Jeremiah 32: 1 – 44
Buyer’s Remorse
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”? 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.”?’ 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.’?” 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.”
Buyer's remorse is the sense of regret after having made a purchase. It is frequently associated with the purchase of an expensive item such as real estate.
Buyer's remorse is thought to stem from cognitive dissonance, specifically post-decision dissonance, that arises when a person must make a difficult decision, such as a heavily invested purchase. Factors that affect buyer's remorse may include resources invested, the involvement of the purchaser, whether the purchase is compatible with the purchaser's goals, feelings encountered post-purchase that include regret.
The remorse may be caused by various factors, such as: the person purchased a product now rather than waiting, the item was purchased in an ethically unsound way, the property was purchased on borrowed money, the purchased object was something that would not be acceptable to others.
Buyer's remorse can also be caused or increased by worrying that other people may later question the purchase or claim to know better alternatives.
Psychologists have focused on three main elements that are related to cognitive dissonance and buyer's remorse. They are effort, responsibility, and commitment. Effort is the resources invested in a purchase (material, intellectual, psychological, and others) and effort is directly related to the importance of the purchase. Purchases that require high amounts of effort but do not bear high rewards are likely to lead to buyer's remorse. Responsibility refers to the fact that the purchase is done out of free will. Buyers that have no choice on the purchase will be less likely to feel dissonance because it was not of their own volition. Commitment refers to the continuing of an action. Purchases with higher commitment will lead to more buyer's remorse. Low rewards matched with these three conditions will most likely result in buyer's remorse via cognitive dissonance. The buyer feels anxiety and psychological discomfort because their behavior (the purchase of the item) does not match their attitude (their expectation of the purchased item).
I share this thinking and behavior because our Lord’s messenger is going to go through these types of feelings. The Majestic and Holy Lord God has informed his servant that the Babylonian army is going to conquer all of Israel including Judah. Anyone Jew left alive will be carted off to exile. Only a few would be left.
With all this said, our Great and Mighty Holy God is going to instruct His prophet to purchase land. Now how would you react to that request.
The good news is that the order comes from our All Knowing and Merciful God. He wants His spokesperson to purchase the land as a sure fact that Adoni Yahweh will in the future gather the remnant of the Jews from around the world and bring them back to the land where it will again flourish.
If He has assured this truth the only thing to consider then is to ask, ‘when do I show up for the closing signing and final payment’
The promises of what would happen in ‘coming days’ having been given, Jeremiah is now given an initial earnest (proof of occurrence) that it will happen. This part commences with the defining phrase, ‘The word that came to Jeremiah from YHWH --’ (32.1), and it describes how Jeremiah is shut up in prison by Zedekiah during the siege of Jerusalem, and yet nevertheless buys a piece of hereditary land on the death of his uncle as a token that Judah still has a future. After prayer he is then assured by YHWH that while Jerusalem must certainly suffer because of its sins and its sinful people must be taken into exile, He will one day restore them again under a Shoot (or Branch) of David through an everlasting covenant (32.1-33.26).
The scene now shifts to the time of the siege of Jerusalem, with the enemy camped around the city, and its people within being slowly starved into submission. All could look out over the walls and see the Babylonian siege engines and siege mounds, and all the related activity connected with the besieging of a city. This was relieved for a short time when an Egyptian army arrived to challenge the Babylonians, but that army was soon sent packing, with the siege being resumed. It was not until after this that Jeremiah was shut up, first in prison (37.4-5), and then in the court of the guard (37.21). All efforts would meanwhile be being made to uphold the morale of the slowly starving city, so that Jeremiah’s prophecy that the city would fall would therefore have been little short of treachery, which was one reason why he was subsequently put under guard in the court of the guard in the king’s palace complex.
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.
The date was around 588/7 BC. The siege began in c. 589 BC, and was now at its peak, with hope of help from the Egyptians having faded. It was the time when, because of the attempted rebellion of Zedekiah (largely forced on him by his advisers), Nebuchadnezzar had surrounded the city with a view to forcing it into submission.
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.
With the city surrounded by the enemy Jeremiah, who was falsely accused of wishing to desert to the enemy (37.13), had been imprisoned in the palace-complex prison in the court of the guard which was probably retained for imprisoning high state officials who fell from grace. It was a far better situation than he had experienced earlier when he had been in what was basically little better than a mud pit (38.6), a situation which could have proved fatal, and from which he had mercifully been delivered by a friendly party who had appealed to the king on his behalf (38.7-10). And there in the palace-complex prison he was occasionally consulted surreptitiously even by Zedekiah and could be visited by his friends and relatives.
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”?
We are then given, in words spoken by Zedekiah, the gist of what Jeremiah had prophesied, which was why he had been shut up in prison. This was basically that there was no point in resistance to the Chaldeans as the end was certain, and any resistance to them would not prosper. And that end was that the city would be delivered into the hands of the Babylonians, along with Zedekiah himself. Zedekiah would then be carried off to Babylon and would at some stage be brought face to face, and eyeball to eyeball, with Nebuchadnezzar, speaking with him mouth to mouth (while no doubt crouched in terror before him. As it turned out this would be the last sight, along with the execution of his sons, that he would see on earth before he was blinded). And he would remain in Babylon until YHWH ‘visited’ him. And this was the sure word of YHWH.
The idea of ‘visiting’ can sometimes signify release or judgment. Here it simply indicates YHWH’s carrying out of His intentions. As there is no record of his release at the time of the release of Jehoiachin it is probable that he was ‘visited’ by death prior to that date. All this is a reminder to us that if we do not pay heed to the word of God we must expect to face the consequences.
There is no reason to doubt that Hanamel had taken shelter in Jerusalem and pessimistically saw no future for the land in Anathoth. Among the wealthy (and the family appears to have been comparatively wealthy) it was only those favored by the Babylonians (and that would include Jeremiah) who could have any hopes of future possession of land. This may have been one reason for passing the land on to Jeremiah. Furthermore, in the desperate situation of the siege he may have needed money at hand to buy food. It would no doubt have been seen by him as a rather good move to sell it to Jeremiah before he lost it totally to the Babylonians. The price may well, therefore, have been a bargain one, with Jeremiah having the right of redemption because Hanamel had no sons.
It was seen as important in Israel/Judah to keep family land within the wider family. When it was being sold it must therefore be offered within the family, a custom exemplified here.
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.”?
YHWH prepared Jeremiah for the visit that was about to be made to him by telling him about his cousin Hanamel who was desirous of selling family land in Anathoth, Jeremiah’s birthplace. We do not know details of why it was available because normally priestly land could not be sold. But this may have been extra land which had been bought by the family or had come into it through a female who was of a non-priestly line. And the point was that being family land it had to be offered to the next of kin. As Hanamel’s cousin Jeremiah appears to have been next of kin, Hanamel presumably being childless.
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.
Hanamel may have been desperate to sell the field in order to be able to buy food at the very expensive prices for which food was being sold in a siege ravaged city, and it may well be that he was making the offer as a legal formality. Or he may have been relying on the fact of Jeremiah’s popularity with the Babylonians as making the offer seem worthwhile, at least to him. He may indeed have considered that, by selling it to Jeremiah, it would in the event of a Babylonian victory still be held in the family.
Having been forewarned Jeremiah recognized in this the hand of YHWH. He knew that it was what YHWH had purposed through His word.
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.
So he went ahead and bought his deceased uncle’s field, at a price agreed at seventeen shekels of silver. This was not strictly ‘money’ (coins) but a certain weight of silver, which explains why it had to be weighed out. As we know nothing about the size of the piece of land, nor local land values, nor how long it was to the year of jubilee, we cannot evaluate the price. But it does indicate that Jeremiah came from a wealthy family and had a fair level of resources available to him even in prison.
10 And I signed the deed and sealed it, took witnesses, and weighed the money on the scales.
Jeremiah then wrote out the deed and solemnly sealed it, calling witnesses to witness to the payment of the correct price.
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.
It is apparent that two deeds were in fact completed ‘according to law and custom’, one being left open and one sealed. They were then handed over to Baruch, in the presence of Hanamel, and in the presence of the witnesses mentioned above, and in front of all the Jews who were gathered in the court of the guard. These may well have been supporters of Jeremiah who had gathered there to demonstrate that support, and to encourage him (and themselves in the light of the siege). Their presence indicates the relative restricted freedom that Jeremiah enjoyed. The transaction was therefore well witnessed. The fact that Jeremiah was buying land may well have become the latest on news, intriguing the people of Jerusalem, and it would encourage his supporters, even if they did not fully understand it.
Baruch was Jeremiah’s faithful friend and secretary. His importance in a secular sense is brought out by the mention of two forebears, and the fact that his brother Seraiah held an important post in the court of King Zedekiah (51.59). But his greatest importance undoubtedly lay in the support and help that he continually gave to Jeremiah. In 36.4 he is depicted as acting as his secretary and personal assistant, in 43.3 he is accused of encouraging Jeremiah to preach sedition, and in 36.26 he is seen as sharing his sufferings and perils.
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.”
Then he charged Baruch in the Name of YHWH of hosts to put them in an earthenware jar for preservation into the distant future. The jar would then itself be sealed with pitch in order to preserve the contents and would have the contents written on the outside in case the deeds ever had to be consulted.
15 For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: “Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.”’
Finally, he declared that by this ‘YHWH of hosts, the God of Israel’ was indicating that one day fields and vineyards would once again be sold in the land. On Jeremiah’s part it was a firm statement of faith in the future.
Having handed over the deeds of purchase of the land to Baruch, Jeremiah comes to YHWH in prayer, and in the prayer, he sums up how he sees the present situation, setting out the pros and cons. On the one hand he sets out his arguments as to why he knows that YHWH could deliver if He so wished, and on the other he acknowledges that YHWH’s thoughts are based on a greater wisdom than his own, that the people are unworthy, and that it does not at present look as though He is going to deliver. He may have intended it to be a challenge to the mighty YHWH to once again act to save His people miraculously, in view of the fact that He has made him, Jeremiah, purchase a piece of occupied land, or to be a query as to why He has called on him to buy such land if He knows that He is not going to deliver His people. Or it may indeed be a combined challenge with both options in mind.
The background to the prayer is that the enemy are at the very gates of Jerusalem and have dug in, building mounds and awaiting Jerusalem’s final submission, seemingly with no intended intervention by YHWH at hand. But as Jeremiah watches this from the city walls he is also conscious of the power of YHWH and of what history has revealed about both His ability and His willingness to save, (He is after all a God Who shows covenant love to thousands), and it would appear that he was thus wondering what YHWH’s final intentions might be at this final stage. (He may well have had in mind the last minute, remarkable deliverance of Jerusalem in the time of Isaiah).
So in his prayer to YHWH in the light of this, he deliberately draws attention to the positive, to His great and creative power, and His ability to do whatever He wants. Nothing, he points out, is too hard for Him. He is indeed the Mighty God of Battle, so he has no doubt that He could deliver if He wished to do so. And he also, possibly hopefully, draws attention to His covenant compassion, although he then immediately contrasts it with His judgment on sinners. He is clearly not wanting to presume.
On the other hand, he recognizes that He is the One Who is all-wise and sees all men’s actions, and deals with them accordingly. That may count against Judah. On the other hand it could count against their enemies, and he recalls in this regard how God had similarly delivered Israel from Egypt when they were in an impossible situation, because He was aware of the sinfulness of the Egyptians. And had He not done similar things at other times since, even when His people were failing Him? He underlines how often YHWH has miraculously delivered His people in the past.
On the other hand, he also acknowledges that, in spite of YHWH’s past goodness revealed in the giving to His people of a land flowing with milk and honey, YHWH’s people had once again failed Him and had not obeyed His voice or walked in His Law. Indeed they had done nothing of all that He had commanded them. He therefore acknowledges that that is why they are now in this perilous situation, and why siege mounts are visible outside the walls, and why the conditions within the walls of sword, famine and pestilence appear to be ensuring a final enemy victory. That might appear to settle the matter. But then he draws on what he sees as one last glimmer of hope. YHWH has caused him to buy land in Judah almost as though nothing was going on. Does that then mean that YHWH intends to deliver Jerusalem? He may well have been asking, ‘You have acted so in the past, are you now about to do so again, since you have made me buy this land?’ The impression being given by the prayer is that Jeremiah is not quite sure what YHWH intends to do with the result that he has gone over all the facts which could influence such a decision in his prayer. On the one hand he knows that He could deliver them if He so wished, because He is mighty and powerful, and compassionate, and wise, and experienced as a miraculous Deliverer, but on the other he remembers that YHWH sees all that is going on and that YHWH has declared in the past the certainty of the destruction of Jerusalem. On the other hand, this last does not appear to tie in with his having required Jeremiah to purchase a piece of land. The question Jeremiah is considering is in his prayer is, will He save, or will He judge? (The prayer considers the arguments both ways). No wonder he is puzzled.
The prayer is typical of expanded Hebrew prayer which summarizes the whole situation before coming to a conclusion, and in this case initially exalts YHWH as mighty Creator and miraculous Deliverer, before going on to present arguments in depth based on the people’s sinfulness which might cause Him not this time to act in His divine power.
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.
We should note here that Jeremiah obeyed first and then prayed afterwards. Our prayers would often be more successful if we learned this lesson. All too often our prayers are hindered because we are not walking in obedience to what God has called on us to do when we pray. But Jeremiah first did what he was told, and then brought his grievance to YHWH. Indeed it was his obedience that gave him grounds for doing so.
He draws attention to the greatness and all-powerful nature of YHWH and declares that YHWH is the sovereign ‘Lord’, Who has made the heavens and the earth by His own great power and personal activity. In other words that He is the Great Creator Who is over all things and can therefore do anything that He wants, whether in saving or in judging. For the idea of ‘Your great power and your outstretched arm’ compare Deuteronomy 9.29 where it referred to His intervention in the deliverance from Egypt. Here it refers to His bringing about the very act of creation by His personal act of power.
He stresses that it needs to be recognized that there is nothing that is ‘too hard’ (extraordinary, difficult) for Him. The conclusion to be drawn from this is that He could save if He wanted to.
Furthermore he points out that He is also the God of Moses with whom He had made His covenant, for on the one hand, as He had declared to Moses, He shows ‘covenant love’ to thousands (Exodus 20.6), and on the other He recompenses to men their iniquity in failing to observe that covenant, both in respect of themselves and of their sinning descendants. On the one hand YHWH could respond in compassion, in accordance with His covenant. On the other He could condemn based on their iniquities.
And on top of this he draws out that He is also the God of battle, for He is ‘the great, the mighty God’, Whose Name is ‘YHWH of hosts’. In all this we have an indication of Jeremiah’s sound knowledge of early Scripture, and a view of YHWH which is in deliberate contrast to Judah’s powerlessness at the hands of the besieging Babylonians. He is making clear that if they are not delivered it will be because YHWH chooses not to deliver them, not because He cannot.
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.
He then points out that YHWH is also both all-wise (great in counsel) and all-powerful in His activity (mighty in work), as well as being all-knowing, with His eyes open to all the ways of mere ‘sons of men’, in order that He might reward each according to their deserts, and according to what they have achieved. Thus YHWH knows what is best and he is confident that He will make the right decision. We can compare with his description here the words of David in Psalm 53.2, ‘God looks down from Heaven on the sons of men, to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God.’ If He chooses not to intervene on Judah’s behalf it will not be because He is unaware of precisely what is going on.
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.
He points out that He Is a God of continuing wonders and miracles. He initially established signs and wonders in the land of Egypt and has continued to produce such signs and miracles ‘to this day’. He had made a Name for Himself. There was thus plenty of precedent for YHWH’s intervention, had He wished to do so. But now YHWH appeared to be silent.
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;
With the same strong hand and outstretched arm that He had used in creating, He had also personally delivered His people out of Egypt, by means of signs and wonders, His strong hand and outstretched arm, and great terrors. There could be no doubt therefore of His ability to save should He desire to do so. Babylon was no mightier than ancient Egypt.
22 You have given them this land, of which You swore to their fathers to give them—“a land flowing with milk and honey.”
And it was He Who had demonstrated His love for His people by giving them the land that they now possessed (the very land which Jeremiah had bought a portion of), a good and worthwhile land. It had been His gift to them, based on His promises to their forefathers. (In this lay possible hope).
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.
And the result was that they had come in and possessed it. Victory and territory had been secured with YHWH’s help. But then had arisen the problem. They had not obeyed His voice or walked in His Law. They had done nothing of what He had commanded them. They had flagrantly disobeyed Him. And by doing so they had forfeited any right to the land. (That appeared to cancel out the possible hope).
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!
Then he calls on YHWH to consider what lies before His very eyes. The siege mounds of the Babylonians have been built up outside the city walls, because they have come there to take the city, and it has already for all practical purposes been given into their hands because the city is almost consumed with the sword, and with famine, and with pestilence as YHWH had previously warned. Death and weakness were therefore everywhere, as YHWH Himself could see. It was in no position to consider resisting.
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.’?”
On the other hand, having considered YHWH’s power to deliver, in contrast with the present situation of the city, he still has cause for perplexity. What, he asks, is YHWH’s intention because He has called on Jeremiah to buy a piece of land in the presence of witnesses (something which appeared to suggest that the land still had a future)? On the one hand he has obeyed YHWH and has bought the land, and on the other YHWH is delivering the city into the hands of the Chaldeans. This did not appear to make sense.
This is a perfect example of praying through a problem, by listing the pros and cons of the situation and considering the alternatives. The pros are that God is all-powerful and all-wise and mighty enough to deliver, and often acts graciously. The cons are that the people are totally undeserving and disobedient to the covenant, and thus subject to its curses. The question then was what YHWH’s reaction was going to be in the light of all the facts.
YHWH answers both questions that are preying on Jeremiah’s mind. On the one hand He stresses that He does intend to deliver the city into the hands of the Chaldeans because of all their iniquity (32.28-35), and on the other He draws out that He does intend one day to deliver them again and restore them to the land, so that they might buy and sell land once again (32.36-44). Thus, both of Jeremiah’s options are to be seen as true. And that is because NOTHING is too hard for YHWH.
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?
Observing His servant’s perplexity YHWH graciously comes to Jeremiah with the final answer to his questions.
He confirms that Jeremiah is quite correct in having said that nothing is too hard from Him because He is ‘the God of all flesh’, the Universal Lord, with complete authority over all men.
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.
And it is on this basis that He intends to give the city into the hands of the Chaldeans (another name for the Babylonians and into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, who will consequently take it. Note that it is because YHWH so chooses that it will happen. It will happen just as He has determined.
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;
YHWH then deigns to explain why He has made this choice. It is because the flat roofs of the houses had become mini sanctuaries to Baal and to other gods, with incense being offered there to Baal, and drink offerings poured out to other gods. It was because it had become a hive of idolatry, provoking Him to anger. That was why He had brought in the Chaldeans, in order that they might purge the city with fire. The smoke of burning buildings would replace that of incense.
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.
He accuses the people of both Israel and Judah of having done ‘only what was evil in my sight from their youth’. The idea is not that none ever performed a good action, but that even in their good actions their motives were wrong. Their whole attitudes and trends of life had been contrary to His will. ‘The work of their hands’ includes their overall disobedience and evil activity but may well partly have in mind the idols that they had made for themselves with their own hands. And this was the sure word of YHWH.
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.
What is more the whole city of Jerusalem had provoked Him to anger constantly from its very beginnings, both from when it was a Jebusite city, combined with suburbs built by Benjamin and Judah. They had done it to so severely that it was beyond redemption to such an extent that He was now determined to remove it from before His face. The blame was to be shared by all. None were exempt from blame. All had provoked His anger.
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
They had rudely turned their backs on Him rather than looking Him in the face (they had given Him brief recognition while at the same time treating Him for all intents and purposes as though He was not there by worshipping idols). And they had done this despite His great efforts to bring them back to Himself, and His efforts to instruct them God had done all that He could but they had not listened.
34 But they set their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to defile it.
And to cap it all they had even set up idols in YHWH’s own house, the house which was called by His Name, thus defiling it. This included an alter to the hosts of heaven, and certainly an Asherah image. It also included vessels for Baal which suggest that a pillar to Baal was also set up.
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.’
But even possibly worse than that was that they had committed a sin so horrible that YHWH did not even want to bring it to mind, in that they had set up high places of Baal in the Valley of Hinnom and had caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech. In 19.5 this is described as ‘burning their sons as burnt offerings to Baal’, so that there is no doubt that child sacrifice was involved. Molech was the fiery god of the only half-civilized Ammonites and had clearly been conjoined with Baal in this form of worship (Baal means ‘Lord’, Molech means ‘King). And not only had YHWH not commanded it, but He could not even bear to think of it.
YHWH promises that while it was true that Jerusalem would be given into the hands of the king of Babylon after enduring great suffering, nevertheless he would one day gather them from all the countries to which He had driven them, and would give them true and steadfast hearts that would fear Him for ever, and would make an everlasting covenant with them that He would never again turn away from following them in order to do good, having put constancy in their hearts. He would plant them again in the land, and bring good on them. And fields would once again be bought and sold in the land.
Looking ahead Jeremiah no doubt saw this in terms of one final once-for-all development on their being restored to the land, for that would be his hope, and he was not called on to proclaim what was beyond his ability to comprehend. But as with all prophecy it has to be taken piece by piece and applied to what has happened and what will happen. God’s panorama is very large and very lengthy, and He has plenty of time. Certainly the people would begin to return to the land within fifty years, and gradually that trickle would become a flood, repopulating Palestine ready for the coming of Christ. Over that time, He would once again be their God, and they would be His people. And a good number of them would have restored faith and restored hearts and would enjoy a certain level of security.
The promise is very much a down to earth one of the presents, while at the same time having an eternal perspective. It combines near and far. Many of God’s people did return from many countries preparing for the first coming of the Messiah. And many would be transformed. And an even greater transformations would take place once the Messiah had come and He had drenched His people with the Holy Spirit. They would indeed have a new heart and a new spirit. And the perfection described here would be emerging within them, in preparation for their eternal future.
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:
We have here YHWH’s response to Jeremiah’s puzzled condition. Jeremiah had indeed prophesied that Jerusalem would be given into the hand of the King of Babylon accompanied by sword, famine and pestilence, the three accompaniments of war, for which see verse 24. But what he must not overlook was what was to follow.
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.
For it was YHWH’s intention to gather His people from all the countries where He had driven them ‘in His anger, and wrath and great indignation’ (a threefold combination bringing out the greatness of His fury). And He would bring them back to this place and cause them to dwell in safety.
38 They shall be My people, and I will be their God;
Again there can be no doubt that re-established Israel did see themselves as YHWH’s people, and YHWH as their God. Nor can we doubt that God saw it in the same way, for He sent His Son among them seeking ‘the lost sheep of the house of Israel’ (Matthew 10.6). But there was also undoubtedly a deeper fulfilment in the formation of the early church of true believers after Christ’s resurrection (2 Corinthians 6.16). But in all cases, there would be false among the true. Thus its final complete fulfilment awaits the time when all half-heartedness will be done away and His people are finally His forever (Revelation 21.3).
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.
Here we find a repetition of the promise of the new covenant (31.31-34). It is a guarantee that once such a change of heart has taken place it can never be reversed. They will fear Him forever. ‘For He Who has begun a good work in them will confirm it until the Day of Jesus Christ’ (Philippians 1.6). ‘He will confirm them to the end, for He is faithful Who promised’ (1 Corinthians 1.8-9). It represents a ‘fear of the Lord’ which is permanent and cannot be taken away
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.
This reference of it to eternity ties in with the fact that it is an everlasting covenant. No manipulating of the Hebrew can make this mean any other than ‘everlasting’, for that is the point of the promise. It will be unfailing forever. And that requires an eternal kingdom.
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.’
This is certainly not true of modern so-called Israel. He can hardly be said to have planted them in the land with His whole heart and His whole soul, and they are undoubtedly demonstrating attitudes which are not of God. They are there still largely in unbelief, and they have already planted themselves there. (Jeremiah always speaks of a return following repentance, and modern so-called Israel has not repented, otherwise they would have come to believe in Jesus Christ). It thus mainly has in mind the restoration after the exile. YHWH did rejoice over them to do them good, as He assures both Haggai and Zechariah, and He did plant them in the land with His whole heart and His whole 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.
The certainty of the future is underlined. The initial fulfilment was undoubtedly after the Exile. Having brought evil on them He did in the future bring good on them. But it was necessarily limited. Thus the final fulfilment awaited the establishment of the new nation of Matthew 21.43, and even then only as finalized in eternity. Jeremiah was prophesying beyond what he could possibly comprehend. What he did know was that YHWH was promising the very best for all who were His own.
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.”
The buying of fields did, of course, become common after the Exile, even though at this time it must have seemed unlikely that it would ever do so. The fields would no longer be desolate.
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.”
YHWH wanted to root His promises in a genuine hope to which the people of Jeremiah’s time could look forward. And thus He promised that just as Jeremiah had bought land at Anathoth, so would men in the future buy fields in the land for silver, and would like Jeremiah subscribe to deeds and seal them. The land thus had a future, and this future would not be restricted but would be true over the whole land. The mention of the ‘land of Benjamin’ stresses that such purchases will take place in the very part of the land where Jeremiah had made his purchase. Interestingly there is overall no specific mention of the northern kingdom, but we must remember that Jeremiah was making his promises very much to the nation of his time, and that nation did not possess the northern kingdom. The ‘cities of the South’ were of course the cities in the Negeb. The hill country and the lowlands covered the remainder of Judah, the cities of Judah being added in for good measure. The mention of Jerusalem is an assurance that one day it will be restored, as it was by Nehemiah. And all this would be because, on the certain and sure word of YHWH, their captivity would be returned. The exiles would come home.
