Communal Well-Being

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11

Many of us who have church backgrounds have heard this verse and thought about how God wants to bless us individually. And yet, in the Hebrew, the “you” is plural. In fact, as Brenna Rubio pointed out yesterday, the context for this vision of blessing is entirely communal. The passage goes on to say this:

Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper. - Jeremiah 29:5-7

These passages clearly denote a financial aspect to God’s blessing. And yet, instead of God just wanting YOU to prosper financially, God wants whole communities, even whole nations, to prosper. It’s a communal vision.

It’s not wrong to want to succeed financially, to find stability, or to have a nice home. But if that’s all the vision captures, it doesn’t compare to the richness of the biblical vision. God sees each person’s financial blessing as contributing to the good of their neighbors. As the saying goes, “A rising tide lifts all boats.”

Are there ways to use God’s financial favor on you in order to be a boon to your community (however you describe community)?