“My Life Verse is Jeremiah 29:11…”
I stumbled on to this post by Mark Jr. at Hand Me A Scalpel on the frequent misuse of Jeremiah 29:11.
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.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
“I do not think it means what you think it means.”
Amen! I have never been a huge fan of “life verses” in general, but Jer. 29:11 has always particularly aggravated me. As Mark Jr. explains, the context of this verse destroys its usefulness as a health, wealth and prosperity proof-text.
Interestingly, this verse is always quoted in the NIV. Notice the difference in the superior ESV translation:
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Fluffy, yes, but not quite as feel-good as the NIV translation. I’ve always suspected that the word “prosper” in the NIV has a lot to do with this verse’s popularity.
Thanks, Mark, for venting a frustration I’ve been bottling up for far too long.
Your welcome bro.
“INCONVEIVALBE!!”
I absolutely LOVE that scene with the poisoned cups….hilarious.
mark jr.
How ’bout spelling it right?
INCONCEIVABLE.
there…
mark jr.
I definitly agree that this passage is often taken WAY out of context and whole-heartedly disagree with the concept of God wanting every Christian to be earthly successful. If that were the case, then the disciples would have been made 12 out of the 13 richest people in the earth’s history and our Lord would be at the top….but I will caution against saying statements like “in the superior ESV translation:” because indirectly is that not saying that the NIV and similar are inferior? Which therefore deductively is stating that they are not the living word of God. And if that is the case then what is? I believe the emphasis on the misunderstanding (as is ALWAYS the case when we do not understand God) squarely falls on us as individuals and our finite mind. Just thought I’d throw that in there, and by the way, I do “like” the ESV translation better.
Anthony,
I apologize if my wording here threw you off, but I only meant to say that I believe the ESV’s translation of this particular verse is superior to the NIV translation. I agree with you; I prefer the ESV to the NIV. I own both (and a NASB).
So, I guess I’m trying to say that I’m not an ESV-only guy. (Although, if I were, I could start a whole new crackpot movement!)
God Bless
Yes,I agree that the ESV translation is infinitely superior and
Dr,.Jung would also agree with you. Phyllis Kunz
i’m sorry but i have to disagree with you Anthony..in terms of your belief of God not wishing for us to be earthly successful. God doesn’t measure success by earthly possessions or money, so yeah, the disciples probably weren’t filthy rich, and God didn’t promise that we’d be filthy rich…He promised us that we’d have everything we need at all times (2 Corinthians 9:10)…so that we’d lack “no good thing,” as long as we sought the LORD and are faithful with what He has put before us. There are countless proverbs and Psalms talking of how the righteous are blessed and how no matter what happens we will never be left out to dry. So, yeah…some of us are richer than others…some of us have different giftings, but ultimately, God wants us to succeed and excel at everything we out our hearts and minds to doing. We serve a God of excellence; nothing He gives or wants for us is second best or old or used. The only thing stopping anyone from receiving amazing gifts and blessings is themselves. God says ask. So I ask. If He’s a King, and He’s our Father, then why shouldn’t my inheritance in living in Him be the best of the best and full of joy, blessings, grace, unfair advantages, and even nice things?
Hannah,
You said, “The only thing stopping anyone from receiving amazing gifts and blessings is themselves.”
What would you say to your brothers and sisters suffering persecution and lack of the most basic necessities (e.g. housing, food, clothing, water, etc.) in places like Sudan and Orissa, India? They must be stopping themselves somehow from receiving these amazing gifts of unfair advantages and nice things, no?
I’ll clarify what I meant:
God works in mysterious ways. And just like He allowed the Hebrews to suffer for 400 years and allowed the 6 million Jews to be persecuted, and the Rwanda genocide to happen, and so many good and wonderful people die from cancer and other diseases all over the world everyday. Why? I don’t know why. Some things are brought upon us because of our own doing, like as a punishment, and other times, they just happen. I don’t have an explanation for it all. But what I DO know, is that God works everything out for our own good, no matter how it ends, because that’s what the WORD says. So if even if i had a disease, or lived in a war-struck country, or lived in poverty, the WORD of God stands forever and does not change. It says the righteous will always be looked after and cared for; it says that He will never leave me nor forsake me; It says that He heals; It says that He is Jehovah Jireh, my provider; The WORD says that when you call upon the name of the Lord you will be saved. And even if I do not live to see these things happen or have every prayer of mine answered, I still believe that God is capable of doing all these things.
I believe that poverty is a Spirit and a lifestyle that many are complacent to live in. The Word says that we will always have these with us. We live in a fallen world so I expect there to be poor people, and war, and famines, and disasters. It doesn’t surprise me when these occur. I lived in South Africa for a year, Zambia for a month and Botswana for another month. I lived with both the rich and with the poor so I’ve had the opportunity to experience first-hand how some people live. And one thing I got out of living among the shanty towns was that many of these people are so set with the way that they live, that they don’t even care about bettering themselves or their society or their neighborhood. They live in filth and breed in filth. And they honestly couldn’t care less. That doesn’t stop me from caring about them and or stop me from helping them.