Jeremiah Answers Job

For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  Jeremiah 29:11  NASB

Prosperity – “I know the plans I have for you.  Plans to prosper you and not to harm you.”  Really it should be something like, “I know the new ideas I am planning for you.”  God’s guarantee of a future.  Not just a repetition of today’s circumstances.  Something different.  Something new.  And good.

Prosper is the word šālôm.  It is usually translated “peace.”  But it also has the meanings “perfect, whole, complete, prosperity, well, health, and safety.”  It is far more than just the absence of conflict and strife.  It encompasses the entire range of well-being.  Therefore, it includes spiritual and physical completeness, harmony, and fulfillment.  But šālôm comes from a Hebrew culture, not a Greek culture.  The word is couched in relationship, not possessions.  Ultimately, šālôm is about our relationship to the One who can provide all of the other aspects of completeness.  Without the primary relationship as the fundamental purpose of life, all of the other aspects of living are unsteady.  They will lack a solid foundation.  In this verse, the active agent is God.  We do not find prosperity, peace, and wholeness on our own.  God’s direct activity in our lives is the basis of shalom.  The intention of God’s purposes for us is šālôm.

Plans to prosper you and not to harm you.

Literally, this should say “and not for evil.”  First, it means that God’s new ideas for you are for your good.  His purposes are to bring you šālôm, not evil.  He is not a vengeful or malicious God.  He is a God of holy grace, compassion, and care.  God has no plan to do you evil.  In fact, His plan is just the opposite.

The word translated “evil” is raʿ.  The root behind raʿ is a noun that means “rotten, spoiled or good for nothing.” It is most often used in conjunction with the word that means “good.”  The first instance of this word is in the Garden of Eden in the expression “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”  The Bible recognizes that men often have varying ideas about what is evil.  We acknowledge this fact about cultural differences every day.  Sometimes it surprises us when we see what other cultures consider morally correct.  However, even though the Bible recognizes this fact, the final verdict on good and evil is always in God’s hands.  Since He is the Judge of the world, His determination about what is evil is the last word on the subject.  If God says that some act or event is evil, there is no negotiation on the matter.  The essence of evil is disobedience to God’s will.  It is progressive.  Evil begins with a lack of acknowledgement—we do not recognize God as God, we refuse to give Him honor as the Creator.  From this lack of acknowledgement, we proceed to an attitude of ingratitude.  We are not thankful for what God has done.  Refusal and ingratitude become ingrained as habit, then compulsion.  The result is that we do injury to others and to ourselves.

In this verse, God tells us not only that He has no plans to harm us, but that His plans and purposes will keep us from self-inflicted harm.  God’s plan is for harmony, unity, peace, and life.  Ignoring His plans for us will lead to strife, hostility, injury, and death.

“I know the plans I have for you.  Plans to prosper you and not to harm you.  Plans to give you a future with hope.”

The last part of the verse reiterates the intention of God’s plans.  God has two goals in mind.  The first is “a future.”  The word is ʾaḥărît, one of my favorite Hebrew terms.  What is unusual about this word is that it literally means “afterward, backwards or after part.”  So, how can it be about the future?  H. W. Wolff says that the Hebrew concept of time is like a man rowing a boat.  He sees where he has been, but the future is toward his back.  He backs into the future.  It is entirely unknown to him because it is behind him!

This picture has some very powerful theology in it.  First, God must set our course since only He can see “behind” us.  Secondly, we have as our guide what we can see, the course we have been following.  We see the past because we are facing it.  The past is in “front” of us.  No wonder our history with God is so important.  It is not just about where we came from.  It is the visible guide for our course into the future.  Finally, there is a great connection with the idea that we must trust God’s direction and not fear.  If we are “backing” into the future, we must trust the guide.  We cannot see where we are going, but He can.

There is a tremendous example of this word in a story from Genesis.  When Lot and his wife ran from the destruction of Sodom, they were told not to look back.  Lot’s wife did look back and she saw her future.  She died there.  Looking back was a choice not to obey the guide who was taking her out of harm’s way.

So much of our lives seems to be consumed with plans for our future.  We all want to “look ahead” as though we will be able to guide and protect ourselves from what may come.  But God says that the real direction of our life should be to the past.  The course of our life was set in the past.  The victory over fear happened in the past.  It is our history with God that gives us peace and confidence.

So, Jeremiah has an answer for Job.  Look back.  Remember what God has done.  Know that He doesn’t plan harm for you.  Something new is coming.  And faith—well, faith is perseverance, isn’t it?

Topical Index: šālôm, ʾaḥărît, well-being, future, Jeremiah 29:11