Read, Mark, Learn, and Inwardly Digest

When we read a passage in the Bible, we need to see what the Bible says in that passage and make certain we do not impose our preconceived ideas on the text.  That is easier said than done.  We need to remember that the passage was written to a particular group of people in a particular place, time, and situation, however we also believe it was written for us today and there are theological principles found in the passage that we can apply today from the text. So how do we do it?

Let us look at Jeremiah 29:11, a popular verse with a promise. I find it is good to look at verse in several translations to get a sense of the passage and how the translations differ.  I will use the latest versions of three translations that are used in the Bible studies that I am a part of.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (ESV 2016)

For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. (NASB 2020)

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. (NIV 2011)

The passages are very similar but note the differences: welfare, prosperity, and prosper you, and evil, disaster, and harm you.  You can gain additional insight from the differences because translating is rarely a pure word to word translation.  The differences should be similar.  If they are not similar, you may need to do some more research into why there are significant differences.

The context of the passage is a very important starting point in understanding the passage.  What do the surrounding verses say?  What is the larger context?  How is it part of the book?  And how does it fit in the context of the whole Biblical story, which centers on Jesus? How did the original hearers of the passage take it?

Looking at the immediate context around Jeremiah 29:11, we see that this verse is in a letter (Jeremiah 29:1-23) Jeremiah had written to the exiled people in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:1).  And he was telling them that they are going to have to wait 70 years before they would be able to return home (Jeremiah 29:10), so they should settle down in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:4-7).  God’s 70 year punishment of Israel was not null and void.  It was still in effect.  At the time of the letter, Jerusalem was still standing but it was going to fall (Jeremiah 29:15-23).  They had to wait for their return and endure the exile, but God gave them hope for their future (Jeremiah 29:11-14).  And most of them hearing the letter would not be alive in 70 years.  God was giving them hope and a future but it was not what they wanted to hear. That is the historical context (and a literary context too).

So the first step is to understand the passage in the context of the original listeners. Jeremiah 29:11 was a promise for those exiles thousands of years ago, but what does it mean for us today?  

Once we have the historical and literary context, then we can consider what the differences are between the people back then and us today.  Today we are very much individually oriented, while back then they were very much community and family oriented. Back then the community and family ranked above the individual.  With today’s eyes, we interpret Jeremiah 29:11 like it was directed at individuals, but instead it was directed at the community (especially since after 70 years most of the original hearers would be dead). Today we expect relatively quick happenings. We do not like waiting a few days, let alone 70 years.  The long time frames were more expected back then.  Receiving a letter back then was a big deal.  Parchment was expensive and it was expensive to send a letter (by a carrier), so letters were rare and carried important information.

The third step is to discover the theological principles found in the passage, noting the differences between the culture back then to the culture today.  What are the general timeless similarities that are reflected in the text that are relevant today and back then?  I see for this verse that God is in control, and his plans for us are good though they may not be what we have desired.  Those two similarities are the potential theological principles.

For the next step, we need to check and make sure the potential theological principles are represented in the New Testament as well as in the rest of Scripture. Some passages that declare “God is in control” are Ephesians 1:11, Matthew 19:26, Psalm 115:3, and Proverbs 16:9,33.  Some passages that show “his plans for us are good though they may not be what we have desired” are Romans 8:28,38-39,  Luke 18:19, and Psalm 34:8.

And the final step is to put the theological principles we learned into practice.  There can be many ways to put the theological principles we uncover into practice.  One way to put into practice this verse is to thank God in all circumstances, even the ones we do not like.

This post was inspired by a handout from Rev. Dr. Robin Dugall.  Also check out the resources listed in my blog post “Is the Bible Wicked?”.