I Know The Plans That I Have For You (God Has Not Forgotten You) - Even In Your Exile, Hold On to Hope

Introduction

At this point Judah has run out of time. 70 years in Babylonian Captivity is their fate.

This means: NO Temple/worship,

A book with a grim prospect for Israel, but at the end there is a message of HOPE.

Jeremiah 29:10–14 NASB95

“For thus says the Lord, ‘When seventy 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 and 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 and 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.’

This scripture is part of a larger cross-section of the book theologians call Aftermath Oracles

Context

These oracles gave hope to the audience. Most of the prophets have this feature.

God wanted them to know that even though He is a God of wrath that He is a God of hope.

He needed them to know that even in their EXILE, you can have hope.

vs.10

Why was the exile so bad?

The exile was: uncomfortable, painful, distressing. . .

This meant a removal from the land, (no blessing, no fellowship, no God)

This something God had promised from the time of Abraham. This is where the temple was, the priest, the ark, EVERYTHING WAS IN THE LAND

BUT. . .

God said, “I will visit you” Appl. God is a visiting God (Ruth 1:6; 1 Sam 2:21)

The Lord previously “visited” them in Jer 27:8; 23:2 but it was for judgement now it’s going to be for a Blessing.

This shows that God is not a forgetful God when it comes to His people

vs. 11

“The Lord knows the plans”

Not the false prophets but God (Jer 28:10-11)

The plans for Israel included: Bringing them to the land, making a new covenant, rebuilding the city, coming back to God, Establishing a Davidic King

A lion was still to come from Judah, the scepter would still be there

To give you a future and a hope (hopeful future)

It was easy to lose hope during the exile [Song: By the rivers of Babylon]

APPLICATION: It is easy to lose hope in “your exile”

When You face your “exile moments, hold on to your hope”

For the Christian, God brought us out of sin and gave us a hope

1 Pet 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,”

Heb 10:23 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;”

Our hope is not just glory but it’s Jesus Christ himself, 1 Tim 1:1 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope,”