Rebuilding Hope

Jeremiah 29:1, 4-14

Connecting Questions

Have you ever found yourself in a situation that you did not plan for, but realized this is the “new normal?” How did you cope?
List some examples of situations when experts disagreed on what was happening or why it was happening.

Context

In this second week of Advent and our series called Rebuilding Hope, we come to the prophet Jeremiah. He, like all prophets, was called by God to speak truth to power. His preaching ministry spanned more than twenty years. He warned the kingdom of Judah that Babylon would destroy them, he witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem, then his own ministry ended when he was deported to Egypt.

Our text for today happens in the middle of a specific controversy. The people of Jerusalem had just been carried into exile to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. A prophet named Hananiah predicted that God would defeat the Babylonians within two years. Jeremiah disagreed. Our text is a letter from Jeremiah to the exiles telling them not to listen to Hananiah and his people, but to expect seventy years of exile before things get better.

Look at the Book

Our text this week is Jeremiah 29:1-14. Before you read it, read Jeremiah 28:1-4. What does the prophet Hananiah predict will happen?
Read Jeremiah 28:15. What does Jeremiah say about Hananiah?
Now read Jeremiah 29:1-14.
In verses 4-6, how does Jeremiah tell the people to live during their exile?
In verse 7, how should the people treat their oppressors, the Babylonians, who have taken them into exile? Why?
What is the specific timeline that Jeremiah predicts in verse 10?
What is God’s promise for the Israelites that will be fulfilled AFTER the seventy years have expired (verses 11-14)?
What is the condition for this promise to be fulfilled (verse 13)?

Taking it Home

Have you ever heard people claim Jeremiah 29:11 as their verse? If so, when and why was it used? After this study, has your perspective on this verse changed in any way? if so, how?
How did you respond to the way God instructed the people to treat the Babylonians? In what ways are we, the church, called to treat the political powers that govern our city, state, and country similarly?
What part of this passage gives you hope? How or why?

Grow Guide | December 5