will be doing what is needed, what is good, for we will be doing the work of Christ which he has given us. We are to be reconcilers, bringing sinners to God and to one another. We are cultivators and not destroyers. Let us fight not as people of this world but as citizens of the kingdom of heaven which is not of this world but of God.

Disclaimer: While we do this, let us not neglect daily action. Praying and the Word of God are our initial and primary weapons but we must also be people who act. When we act it must be in accordance with the Way of Christ and display love, working towards making reconciliation a reality. If our action is void of the fruit of the Spirit then we aren't acting as we ought as we seek justice. When you're sick you can pray but you should also go to the doctor.

Christmas Day 2011

God (the One who is able to save) is with us.

“I kneel at the door of the empty stable and offer Thee my heart…but my body is not fit to be Thy temple and my heart is treacherous and faithless. I am ashamed to have so poor a shelter to offer Thee. If it were not that Thou didst ask for it, I dare not offer it. Oh! Thou Who didst not refuse the manger-bed, come to my heart, look at the contrition and…the aching longing to be what Thou dost want, and forget the faithlessness and the failures and the weakness. Come, my little King, incarnate for me, come and save me, If I were not a sinner I should not need a Saviour.”

-Mother St. Paul, Ortus Christi

Why People Don't Get Along

People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don't know each other; they don't know each other because they have not communicated with each other. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

I like Martin Luther King Jr. a lot and I often agree with him. I agree with him to a degree with this quote but I disagree as well. It's true that ignorance can breed contempt. How many movies have been made in which a prejudice person witnesses the demise of their fear and hatred through personal interactions with the very people they hate? Gran Torino and American History X are excellent examples. People do tend to see what they have in common with each other through communication. When we connect with one another it becomes easier to recognize the One who looks through the eyes of our brothers and sisters (for he also looks through ours*). Theimago dei is easier to notice through vulnerable relationships. We're all human. We all have a lot in common according to nature and nurture. So yes, communication can dissolve much fear.

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18).

When we love God we are free from fear of the fair judgment he brings. It makes sense then that when we love our neighbors we will fear them and what they may bring into our lives less. Communication is great but love is greater. Communication exists within love. Communication is an aspect of love that leads to deeper love. Just as prayer brings us closer to God so communicating with neighbors brings us closer to them.

Talking to one another helps us to come together. While coming together isn't the end goal it's a nice perk to loving one another. If we seek to love others by communicating with them in a humble, patient, kind, and vulnerable manner then we will eventually grow in love. We may not become best friends with our enemies through a few discussions (though sometimes we will) but we'll see the humanity of one another better and that's a plus.

To know someone is not merely to communicate with them but we can not truly know someone until we communicate with them. Let's talk to Samaritan women at the well, to the children who get in the way, to the Gentile who wants crumbs from the table of Hebrew, and everyone different from us. Whoever we fear, let us begin to love them by getting to know them, building a relationship through communicating with them. Let us start seeing what we have in common. Differences are good and we need to know them but if all we acknowledge are our differences then all we can have for one another is fear and disdain and those have no place in the heart of one who embraces the love of Christ.

*MewithoutYou refers to God when they sing "...the One who looks out from your eyes looks through hers and looks through mine" in their song Bullet to Binary Pt. 2 on their album It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alright!