“Jeremiah’s Letter to Exiles”

Jeremiah 29:1, 4-14

(sermon note: 11-23 sermon note)

¹Jeremiah wrote a letter from Jerusalem to the elders, priests, prophets, and all the people who had been exiled to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar.

⁴ This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: ⁵ “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. ⁶ Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! ⁷ And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”

⁸ This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams, ⁹ because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them,” says the Lord.

¹⁰ This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. ¹² In those days when you pray, I will listen. ¹³ If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. ¹⁴ I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

This morning’s reading reminds me of the one about a man who wrote an email to the manager of a small hotel he planned to visit on his vacation. He wrote, “Dear sir/ma’am, I am planning on lodging at your hotel in a few weeks and I would very much like to bring my dog with me. He is well-groomed and very well-behaved. Would you be willing to permit me to keep him in my room with me at night?” An almost immediate reply came from the manager that said, “I’ve been managing this hotel for many years. In all that time, I’ve never had a dog steal towels, bedclothes, silverware, or pictures off the walls. I’ve never had to evict a dog in the middle of the night for being drunk and disorderly. And I’ve never had a dog run out on a hotel bill. So yes, indeed, your dog is welcome at our hotel. And, if your dog will vouch for you, you’re welcome to stay here, too.”

It’s no wonder that manager would welcome dogs over people any day! Sheesh! Get people away from their homes and they can turn into complete animals! Stealing, being loud and disorderly, running out on the bill…I, too, would welcome a well-groomed, well-behaved dog over that kind of behavior as well. Don’t those people realize that someone has clean up after their mess eventually? Where were their parents holding them accountable when they were growing up?!

Well, the rude behavior of some hotel visitors has nothing to do with Jeremiah and his letter to the Israelites exiled in Babylon. No, what is shared between Jeremiah and that traveler is the idea of plans and planning. Both Jeremiah and the traveler were big on plans. Like any wise traveler, that traveler had the good sense to plan out his lodging to accommodate his furry companion. Not all hotels welcome pets and it’s better to know which ones do before setting out on your journey. There’s nothing more frustrating than scrambling late at night to find available lodging after a long day’s travels. Of course, it’s also wise to plan out the duration of your daily traveling so that you don’t get to your destination late at night. Yes, get your lodging lined up along with a reasonable amount of daily travel time so that it isn’t nightly scramble. The traveler in that opening joke had some good common sense to plan his adventure.

Not that the Israelites didn’t have similar common sense. No, they were a people thrust into an “adventure” that they weren’t given any time to plan for. The Babylonians came into their land, conquered them, and took them as captives back to Babylon. And there they were, strangers in a strange land with little to no resources. We dwelled with Jeremiah and the exiled Israelites for several weeks this summer, so I pray won’t repeat myself too much this morning. But recall that while the Israelites were captives held in a land several hundred miles away, the prophet Jeremiah remained back in Jerusalem still tasked with speaking to them on God’s behalf. Before the exile, Jeremiah spoke to them harsh words of judgment and condemnation on behalf of God. But after they’re sent into exile, God takes a distinctly different approach to leading his people. Instead of harsh words, God speaks words of comfort and hope to them. God tells them, “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile.” Odd that God would want them to live and thrive in the strange land. Wasn’t He angry at them? Wasn’t it God who let them be conquered and sent into exile? Well, yes to both questions. But God never stopped loving them! God wanted them to make the best of their situation. God even gives them a 70-year timeline for their exile. Sure, most of the people who heard that realized it was a life sentence for their exile but still, God set a limitation on their exile and in doing so gave them hope. Their kids wouldn’t have to endure the exile! AAAND…they can start PLANNING for that future of not being in exile! God said, “Plan to stay,” and for many people I imagine those were words they didn’t want to hear. But guess what? God’s plans are not our plans. What is the old expression? Whenever we plan, God laughs. As comforting as plans are…as necessary they are…no plan is certain. All plans can change. We hope and pray that they don’t but we live in an ever-changing world, full of uncertainty.

Now then, just because our plans can change, we can take comfort in that famous verse nestled in the middle of our reading: “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” We know, we love it, we are comforted by it. We make plans, God makes plans, occasionally our plans align. But be assured that God’s plans are good plans, full of hope and a future. It kinda makes you think…if WE make plans full of hope and a future and we know God’s plans are full of hope and a future, then both plans will naturally align, yes? We simply have to make plans full of hope and future!

Well, the book of Proverbs also gives us powerful wisdom concerning plans and planning. It tells us, “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.” (21:5) Makes sense, no? How about this nugget: “Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many advisers bring success.” (15:22) I’d push back on this one a little a respond, “But not too many advisors!” Too many chefs in the kitchen can bog down the process of preparing a successful dish. I think the strongest, most consistent words of wisdom come from ch. 19 that says, “You can make plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.” (vs. 21) Again, this is consistent with that whole, “whenever we plan, God laughs” notion. God’s purpose of giving a future and a hope will always come through whatever plans are made, either his or ours. The key is simply to build plans full of hope and future and we can be assured they will come to fruition.

Friends, God is good and God loves us. Jeremiah assured the exiled Israelites of this, and we can be likewise assured. Plans are good and necessary and useful as long as they align with God’s plans. Let us seek to align our plans with his. More importantly, let us give thanks for his plans for us. Thanks be to God!

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.