29:1 The prophet Jeremiah sent a letter to the exiles Nebuchadnezzar had carried off from Jerusalem to Babylon. It was addressed to the elders who were left among the exiles, to the priests, to the prophets, and to all the other people who were exiled in Babylon.
Jeremiah sent a letter to the elders, priests, and prophets who were exiled in Babylon.
29:2 He sent it after King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the palace officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had been exiled from Jerusalem.
This deportation was the second deportation of Jews to Babylon. Daniel and his three friends had been taken captive in the first deportation in 605 B.C. King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the palace officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, and the skilled craftsmen were sent during this second deportation of 597 B.C. The line of David and the seed sons of the Messiah were protected by the Babylonians.
29:3 He sent it with Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah. King Zedekiah of Judah had sent these men to Babylon to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The letter said:
Jehovah is a God of historical detail. The Holy Spirit listed the exact names of his messengers. Do not be surprised if archaeologists dig up this evidence some day.
29:4 “The Lord God of Israel who rules over all says to all those he sent into exile to Babylon from Jerusalem,
The first line of the letter reminds the Jewish leaders in Babylon that King Nebuchadnezzar is not the one in control of their destiny. Jehovah is sovereign over all things, including history. He was the One who ordained the Babylonian Captivity. Jehovah had a very important message for His chosen people.
29:5 ‘Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce.
Jehovah commanded the Jews in Babylon to build houses and plant gardens, because they were going to be there for a while.
29:6 Marry and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and allow your daughters get married so that they too can have sons and daughters. Grow in number; do not dwindle away.
The Jewish sons and daughters were to marry and produce sons and daughters so that the Jewish nation could survive and be restored.
29:7 Work to see that the city where I sent you as exiles enjoys peace and prosperity. Pray to the Lord for it. For as it prospers you will prosper.’
The Jews were commanded to pray for the Babylonian city in which they were relocated. The prayers of the Jews would prosper this Babylonian city. The Jews would bring great blessings to these Gentile cities, as long as these Gentiles did not violate the Abrahamic Covenant and persecute the Jews. If they did so, then they would reap the kind-for-kind curses of the Abrahamic Covenant.
29:8 “For the Lord God of Israel who rules over all says, ‘Do not let the prophets or those among you who claim to be able to predict the future by divination deceive you. And do not pay any attention to the dreams that you are encouraging them to dream.
Jehovah warned the exiles about false prophets who would come to them. These false prophets would tickle the ears of the Jewish people and tell them what they wanted to hear. They would predict a quick return to Jerusalem.
It is important to note that there are no more prophets in this modern dispensation of the church. Peter and Jude warned the church to beware of “false teachers,” but not of false prophets. After the Temple Destruction of 70 A.D., all prophets disappeared. There are many modern false teachers in the pulpits and elder boards all over the world. Satan has infiltrated the church with these false teachers. They mix truth with error, so they are difficult to spot unless one has mastered Bible doctrine. Never trust in one who claims that he has a dream from God. The only divine revelation for today is the written Word of God.
29:9 They are prophesying lies to you and claiming my authority to do so. But I did not send them. I, the Lord, affirm it!’
Just as these false prophets were teaching lies in the name of the Lord, there are many pastors who are currently teaching lies in the name of the Lord. Christians need to become Bereans who master Bible doctrine and check out the doctrine of their teachers. It is a sad fact that most Christians have never even studied the entire counsel of the Word of God. This means that they may attend the wrong church, because they do not possess enough Bible doctrine to recognize the truth in the doctrinal statement of their church. They always say “I believe this or that.” It does not matter what anyone believes. What matters is what does the inspired, inerrant, and infallible Word of God literally teach in the original languages.
29:10 “For the Lord says, ‘Only when the seventy years of Babylonian rule are over will I again take up consideration for you. Then I will fulfill my gracious promise to you and restore you to your homeland.
The false prophets would predict that Israel would experience a quick return to Jerusalem. Jehovah corrected these false prophecies. He confirmed that the Jews would be in captivity for seventy years, one year for each Sabbath year in which they missed.
29:11 For I know what I have planned for you,’ says the Lord. ‘I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you. I have plans to give you a future filled with hope.
Verses 11-14 is a prophecy of the distant future. God is not yet finished with Israel. He still has a plan for her. He will once again make her the head and not the tail of the Gentile nations. During the Millennial Kingdom, all of the Jewish nations will accept her Messianic King.
29:12 When you call out to me and come to me in prayer, I will hear your prayers.
This verse is not addressed to modern charismatics, modern prosperity teachers, or modern Christians who are all living in sin. This verse is addressed to the Jewish Remnant who would be living during the Great Tribulation.
29:13 When you seek me in prayer and worship, you will find me available to you. If you seek me with all your heart and soul, 14 I will make myself available to you,’ says the Lord. ‘Then I will reverse your plight and will regather you from all the nations and all the places where I have exiled you,’ says the Lord. ‘I will bring you back to the place from which I exiled you.’
Notice that if Israel seeks God in prayer and worship, then God will deliver Israel “from all of the nations of the world.” Since “all nations” includes the United States, then this is a prophecy of the future Millennial Kingdom. Daniel may have possibly read this chapter and believed that the Messianic Kingdom would begin after the Babylonian Captivity. An angel from heaven visited Daniel and informed him that Israel would go through four more Gentile powers before the Messiah would return and crush Gentile rule over the Jews.
29:15 “You say, ‘The Lord has raised up prophets of good news for us here in Babylon.’
False prophets were coming to Babylon and telling the Jews that God would soon return them back to their land.
29:16 But just listen to what the Lord has to say about the king who occupies David’s throne and all your fellow countrymen who are still living in this city of Jerusalem and were not carried off into exile with you.
All of the Jews in Jerusalem were commanded to leave the city and accept the Babylonian Captivity. King Jeconiah refused to leave the city. Many of his princes and nobles chose to stay with him. They did not want to lose their positions of leadership. They were the main culprits who were leading the people astray. Jehovah predicted that bad things would happen to those who stayed in Jerusalem.
29:17 The Lord who rules over all says, ‘I will bring war, starvation, and disease on them. I will treat them like figs that are so rotten they cannot be eaten.
Those nobles and princes who disobeyed God and remained in Jerusalem were bad figs. They would all die by the famous Jeremiah death triad of sword, starvation, or disease.
It is important to note that anyone who does not study and apply Bible doctrine from the entire counsel of the Word of God is a bad fig. He will turn into rotten fruit. His rottenness will spread to others. He will add stink to the satanic world system.
29:18 I will chase after them with war, starvation, and disease. I will make all the kingdoms of the earth horrified at what happens to them. I will make them examples of those who are cursed, objects of horror, hissing scorn, and ridicule among all the nations where I exile them.
Those Jews who disobeyed God’s command to leave Jerusalem and come to Babylon would die from either sword, starvation, or disease. This judgment upon Judah would be an example to all of the nations of the earth.
29:19 For they have not paid attention to what I said to them through my servants the prophets whom I sent to them over and over again,’ says the Lord. ‘And you exiles have not paid any attention to them either,’ says the Lord.
God sent prophets to warn the people of Jerusalem that they must leave or face death by the sword, famine, or disease. However, these bad figs did not listen to the prophets.
29:20 ‘So pay attention to what I, the Lord, have said, all you exiles whom I have sent to Babylon from Jerusalem.’
Jehovah commanded the Jewish Remnant in Babylon to listen very carefully to what He was about to say.
29:21 “The Lord God of Israel who rules over all also has something to say about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies to you and claiming my authority to do so. ‘I will hand them over to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and he will execute them before your very eyes.
Ahab, Kolaiah, and Zedekiah were three Jewish ring leaders in Babylon who were attempting to lead the Jewish exiles astray. Jehovah predicted that King Nebuchadnezzar would execute at least two of these false prophets.
29:22 And all the exiles of Judah who are in Babylon will use them as examples when they put a curse on anyone. They will say, “May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab whom the king of Babylon roasted to death in the fire!”
Just as King Nebuchadnezzar attempted to roast Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire, He would execute these false prophets in the same manner. He would perform this execution in the eyes of the exiles, perhaps as an object lesson to anyone who would prophesy against His Kingdom. Anyone else who attempts false prophecies in Babylon would be cursed by his Jewish compatriots in the same way.
29:23 This will happen to them because they have done what is shameful in Israel. They have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives and have spoken lies while claiming my authority. They have spoken words that I did not command them to speak. I know what they have done. I have been a witness to it,’ says the Lord.”
These false prophets not only spoke lies in the name of Jehovah, but they also committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives. There are many modern pastors in current churches who are committing these same sins. Whenever a charismatic claims that he has a word of knowledge, a tongue, a prophecy, or a prophetic interpretation, then he is lying and adding to the written Word of God. Most charismatics do not possess enough Bible doctrine from the entire counsel of the Word of God to recognize this demonic deception in their own local church.
29:24 The Lord told Jeremiah, “Tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite 25 that the Lord God of Israel who rules over all has a message for him. Tell him, ‘On your own initiative you sent a letter to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah and to all the other priests and to all the people in Jerusalem. In your letter you said to Zephaniah,
Jehovah commanded Jeremiah to give a message to Shemaiah the Nehelamite. Shemaiah sent a letter to Zephaniah. Zephaniah was the High Priest of Jerusalem.
29:26 “The Lord has made you priest in place of Jehoiada. He has put you in charge in the Lord’s temple of controlling any lunatic who pretends to be a prophet. And it is your duty to put any such person in the stocks with an iron collar around his neck.
In Shemaiah’s letter to Zephaniah (the High Priest of Jerusalem), he reminded Zephaniah that his duty of High Priest was to punish false prophets with stocks and iron collars.
Notice that the punishments of Jehovah were not as soft as those of the modern liberals. When modern liberals punish crimes with softness, they endanger the citizens that they were elected to protect.
According to Paul, all governments were appointed by God in order to protect the people from injustice. The government was given the sword of capital punishment to protect the people. They were not to pass soft laws which benefit the criminals, the rapists, the child molesters, the thieves, the homosexuals, the lesbians, the transgenders, the atheists, the agnostics, and the murderers. Neither is the government to censor the Word of God in public education. It is dangerous for the electorate to vote into office politicians who censor the Word of God and pass unbiblical laws. God will remove this type of government from the earth. He will also remove the electorate who placed them in office. God often removes these kinds of godless liberals out of a corrupt nation by sword, famine, or pestilence.
29:27 You should have reprimanded Jeremiah from Anathoth who is pretending to be a prophet among you!
Shemaiah accused Jeremiah of false prophesy.
29:28 For he has even sent a message to us here in Babylon. He wrote and told us, “You will be there a long time. Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what they produce.” ’ ”
Jeremiah had sent a letter to the Jewish leaders in Babylon, telling them to build homes and plant gardens. The Jews were to remain in Babylon for the next seventy years.
29:29 Zephaniah the priest read that letter to the prophet Jeremiah.
Zephaniah the High Priest did not arrest, convict, or punish Jeremiah for false prophecy. Instead, he read the letter to Jeremiah. He must have been a messianic believer who accepted Jeremiah’s authority as a prophet.
29:30 Then the Lord spoke to Jeremiah.
Jehovah spoke to His prophet. Jehovah does not speak to modern day prophets today. The Word of God is complete. God speaks today only through the written Word of God.
29:31 “Send a message to all the exiles in Babylon. Tell them, ‘The Lord has spoken about Shemaiah the Nehelamite. “Shemaiah has spoken to you as a prophet even though I did not send him. He is making you trust in a lie.
Although Jeremiah was in Jerusalem (and 500 miles away from Babylon), he was still prophesying to the exiles. He informed them through messengers that Shemaiah was a false prophet.
29:32 Because he has done this,” the Lord says, “I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his whole family. There will not be any of them left to experience the good things that I will do for my people. I, the Lord, affirm it! For he counseled rebellion against the Lord.”
Archaeologists have never found a city called Nehelam. However, the meaning of the word in Hebrew is “dreamer.” Jeremiah could be writing to “Shemaiah the dreamer.” Shemaiah was a false prophet who may have claimed that his visions of the future came from his own personal dreams.
Shemaiah had preached rebellion against God’s word. God’s judgment was that Shemaiah and his family would not experience the blessings of the New Covenant mentioned in chapters 30-33. Every one of them would die. None of the line of Shemaiah would survive the seventy years of captivity.