Verses aren't written "To" you, so can they encourage you?

[Doll]

A few months ago, I was going through a really hard time. Then, I read Jeremiah 29:11, and it really encouraged me, the idea that God had plans for me, for my life.

However, a few weeks after that, one of my college friends, a Biblical studies major, noticed I had it up, and mentioned how she had been talking about that verse in class.

She said, that the verse was written to the nation of Israel, not to an individual, and that many people make the mistake of assuming it's for them, when it isn't that case.

When she said that, it really shook up my world. My main thought i, isn't every Bible verse that way? It isn't written to us, so are we using it out of context when we apply it to ourselves? When we encourage ourselves with a verse that was written to someone over 2000 years ago? If this is the case, that we're not supposed to use it, then why bother to use the Bible, if we're not supposed to be encouraged by it, or taught by it?

What do you guys think?

[Spoon]

When she said that, it really shook up my world. My main thought i, isn't every Bible verse that way? It isn't written to us, so are we using it out of context when we apply it to ourselves? When we encourage ourselves with a verse that was written to someone over 2000 years ago? If this is the case, that we're not supposed to use it, then why bother to use the Bible, if we're not supposed to be encouraged by it, or taught by it?

What do you guys think?

Why would it be the rule of thumb, that you're not supposed to be taught or encouraged by a Bible verse?

[Doll]

When she said that, it really shook up my world. My main thought i, isn't every Bible verse that way? It isn't written to us, so are we using it out of context when we apply it to ourselves? When we encourage ourselves with a verse that was written to someone over 2000 years ago? If this is the case, that we're not supposed to use it, then why bother to use the Bible, if we're not supposed to be encouraged by it, or taught by it?

What do you guys think?

Why would it be the rule of thumb, that you're not supposed to be taught or encouraged by a Bible verse?

Going off of what my friend said, that people take that verse out of context when they're encouraged by it, because it's not "to" us, wouldn't that be the case for any verse, since they aren't written "to" us?

[Spoon]

What's wrong with gleaning encouragement from anywhere you can?

[aragtaghooligan]

This is an AWESOME question! I have thought about this topic A LOT. I have a few thoughts on it. First I think if God spoke to certain people through these verses then He is a God who speaks and since He is not dead we need to remember that He is probably not done speaking and will probably speak to us too. This may be through dreams, prophecies, or in nature, but I think it can also (and is often) through the Bible. (Eleventh might even say the Bible is God's normative way to speak to us but I'm not sure.) I think God is able to use these verses in different contexts to speak to different people at different times even if he said them first to someone specific.

That being said, I think context is super duper important. We need to try to understand what God was saying to who, when, and why because this will teach us what God is like and will give us a better idea of what God might say to us in certain contexts.

If God forgave Peter for denying him three times then yes that verse, that instance of forgiveness, was for Peter, but it also shows us who God is and makes us realize that he is gracious, merciful, forgiving, and loving and will probably forgive us too.

However, there is a danger to taking things out of context, to explain let me delve deeper into the example you give. As that one AIO episode about Jeremiah explains, this verse came about at a time when the Israelites were disobeying God and he actually let them be taken over by another people (Babylon I think? Sorry I'm not an expert). And yet God used the prophet Jeremiah to say to them "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." To me what this verse says, in the context of the greater story, is that God is not one who abandons His people, and He wanted them to know that this wasn't the end. The best was yet to come, there was a hopeful future still waiting for them! One that had Jesus in it! Though the Bible shows us times were pretty hard for the Israelites after that, they did not disappear, they were not destroyed, and God had not given up on them and walked away from them completely.

Given the context, I see nothing wrong with reading this verse when you are having a hard time and feeling reminded by God that He has not and will not leave you and still has a plan for your life in the sense that he has a plan to continue to mold you into the beautiful child that you are.

I think the danger comes in reading this verse without understanding its story and thinking that it means God has some specific plan to use you to find the cure for cancer or something. This verse and story don't say that. That is not what this verse and story are talking about. But I do believe that this verse isn't just for the people Jeremiah spoke it to and that there is some beautiful encouragement we can all get out of it.

[Tarol]

Thank you RagTag, I think you handled this properly. (it seems everyone thinks so, since no one else has posted) I've been reading a book by John Walton on Bible stories, and he really focuses on the "authority of the text." He says that the Bible is telling us about God, not about people or laws, exactly, but about Him. So, we shouldn't be thinking we should help the handicapped because David helped Mephibosheth (who?), but because God loves others, and we should love others as well (which includes helping people). I just wanted to thank you RagTag. You have replied to this question much better than I ever could.

[aragtaghooligan]

Haha you're welcome Also I loved you AIO reference. Mephibosheth (who?) hahahah made me chuckle. How do you even know how to spell that?

[Tarol]

Google. xD

[Blitz]

Remembering context is highly important. Most Charasmatic churches live off of taking verses like that out of context. Prosperity teaching is based off of verses like these. Not that they cannot be used for encouragement, but they must be tempered.