Jeremiah 32:1-44

Change is very hard for us to accept, especially when that change is a negative one from our perspective.  The nation of Israel finds itself in a state of transition and really does not know what the future holds.  They had wrongly assumed they could live in their sin and not suffer any consequences but now they are being besieged by Babylon and Jeremiah is letting them know they will be taken captive and Jerusalem would fall.  However in the midst of all this chaos, Jeremiah is told to purchase a field and put the dead to the field in a clay pot.  This was God means of illustrating the future change He would make in Israel’s plight.  There is hope for the future and God has not forgotten His promises to His people.

THE PURCHASE OF A FIELD: The city is under siege.  Jeremiah has been imprisoned by the king of Judah for having prophesied the fall of Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem as well as the king’s impending meeting with Nebuchadnezzar.  In the midst of all this chaos, Jeremiah is offered the opportunity to purchase a field and God tells him to do it.  Purchasing a field in a nation that is about to be conquered is just about the same thing as throwing money to the wind.  However God tells Jeremiah to do it as a means of illustrating that there is hope for the nation even if it is in the distant future.  God is faithful to not allow us to keep us from falling into despair if we will only listen to His Word.  Things may be very difficult in this life but God does have a plan and He is in control.  The future is in His hands and He is always faithful and just.

THE PERSISTENCE OF FAILURE: The reason Israel and Judah have come to this point in their lives is their persistence of failure to honor and worship God.  Instead, the people have generation after generation followed idols, practiced injustice and lived in sin.  God had warned them repeatedly of the consequences of this type of action but they simply refused to listen and continued to live in this state of rebellion against the Lord.  God’s wrath had been provoked for generation after generation and the people had mistakenly taken His patience for indifference.  This same attitude persists in today’s world as well.  Today’s culture is given over to evil and idolatry.  The fear of God seems to have vanished from the large majority of people.  They mistakenly assume that God does not care, is powerless to do anything about it or that God simply does not exist.  Israel found out this was not true and one day this modern world will be in for a very rude awakening when God reveals Himself as judge.

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HE PROMISE OF A FUTURE: Jeremiah asks God why he was supposed to purchase the field and God reveals to him his purpose in this plan.  God wants to assure His people that even though they are being taken captive and their land is being destroyed there is still hope for the future.  God’s promises for the nation are secure and He will restore them to the land and allow them to live in the land securely forever.  Jeremiah’s purchase is symbolic of the future reality God has planned for His people where they will once again purchase and sell fields and business as usual will be restored to the land.  God’s promises will not fail and His faithfulness to His own Word is unfailing.  No matter how bad things may become in this world, we can have great assurance in God’s control over the events of the world and His commitment to keep His promises.

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