Jeremiah 29:1-9. Part of the letter Jeremiah sent to the exiles in Babylon. He tells them that God says they are to build houses there and live in them, get married, multiply there, and seek the welfare of the city in which they find themselves, for that city's welfare will also be their welfare. He warns them to beware of prophets and diviners saying otherwise, they are not from God.

This passage comes right after Hananiah prophesied that God would rescue the exiles within two years. So Jeremiah's letter is meant to disabuse those in exile from any false hope that Hananiah's prophecy may have given them and help them get comfortable where they are.

False hope is corrupting, it keeps people from facing reality and dealing with it in the best way possible, and causes immense anxiety when the hope continues to not be realized. When someone gives false hope and says that it is from God, that is even worse. As we have seen before, prophets have a special duty to speak God's word and only God's word to the people. Hananiah is being a false prophet here.

But Jeremiah is a true prophet, he speaks God's words only. He tells the people to make the best of where they are. They can find joy there, even while in exile, but not if they are constantly waiting to be saved.

God knows that is going to be a long haul for the exiles, but he also still loves them. He is telling them, through Jeremiah, to accept their lot and make the best of it. This is what we all must do, and it starts by accepting reality, not looking for false hope.