Commentaries:
God promises, "I'm going to bring you home. You will no longer be in exile. I will give you the promised land. I will give you My rest." We have been seeking "the rest of God"'the true Sabbath, in His Kingdom (Hebrews 4). He says He will give it to us because of HIis good plans in His heart for us. He wants these good things to be given to us.
So He urges us to continue on, to build our families and to strengthen the ties between, not only within the family, but with other families of His people. We are to overcome, grow, and produce fruit, so that we will have the heart that will seek Him in everything. And if we can, to grow in numbers. He wants us to be increased and not diminished, if possible. He also advises us to be at peace with other men, to have the peace around us in which we can grow in righteousness and holiness and transform into His image.
When we do those things, and God's time is right, He will bring us out of our exile. But not until then. He is the one, the Master Timekeeper, and when He says it is the right time, it will be the very best time for us to come out of exile. From wherever He has scattered us, He will bring us back and settle us, giving us true rest in His Kingdom.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
How to Survive Exile
What is the timing? It is the same as "the good fig, bad fig vision" (Jeremiah 24:1-10). This was after the early ones were taken away for their good and before the bad ones were destroyed. To put it in terms we can understand, it occurs after the apostasy but before the Tribulation. One can see a parallel between then and now. It is as if Jeremiah is writing this letter to us. We do not have seventy years of exile, God willing, but it still fits because we are in our own exile. Jeremiah advises us what to do.
At first, it seems to run counter to what we should be doing. For instance, the first chapter of Haggai says, "Do not build your house, build My house." But remember we are looking at this from a spiritual standpoint, not physical. So we have to translate Jeremiah's physical advice into spiritual advice. If we study it from that angle, it fits very well.
Richard T. Ritenbaugh
How to Survive Exile
Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Jeremiah 29:11:
Jeremiah 11:14
Jeremiah 14:11-12
Jeremiah 15:1
Matthew 14:25-31
Hebrews 13:5-6