Like John, Jeremiah is suffering for testifying for God. In Revelation 1:9, John wrote, “I, John, both your brother and companion in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
As for Jeremiah, the Babylonian army is surrounding the city. Recently, Jeremiah sent letters from the Lord to God’s people in Babylon to assure them that after the land of Israel enjoyed 70 years of rest, God would bring them back. King Zedekiah wanted a good word from Jeremiah about Jerusalem, but Jeremiah did not have one for him.
“Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him [Jeremiah] 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; 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; 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 32:3-5
Wasn’t a preacher supposed to inspire hope and courage in the hearts of his listeners? The Lord had directed Jeremiah to write a letter of hope and beautiful promises to the exiles in Babylon, but he had no such word for king Zedekiah. To do so, would be wrong. He promised Zedekiah a face to face, eye to eye talk with the King of Babylon. His efforts to win the war would fail.
Religious and political leaders also tried to silence Jesus from speaking the truth. In Luke 20:2, “They demanded, ‘By what authority are You doing all these things? Who gave You the right?’”
In addition to Jeremiah, Urijah, Zephaniah, and Habakkuk prophesied to Jerusalem. Year after year, they rose up early and spoke God’s Word to them.
“And Jeremiah said, ‘The Word of the Lord came to me, saying, 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.’” Jeremiah 32:6-7
Numbers 35:4-5 describes Anathoth as a land set aside for the Levites. Each Levitical city was to have 1,500 feet of pastureland extending from the city walls for their cattle and animals. They were not to sell these lands to another tribe. When the owner died, the next of kin had the right to redeem it before anyone else did. See Leviticus 25:25 and Ruth 4:3-6 for more details.
“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.” Jeremiah 32:8
God confirmed His Word to Jeremiah by having his cousin show up and ask him to buy the land.
In Acts 10:17, after Peter had a vision from God, he doubted in himself about the meaning of it. Then, men arrived. After they gave Peter their message, he knew his vision was from God.
“So I bought the field from Hanamel, the son of my uncle who was in Anathoth, and weighed out to him the money—17 shekels of silver. And I signed the deed and sealed it, took witnesses, and weighed the money on the scales.” Jeremiah 32:9-10
A shekel back then was worth about 50₵ in today’s US Dollars. Jeremiah paid about $8.50 for the field. A small sum due to the Babylonian siege around the city. Some might have thought him crazy to buy land, but he did it as an expression of his faith in God’s Word. God promised to resurrect the city.
In Revelation, Jesus reveals that this current earth shall experience plagues, wars, diseases, pestilences and climatic disasters. An antichrist shall attempt to control humanity’s beliefs. A spirit of harlotry shall attempt to seduce humanity into sin. God’s prophets and saints will be persecuted. Some will die for speaking the truth. Then, Christ shall appear and bring with Him a new heaven, a new earth and a new Jerusalem. Glory to God!
“So I took the purchase deed, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open; 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.” Jeremiah 32:11-12
Two deeds were drawn up in a contract of sale; the original copy, witnessed and sealed with the public seal; the other just a backup copy. The sealed original, when opened after 70 years’ captivity, would confirm Jeremiah as the owner. “Even though Jeremiah would not live to see that day, he made sure the documents would be around to prove that God was faithful to His promise.” [1]
“Then I charged Baruch before them, saying, ‘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. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.” Jeremiah 32:13-15
Jeremiah’s deed for land in Jerusalem prefigures Christ taking the deed of the earth and making all things new. In Revelation 5:1-21, John wrote of a scroll being handed to the Lamb. The scroll is believed to be the title deed of the earth.
“Now when I had delivered the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord, saying: ‘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. 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. 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 32:16-19
Jeremiah’s prayer is full of faith that with God nothing is impossible. He begins his prayer with an, “Ah!” “Ah” is an expression of awesome wonder. Jeremiah acknowledges that God created all things. He worships God for His love for thousands, and His severity towards iniquity. He worships God for keeping His eyes on people and for giving to each one appropriate responses.
“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. 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; You have given them this land, of which You swore to their fathers to give them—‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’ 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 32:20-23
The Lord was gracious to them. What did they do to Him? They allowed other loves to exceed their love for Him. They did not serve Him. They served other gods which were not gods.
“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, famine, and pestilence. What You have spoken has happened; there You see it!” Jeremiah 32:24
Babylonian sieges began with encirclement to cut off all supply lines and communication. The 587 BC siege of Jerusalem lasted 18 months. The enemy used siege towers on wheels with battering rams to go over and through the walls.
“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 32:25
Jeremiah obeyed the Lord. He purchased the field from his uncle, but afterwards, it seems he had buyer’s regret. He envisioned the Babylonian siege mounds and the Babylonian soldiers coming over Jerusalem’s walls with swords swinging. He envisions the impacts of famine. Bodies growing gaunt! He imagines the odor from diseased corpses. Why did God ask him to buy a field at a time like this?
“Then the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, ‘Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?’” Jeremiah 32:26-27
Nothing is too hard for the Lord. In Acts 17:26, Paul told idolators that “God made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth.”
In Matthew 19:26, Jesus said, “With God all things are possible.”
“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. 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 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 32:28-30
They sowed fire to Baal on their rooftops so their rooftops reaped fire. The god of fire was the object of their worship so God gave them an abundance of fire.
“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 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 32:31-32
Is God’s wrath limited to the Old Testament time only? No, in Revelation 2:19-23, Jesus spoke against a church’s prophetess who was teaching and seducing His servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols. He gave the prophetess time to repent. She did not repent. He promised to cast her into a sickbed, give her cohorts tribulation, and kill her children with death, unless they repented.
“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. But they set their abominations in the house, which is called by My Name, to defile it. 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 32:33-35
God rose up early and attempted to speak to them by His prophets. But they would not listen. They desecrated God’s holy house. They offered to Baal human sacrifices to appease him. They became like monsters.
There’s a similar scenario described in Revelation 16:9: “Men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the Name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.” They should have humbled themselves and listened to God.
“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: 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 32:36-37
Their guilt deserved God’s everlasting vengeance, but He promised to restore them. The “all” countries implies a future restoration of Israel more universal than that from Babylon.
“They shall be My people, and I will be their God; 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 32:38-39
God will not be ashamed to be called their God. Having one heart and having one way, contrasts with being scattered.
In John 17:20-23, Jesus prayed for His twelve apostles and for those who believe in Him through their words. He prayed, “That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. ...That they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”
Jesus has always wanted us to be one with Him and God. In John 15:4-7, Jesus urges us to abide in Him. Israel’s downfall in Jeremiah’s day, and the downfall of so many believers today stems from abandoning God.
“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 32:40
The covenant established by Jesus’ sacrifice is everlasting because it is based on God’s grace and forgiveness. It is about God’s work in us and not our work for God.
In Deuteronomy 30:1-6, God prophesied of their captivity in another land followed by His compassion on them. He promised to circumcise their hearts and the hearts of their descendants. Then, they would love Him with all their hearts and soul.
“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. 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 32:41-42
Israel’s return to the Promised Land after the exile was a foretaste of the grace to be revealed when Christ shall come with shouts of acclamation.
“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.’ 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 32:43-44
After God’s righteous anger abated, He revealed His redeeming love for them by bringing them back to Jerusalem. When that day arrived, many in Israel signed new property deeds.
In John 14:1-3, Jesus says to us His followers in these last days, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
2 Peter 3:13 says, “But according to His promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
In Revelation 21:7, our Lord Jesus said, “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.”
Tribulation shall end and celebration shall begin.
[1] Dr. Phillip Graham Ryken, Jeremiah and Lamentations from Sorrow to Hope, Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL, © 2001, p. 479-482
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