A Future and a Hope (Jer 29.11)

(NKJV) “11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

What is hope? Hebrew word Tikwah. expectation, looking forward to, i.e., a confidence in regard to a good and beneficial future. (Swanson, James. 1997. Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament).)

Here is a short story about hope.

Life Sentence

A criminal with a long record of transgressions was on trial for his latest crime. The jury found him guilty on 33 counts and the judge sentenced him to 189 years. Realizing that even with time off for good behavior he would be over one hundred when he was released, the prisoner burst into tears.

Noting this display of remorse, the judge reconsidered. He said, "I didn't mean to be so severe. Thinking it over, I can see that I've imposed an extremely harsh sentence. So you don't have to serve the whole time." The prisoner beamed with new found hope until the judge leaned toward him and said, "Just do as much as you can."

(https://www.jesussite.com/resources/jokes/)

History

In the 29th chapter of Jeremiah, we are now at a place where the nation of Judah has been taken captive by Nebuchadnezzer.

They were relocated from Jerusalem to Babylon roughly some 700 miles away from home. Now Jeremiah is sending letters to the captives and encouraging them and bringing them comfort while they remain in captivity.

But why were they taken into captivity? Because they rebelled against the commandments of God.

God was punishing them as a parent punishes their children. It is important to note that God was not abandoning Israel because they have failed AGAIN!!! But instead, just as a parent doesn’t abandon their child because they have failed again, they are punished so that a lesson is learned and they stop making the same mistakes they are being punished for.

Let’s take a look at something special here.

(NKJV) “11 And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.”

Jeremiah prophesied that because of the sins of the people, they would be brought into captivity for 70 years. But why 70 years? Well this is related the commandment God gave for sabbatical years.

(NKJV) “4 but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the Lord. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard.”

God’s command in is that every 7 years, you shall give the land rest and not sow or prune, but let everything take its natural course and don’t work the land. But God knowing everything, knew the Israelites would not fulfill this command, so God warns them through prophecy of what will take place if they fail to give the land its sabbath rest every 7 years.

(NKJV) “34 Then the land shall enjoy its sabbaths as long as it lies desolate and you are in your enemies’ land; then the land shall rest and enjoy its sabbaths.”

(NKJV) “34 Then the land shall enjoy its sabbaths as long as it lies desolate and you are in your enemies’ land; then the land shall rest and enjoy its sabbaths.”

(NKJV) “10 Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth 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.”

Now the question is why 70 years? From the time of Saul to the Babylonian captivity, there were 490 years that had transpired. During this 490 year period, the land never had a sabbatical rest. Since the land was required to have sabbath rest every 7th year, if we divide 490 years by 7, we get 70 years. The exact amount of time needed for the land to recover and the exact amount of time that God prophesied the nation would be under captivity.

So while they were in captivity, Jeremiah is prophesying to the people, get comfortable for the next 70 years and plant gardens and eat their fruit (). Marry and enjoy the peace you will have because you will not get a reduction in sentence. The full 70 years must be fulfilled before your captivity ceases.

So what happens after the 70 years?

(NKJV) “10 For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place.”

After 70 years in Babylon, God’s punishment has been fulfilled, the land will have received its rest and the Israelites will return to Jerusalem again.

A Hope

But in the time of our story in , they are still in captivity and Jeremiah is writing letters to the people bring encouragement and hope.

(NKJV) “11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

While God was punishing them, God was not thinking evil towards His people, but rather of peace. In giving the land its sabbaths, it would continue to be the land flowing with milk and honey for when the Israelites returned. God’s ultimate goal was to bless His children, but they needed to be disciplined for their failure to obey God’s commands.

God wanted the Israelites to know that there is a future for them. There is hope they will return to Jerusalem. And it came to pass.

In similar fashion, God wants us to know that there is hope in the future.

While the nation of Judah was in captivity, the Bible says this...

(NKJV) “12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.”

Our response to God.

You will call upon Me and pray to Me

You will seek and find Me with all your heart

God’s response to us.

I will listen to you

God hears our prayers when we call upon Him and pray and seek Him with all our hearts.

I will be found by you

Example of Hide and Seek. The purpose is not to be found not to stay hidden. When we seek God, God is providing clues to where He is through the Bible, devotions, Bible Study so that we find Him! God makes it very easy.

I will bring you back from your captivity

For the nation of Judah, God is going to bring them back from Babylon. For us today, God is going to bring us back from sin so that we can walk with God.

I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have driven you.

For the nation of Judah, wherever they were dispersed, God is going to gather them to Himself. For us, God is going to gather us to Himself.

I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.

For the nation of Judah, God will bring them back to Jerusalem. For us today, God is going to bring us to the place He wants us to be rather than the place where we were being held captive.

A Future

One of Jesus’s favorite topics in the Bible is the Kingdom of God.

55 times in the gospels, the Kingdom of God is mentioned. This topic, more than any other is what the disciples were really excited about.

(NKJV) “20 Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him. 21 And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.””

(NKJV) “33 Then He came to Capernaum. And when He was in the house He asked them, “What was it you disputed among yourselves on the road?” 34 But they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest.”

And while the Kingdom of God is invisible right now, we will be part of the visible Kingdom of God during the 1000 year reign of Christ.

(NKJV) “6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”

It is during the 1,000 year reign of Christ that Satan is imprisoned and won’t be able to influence the nations during this time thus showing the power of God over Satan once again.

Those are the covenants God made with Israel that are to be fulfilled in Jesus’ 1,000-year reign, but the Bible lists other promises that will be fulfilled, too. God promised Jesus He will make His enemies a footstool, and that Jesus’ followers will worship Him freely (). God promised the nations of the world that they would live in peace with Jesus as their ruler (). And He promised creation that the curse would be lifted (), animals and the earth would be restored to peace and prosperity (; ), and people would be freed from disease (). These, too, will be fulfilled during the 1,000-year reign. (https://www.gotquestions.org/thousand-year-reign-Christ.html)

So while the world is going to get worse from here on out, we have a future, knowing that God will establish His kingdom on earth. What’s even better from our perspective is we are going to be part of the first resurrection and we will rule and reign with Christ for 1,000 years. Jesus is going to establish the Kingdom of God on earth and it will be something beautiful.

This is just part of the future we have to look forward to. Because we also have heaven awaiting us as well.

May our future and hope be saturated with the knowledge of Jesus’ soon return! Amen.

Swanson, James. 1997. Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament).