START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15
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OBSERVE:
This passage from Jeremiah has a very definite context and historical setting. The empire of Babylon, under King Nebuchadnezzar, is no longer a remote threat to Jerusalem. Babylon has already brought one king of Judah, Jehoiachin, to his knees.
In 598 B.C., Jehoiachin had been forced to surrender Jerusalem after a Babylonian siege of three months. Jehoiachin, along with his mother, wives, officials and others, was deported in the first Babylonian exile.
Zedekiah, who was Jehoiachin’s uncle and the son of King Josiah, was made king by Nebuchadnezzar. But he was obviously intended to be a “vassal” king, subservient to the edicts from Babylon.
Zedekiah is ruling over a disintegrating kingdom. When the word of the Lord comes to Jeremiah in this passage, Zedekiah has been king for ten years — which makes it about 588 B.C. And Nebuchadnezzar’s forces are once again at the walls of Jerusalem. Zedekiah had attempted to assert the independence of Judah, encouraged by some of the false court prophets who assured him Judah would prevail.
Jeremiah, meanwhile, has been incarcerated in the court of the guard. Jeremiah’s “crime” has been telling the truth. He has warned King Zedekiah that the Babylonians would indeed conquer Jerusalem, and Zedekiah would see an angry Nebuchadnezzar face-to-face.
While Jeremiah is cooling his heels under guard, the word of Yahweh comes to him in the guard house. The Lord tells Jeremiah that his cousin Hanamel is about to approach him with a real estate deal! Hanamel has a piece of property in Anathoth that he wants to sell. Anathoth was one of the cities set aside as a Levitical City for the descendants of Aaron (Joshua 21:13–18); it was only about three miles north of Jerusalem — no doubt already captured by the Babylonians.
According to the Levitical law, if a person wished to sell ancestral land they first had to offer it for sale to a relative so that the land remained in the family (Leviticus 25:23-38). This was called the right of redemption.
So why would Jeremiah want to invest in land that was already likely under Babylonian control, knowing full well that Jerusalem was about to fall to Nebuchadnezzar as well?
Like other prophetic “sign-acts,” this was intended by the Lord to be a prophetic sign. On several occasions, Yahweh used dramatic “sign-acts” to illustrate his prophecies concerning Judah.
- The Lord instructs Jeremiah to bury a linen loincloth to illustrate that Judah had become good for nothing due to their idolatry (Jeremiah 13:1-11).
- The Lord tells Jeremiah not to marry or have children to demonstrate the joyless future that Judah will experience because of their sins (Jeremiah 16:1-4).
- The Lord commands Jeremiah to go the potter’s house and watch him mold and rework clay in order to illustrate God’s sovereign power over nations, and calls Judah to repentance (Jeremiah 18:1-11).
- Jeremiah is told to break an earthenware jug as a sign of coming judgment (Jeremiah 19:1-13).
These, and several other examples, reveal that Jeremiah’s prophecies were often dramatically enacted in his life and deeds.
But here, the act of buying a field from his cousin is a sign of hope! Even though Judah is in the grip of Babylon, and the enemy is besieging the city, the Lord is assuring Jeremiah and the people of Jerusalem that after they have endured their punishment there will be hope. Jeremiah carries out the legal requirements for the purchase in front of witnesses and gives instructions to his secretary:
I commanded Baruch before them, saying, Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel says: Take these deeds, this deed of the purchase which is sealed, and this deed which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel; that they may continue many days. For Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel says: Houses and fields and vineyards shall yet again be bought in this land.
The rest of the story is that Jeremiah asks God why he has been instructed to buy land in the midst of a siege. And the Lord confirms that in fact Jerusalem will fall to Babylon, and its inhabitants will be driven into exile. Worse than that, this time Nebuchadnezzar would order the destruction of the Temple, the city and its walls.
However, he also promises that their children will return to the land:
Behold, I will gather them out of all the countries, where I have driven them in my anger, and in my wrath, and in great indignation; and I will bring them again to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God (Jeremiah 16:37-38).
APPLY:
Sometimes we may think that we live in the worst of times — 9/11, hurricanes, exotic viruses that no one has ever heard of before, climate change. This is one reason we should read history, for the sake of perspective. Compared to wars, pestilences and catastrophes of the past, our times are reasonably mild.
God’s message to Jeremiah is definitely a word of comfort and encouragement in the face of inevitable disaster. God is not saying to Jeremiah “there there, it’ll all be fine.” No, Jerusalem will fall to Babylonian armies, and the consequences will be serious.
But judgment and disaster are never God’s final word. The most frequent refrain throughout Scripture is grace, mercy and hope. Jeremiah is instructed to buy this land because some day the Jews would return to this land.
When we are faced with disaster — personal and national — we need to remember that God’s word is always ultimately a word of hope for those who believe.
RESPOND:
I have been involved in a few real estate deals in my life, usually involved with buying or selling a home, or observing nervously as my wife negotiated for a property she planned to rent out. I certainly am no great realtor.
But I think I’m astute enough not to buy property in a swamp or a flood plain. We did look at a three-story house in a lovely canyon on a creek that fed into the Kentucky River. But a quick tour revealed that this little “creek” had been known to become a torrent during the flood season. There were water stains on this old home up to the third floor!
So, when I read of Jeremiah’s real estate deal, I feel a little queasy. His cousin was obviously eager to unload this piece of property for a low offer, given the fact that all of the real estate in the immediate vicinity of Jerusalem was about to change hands — to the Babylonians!
And yet, Jeremiah is instructed to buy the land — redeem is the appropriate word. This is a concrete witness to the promises of God — that he would bring back his people after their exile:
and I will bring them again to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God (Jeremiah 16:37-38).
Sometimes our common sense is in conflict with faith. We are reminded that God will keep his promises, and restore us.
And we are particularly advised to invest time, energy and resources in those things that last:
Don’t lay up treasures for yourselves on the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consume, and where thieves don’t break through and steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19-21).
Lord, investing time and money in something that seems doomed to fail looks foolish to most people. But investing ourselves in your kingdom is always a sure thing. Guide me in the investment in those things that last. Amen.
PHOTOS:
“Jeremiah 32 verses 7 and 8” uses the following photo:
“Honey Island Swamp (Louisiana)” by Shubert Ciencia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
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