GRACE IN THE WILDERNESS.
Jeremiah 32.
The LORD speaks of Israel's time after her deliverance from Egypt as a “time of espousals,” when she was “holiness to the LORD” (Jeremiah 2:2-3). This may seem a little surprising, since we know that the forty years wandering in the wilderness were a punishment for Israel's waywardness and disobedience. Yet the flourishing of a first love is not without its nuptial tiffs, and often a husband or a wife will happily defend their partner to those outside the relationship – as God does here. Meantime the LORD calls His offending spouse to return to her first love (Revelation 2:4-5).
In Jeremiah 31:2 likewise, the LORD speaks of the people who were left of the sword “finding grace in the wilderness.” After all, He had embraced them with “an everlasting love,” and continues to draw His people not according to their merits, but according to His grace and loving-kindness (Jeremiah 31:3). This becomes significant when applied to those who went into exile in Jeremiah's day, who had escaped the sword (Jeremiah 51:50), and who would eventually experience a new exodus by returning to the land. It is even more significant to those who were far off, strangers to the covenants of God, who are now “brought nigh” by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:12-13).
Rachel was the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. She was also the grandmother of Ephraim and Manasseh. Benjamin had remained with the tribe of Judah when the kingdom was divided after Solomon's death, whilst Ephraim's name had become synonymous with the northern kingdom of Israel. Israel/Ephraim had already gone into exile before Jeremiah's days, and Judah and Benjamin would soon follow. This is the background to the picture of Rachel weeping for her children (Jeremiah 31:15), so familiar to us from Matthew's surprising interpretation of this prophecy in relation to the massacre of the innocents (Matthew 2:18).
Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5). Rachel's tears were efficacious, and therefore need not be perpetual. Her children would indeed return to the land (Jeremiah 31:16-17). There is hope for Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph. There is hope for little Benjamin, who has cleaved to his elder half-brother Judah. There is hope for the holy innocents. There is hope for the children of believers, if they will but put their trust in God.
The wonderful words of hope which are found in Jeremiah 30-33 were spoken whilst Jeremiah was shut up in the court of the prison in the king of Judah's house (Jeremiah 32:2). Jeremiah was accused of committing treason, no less, because he spoke of the imminent defeat and final demise and captivity of the present regime (Jeremiah 32:3-5).
Jeremiah was given God's words to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, before he could ever fulfil the second part of his ministry, which was to build and to plant (Jeremiah 1:10). We cannot plant churches unless we first confront people with the holiness of God, the sinfulness of man, their own need to repent, and the reality of the judgement to come. Following this there are the comforting words of God's grace, of the forgiveness of sin, the imputation of Christ's righteousness to all who will believe, of the hope of glory, and the certainty of heaven.
God spoke a very personal word to Jeremiah concerning a cousin who was about to visit him in prison, not for his comfort but with a view to selling him some land (Jeremiah 32:6-7). This must have seemed quite bizarre to Jeremiah considering his own incarceration on the one hand, and the imminent prospect of exile for the whole nation. Yet he knew it was the voice of God when, sure enough, his cousin came offering him the right of redemption for some land he owned (Jeremiah 32:8).
Although the business was private, yet it involved a transaction which necessarily took on a very public nature. The purchase was sealed with all due order, even in prison, with witnesses and the appropriate evidence of purchase deposited with Jeremiah's faithful amanuensis, Baruch (Jeremiah 32:9-14).
On their part, the witnesses may have thought it strange that this prophet who had predicted exile was still content to buy land in a doomed territory. However, the private proposition gave rise to the public transaction, and the public transaction gave rise to the prophetic proclamation of a prospective restoration (Jeremiah 32:15).
Emboldened by his recent transaction, Jeremiah resorted to private prayer for the public well-being, on the off-chance that the LORD might yet stay the hand of judgement which was against His people (Jeremiah 32:16).
This is a model prayer, acknowledging first God's omnipotence: He is the Creator of all things, all-powerful, and able to do all things (Jeremiah 32:17).
He is our faithful covenant God, who demonstrates His loving-kindness to thousands of those who love Him (Jeremiah 32:18; Deuteronomy 5:9-10). He is the just God (Jeremiah 32:19), and shall not the judge of the earth do right (Genesis 18:25)?
He is also the God of redemption, who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, and planted them in the good land (Jeremiah 32:20-23). We may add that He is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who washed us and saved us from our sins. He renewed our heart by His Holy Spirit, and set a new song in our mouth.
Jeremiah brings his people's present reality into his prayer. It is as it appears: they rebelled, and are receiving what they deserve (Jeremiah 32:23-24). Yet he is perplexed as to what the future holds, for having declared that the exile is inevitable, yet the LORD has instructed him to buy this field (Jeremiah 32:25). Why so?
At first the LORD's reply seems to echo Jeremiah's protest: is there anything too hard for the LORD (Jeremiah 32:27)? But no, Jeremiah, don't expect a miracle just yet. There are laws of cause and effect in operation (Jeremiah 32:28-29). The people must be punished for their moral corruption (Jeremiah 32:30-35).
Having said that, we are suddenly confronted with a reversal in Jeremiah 32:36-37. Jeremiah's fervent prayer proves effectual after all (James 5:16).
In terms reminiscent of the previous chapter, we are told of a renewed relationship between Israel and God (Jeremiah 32:38). It is quite evident that this prophecy reaches beyond the return from exile to our own age, and beyond that to a time when Israel shall enter into all the fullness of blessing which God has laid up for them (Jeremiah 32:39). For the Jews, as for the Gentiles, there is still only one way, and that “way” is the one we call the Lord Jesus Christ.
The new covenant of Jeremiah 31:31 here becomes an everlasting covenant, and evidence of their renewed heart is found in the emphatic negation: “they shall not depart from me” (Jeremiah 32:40). A promise of their perseverance in the face of irresistible grace.
As for the planting that follows the pulling up: well, it is the LORD Himself who will fulfil it (Jeremiah 32:41). The LORD claims responsibility for all that befell them, but just as surely, and still as a gift of grace, He will be the one to restore them (Jeremiah 32:42).
The explanation of God's instruction to Jeremiah to buy land in such a time was that it was a pledge, a guarantee, a seventeen shekel down-payment, if you will, on God's promise that they would eventually return to the land (Jeremiah 32:43-44).
When the New Testament was written, the word “exodus” had become a euphemism for death. It is used as such in 2 Peter 1:15. Likewise, Jesus discussed His own “exodus” with Moses and Elijah in the mount of transfiguration (Luke 9:31). This He accomplished in the cross of Calvary, purchasing our salvation, and sealing the promise with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the pledge, a down-payment if you will, a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until we enter the fullness of our redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14).
