In 598 BC King Jehoiachin (also called Jeconiah), age 18 at the time, had avoided the destruction of Jerusalem by surrendering himself and the members of his court to the Babylonians; King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took as plunder all the gold vessels from the temple, along with 10,000 leaders, artisans, and craftsmen (II Kings 24:8-17). The prophet Hananiah (his name means “Yahweh is gracious”) responded with a hopeful word of prophecy: “within two years I will bring back to this place” the gold vessels from the temple, the king, and all the exiled leaders, says the Lord (Jeremiah 28:3-4). Wouldn’t that be great, said Jeremiah (28:6); but it isn’t going to happen that way (28:13-14), and you’re a lying prophet, Hananiah (28:15), and by the way you’ll be dead within the year (28:16).

To counter this expectation that everything would be resolved within a year or two, Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exiles who were already in Babylon: build houses, grow gardens, marry off your children and take good care of your grandchildren, and seek the good of the city where you are (29:4-7). And don’t believe the lies of people who say you’ll soon be back in Jerusalem, because it’s not true: you’re going to be in Babylon until this 70 year exile is finished (29:8-10).

Then come the famous verses, so often misunderstood: “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart … ” (29:11-13). This is a powerful and encouraging promise, if you look at it the right way: which is to recognize that the restoration won’t be taking place for many decades. The “Then” in “Then when you call for me” is temporal rather than consequential: it means “when the Exile is over,” rather than “the next thing that is about to happen right now.” The overall clause, which we miss when we stop reading at the end of the verse, says “If you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile” (29:14-15). Everything is going to be all right – after the Exile has run its course.

What it means is this. Exile is real, and its suffering is real, and it can last a long time – longer than our lifetime! – but it isn’t permanent: our Lord still has it in mind to work restoration for our families. This is a message contemporary society especially needs to hear. We are so dismissive of any idea that obedience and devotion could be required of us, yet we are sure that it is God’s responsibility to fix our problems and resolve our suffering Right Now: and if we don’t get that, then it must be either that God doesn’t exist or doesn’t care. But that’s incorrect. Suffering is real. It can last a long time. And in the end, God will bring us through it.

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Help us, O God! Help us understand your view of time across the sweep of history. Help us think in terms of the blessing of future generations, and not just of ourselves in the present moment. Help us trust that you will bring us through the time of suffering, no matter how long that suffering may last.

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