Letters

In this chapter we will see a letter that Jeremiah sends to the exiles in Babylon, a letter that is sent to the King in Jerusalem concerning Jeremiah, and we will see a letter that Jeremiah sends back to Babylon.

1. A Letter is sent to the exiles from Jeremiah (1-3).

Chapter 29 contains letters that were exchanged between Jews who lived in Jerusalem and other Jews who were living in Babylon. The first deportation had already taken place. The King, Jehoiachin, and his mother had been taken to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar appointed Mattaniah, whom he named Zedekiah, in his place (2 Kings 24). Because of the relationship Babylon now had over Jerusalem communication between the two groups was not as difficult as it would normally be.

Jeremiah sent the letter to all the Jewish people there. Notice the different classes of people:

The priests

The prophets

All the people

Nebuchadnezzar had taken what appears to be higher class people. According to 52:28 it was a total of 3,028 people. Let’s look at the people he took. We see it in verse 2:

The King

The Kings Mother

The eunuchs

The officials

Craftsman

Metal workers

The first four all played a role in the Kings Service. The last two were probably used to help build up Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar was strategic in who he deported in the first wave. He took the powerful and the skilled.

It is likely Nebuchadnezzar had delegates coming and going to keep tabs on the newly appointed king. It is through these delegates that Jeremiah likely sends this letter. Two men are mentioned in verse 3, Elasah and Gemariah. These men were sent by Zedekiah to Nebuchadnezzar likely to assure the King of Babylon Zedekiah remained loyal. They took the letter with them and therefore would have enjoyed the protection of the King as they traveled. Elasah was the son of Shaphan. In 26:24 we see another son of Shaphan protects Jeremiah so it is likely Jeremiah had at one time enjoyed favor with some who were in high positions.

2. The Letter (4-23).

A. A message for the exiles (4-9).

The message for them is to settle down in Babylon. Look at what Jeremiah says:

Build houses

Plant gardens

Marry and have kids

Make the city better

Pray for Babylon

He is telling them not to resist. They are going to be in this city for seventy years. For their own sake they should want Babylon to be prosperous. We can understand the anxiety they must have experienced. This was not their home. They didn’t want to be there. But they were there. For their own good they should try and make the best of it.

He also tells them not to listen to the false prophets (8-9).

Among the exiles were false prophets. They were continuing to tell the people that they wouldn’t remain in Babylon. They were giving the people a false hope. The message they had was not from the Lord.

B. A future for the Jewish people (10-11).

These are probably the most well-known verses in the book. They are often used out of context. We need to understand this promise is for the Jewish people. It is not a verse meant for us to claim and assure ourselves of a wonderful life. Sometimes God’s plans for us are hard. Just as God’s plan for the Jews was to stay in Babylon seventy years. It was after those seventy years that the Lord would take a remnant back to Jerusalem and reestablish the city. God had a plan for them, but it would not be immediately experienced. Seventy years is a lifetime. For the believer we know that we will not experience the fullness of what God has for us until our lifetime has passed.

C. Conditional promises (12-14).

Once the people return to the land they can experience the blessings of God if they meet His conditions. What are the conditions?

Call upon the Lord

Pray to the Lord

Seek the Lord with all their heart

God promises a complete restoration for those who sincerely seek Him. He will gather His people from all over the earth and bring them together. This promise was only partially fulfilled in the return to Jerusalem. It will be experienced fully when Christ returns and sets up His kingdom on this earth.

D. False hope (15-19).

You can see the Lord’s frustration in verses 15-19. The people continued to hold to the promises of the false prophets. No matter what God’s true prophets said or what reality revealed, they continued to deny the truth. The Jews in exile thought that since there continued to be a Jewish King on the throne in Jerusalem then they would return there soon. Jeremiah says the Jews in Jerusalem are a basket of rotten figs and that no one, not even the King, in Jerusalem was safe.

The message of the false prophets was definitely an easier one to receive. But the fact remains their message was not true. If we do not like what the Bible says it does no good for us to reject it for a better message. Our acceptance of a “better” message does not change reality. False hope only gives temporary joy. In the end it robs us of hope eternally.

E. Jeremiah calls out two false prophets by name (20-23).

These two prophets, Ahab and Zedekiah, were immoral men. They were committing adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and they were corrupting the Word of the Lord. Jeremiah says they will be made an example out of. He says they will be burned to death by Nebuchadnezzar. We know from the book of Daniel that Nebuchadnezzar was actively involved in burning to death those who defied his authority (Daniel 3:6). These false prophets were essentially teaching the people to resist the captivity and that is probably what led to them being killed, likely for treason. The names of these men would be linked to being cursed. People would in the future curse others by saying something like “May what happened to Ahab and Zedekiah happen to you!”

There is no sin in calling out false prophets by name. At times it must be done. Not only do we see it done in the Old Testament, we see it done in the New Testament as well (2 Timothy 1:15).

3. Jeremiah addresses a particular false prophet (24-32).

A. The letter from Shemaiah (24-28).

There was a false prophet in Babylon who took exception to the letter Jeremiah sent. He decided to contact a priest named Zephaniah in Jerusalem. Zephaniah was second in command (52:24). This false prophet made sure his message was heard by sending multiple letters. He contacted the people and the priest. Shemaiah told the priest it was his job to discipline the mad men who called themselves prophets. He demands Jeremiah be put in stocks and rebuked. His reason was Jeremiah was telling the people in Babylon to settle down in the city because they would remain there for a while. We can see cancel culture existed even in Jeremiah’s day.

B. The response to the letter (29-32).

Zephaniah read the letter to Jeremiah. It seems the priest agreed with Jeremiah more than he did Shemaiah. Jeremiah was not intimidated by the letter. He sent one of his own back to the exiles. This is what he said in the letter to the exiles:

The Lord did not send Shemaiah

Shemaiah is a liar

Shemaiah and his descendants will die in Babylon

Shemaiah and his descendants will not experience the promise of restoration to the land

Why was the Lord so harsh? Look at the end of verse 32. This false prophet was encouraging the people to rebel. If they rebelled, they would be killed. God was going to release the people in His own time. The false prophets who encouraged resistance would have the blood of all who resisted and were killed by the Babylonians on their own hands.

Submission is not easy. Yet it is a very important thing for the believer. We are not in Babylon beneath a tyrant, but we still live in a fallen world. There are many things we will have to submit to as a result. The will of God is not always easy. We are called to be obedient and submissive to God despite our circumstances. The promises of our future should be what strengthens us in the days we want to rebel against the will of God. Life is not always easy but one day it will be. Eternity will be nothing but ease and blessing. It’s the promise of heaven that motivates us to submit to the difficult things in this world. Remember this when a false prophet tells you it is never God’s will for you to be poor, sick or to suffer. Christ is our example, and His life was one of submission. He submitted Himself to the will of the Father which involved shame, pain, and death. Christ in us will empower us to remain faithful in a foreign land until the promise of eternal joy becomes a reality for us.