“Jeremiah 29: Jeremiah’s Letter to the Captives,” Old Testament Seminary Student Study Guide (2002), 161–62
“Jeremiah 29,” Old Testament Seminary Student Study Guide, 161–62
Jeremiah’s Letter to the Captives
Jeremiah 29 contains a letter from Jeremiah to the people of Judah who were taken captive and lived in Babylon. He told them to build houses, plant gardens, and be prepared to live there and enjoy Babylon the best they could. He again said they would be there for seventy years. He promised them that if they sought the Lord with all their hearts (see v. 13; Deuteronomy 4:26–31), the Lord would bring them back to Jerusalem.
Jeremiah cursed those who were still in Jerusalem and trusted in the teachings of false prophets who promised immediate deliverance from the Babylonians. He also cursed a false prophet who was sending false messages to the Jews in Babylon.
Studying the Scriptures
Do activity A as you study Jeremiah 29.
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How Could It Help?
Read Jeremiah 29:11–14 and write about how this message to Jews captive in Babylon because of their unfaithfulness could be used as a message of hope to someone today who is in the captivity of sin.