Lesson 2 of 4
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Study objective: See how knowing who wrote a passage, to whom and when shapes its meaning.
Reading: Jeremiah 29:1–14Philippians 4:10–13
Jeremiah 29:1–14 WEB
1Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the residue of the elders of the captivity, and to the priests, to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon, 2(after Jeconiah the king, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem), 3by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon). It said: 4The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives whom I have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5“Build houses and dwell in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6Take wives and father sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there, and don’t be diminished. 7Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace.” 8For the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel says: “Don’t let your prophets who are among you and your diviners deceive you. Don’t listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. 9For they prophesy falsely to you in my name. I have not sent them,” says the LORD. 10For the LORD says, “After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. 11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says the LORD, “thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future. 12You shall call on me, and you shall go and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13You shall seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you,” says the LORD, “and I will turn again your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places where I have driven you,” says the LORD. “I will bring you again to the place from where I caused you to be carried away captive.”
Philippians 4:10–13 WEB
10But I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your thought for me; in which you did indeed take thought, but you lacked opportunity. 11Not that I speak because of lack, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content in it. 12I know how to be humbled, and I also know how to abound. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret both to be filled and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in need. 13I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Background and context
Jeremiah 29 is a letter to people taken into exile in Babylon. They are told to build houses, plant gardens and seek the welfare of the city, because the exile will last seventy years. Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ”, comes from a passage where Paul, in prison, describes learning to be content in plenty and in need.
Observe
- Jeremiah 29:1 names the senders and the recipients: the exiles in Babylon.
- Verses 5-7 give practical instructions for a long stay.
- Verse 10 sets a time frame: seventy years.
- In Philippians 4:11-12 Paul speaks of hunger and need before saying he can do all things (4:13).
Words, people and events to notice
- Historical context
- The situation of the first writer and readers. It is part of the meaning, not an optional extra.
Understand
- How does the seventy years in Jeremiah 29:10 change how you read verse 11?
- What does “all things” refer to in Philippians 4:13, given verses 11-12?
- What happens when these verses are read without their context?
Connect
- 2 Timothy 2:15
Handling the word of truth correctly.
Reflect
- Is there a favourite verse you have only ever read on its own?
- Read its whole chapter now. Does anything change?
Key takeaways
Editorial summary, not Scripture.
- A verse means what it meant in its setting before it means anything else.
- Context protects promises from being misused and keeps them meaningful.
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