Jeremiah’s Purchase of a Field in Anathoth (32:1–44)

I. Jeremiah’s Confinement During the Siege of Jerusalem (32:1–5)

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” ’?”

A. The tenth year of Zedekiah is the year before the fall of Jerusalem in 587 BC.

In that year (588), the Babylonians besieged Jerusalem for the second time. In the meantime they had withdrawn for a little while, because the Egyptians had intervened.

During that period, the prophet Jeremiah tried to leave Jerusalem, probably in order to settle matters of property in his home town of Anathoth. However, he was captured on suspicion of treason and accused of deserting to the Babylonians. Although he denied this, he was imprisoned, but at his request King Zedekiah put him in an apparently more comfortable place: the courtyard of the guard.

B. Though the reader knows Jeremiah was a true prophet, his people considered him to be a traitor for calling on them to surrender to the Babylonians.

Zedekiah could not understand why Jeremiah would prophesy against the city and against the king. Perhaps his imprisoning the prophet was God’s way of protecting Jeremiah from his enemies and providing food for him during the terrible siege. People can imprison God’s workers, but God’s Word is not bound.

Jeremiah correctly predicted that Zedekiah would speak to Nebuchadnezzar “face to face” and “see him with his own eyes”. He would then be taken as a prisoner to Babylon, where Nebuchadnezzar would “deal with” him. “Visit” can be used in a good sense and in a bad sense. Its meaning is threatening here. Zedekiah was either executed or he died in prison in Babylon. Zedekiah’s refused to hear God’s word to him.

II. Jeremiah’s Purchase of a Field from a Cousin (32:6–15)

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.” 15 For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.” ’

A. God told Jeremiah that his cousin Hanamel was coming with an offer to sell property in their hometown of Anathoth.

If Hanamel had suddenly shown up, Jeremiah probably would have refused the offer. After all, the field was in the hands of the Babylonians, Jeremiah was in prison, and the future of the nation was bleak indeed. Of what use would a field be to Jeremiah who couldn’t possibly live for another seventy years?

That is what faith is all about: obeying God in spite of what we see, how we feel, and what may happen. It’s well been said that faith is not believing in spite of evidence but obeying in spite of consequence, and Jeremiah’s actions illustrate that maxim. When word got out that Jeremiah was investing in worthless real estate, many people must have laughed, others shook their heads in disbelief, and some probably thought he was crazy.

B. Jeremiah then signed and sealed the deed in the presence of witnesses to guarantee its legality.

It is of the utmost importance that these documents should be preserved for a long period of time. Therefore they have to be put in a clay jar, just as the scrolls of Qumran were preserved. They are preserved not only because of their economic value, but also mainly because they are a token of what will happen many years later, when the Babylonian exile will be over.

Jeremiah’s purpose in buying the land and preserving the deeds was to show that houses, fields, and vineyards would again be bought by the people of Israel in the land.

III. Jeremiah’s Prayer (32:16–25)

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.’ ”

A. Jeremiah prayed as he sought “ultimate clarity.”

As was often the case with Jeremiah, a testing experience of doubt followed a triumphant experience of faith. Having obeyed God’s command by faith, Jeremiah was now wondering how God would ever give him his property; he did the right thing by praying about it. The best way to handle doubt is to talk to God, be honest about your feelings, and then wait for Him to give you His message from His Word.

True prayer begins with worship and focuses on the greatness of God. No matter what our problems are, God is greater; and the more we see His greatness, the less threatening our problems will become. True prayer also involves rehearsing what God has done for us in the past and remembering how He kept His promises and met the needs of His people. Jeremiah’s prayer concluded with the prophet sharing his difficult situation with God and turning it over to Him

B. God had performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt and continued to perform them to the present moment.

The Babylonians had already built siege ramps to take the city. Jeremiah could foresee the city’s surrender to the Babylonians as a result of sword, famine, and plague. Jeremiah acknowledged that what God said would happen was then taking place. His statement, “You … say to me, ‘Buy the field’ ” is capable of two interpretations.

It may be a statement of Jeremiah’s unshakable faith. He may have been confident that in spite of impending ruin and defeat, God would have him buy a piece of family land to show that life would return to normal one day. His words could also be interpreted as a disbelieving reaction: “In this hopeless situation, why would you have me buy a field?” If the latter, it may parallel our own response in a difficult situation. We readily affirm that God can do great things, such as create the universe. But do we really trust him in life’s decisions?

IV. God’s Response to the Prayer (32:26–44)

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.’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.”

A. God met the needs of His servant and confirmed that his decisions were right.

The basic theme of Jeremiah’s prayer was “Nothing is too hard for You” , and God reaffirmed that very truth to His servant. Good theology always leads to a confident heart if we put our trust in the Word, for “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17, NKJV).

The Lord’s reply to Jeremiah affirmed what He had told him in the past: The city was heading for certain destruction because of the repeated sins of the people (Jer. 32:28–35). Their sin of idolatry had provoked the Lord, and the only solution was to put them in the land of Babylon and give them their fill of idols. Because the people had resisted the prophets and refused to obey the Law, they would have to take the consequences.

B. The Lord affirmed to Jeremiah that the situation wasn’t lost, for He would gather His people and bring them back to their land.

This promise seems to apply to the end times when Israel will be gathered “out of all countries” and the New Covenant will be in force, for the people will have a changed heart toward the Lord.

The application of this Scripture for today’s believer is obvious: The world laughs at us for our faith and our investments in the future, but one day God will keep His promises and vindicate us before people and angels. Instead of living for the sinful pleasures of this present world, we seek the joys of the world to come. We refuse to sacrifice the eternal for the temporal. The unbelieving world may ridicule us, but ultimately God will vindicate His people.