Imagine worshiping God forever! In other words there are no other people, things, rites and rituals, nothing else before HIM. That’s what it will be like in Heaven when all born-again believers — and ONLY born-again believers will be worshiping King Jesus and Him only! In today’s chapter, God assures Jeremiah that even though Jerusalem is being held in siege by the Babylonians and things look bleak, after the punishment of 70-years in exile is over, Israel will be restored. Let’s dig in…
Jeremiah 32 – Jeremiah’s Land Purchase
The following message came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of the reign of Zedekiah, king of Judah. This was also the eighteenth year of the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar. 2 Jerusalem was then under siege from the Babylonian army, and Jeremiah was imprisoned in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace. 3 King Zedekiah had put him there, asking why he kept giving this prophecy: “This is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to hand this city over to the king of Babylon, and he will take it. 4 King Zedekiah will be captured by the Babylonians and taken to meet the king of Babylon face to face. 5 He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, and I will deal with him there,’ says the Lord. ‘If you fight against the Babylonians, you will never succeed.’”
6 At that time the Lord sent me a message. He said, 7 “Your cousin Hanamel son of Shallum will come and say to you, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth. By law you have the right to buy it before it is offered to anyone else.’”
8 Then, just as the Lord had said he would, my cousin Hanamel came and visited me in the prison. He said, “Please buy my field at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin. By law you have the right to buy it before it is offered to anyone else, so buy it for yourself.” Then I knew that the message I had heard was from the Lord.
9 So I bought the field at Anathoth, paying Hanamel seventeen pieces of silver for it. 10 I signed and sealed the deed of purchase before witnesses, weighed out the silver, and paid him. 11 Then I took the sealed deed and an unsealed copy of the deed, which contained the terms and conditions of the purchase, 12 and I handed them to Baruch son of Neriah and grandson of Mahseiah. I did all this in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, the witnesses who had signed the deed, and all the men of Judah who were there in the courtyard of the guardhouse.
13 Then I said to Baruch as they all listened, 14 “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Take both this sealed deed and the unsealed copy, and put them into a pottery jar to preserve them for a long time.’ 15 For this is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘Someday people will again own property here in this land and will buy and sell houses and vineyards and fields.’”
Jeremiah’s Prayer
16 Then after I had given the papers to Baruch, I prayed to the Lord:
17 “O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you! 18 You show unfailing love to thousands, but you also bring the consequences of one generation’s sin upon the next. You are the great and powerful God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 19 You have all wisdom and do great and mighty miracles. You see the conduct of all people, and you give them what they deserve. 20 You performed miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt—things still remembered to this day! And you have continued to do great miracles in Israel and all around the world. You have made your name famous to this day.
21 “You brought Israel out of Egypt with mighty signs and wonders, with a strong hand and powerful arm, and with overwhelming terror. 22 You gave the people of Israel this land that you had promised their ancestors long before—a land flowing with milk and honey. 23 Our ancestors came and conquered it and lived in it, but they refused to obey you or follow your word. They have not done anything you commanded. That is why you have sent this terrible disaster upon them.
24 “See how the siege ramps have been built against the city walls! Through war, famine, and disease, the city will be handed over to the Babylonians, who will conquer it. Everything has happened just as you said. 25 And yet, O Sovereign Lord, you have told me to buy the field—paying good money for it before these witnesses—even though the city will soon be handed over to the Babylonians.”
A Prediction of Jerusalem’s Fall
26 Then this message came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 27 “I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me? 28 Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I will hand this city over to the Babylonians and to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 29 The Babylonians outside the walls will come in and set fire to the city. They will burn down all these houses where the people provoked my anger by burning incense to Baal on the rooftops and by pouring out liquid offerings to other gods. 30 Israel and Judah have done nothing but wrong since their earliest days. They have infuriated me with all their evil deeds,” says the Lord. 31 “From the time this city was built until now, it has done nothing but anger me, so I am determined to get rid of it.
32 “The sins of Israel and Judah—the sins of the people of Jerusalem, the kings, the officials, the priests, and the prophets—have stirred up my anger. 33 My people have turned their backs on me and have refused to return. Even though I diligently taught them, they would not receive instruction or obey. 34 They have set up their abominable idols right in my own Temple, defiling it. 35 They have built pagan shrines to Baal in the valley of Ben-Hinnom, and there they sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing. What an incredible evil, causing Judah to sin so greatly!
A Promise of Restoration
36 “Now I want to say something more about this city. You have been saying, ‘It will fall to the king of Babylon through war, famine, and disease.’ But this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 37 I will certainly bring my people back again from all the countries where I will scatter them in my fury. I will bring them back to this very city and let them live in peace and safety. 38 They will be my people, and I will be their God. 39 And I will give them one heart and one purpose: to worship me forever, for their own good and for the good of all their descendants. 40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me. 41 I will find joy doing good for them and will faithfully and wholeheartedly replant them in this land.
42 “This is what the Lord says: Just as I have brought all these calamities on them, so I will do all the good I have promised them. 43 Fields will again be bought and sold in this land about which you now say, ‘It has been ravaged by the Babylonians, a desolate land where people and animals have all disappeared.’ 44 Yes, fields will once again be bought and sold—deeds signed and sealed and witnessed—in the land of Benjamin and here in Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the hill country, in the foothills of Judah and in the Negev, too. For someday I will restore prosperity to them. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
Jeremiah 32 NLT
Too Late to Turn Back Now
Jerusalem was under siege. Babylonian troops were camped all over the surrounding suburbs of Judah. Jeremiah was imprisoned by King Zedekiah only because the king didn’t like what Jeremiah had to say — the truth.
A Message from God
God tells Jeremiah that his cousin is coming to sell him a field in his home town. At the moment, the field is occupied by the invading Babylonian army. What good was it? Yet, if God says that Jeremiah’s to buy that field, then he’s got to buy it. Even though that transaction made no sense at the moment, Jeremiah knew it was from God when his cousin came up to him to offer him the land.
Key Points
- As it turns out, all land in Israel belongs to God. In Leviticus, God told Moses, “The land must never be sold on a permanent basis, for the land belongs to me. You are only foreigners and tenant farmers working for me.” (Leviticus 25:23 NLT) When you think about it, everything WE own belongs to God, since He allowed us to have it, gave us the means to earn it, or He gifted it. He is the Provider. Always be grateful.
- The purchase of the field was a public transaction. Considering that the land was useless now, it was proof of the promise to the people that they would return to the land after the 70 years of exile.
- The sealed deed and an open one were kept in a clay jar and with the dry climate, it was preserved. In fact, that’s how the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.
- In Revelation 5, John sees a scroll with 7 seals. Jeremiah’s deed is a foretelling of this scene. Only Jesus, the Lamb, was worthy to open the scroll. Furthermore, this starts the 7 seal judgments of Revelation.
- In verse 17, Jeremiah states his faith and belief in God’s almighty power, “Nothing is too hard for you!” It’s a statement. He doesn’t question Him at all. Why is it so difficult for us to remember that? Why do we doubt God?
- Then in verse 27, God confirms it, “I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?”
- Finally, in verse 40, God states His promise, “And I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me.” The “desire in their hearts” is the healthy fear of God. What does it mean to be God-fearing? Click here.
Judah’s Sin is Mirrored Today
In verses 32-35 God lists the the people’s sins. Let’s put that in today’s context…
“The sins of the people of America, the political leaders, the governors, the priests, and the woke pastors—have stirred up my anger. 33 My people have turned their backs on me and have refused to return. They’ve heard the Good News, yet they reject it because it goes against their lifestyle or traditions. 34 They have set up their statues of Mary, and “saints”, all human beings, defiling worship. 35 They have built pagan shrines to Mary in various places, and they sacrifice their sons and daughters to abortion because they value themselves, careers, pride, life, fortune, vanity, and convenience, more than the life of a child. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command or condone such a thing. What an incredible evil, causing people to sin so greatly!”
God
Yes, I can imagine God saying these things. Is there no wonder that He is so angry? Is there no wonder that He has extreme judgment planned for all who are not born-again?
The question is, are you truly believing or just bluffing? Who are you fooling? Certainly, not God! Remember, He sees and knows EVERYTHING! You are only fooling yourself.
The Choice is Yours!
If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…
Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit.
- Believe — have Faith — that Jesus is the Christ and He died taking your sins away forever and that He rose from the dead 3 days later.
- Repent of your sins — stop sinning! Do a complete 180-degree turn in your life and surrender your life to Him. When you ask Jesus to forgive you He will. ALL your sins will be wiped clean — past, present, and future! And All means ALL!
- Be Baptized by water baptism — show the world and yourself that you have died to your old life and are born again in Christ.
- Receive the gift of Holy Spirit in your heart.
Invite Jesus into Your Heart and Receive the Gift of Grace, Joy, Peace, and the Confident Hope of Eternal Life…
A few more things to think about…
- What stood out for YOU in this story?
- What do you think God is trying to say to YOU?
- How can you apply what you learned here to your life?
