thinking bible.

You asked

what immediate struggles were the exiles facing that made god's promise of 'shalom' so significant?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says Yahweh, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future.

This verse is part of a letter written by the prophet Jeremiah to the Jewish people exiled in Babylon, likely in the early 6th century BCE. They had been forcibly removed from their homeland and temple, living under foreign rule, and struggling with false prophecies of a quick return.

How does this ancient promise of 'peace' and 'future' speak to feelings of powerlessness or uncertainty in our own lives?

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Read alongside it

  • Isaiah 40:1-2

    This passage offers comfort and reassurance to a people experiencing hardship and exile.

  • Psalm 137:1-6

    This psalm powerfully expresses the deep grief and longing of the exiles by the rivers of Babylon.

  • Romans 8:28

    This New Testament verse offers a parallel idea of God working all things for good for those who love him.

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