God’s Plan Ends in Hope
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Chapter 32
A prophet must represent truth
1. The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD—in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.
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.
3. For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, "Why do you prophesy and say, 'Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it;
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;
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" '?"
Jeremiah, God´s prophet, must stand on the side of truth against political expediency. It is always the way of God, in contrast to the compromising ways of men, who think that it is prudent that their ethics should adjust to the whims of the times. They take pride in their ability to be adjustable. Truth is unchangeable, as is the character of God, therefore His representative cannot sway to the right or the left, as he speaks to the people of his day.
Kings demand loyalty and might accuse a prophet of treason. Jeremiah´s passion for truth has landed him in prison, King Zedekiah challenging his message that the Judean nation would fall to the enemy (3). The prophecy addressed the king personally and predicted that he would not escape capture, but that Nebuchadnezzar would foil his attempt to escape and would personally look him in the face (4). Zedekiah could have profited from this prediction, had he believed it and not tried to flee (2 K.25:5-7). His sons were killed before his eyes and that was the last scene that he observed, because his eyes were then removed and he was deported to Babylon (5).
Jerusalem is already under a siege, which began a year earlier, the ninth year of Zedekiah, and a year later, the 11th year of the king, the city was penetrated (Jer.29:1-2). Right in the middle of it, in the 10th year, the Lord gives the message of this chapter to Jeremiah (1-2).
A prophet must act in faith
6. And Jeremiah said, "The word of the LORD came to me, saying,
7. 'Behold, Hanamel 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." '
8. Then Hanamel my uncle's son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the LORD, and said to me, 'Please buy my field that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin; for the right of inheritance is yours, and the redemption yours; buy it for yourself.' Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD.
9. So I bought the field from Hanamel, the son of my uncle who was in Anathoth, and weighed out to him the money—seventeen shekels of silver.
10. And I signed the deed and sealed it, took witnesses, and weighed the money on the scales.
11. So I took the purchase deed, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open;
12. and I gave the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanamel 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.
13. "Then I charged Baruch before them, saying,
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."
The timing of this message is critical, when Judah is about to succumb to the Babylonian siege. The people need to understand that God´s purposes stand forever, in spite of the dark circumstances surrounding them. Like the son of promise, given to Abraham, there is no way that God should promise and not fulfill His word through him. Abraham thought that if Isaac would die, the Lord would raise him from the dead, in order that a nation, as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sands by the sea, should descend from him. God´s will cannot be frustrated.
A prophet must serve God with his entire being. He is called to speak, but he is often commanded to act also, in order to substantiate the word, which he has received. He shows that the Babylonian captivity is not final and the Jews will return to the properties that they have left behind. God never issues judgment, without offering hope and hope springs out of dire circumstances.
These verses describe the way, in which the Lord conveys the truth that He wants the people to grasp. First of all, He indicates His will through his word (6), and then opens the near future clearly to Jeremiah (7), through an illustration. The prophet proves that he practices what he preaches; he believes the word that is given to him and acts in faith.
It seems to me unlikely that Hanamel, Jeremiah’s first cousin, should break through the Babylonian army and come from Anathoth, a town in the nearby territory of the tribe of Benjamin, his and the prophet’s native city. He must be in Jerusalem already and probably is in great financial difficulty. Apparently, Hanamel had no inheritor and, according to Hebrew law, a near relative should redeem the property in such cases, rather than selling it to outside influences, to ensure that the land is not lost to his family. “If one of your brethren becomes poor, and has sold some of his possession, and if his redeeming relative comes to redeem it, then he may redeem what his brother sold” (Lv.25:25). In the year of Jubilee the land would automatically return to the original owner (Lv.25:13). Anathoth is a priestly city and it is, in fact, illegal that these cities and their plots, outside the city, should fall into the hands of another tribe (see the stipulations in Nm.35:2-8, Lv.25:34).
The Lord is showing that after the invasion and conquest of Judah, it would one day return under Hebrew law and the deed here described would again be valid. The exact situation occurred to a German friend of ours, whose property in East Germany was taken away by the communist government. It was returned to her, after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The Lord speaks through His word and confirms the word by providential acts. In a few days, the word given to Jeremiah is confirmed by the Providence of God; what some might see as “coincidence”. Confirmation is a firmly established divine principle: “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established” (2 Co.13:1, see also 1 T.5:19, Mt.18:16, Jn.8:17-18). With every assurance, Jeremiah can act, knowing that what he is doing, is according to God’s will.
Although he is in prison, he is in better financial situation than his cousin (8). The desperate condition of Hanamel is discerned by the low price that he as asking… 17 shekels of silver (9). In contrast, Abraham bought a piece of land, as a burial plot for his family for 400 shekels, and David bought a threshing floor for 50 shekels. Jeremiah’s cousin probably thought himself fortunate to get any amount of money for land occupied, at that moment, by the Babylonians.
The transaction was done in
public and placed in the hands of Baruch, an agent of Jeremiah, for
safekeeping (12). He gave Baruch instructions to place the documents in an earthen
vessel, in order to be preserved for many years (13,14). To show the effectiveness of
storing them in this way, we know that one of the Dead Sea Scrolls was found in
a vessel, intact after two millennia, among other vessels, which contained
thousands of fragments, that could still be put together and read.
A prophet knows consternation
15. For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land." '
16. "Now when I had delivered the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD, saying:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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;
22. You have given them this land, of which You swore to their fathers to give them—"a land flowing with milk and honey."
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.
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!
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.' "
After the visual transaction
took place, in the following verse, Jeremiah delivers the message that is illustrated
by it, in the name of the Lord of armies, the God of Israel. Jeremiah sees the
lesson, but is trying to find logic in it. We can see that faith can act in
obedience to God’s word, even though we may be baffled and questions still
arise in our human minds, challenging divine wisdom. Therefore, Jeremiah prays
(16) and seems to confess that the Almighty can do anything. “Nothing is too
hard for You” (17). The confession says, “I know you are unlimited
in power, but, in these circumstances, how will you bring it about?” ‘But how’
is not uncommon in the vocabulary of God’s people. We hear it in Luke’s gospel,
as divine acts begin to unfold. Zacharias questions Gabriel: “How shall I
know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” (Lk.1:18)
Mary also expresses her difficulty to the same angel, Gabriel: “How can this
be, since I do not know a man?” (Lk.1:34)
In forming His prayer, the prophet expresses the wonderful attributes of God. Praising Him for Who He is will be an aid to overcome his human limitations, as he contemplates unlimited resources. He begins with an expression of the creative power of the Lord God. He continues by recognizing His mercy, already shown in the act, which God commanded him to perform. Thousands would benefit. He turns to His righteousness in pronouncing judgment upon all evildoers. He is Great! He is Mighty! He has unlimited armies at His disposal (18).
He knows God’s wisdom and the might, by which He moves and deals with the affairs of men. Knowing all things, the Lord perfectly performs heavenly righteousness in administering retribution or reward to every individual (19).
As so many have before him, the prophet recounts the history of Israel and the Lord’s supernatural work in freeing them from the slavery of Egypt. It gave a point of reference for all that He would do from generation to generation, in Israel and in other lands. It is all done towards the praise of His name (20). Jeremiah repeats the wonder of God’s mighty acts in Egypt, in reference to bringing His people out of a situation, which hindered them from doing His will. He exalts the strength of His hand, the reach of his outstretched arm, and the fear, even terror, caused among men (21).
He brought them out of Egypt with purpose, to fulfill his eternal plan, in order to bring them into the Promised Land. He brought them out to bring them in! He had astonishing, unfathomable plans to work in that land, flowing with milk and honey. It was rich in salvation through His Son and in the work of the Holy Spirit. There the incarnate Christ was to be born in Bethlehem, to minister in the dark territory of Galilee, to die on a Roman cross in Jerusalem, to be buried in Joseph of Arimathea’s prepared tomb, and to rise from the dead, with the greatest degree of power ever witnessed by mankind. The Holy Spirit would be poured out upon His people there and yet greater things were in store in His millennial reign (22).
Joshua met the Commander of the army of the Lord, upon entrance into the land, and Moses’ replacement removed his sandal in submission to the holy Leader. That Commander led them to the conquest of Canaan. However, Moses knew that “the Lord has not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear to this day” (Dt.29:4), and they were disobedient and useless in His plan. Without relying on Him, they could do nothing, they failed, and wandered as sheep without a shepherd. They eventually came to the miserable condition of Jeremiah’s day. They needed the Christ and the miracle of a new, heavenly birth (23).
It is at this point that the prophet confesses his consternation, his expression, “but how?” Zachariah saw his age and Mary saw her virginity. Jeremiah sees the siege mounts surrounding Jerusalem. “All that You have said would happen, is happening (24) and You have just commanded me to purchase land, doomed to fall into the hands of Babylon!” (25)
A prophet receives messages directly from the Lord
26. Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying,
27. "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?
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.
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;
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.
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
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.
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.
34. But they set their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to defile it.
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.'
There are multiple texts, as the one before us in verse 26. We have seen the integrity of this man throughout his book and, in this chapter, we read that he values truth above his own freedom. Is he lying, when he writes that he heard from the Lord various times in this chapter, beginning in verse 1. The king, Zedekiah, makes two references to Jeremiah prophesying in the name of the Lord in verses 3 and 5. Every message in the chapter, in verses 6, 14, 15, 26, 28, 36, and 42, claims that the Lord was its Author, and confirmations to that fact are interjected in verses 8, 30, and 44, besides. Jeremiah is one example of Peter’s claim that “holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 P.1:21). Paul said that the New Testament is “revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets” (Eph.3:5) The Bible is the word of God.
The Lord strengthens Jeremiah’s faith already expressed in verse 17, which all creation should assume beyond doubt (27). By making Zacharias mute, then later opening his mouth, the angel mightily strengthened his faith. He said to Mary, “With God nothing will be impossible” (Lk.1:37), and she responded, “Let it be to me according to your word” (Lk.1:38). When the word of God falls upon receptive ears, the result is faith.
Once again, God describes the chastisement, which He will accomplish through Nebuchadnezzar, to His servant (28). The city will fall and be set on fire. He manifests the irony in His nature by setting the houses on fire, in which their owners offered incense to Baal and poured drink offerings to other gods on their rooftops (29). He gives whatever repetition is necessary in order to reach the heart of man. He has told this to Jeremiah previously (see Jer.19:13).
In Ezekiel 16, the Lord speaks to Jerusalem, which followed in the footsteps of the ethnic nations of Canaan. In fact, the story goes farther still into the background of the Israelites, to the heathen practices of their forefathers, who were idolators; even Abraham can be included, before God called him. Samaria is described as an older sister, who fell wholeheartedly into idolatry, and Judah, as the younger sister, followed her example. In spite of God’s lovingkindness, they provoked His wrath from the beginning (30).
God is totally justified in razing the city of Jerusalem (31). He owes it nothing, but destruction, which fact can be stated against the entire human race. It would be no injustice, if God sent every person to hell. Beginning with Adam and Eve, we are a race of sinners, and all Adam’s offspring has been conceived in sin. In this 21st Century, the world’s population has descended to the lowest level of depravity, denying their Creator and despising His law. Evil is good in their eyes, and good is evil. Even some unbelievers are calling this generation insane.
In His place, they worshiped His arch-enemy, going to the depths of cruelty and perversion, in order to do so. The valley of the Son of Hinnom was the ignominious place where child sacrifice was offered to Molech, an image, representing a most hideous demon. Such a practice is the opposite of that, which is approved by divine nature and doesn’t find a place in the beauty of His personality. In this generation, men have gone much farther still, through the sacrifice of infants by the millions in the wombs of their mothers. We live in the most savage and godless time in the history of the world (35).
A prophet has a ministry of hope
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:
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.
38. They shall be My people, and I will be their God;
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.
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.
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.'
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.
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."
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."
Jeremiah is rightly conveying the intentions of the Lord, when he prophesies of the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem, and the citizens will know slaughter by the sword, extreme hunger through famine and disease by pestilence (36). However, if he has truly heard from God, that is not all that he has to say. We will see now the final destiny for all of Israel.
God’s anger will be appeased and a greater good, which He has determined for them. contrasting the awful disasters, described in the former verses. I will again insist, as I have in other chapters, that the following prediction has double fulfillment. The Lord will bring them back from Babylon, but a return from that small part of the world, cannot complete the grandeur of this prophecy. Verse 37 speaks of a dispersion into all countries, from which they will return and receive divine protection in Israel.
He speaks of the highest intimacy that exists… that which is between a people and their God (38). It excels family closeness and that which is experienced in marriage relationships. This is what the Lord purposed from before the foundation of the world and revealed throughout the pages of His word. He therefore created mankind in His image and likeness. It is the grand climax reached near the end of the book of Revelation: "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.” (Rv.21:3).
A new covenant or testament will be issued, based on an eternal transformation. Their new nature will conform innately to the nature of God and they will know His ways. They will walk in the wisdom of the fear of God from the heart (39), and there will be no need for punishment. They will not depart from Him, and the covenant with Him will never be broken forever (40).
The last chapter of the book of Zephaniah is beautiful and echoes Jeremiah 32:41, containing the following: "The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing" (Zeph.3:17). Here God is content and happy with His people. He will know no reservations, heart and soul, as He firmly establishes them. They have known the severe consequences of His discipline, but now they will experience His faithful goodness (42).
The chapter ends, clearly guaranteeing the future, illustrated by Jeremiah’s business transaction with his cousin. The prophet’s purchase was a foolish venture, in the minds of a people that had lost hope. The enemy was too strong; the desolation of the land was too devastating. But it was not so in the mind of God. He ordered His prophet to make this transaction, simply to provide hope in their severe crisis. The seemingly total dominance of the Babylonians over Israel will come to an end. Babylon, in fact, will see perpetual desolation after 70 years. The land deed between the two relatives will be uncovered and come into the hands of the rightful inheritor. That is just one example of the dealings between the Israelites in the future (43).
They will be free throughout their homeland. It would seem that the Lord in excitement describes, with emphasis, the contours and population of the land, where they will universally conduct their business, according to their own laws: 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.
The great lesson for every one of us is the revelation of God given in this chapter as the God of hope. If God has been and is faithful to the Jew, then He will be just as faithful to us, in spite of our unworthiness, because He cannot deny His faithful nature. Paul gives us this consolation: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Ro.15:13).
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