Jeremiah

Chapter Thirty-two

Introduction

When I was a kid, the State of California bought the house we were living in for a greatly inflated price. You see, they planned to put in a cross-town freeway, and our house was directly in its path. We were thrilled; my parents were able to pay off the remaining mortgage and build another, bigger house in a much more desirable location.

We were thrilled, but many of our neighbors were not! Our next door neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Merritt, suddenly had a noisy, stinky freeway for a backyard. The value of their property, and others like it, dramatically depreciated on account of the freeway.

In our text, the value of property in Judah was about to dramatically depreciate! In verse three you read,

If you were a Jew who owned property in Judah, it would become worthless when Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem. It would be confiscated by the Babylonians for their own possession and use.

Money, however, would still be valuable. Thus it seemed prudent to sell your property. Hanameel was thinking along these lines as he prepared for the fall of Jerusalem.

Only, who in their right mind would buy property at such an inopportune time? Why, cousin Jeremiah, of course! So Hanameel set out to visit Jeremiah in prison and offer him a field in Anathoth. Remarkably, Jeremiah agreed to the sale; he bought the field.

If that were the whole story, we'd have reason to commend Hanameel for his shrewdness, and to criticize Jeremiah for his stupidity. It's not the whole story; God told Jeremiah to buy the field! Buying the field became a spiritual lesson to Jeremiah and to the Jews.

It's a lesson in faith. God had been promising the Jews, through Jeremiah's preaching, that they would return to their land after seventy years. As you read in verse fifteen, "houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land." Look at verses forty-two through forty-four again:

Jeremiah 32:43 'And fields will be bought in this land of which you say, "It is desolate, without man or beast; it has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans."

Jeremiah 32:44 'Men will buy fields for money, sign deeds and seal them, and take witnesses, in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the South; for I will cause their captives to return,' says the LORD."

God had Jeremiah buy the field in Anathoth by faith in the revealed Word of God - in the promises that the Jews would one day be restored to the land. Hanameel, who heard the same promises, chose instead to follow his own fleshly wisdom.

Many of God's choicest servants had to make similar decisions by faith. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews has been called God's "Hall of Faith." There you encounter men like Noah and Abraham, who had to make decisions by faith:

Noah:

Noah believed God and by faith and built the ark, even though the rain was a thing "not yet seen."

Abraham:

Abraham believed God and by faith set out for the Promised Land, "not knowing where he was going."

Noah built a boat by faith; Abraham began a journey by faith; Jeremiah bought a field by faith. The circumstances were different each time, but the lesson was the same: It was a lesson in faith.

Using Hanameel as an example to avoid, and Jeremiah as an example to follow, the lesson of chapter thirty-two is a lesson in faith: #1 Your Flesh Sees Obstacles And You Sell Your Field, #2 Your Faith Seizes Opportunities And You Buy Your Field.

#1 Your Flesh Sees Obstacles

And You Sell Your Field

It was the worst of times in Jerusalem:

Jeremiah 32:2 For then the king of Babylon's army besieged Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah's house.

Jeremiah had left no doubt as to the outcome of the siege against Jerusalem:

Jeremiah 32:4 "and Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face, and see him eye to eye;

Jeremiah 32:5 "then he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there he shall be until I visit him," says the LORD; "though you fight with the Chaldeans, you shall not succeed"'?"

If you have been with us for our studies in Jeremiah you know that God was using Babylon as His instrument of judgment against His backsliding people. The time for that judgment had come.

Jeremiah was shut up in the palace prison for his prophesying. The palace prison was the setting God chose for the lesson in faith.

God chooses unusual and often, from our point of view, undesirable settings for lessons in faith. It is against a bleak backdrop that we are asked to reflect the light of the promises of God.

The palace prison could not interrupt God's fellowship with Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 32:7 'Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you, saying, "Buy my field which is in Anathoth, for the right of redemption is yours to buy it."'

I hesitate to point out the obvious, but it is important to remember that nothing can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus. You can enjoy God as much in the palace prison as you can in the palace itself! Compare Jeremiah with Zedekiah; who was at peace? Who was bolstered by the strength of the Lord? Enjoy God, no matter where you find yourself. His love for you transcends all possible hindrances.

God told Jeremiah to expect Hanameel, and Hanameel came:

Biblical faith is not blind faith. The phrase "the word of the Lord" is much repeated in these verses. Jeremiah had God's Word, and he confirmed God's Word.

Jeremiah 32:10 "And I signed the deed and sealed it, took witnesses, and weighed the money on the scales.

Jeremiah 32:11 "So I took the purchase deed, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open;

Jeremiah 32:12 "and I gave the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanameel my uncle's son, and in the presence of the witnesses who signed the purchase deed, before all the Jews who sat in the court of the prison.

Jeremiah 32:13 "Then I charged Baruch before them, saying,

Jeremiah 32:14 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Take these deeds, both this purchase deed which is sealed and this deed which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may last many days."

Jeremiah 32:15 'For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land."'

Jeremiah buys the field by faith. His purchase symbolizes his confidence that God will perform His Word to the Jews and restore them to their land. He buys the field as an investment in eternal things.

Before we look at Jeremiah, though, we want to look at Hanameel. Not much is told us about him, but it is clear that he is being compared and contrasted with Jeremiah.

In comparing them we would note that they both had the Word of God. Both Jeremiah and Hanameel were aware of God's prophesies and promises towards the Jews. God had prophesied the Babylonian siege and seventy year captivity; He had promised the return and restoration of the Jews to Jerusalem. Hanameel could have walked by faith in God's revealed Word.

Instead we see him in contrast to his cousin, Jeremiah. Hanameel saw no value in land that would shortly be confiscated. Even if God's Word was true, and the Jews were restored to their land, in seventy years Hanameel would likely be dead! He saw no value to the land because he valued the earthly over the eternal.

This is a key to any lesson in faith: Do you value the earthly over the eternal? or, Do you value the eternal over the earthly?

Since Hanameel valued the earthly over the eternal, the field in Anathoth was an obstacle. So he sold his field in order to gain earthly comfort during the captivity.

I believe God deals with us the way He dealt with those before us - with men like Noah, Abraham, and Jeremiah. He gives us opportunities to build boats, to begin journeys, or to buy fields. Unfortunately for us, we can be like Hanameel and value the earthly over the eternal!

I can't make a direct application of this principle to your life; you will have to do that. All I can do is ask myself and you this question: Is there a field God is asking you to buy along your spiritual walk? A better way of putting it is, What or Where is the field that God is asking you to buy?

The world would compliment Hanameel. What he did was shrewd, given the conditions. Sadly, many Christians compliment Hanameel, too. They don't do it openly; they do it by following his example, by taking the cautious, frugal approach in their walk with the Lord.

Beloved, yours is a walk of faith that seizes opportunities - not one in the flesh that sees obstacles! God gives you opportunities throughout your life on earth to invest in the eternal - to invest your time, your talents, and your things in spiritual fields that come along.

Investments require risks. If I may say so, there are risks to be taken in our walk of faith. Noah risked his time, talents, and things to build a boat when it had never rained, when there had never been a flood before on the earth. Abraham risked his time, his talents, and his things when he began a journey not even knowing where he was going.

Your life is no different! The risks of faith you take determine whether you are a Hanameel or a Jeremiah - whether you value the earthly or the eternal. Value the eternal and you'll find that your risks become rewards.

#2 Your Faith Seizes Opportunities

And You Buy Your Fields

Jeremiah believed that God would indeed restore the Jews. Or did he? The field gave him the opportunity to, as we would say, put his money where his mouth was! If he believed God's Word, he would behave by God's Word and buy the field.

He bought the field. He behaved as he believed. Faith is not without risk, though, as you see in Jeremiah's prayer:

Jeremiah 32:17 'Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You.

Jeremiah 32:18 'You show lovingkindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them; the Great, the Mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts.

Jeremiah 32:19 'You are great in counsel and mighty in work, for your eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings.

Jeremiah 32:20 'You have set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, to this day, and in Israel and among other men; and You have made Yourself a name, as it is this day.

Jeremiah 32:21 'You have brought Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and with great terror;

Jeremiah 32:22 'You have given them this land, of which You swore to their fathers to give them; "a land flowing with milk and honey."

Jeremiah 32:23 'And they came in and took possession of it, but they have not obeyed Your voice or walked in Your law. They have done nothing of all that You commanded them to do; therefore You have caused all this calamity to come upon them.

Jeremiah 32:24 'Look, the siege mounds! They have come to the city to take it; and the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it, because of the sword and famine and pestilence. What You have spoken has happened; there You see it!

Jeremiah 32:25 'And You have said to me, O Lord GOD, "Buy the field for money, and take witnesses"!; yet the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.'"

Jeremiah recounts the faithfulness of the Almighty God to keep His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to give their descendants the land forever. On the basis of God's previous promises and on the basis of His recent prophecies, Jeremiah bought the field. But it seemed worthless in light of the siege mounds all around. It seemed risky.

Biblical faith is not blind faith, but it is risky. It takes risks. I can only use myself as an example. Eleven years ago God unmistakably led us to come to Hanford. But it was risky. I owned a house in San Bernardino. Like Hanameel, I thought it best to sell the house before we moved to Hanford. It wouldn't sell... So we took a risk and moved, leaving it vacant. It wouldn't sell... So we rented it to a couple from our former Church. It wouldn't sell... Somewhere along the line I found out that the people renting it wanted to buy it! It sold.

The house was a lesson in faith. Once we got over seeing the house as an obstacle, we were able to seize the opportunity to come to Hanford by faith.

God answered Jeremiah:

Jeremiah 32:27 "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?

Jeremiah 32:28 "Therefore thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it.

Jeremiah 32:29 'And the Chaldeans who fight against this city shall come and set fire to this city and burn it, with the houses on whose roofs they have offered incense to Baal and poured out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke Me to anger;

Jeremiah 32:30 'because the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only evil before Me from their youth. For the children of Israel have provoked Me only to anger with the work of their hands," says the LORD.

Jeremiah 32:31 'For this city has been to Me a provocation of My anger and My fury from the day that they built it, even to this day; so I will remove it from before My face

Jeremiah 32:32 'because of all the evil of the children of Israel and the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke Me to anger; they, their kings, their princes, their priests, their prophets, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Jeremiah 32:33 'And they have turned to Me the back, and not the face; though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not listened to receive instruction.

Jeremiah 32:34 'But they set their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to defile it.

Jeremiah 32:35 'And they built the high places of Baal which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I did not command them, nor did it come into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.'

Jeremiah 32:36 "Now therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, 'It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence':

Jeremiah 32:37 'Behold, I will gather them out of all countries where I have driven them in My anger, in My fury, and in great wrath; I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely.

Jeremiah 32:38 'They shall be My people, and I will be their God;

Jeremiah 32:39 'then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them.

Jeremiah 32:40 'And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me.

Jeremiah 32:41 'Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land, with all My heart and with all My soul.'

Jeremiah 32:42 "For thus says the LORD: 'Just as I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will bring on them all the good that I have promised them.

Jeremiah 32:43 'And fields will be bought in this land of which you say, "It is desolate, without man or beast; it has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans."

Jeremiah 32:44 'Men will buy fields for money, sign deeds and seal them, and take witnesses, in the land of Benjamin, in the places around Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the mountains, in the cities of the lowland, and in the cities of the South; for I will cause their captives to return,' says the LORD."

God reiterated what He had already told Jeremiah. He would reprove the Jews; He would restore the Jews. That was His Word. Jeremiah behaved as he believed. In this case, he bought the field. It was a risk of faith, but biblically based and not blind faith.

Even though you have God's Word, there are risks to take. When you value the eternal over the earthly, you risk your time, your talents, and your things.

You risk your time:

Noah was a long time building the Ark! I wonder what he could have become had he put his spare time to different use? Well, he would have become drowned!

There is always an investment of your time when you value eternal things...

Your risk your talents:

Abraham lived in a large city, Ur of the Chaldees, where earthly opportunities abounded. He set out for..., well, nowhere! The Bible says he looked for the city whose builder and maker is God. That city, the New Jerusalem, has yet to come down out of heaven!

There is always an investment of your talents when you value eternal things...

You risk your things:

Jeremiah would see his field at Anathoth seized and used by the Babylonians. He paid good money for something that would become worthless to him.

But it was only "worthless" when valued from an earthly perspective. Jeremiah's seventeen shekels of silver have been gaining interest in the Bank of Heaven for about twenty-five hundred years! I'm not sure what the interest rate is, but I think it is generous. And besides that, Jeremiah will probably own the field at Anathoth when Jesus comes to set up His kingdom on the earth! As a long term investor, Jeremiah is going to make out very nicely.

And so can you, when you risk your time, talents, and things to buy fields by faith.

Conclusion

God is offering you boats, journeys, and fields even today. I don't know what or where they are, but you probably do. They involve risks, but they result in rewards.

Seize the opportunities God brings you and buy the fields!