I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore you from captivity and gather you from all the nations and places to which I have banished you, declares the LORD. I will restore you to the place from which I sent you into exile." I will be found by you, declares the LORDThis phrase emphasizes God's promise of accessibility and presence. In the context of Jeremiah, the Israelites were in Babylonian exile, feeling distant from God. The assurance that God can be "found" suggests a relational aspect, where God is not hiding but is available to those who seek Him earnestly. This echoes Deuteronomy 4:29, where seeking God with all one's heart results in finding Him. It also foreshadows the New Testament teaching in James 4:8, "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." and I will restore you from captivity
The promise of restoration from captivity is central to the hope given to the exiled Israelites. Historically, this refers to the Babylonian captivity, which began in 586 BC when Jerusalem fell. The restoration was partially fulfilled when the Persian King Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem in 538 BC. This restoration is a type of the ultimate spiritual restoration through Christ, who frees believers from the captivity of sin (Romans 6:18). and gather you from all the nations and places to which I have banished you, declares the LORD
This phrase highlights the sovereignty of God in both the dispersion and the gathering of His people. The scattering of the Israelites was a result of their disobedience, as prophesied in Deuteronomy 28:64. The gathering from "all the nations" points to a future hope beyond the immediate return from Babylon, suggesting a more comprehensive regathering that some interpret as eschatological, relating to the end times. This is seen in prophecies like Isaiah 11:12 and Ezekiel 37:21, which speak of a future regathering of Israel. I will restore you to the place from which I sent you into exile.
The promise of returning to the original place of exile, Jerusalem, signifies not just a physical return but a spiritual renewal. Jerusalem holds significant theological importance as the city of David and the location of the Temple, symbolizing God's dwelling with His people. This restoration prefigures the ultimate restoration through Christ, who is the true Temple (John 2:19-21) and the one who brings believers into the presence of God. The return to Jerusalem also foreshadows the New Jerusalem described in Revelation 21, where God will dwell with His people eternally. Persons / Places / Events 1. The LORD (Yahweh)The covenant-keeping God of Israel, who promises restoration and redemption. 2. JeremiahThe prophet who conveyed God's messages to the people of Judah during their time of exile. 3. The ExilesThe people of Judah who were taken captive to Babylon as a result of their disobedience to God. 4. BabylonThe place of exile where the people of Judah were taken, representing a period of judgment and discipline. 5. The NationsRefers to the various places where the Israelites were scattered during their exile. Teaching Points God's Faithfulness in RestorationDespite the people's disobedience, God remains faithful to His promises. He assures them of restoration and a future hope. The Importance of Seeking GodThe promise "I will be found by you" emphasizes the need for intentional seeking and turning towards God, even in difficult times. Hope in Times of ExileJust as the Israelites were in physical exile, believers today may experience spiritual or emotional exile. God's promise of restoration offers hope and encouragement. God's Sovereignty Over NationsThe scattering and gathering of the Israelites demonstrate God's control over nations and history, reassuring believers of His ultimate authority. The Role of Repentance and ObedienceThe context of this promise involves a call to repentance and obedience, reminding believers of the importance of aligning with God's will. Bible Study Questions 1. How does understanding God's promise of restoration in Jeremiah 29:14 impact your view of His faithfulness in your own life? 2. In what ways can you actively seek God, as encouraged by the phrase "I will be found by you"? 3. Reflect on a time when you felt in "exile" (spiritually or emotionally). How does God's promise of gathering and restoration bring you hope? 4. How can the themes of repentance and obedience in the context of this passage be applied to your current walk with God? 5. Consider the sovereignty of God over nations as seen in this passage. How does this understanding influence your perspective on current world events? Connections to Other Scriptures Deuteronomy 30:3-5This passage speaks of God's promise to restore Israel from captivity, similar to the promise in Jeremiah 29:14. Isaiah 11:12This verse highlights God's gathering of His people from the four corners of the earth, echoing the theme of restoration. Ezekiel 11:17God promises to gather His people from the nations and give them the land of Israel, reinforcing the message of hope and restoration. Psalm 126:1-3This psalm reflects the joy and gratitude of the Israelites upon their return from captivity, aligning with the promise of restoration in Jeremiah 29:14. People Ahab, Anathoth, David, Elasah, Eleasah, Gemariah, Hilkiah, Jeconiah, Jehoiada, Jeremiah, Kolaiah, Maaseiah, Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadrezzar, Shaphan, Shemaiah, Zedekiah, ZephaniahPlaces Anathoth, Babylon, Jerusalem, NehelamTopics Affirmation, Banished, Bring, Captive, Captivity, Carried, Caused, Changed, Declares, Driven, Exile, Fate, Fortunes, Gather, Gathered, Nations, Places, Prisoners, Removed, Restore, Says, Turn, Whence, Whither, WitherDictionary of Bible Themes Jeremiah 29:14 5485 punishment, legal aspects
7217 exile, in Babylon Jeremiah 29:4-14 4215 Babylon Jeremiah 29:10-14 7212 exile Jeremiah 29:11-14 6738 rescue
8160 seeking God Jeremiah 29:12-14 5016 heart, fallen and redeemed Jeremiah 29:13-14 6650 finding Library Finding God
Ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.' (Jeremiah xxix. 13.) The words of Jeremiah in their relation to God are very appropriate for men and women in whose hearts there is any longing after personal Holiness. Look at them: 'Ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart'. I like this word, because it turns our minds to the true and only source of light and life and power. We speak of seeking and getting the blessing; but, …
T. H. Howard—Standards of Life and ServiceThe Secret of Effectual Prayer
"What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye have received them, and ye shall have them."--MARK xi. 24. Here we have a summary of the teaching of our Lord Jesus on prayer. Nothing will so much help to convince us of the sin of our remissness in prayer, to discover its causes, and to give us courage to expect entire deliverance, as the careful study and then the believing acceptance of that teaching. The more heartily we enter into the mind of our blessed Lord, and set ourselves simply …
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession The Spirit of Prayer.
Text.--Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints, according to the will of God.--Romans viii. 26, 27. My last lecture but one was on the subject of Effectual Prayer; in which I observed that one of the most important attributes of effectual …
Charles Grandison Finney—Lectures on Revivals of Religion The Costliness of Prayer
"Lord, teach us to pray."--Luke xi. 1. "And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart."--Jer. xxix. 13. IN his fine book on Benefits, Seneca says that nothing is so costly to us as that is which we purchase by prayer. When we come on that hard-to-be-understood saying of his for the first time, we set it down as another of the well-known paradoxes of the Stoics. For He who is far more to us than all the Stoics taken together has said to us on the subject of prayer,--"Ask, …
Alexander Whyte—Lord Teach Us To Pray Putting God to Work
"For from of old men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen a God beside thee who worketh for him that waiteth for him."--Isaiah 64:4. The assertion voiced in the title given this chapter is but another way of declaring that God has of His own motion placed Himself under the law of prayer, and has obligated Himself to answer the prayers of men. He has ordained prayer as a means whereby He will do things through men as they pray, which He would not otherwise do. Prayer …
Edward M. Bounds—The Weapon of Prayer The Iranian Conquest
Drawn by Boudier, from the engraving in Coste and Flandin. The vignette, drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a statuette in terra-cotta, found in Southern Russia, represents a young Scythian. The Iranian religions--Cyrus in Lydia and at Babylon: Cambyses in Egypt --Darius and the organisation of the empire. The Median empire is the least known of all those which held sway for a time over the destinies of a portion of Western Asia. The reason of this is not to be ascribed to the shortness of its duration: …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 9 The Seventh Commandment
Thou shalt not commit adultery.' Exod 20: 14. God is a pure, holy spirit, and has an infinite antipathy against all uncleanness. In this commandment he has entered his caution against it; non moechaberis, Thou shalt not commit adultery.' The sum of this commandment is, The preservations of corporal purity. We must take heed of running on the rock of uncleanness, and so making shipwreck of our chastity. In this commandment there is something tacitly implied, and something expressly forbidden. 1. The …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments I Will Pray with the Spirit and with the Understanding Also-
OR, A DISCOURSE TOUCHING PRAYER; WHEREIN IS BRIEFLY DISCOVERED, 1. WHAT PRAYER IS. 2. WHAT IT IS TO PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT. 3. WHAT IT IS TO PRAY WITH THE SPIRIT AND WITH THE UNDERSTANDING ALSO. WRITTEN IN PRISON, 1662. PUBLISHED, 1663. "For we know not what we should pray for as we ought:--the Spirit--helpeth our infirmities" (Rom 8:26). ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. There is no subject of more solemn importance to human happiness than prayer. It is the only medium of intercourse with heaven. "It is …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Jeremiah
The interest of the book of Jeremiah is unique. On the one hand, it is our most reliable and elaborate source for the long period of history which it covers; on the other, it presents us with prophecy in its most intensely human phase, manifesting itself through a strangely attractive personality that was subject to like doubts and passions with ourselves. At his call, in 626 B.C., he was young and inexperienced, i. 6, so that he cannot have been born earlier than 650. The political and religious …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Jeremiah 29:14 NIVJeremiah 29:14 NLTJeremiah 29:14 ESVJeremiah 29:14 NASBJeremiah 29:14 KJV
Jeremiah 29:14 Commentaries
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