3. Conflict with the false prophets in exile ch. 29

This chapter continues the theme of the previous three, namely, controversies about false prophets. Jeremiah also had problems with the false prophets who were part of the 3,023 exiles who went into captivity in 597 B.C. (52:28).

There are references to and citations from at least four letters that went back and forth between Jerusalem and Babylon in this narrative.³⁷⁶Three of them were from Jeremiah, and one was from a false prophet in Babylon. We do not know exactly where in Babylon Jeremiah's letters went, but the largest settlement of exiles was near Nippur, close to the Kabar canal.³⁷⁷

Jeremiah wrote a letter to the exiles (vv. 1-23).³⁷⁸He then wrote a letter to the false prophet Shemaiah in Babylon (vv. 24-28) in which he referred to a previous letter that Shemaiah had written to the priest Zephaniah, who lived in Jerusalem (vv. 26-28). Finally, Jeremiah wrote a third letter, this time to the exiles again (vv. 31-32).

Within all this correspondence there are two promise oracles (concerning the exiles' immediate future, vv. 4-7; and concerning Israel's distant future, vv. 10-14). There are three judgment oracles (on false prophets, vv. 16-19, 21-23, 31-32), a warning oracle (concerning false prophets, vv. 8-9), and an unfinished though implied judgment oracle (concerning a false prophet, vv. 25-28).

 Jeremiah's first letter to the exiles 29:1-23

29:1-3 Jeremiah sent a letter to all the Judahites who had gone into exile in Babylon with King Jeconiah (Jehoiachin) in 597 B.C. We do not know the date of its composition, but Jeremiah probably wrote it within a few years of 597 B.C. The recipients included the elders, priests, prophets, the queen mother (Nehushta), court officials, princes, craftsmen, smiths (or artisans), and other citizens. King Zedekiah sent Elasah, one of Shaphan's sons (cf. 26:24), and Gemariah ben Hilkiah (36:10-26; cf. 2 Kings 22:3-14) to Babylon to deliver the letter. Both of these messengers were friendly toward Jeremiah, as is clear from other references to them. It was customary for vassals, such as Zedekiah, to communicate frequently with their overlords, like Nebuchadnezzar, in the ancient Near East.³⁷⁹

29:4 The letter was really a message from Yahweh Almighty, Israel's God. The exiles needed to recognize that He had sent them to Babylon; they were not there primarily because of Nebuchadnezzar. This reminder would have assured them of His sovereign control over the affairs of their lives.

29:5-7 The exiles were to settle down in Babylon and carry on life as usual rather than planning to return home soon. They were to build houses, plant gardens, marry, have children, and anticipate grandchildren.

"The external circumstances are far removed from humanity's first home in a fruitful garden, but the divine blessing and human task are remarkably similar (compare Gen. 1:28-29; 2:8-9, 15-16)."³⁸⁰

The exiles were also to seek the welfare of the city to which they had gone rather than plotting its downfall. They were even to pray for Yahweh's blessing on it (cf. Ps. 122:6; Matt. 5:43; Rom. 12:21; Titus 2:10; 1 Pet. 2:18). They would prosper as the city prospered. Ezekiel indicated that the exiles had their own organization of elders (Ezek. 8:1; 14:1), so many of the exiles followed Jeremiah's instructions. They were neither slaves nor prisoners in Babylon but enjoyed considerable autonomy.

"History shows that in all the centuries of their world-wide dispersion, the Jews have tried to follow this pattern. They have identified themselves with the country of their residence, while at the same time looking toward eventual restoration to their native land."³⁸¹

29:8-9 The Lord instructed the exiles not to let the prophets among them deceive them into thinking that the captivity would be short. Such predictions were not from Him.

29:10 The captivity would last 70 years (cf. 25:11-12).

"It is remarkable that Jeremiah was able to propose that the power of Babylon would last so brief a time."³⁸²

At the end of that time, the Lord would again intervene in their affairs, fulfill His promise to them, and bring them back to the Promised Land. This is one indication that God wanted the exiles to return at the end of the captivity. Those who chose to remain in Babylon then were acting contrary to God's will for them (cf. 50:8; 51:6; Deut. 30:1-5; Isa. 48:20).

29:11 The Lord's plans for His people were for their ultimate welfare, not endless calamity. They would have a future beyond the Exile, so they could have hope.

29:12-13 At the end of the Exile God's people would call out to Him in prayer (cf. Dan. 9). Yahweh promised to listen to them. They would find Him when they sought Him wholeheartedly.

29:14 Again He promised that they would find Him. He would then restore their fortunes and would gather them from all the places where He had driven them and return them to the Promised Land.

Since the exiles did not seek the Lord wholeheartedly, and since He did not return all of them to the land at the end of the Exile, premillennialists look for a fulfillment of these promises in the future.³⁸³The returns from exile under Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah were only partial fulfillments of these promises. Most of the exiles chose to remain in Babylon (e.g., Mordecai and Esther).

29:15 The people were concluding falsely that the Lord had raised up prophets for them in Babylon.

29:16-17 Verses 16-19 are a digression that stresses the fact that the Lord would complete the judgment of Judah before any restoration would begin.

The true message from Yahweh concerning the Davidic king, Zedekiah, and the remaining Judahites who were still in the Promised Land was that they would experience war, famine, and plagues. They would be like rotten figs: good for nothing (cf. 24:2-3).

29:18-19 The Lord Himself would drive them from the land and kill them. They would become objects of horror and shame to the nations where He would drive them because they had not listened to His servants the prophets. The Lord had sent these messengers to them repeatedly, but they would not listen.

29:20 Since the Judahites still in the Promised Land had not listened to God and would therefore suffer punishment, it was important that the exiles pay attention to the Lord's words to them.

29:21 The Lord also announced the fate of two false prophets in Babylon: Ahab ben Kolaiah and Zedekiah ben Maaseiah. Yahweh would deliver them into Nebuchadnezzar's hand, and the Babylonian king would execute them in the sight of the exiles.

29:22-23 Their deaths would become a proverbial curse (Heb. qelalah) for the exiles who wanted to wish the worst type of fate on someone. They would wish that Yahweh would make the end of their enemies as terrible as that of those two false prophets. The Hammurabi Code refers to burning people alive (Heb. qalah) as a Babylonian method of execution, as does the Book of Daniel (cf. §25, §110, §157; Dan. 3:6).³⁸⁴These false prophets had acted like fools, had committed adultery in violation of the covenant (Exod. 20:14), and had falsely claimed to announce messages from Yahweh. The Lord said He knew exactly what these men were doing. Nebuchadnezzar would not have executed these men for these offenses, so probably they were guilty of other political crimes as well, perhaps encouraging the exiles to revolt.³⁸⁵

 Jeremiah's letter to Shemaiah in Babylon 29:24-28

Jeremiah wrote another letter, this time in response to a letter that the false prophet Shemaiah in Babylon wrote to Zephaniah the priest and the Judahites still in Jerusalem. Jeremiah quoted Shemaiah's letter, and it fills most of this section (vv. 26-28). Shemaiah's letter was a reaction to Jeremiah's first letter to the exiles (vv. 1-23).

29:24 The Lord had a message for Shemaiah the Nehelamite, too. There are no other references to this man in the Bible. "Nehelamite"may come from the Hebrew word halam, meaning "to dream."Thus this may be a nickname for him: the dreamer (cf. v. 8; 27:9).³⁸⁶This word could also be the name of his family or birthplace, though no other families or places of that name are known.

29:25-26 This man had sent letters in his own name, not in Yahweh's name, to Zephaniah ben Maaseiah the priest, the other priests, and the people in Jerusalem. He had told them that the Lord wanted Zephaniah to be the priest in charge of order in the temple instead of Jehoiada, the authorized priest.³⁸⁷Zephaniah was to put any "mad man"who prophesied in the Lord's name in the stocks and his neck in an iron collar (cf. 20:1-3).³⁸⁸

"The irony is that Zephaniah would, according to Deut 28:34, become a madman himself when he witnessed the judgment coming upon Jerusalem."³⁸⁹

29:27-28 Shemaiah also reproved Zephaniah for not rebuking Jeremiah since Jeremiah had written the exiles encouraging them to settle down in Babylon (vv. 4-7).

This pericope does not record what the Lord said would happen to Shemaiah because he had done what he did; verse 25 has no apodosis. We must assume that divine judgment would come on him. The main reason for this pericope is to expose the wicked advice Shemaiah was giving, not to explain the judgment he would receive. The next pericope tells what would happen to Shemaiah.

 Jeremiah's second letter to the exiles 29:29-32

After Zephaniah had read Shemaiah's letter to Jeremiah (v. 29), the Lord moved Jeremiah (v. 30) to write a second letter to the exiles (vv. 31-32).

29:29 Zephaniah the priest read Shemaiah's letter to Jeremiah.

29:30 Then the Lord gave a message to Jeremiah. He was to tell the exiles that because Shemaiah had prophesied falsely, Yahweh would punish Shemaiah and his descendants. The Lord would cut off his family line, and Shemaiah would not live to see the good that Yahweh would do to His people.³⁹⁰Shemaiah's prophesying constituted advocating rebellion against Yahweh.

Chapters 26-29 all record the terrible consequences of rejecting the word of the Lord that one of His faithful servants, the prophets, announced.