Devotionals

Uncovering the Word

Introduction

Hello! Have you ever read a passage of Scripture and realized that you have no idea what it means? How about the process of rereading it multiple times because it just doesn't seem to make any sense? For the most part, we've all been there. It can be hard to hear what the Scriptures have to say to us, especially in the new day and age we live in. I want to help you understand God's word in a better way through a process that someone taught me.

There are five questions we should ask ourselves whenever we want to interpret the meaning of a passage of Scripture, so let's put this idea to the test by using Jeremiah 29:11 as an example. While this verse is very popular and easy to understand, it holds more power than I think we realize whenever we read it. "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).

First we need to ask ourselves 'who are the characters' that are involved in this part of Scripture. If we read Jeremiah 29:1, we'll find the answer. "This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon." (Jeremiah 29:1). From this, we know that there is a guy named Jeremiah and a bunch of people that were exiled from Jerusalem by a guy named Nebuchadnezzar.

For even further context, Jeremiah was a prophet and Nebuchadnezzar was the king at the time who he did not like God's people at all. So he made them leave the land, which wasn't a very fun time for them as you can imagine. This helps to establish the context of the story, which is the second question we need to ask ourselves: what is the context? Jeremiah 29:10 gives us a better understanding of the importance of the verse during the time when it was written. "This is what the Lord says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place." (Jeremiah 29:10).

So what does this mean? After God's people were exiled, God sent Jeremiah to remind them that He would bring them back to Jerusalem after seventy years. While this probably wasn't the news they wanted to hear at the time, it was a promise of deliverance. Let's keep this in mind as we ask ourselves a third question, 'are there any clues'?

While reading certain verses in the chapter, we can notice that there are small details that can serve as clues. For example, the pronouns that are used are plural and the author uses words like 'all', which means that he was talking to a group of people and not one particular person. Jeremiah 29:4 says this: "This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon." While we tend to read Jeremiah 29:11 and apply it to our lives as if it is speaking towards us, this verse was originally meant to be spoken to a group of people exiled from their country for a long period of time.

The fourth question we should ask ourselves when we read a bible verse is 'are there any conditions'? In other words, are there certain things that must be done in order for what is said to be true. Jeremiah 29:13-14 says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.""

God is telling His people that if they seek Him with all of their hearts, then He will bring them back to the place where they were exiled from. Oftentimes we don't like conditions because they involved doing something to achieve a certain outcome. Despite this, conditions are important and we can't ignore them. That's why we have to read the bible closely to make sure we're truly understand what was written.

Lastly, we need to ask ourselves 'what is God communicating'? In other words, what is this bible verse trying to say based on the context, clues, and other verses around it? Jeremiah 29:5-7 says, ""Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.""

I think God really wanted His people to know that no matter what happened, He would keep them safe and that He was still in control. Jeremiah 29:11 is a great verse; I don't want you to think that it isn't. The whole purpose of asking ourselves these questions isn't to take the fun out of reading the bible, it's to help us understand it better. I hope that through this devotional you can learn to do that, and that because of this you will grow in your faith. Thank you so much for reading this devotional, please comment or message if you have any questions. Have a great day!