Out of Context

I'm guilty ... not just occasionally, but often. It's so easy to repeat what others have said and make the same errors. It wasn't until I stopped and began to look at the scriptures I was using within their original and intended context that I realized that although my words were meant to build up, edify, and comfort, the Scriptures I used were not properly applied and didn't mean that at all! They were OUT OF CONTEXT!

For instance, consider Jeremiah 29:11. How often have we used this verse to encourage someone ... perhaps a graduate or someone beginning a new job? Let's stop and consider the context for a moment; it can be found by reading Jeremiah 29:1-15.*

You’ll note that this chapter is actually a letter, not just to any one person. The “you” in this letter is plural, and the people Jeremiah writes to are the exiled Jews. It’s a response about a false prophet named Hananiah.

 Ironically, Hananiah had been prophesying prosperity to the Jews, and he prophesied that it would be fulfilled within two years. In Chapter 29, Jeremiah not only refutes the false prophecy, he also reveals that the Jews would not see freedom for more than 70 years. Doesn’t sound much like prosperity, does it?

 Jeremiah 29:11, as a singular verse, picked out of a letter dealing with a false prophet, has often been taken to encourage us with a bright future. But we’re missing the big picture. This verse is not about us at all. These plans God is referring to are for His people as a whole, ultimately pointing to Jesus. That promise for a future and a hope that we long for was fulfilled in Jesus’ death and resurrection!

 If we want to use this verse to bless or encourage someone as they embark on a new endeavor in life, be sure they know that it’s not about the job or the opportunity they’re facing. It’s not about getting happiness from what they are about to embark on … it’s so much bigger! It’s ultimately about the Savior who died so they could live.

There are many other scriptures we regularly use in our ministry to others that, if we take the time to look closely at the context, have very little relevance to the situation the intended hearer is facing.

Be influenced by the Word of God! Be careful of context when using Scripture as a ministry tool!

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* https://renew.org/twisted-scriptures-5-bible-verses-taken-out-of-context/