The similar logic was that this
was God speaking to
Where do we start? Hermeneutics is
a big fancy word for the study of Bible interpretation. It has rules which must
be followed; the first being context, context, context. It is important that we
understand what the context of a verse is so we can be assured it is not being
misused. For example, Matthew 7: 1 is one of the most misused verses in the
Bible. This is the famous "judge not" verse Christians like to use when someone
is trying to help them with a sinful behavior they may be inclined to. Standing
alone, it certainly does look like God is saying to not judge but that is
because the context is missing, which is the following four verses. When taken
as a whole it is clear that we are to judge but not as hypocrites. Verse five
says to help your brother with the speck in his eye after you have dealt with
the log in your own. While we are at this, who the Scripture was originally
intended for is also very important so that we can understand the meaning.
There is nothing wrong with understanding that the original intent of the
2Chronicles verse dealt with a drought and the restoration of agricultural
prosperity; in fact it should be understood. Likewise, we should understand
that Jeremiah was a Prophet to the remnant of
Such things were written in the Scriptures
long ago to teach us. And the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we
wait patiently for God's promises to be fulfilled. -- Romans 15: 4 (NLT)
What is Paul saying here? This
letter was written specifically to the believers in
So when we read Jeremiah 29: 11, is
it supported in Scripture that God does indeed have a plan for our lives? Is
that plan to prosper us and not to harm us? Well Romans 8: 28 assures me that
God is working all things out for my good so I would answer a resounding
hallelujah! But here is how it can be misapplied. Prosperity preachers will use
a verse such as Jeremiah 29: 11 and say that God using the word "prosper" here
indicates that He wants everyone to be rich. The problem with that conclusion
is there is no mention of material wealth in this verse or the context. We also
can cross reference to the story of the rich young ruler and see that Jesus
told him to sell everything he owned because his riches were preventing him
from truly following God. Jesus spoke about how difficult it is for a rich man
to enter the kingdom of heaven. A true reading of scripture reveals that not
everyone is meant to be rich. For a lot of people, excessive wealth would drive
them away from God. Prosperity however can mean many different things and that
is the point of Jeremiah 29: 11. God has a plan for our future. How can I be
sure? Philippians 1: 6 says that He who started a good work in me will complete
it! Philippians 4: 19 says that God will meet all my needs. Now, we may
disagree about what my needs are but in the end, God has a plan. Jeremiah 29:
11 most certainly applies to my life and the life of every believer. Let us never
forget that as believers in Jesus Christ we also share in the Hope of Glory,
the ultimate plan for our future -- eternal life with our God.
This also however does not mean
that everything magically applies to new covenant believers simply because it
was in the Old Testament. We are supposed to test everything against the entire
Word of God. I will give you another example:
About noon the following day as they were on their journey and
approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray. He became hungry
and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell
into a trance. He saw heaven opened and
something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals,
as well as reptiles of the earth and birds of the air. Then a voice told him, "Get up,
Peter. Kill and eat." "Surely not,
Lord!" Peter replied. "I have never eaten anything impure or unclean." -- Acts
10: 9-14 (NIV)
Peter is referring all the way back
to Leviticus which outlined what foods were considered unclean and therefore to
be avoided by the Israelites. The Lord immediately tells Peter to not call
anything He has made clean impure. The rules have changed but Peter was still
clinging to the old way. He forgot what Jesus taught:
Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand. What
goes into a man's mouth does not make him "unclean,' but what comes out of his
mouth, that is what makes him "unclean.'" -- Matthew 15: 10-11 (NIV)
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