![]() ![]() But I would argue we may need to start at the collective first.Īnd, even when we read a “personalized” passage in Scripture – I’m thinking of the Psalms – we need to remember that it was still written with the collective in mind. But we still center on what this is going to mean for me and my worship of God, me and my engagement with Scripture. Of course, personal application will flow out of the collective. Sure, we gather with 100, 200, 500, 1,000 or more other Christians. I posted an article about this chapter and issue.Ĭonsider this: Have you ever noticed how most of our preaching application is centered in what I can do or how I can apply a passage? Have you ever noticed how most of our worship songs utilize the pronouns I, me, and my? We rarely ask how to apply Scripture collectively we rarely sing songs with the collective people of God in mind. In chapter 4 of the book, the authors consider the issue of individualism vs. The Israelites of old would have read it with we, us, and our in mind.Ī resource that may help with this issue is Misreading Scripture With Western Eyes. But that we read it with me, myself, and I in mind. Not that we read it out of context, though we do, which Moore points us to. That’s the problem with Jeremiah 29:11 – and Scripture as a whole. Hence, with the Bible, we primarily ask, “What does this mean for me?” However, the ancient world asked another question: “What does this mean for us?” Big difference! In the modern, western world, we think through the lens of the individual. However, it is a simple, yet important, fact to keep in mind. ![]() It’s hard to note this with the English language. One of the greatest insights we can gain in understanding Scripture is to know that, 9 out of 10 times, the word you in the Bible is plural, not singular. What we need to first realize is that Jeremiah 29:11, and most of the corpus of Scripture, is not written to individuals. Moore may have rushed too quickly to this application of “in Christ,” therefore missing a vital element of hermeneutics (understanding and applying Scripture). For, as Moore reminds us, “All the promises of God ‘find their yes in him’ (2 Cor. It’s a good step, one that is appreciated and one that we need to take. What Russell Moore goes on to consider is how this passage applies to those “in Christ” (this is a phrase that Paul uses a lot in his writings). There is good news for those walking through the actual peril of Babylonian exile the bad news is for those who wanted to stay in the comfort of their homeland. ![]() Particularly, Jeremiah has a message for two groups of people:ġ) Those who have been taken into Babylonian exile: “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon…” (vs4).Ģ) Those who have stayed in the land of Judah: “…but this is what the Lord says about the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city , your fellow citizens who did not go with you into exile…” (vs16). It was written that we might benefit from it. This verse comes in the context of a shocking message from the prophet.”Īs I learned from one Bible scholar: The Bible was not written to us. ![]() As Moore says himself: “The Book of Jeremiah is all about God disrupting his people’s plans and upending his people’s dreams. One point he emphasizes is how this verse is situated within the context of Jeremiah 29, as well as the whole book of Jeremiah. I think Moore hits on some very good points. Russell Moore: Does Jeremiah 29:11 Apply to You? Yesterday, I saw some people posting a link to an article written by Dr. ![]()
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