JEREMIAH BUYS A FIELD
JEREMIAH 32
The Time
32:1
This word from the Lord comes in 588-587 B.C., the last
year of Jerusalem. It is the 10th year of King Zedekiah, meaning 10
years on the throne. It was also the 18th year of Nebuchadnezzar’s
reign in Babylon.
The Circumstances
32:2-5
The Babylonians were besieging Jerusalem. There may have
been a temporary lull in the attack as the Babylonians withdrew in the face of
an advance by the Egyptian army.
Jeremiah was
confined by the king. He was basically in jail. The king confined him because
he prophesied the fall of Jerusalem and the capture of Zedekiah. The story is
told in Jeremiah 37:11-21.
When you speak against the ruling authorities in any
institution, they will probably punish you.
It happened to Jesus. It happened to Peter and John. And it happened to
Paul.
Jeremiah stayed in custody until the Babylonians
destroyed the city. (38:28)
The Word of the Lord: Buy A Field
32:6-15
The Lord told Jeremiah to buy a field in his home town of
Anathoth.
He had the right to buy it to redeem it for a kinsman.
(8) The Israelites were not allowed to permanently transfer land out of their
allotment. In the Jubilee year, the 7th year in a 7 year cycle, the
land went back to the original owner regardless of debts or loans. But also, a
kinsman could redeem the land and keep it in the family. See Leviticus
25:23-25. We saw the principle of the kinsman redeemer at work in the book of
Ruth.
So, either Hanamel wanted to sell and get out of town, or
he had fallen into debt and was in danger of losing the land to a creditor.
Of course, Jeremiah would not normally have bought this
field. The country was destroyed and overrun by the Babylonians. They would not
recognize the ownership of the Israelites. In fact, imagine the absurdity of
this situation. Jeremiah is in prison. The city is on the verge of destruction.
And his cousin comes to visit him in jail and demand that he buy land from him.
But God said to do it, so Jeremiah did it.
Notice the way the transaction was handled. A written
deed was prepared, signed and sealed. That was to keep it from being changed or
tampered with. It was kept in a jar. This is how the Dead Sea Scrolls were kept
for a couple of thousand years. The deed was also witnessed by the elders in
the courtyard. There was even a copy. The transaction was much like those of
our time. Great care was taken to preserve the transaction for the future.
But the reason to buy the land was not for investment
value, it was an object lesson. An object lesson is a tangible expression of an
intangible idea. It means to use something you can see to demonstrate an idea.
God told Jeremiah the idea in verse 15: “Houses, field and vineyards will again
be bought in this land”.
Jeremiah’s Prayer
32:16-25
Jeremiah’s prayer began well, with a doxology, or
expression of praise.
1. He acknowledged God as sovereign. Sovereign means to
have supreme power.
2. He acknowledged God’s creation of the earth, an
example of his sovereignty.
3. He said “nothing is too hard for you”, another
expression of God’s sovereignty and power.
4. He recounted God’s redemption of Israel as an example
of his sovereignty and power.
5. He acknowledged that God had great purposes. (19)
Yet, Jeremiah doubted God’s power. In verse 25, he says,
you gave this place over to the Babylonians but you told me to buy a field in
it. In out terms, Jeremiah said, God I know you are great and powerful and can
do all things, but is it not too late for you to be telling me to buy a field
in this doomed city?
So Jeremiah’s confession did not really match his
thinking. He knew intellectually that God could do all things. Yet, he was not
sure that God could preserve this land for him or his family, or that God
really knew what he was doing. Wasn’t God asking him to do something foolish?
I want to stress that Jeremiah’s questions did not lead
to disobedience or even delay. He obeyed God completely and instantly. But,
like Job, he then questioned why God did it.
God’s Answer
32:26-44
The Lord certainly recognized Jeremiah’s doubt, for he
threw his words back at him. In verse 27 he said “is anything too hard for me?”
This echoed Jeremiah’s words in verse 17.
The Lord said yes, I will have the Babylonians destroy
this city because of the evil they have committed, their breaking of the
covenant. And, in verses 29 through 35, he lists again all of their sins of
idolatry. He said they turned their back to him and not their face. (33). That
would be a great insult to a king.
But, the Lord said, after that, I will bring them back
and prosper them. (37) This is another restatement of the promise of
Deuteronomy 30:1-5.
He also said he would make a new and everlasting covenant
with them. (40)
“Fields will be bought” means there will again be
commerce and prosperity. And Jeremiah’s purchase of land, as God’s prophet, was
a sign of this.
Notice here the nature of the relationship of the
covenant people and their God. They will reverence or fear him. (40) God on his
part would bring good to them and rejoice in doing so. (41) So the nature of God’s
relationship to his people stays the same throughout the Bible and history,
although the way it is accomplished differs.
God wants to dwell among his people. He wants them to
know him and revere him. In turn, he wants to bless them. In the new covenant,
those blessings may not be material, but spiritual, but God is there, dwelling
among believers, and doing good to them. He rejoices in doing good for us.
So forget any notion you have that God is looking down on
you as a Christian, watching for a misstep or trying to trip you up and punish
you. Yes, he wants you to love him, worship him and live according to his
standards. But he wants that for your good and his glory. And in return, he
wants to pour out blessings on you. He has blessed us in Christ with every
spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 1:3) He lavished his
grace upon us. (Ephesians 1:7)He loves us with a great love. (Ephesians 2:4)
God wants us to glorify him. And he wants to pour out his
fullness onto us, so that our lives are joyous, peaceful, loving and content.
