Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Jeremiah 32:1
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.
1. Jeremiah’s own circumstances and those of the State are given first with great particularity in order that it may be brought out that it is in spite of the gloomiest appearances that his faith in the future is thus firm.
the tenth year of Zedekiah ] The siege had commenced in his ninth year (Jer 39:1), but the Chaldaeans, hearing that an Egyptian army was approaching, had departed for a time (Jer 37:5). Jeremiah took advantage of this to leave Jerusalem, in order to visit his property at Anathoth, was charged with falling away to the Chaldaeans, and in spite of his denial was imprisoned (Jer 37:11-15). The stringency with which he was at first treated was after a while relaxed on his petitioning the king to that effect (Jer 37:20, Jer 38:28). He was still, however, “shut up in the court of the guard” ( Jer 32:2). This part of the narrative therefore is somewhat subsequent in date to those incidents above referred to which are recounted later.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
1 5. Introductory account of the historical position.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The siege of Jerusalem began in Zedekiahs ninth year Jer 39:1, but was temporarily raised upon the approach of an Egyptian army. See Jer. 37; 38.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Jer 32:1-15
Buy my field, I pray thee.
Jeremiahs faith
I. Faith is here illustrated as resting exclusively upon the word of God. All that Jeremiah did in this matter he did just because he had a command from the Lord. Whilst he was in prison, God told him that his cousin should come and offer him the redemption of a part at least of the family inheritance. The man came, and he knew that this was the Word of the Lord; therefore he bought the field. It is not to be supposed that he was rich. The probability is that he may have had to get the money for the purchase from his friend Baruch. Neither had he any expectation of himself obtaining any personal benefit from the purchase, for he believed that the city would be given into the hands of the Chaldeans, that the people would be taken for seventy years as exiles to Babylon. This is the very nature of true faith; it does the thing, or it receives the thing, it fears or it hopes, as the case may be wholly because God has spoken. If it embraces a promise, it rests its hope upon the Word of the Lord. If it is moved by fear, it is because God has denounced an impending punishment. If it acts in a particular way, it follows exactly the path which God has marked out. Resting as it does entirely upon the Word of God, it is altogether independent of reason, although it does not refuse to listen to its voice. Faith receives testimony; our faith in men leads us to receive the testimony of men. We often receive that testimony although we have no other evidence whatever of the facts we believe. Nay, we receive it although we have found the very persons whose testimony we are now relying upon to have been, in some instances, at least, mistaken. Faith in men goes thus far; it must go thus far; we are compelled to act in this way, or we should cut ourselves off from mankind and the activities of life. But if this be so, if we find it necessary and reasonable to act in this way, receiving the testimony of men, shall we not receive the testimony of God? When He speaks it is for us simply to listen. How wondrously has God spoken! In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Going on from that primary revelation, He has revealed more and more of His truth; and in proportion as our minds rise, in proportion as our moral sense is cultivated, in proportion as we get free from the degrading power of evil which perverts our moral judgment, we find the revelation to be in accordance with everything we might expect. He speaks to us of things which are far beyond the reach of human knowledge and experience, testimony or deduction. He sets before us His own dear Son incarnate in our nature, and tells us of the great purpose for which He came.
II. This passage teaches us also that faith takes account of difficulties and improbabilities only so far as to refer them to him. We must pass on to a later portion of the chapter to illustrate this. When Jeremiah had purchased the field, and subscribed the deeds and sealed them, and they were deposited in the custody of Baruch in an earthen jar to be kept for a considerable time, he seems to have experienced what we all know, some kind of reaction Of feeling; and then, as if he almost felt that he had done something that he was hardly warranted in doing, he goes and lays the matter before God (verses 17-25). This must certainly have seemed strange to any person who did not understand that it was Gods Word. That a man who was in prison should buy an estate, believing as he did that before long the country would be in the hands of the Chaldeans, who would recognise no title-deeds whatever; that he should carefully go through the forms of Jewish law to acquire the estate, really appeared a most foolish thing. It seems as if those thoughts, so natural to us, came back upon Jeremiahs mind, and he began to think of the difficulties and the probabilities of the case. You see that this is not a prayer for a blessing upon what he had done; it is not a prayer that the matter in which he had been engaged should be successful; but it is an utterance of wavering and distracted feeling; and that wavering and distracted feeling is rightly uttered to God. We all know perfectly well that faith as it exists in us is not complete in its power. Sometimes we can look over, we might almost say, the boundaries of our earthly horizon and see the gates of the heavenly Jerusalem and the hills of the celestial city, but at other times the depths of the valley of the shadow of death seem to hide it all from our view. Sometimes we can hold firmly to the truth which God has been pleased to set before us with unequivocal assertion, and with demonstration of power to our believing heart; but at other times our grasp upon it seems to relax, and it appears almost as if it would slip through our hands. When there is anything of this, what will a person who really has faith do, although that faith may not be in the most perfect state and in the fullest exercise? He will take all his difficulty to God. Do we find any difficulties about the way of salvation? Let us go and ask God to throw light, as far as that light is necessary, upon the truths whereby we are to be saved. Is there any question about my own connection with, or interest in, the work of Christ? Let me go and spread it before God, and ask Him to make my salvation clear to me. God never said that there should be no difficulty in the Christians path. God never told us that there should be nothing hard to understand in the truth that the Christian has to believe respecting Himself.
III. Again, we have this illustration of the nature and the power of true faith:–it joins obedience prompt and full with reliance implicit and abiding. Why does the inspired writer tell us the little particulars of the transaction? Would it not have been enough to say, I bought the field? No, because the object was to show that, in the full confidence that what God had said would come to pass, Jeremiah had left nothing whatever undone. There was no flaw in the document; all legal forms were complied with exactly; the two kinds of deeds that were always used, the one sealed and the other open, were provided; the earthen jar was obtained; the deeds were put in it and intrusted to a man of rank and standing; the money was paid; and all was done in the presence of witnesses, just as if Jeremiah had hoped to take possession of the little estates the very next day. This shows that the obedience of faith will be prompt and full and will omit nothing. Jeremiah never expected to get possession of that estate personally. He himself spoke of seventy years as the period of the captivity, and he did not therefore expect that he should ever be put in possession of the little piece of land, the reversion to which he had purchased. Faith does not bind its expectations to the present; it does not limit them to a mans own life here; it looks beyond. And the faith of a Christian looks farther still than Jeremiahs. It does not look merely to a deliverance at the end of seventy years, and a possession by some of our descendants or representatives at that time of a little spot in the earthly Canaan. It looks to the close of this mortal life, to the day of resurrection, and to glory with the risen Saviour throughout eternity. (W. A. Salter.)
Jeremiahs purchase
I. The reasons for this purchase.
1. We may perhaps suppose that kindness to a kinsman, as Matthew Henry suggests, had something to do with it; for kindness is kinnedness, and it is very hard if we cannot show kindness to our kith and kin when they are in need. If Jeremiah has no need of the land, we may still infer, under the circumstances of Jerusalem in a state of siege, that his cousin Hanameel has great need of money. Some of us, perhaps, who maintain that business is business, and should be conducted always on the strictest business principles, may think that as to this matter of kindness to a kinsman, about the most inexpedient way of showing it is by mixing it with matters of business. As nearest kinsman his was the right of redemption, and it was already his in reversion in case of the death of his cousin; this cousin being, as we assume, in straits for want of money, and Jeremiah being a considerate, reasonable, and kind-hearted man, concedes to his cousins proposal, buying the land for what it is worth, and perhaps for something more. And if the opportunity should occur to us of helping a needy relative in some such way–if with anything like a reasonable prospect of success we can give him another chance, a new start in life, helping him to help himself–then, looking at the example of Jeremiah, I think we may all hear a voice speaking to us, and saying, Go thou and do likewise.
2. We may suggest, as another reason for this purchase, Jeremiahs interest in future generations. Anathoth was one of the cities of the priests, and this field was ecclesiastical property. It might well be, therefore, that, unless Jeremiah bought it, it might in those confused times pass into other hands, by which it would become alienated from its sacred purposes, and so the law of Moses suffer violation. He was a Jew, and we know how the Jews looked on to the future and backward to the past, linking the past to the present and the present to the future, finding in the present a focus in which both past and future met, and so in the nations unity finding its immortality. We know how that great national anthem, that prayer of Moses the man of God, begins, Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations; and we know how it closes, Let Thy work appear unto Thy servants, and Thy glory unto their children, and establish Thou the work of our hands upon us, yea, the work of our hands establish Thou it. We have a more sure word of prophecy, we anticipate a more glorious future, and we also know that even as to this life the best that we can do for those who are to come after us is not by making purchases, not buying fields or houses, not saving fortunes for our children, but by living godly, devout, Christ-like lives, shall we leave to them the best inheritance.
3. Let us assume, again, that Jeremiah, magnifying his prophets office, would have it made plain that he himself believed in his own predictions. The land was indeed to be desolate for seventy years, to have its Sabbaths, and to lie fallow; but after that time the people were to return from their captivity, take joyful possession once more of houses, and fields, and lands: and this particular piece of land, Jeremiah believed, would then revert to its rightful owners, the priests and Levites. For ourselves, making no pretension to the prophets office–that is, in the sense of foretelling–yet let us take care that our practice shall not conflict with our theory, that we practise what we preach, and so adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. Let your conversation be as becometh the gospel of Christ.
4. Lastly, as summing up all, we may say that Jeremiah evidently believed it to be the will of God. I marvel much how anyone calling himself a Christian, can ever hesitate as to doing what he believes to be the will of God, especially when the question is of something simple and easily done. I am asked sometimes, Is baptism necessary to salvation? and I answer, No, a thousand times, no. Salvation precedes baptism, and is in nowise a consequence of it; but surely, if we once admit that it is the will of God, that we have for it at once the example and precept of the Lord, that should be enough for us.
II. Jeremiahs doubts and difficulties as to this purchase. No sooner was it completed than he seems to have been oppressed as with a burden, his brain clouded, and his nervous system rendered irritable by it.
1. Perhaps he is beginning to doubt whether after all he had rightly interpreted the vision, and the subsequent visits of Hanameel, as making it quite certain that he was to accept his kinsmans offer. He still thinks so, as it would seem, upon the whole, but yet his mind is opening to a doubt, and he is in sore perplexity of spirit.
2. It may be also that he is distressed at the thought that perhaps his very confidence in the promises of God, and his wish to show that he believed in his own predictions, may be turned against him. The sneering, who understand so well the motives of others, may be saying, Dont tell me that this man is so unselfish as to part with his money for a piece of land that somebody else seventy years hence is to enjoy! He knows better than that, and fully expects before very long to take possession of it himself; and possibly, hearing such things, he might be in the confused condition of Bunyans Christian in the valley of the shadow of death, when the foul fiend whispered into his ear those terrible thoughts which he could hardly distinguish from his own. There is nothing at all unusual, moreover, in such an experience as this, that when a man, acting by such light as he has, has done what seems to him a wise thing and a good thing, there comes for a time a sort of morbid reaction, by which he sinks into despondency and gloom. And herein lies the difference between those who fall away and those who, enduring to the end, are saved: not that either is exempt from doubts, conflicts, and temptations; but that in the one case these are yielded to, and in the other, faith ultimately gains the victory over them.
III. How Jeremiah overcame and solved his doubts and difficulties. I prayed unto the Lord. Whether or not he prayed to the Lord about his purchase before he made it we are not told. Perhaps he did not. There are some things that seem so plain to us as matters of duty and of daily habit, that there is no need to pray for Divine direction concerning them. As the Lord said to Moses when Israels duty was so plain, Wherefore criest thou unto Me? Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward. But in any case we are sure that the spirit of prayer, the continued lifting up of the heart to God, was in all that Jeremiah had done. But when we find him bringing this matter of the purchase specially before the Lord, seeking as he does for help and strength and grace, in weakness, perplexity, and trouble, we are encouraged by his example to bring all our affairs to the throne of the heavenly grace, however commonplace, mechanical, and routine they may be. (J. W. Lance.)
A patriots faith in the future
This was bravely done, to make a purchase at such a time, when the enemy was seizing upon all. That Roman is famous in history who adventured to purchase that field near Rome wherein Hannibal had pitched his camp. But the Romans were nothing near so low at that time as the Jews were at this. A striking parallel to this confidence of Jeremiah, in the midst of near and present troubles, as to the ultimate glory of his nation, is furnished in the recently published Memoir of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, whoso father, Gabriel Rossetti, an Italian patriot who sought asylum in this country, yet never lost faith in the future of his native land. His biographer says: When he died in 1854, the outlook seemed exceedingly dark; yet heart and hope did not abate in him. The latest letter of his which I have seen published was written in September or October 1853, and contains this passage, equally strong-spirited and prophetic: The Arpa Evangelica . . . ought to find free circulation through all Italy. I do not say the like of three other unpublished volumes, which all seethe with love of country and hatred for tyrants. These await a better time–which will come, be very sure of it. The present fatal period will pass, and serves to whet the universal desire Let us look to the future. Our tribulations, dear Madam, will not finish very soon, but finish they will at last. Reason has awakened in all Europe, although her enemies are strong. We shall pass various years in this state of degradation; then we shall rouse up. I assuredly shall not see it, for day by day–nay, hour by hour, I expect the much-longed-for death; but you will see it.
Into the ground to die
Whilst shut up in the court of the prison, perhaps fastened by a chain that restrained his liberty, Jeremiah received a Divine intimation that his uncle would shortly come to him with a request for him to purchase the family property at Anathoth. This greatly startled him; because he had so clear a conviction, which he cherished as divinely given, of the approaching overthrow of the kingdom, and the consequent desolation of the land. He gave, however, no outward sign of his perplexities; but when his uncles son entered the courtyard with his request, the prophet at once assented to the proposal, and purchased the property for seventeen shekels (about 2). In addition to this, Jeremiah took care to have the purchase recorded and witnessed with the same elaborate pains as if he were at once to be entering on occupation. The two deeds of contract–the one sealed with the more private details of price; the other open, and bearing the signatures of witnesses–were deposited in the charge of Baruch, with the injunction to put them in an earthen vessel and preserve them. They were probably not opened again until the return from the captivity. But Jeremiah was not a sharer in that glad scene. He did as God bade him, though the shadow of a great darkness lay upon his soul, for which he could only find relief, as the Lord on the Cross, in recourse to the Father. He fell into the ground to die, as the seed does, which holds at its heart a principle of life, that can only express itself through death, and can only bless men when its sowing, amid the depression and decay of autumn, has been complete.
I. Hours of midnight darkness. It is only in service that anything reaches its fullest life. A bit of iron is condemned to solitude and uselessness till it becomes part of a great machine. A man who lives a self-contained life, of which the gratification of his own ambition and selfhood is the supreme aim, never drinks the sweets of existence, nor attains his full development. It is only when we live for God, and, in doing so, for man, that we are able to appropriate the rarest blessedness of which our nature is capable, or to unfold into all the proportions of full growth in Christ. In the deepest sense, therefore, Jeremiah could never regret that he had given the strength and measure of his days to the service of others. But none can give themselves to the service of others except at bitter cost of much that this world holds dear. This will explain the privations and sorrows to which Jeremiah was subjected. Death wrought in him, that life might work in Israel, and in all who should read the Book of his prophecy.
1. He died to the dear ties of human love. Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place, was early said to him. What he held in his heart belonged to the race, and might not be poured forth within the narrower circle of the home, of priestly temple-duty, or of the little village of Anathoth.
2. He died to the goodwill of his fellows. None can be indifferent to this. It is easy to do or suffer, when the bark of life is wafted on its way by favouring breezes, or the air thrills with expressions of love and adulation. Then a man is nerved to dare to do his best. It was his bitter lot to encounter from the first an incessant stream of vituperation and dislike. Woe is me, my mother, he cried sadly, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and contention to the whole earth. I have not lent on usury, neither have men lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me.
3. He died to the pride of national patriotism. No patriot allows himself to despair of his country. However dark the louring storm clouds and strong the adverse current, he believes that the ship of State will weather the storm. He chokes back words of despondency and depression, lest they should breed dismay. But Jeremiah was driven along an opposite course. A loftier patriotism than his never hazarded itself in the last breach. His belief in Israel was part of his belief in God. But he found himself compelled to speak in such a fashion that the princes proposed, not without show of reason, to put him to death, because he weakened the hands of the men of war.
4. He died to the sweets of personal liberty. A large portion of his ministry was exerted from the precincts of a prison. Repeatedly we read of his being shut up and not able to go forth.
5. He died, also, to the meaning he had been wont to place on his own prophecies. Up to the moment when Jehovah bade him purchase the property of Hanameel, he had never questioned the impending fate of Jerusalem. It was certainly and inevitably to be destroyed by sword, famine, pestilence, and fire. But now the Word of God, demanding an act of obedience, seemed to indicate that the land was to remain under the cultivation of the families that owned it.
II. Jeremiahs behaviour. But amid it all he derived solace and support in three main directions.
1. He prayed. Take this extract from his own diary: Now, after I had delivered the deed of the purchase unto Baruch, the son of Neriah, I prayed unto the Lord, saying, Ah, Lord God! There is no help to the troubled soul like that which comes through prayer.
2. He rested on the word of God. The soul of the prophet was nourished and fed by the Divine word. Thy words were found, he cries, and I did eat them: and Thy words were unto me the joy and the rejoicing of my heart.
3. He faithfully kept to the path of duty. And I bought the field. It does not always happen that our service to men will be met by rebuff, ill-will, and hard treatment; but when it does there should be no swerving, or flinching, or drawing back. The fierce snow-laden blast, driving straight in your teeth, is not so pleasant as the breath of summer, laden with the scent of the heather; but if you can see the track, you must follow it. To be anywhere off it, either right or left, would be dangerous in the extreme. Such are the resorts of the soul in its seasons of anguish.
III. Compensations. To all valleys there are mountains, to all depths heights; for all midnight hours there are hours of sunrise; for Gethsemane, an Olivet. We can never give up aught for God or man, without discovering that at the moment of surrender He begins to repay as He foretold to the prophet; For brass I will bring gold, and for iron I will Bring silver, and for wood brass, and for stones iron. Nor does God keep these compensations for the new world, where light and darkness fuse. It were long to wait, if that were so. But here and now we learn that there are compensations. The first movement from the selfish life may strain and try us, the indifference of our fellows be hard to bear; hut God has such things to reveal and give, as pass the wildest imaginings of the self-centred soul. So Jeremiah found it. His compensations came. God became his Comforter, and wiped, away his tears; and opened to him the vista of the future, down whose long aisles he beheld his people planted again in their own land. He saw men buying fields for money, and subscribing deeds and sealing them, as he had done. There was compensation also in the confidence with which Nebuchadnezzar treated him, and in the evident reliance which his decimated people placed in his intercessions, as we shall see. So it will be with all who fall into the ground to die. God will not forget or forsake them. The grave may be dark and deep, the winter long, the frost keen and penetrating; but spring will come, and the stone be rolled away; and the golden stalk shall wave in the sunshine, bearing its crown of fruit; and men shall thrive on the bread of our experience, the product of our tears, and sufferings, and prayers. (F. B. Meyer, B. A.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
CHAPTER XXXII
Jeremiah, now confined for his faithful admonitions, foretells
the fate of the king and city, 1-5.
According to the direction of God, he buys of his cousin
Hanameel a field in Anathoth; the contract, or deed of sale,
being subscribed, sealed, and witnessed, and delivered to
Baruch, together with a duplicate not sealed, who is commanded
to put them into an earthern vessel that they may remain there
for many days, 6-14.
This transaction of the prophet, which is entered and
subscribed in the public register, God constitutes a sign or
pledge of the Jews’ return from the Babylonish captivity, and
of their again possessing houses, fields, and vineyards, in
their own land, and by their own right, according to their
tribes and families, 15.
Jeremiah’s prayer, in which he recounts God’s marvellous acts
towards the children of Israel, and deeply deplores the
lamentable state of the country, and the numerous provocations
which have led to it, 16-25.
After which God is introduced declaring his purpose of giving
up his people into the hands of their enemies, 26-35;
promising, however, to restore them in due time to their
ancient possessions, and to make with them an everlasting
covenant, 36-44.
NOTES ON CHAP. XXXII
Verse 1. The word that came] This prophecy bears its own date: it was delivered in the tenth year of Zedekiah, which answered to the eighteenth of Nebuchadnezzar. It appears from 2Kg 25:8, that the eleventh year of Zedekiah was the nineteenth of Nebuchadnezzar; and consequently, that the eighteenth of that monarch must have been the tenth of the Jewish king.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
That is, something more than a year before the city was taken, for it was taken in the fourth month of the eleventh year of this kings reign, Jer 39:2. This tenth year concurred with the eighteenth year of the king of Babylons absolute reign, who began so to reign in the third and fourth year of Jehoiakim, Dan 1:1; so as Jehoiakims last year was the seventh and eighth of Nebuchadrezzar, who is also sometimes called Nebuchadnezzar and Nabuchodonosor.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
1. tenth yearThe siege ofJerusalem had already begun, in the tenth month of the ninth year ofZedekiah (Jer 39:1; 2Ki 25:1).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord,…. The word of prophecy, as the Targum, concerning Jeremiah’s buying the field of his uncle’s son, Jer 32:6; and concerning the delivery of the city of Jerusalem into the hands of the Chaldeans, Jer 32:26; and the return of the captivity, Jer 32:36;
in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which [was] the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar; the same with Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, a year before the taking of the city by him; for that was in the eleventh of Zedekiah, and the nineteenth of Nebuchadnezzar; see
Jer 52:1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The time and the circumstances of the following message from God. – The message came to Jeremiah in the tenth year of Zedekiah, i.e., in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar (cf. Jer 25:1 and Jer 52:12), when the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah was kept in confinement in the fore-court of the royal palace. These historical data are inserted (Jer 32:2-5) in the form of circumstantial clauses: ‘ , “for at that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem.” The siege had begun in the ninth year of Zedekiah (Jer 39:1; Jer 52:4), and was afterwards raised for a short time, in consequence of the approach of an auxiliary corps of Egyptians; but, as soon as these had been defeated, it was resumed (Jer 37:5, Jer 37:11). Jeremiah was then kept confined in the court of the prison of the royal palace (cf. Neh 3:25), “where Zedekiah, king of Judah, had imprisoned him, saying: Why dost thou prophesy, ‘Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, so that he shall take it; Jer 32:4. And Zedekiah, the king of Judah, shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall assuredly be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and his mouth shall speak with his mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes; Jer 32:5. And he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith the Lord. Though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not succeed?'” – We have already found an utterance of like import in Jer 21:1-14, but that is not here referred to; for it was fulfilled at the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem, and did not bring on Jeremiah the consequences mentioned here. From Jer 37 we learn that Jeremiah, during the siege of Jerusalem, on till the time when it was raised through the approach of the Egyptian army, had not been imprisoned, but went freely in and out among the people (Jer 37:4.). Not till during the temporary raising of the siege, when he wanted to go out of the city into the land of Benjamin, was he seized and thrown into a dungeon, on the pretence that he intended to go over to the Chaldeans. There he remained many days, till King Zedekiah ordered him to be brought, and questioned him privately as to the issue of the conflict; when Jeremiah replied, “Thou shalt be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon.” On this occasion Jeremiah complained to the king of his imprisonment, and requested that he might not be sent back into the dungeon, where he must soon perish; the king then ordered him (Jer 37:11-21) to be taken into the court of the prison-house ( , Jer 37:21), where he remained in confinement till the city was taken (Jer 38:13, Jer 38:28; Jer 39:14). The statement in our verses as to the cause of this imprisonment does not contradict, but agrees with the notice in Jer 37, as soon as we perceive that this account contains merely a brief passing notice of the matter. The same holds true of the utterance of the prophet in Jer 32:3-5. Jeremiah, even at the beginning of the siege (Jer 21:3.), had sent a message of similar import to the king, and repeated the same afterwards: Jer 34:3-5; Jer 37:17; Jer 38:17-23. The words of our verses are taken from these repeated utterances; Jer 32:4 agrees almost verbatim with Jer 34:3; and the words, “there shall he remain , till I regard him with favour,” are based upon the clearer utterance as to the end of Zedekiah, Jer 34:4-5. – The circumstances under which Jeremiah received the following commission from the Lord are thus exactly stated, in order to show how little prospect the present of the kingdom of Judah offered for the future, which was portrayed by the purchase of the field. Not only must the kingdom of Judah inevitably succumb to the power of the Chaldeans, and its population go into exile, but even Jeremiah is imprisoned, in so hopeless a condition, that he is no longer sure of his life for a single day.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Judgments Predicted; Jeremiah Imprisoned. | B. C. 589. |
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 Nebuchadrezzar. 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, Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith 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 out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes; 5 And he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith the LORD: though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper. 6 And Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 7 Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of redemption is thine to buy it. 8 So Hanameel mine uncle’s son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the LORD, and said unto me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD. 9 And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle’s son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver. 10 And I subscribed the evidence, and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances. 11 So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open: 12 And I gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel mine uncle’s son, and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the book of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison. 13 And I charged Baruch before them, saying, 14 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days. 15 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.
It appears by the date of this chapter that we are now coming very nigh to that fatal year which completed the desolations of Judah and Jerusalem by the Chaldeans. God’s judgments came gradually upon them, but, they not meeting him by repentance in the way of his judgments, he proceeded in his controversy till all was laid waste, which was in the eleventh year of Zedekiah; now what is here recorded happened in the tenth. The king of Babylon’s army had now invested Jerusalem and was carrying on the siege with vigour, not doubting but in a little time to make themselves masters of it, while the besieged had taken up a desperate resolution not to surrender, but to hold out to the last extremity. Now,
I. Jeremiah prophesies that both the city and the court shall fall into the hands of the king of Babylon. He tells them expressly that the besiegers shall take the city as a prize, for God, whose city it was in a peculiar manner, will give it into their hands and put it out of his protection (v. 3),– that, though Zedekiah attempt to make his escape, he shall be overtaken, and shall be delivered a prisoner into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, shall be brought into his presence, to his great confusion and terror, he having made himself so obnoxious by breaking his faith with him, he shall hear the king of Babylon pronounce his doom, and see with what fury and indignation he will look upon him (His eyes shall behold his eyes, v. 4),– that Zedekiah shall be carried to Babylon, and continue a miserable captive there, until God visit him, that is, till God put an end to his life by a natural death, as Nebuchadnezzar had long before put an end to his days by putting out his eyes. Note, Those that live in misery may be truly said to be visited in mercy when God by death takes them home to himself. And, lastly, he foretels that all their attempts to force the besiegers from their trenches shall be ineffectual: Though you fight with the Chaldeans, you shall not prosper; how should they, when God did not fight for them? v. 5. See Jer 34:2; Jer 34:3.
II. For prophesying thus he is imprisoned, not in the common gaol, but in the more creditable prison that was within the verge of the palace, in the king of Judah’s house, and there not closely confined, but in custodia libera–in the court of the prison, where he might have good company, good air, and good intelligence brought him, and would be sheltered from the abuses of the mob; but, however, it was a prison, and Zedekiah shut him up in it for prophesying as he did, Jer 32:2; Jer 32:3. So far was he from humbling himself before Jeremiah, as he ought to have done (2 Chron. xxxvi. 12), that he hardened himself against him. Though he had formerly so far owned him to be a prophet as to desire him to enquire of the Lord for them (ch. xxi. 2), yet now he chides him for prophesying (v. 3), and shuts him up in prison, perhaps not with design to punish him any further, but only to restrain him from prophesying any further, which was crime enough. Silencing God’s prophets, though it is not so bad as mocking and killing them, is yet a great affront to the God of heaven. See how wretchedly the hearts of sinners are hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Persecution was one of the sins for which God was now contending with them, and yet Zedekiah persists in it even now that he was in the depth of distress. No providences, no afflictions, will of themselves part between men and their sins, unless the grace of God work with them. Nay, some are made worse by those very judgments that should make them better.
III. Being in prison, he purchases from a near relation of his a piece of ground that lay in Anathoth, Jer 32:6; Jer 32:7, c.
1. One would not have expected, (1.) That a prophet should concern himself so far in the business of this world but why not? Though ministers must not entangle themselves, yet they may concern themselves in the affairs of this life. (2.) That one who had neither wife nor children should buy land. We find (ch. xvi. 2) that he had no family of his own; yet he may purchase for his own use while he lives, and leave it to the children of his relations when he dies. (3.) One would little have thought that a prisoner should be a purchaser; how should he get money beforehand to buy land with? It is probably that he lived frugally, and saved something out of what belonged to him as a priest, which is no blemish at all to his character; but we have no reason to think that the people were kind, or that his being beforehand was owing to their generosity. Nay, (4.) It was most strange of all that he should buy a piece of land when he himself knew that the whole land was now to be laid waste and fall into the hands of the Chaldeans, and then what good would this do him? But it was the will of God that he should buy it, and he submitted, though the money seemed to be thrown away. His kinsman came to offer it to him; it was not of his own seeking; he coveted not to lay house to house and field to field, but Providence brought it to him, and it was probably a good bargain; besides, the right of redemption belonged to him (v. 8), and if he refused he would not do the kinsman’s part. It is true he might lawfully refuse, but, being a prophet, in a thing of this nature he must do that which would be for the honour of his profession. It became him to fulfil all righteousness. It was land that lay within the suburbs of a priests’ city, and, if he should refuse it, there was danger lest, in these times of disorder, it might be sold to one of another tribe, which was contrary to the law, to prevent which it was convenient for him to buy it. It would likewise be a kindness to his kinsman, who probably was at this time in great want of money. Jeremiah had but a little, but what he had he was willing to lay out in such a manner as might tend most to the honour of God and the good of his friends and country, which he preferred before his own private interests.
2. Two things may be observed concerning this purchase:–
(1.) How fairly the bargain was made. When Jeremiah knew by Hanameel’s coming to him, as God had foretold he would, that it was the word of the Lord, that it was his mind that he should make this purchase, he made no more difficulty of it, but bought the field. And, [1.] He was very honest and exact in paying the money. He weighted him the money, did not press him to take it upon his report, though he was his near kinsman, but weighed it to him, current money. It was seventeen shekels of silver, amounting to about forty shillings of our money. The land was probably but a little field and of small yearly value, when the purchase was so low; besides, the right of inheritance was in Jeremiah, so that he had only to buy out his kinsman’s life, the reversion being his already. Some think this was only the earnest of a greater sum; but we shall not wonder at the smallness of the price if we consider what scarcity there was of money at this time and how little lands were counted upon. [2.] He was very prudent and discreet in preserving the writings. They were subscribed before witnesses. One copy was sealed up, the other was open. One was the original, the other the counterpart; or perhaps that which was sealed up was for his own private use, the other that was open was to be laid up in the public register of conveyances, for any person concerned to consult. Due care and caution in things of this nature might prevent a great deal of injustice and contention. The deeds of purchase were lodged in the hands of Baruch, before witnesses, and he was ordered to lay them up in an earthen vessel (an emblem of the nature of all the securities this world can pretend to give us, brittle things and soon broken), that they might continue many days, for the use of Jeremiah’s heirs, after the return out of captivity; for they might then have the benefit of this purchase. Purchasing reversions may be a kindness to those that come after us, and a good man thus lays up an inheritance for his children’s children.
(2.) What was the design of having this bargain made. It was to signify that though Jerusalem was now besieged, and the whole country was likely to be laid waste, yet the time should come when houses, and fields, and vineyards should be again possessed in this land, v. 15. As God appointed Jeremiah to confirm his predictions of the approaching destruction of Jerusalem by his own practice in living unmarried, so he now appointed him to confirm his predictions of the future restoration of Jerusalem by his own practice in purchasing this field. Note, It concerns ministers to make it to appear in their whole conversation that they do themselves believe that which they preach to others; and that they may do so, and impress it the more deeply upon their hearers, they must many a time deny themselves, as Jeremiah did in both these instances. God having promised that this land should again come into the possession of his people, Jeremiah will, on behalf of his heirs, put in for a share. Note, It is good to manage even our worldly affairs in faith, and to do common business with an eye to the providence and promise of God. Lucius Florus relates it as a great instance of the bravery of the Roman citizens that in the time of the second Punic war, when Hannibal besieged Rome and was very near making himself master of it, a field on which part of his army lay, being offered to sale at that time, was immediately purchased, in a firm belief that the Roman valour would raise the siege, lib. ii. cap. 6. And have not we much more reason to venture our all upon the word of God, and to embark in Zion’s interests, which will undoubtedly be the prevailing interests at last? Non si male nunc et olim sic erit–Though now we suffer, we shall not suffer always.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
JEREMIAH – CHAPTER 32
REDEEMING PROPERTY AT ANATHOTH
– an Act of Faith in God’
Vs. 1-5: JEREMIAH IMPRISONED
1. The words recorded in this passage are precisely located in “the tenth year of Zedekiah”, and the eighteenth of Nebuchadnezzar, (vs. 1; 2Ki 25:1-2).
2. The army of Babylon has Jerusalem under siege, and Jeremiah is being held captive in the court of the guard, which is located in the courtyard of the king’s palace, (vs.2; Jer 37:21; comp. Neh 3:25).
3. In verses 3-5 Zedekiah states his reason for making Jeremiah a prisoner of his own nation; he had faithfully delivered the Lord’s word concerning Judah -her king and her people – and they were not willing to follow the word of Jehovah, (comp. Jer 26:8-9; Amo 7:12-13).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
The Prophet here declares, that though he was shut up in prison, the Word of God was not bound, and that he himself was not less loose and free in his confinement than if he rambled through the whole city and visited all the lanes and the streets. He then did not desist from his office as a Prophet, though he was cast into prison. And thus we see that the course of heavenly truth cannot be impeded, how much soever the world may rage against all its ministers, and bind them in order to make them mute: and then also we see here that the constancy of the Prophet was invincible, because he was not cast down with fear, though he was a captive and not beyond the reach of danger; for we find that even then he proceeded in the discharge of his office.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES.1. Chronology of the Chapter.Tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, and eighteenth of Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 32:1). Cf. note on chronology of chap. 25: this eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar was about B.C. 585; or, according to the Chaldean cylinders, B.C. 564.
2. Contemporary Scriptures.chaps. 39., 40, Jer. 52:4-5, &c.; 2 Kings 25; 2Ch. 36:17, seq.; Ezekiel 24.
3. National Affairs.The siege of Jerusalem began in the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiahs reign, and was now going on; but, on the approach of Pharaohs army from Egypt, the siege was temporarily raised (chap. Jer. 37:5). Jeremiah made an attempt to leave the city during this crisis (Jer. 37:13), and was arrested, being afterwards kept prisoner till the siege was over. Many in Jerusalem hoped that Egypt would prevail over the Chaldean power; but Jeremiah declared that the Chaldeans must be supreme; and, as being distrusted for his anti-Egyptian prophecies, was kept in the prison of the kings house.
4. Contemporaneous History.The Chaldeans besieged Jerusalem the year preceding the date of this chapter. For a brief while this siege was interrupted by the arrival at Jerusalem of the succour of the Egyptian forces, then resumed with increased vigour. This Egyptian army was led by Pharaoh-Hophra (see chap. Jer. 44:30), the Apries of Herodotus (2:116, 4:159). He was an ally of Zedekiah against Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon (Jer. 32:2-3); we learn this from Eze. 17:15, but the alliance was fruitless, and this attack upon Nebuchadnezzars besieging army ended in either the withdrawal of the Egyptian forces or their defeat by the Chaldeans.
5. Geographical References.Jer. 32:7. Anathoth; and Jer. 32:8. Anathoth in the country of Benjamin: cf. Geographical References on chap. 1. It was a sacerdotal city, and so had 1000 cubits of suburban fields outside the walls attached to it (Num. 35:4-5). These fields might not be sold out of the Levitical tribe (Jer. 25:34). Jer. 32:35. High places of Baal in the valley of Hinnom: cf. notes on chaps. Jer. 7:31, Jer. 29:5.
6. Personal Allusions.Jer. 32:7. Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle. Jeremiahs first cousin; nothing more known of him. Jer. 32:12. Baruch the son of Neriah. Jeremiahs amanuensis and agent (Jer. 36:4, &c.).
7. Manners and Customs.Jer. 32:7. The right of redemption is thine. On the failure of the owner it fell to the next of kin to redeem it (Lev. 25:25; Rth. 4:3-6). Jer. 32:9. Weighed him the money, &c. Coined money was not then in use, therefore weighed as in the days of Abraham (Gen. 23:16). The seven shekels and ten of silver (as it literally reads) = 2, 2 Samuel 6 d. of our money; but its purchasing value may be estimated by remembering that David bought Araunahs threshing floor, oxen, and implements, for fifty shekels; while thirty shekels of silver purchased the potters field (Mat. 27:7). Jer. 32:11. The evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open. So that there was one purchase-deed duly sealed and closed upthe legal document, and a copy for open reference. Jer. 32:24. The mounts are come unto the city; mounds of earth, batteries, or breastworks for the besieging army, behind which they employed their engines. Jer. 32:29. Upon the roof they have offered incense to Baal: cf. chap. Jer. 19:13. Jer. 32:33. Turned the back and not the face: cf. on chap. Jer. 2:27.
8. Literary Criticisms.Jer. 32:10. I subscribed the evidence: Heb. I wrote (the facts of the purchase) in the deed. Jer. 32:25. For the city is, &c.; rather, Whereas the city, &c. Jer. 32:40. A covenant with them to do them good. Omit comma after not turn away from them, and read on, not turn away from them to do them good; i.e. never cease
SUBJECT OF CHAPTER 32
A PARABOLIC PURCHASE, signifying and predicting Israels sure repossession of the land from which they were to be for a time exiled.
i.
The account of the transaction; executed with publicity, and the trust-deed carefully preserved (Jer. 32:1-15).
ii.
Jeremiahs confession of misgivings, notwithstanding his assuring purchase (Jer. 32:16-25).
iii.
Gods explanation of the course of events, and promises of the certain restoration of Israel (Jer. 32:26-44).
HOMILIES AND OUTLINES ON CHAPTER 32
Jer. 32:2. JEREMIAH IMPRISONED.
He was there in the tenth year of Zedekiah (Jer. 32:1); but was put there in the ninth year of Zedekiah. The facts occurred thus: As a punishment for foretelling the capture of the city by Nebuchadnezzar, Jeremiah was put into the kings prison (Jer. 34:1-7). At the interruption of the siege by Pharaoh-Hophra, Jeremiah was about to depart the city for Benjamin, when he was cast into the dungeon; but he obtained leave to be removed again into the court of the prison (Jer. 37:12-21). On the second advance of the Chaldeans to the siege, Jeremiah, from the kings prison, urged the Jews to save themselves by submission to Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 38:2-3); and, in consequence of this, the princes instigated the king to have him cast into a miry dungeon (Jer. 38:4-6). Again he was removed to the court prison at the intercession of Ebed-melech the Ethiopian (Jer. 38:7-13), where he remained till the capture of the city (Jer. 38:28), when he was liberated (Jer. 39:11; Jer. 40:1), &c.
Jer. 32:3. Theme: OPPOSITION TO GODS MESSENGER. See similar topic in chap. Jer. 26:9; with Homilies.
Jer. 32:4-5. ZEDEKIAHS PUNISHMENT. His eyes shall behold his (Nebuchadnezzars) eyes.
Adroitly Jeremiah keeps back the calamity which is here half suggested. Ezekiel declares (prophesying at the same time, but in Babylon among the captives of the same event) that Zedekiah should be brought to Babylon, but should not see it (Eze. 12:13). The explanation is given by Jeremiah (Jer. 39:6-7).
Jer. 32:5. GODS AMELIORATING MERCY TO ZEDEKIAH. Until I visit him, saith the Lord.
Jerome points out that these words are enigmatical, for visitation means both consolation and punishment.
Already the prophet had hidden the harder fate which should so soon befall the king; for it is not the business of prophecy necessarily to aggravate human suffering (Dr. Payne Smith).
And in chap. Jer. 34:4-5, we find some warrant for the hope that the blind king, in his exile, was not treated with severity by his captors; whereas he was held in honour by the Jewish exiles, who paid tenderest homage to him at his death and burial.
Jer. 32:5. Theme: A PREDICTED DEFEAT. Though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper.
i. The will of the Lord decides all battles. It matters not however great the army, disciplined the troops, valiant the men, heroic the officers, skilful the commander; nor though the navy be powerful, her ships ironclad, her guns of greatest calibre, &c. If God says, Ye shall not prosper, neither power of the army nor prowess of the navy will command success and secure victory. The great, the mighty God, the Lord of Hosts (Jer. 32:18), can so derange the best-arranged plans that the battle shall not be to the strong. He giveth the victory to whomsoever He please.
ii. As with nations so with men. Though they rise up early and sit up late, if God says, Ye shall not prosper, failure shall follow every effort and scheme. Nothing can set aside the decisions of His will.
I. What are, then, the conditions of success in lifes undertakings? Philosophers would reply, that the means be adapted to the end, that there be wisdom and skill in using those means, and that provision be made for all contingencies.
This would probably ensure success were there no presiding Power, whose interposition may frustrate all human purposes.
This Power existing, it is evident that success depends, not simply on well-adapted plans, but on the will of God.
Everything then, from a military campaign to a prosperous journey, depends on Gods will. Though ye fight ye shall not prosper. Making request, if I may have a prosperous journey by the will of God.
II. Gods will should be consulted, and His blessing sought, in all our undertakings. In every thing, by prayer and supplication, &c.
1. There is no request which man can make to God but He can answer it. Nothing is too hard for the Lord (Jer. 32:27). Indeed nothing is hard, nothing is difficult. With Him it is as easy to crush an empire as a moth, &c. His power knows no limit.
2. While the power of God is unlimited, His power is regulated by His will. Whatever He pleaseth that doeth He. His will is the dictate of His infallible wisdom. No caprice; no arbitrary determinations.
III. Amid failure of human plans, God is working all things with wisdom and for a beneficent purpose. If in wisdom He made all things, in equal wisdom He governs all.
1. Though in ways mysterious to us, yet He works wisely. Men who love God may fight with the Chaldeans and lose the battle; may be diligent in business, yet unsuccessful; yet, though all things seem against them, God is making all things promote their real welfare. All things work together for good, &c.
2. Nor forget that out of darkness God can bring forth light; out of chaos, order; out of evil, good. In the midst of our darkness and confusion we may hang our harps upon the willows; but when we see allin eternity, we put on immortality, we shall shout, Victory through the blood of the Lamb!Arranged from Walks with the Prophet Jeremiah, by Rev. D. Pledge.
See Addenda: HELP FROM GOD.
Jer. 32:8. Theme: PRESCIENCE SEALED BY EXPERIENCE. Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord.
Did Jeremiah distrust the Divine voice within him beforehand?
I. The prophetic inspiration did not always co-exist with personal conviction in the prophet himself. The two were essentially distinct.
Prophets did not always understand their own prophecies. No prophecy was of private interpretation.
Messengers from God carried tidings which seemed often to them incredible. The prophecy of repossession of their land seemed incredible to Jeremiah (see Jer. 32:24-25).
II. Divine assurances may be accepted by us without strong and vivid realisation of their certainty. We take them as the word of the Lord, and in some vague sense hold them to be true, and that they will prove themselves true.
But we do not know them to be the word of the Lord: there lacks in us firm apprehension of them, as the very utterance of God who is true and faithful.
So that Gods words may be accepted without our perfect and rejoicing confidence in their being fulfilled.
III. Our human weakness and susceptibilities confuse, at times, the clear recognition of a Divine message to us. Jeremiahs wishes or reluctance in this matter of purchasing the field tended to confuse the sense of Gods word in him. Our feelings and desires, our reluctance or eagerness, does much to make us unduly eager to interpret our wishes as a sense of Gods word in us, or to interpret our disinclinations as being Gods word in us.
The apprehension of the inutility of any course of conduct leads us to mistrust the word of God in us. It seemed eminently useless to Jeremiah to purchase that field. He was nearly sixty years of age, and the captivity was to be for seventy years, how could he ever reoccupy the field he purchased? Much that we feel God wishes us to do seems to us useless. Our judgment, as well as our disinclination, may cloud the Divine word in us.
IV. When the confirmation of Gods Word comes to us in its actual fulfilment, conviction is complete. And the word of the Lord does literally vindicate itself. Behold Hanameel shall come unto thee (Jer. 32:7); So Hanameel came to me (Jer. 32:8).
Such fulfilments are the common experience of all Gods servants. Not prophets alone. Not one good thing of all which the Lord hath spoken hath failed.
Yet faith should not wait for such verification. Because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed; blessed are they which have not seen and yet have believed. See Isa. 50:10.
Jer. 32:9. And I bought the field. Florus, the Roman historian, records that during the days when Rome was being besieged by Hannibal, the very ground on which he was encamped was put up for sale at Rome, and found a purchaser; thereby indicating the strong confidence of the ultimate issue of the siege which animated the Roman people.
Jer. 32:16. Theme: PRAYER THE SOLACE OF A PERPLEXED SOUL. Jeremiah obeys Gods command: purchases the land which seems so useless, parting with money whichin the emergencies of a siegeseemed so invaluable. In a misgiving mood, he carries his perplexity to Gods throne, and in prayer seeks rest of mind and soul. Conviction in him was at strife with Gods command.
I. The soul in prayer rises to majestic thoughts of God (Jer. 32:17-19).
His almightiness (17); graciousness (18); righteousness (19). Such thoughts prove like clear shinings from heaven on our dimness and doubt.
II. The soul in prayer gathers up memories of Gods wondrous deeds. Oh, how the recollection of His mercies and deliverances flood the soul while we kneel! (Jer. 32:20-22).
III. The soul in prayer realises the appalling unworthiness of man consequent upon his sin (Jer. 32:23). It is when near the throne, and looking up into the Divine face, seeing visions of Gods great love and redeeming mercy, that we feel mans criminality, and cry for ourselves, I am a man of unclean lips, for I have seen the King the Lord of Hosts.
IV. The soul in prayer ventures to lay all its misgivings upon God. Behold the mount! (Jer. 32:24). The difficulties of interpreting Gods dealings, and of faith in Gods words. The soul grows strong and confident when near Him, feels it may and must lay all its fears, and wonderments, and troubles upon a God so tender and wise.
Jeremiah could not reconcile Gods prophecies, through himself, that He would destroy the land, with this command to him to purchase soil as if it were a sure and inalienable possession.
V. The soul in prayer finds relief in the freest and fullest unburdening of itself before the Lord. There is no reserve. Tells God it cannot see the consistency of His own action! Behold Thou seest it (Jer. 32:24); the ruin Thou declarest should come is at hand; yet Thou hast said, Buy thee the field!
And that is the occasion of human anxiety, when God does not seem to us consistent with Himself. Thus Abraham, when called to offer Isaac, in whom the promises centred. And even our Lord, though the beloved Son, cried, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?
Then, in the mystery the soul learns resignation; and in resignation it enters into rest.
See Addenda: SOLACE OF PRAYER.
For one thing only, Lord, dear Lord, I plead
Lead me aright,
Though strength should falter, and though heart should bleed,
Through Peace to Light.
I do not ask, O Lord, that Thou shouldst shed
Full radiance here:
Give but a ray of peace, that I may tread
Without a fear.
I do not ask my cross to understand,
My way to see;
Better in darkness just to feel Thy hand,
And follow Thee.
Joy is like restless day; but Peace Divine
Like quiet night!
Lead me, O Lord, till perfect day shall shine,
Through Peace to Light.
N.B.With this outline should be connected the outline on Jer. 32:27 : GODS REPLY, &c.
Note.M. Henry observes: Prayer is the salve of every sore, and points out that before Jeremiah went to prayer he delivered the deeds that concerned his new purchase to Baruch, which may intimate to us that when we are going to worship God we should get our minds as clear as may be from the cares and encumbrances of the world.
On Jer. 32:17, see Noticeable Topics at end of chapter: CREATIONAN ARGUMENT FOR FAITH.
Jer. 32:17. A BEWILDERED SOUL. See Sectional Homilies on chap. Jer. 12:1-6, p. 246, and on Jer. 32:1, p. 248.
Jer. 32:17-25. Theme: DIVINE PROMISES OUR BEST CONSOLATION IN EVERY AFFLICTION.
i. There are promises of Divine help for every kind of distress in human life.
ii. These promises often sound very wonderful (24, 25).
iii. Their fulfilment on the part of God is guaranteed by the perfection of the Divine nature (1719).
iv. Their fulfilment is, on our part, conditioned by faith.Naegelsbach.
Jer. 32:19. Theme: THE GREATNESS OF GODS WISDOM AND THE ABUNDANCE OF HIS POWER. Proved from His nature: Great in counsel and mighty in work, &c.
I. God has the power of making the deepest affliction of His children produce their highest happiness.
II. The contrivances of tyrants to oppress the Church procure its establishment.
III. The triumphs of Satan turn to the destruction of his empire.Saurin, in Lange.
Jer. 32:19. Theme: GODS EYES UPON THE PATHS OF MEN. For Thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men. This serious and important fact should
I. Shake us and awake us from our security. What if some of our ways are sinful, and such as the Lord must disapprove?
II. Humble us if we are under the discipline of Gods Spirit. For though avowedly being led by the Spirit of God, we may yet be turning to our own self-made courses, and may not have allowed a fixed and sure heart to be imparted to us.
III. Comfort and encourage us when we are led in dark and difficult paths. For we often are: and are led by Him whose eyes are open, though our eyes are dim.J. M. Mueller, in Lange.
See Homily on chap. Jer. 17:10 : GODS RULE OF JUDGMENT.
Jer. 32:20-21. GODS WONDERS IN THE PAST. See Homilies on chap. Jer. 11:7, Jer. 30:18.
Jer. 32:22. COVENANTED BLESSINGS. See Homily on chap. 11, sec. 18, p. 232, and on Jer. 32:1, p. 234.
Jer. 32:27. Theme: GODS REPLY TO A PERPLEXED SOUL.
I. He confirms the pleaders faith in Himself. I am, &c. (Jer. 32:27). Therefore thy foes (Jer. 32:28-29) work My will, and nothing exceeds My power to fulfil my promises of Israels repossession of the land (Jer. 32:37).
II. He explains the occasion of His just displeasure. This city hath been to Me as a provocation of Mine anger, &c. (Jer. 32:31) Observe that God reiterates the words, provoke Me to anger, five times (Jer. 32:29-32; Jer. 32:37).
III. He protests against the abuse of His graciousness (Jer. 32:33).
IV. He affirms the grand purposes of mercy He cherishes (Jer. 32:37-41).
Here, therefore, note
i. It is in strengthening the souls trust in Gods all-sufficiency for all occasions that He allays fear (Jer. 32:27).
ii. It is in vindicating the righteousness of His displeasure that He silences our murmurings (Jer. 32:31).
iii. It is in reminding us of grace extended to us in vain that He teaches us how patient and longsuffering His nature is (Jer. 32:33).
iv. It is in inspiring clear hopes of a merciful issue out of distress that He ends our questionings and leads us into loving trust (Jer. 32:37-41).
Jer. 32:27. Theme: GODS ACCOUNT OF HIMSELF. This is Gods account of Himself
I. I am: Individuality.
II. I am the Lord: Dominion, majesty, &c.
III. The God of all flesh: Universality; condescension;not only the God of mighty spirits, but the God of infirm and dying flesh.
IV. Is anything too hard for Me? Distrust rebuked, prayer encouraged, completeness guaranteedcompleteness of council, and completeness of execution.
Application: Every word of this is a terror to evil-doers. Every word of it is inspiration to the true and noble.City Temple.
On Jer. 32:29. JERUSALEMS RUINS, see chap. Jer. 21:10.
On Jer. 32:30. EVIL DONE FROM YOUTH, see Homilies on chap. Jer. 2:7; Jer. 3:25; Jer. 7:22-26; Jer. 22:21.
On Jer. 32:33. TURNING THE BACK ON GOD, see Homilies on chap. Jer. 2:27; Jer. 6:24; and on GODS EARNESTNESS IN DEALING WITH SINNERS, Rising up early, &c., see Homily on chap. Jer. 7:13.
On Jer. 32:34. ABOMINATIONS IN MINE HOUSE, see Homily, Violated Sanctuaries Doomed, chap. Jer. 7:12-14.
On Jer. 32:37. ISRAEL GATHERED AGAIN, see Homilies on chap. Jer. 23:3-6, &c.
Jer. 32:37-40. Theme: THE FUTURE CONVERSION OF THE JEWS.
I. What blessings God has in reserve for His chosen people.
1. A restoration to their own land (Jer. 32:37).
2. A renewed acknowledgment of their relation to Him (Jer. 32:38).
3. A spirit of piety poured out upon them (Jer. 32:39).
II. What security they have for the final possession of these blessings.
1. The veracity of God (Jer. 32:40).
2. The power of God. I will not turn away from them to do them good (Jer. 32:40).
Learn to realise these glorious expectations, to labour for the desolate and outcast children of Israel.Charles Simeon.
On Jer. 32:38. My PEOPLE, see on chap. Jer. 24:7; Jer. 30:22.
On Jer. 32:39. A HEART GIVEN BY GOD, see Homily on chap. Jer. 24:7.
On Jer. 32:40. A CHANGELESS COVENANT, see on chap. Jer. 31:31; Jer. 31:33.
On. Jer. 32:41. Compare Jer. 31:28.
Theme: ISRAELS RESTORATION WHOLLY ENGAGING GOD. Assuredly with My whole heart and with My whole soul.
I. Gods purposes of grace move His own nature to deepest sympathy. He is not coldly occupied in calculating upon them, but fervently moved by them. His whole heart and soul is stirred. God so loved.
II. Gods oversight of His people engages His most earnest and tender solicitude. He is no indifferent spectator of their career. His whole heart and soul are in their welfare.
III. Gods glorious designs animate Him with unceasing delight. He rejoices over them to do them goodwith His whole heart, &c. Hence
1. The Churchs joy, in times of great and God-given blessedness, is faint as compared with Gods delight.
2. The souls gratitude for restoration to the favours sin forfeited is only a reflection of the joy God feels in his redemption.
3. The bliss of the ransomed in heaven is a prospect which fills the whole heart and the whole soul of God Himself with sympathetic delight.
NOTICEABLE TOPIC IN CHAPTER 32
Topic: CREATIONAN ARGUMENT FOR FAITH. Text: Ah, Lord God! behold, Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by Thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for Thee (Jer. 32:17).
When Jeremiah came into his chamber alone, it is possible that he began to question himself as to what he had been doing, and troubled thoughts rolled over his mind:I have been purchasing a useless possession, said he. See how he refuses to indulge the thought. He gets as far as saying, Ah, Lord God! as if he were about to utter some unbelieving or rebellious sentence, but he stops himself, Thou canst make this plot of ground of use to me; Thou canst rid this land of these oppressors; Thou canst make me yet sit under my vine and my fig-tree in the heritage which I have bought; for Thou didst make the heavens and the earth, and there is nothing too hard for Thee. This gave a majesty to the early saints, that they dared to do at Gods command things which were unaccountable to sense, and which reason would condemn. They consulted not with flesh and blood; but whether it is a Noah who is to build a ship on dry land, an Abraham who is to offer up his only son, or a Moses who is to despise the treasures of Egypt, or a Joshua who is to besiege Jericho seven days, using no weapons but the blasts of rams horns,they all act upon Gods command; they act contrary to all the dictates of carnal reason; and God, even the Lord God, gives them a rich reward as the result of their obedient faith. I would to God we had in the religion of these modern times a more potent infusion of this heroic faith in God. When Edward Irving preached that memorable sermon concerning the missionary, who he thought was bound to go forth without purse or scrip, and trusting in his God alone, to preach the Word, a howl went up to heaven against the man as a fanatic. They said he was visionary, unpractical, mad, and all because he dared to preach a sermon full of faith in God. If once again we could, like the world, be hanged upon nothing but the simple power and providence of God, I am sure we should find it a blessed and a safe way of living, glorious to God, and honourable to ourselves.
It is my business to conduct you to Jeremiahs place of confidence. Seeing that his case is hopeless, knowing that man can do nothing at all for him, the prophet resorts at once to the God that created the heaven and the earth, and he exclaims, Nothing is too hard for Thee. Use the text to stimulate the evangelist; to encourage the inquirer; and to comfort the believer.
I. To stimulate the evangelist. And who is the evangelist? Every man and woman who has tasted that the Lord is gracious. There should be no dumb tongue in all our host; we should have no idle hand in the harvest field here, here is your encouragement: the work is Gods, and your success is in the hand of Him who made the heaven and the earth. Let me refresh your memory with the old story of creation:
1. Remember that the world was created from nothing. You have often said, Mine is a very hard task, for I address myself to men in whom I see nothing hopeful. I batter against a granite conscience, but it is not moved; I thunder forth the law, but the dead and callous heart has not been stirred; I talk of the love of Christ, but the eye is not suffused with tears; I point to hell, but no terror follows; and to heaven, but no holy desire is kindled! there is nothing in man that encourages me in my work, and I am ready to give it over. Come back with me to the worlds creation. Of what did God make the world? Was there any substance ready to His hand out of which to mould this round globe? Naught was there anywhere, and yet He spake and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. The case of the sinner is a parallel one. You say there is nothing in the sinner. Ay, then, there is room here for a re-creating work; for the Eternal God to come, and with His outstretched arm to create a new heart and a right spirit, and put His grace where there was none before. If you had to convert the sinner, then, indeed, your task were as hopeless as to create new orbs out of nothing; but He who hath created all this marvellous earth, and had nothing to begin with, can give life, and fear, and hope, and faith, and love, where there were no heavenly ingredients upon which He might work.
2. But you have none to help you or go forth in your work with you. When God made the worldand the same God is with theeHe worked alone. With whom took He counsel, and who instructed Him? No archangel bowed his head and offered advice to the Most High, for the archangel himself is but a creature. Cherubim and seraphim might sing when the work was over, but help in the work they could not. Look ye to the heavens above or to the deeps beneath, where see ye the impress of any hand but Gods, and that hand a solitary one? Roll thee, then, thy burden on thy God if thou be alone, for alone with Him thou hast the best of company. With Him thou shalt prevail though all men forsake thee.
When He makes bare His arm,
What shall His work withstand?
When He His peoples cause defends,
Who, who shall stay His hand?
Let not this, then, trouble thee; that thou art alone. Ah, Lord God! behold, Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by Thy great power and stretched-out arm, and there is nothing too hard for Thee.
3. But you reply, My sorrow lieth not so much in that I am alone, as in the melancholy fact that I am very conscious of my own weakness, and of my want of adaptation for my peculiar work. I am not sufficient for these things; but rather I feel like Jonah, that I would flee into Tarshish, that I might escape from the burden of the Lord against this Nineveh. Ay, but cast thy thoughts back again upon creation. The Eternal needed no instruments in creation. What tools did God use when He made the heavens and the earth? Had He ought beside His own hand? Are not the heavens the works of His fingers, and the sun and the moon His handiwork? See, then, if God can work without instruments in the creation of a world, He can surely work with a poor and a mean instrument in the conversion of a sinner. If the Lord take in His hand but a smooth stone out of the current, yet when He hurleth it from His sling, it shall pierce even a giants brow. He saveth not by mans strength, nor by human learning, and eloquence, and talent. It is His strength, and not the strength or weakness of the instruments to which we must look. Therefore say, with Paul, I glory in infirmities, that the power of God may rest on me; and let this be thy songWe have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. Ah, Lord God! behold, Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by Thy great power and stretched-out arm; and there is nothing too hard for Thee; Thou canst do wonders even by the meanest instrument.
4. Dost thou still complain, and sayAlas! it is little I can say! When I speak, I can but utter a few plain wordstrue and earnest, but not mighty. I have no power to plead with souls with the tears and the seraphic zeal of a Whitfield. I can only tell the tale of mercy simply, and leave it there. Well, and did not God create all things by His naked word? Was there any eloquence when God spake, and it was done? Let there be light, and there was light. At this day, is not the Gospel in itself the rod of Jehovahs strength? Is it not the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth? And doth not Paul constantly insist upon it, that it is not with wisdom of words, nor with fineness of speech, lest the excellency of the power should not be of God, but of man; and lest mans faith should stand in the wisdom of man, and not in the power of the Most High?
5. Another pleads, You are not aware of the darkness of the district in which I labour. I toil among a benighted, unintelligent, ignorant people. I cannot expect to see fruit there, toil as I may. Ah! brother, and while you talk so you never will see any fruit, for God giveth not great things to unbelieving men. But for the encouragement of thy faith, let me remind thee that it is the God that made the heavens and the earth on whom thou hast to lean, and what is that which was written of old? The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. How dense that darkness was; that primeval darkness which had never been stirred by a single ray of light; that dense, thick, sevenfold Egyptian darkness that had never known a sun or moon, and had never been pierced by light of star! And dost thou think the darkness of thy hearers is thicker than this ancient darkness of the everlasting night?
6. Further, and still to press the same argument. Ay, saith one, but the men among whom I labour are so confused in their notions, they put darkness for light and light for darkness; their moral sense is blunted; if I try to teach them, their ears are dull of hearing and their hearts are given to slumber. Besides, they are full of vain janglings and oppose themselves to the truth; I endure much contradiction of sinners, and they will not receive the truth in the love of it. Ay, then, I bid thee go back to the old creation that thou mayest be comforted concerning the new. Did not the Holy Spirit brood with shadowing wings over the earth when it was chaos? Did He not bring out order from confusion? Then the earth stood out all fair and glittering, for God had done it; disorder yielded to law; darkness gave place to light; chaos turned to glorious order in His sight. The same marvels can be wrought in your case.
7. Ah, say you, they are all so dead, so dead! Ay, and remember how the waters brought forth life abundantly; and how the earth brought forth the creeping thing, and the cattle after its kind; and how, at last, man was made out of the very dust of the earth. Oh, God can readily give life to the dead nature of evil men; thou hast but to rely on Him, the quickening influence shall descend, and thou shalt live.
8. See how fair and glorious this earth is now! Well might the morning stars sing together, and the sons of God shout for joy! And dost thou think that God cannot make as fair a heart in man, and make it bud and blossom, and teem with hallowed life? Thinkest thou that Christ cannot make the angels sing even a nobler song of joy over a soul that is washed in blood and a spirit robed in white that shall praise God and the Lamb for ever?
II. To encourage the inquirer. Many really desirous to be saved are full of doubts, and difficulties, and questionings.
Remember that the question about your salvation is not whether you can save yourself, for that is answered in a thundering negative from Gods throneYou cannot! By the works of the law shall no flesh living be justified. The question isCan God save you? Can God save you? That is the question. Your unbelief will suggest the difficulty that
1. Your mind is so dark. I cannot see Christ, says one; I feel benighted; it is all darkness, thick as night with me. Yes, but then there is the question, Can God roll this night away? And the answer comes, He who said, Let there be light, and there was light, can certainly repeat the miracle.
2. Another of your doubts will arise from the fact that you feel so weak. You cannot do what you would. You would leave sin, but still fall into it; would lay hold on Christ, but cannot. Then comes the question, Can God do it? And we answer, He who made the heavens and the earth without a helper, can certainly save thee when thou canst not help thyself.
No part of the world helped its own creation. No mountain uplifted its own head; no star appointed its own path of brightness. No flower can say, I created my own loveliness; no eagle that cuts the air can say, I gave myself my soaring wing and my piercing eye. God hath made them all; and so, sinner, troubled because of thine impotency, He wanteth no power in thee. He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. Rest thou upon God in Christ, and cast thyself on Him, and He will do it all. (See Addenda: HUMAN INABILITY.)
3. Ay, sayest thou again, but I am in such an awful state of mind; there is such a confusion within me; I cannot tell what is the matter with me; I know not what I am; I cannot understand myself. Was not the world just so of old, and did not all the beauty of all lands rise out of this dire confusion? Cannot God, then, do this for thee, and give thee a peace that passeth all understanding? Trust thou in Christ, despite it all, for He can hush the hurricane to slumber and lay the storm to sleep.
4. There is more hope in thy case than there was in the creation of the world, for in the creation there was nothing done beforehand. The plan was drawn, no doubt, but no material was provided; no stores laid in to effect the purpose. But in thy case the work is done already, beforehand. On the bloody tree Christ has carried sin; in the grave He has vanquished death; in resurrection He has rent for ever the bonds of the grave; in ascension He has opened heaven to all believers; and in His intercession He is pleading still for them that trust Him. It is finished, remember, so that it is easier to save thee than to make a world, for the world had naught prepared for it.
5. Yet again, God has done something more in thee than there was done before He made the world. Emptiness did not cry O God! create me. Darkness could not pray, O Lord! give me light. Confusion could not cry, O God! ordain me into order. But see what He has done for you! He has taught you to cry,
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. He has made you plead, Lighten my darkness, O Lord, lest I sleep the sleep of death. He has taught you to say, I have gone astray, like a lost sheep; seek Thy servant. See, friend, the grass cannot pray for dew, and yet it falls; and shall you cry for it and God withhold it? The thirsty earth hath no voice to ask for showers, and yet they descend; and will God let you cry and not answer you?you! made in His own image, will He let you cry and not hear you, when He has Himself said, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, but would rather that he should turn unto Me and live?
6. It was in Gods power to make the world or not, just as He pleased. No promise bound Him; no covenant made it imperative upon Him that His arm should be outstretched. Sinner, the Lord is not bound to save thee except from His own promise, and that promise is, He that calleth upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. He cannot withhold saving thee if thou callest upon Him.
7. It is certain that there is more room in your case for God to glorify Himself than there was in the making of the world. In making the world He glorified His wisdom and He magnified His power, but He could not show His mercy. He could have no mercy upon floods and mountains, upon cattle and flying fowl. There was kindness, but no mercy, for they had not sinned. Now, here in your case, there is room for every attribute of God, for His loving-kindness, His faithfulness, His truth, His power, His grace.
III. To comfort believers. You are greatly troubled are you? It is a common lot with us all. And you have nothing on earth to trust to now, and are going to be cast on your God alone? Happy trouble that drives thee to thy Father! Blessed storm that wrecks thee on the Rock of ages! Glorious billow that washes thee upon this heavenly shore! And now thou hast nothing but thy God to trust to, what art thou going to do? To fret? Oh, do not thus dishonour thy Lord! Show the world that thy God is worth ten thousand worlds to thee. Show rich men how rich thou art in thy poverty when the Lord God is thy helper. Show the strong man how strong thou art in thy weakness when underneath thee are the everlasting arms. Now, now is thy time to glorify God. There was no room for courage before, but now there is space for feats of faith and valiant exploits. Be strong and very courageous, and the Lord thy God shall certainly, as surely as He built the heavens and the earth, glorify Himself in thy weakness, and magnify His might in the midst of thy distress. The Lord help us to lean wholly on Him, and never on ourselves, and let His name be had in remembrance while the earth endureth. Amen.Condensed from Sermon by C. H. Spurgeon, A.D. 1862.
ADDENDA TO CHAP. 32: ILLUSTRATIONS AND SUGGESTIVE EXTRACTS
HELP FROM GOD.
Philip Henry thus wrote upon a studying day: I forgot when I began explicitly and expressly to crave help from God, and the chariot-wheels drove accordingly.
Angels know the happiness of power; we, the happiness of weakness.Lady Powerscourt.
Jer. 32:16. SOLACE OF PRAYER.
Thy love, O Lord, restores me
From sighs and tears to praise;
And deep my soul adores Thee,
Nor thinks of time or place:
I ask no more, in good or ill,
But union with Thy holy will.
Tis that which makes my treasure,
Tis that which brings my gain;
Converting woe to pleasure,
And reaping joy from pain.
Oh, tis enough, whateer befall,
To know that God is All in all.
Madame Guyon.
His heart began to boil with un belief and carnal reasonings; he therefore setteth himself to pray down those distempers. As a man may sleep out his drunkenness, so he may pray away his perturbation.Trapp.
HUMAN INABILITY.
I would, but cant repent,
Though I endeavour oft;
This stony heart can neer relent,
Till Jesus makes it soft.
I would, but cannot love,
Though wood by love Divine;
No arguments have power to move
A soul so base as mine.
I would, but cannot rest
In Gods most holy will;
I know what He appoints is best,
Yet murmur at it still.
Oh, could I but believe!
Then all would easy be;
I would, but cannotLord, relieve;
My help must come from Thee!
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
III. CONFIDENCE IN RESTORATION
Jer. 32:1 to Jer. 33:26
In chapter 32 God directs Jeremiah to demonstrate to his contemporaries in a most tangible way that the nation did have a future. Even though the Babylonian enemy was at the gates of Jerusalem God commanded Jeremiah to purchase a field. Jeremiah, quite perplexed, inquired as to the significance of this act. Why would God have him purchase a field when for years the word of the Lord had been that Judah would be overthrown? God explained to His prophet that there would be a national restoration to the land. Then, as if to settle the matter once and for all, God gave to Jeremiah a lengthy promise concerning the glorious future of Israel.
A. The Present Plight Jer. 32:1-5
TRANSLATION
(1) The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah. That was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. (2) At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was imprisoned in the court of the guard, which was in the house of the king of Judah, (3) Where Zedeki ah king of Judah had imprisoned him saying, Why do you prophesy the following things. Thus says the LORD: Behold, I am about to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it; (4) and Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, for he has surely been given into the hand of the king of Babylon to whom he will speak face to face and eyeball to eyeball. (5) Zedekiah shall be brought to Babylon, and there shall he remain until I visit him (oracle of the LORD); for he shall fight against the Chaldeans but he shall not be successful?
COMMENTS
To set the stage for the dramatic action recorded in chapter 32 the author first spells out in detail the plight of the nation and the plight of Jeremiah. The time and circumstances of this particular narrative are particularly important and should be noted carefully.
1. The present plight of the nation (Jer. 32:1-2 a)
Late in the ninth year of the reign of king Zedekiah (January 588 B.C.) the Babylonian army began the siege of Jerusalem (Jer. 52:4; 2Ki. 25:1 f.). According to the Jewish system of counting, the tenth year of Zedekiah would have begun in March/April of 588 B.C. In the summer of 588 the Babylonians were forced temporarily to lift the siege of Jerusalem. An Egyptian army was attacking from the south and Nebuchadnezzar felt that he must deal with that threat before effecting the capture of Jerusalem (Jer. 37:3-5). Shortly the Babylonian army returned just as Jeremiah had said it would (Jer. 37:8).
The chronological problem arises as to whether the events in chapter 32 should be assigned to phase one of the siege (before the lull in the summer of 588 B.C.) or to phase two (after the lull). Most commentators opt for the latter placement. For a discussion of the problem and presentation of an alternative view see the special note at the end of the present chapter. Though the precise placement of this material within the period of the siege operations must be left an open question this much is certain: At the time Jeremiah performed his symbolic act of purchasing a field the situation in Jerusalem was desperate and the prospects of deliverance nil. Many Judeans were now at long last able to interpret the handwriting on the wall. The overthrow of Jerusalem was certain to all those who were not completely blind. Jerusalems doom was sealed.
2. The present plight of the prophet (Jer. 32:2 b5)
At the time Jeremiah was commanded to purchase the field of his cousin he was confined in the court of the guard. Chapter 37 tells how Jeremiah was arrested and eventually put in the court of the guard for trying to leave Jerusalem during the lull in the siege. Most commentators view this as proof conclusive that chapter 32 chronologically follows chapter 37. It should be noted, however, that in chapter 32 Jeremiah is arrested because of his preaching not because of alleged treason as in chapter 37. This would suggest that Jeremiah was imprisoned more than once in the court of the guard during the siege of Jerusalem. Regardless of the chronological reconstruction of these events, the present chapter records one of the most remarkable examples of personal faith found in the Bible.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
XXXII.
(1) In the tenth year of Zedekiah . . .We are carried over a period of six years from the prophecy of Jer. 28:1 to B.C. 589, when the treacherous and intriguing policy of Zedekiah had provoked Nebuchadnezzar to besiege Jerusalem in the ninth year of the king of Judahs reign, and the king, irritated by Jeremiahs continued predictions of defeat, had imprisoned him in the dungeon for state-prisoners attached to the palace (Neh. 3:25). It would appear from Jer. 37:15; Jer. 38:26, both of an earlier date than this chapter, that he had previously been confined in the house of Jonathan the scribe as a private prison, and that the king had removed him thence with a view to consulting him on the probable issue of the siege. He was not allowed to leave his prison, but friends were permitted to have access to him.
(3. 4) Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon . . .A comparison of these verses with Jer. 34:2-3; Jer. 38:23, shows that Jeremiah never for a moment varied in his tone. To see the king of Babylon face to face, to stand before him in shame and confusionthat was to be the end of the kings frantic resistance to the Divine purpose. The prophecy of Ezekiel (Eze. 12:13), and the fact that Nebuchadnezzar put out the eyes of the captive king (Jer. 39:7), give a special force to Jeremiahs word. The face of the great king, in all the terror of his wrath, was to be the last object Zedekiah was to behold on earth (2Ki. 25:6-7; Jer. 39:6; Jer. 52:10-11).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
INTRODUCTORY, Jer 32:1-5.
1. The tenth year of Zedekiah In Jer 1:3, “the eleventh year of Zedekiah” is mentioned as the terminus ad quem of Jeremiah’s prophecies. This chapter, then, is comprehended in the general title comprised in the first three verses of the first chapter. The siege of Jerusalem had now been in progress a year. (Jer 39:1.) The coming of the Egyptian army had interrupted it, but upon the defeat of the Egyptians it was immediately resumed.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jeremiah Is Shut Up In Prison For Prophesying That Jerusalem Will Be Taken By Nebuchadrezzar ( Jer 32:1-5 ).
The scene now shifts from the rebuilding of the new Jerusalem to the time of the siege of the old 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 (Jer 37:4-5; Jer 37:11-13), and then in the court of the guard (Jer 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 seen as 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.
Jer 32:1
‘The word that came to Jeremiah from YHWH in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar.’
The date was around 588/7 BC. The siege began in c. 589 BC, and was now at its intensest, with hope of help from the Egyptians having faded. It was the time when, as a result of the attempted rebellion of Zedekiah (largely forced on him by his advisers), Nebuchadrezzar had surrounded the city with a view to forcing it into submission. 588/7 BC would be Nebuchadrezzars’s seventeenth year by Babylonian reckoning (omitting the accession year), and therefore the eighteenth year by this reckoning (including the accession year).
Jer 32:2
‘Now at that time the king of Babylon’s army was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard, 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 (Jer 37:13), had been imprisoned in the palace-complex prison in the court of the guard which was probably retained for the purpose of 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 cess pit (Jer 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 (Jer 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.
Jer 32:3-5
‘For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, “Why do you prophesy, and say,
“Thus says YHWH,
Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon,
And he will take it,
And Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans,
But will surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon,
And will speak with him mouth to mouth,
And his eyes will behold his eyes,
And he will bring Zedekiah to Babylon,
And there shall he be until I visit him,
The word of YHWH,
Though you fight with the Chaldeans,
You will not prosper?
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 Nebuchadrezzar, 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.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Sub-Part A. After Its Destruction Jerusalem Will One Day Be Restored, Something Guaranteed To Jeremiah In A Symbolic Act Of Purchasing Family Land ( Jer 32:1-44 ).
Jeremiah is commanded to buy an hereditary piece of land as a symbol of what YHWH is going to do with regard to Judah. This confuses Jeremiah who cannot understand how such an action ties in with YHWH’s warnings of the near certain destruction of Jerusalem, and he comes before YHWH in prayer, arguing out the pros and cons about whether YHWH intends to deliver His people at the last moment. YHWH replies by confirming that He will cause Jerusalem to be destroyed in the near future, but that one day He will also cause the exiles to return again to their own land. There He will transform them and make with them an everlasting covenant, with land once again being bought and sold in the land of Judah (Jer 32:1-44).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
SECTION 2 ( Jer 26:1 to Jer 45:5 ).
Whilst the first twenty five chapters of Jeremiah have mainly been a record of his general prophecies, mostly given during the reigns of Josiah and Jehoiakim, and have been in the first person, this second section of Jeremiah (Jer 26:1 to Jer 45:5) is in the third person, includes a great deal of material about the problems that Jeremiah faced during his ministry and provides information about the opposition that he continually encountered. This use of the third person was a device regularly used by prophets so that it does not necessarily indicate that it was not directly the work of Jeremiah, although in his case we actually have good reason to think that much of it was recorded under his guidance by his amanuensis and friend, Baruch (Jer 36:4).
It can be divided up as follows:
1. Commencing With A Speech In The Temple Jeremiah Warns Of What Is Coming And Repudiates The Promises Of The False Prophets (Jer 26:1 to Jer 29:32).
2. Promises Are Given Of Eventual Restoration And Of A New Covenant Written In The Heart (Jer 30:1 to Jer 33:26).
3. YHWH’s Continuing Word of Judgment Is Given Through Jeremiah And Its Repercussions Leading Up To The Fall Of Jerusalem Are Revealed (Jer 34:1 to Jer 39:18).
4. Events Subsequent To The Fall Of Jerusalem (Jer 40:1 to Jer 45:5).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
SECTION 2 ( Jer 26:1 to Jer 45:5 ). (continued).
As we have seen this Section of Jeremiah from Jer 26:1 to Jer 45:5 divides up into four main subsections, which are as follows:
1. Commencing With A Speech In The Temple Jeremiah Warns Of What Is Coming And Repudiates The Promises Of The False Prophets (Jer 26:1 to Jer 29:32).
2. Following The Anguish To Come Promises Are Given Of Eventual Restoration, Central To Which is A New Covenant Written In The Heart (Jer 30:1 to Jer 33:26).
3. YHWH’s Continuing Word of Judgment Is Given Through Jeremiah, And Its Repercussions Leading Up To The Fall Of Jerusalem Are Revealed (Jer 34:1 to Jer 39:18).
4. Events Subsequent To The Fall Of Jerusalem Are Described (Jer 40:1 to Jer 45:5).
We have already commented on Subsection 1). in Jeremiah 4. We must now therefore consider subsection 2). This subsection, with its emphatic promises of hope for the future, is the most positive subsection from a long term view in his prophecy.
Subsection 2 ( Jer 30:1 to Jer 33:26 ). Following The Anguish To Come Promises Are Given Of Eventual Restoration, Central To Which Is A New Covenant Written By YHWH In The Hearts Of His People, Together With The Establishment Of The New Jerusalem As The Eternal City ( Jer 30:1 to Jer 33:26 ).
This Subsection places a great emphasis, not only on the coming anguish, but even more on the glorious restoration that will follow. It presents a final picture of a wholly restored nation which has been spiritually transformed.
It may be seen as divided up into two parts on the basis of the phrase ‘The word that came to Jeremiah from YHWH –’ (Jer 30:1; Jer 32:1). (Jer 33:1; Jer 33:19, on the other hand, open with ‘and’ (waw), signifying continuation rather than a new part). The first part deals with promises of glorious restoration and spiritual renewal ending up with the establishment of a new Jerusalem as the eternal city (compare Rev 21:1 to Rev 22:5). The second part contains an acted out prophecy in which Jeremiah purchases a piece of hereditary land in order to demonstrate his confidence in the final future of Judah, and gives further assurances of restoration.
Part 1). ‘The word that came to Jeremiah from YHWH –’ (Jer 30:1). Out of the anguish of Israel/Judah is to come restoration, when YHWH will bring His people from all the places of exile to which He has scattered them, and will replant them and build them up in the land, establishing with them a new covenant, written not on stone but in their hearts. All will know Him and all will be made holy, and God’s holy city will be established for ever (Jer 30:1 to Jer 31:40).
We will now consider this part in detail.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Section 2 Subsection 2 Part 2). Having Been Imprisoned During The Siege Of Jerusalem Jeremiah Buys A Piece Of Hereditary Land In Order To Demonstrate Confidence In The Future Of The Land Of Judah, Something Resulting In A Promise Of Restoration And Of The Coming Of The Shoot Of David ( Jer 32:1 to Jer 33:16 ).
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 –’ (Jer 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 (Jer 32:1 to Jer 33:26).
Part 2 is divided up into two sub-parts, both occurring while Jeremiah was in the palace complex prison during the final stages of the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, and in both of them restoration is promised once the worst is over.
Sub-Part A. ‘The word that came to Jeremiah from YHWH –.’ After its destruction Jerusalem will one day be restored, something guaranteed to Jeremiah in a symbolic act of purchasing family land (Jer 32:1-44).
Sub-part B. ‘Moreover the word of YHWH came to Jeremiah the second time –.’ Despite the devastation coming YHWH promises that one day He will restore His people, settle them securely in the land, and will restore the Davidic kingship and the Levitical priesthood in accordance with His covenants made with them (Jer 33:1-26).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Jer 32:14 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days.
Jer 32:14
Jer 32:31 For this city hath been to me as a provocation of mine anger and of my fury from the day that they built it even unto this day; that I should remove it from before my face,
Jer 32:31
Gen 6:3, “And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.”
Jer 32:42 For thus saith the LORD; Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them.
Jer 32:42
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
The Transaction Itself
v. 1. v. 2. v. 3. v. 4. v. 5. v. 6. v. 7. v. 8. v. 9. v. 10. v. 11. v. 12. v. 13. v. 14. v. 15.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
EXPOSITION
Jeremiah was far from wishing to depress his fellow countrymen to the point of disbelieving in the inalienable promises of God to Israel, He fully recognized an element of truth in the preaching of the “false prophets,” viz. that Jehovah was still the God of his people Israel, though for wise purposes he chose to hide his face for a time. His own faith was intense, to the pitch of an even Roman heroism (see Livy, Jer 26:11). The opportunity (or rathersee belowthe fight) of purchasing a piece of ground at Anathoth was the occasion which called forth the most striking proof of his sublime confidence in God. Not that he understood how it could be God’s will that he, in the besieged city, should constitute himself a landed proprietor. He had his difficulties; but instead of brooding over them, he laid them Before Jehovah in prayer. And the Divine revelation came that, though long continued transgressions had brought upon Judah the sorest punishment, they should yet be restored to their land; and, though the first covenant had been broken, a second and an everlasting covenant should in future times be granted to God’s people; and the sign that the first part of this promise should in very deed be realized is the purchase of the field by Jeremiah.
Jer 32:1-5
Time and circumstances of the following revelation. It took place in the tenth year of Zedekiah, the eighteenth of Nebuchadnezzar (comp. Jer 25:1; Jer 52:12). The siege of Jerusalem had Begun in the preceding year (Jer 39:1), but had been temporarily raised on the approach of an Egyptian army (Jer 37:5, Jer 37:11). Jeremiah, who had declared resistance hopeless, had been accused of treason, and imprisoned (Jer 37:13), and in prison he remained till the close of the siege. Like St. Paul at Rome, however, he was allowed free communication with visitors, as appears from verse 8 and Jer 38:1. Jer 38:2-5 are parenthetical (see on Jer 38:6).
Jer 32:2
In the court of the prison; or, the court of the guard, which adjoined the royal palace (Neh 3:25).
Jer 32:3
Had shut him up. A brief and general account of the circumstances related more in full in Jer 37:1-21. For the prophecies referred to, see Jer 34:3-5; Jer 37:17; Jer 38:17-23 (the following verse is almost identical with Jer 34:3).
Jer 32:5
Until I visit him; i.e. until I take notice of him. “To visit” is used in a good (Jer 27:22; Jer 29:10) as well as in a bad sense (Jer 6:15; Jer 49:8), so that no definite announcement is made respecting Zedekiah’s future. There was no object to gain by extending the scope of the revelation beyond the immediate present, and Zedekiah’s offences did not require such an anticipative punishment as the clear prediction of the details of his fate (Jer 39:6, Jer 39:7; Jer 52:11).
Jer 32:6-15
The purchase of the field. Jer 32:6 resumes Jer 32:1, after the long parenthesis in Jer 32:2-5.
Jer 32:7
Hanameel. Another form of Hananeel; comp. , in the Septuagint = Goshen, = Midian. In Jer 31:38 the Authorized Version has Hananeel, and the Septuagint (of course, the persons referred to are different). The son of Shallum thine uncle. It is strange that Hanameel should be called at once Jeremiah’s uncle’s son and his uncle; and yet this is the casethe former in verses 8, 9, the latter in verse 12. There is, therefore, no reason why we should deviate (as most commentators do) from the ordinary Hebrew usage, and suppose “thine uncle” in this verse to refer to Shallum, and not rather to Hanameel. But how are we to explain this singular variation in phraseology? Either from the fact that the Hebrew for “uncle” is simply a word expressive of affection (it means “beloved,” see e.g. Isa 5:1), and might, therefore, just as well be applied to a cousin as to an uncle: or else. upon the supposition that the word for “son (of)” has fallen out of the text before “mine uncle,” both in this verse and in verse 12.
Jer 32:8
The right of inheritance (or rather, of taking possession) is thine. The right, however, was dependent on the previous right of redeeming the land. Hence the speaker continues: The redemption is thine; buy it for thyself. The Law directs, “If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold” (Le Jer 25:25). Jeremiah’s kinsman, however, ascribes to him the right of pre-emption. This is not mentioned in Leviticus; hut, of course, no one would care to purchase a property till he was sure that the next kinsman would not insist on redeeming it. No one, it may be remarked, could purchase land unconditionallythe usufruct of it till the year of jubilee was all that was legally transferable; and even the original occupant had only a life interest in his land, the ownership of which was, strictly speaking, vested in the commune. This seems to Be the necessary inference from a comprehensive view of the passages relative to land in the Old Testament. Then I knew, etc. We may, perhaps, interpret this notice combined with that in verse 6 thus: Jeremiah had had a presentiment, founded, perhaps, upon the distress to which his cousin had been reduced, that the latter would invite him to carry out the provisions of the Law; and his presentiments were generally so ordered by the Divine Spirit of prophecy as to be ratified by the event. Still, he had a measure of uncertainty till Hanameel actually came to him, and so demonstrated “that this had been the word of the Lord.” In recording the circumstances, he not unnaturally reflects his later feeling of certitude in his description of the presentiment.
Jer 32:9
Seventeen shekels of silver; i.e. about 2 5s. 4d. (taking the shekel at 2s. 8d.). This has been thought a small price. Thirty shekels were paid for the potter’s field (Mat 27:7); fifty by David, for Araunah’s threshing floor and oxen (2Sa 24:4). The Hebrew has “seven shekels and ten of silver;” hence the Targum increases the price by supplying “minas” before “of silver,” bringing up the sum to one hundred and seven shekels. This, however, seems too much. Even if Jeremiah wished to be liberal, he would hardly have been able to go so far (probably) in excess of the market price. Who would have purchased the land on speculation, if Jeremiah had refused? The famine made life, the siege, a continuance of personal liberty, terribly uncertain. And, putting this out of the question, there may have been but a short time to elapse before the year of jubilee, when the land would revert to its original occupant (see above). The singular form of expression in the Hebrew, at which the Targum stumbled, may, perhaps, be the usual style of legal documents.
Jer 32:10-14
The Authorized Version is here so far wrong, on technical terms, that it seems best to retranslate the whole passage: “And I wrote (the circumstances) in the deed, and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed the money in the balance. And I took the purchase deed, that which was sealed (containing the offer and the conditions), and that which was open; and I gave the purchase deed unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah (rather, Makhseiah), in the sight of Hanameel my uncle, and in the sight of the witnesses who subscribed the purchase deed, in the sight of all the Jews who were sitting in the court of the guard. And I charged Baruch before them, saying, Thus saith Jehovah Sabaoth, the God of Israel, Take these deeds, this sealed purchase deed, and this open deed; and put them into an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days.” The deed was made in two copies, so that if the open one were lost, or suspected of having been tampered with, an appeal might always be made to the sealed copy. The latter was to be placed in an earthen vessel, to preserve it from injury by damp. It ought to be added that the words in verse 11, rendered “containing the offer and the conditions,” are difficult. “Containing” is not expressed in the Hebrew, and “offer” is not the ordinary meaning, though etymologically justifiable.
Jer 32:15
Shall be possessed; rather, shall be bought.
Jer 32:16-25
Jeremiah obeys the Divine command, but is so besieged by misgivings that he applies for a further revelation of God’s purposes.
Jer 32:17
Ah, Lord God! rather, Alas! O Lord Jehovah (as Jer 1:6). Too hard for thee. It is the word usually rendered “wonderful,” but rather indicating that thing or person lies outside the common order (comp. Gen 18:14).
Jer 32:18
Into the bosom, etc. The ample dress of an Eastern rendering a bag or basket unnecessary (comp. Rth 3:15).
Jer 32:20
Even unto this day. A loose expression. Jeremiah simply means that signs and wonders equal to those wrought in Egypt have continued to the present time. And in Israel; rather, both in Israel.
Jer 32:21
Almost identical with Deu 26:8. The great terror which the Israelites inspired is constantly referred to (see Deu 2:25; Exo 23:27; Jos 5:1).
Jer 32:24
Behold the mounts (see as Jer 6:6). Is given. Resistance being hopeless, Jerusalem was virtually in the hands of its besiegers.
Jer 32:25
For the city is given; rather, whereas. It is a reflection of the prophet’s.
Jer 32:26-44
The Divine answer. This falls into two parts. First, Jehovah repeats the burden of so many prophecies, that Israel has only to blame himself for his punishment (Jer 32:26-35); and then a bright future is disclosed beyond the gloomy interval of conquest and captivitya future when men shall buy fields, and comply with all the legal formalities, precisely as Jeremiah has done (verses 36-44).
Jer 32:28
I will give; rather, I am on the point of giving (present participle).
Jer 32:29
And burn it. A still more significant prediction to Jewish hearers than to us, for it implies that Jerusalem had become utterly rebellious, and deserved the punishment of the old Canaanitish cities. It was to be made a cherem (Deu 3:6).
Jer 32:30
From their youth (see on Jer 3:24, Jer 3:25; Jer 22:21). The children of Israel, in the first half of the verse, must have a narrower sense than in the second half. The fall of Jerusalem is the climax of the series of punishments which the two separated and yet (in God’s sight) united portions of the people of Israel have had to undergo.
Jer 32:31
From the day that they built it. It is useless to tell an impassioned orator that his words are not strictly consistent with primitive history. The Israelites may not have built Jerusalem, but Jeremiah was not to be debarred from the strongest form of expression open to him for such a reason. He means “from the earliest times.”
Jer 32:34, Jer 32:35.
Repeated, with slight variations, from Jer 7:30, Jer 7:31. “Baal” and “Molech” are identified as in Jer 19:5 (= Jer 7:31), and even more distinctly.
Jer 32:36
And now therefore. This introduces the strange and lovely contrast to the gloomy picture which has gone before. It will be observed that there is no direct reference to Jerusalem, but the capital was only emphasized before as the heart of the nation, and it would, of course, be no comfort to say that Jerusalem’s inhabitants (alone) would be restored.
Jer 32:39
One heart, and one way. Unity is always given as the “note” of the ideal, Messianic period (comp. Zep 3:9; Zec 14:9; Joh 10:16). That they may fear me forever. This reminds us of a phrase in the exhortation in Deu 4:10, as the next clause does of Deu 6:24.
Jer 32:40
An everlasting covenant. It is the “new covenant” of Jer 31:31, etc; which is meant (for the phrase, comp. Isa 55:3; Eze 37:26). That I will not turn to do them good. The comma in the Authorized Version impairs the sense. The prophet means, “That I will not cease to show them favour” (comp. Isa 54:10).
Jer 32:41
Assuredly; literally, with faith. fulness; i.e. with perfect sincerity, without an arriere pensee, as the next words explain it; comp. 1Sa 12:24; Isa 38:3 (Graf).
Jer 32:42
Like as I have brought, etc. The prophet still has in his mind the thought expressed in Jer 31:28, that the brighter part of his revelations must as surely be accomplished as the darker.
Jer 32:43
Fields; rather, land; the Hebrew has “the field,” i.e. the open country (as Jer 4:17, etc.). We must then continue “in this country,” and in Jer 32:44, “men shall buy lands.”
Jer 32:44
Subscribe evidences; rather, write (particulars of their purchase)in the deed (as Jer 32:10). In the land of Benjamin, etc. The catalogue of the districts of the Jewish kingdom heightens the realistic effect (see on Jer 17:26). Everywhere the old social system will be reproduced in its entirety. The land of Benjamin is mentioned first, on account of the property of Jeremiah at Anathoth.
HOMILETICS
Jer 32:6-9
Faith tested by action.
Jerusalem is besieged; the fields are occupied by the invader; Jeremiah knows that the Jews will be driven from their country; he is a prisoner. Yet he buys of piece of land! The transaction is carried out calmly, carefully, with all legal exactitude, and every precaution against future mistakes as to ownership, just as if the prophet were at liberty to enter into possession and enjoy his purchase without fear of molestation. His conduct is striking; to those who heard his warnings of the approaching Captivity it would seem singularly inconsistent. But the secret of it is explained to us, and this shews it to be a sublime act of faith. It was right that Jeremiah should make the purchase under ordinary circumstances, to keep the land in the family. He was now urged by a Divine impulse, which made him feel without doubt that it was God’s will that he should buy the land, and he did it without questioning. After he had made the purchase, however, he inquired of God for the meaning of it, and was assured that the land of Israel would revert to the Jews after the Captivity, and would be bought and sold again with confidence in security of possession. Jeremiah’s purchase was to be an anticipation of that happy future. His conduct is thus an illustration of the influence of faith on outward actions.
I. FAITH WILL REVEAL ITSELF IN DEEDS. Faith is not a merely intellectual exercise. It is primarily that which connects thought with action, and it is invariably an active principle. “Faith without works is dead.” Jeremiah showed his faith by his works. A man’s faith may be measured by the influence it has upon his conduct. The trying time is when faith comes into conflict with present impressions. Then, if those impressions are vivid and faith is feeble, they may overcome it. It is useless to claim to have an unquestioning conviction in face of such a failure. The failure proves the deficiency of faith. We should all ask ourselvesHow far does our faith mould our conduct? How different would our life be if our faith were to cease? Would the effect be but slight or would it be a very revolution? The answer to these questions will determine whether our faith is a solid reality or a dreamy sentiment.
II. THOUGH FAITH IS A SPIRITUAL GRACE, IT WILL INFLUENCE OUR CONDUCT IN SECULAR AFFAIRS. Jeremiah showed his faith by the very thorough way in which he carried through an elaborate piece of conveyancing business. He did not confine his faith to the temple and to his preaching. He showed it in the market place and in business. The sharp line which we draw between the spiritual and the secular is false and irreligious. Religion will be satisfied with no limited sphere. It claims the whole domain of life. Faith cannot be confined to any section of our conduct. If it is real, it will be a broad fundamental principle influencing all we do. If our faith bears no fruit in our business, it is a vain and worthless thing.
III. FAITH IN GOD WILL LEAD TO IMPLICIT OBEDIENCE TO HIS WILL. Jeremiah believed that God wished him to buy the field, and he did so, though at first he could not discover the utility of the purchase.
1. Faith will lead to obedience. It has two sidesa passive side, that shows itself in trust, submission, resignation; and an active side, that expresses itself in obedience. There are those who seem to ignore the latter. To them faith is wholly receptive, simply a leaving of our case in the hands of God and accepting what he gives. But the obedience of faith is not less important than its submission.
2. This obedience must be implicit. From the nature of the case we cannot at first understand all the reasons of the command. If we could there would be no room for faith. But when we know that God is great and good, and know that a certain act is according to his will, faith will find her place in doing it in the darkness, resting assured that all is right.
IV. GOD‘S PROMISES FULLY JUSTIFY HOPEFUL ACTION UNDER DARK CIRCUMSTANCES. Jeremiah’s conduct looked inconsistent. It was justified by God’s promise of the restoration. When all is dark in the present we are inclined to despair of the future. But the future is in God’s hands, and he has promised deliverance and blessedness to his people. Faith in God, therefore, will be a parent of hope. Because we trust God, we know that he will fulfil his good promises, and therefore we can act as though we saw the accomplishment of them.
Jer 32:16-25
The prayer of a perplexed soul.
I. THE GENERAL CHARACTER OF THE PRAYER. Jeremiah is sorely perplexed by God’s command to him to buy a field when the Jews are about to be driven from the land and he is a prisoner at Jerusalem. He does not permit his perplexity to paralyze his obedience. But after he has done the thing commanded by God he naturally and rightly seeks an explanation of the strange Divine commission. It is right that we should bring our doubts and difficulties to God. Though we should not allow them to hinder our performance of duty, we cannot help feeling them, and if we have true confidence in God we shall frankly confess them to him. We often trouble ourselves sorely, without ground, because we keep our doubts to ourselves, and try to solve them in the twilight of our own confused thinking, when, if we had more faith or more courage, we should bring them to God to seek such a solution as may be vouchsafed to us in the light of his presence. The character of Jeremiah’s prayer and the way in which he thus seeks relief from God are deeply significant. He does not begin by asking the meaning of the command that perplexes him. Most of his prayer contains no reference to this. It is devoted to a contemplation of God, of his nature, his grace, and the justice of his severe actions. Thus he prepares his own soul for a right view of God’s dealings with him. It would be well if our prayers contained more of this contemplation of God. Let us understand that the deepest prayer is not petition, but communion. It is more important that we should he brought near to God and realize rightly his presence and nature than that we should ask certain definite things of him. Therefore that part of prayer which in words may consist of invocation and adoration, should not be treated as a mere introductory formula, such as that with which we address a person of title. It is neither a mere call like that of the priests of Baal to obtain a hearing (1Ki 18:26), nor only an expression of praise and thankfulness as a fitting introduction to a request for further favours. It should be felt to be the most precious element in prayer, the means by which our souls are lifted into fellowship with heaven. If it secures this result, the chief end of our prayer is attained. Then, if ever, our difficulties will vanish and our wants be satisfied, even if there be no change in God’s actions towards us.
II. THE LEADING DETAILS OF THE PRAYER.
1. A contemplation of the greatness of God (verse 17). This is realized by a consideration of the stupendous works of God in nature. Thence we learn
(1) that as God accomplishes such great works as are manifested in creation, no difficulty or failure can arise from his inability to bring about the very best condition of affairs; and yet
(2) that surrounding such great works there must be ineffable mysteries, so that we may be perplexed by much that comes from so wonderful a being as God.
2. A contemplation of the goodness and wisdom of God (verses 18, 19). God is kind to multitudes, and yet necessarily searching in his justice. Therefore it is apparent that be will require no unreasonable sacrifice and no useless exertion. His commands may appear arbitrary and capricious. But his character teaches us to trust that the strangest of them are governed by his mercy, justice, and wisdom.
3. A contemplation of the providential action of God (verses 20-22). A review of providence should confirm our faith even under the strangest trials. God had delivered Israel in the past, fulfilled his promises in the face of apparently insuperable difficulties, and given them a rich inheritance. Was there not good ground to trust him after that?
4. A contemplation of the justice of God’s severest actions (verses 23, 24). From this we see that the calamities of judgment are deserved. That fact should increase our faith in God, though by itself it may make hope more difficult, as it did in the ease of Jeremiah.
5. A confession of perplexity at God s command (verse 25). This is not made till after the contemplation of the character and works of God. The contemplation has not destroyed the difficulty, but it has prepared the prophet to receive an explanation. Thus it is well that we should confess our doubts distinctly to God and ask for light, and if we do this after prayer and spiritual communion with God, we may hope that light will open upon us as it did upon Jeremiah.
Jer 32:27
The omnipotence of God.
I. THE SOURCE OF THE OMNIPOTENCE OF GOD.
1. His essential being. He is the Lord, Jehovah, the Self-Existent. God is not only greater than all other existences, he differs from them in his essential being. He is eternal; they have come into being. He is self-contained; they are created.
2. God’s relation to all other existences. He is the God of all flesh. He is the First Cause, the Source of the first being of all things, and the ground of their continued being. But for him they could never have been and could not now endure. We human creatures, “flesh,” may realize this especially in regard to ourselves. Therefore to us in particular God, who created us all, and in whom we all live and move and have our being, must be almighty.
II. APPARENT LIMITATIONS TO THE OMNIPOTENCE OF GOD.
1. The character of God. We say that God cannot do wrong. But this simply means that his character is such that he never will do wrong. He is physically as able to do the actions which are wrong as those which are right. If he were not, there would be no goodness in his refraining, for purity is not impotence to do evil, but a will not to do it in face of the power to do it. Omnipotence is a physical characteristic. Goodness, the moral characteristic, does not destroy this by controlling the action of it. The power of the steam-engine is not lessened because the driver turns the steam on and off at will.
2. The free will of man. This introduces an unfathomable mystery, which no philosophy has solved or is ever likely to solve. But the mystery is more especially felt on our side. If God created us and gave to us free will, and, being omnipotent, can at any time destroy us and withdraw it, this must not be regarded as any real limitation to his power.
III. HOW A CONSIDERATION OF THE OMNIPOTENCE OF GOD SHOULD AFFECT OUR CONDUCT. We are not called to worship mere power. To do so would be to renounce the rights of conscience. We worship God, not because he is almighty, but because he is supremely good and morally great. But starting from this position, we have to take account also of the omnipotence of God.
1. It shows the utter vanity of all resistance to the will of God. This is a most obvious inference? The more strange, then, that it is so little acted on. We need to feel it as well as to believe it.
2. It should lead us to trust that God will overcome difficulties which to us appear insuperable. The restoration of Israel appeared impossible; the salvation of the world seems too great and difficult to be realized; there are special difficulties in special cases, but some with all, so that we may exclaim, “Who then can be saved?” But if “with God all things are possible” (Mat 19:26), how can we fix any limit to the ultimate triumphs of redemption? “The mercy of the Lord endureth forever;” then God will always seek the recovery of his lost children. “Is anything too hard for me? Then, in spite of present unbelief, impenitence, wild wanderings further astray, may we not believe that he will find his children at last?
3. These considerations should lead us to seek the help of God’s strength in our weakness. How foolish for the sailors to weary themselves toiling in vain at their oars against the tide, when if they would spread their sails the strong wind would carry them swiftly on! How foolish of us to toil on only in our natural power and with mere earthly means, when there are heavenly influences of omnipotence ready to help us if we will seek them!
Jer 32:39
Unity.
I. UNITY IS PROMISED AS A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE FUTURE. This is unity of thought, “one heart,” and unity of conduct, “one way.” Men shall then see “eye to eye,” discord and controversy cease, peace and amity prevail. There may still be diversity of ideas in the sense of personal difference, because individual characters, positions, and opportunities must still vary. But in a perfect condition there will be no discord. The variations will harmonize. So all will not do exactly the same thing in exactly the same manner. There will, doubtless, be various spheres of action and various personal styles of work. But these will not conflict. They will all tend the same way.
II. UNITY IS INVOLVED IN THE IDEA OF PERFECTION.
1. Unity of thought. Truth is one. It may be variously conceived; at first broken lights caught up in opposite quarters may look very different. But the more we eliminate personal “views,” the more we can get of the white light of facts, the nearer we approach to the central verity, the more unity shall we obtain. Absolute truth is an absolute unity. This is apparent in mathematics. Two and two cannot be both four and five at the same timefour to one man, five to his neighbour.
2. Unity of action. As there is but one absolute truth, so there is but one absolute right. Under all circumstances there can be but one thing which is absolutely the best to be done. That one thing is the right. Till we find this, we make blundering attempts to reach it from different directions. Hence the contradictions in the conduct even in good men. When the right is found and followed by all, there must he unity of conduct.
III. UNITY IS TO BE REALIZED THROUGH THE PERFECTED INFLUENCE OF CHRISTIANITY. It was promised as one of the great Messianic blessings. In Christianity we see the growing realization of those blessings.
1. This is accomplished by the personal influence of Christ. One powerful centre of attraction binds into unity all that comes under its influence. The sun makes one system of the several planets that revolve about it. The general of genius welds the scattered regiments of his army into one body through his common command over them and their common devotion to him. Christ exerts a similar influence. He is broad enough in his humanity and strong enough in his divinity to attract and influence all kinds of men. Thus “he is our Peace, who made both” (Jew and Gentile) “one, and broke down the middle wall of partition” (Eph 2:14). All may see a unity of truth in him who is “the Light of the world” and be led in one way as they follow his footsteps.
2. This unity is further realized in the inwardness of Christianity. The new covenant is written on the heart (Jer 31:33). We differ most in externals; under various clothes there beats the same human heart. When we come to the heart we come to unity. Thus the inward principles of truth and love in Christianity tend to bind Christians together. We are divided because these have not yet their perfect work. No external compulsion will accomplish the same end. On the contrary, this will only aggravate internal dissension. Persecution is the parent of heresy; charity is the mother of unity.
Jer 32:41
God rejoicing.
I. GOD HAS JOY. He is not indifferent, nor is he morose; we are to think of him as the “blessed” God, i.e. as essentially happy. The brightness and beauty of the world are reflections from the blessedness of God. Because he is glad, nature is glad, flowers bloom, birds sing, young creatures bound with delight. Nothing is more sad in perversions of religion than the representations of God as a gloomy tyrant. Less terrible, but scarcely less false, are those monkish ideas which deny the tyranny but cherish the gloom of a sombre divinity more suited to chill, dark cloisters than to that glorious temple of nature in which the eternal presence dwells and manifests himself symbolically. These fragrant meadows, broad rolling seas of moorland heather, rich green forest cities of busy insect life, flashing ocean waves, and. the pure blue sky above, and all that is sweet and lovely in creation, swell one symphony of gladness, because the mighty Spirit that haunts them is himself overflowing with joy. Our God is a Sun. And if divinity is sunny, so should religion be. The happy God will rejoice in the happiness of his children. Innocent mirth, though forbidden by Puritan sourness, can be no offence to such a God. The typical citizens of his kingdom are little children; and what is so joyous as childhood?
II. GOD FINDS JOY IN HIS CHILDREN. Here is the wonderful fact about the joy of God. He must have joy in his own purity and perfection. Then he has infinite resources at his command. The whole universe can be made to minister to his delight. All high and pure intelligences that form the choir of heaven aim at glorifying him. Yet he finds delight in such poor creatures as we are, in his fallen and erring children. How is this?
1. Because God is love. He loves all his children. Love finds delight in the loved; so God is compared to the bridegroom rejoicing over the bride (Isa 62:5).
2. Because God is essentially blessed. The happy find sources of gladness in the most unlikely quarters, just as the cheeriest scenes cannot lift the load of sadness from those who are naturally mournful. God is so joyous that he finds joy even in us.
III. GOD FINDS JOY IN BLESSING HIS CHILDREN. He rejoices over them to do them good. God’s joy is most unselfish. It is the greatest blessednessthe blessedness of giving rather than that of receiving. It is the joy of sacrifice. God, being good, can find joy only in good; being merciful, can find none in harshness. He must punish the wicked, but he takes no delight in that. Like the shepherd who has recovered the lost sheep, like the woman who has found the lost money, like the father who has welcomed the wanderer home again safe and sound, God rejoices in the return of the penitent, till his joy overflows and is caught up by the angels about his throne. From this we may learn
(1) confidence if we return as penitents;
(2) assurance that all our life is safe in his hands;
(3) care not to grieve his Spirit;
(4) desire to live in communion with him.
IV. GOD WILL CALL HIS CHILDREN TO SHARE IN HIS JOY. All joy is sympathetic. We call our friends and our neighbours to rejoice with us. But if we have special joy in any person we naturally desire this joy to be reciprocal. Christ desired his disciples to share his joy (Joh 15:11). Joy is contagious. If we are with the happy and in sympathy with them, we naturally receive a share of their gladness. Whence comes the joy we anticipate in heaven? Escape from the evils of this life when God shall wipe away the tears from all eyes? Deliverance from sin and temptation? Reunion with the lost but not forgotten blessed dead? Opportunities for happy service? All these things and more; but these are not the sources of chief joy. That is to share the joy of God, to be “forever with the Lord.”
HOMILIES BY A.F. MUIR
Jer 32:1-5
Silencing a prophet.
A short time before an attempt was made upon his life; now it is imagined that the prophet will yield to harsh treatment and intimidation. The natural heart of man is so foolish that it cannot but credit man with the authorship of Divine truth, and suppose that he can control and modify the inspired messages of God. Nay, the sinner is often so left to himself as to suppose that his own precautions will prevent the communications of God’s Spirit, or at least the carrying of these into effect!
I. FAITHFUL WITNESSES OF THE TRUTH MAY SOMETIMES BE BROUGHT INTO GREAT STRAITS. God does not guarantee a smooth experience and an easy life to his servants. Quite the contrary. His Son prepares his disciples for suffering many things (Mat 10:16-22). Jeremiah would seem to be alternately exposed to harshness and kindnesshe was in the prison and yet in the palace. The bribe, or the deceitful promise, may be as great a trial as the cruelty. Seclusion for a prophet and patriot must have been very hard to endure at such a time, and full of spiritual perplexity. Great things were being done, and national destinies decided, whilst he was held fast, helpless, and with little reliable information of what was going on. So God often lays aside his servants just at a time when there would seem to be most occasion for their activity. “His thoughts are not as our thoughts.”
II. THE WORD OF GOD IS NOT THEREBY HINDERED.
1. It is not silenced. (Verse 1; cf. Jer 33:1.) The communion of the soul with God cannot be broken by external means. As well might one say, “Thus far, and no further,” to the ocean or the day. Many of the grandest revelations of God date from prisons.
2. Resistance only hastens its progress and fulfilment. Persecution and martyrdom have done more for Christianity than a thousand direct agencies. How the voices multiply!
3. Those who oppose it ensure its speedy visitation upon themselves.
III. GOD WILL UPHOLD AND COMFORT HIS AFFLICTED SERVANTS. The greatest trial to Jeremiah would have been God’s silence: at this season the “Word of the Lord” must have been his greatest consolation and reassurance. Earthly deprivation may be heavenly liberty. Sufferers for the truth know and feel that God is with them.M.
Jer 32:6-15
Purchasing by Divine command.
The passage a locus classicus for various questions and formalities connected with the Mosaic Law. Abraham bought a field for his dead; Jeremiah bought one for a nation yet unborn. If no other circumstance had been recorded concerning the latter, this alone would entitle him to be enrolled amongst the fathers of the faithful.
I. GOD‘S SERVANTS ARE SOMETIMES CALLED TO PERFORM STRANGE AND SINGULAR ACTIONS. The prophet bidden to purchase a field when the land is overrun by the Chaldeans; a poor man to procure and expend money upon a speculation for which there was no earthly security; a prisoner to acquire laud there seemed so little likelihood of his ever seeing. Much of Christian duty is summed up in that experience. We are not to stumble at earthly anomalies or anachronisms, but to live and labour and spend “as seeing him who is invisible.”
II. THE WILL OF GOD IS A SUFFICIENT REASON FOR DOING SUCH THINGS. That is, the revealed will. Men who act by revelation have not to ask for reasons before acting. Obedience is their role; afterwards they may ask for light. Christians have to commit their way unto the Lord, and trust where they cannot trace. They are led by a higher reason, which cannot err.
III. WHAT GOD COMMANDS OUGHT TO BE DONE PROMPTLY, LOVINGLY, AND WITH EXACTITUDE. Jeremiah at once performs the duty. He hastens to relieve his kinsman from perplexity and loss. And the business part of the engagement is executed with the greatest care and all the formalities of law. No flaw is suffered to enter into the bargain. The importance and duty of Christians being model business men. What is done for God and under his supervision should be done thoroughly. Justice precedes and facilitates charity.
IV. TRANSACTIONS APPARENTLY SMALL AND TRIFLING MAY HAVE GREAT MEANINGS. How different the feelings of the parties to this transaction! The money absolutely of little amount; relatively it was worth much. We are reminded of the widow’s mite. That document was the title deed to a kingdom. This is the spirit in which Christians should do business. We ought never to forget that we are heirs of the kingdom. The world has been sold under sin, but we are free. Let us strive to “lay up treasure in heaven.” Let us make our title clear to its liberties and joys. In the meanest undertaking let us be guided by this spirit. In the confidence of Christ let us redeem the world. Let our motto be “Everything in the spirit of Christ!” Men cannot be just and honest unless they are inspired, even for the least things, as Jeremiah was. A large and general brotherliness, an implicit faith in God’s Word, ought to govern us in all our affairs. Above all, our own relation to Christ, our personal transactions with him, should at once, with prayer and faith, be made sure!M.
Jer 32:16-25
The prayer of Jeremiah.
I. CLEAR AND UNMISTAKABLE DUTIES SHOULD BE FULFILLED ERE MEN ENTER UPON DIVINE EXERCISES. The deed had already been executed.
II. CIRCUMSTANCES OF TRIAL AND PERPLEXITY SHOULD LEAD MEN TO THE THRONE OF GRACE.
III. THE KNOWN CHARACTER AND PAST ACTION OF GOD SHOULD INFLUENCE MEN‘S JUDGMENTS OF PRESENT EXPERIENCES AND STRENGTHEN THEIR FAITH. It is good to rehearse these even in private devotions.
IV. SINS SHOULD BE FREELY AND HONESTLY CONFESSED.
V. ONE SAINT MAY INTERCEDE FOR MANY SINNERS.
VI. THE PRAYER OF FAITH IS ANSWERED. (Verses 26-44,)M.
Jer 32:37-40
The unities of the Divine kingdom.
(Cf. Joh 17:1-26.)
I. UNITY THE EXPERIENCE AND PRIVILEGES OF SAVING GRACE. (Jer 32:37.)
II. UNITY WITH GOD.
III. UNITY IN SPIRIT AND LABOUR WITH ONE ANOTHER. (Jer 32:39.)
IV. UNITY OF DESTINY. (Jer 32:40.)M.
HOMILIES BY S. CONWAY
Jer 32:1-44
A story of God’s sustaining grace.
This whole chapter may be summed up under some such heading as this. For it begins with showing us God’s servant Jeremiah in a position in which he sorely needed sustaining grace, and then it proceeds to narrate the threefold process by which this grace was communicated to him. The manner in which God sustained Jeremiah is very much akin to that in which he will sustain all his servants who may be in similar need. If any be so now, let them give heed to this record. Note
I. THE NEED OF GOD‘S SERVANT. Verse 2 tells us that Jeremiah was at this time shut up in prison. His confinement was not so severe as that which he had suffered in his former prison; but yet there was very much in his present circumstances to make him need the sustaining grace of God. The story of his imprisonments is full of interest, but it has to be gathered here a little and there a little from different parts of his prophecies. These have been compiled on a principle which it is impossible to discover. Events of early date are placed in later chapters, and those of later date in early chapters. The chronological confusion is complete. Hence it is the task of every student of these prophecies to disentangle this confusion so far as it may be done. In saying this, nothing is charged against the inspiration and authority of the book. That remains intact; but our reverence for what is so evidently of God in the book does not hinder that we should note and regret the disorderly way in which some human handswhose we know nothave put together its various parts. Tracing out, however, the history of these imprisonments, it would seem that they were brought about somewhat as follows. Jeremiah had clearly foreseen and foretold that the ungodliness of the people would bring down the Divine chastisements. Moreover, he discerned and declared with equal clearness that the instrument of God’s wrath would be the rapidly rising empire of Babylon. He saw how everything yielded to the might of her armies; that no power, not even that of Egypt, could withstand her assault. But all this was by no means so clearly seen by those to whom Jeremiah was sent. They did not believe in the nearness of God’s judgments, and were not a little angry with the faithful prophet for denouncing them. But Jeremiah saw also that, certain as was the approach of these judgments, they probably would be mitigated if, instead of exasperating the armies of Babylon by useless resistance, they submitted themselves and acknowledged her supremacy (cf. Jer 27:1-22.). But the same spirit in the nobles and princes of Judah and in the people generally, which made them refuse to listen to him when he told of God’s judgments coming upon them, made them impatient of his oft repeated counsels to do now the best thing under the circumstancesbow to the Babylonian storm, and so, though they could not save all, yet save some of their cherished possessions. But at length it became evident that Babylon did mean to assail them. Instead, however, of adopting either of the two better methodsof humbling themselves before God and imploring his protection, or of conciliating the Babylonian king, they formed alliance with Egypt (Jer 37:1-21.), notwithstanding Jeremiah’s solemn assurance of the uselessness of such alliance. But in the ninth year of Zedekiah the Chaldean army besieged Jerusalem. Jeremiah (Jer 34:2) plainly tells the king how hopeless all resistance is. Under the alarm of this siege, the wealthy Jews released their poorer brethren, of whom, contrary to God’s Law, they had made bond slaves (Jer 34:1-22.). But the Egyptian army coming to their aid (Jer 37:5), the Chaldeans raised the siege. Thinking now that all cause for fear was gone, the Jewish leaders quickly went back to their old ways, and, though indignantly denounced by Jeremiah (Jer 34:1-22.), enslaved their brethren again. But he had taken advantage of the withdrawal of the Babylonian forces to quit the city. It was no place for him. His purpose, however, was prevented. Foes not a few, to whom his fidelity had been hateful, now seized on him on the pretence that he was about to desert to the Chaldeans (Jer 37:1-21.). In the insolence begotten of their fancied deliverance, they thought they might do anything to God’s servant. They therefore dragged him before the princes, procured his condemnation, smote him, and then cast him into deep dungeons, where, had he lingered long, death must soon have put an end to his misery. But the King Zedekiah, whose mind was ill at ease, and who could not help believing Jeremiah, whilst allowing himself to be overawed by the violence of those around him, sent for the prophet and caused him to be placed in less severe custody. But he was not to stay there long. His former enemies came round the king, and brought such accusations against him that the king, weakly yielding as his manner was, gave him up to their will; like as Pilate delivered Jesus. Speedily they flung him into a dungeon, which appears to have been a disused well, the bottom of which was still deep in mire. There they leave him miserably to perish. But again he is delivered. An eunuch of the court intercedes for him, and he is drawn up tenderly and carefully, as his half dying state probably required, from the horrible pit into which he had been cast, and brought back again into that milder captivity which is indicated by “the court of the prison,” and where we find him when this chapter (32) opens. Now, if we try and realize the prophet’s condition, we can easily see how a despondency like to that of John the Baptist when he sent two of his disciples to Jesus to ask him, “Art thou he that should come,” etc.?we can see how a like despondency might well have fallen upon the prophet’s mind. He was no robust, stern Stoic, to whom rough treatment and the scorn and hate of his fellow men were as nothing. His piteous pleading for his life (Jer 37:20), his ready yielding to the king’s suggested subterfuge (Jer 38:27), his reiterated confessions of his distress, the long wail of his lamentations, all reveal a man who, though in the strength of God’s grace he would not flinch in delivering the message God had entrusted to him, whatever it was, whoever might oppose, nevertheless felt keenly the perils of his position and the misery of his lot. Again and again had he been seemingly given over unto death, and even now there was nought but the poor protection of the word of the weakest of monarchs to save him from the rage that was ready to destroy him the first opportunity that should be given. His whole horizon was dark, unillumined by any cheering ray of hope. If the besieging armies did their worstand it seemed certain that the obstinacy of the people would provoke them to do sowhat prospect of deliverance and restoration could there be then? For himself and for his country the outlook was all dark.
II. But, next, see HOW GOD MET HIS NEED. He did this in a threefold manner.
1. He led him to commit himself openly to the faith of the restoration of Israel. He had proclaimed this restoration many times before. He was now by a public significant act to avow again his confidence in what God had promised. This is the meaning of the purchase of the land told of in verses 6-15. In the most explicit formal manner he was to do this which his own predictions of the Babylonian conquest seemed to render absurd. It seemed like throwing money away. Why the vendor wanted to sell the ground we do not know. The conviction that all was lost for Judah may have led to it. But when the offer was made, as God told Jeremiah it would be, he saw that it was from the Lord, and that he was, by purchasing it, to testify to his faith that the land should be restored to them again. Hence he did all in the most formal manner: paid for it, took receipt, registered the purchase, and had duplicate made out, handed over the documents to Baruch in presence of many witnesses. Now, had Jeremiah refused to buy this property, it would be tantamount to his apostasy from faith, to his renouncing all his trust in God. His despondency would bid him do so. But the thought of throwing up all faith, renouncing it, and denying God, the very thought seems to have provoked a blessed reaction, and to have made him resolve that he would make it yet more difficult for himself to go back from his faith by committing himself to it in this open, deliberate, and formal way. Thus God made him use what faith he had in order to his winning more. “To him that hath,” and uses what he has, “shall be given.” It is ever so. Have you little of the spirit of prayer? Pray, and more will be yours. Little love to God? Do something especially and avowedly for him, and your love will deepen. As with the body and the mind, in trade and all departments of life, the use of what strength we have gains more.
2. By leading him to lay all his difficulties before God. This is the meaning of the prayer in verses 17-25. After the prophet had committed himself by this purchase of the land, a purchase so irrational and absurd as it would seem in many eyes, and as it perhaps partly seemed even in his own eyes, he felt need still of more assurance and confidence than he yet possessed. And so in this prayer he pours out his perplexities before God. And if we analyze this prayer, we shall see that he begins by going over in devout confession and adoration the many reasons which ought to establish his faith. First he confesses the sure truthnothing is too hard for the Lord. Then he proceeds from this general truth to several proofs of it in Israel’s own historyhow, in spite of all difficulty, God redeemed, preserved, and settled his people in the land he promised. Then he turns to the perplexing facts which, at the moment, were so staggering his own mindthe dreadful wickedness of the people and the actual presence of God’s judgments. How, in the face of all this, could God’s promises be fulfilled? It is as if he had said, “Lord, I believe, I ought to believe, but I am sore perplexed, I desire to believe yet more; help my unbelief.” Such seems to have been the meaning of this prayer. It is prayer because this is its meaning, though there is not one word of petition in the whole of it. The prayer has to be read between the lines. And God does ever so read the desires of his servants, even when not expressed in words, or when words are used. that are not formal prayers. Nor can we doubt that thus coming to the Lord with his perplexities was of great help to the prophet. It must have been so; it ever is so.
3. God gives him fresh grasp of his promises, new assurance o/the truth of his Word. This is the third and last step in this sustaining grace, of which this whole chapter tells. The account of this answer to the prophet’s prayer is given in verses 26-44. He gave him to feel afresh the blessed truth that nothing was too hard for the Lord (verse 27). Therefore it mattered not, even though he could not understand all God’s ways, though the Chaldean armies were thundering at the gates of Jerusalem, though the people were so hopelessly wicked. “Therefore” (verse 36) “saith the Lord,” and then follows a whole series of “I wills” and “shall be’s,” which God again bears m upon his servant’s soul the certainty of the things he had already declared. And more than he had declared should bea spiritual restoration as well as a literal one. And then (verses 43, 44), referring to Jeremiah’s own transaction, “fields shall be bought in this land,” etc. That which now seemed so unreasonable and hopeless should be matter of everyday occurrence in the blessed times of restoration which God would surely bring about. The instruction, therefore, forevery perplexed soul isUse what faith thou hast; tell all thy perplexities to God; receive the new assurance of his faithfulness he will surely give.C.
Jer 32:5
O blessed death!
“Until I visit him.” Zedekiah does not seem to have been a bad man, though he did evil. Weak rather than wicked. One like our own Charles I. or Louis XVI. of France. One of those men unhappily called to places of great responsibility and difficulty, without the moral strength requisite for so arduous a post. A sadder life than that of King Zedekiah, the last king of Judah and Jerusalem, cannot be conceived. It is a piteous tale. Bereaved, a captive, blinded, he was dragged to Babylon, and there died. And it is because the prophet of God recognizes that death to such an one could not but be a sweet messenger of relief, therefore he calls it “the Lord visiting him.” True, the visit of the Lord often means the wrath of the Lord. He will “visit the sins of the fathers,” etc. But it yet more often means the goodness of the Lord. “The Lord hath visited and redeemed his people.” He visited Hannah. He visits his flock. And this gentler meaning it has here; for the sore punishment of his sins Zedekiah had already been visited. This visit, therefore, tells of God’s merciful visitation.
I. DEATH NOT ALWAYS A VISIT OF MERCY. Not to those who die in their sins. It is represented often as the judgment of God. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God,” as they who die impenitent and unbelieving fall.
II. BUT DEATH IS MORE OFTEN THE LORD‘S VISIT OF MERCY. It is:
1. To those whom God punishes in this life. Zedekiah was an instance. Cf. those of whom St. Paul says (1Co 11:33). that they were judged now that they might not be condemned with the world. And probably there are many such.
2. To the sorrowful and those whose lives are a prolonged pain. We speak of death for such as being a merciful relief; and we are right.
3. To all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Death for them is the Lord’s visiting themChrist’s coming again, as he said he would, and receiving them unto himself, that where he is they may be also. Which kind of visitation of the Lord shall death be to us?C.
Jer 32:6-15
A parable of redemption.
For the sake of variety and interest, it is lawful now and then to make the transactions of earth tell of the transactions of heaven; to make prosaic matters of factas the redeeming of this fieldparables of spiritual realities. Let us so deal with this narrative. Here was
I. A POSSESSION IN AN ENEMY‘S POWER. The field, as the whole land virtually was so at that very moment. So man.
II. THE LORD PROMPTING REDEMPTION. Jeremiah knew that it was “of the Lord.” God is the Author of redemption. “He so loved the world that,” etc. “God was in Christ reconciling,” etc.
III. THE REDEEMER VOLUNTARILY UNDERTAKING THE WORK. Jeremiah might have refused. So Christ thought not his equality with God a thing he should tenaciously retain, but emptied himself (Php 3:1-21.). “For our sakes, though he was rich, yet he became poor.”
IV. THE SEEMING HOPELESSNESS OF SUCH REDEMPTION. What likelihood did there seem in Jeremiah’s payment that he should ever possess the land? What could Christ’s cross do to redeem man? “The offence of the cross.”
V. REDEMPTION ACCOMPLISHED AND ATTESTED. The prophet paid the silver, and the transaction was attested in due form. Christ paid our ransom, and that that great purchase was valid was attested by the resurrection from the dead: that was the seal.
VI. WITNESSES ARE COMMISSIONED TO DECLARE THE TRUTH. (Verses 12, 13.) So Christ commanded his apostles to testify of what he had done.
VII. THE TWOFOLD TESTIMONY. (Verse 14.) There was that which was sealed and that which was open. So is it of the great redemption. There is a testimony that is sealed, hidden from the world, but revealed to the believer by the Spirit of God in his inward experience, the witness of God in his soul, the Spirit bearing witness with his spirit. And there is that which is openthe historic evidence of the resurrection of Christ and of the truth of Christianity.
VIII. THE DEPOSITARIES OF THIS TESTIMONY. The prophet put his in an earthen vessel. We, too, have this treasure in earthen vessels. Let the literal suggest the spiritual; Jeremiah, Paul.
IX. THE UNDERLYING AND EFFECTUATING WILL. (Verse 15.) The Lord would have the land to be restored, the Captivity should return. So he “will have all men to be saved.” Have we claimed our share in this redeeming work?C.
Jer 32:19
Nothing hid from God.
“Thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men.” No truth more forgotten than this. Men assent to it, but it has no power over the vast mass of men, and far too little power even over religious men. How different it is with the presence or absence of our fellow creatures! We have often much to conceal from them, and we would often make great efforts to prevent them knowing much of our lives. Hence it makes all the difference in the world to us whether they be with us or away from us. It regulates our conduct, our words, our looks, our very tone and movement. But how little of such effect does the thought of the Divine eye seeing all and always what we are and do, even to the understanding of our thoughts afar off! Therefore such forgetfulness of God’s presence as that which we are all of us so liable to be guilty of requires that we should diligently consider the many proofs of the truth declared in this verse. Note some of them.
I. HE HAS LAID DOWN LAWS TO REGULATE AND GOVERN THE WAYS OF MEN. He has done this not only for those that are open and manifest, but those that are most secret as well. He is a “discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (cf. Psa 139:1-24.). “God looketh at the heart.” Now, he could not thus largely and minutely lay down these laws if he did not know completely the ways which they concern.
II. HE DISCOVERS THEM. If we have been engaged in some secret way, or such as we thought was secret, where no eye was upon us as we imagined; if afterwards some one meets us and tells us all that we did, we know that, unseen to us, he must by himself or by others have been present at that secret hour. Now, thus we know that God has been ever present. For:
1. He tells us all about them. What is memory? what, especially, is conscience, but God telling us that he is perfectly acquainted with all that we thought unknown?
2. He tells others of them. He told David (1Sa 23:12) that the men of Keilah would deliver him up into the hand of Saul. He told Joseph of Herod’s purpose to kill the infant Saviour. He warned the wise men from whom Herod hoped to have acquired the knowledge he needed. And again, he warned Joseph about Archelaus. And many such instances there are. Now, they all show that God knows all the ways of men.
III. HE TURNS THEM WHICH WAY HE WILL. Sometimes he gives men their heart’s desire, satisfying the longing soul. Sometimes he overrules them for ends far other than the doers of them designed. As when they crucified our Lord (Act 2:23), God ordered which way their sin should issue, which was quite other than they thought (cf. history of Joseph). Sometimes he baffles and denies them altogether. If he did not, this world would be hell. What if all the sin men conceive of they were to commit! Hence (Gen 20:6) God says he withheld Abimelech from sinning against Abraham, and suffered him not to touch Sarah. And God is forever graciously strangling sin in its very birth. But all this shows that “his eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men.”
IV. HE RECOMPENSES THEM.
1. When our secret ways have been evil, cannot we tell in the darkening of the face of God that he knows all? And when they have been such as the Lord delighteth to see in secret, do not our hearts know when we come to him that there is the answering smile?
2. And he recompenses them in his present outward dealings with us. The sinner’s most secret sin finds him out not seldom in this world. And the patient continuance in well doing, however humble and obscure, rarely fails to meet with its reward.
3. And God will judge them in the last great day. Then the thoughts of all hearts shall be revealed. “God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil.” Again is it made evident that he knows all. He is “the Father who seeth in secret.”
CONCLUSION. Understand what is the right use of this great doctrine. Not that we should be trying every hour of the day to be thinking of the all-seeing eye of God. We cannot, and God does not intend that we should, be ever thus conscious of his presence. Children are not of the presence of their parents. They are utterly unconstrained. But should need arise for their parents’ help, should they be tempted to do what they know their parents would forbid, then in a moment they become conscious of their presence, and the needed aid is asked for, and the tempting sin is resisted. Now, thus should we remember the continual presence of God. “The right state of mind plainly is to have the thought of God’s presence so perpetually at hand that, as with Joseph in his great temptation, it shall always start before us whenever it is wanted.” This is living with God and communion with Christ; and it is won by prayer and close walking with him, and blessed are they who win.C.
Jer 32:27
Truth confessed, but not realized.
“Is there anything too hard for the Lord?” In Jer 32:17 the prophet had confessed “nothing is too hard for thee,” but it is evident that, though he thus confessed the blessed truth, he did not realize it so as to enjoy it and get the comfort of it (cf. homily on Jer 32:1-44). Now, there are many causes which hinder our realization of this truth which we nevertheless both confess and believe. But they may all be summed up under the three headings of trouble, guilt, and sin. It was the first of these, though not exclusively, which was clouding the prophet’s mind, and making even this axiom of Divine truth seem doubtful for the time. Glance at these causes of this sad questioning whether some things be not too hard for the Lord, and their several cures.
I. GREAT TROUBLE. Cf. circumstances of the time and of prophet especially. Oh, what doubt and misgiving do the troubles of life, the terrible events, “the stings and arrows of outrageous fortune,” cause to souls not a few! It was so here. Now, observe the antidote to this doubt. To strengthen his faith the prophet draws an argument from the creation. Then, with no resources from without, God formed the earth and the world. Then, when the material out of which the ordered universe should come had all to be brought into order, “the earth was without form and void, and darkness,” etc. Then, when all was created, all had to be preserved and daily sustained. Let any one contemplate the proofs that these facts give of the existence, the power, the wisdom, and the beneficence of God, and the question, “Is anything too hard for thee?” can meet with but one answer. How can any doubt the Divine resources in view of the creating and sustaining providence of God.
II. GUILT. If it be hard sometimes in the face of the calamities of life to realize the fulness of the Divine resources, it is harder still in the face of human guilt. Is there a God able and willing to supply my material and temporal need? is a question less difficult than that which asks whether there be a God able and willing to pardon my sin. For to minds not few nor feeble, the forgiveness of sin seems an insoluble problem. If the punishment of sin be righteous, and every witness affirms that it is, ought God to remit it? And if it be inevitable, the sure reaping of the previous sowing, can God remit it? Have we not something here that is too hard even for the Lord? If in all departments of nature, we everywhere see effects surely following their appropriate causes, and if spiritual death be the appropriate effect of sin, how can this cause and effect be severed any more than any other? True, the human will can step in and arrest or turn aside this or that effect; we see this perpetually. But here is a question, not of power, but of right, not in the sphere of the material, but of that which is moral. It is a case in which mere power goes for nothing. What, then, is to be done? The atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ solves the problem. He, in our humanity, offered to God for us that perfect sacrifice whereby all who claim their share in its benefits are pardoned, accepted, and saved. “God was in Christ, reconciling,” etc. (2Co 5:1-21.). It is everywhere recognized that a true confession of wrong done, and an earnest entreaty for forgiveness, should suffice to remove all wrath on account of such wrong from the heart of the offended one. That law which God enjoins upon us he observes himself. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,” etc. But such confession of human sin and intercession for its forgiveness Christ offered in humanity to God for us, and so God can be just and yet the Justifier of him who believeth in Jesus. Thus is this hard problem solved; the “Lamb of God taketh away the sin of the world.” But there is
III. SIN. Can God subdue that in the heart of a man? When we see the outrages, the duration, the strength of hold, the universality, the attractiveness, the prestige, and the love of sin, it does seem as if the subjugation of this was too hard even for the Lord. To turn back the tides, to reverse the law of gravity, to alter any other law of the universe,this were an easy task compared with the stupendous change which must be wrought in man before the love of sin can die out of him, and the love of God rule in its stead. What endeavours have been made! what schemes devised! what philosophies elaborated! but all in vain. Hence, despair for ourselves and for others too often predominates in our souls. Evil we are, and evil we must be. Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit? But “there is nothing too hard for the Lord.” The history of the Church of God proves that there is, in the regenerating, sanctifying Spirit of God, that power which is needed here. He is the renewing, transforming, sanctifying Spirit. Baptized with the Spirit, “I walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” “The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” May we more and more, as we may and should, in our own experience, prove this true.C.
Jer 32:31-33
Love’s labour apparently lost.
As we read this record (Jer 32:33) of the persevering and earnest, but nevertheless fruitless, labours of God’s servants, and remember that they were sent by the Lord, we are almost led to ask, “To what purpose is this waste?” We can understand loving, earnest labour persevered in, though nothing may come of it, when those who so toil are sustained by hope, even though it may be sometimes hoping against hope. But “love hopeth all things, believeth all things, endureth all things,” and “never faileth.” How many and how pathetic are the stories that might be told where such love has toiled to save some reprobate from the doom be would persist in bringing on himself!the loving wife, sister, mother, striving to save those who won’t be saved! How full this weary world is of such eases! But it is evident that these continue to labour and pray because they cannot know that they shall fail, and their hope is that they shall succeed. How David fasted and wept whilst his child was yet alive! but when the child was dead, David arose and ate, anointed himself, and put on his royal robes. And when his servants asked him wherefore he so altered his behaviour, he said, “Whilst he was alive I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell if God will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? Can I bring him back again?” It was hope that sustained the sorrowing king; but when hope was gone, he gave over his fruitless toil. Now, all this we can understand and sympathize with. But in the long continued ministry of Jeremiah and others like him, when all the while God knew what the end would be, how apparently wasted it would all be, when he could never have any hope of a different result from that which actually occurred, the inquiry is suggestedWherefore did God commission, and wherefore does he still, such fruitless toil? “Known unto God are all his works from the beginning.” There can be nothing contingent with him. Hope is a mental condition impossible to God; he cannot be said to hope for anything. It is entirely human; but to an omniscient and omnipotent Being who “ordereth all things after the counsel of his own will,” hope, or doubt, or uncertainty of any kind cannot be. Therefore, knowingly, with full certainty that all his servant’s severe labour would not bring the people to repentance, as in fact it did not, nevertheless God commissioned him and his fellow servants to go and speak to them. How are we to explain this? Reasons suggest themselves in connection with
I. THE PROPHET HIMSELF.
1. That his trust in God might not fail. Had the career of the guilty nation been cut short because God foresaw what the certain end would be, such certain foresight being impossible to any but God, the faith of his servants would have been severely strained. They had ever heard of God as the long suffering God. They would have found it hard to believe that, if but more time had bean given, and a longer ministry allowed, and the whole truth had been put before the people perseveringly and earnestly, they would after all have remained unrepentant. The miserable paralysis of doubt as to the Divine equity would have fastened on them, and their power as his prophets would have thenceforth ceased.
2. That trust and love might be greatly increased. This could not but be when the prophet saw that the long suffering of God was no mere word, but a reality, a reality greater than could have been conceived. What human authority would endure to be despised and set at nought as God endured that his should be? “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity,” etc.? Such was once and again the adoring exclamation of those who witnessed and marvelled at the all but infinite patience of God. And this too when all the while God knew, as his prophet did not, that there was no hope. “We are saved by hope;” but there is no such salvation for God. He goes on blessing and doing good to those whom he knows will turn upon him in defiance and black ingratitude to the last day of their lives. It is wonderful The Saviour went about doing good amongst a people whom he knew would crucify him. What an added conception of the Divine love does this fact give! Now that his servants the prophets might yet more know and rejoice in the God in whom they believed, God was and is long suffering to those whom nevertheless he is compelled to condemn.
3. The prophet’s own spiritual improvement. Such labour, severe though it be, is not lost on him who engages in it. Was not “the Captain of our salvation made perfect through sufferings,” and those of a kindred kind? And for the discipline and development of the spiritual powers of his servants, to further in them that which is well pleasing in his sight, and for which process the unseen and eternal world will, in all probability, have constant though blessed employ,for such reasons God keeps his servants in the world, and spares the world, guilty and ready for condemnation though it be.
II. THE WITNESSES AND ALL THEY WHO SHOULD AFTERWARDS HEAR OF HIS JUDGMENTS ON THE GUILTY NATION.
1. The righteousness of God would be vindicated. All would see that it was not without cause God dealt with them as he did.
2. Sinners in all ages would be warned not to presume on the long-suffering of God. St. Paul says of these ancient records, “All these things were written for our learning.”
3. Sin would be seen to be exceeding sinful Men are ready to attribute their sorrows to any and every cause but sin. But by thus branding sin with God’s mark of sore displeasure, men would be better able to resist its attractions and overcome its power.
III. THE UNREPENTANT PEOPLE THEMSELVES. God having borne with them so long, now that at length his judgment had come, the remembrance of that long suffering would:
1. Silence them. All would feel that God was just when he spoke against them, and clear when he condemned them. That Psa 51:1-19. and other penitential psalms bear many marks of having been adapted to, if not produced by, the sorrows of the Exile; cf. too Ezra’s confession and prayer.
2. Humble them. Jeremiah declares once and again that it is their “pride” which was causing them to persist in their evil ways (cf. Jer 13:17). They had trusted in their national descent, on the possession of so many and so great privileges; cf. “The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these” (Jer 7:1-34.). As they realized their present misery they would see the worthlessness of all those lying words in which they had so fondly trusted, and they would be bowed down with shame, as they now knew what their pride had brought upon themselves and their children. “Humbled in the dust” would be the fitting description of them as they thought of the way in which they had despised the long continued and loving warnings of God.
3. Convert them. For God intended that they should be restored; he would bring them again, give them a heart to know him (cf. verses 36-44). And no means could be more adapted to subserve this end than those which God employed. Had they been cut off in their guilt, or had the Exile taken place much earlier, there could not have been the feeling which we know was aroused, and which was so salutary that they were without excuse. The wise physician knows that there are fit times and seasons for the successful administration of his medicines, and till such times all administration of those medicines would be of no avail. And so, until a right condition of mind was brought about in the exiled people, no real conversion could take place. They must be without excuse before they could be made to feel that they were so, and therefore a further reason why God bore with them so long, that this their utter inexcusableness and their undeniable guilt might be the more deeply felt and more contritely and sincerely confessed.
4. Accomplish the number of his elect amongst them. For it is not to be thought that the prophet’s ministry was utterly lost. The better part of the people were called out, educated, and prepared for the purifying discipline which awaited them by means of it. And it was that which brought the exiles back sadder but yet wiser men. And during the Exile the souls of the people were nurtured by the prophet’s words which, during this prolonged ministry, he had spoken to them. That ministry was one proof out of so many more that God’s Word shall not return to him void, although, in regard to immediate and much desired effect, it may seem as if all were apparently lost. Now, all these considerations which apply to Jeremiah and his ministry and the long suffering of God with Judah, apply with equal force to like long suffering of God nowfor God often repeats his mercies and judgments bothand happy shall we be if the gracious purposes of God in his forbearance are realized by us.C.
Jer 32:36-41
The refiner’s fire.
The better part of Judah were cast as precious metal into a crucible by their being sent into exile at Babylon. And the effect was as that which results from such purifying process. Note
I. WITHOUT DOUBT THEIR EXILE TRIED THEM AS FIRE. Fire is often the symbol of pain; and that there was indeed pain and sore distress in the exiles’ lot is certain. Degradation, slavery, loss of their land, their high privileges as the people of God, in short, of their worldly all, had to be submitted to by them; and they lived, where they were permitted to live, at the mere caprice of a powerful, despotic, and merciless monarch. What that caprice could do, and often actually inflicted in the way of cruel tyranny and oppression, the books of the Bible which belong to the times of the Captivity, and the sculptures brought from those lands and now in the museums of this and other countries, clearly revealthe merciless slaughters and the horrible punishments, etc. And all this woe they had brought on othersas their childrenwho were entirely innocent of their parents’ wrong. “The fathers had eaten sour grapes, aunt the children’s teeth were set on edge.” And to add to their distress was the bitter reflection that they were designed to have filled a position so entirely different and better; that they were intended to be the first in the favour of God, but now had become last; and all this by their own persistent, wilful wickedness, wickedness persisted in in spite of every kind of warning, protest, and entreaty that God could send them. Yes, it was as fire, as a furnace seven times heated.
II. BUT IT WAS NEVERTHELESS AS A REFINER‘S FIRE. It was to issue in their good. For it did not destroy them. They were to be brought out of all this woe. “I will bring them again” (Jer 32:37). And it should work them good by separating them from:
1. Their sins. They were torn away from the scenes, the people, the places, the manifold circumstances, which Were inseparable from that idolatry into which they had so often fallen.
2. And from those who tempted them thereto. For that loose, evil multitude which were dealt with apparently less sternly than themselves at the first, were the prompters and the persuaders to that wickedness which had wrought them so much harm. Those who were obnoxious and therefore, in Jer 24:1-10; compared to the figs which could not be eaten, were, though left awhile in the possession of their own land, at length destroyed. The corrupt and poisonous leaven was taken utterly away, so that that which was sound and healthful or capable of becoming so might be preserved. The pure ore was separated from the base alloy, the worthless dross, by the action of this refiner’s fire.
III. IN PROOF OF THIS, note:
1. God brought them back to their own land.
2. They had given them “a heart to know” God.
3. And their after history proved this.
For they were a noble people for generations afterwards. Of course, there were the less worthy amongst them; but let their records be studied, their thrilling Maccabean history, for example, and it will be seen what a refining process that was through which they had been madeas was so necessary for them and for mankind at large, who were to be blessed by means of themto pass. The absence of prophets and prophesyings, which is so marked a feature of the history written on that page which separates the Old Testament from the New, instead of being a reproach to them, is rather a proof that their general national health was such that the sharp surgery, the stern ministry, of the prophetic order was not then needed as it had been, so deplorably, in former days.
IV. WHAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE between them and the baser sort who were destroyed. It was the possession of the Spirit of God. The holy fire enkindled by him had been all but quenched, but not entirely; the dying embers could be made to glow with radiant heat once again. But of that fire God has said, “It shall ever be burning on the altar, it shall never go out;” and though they had all but smothered it beneath the heap of idolatrous superstitions and practices, and other evil compliances with wrong, it was burning still. And the exile across that wide desert to the plains of Babylon let in again the air from heaven, and the fire burnt up once more. And that this might be, God dealt with them as he did, and as he ever does, blessed be his Name] in like circumstances.
CONCLUSION. Paul’s question, therefore, comes to our mind as we study such history as this: “Have ye received the Holy Ghost?” Seek him; for he will baffle the power of the destroyer, and, better still, if we will but follow his leading, he will keep us from ever needing to be cast into the crucible as these were, and from needing the refiner’s fire. That would have been best of all, but thank God there is a second best. “Covet earnestly the best gifts.”C.
Jer 32:42
The ratio of sorrow and joy.
I. THERE IS SUCH RATIO. Sorrow and joy are not flung down at haphazard into this world at the caprice of the Ruler of all, and irrespective one of the other, only that for the mass of men the sorrow is far greater and more pervading than the joy. But the relations between these two it is the glory of Scripture and of the gospel especially to reveal.
II. SCRIPTURE TEACHES IT. Here in this verse; cf. also Psa 90:1-17; “Make us glad according to the days,” etc.; Job 2:10, “Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not also receive evil?” parable of Dives and Lazarus: “Thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented” (Luk 16:1-31.).
III. NATURE ILLUSTRATES IT. It is said that on the Scotch lakes the depth of the lake is almost always the same as the height of the surrounding hills. And is it not the same with the great depths of ocean and the lofty mountains of the world? They have long, long winter in the Northern climes, but when the light does come back, the day so stretches out that you can read by the light of the midnight sun. And if we look into the faces of men, those indices of the soul within, it will be found that the looks of sorrow and of joy are about equally distributed. God is not a partial, unjust Father, petting one and neglecting others of his children. Sometimes we think so, but a larger survey will lead to truer thought.
IV. IT IS A TRUTH FULL OF COMFORT. For it teaches:
1. That if sorrow be sent, joy is not far off. “If I had been a little child among the Israelites, I think I should have known, when father set the bitter herbs upon the table, that the lamb was roasting somewhere, and would be set out too’With bitter herbs shall ye eat it’and so if there be bitter herbs, the dainty dish is near” (Spurgeon).
2. That the two come from the same hand. If there be a designed proportion then, not two independent minds are at work, but one only; ratio and proportion ever argue unity of mind. There is not an evil god who hurls sorrow upon men, and another a gracious God who sends only joy. That was the old Manichaean heresy, which is not dead yet. But the truth is that there is a likeness, a proportion between the good which God sends upon his people and the evil he has brought upon them. From one hand both come. But
V. THE RATIO IS NOT EQUAL FOR THE CHILD OF GOD. “Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” The proportion of the evil we suffer to the good we shall enjoy is not that of equals, but that of the very little to the infinitely great.
VI. THE RELATIONSHIP ALSO IS THAT OF MOTHER AND CHILD. Sorrow is the mother of joy. Cf. our Lord’s own metaphor: “A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.” “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Cf, also above: “Our light affliction worketh for us,” etc; so that joy is begotten of sorrow.
VII. BUT THIS CAN ONLY BE FOR THE CHILD OF GOD. Therefore
“Help, Lord, that we may come
To thy saints’ happy home,
Where a thousand years
As one day appears;
Nor go
Where one day appears
As a thousand years
For woe!”
C.
HOMILIES BY D. YOUNG
Jer 32:6-15
Jeremiah showing his faith by his works.
Jeremiah, as a prophet of Jehovah, had not only to utter warnings and predictions, but to show, on needful occasion, that he himself believed in them. He who would have others obey the Lord, must keep on persuading them to obedience by being prominent in obedience himself. Observe
I. HOW THE LORD PREPARES JEREMIAH AGAINST A DIFFICULTY. Hanameel, we may take it, was coming in any case with this proposition of purchase, and, but for the Divine warning, might have come on the prophet unexpectedly, so that he would hardly know what to do. There may have been many considerations to perplex Jeremiah. But all perplexities were removed by a plain commandment. Moreover, Jeremiah was helped to come into an obedient and restful mood of mind by the very fact that the visit of his relative was foretold. He was made to feel that God’s eye was on him-on his ways, his needs, his difficulties. Things he himself could not prepare for, God prepared for. Instead of the prophet having to ask, “Shall I buy or shall I not?” his way was made clear by a plain commandment. And surely we have here an indication how God ever watches over his true servants. We make difficulties greater than they otherwise would be by neglecting to ascertain whether there be not some clear expression of God’s will concerning them.
II. THE EXAMPLE HERE GIVEN TO US OF THE OBEDIENCE OF FAITH. Jeremiah, left to himself, might very well have said that this was no time either for buying or selling. The King of Babylon’s army would soon have the whole country, and where then could be the worth of purchases and contracts? Let us for a moment suppose there had been no Divine commandment at all, and that Jeremiah had been left to his own judgment to decide on Hanameel’s demand. If he had refused to buy, then there would not have been wanting those to exclaim that Jeremiah, so eloquent about the neglected duties of others, was shirking his own duties. On the other hand, if he had bought, then he would have been viewed with suspicion, as not really believing, after all, in the alienation of the land to Babylon. And of course, actually buying as he did, no doubt some sarcastic criticisms were made on his conduct. But then, through all, he was secure in the certainty that he was doing God’s will. The transaction, however inconsistent or ridiculous it might look to others, was really one of the most prudent and well based that ever man engaged in. Jeremiah himself could not well see how things were going to come right again, but he trusted in the foresight and omnipotence of Jehovah.Y.
Jer 32:33
Man’s neglect of God’s teaching.
I. GOD‘S ATTITUDE AS A TEACHER TOWARDS MAN. God’s complaint is that man turns to him the back and not the face. Hence we are
. But God, looking from a higher point, sees the enduring bright result beyond. Observe in this passage
I. GOD‘S THOROUGH GOOD WILL TOWARDS HIS PEOPLE. His will is ever to show favour and do good to mankind. That will is always in action, but it can only be in manifestation when men themselves, by their spirit of submission to God and obedience to his directions, make such a manifestation possible. As he is thorough in his angeragainst the rebellious and idolatrous, so he is thorough in his favour towards the repentant. It is well that we should ever remember this deep good will of God to men when things are going wrong with us. The fault of untoward experiences may be in us or it may be in others; it cannot be in God. We must not put down to arbitrariness in him the painful workings of that law which manifests itself in sequence to human ignorance and folly.
II. GOD‘S SUFFICIENT OPPORTUNITY TO DO GOOD TO HIS PEOPLE. The confident tone that runs through this passage is most encouraging. Bad as the people have been, far as they have been driven, widely as they have been scattered, God can put all right again if only the people are willing to have it so. All God waits for is to hear the prodigal nation say, “I will arise and go to my Father.” If only we give God the opportunity, he will make us to abound in supplies for our necessities and blessedness. We let many opportunities slip for doing good, and never do we use any such opportunity to the full. But God delights in the opportunities men give him, and here is an illustration of how he presses forward to use them. “I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul.” Only be willing to be a plant of God’s own planting, and there is no reason why you should not feel the whole heart and soul of God going out for your highest good.
III. GOD WORKING TOWARDS THE UNITY OF HIS PEOPLE. One is reminded of the unity proclaimed in Eph 4:3-6 : one God, one people, one heart, one way, one covenant because an everlasting one, one character for the future. This unity stands out in contrast to the previous scattering. The previous scattering was only an outward symbol of the scattering within. If even the people had continued in Jerusalem, that would have given them no unity save the unity of place, which is the most precarious, mocking, and delusive of all unities. But the new unity is that of one heart. As one life flows through all the organs of the body, making the life of each the life of all and the life of all the life of each, so God will make it among his true people. God binds each to himself by the law written in the heart, and so all are bound to one another.
IV. THE EVERLASTING COVENANT THUS MADE POSSIBLE. God has now found something deep in the heart of his people whereby he can get an abiding hold. His covenant finds a firm anchorage in the regenerated inward man. With one heart and one way there is a starting point for doing Divine good, not to one generation, but to many. How much good we may hinder by our spiritual blindness and indifference! And on the other hand, what copious showers of blessing may be the result of a timely turning to God!Y.
Jer 32:42
Evil the measure of good.
I. WITH REGARD TO CERTAINTY. Here is evil actually upon the city and country. Evil that has come, not in some inexplicable, unexpected way, but in correspondence with prophetic announcements, extending over a long time and frequently repeated. And now out of the very perceived certainty of this evil, God takes occasion to create ground of hope and encouragement for the people. He who without fail has sent chastisement for the disobedient will equally without fail keep all his promises to the obedient. It is the principle of sowing and reaping. The harvest will assuredly be according to the seed that is sown. We have the choice of alternatives, and only of alternatives. Either by our negligence we shall lay ourselves open to have God bring great evils upon us, or by our obedience and regard we shall receive all that great good which God promises to those who obey..
II. WITH REGARD TO AGENCY. The emphasis of the verse is especially upon the agent. Those who fail to see that it is God who has brought all this great evil will fail to get much comfort from his most comprehensive and gracious promises. Behind the unseen instruments we must see the unseen Director and Controller. We must try to trace out the wrath of God in manifestation against the unrighteousness of men. As we trace the miseries that come from human selfishness and self-indulgence, we must learn to see God in themGod as well as man; we must recognize righteous law as well as wicked folly. We are not to depend for the best things upon uncertain man, but upon God, with his unvarying love, his exhaustless power.
III. WITH REGARD TO EXTENT. One would not wish for its own sake to measure the height, and depth, the breadth, and length, of human misery, but we have to do it to estimate its cause and bring about its cure. And always the peril is to look upon it superficially and hastily. Now, by this very superficiality and haste we miss a great source of gladness. For our estimate of possible good must have for one of its elements our experience of actual evil. A man must sink low if he would rise high. We do not mean, of course, that he must sink low by an exceptionally depraved and vicious life; that would be to recommend what Paul denouncessinning in order that grace may abound. We must sink low in our estimate of ourselves. We must see that, unless we also repent, a great evil will inevitably come upon us, whereas, if we are wisely obedient, we shall be the recipients of a splendid gooda good which ever has its forerunners in the gracious promises of God.Y.
Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary
Jer 32:1. The word that came to Jeremiah This chapter has no connection with the preceding. Nebuchadrezzar came to besiege Jerusalem the 10th day of the 10th month of the 9th year of Zedekiah; see chap. Jer 39:1 Jer 52:4. Jeremiah, at the beginning of the siege, foretold to Zedekiah, that the city should be taken, and the king sent captive to Babylon; chap. Jer 34:1-7. The king, irritated at his freedom, put him in prison, or at least in the court of the prison, which was in the palace: it was in this place that what we are now about to read happened. It was now the 10th year of Zedekiah, and Jeremiah had been confined a year during the siege of the city.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
B. THE ELEVENTH DISCOURSE
Jeremiah 32-33
With An Appendix (Jer 34:1-7)
The thirty-third chapter contains a revelation of somewhat later date than Jeremiah 32. In Jer 33:1 it is expressly stated that the contents of this chapter were communicated to the prophet separately, and subsequently to the revelation contained in Jeremiah 32. The word second () Jer 33:1, however, designates this chapter as the second part or continuation of Jeremiah 32, which also accords with its very similar purport. As Jeremiah 32 shows us that the occupation of the Israelitish country by the northern foes does not prevent the Lord from commanding the prophet to purchase a piece of this very land, as a pledge that the time will come when the land can be bought and sold and inhabited and tilled in peace, so in Jeremiah 33, in connection with the destruction of many houses in the city of Jerusalem for the purposes of defence it is predicted that the city apparently devoted to entire devastation shall be rebuilt, that joy and rejoicing shall again prevail in it, that in the country breeding of cattle shall again be followed with blessing, and especially that from the house of David a righteous sprout shall proceed, by whom righteousness and salvation shall be diffused through the land. The throne of Israel shall no more lack a prince of the house of David, nor the worship Levitical priests. This covenant shall stand everlastingly as the laws of nature; innumerable as the stars of heaven or the sand of the sea shore shall be the seed of David and Levi. In the midst of the present mourning the prophet makes known these promises, forand this is the formal basis, which Jeremiah 33 has in common with Jeremiah 32the Lord has the power to do this; nothing is too wonderful for Him (comp. Jer 33:2-3 with Jer 32:17; Jer 32:27). Without doubt these prophecies, proceeding from the court of the prison, are among the grandest which the prophet uttered. We shall see what a depth of misery this court of the prison involved for the prophet and for Israel. And in the very midst of this prophecy the abused prophet raises his voice in the most glorious prediction, that the wonder-working power of God may be recognized and praised, and faith, which rests not on the seen, but on the unseen (2Co 4:18), may be thus confirmed and encouraged. The fulfilment of this prophecy runs through all the stages of development, from that first feeble beginning, which was made after the return from exile, to the consummation of the which the future on will bring us.
From what has been said, it is evident that the present discourse forms a parallel to the earlier consolatory discourse, chh. 30 and 31, and that both, being placed purposely at the close of the collection, may with propriety be called the Book of Consolation. Though the general purport of the two discourses is similar, some differences are also noticeable. While the first (chh. 30 and 31) may be compared to a picture which beams with light and color, and in which the shading is indicated only by a few though powerful strokes (comp Jer 30:5-7; Jer 30:11; Jer 31:15-16; Jer 31:18-19), the second seems tike a picture, in which the deepest shades and the brightest light are equally divided and displayed in vivid contrast. Not only does the promise in the second discourse rise from present distressing circumstances, but the guilt of Israel, which is the cause of this distress, is portrayed with a strong hand (Jer 32:29-35). Still as the shade is stronger in the second discourse than in the first, so is the light. That which may be called the crown of all theocratic promise, viz., the Messianic kingdom, together with the priesthood standing inseparably by its side as a necessary supplement, is in the second discourse set forth much more clearly, much more comprehensively, and in much more various relations. While in the first discourse the Messianic king is spoken of in a few words only, and with no special emphasis, Jer 30:9; Jer 30:21, in the second the most prominent passage is occupied in detail with the Messianic king and priesthood. The passage Jer 33:14-26, which is evidently to form the crowning close of the whole discourse, is entirely devoted to that most important subject of Messianic prediction.
The time of the composition of chh. 32 and 33 is stated in the text. In Jer 32:1 it is expressly mentioned that the events there narrated took place in the tenth year of Zedekiah, the eighteenth of Nebuchadnezzar (i. e., B. C., 587), during the siege by the Chaldeans, and while Jeremiah was a prisoner in the court of the gaol. Only a little later followed, as a continuation and completion of the consolatory prediction, the revelation communicated to us in the thirty-third chapter (comp. Jer 33:1).
Movers, De Wette and Hitzig regard Jeremiah 33 as worked over by the author of Isaiah 40-66. This view has been so thoroughly refuted by Graf that it will suffice to refer to him (comp. Graf, S. 369, 415).J. D. Michaelis (Orient. Bibl., XVII., S. 172 sqq.), Jahn (Vatt. Messian., P. II., S. 112 sqq.) and Hitzig dispute the genuineness of Jer 33:14-26. Movers (de utr. Rec., etc., S. 41) declares that Jer 32:18; Jer 32:21 b-25 at least, are an interpolation. We may also appeal to Graf for the refutation of this view (S. 369, 370, and his exposition of the passages in question). For a valuation of the circumstance that the section mentioned is wanting in the LXX, comp. Graf, Einleitung, pag. XLVIII. Graf himself however regards Jer 33:2-3 as interpolated. I refer on the other hand to my exposition of this passage.
Since both chapters are so far of similar import, that Jeremiah 33 may be regarded as a continuation and extension of Jeremiah 32, the two together may consequently be regarded as one prophetic discourse. They are not so, however, in a logical and rhetorical sense, since they did not originate contemporaneously. We shall therefore treat the two halves separately.
I. CHAPTER 32
The most glorious future warranted in the midst of the most gloomy present by the purchase of a piece of ground in the enemys hands.
1. The transaction of the purchase, Jer 32:1-15.
2. A prayer of praise and inquiry, Jer 32:16-25.
3. Nothing is impossible to the Lord, Jer 32:26-44.
II. CHAPTER 33
Promise of the most glorious future, given at the moment when the destruction of Jerusalem was already begun by its own inhabitants in the interest of defence.
1. Brief transition: summons to new prayer in the sense of Jer 32:16-25, and promise of a hearing, Jer 33:1-3.
2. Destruction in the present. Glorious internal and external rebuilding in the future not-withstanding, Jer 33:4-9.
3. The glorious city-life of the future, Jer 33:10-11.
4. The glorious country-life of the future, Jer 33:12-13.
5. The glorious kingdom and priesthood of the future, Jer 33:14-18.
6. The kingdom and priesthood of the future eternal, Jer 33:19-26.
__________
1. CHAPTER 32
The most glorious future warranted in the midst of the most gloomy present by the purchase of a piece of ground in the hands of the enemy.
1. The transaction of the Purchase.
Jer 32:1-15.
1The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah, 2king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar. For then the king of Babylons army besieged Jerusalem: and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison [or guard] which was in the king of Judahs house. 3For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up,1 saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will give this city into the hand 4of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his 5eyes shall behold his eyes; And he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith the Lord: though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye6shall not prosper. And Jeremiah said, The word of the Lord came unto me, saying, 7Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of redemption is thine to 8buy it. So Hanameel mine uncles son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the Lord, and said unto me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that 9this was the word of the Lord. And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncles son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of 10silver. 2 And I subscribed the evidence [deed], 3 and sealed it, and took witnesses, 11and weighed him the money in the balances. So I took the evidence [deed] of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom [or 12(containing) the assignment and limitation], and that which was open: And I gave the evidence [deed] of the purchase unto Baruch, the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel mine uncles son and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the book of the purchase, before all 4 the Jews that sat in 13, 14the court of the prison. And I charged Baruch before them, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both 5 which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them 15in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
In the tenth year of king Zedekiah, during the siege of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans, at a time when all hope of deliverance had vanished and the overthrow of the kingdom was certain to all those who were not blinded, Jeremiah, who was then on account of his prophecy of inevitable ruin held a prisoner in the prison court, received a divine revelation, which announced that the lot of ground of his uncle Shallum at Anathoth would be offered him for sale on account of his right of redemption. Hanameel, the son of Shallum, really came with this offer to Jeremiah. The latter recognizing the Lords will, buys the lot, carefully observing all the formalities, as a sign that houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in the land of Judah.
Jer 32:1-5. The word shall not prosper. The superscription is again of the larger kind. It dominates chh. 32 and 33. The word of Jehovah which it announces, is not merely the next following brief revelation of Jer 32:7, but all the revealed contents of both chapters. Comp. rems. on Jer 30:1.In the tenth, etc. Comp. rems. on Jer 28:1. The numerical statements are in entire agreement with Jer 39:1; Jer 25:1; Jer 52:12.Besieged. Comp. Jer 21:4; Jer 37:5; Jer 39:1; Deu 20:12, etcCourt of the prison. According to Jer 37:15, Jeremiah was incarcerated by the princes in [prison, literally: house of bonds]. When the king had him brought out for an audience, he besought that he might not be taken back to that prison. The king granted his request and had him kept in the court of the guard, ( , Jer 37:21 coll. Jer 38:6; Jer 38:13; Jer 38:28; Jer 39:14-15). Accordingly this must have been at any rate a more tolerable place. The expression occurs, besides the passages mentioned, only in Jer 33:1; Neh 3:25; Neh 12:39. is custodia and may mean watch as well as custody. As his detention here afforded him relief, as he received visits and was supported from without (Jer 37:21), we may with the greater probability suppose that it was the closed court in which the palace-watch was stationed.Wherefore dost thou prophesy. Comp. Jer 21:4 sqq.; Jer 34:2 sqq.; Jer 37:17. The words from I will give to Zedekiah to Babylon agree almost verbatim with Jer 34:2-3. From the slight differences we may infer that we have here two independent records, of which the passage Jer 34:2-5 is in so far to be regarded as the more complete, as it gives the particulars of Zedekiahs fate after his captivity, while in Jer 32:5 all that relates to this is comprised in the words, and there shall he be until I visit him. If we compare Jer 34:4-5 with Jer 39:7; Jer 52:11, we shall see that in the first passage the fate of the king is portrayed from its favorable, in the latter passages from its unfavorable side. The representations are by no means contradictory. In Jer 34:4-5 it is merely stated that the king will not die by a violent, but in peace by a natural death, and after his death will receive an honorable interment. This by no means excludes the cruel treatment, which he received according to Jer 37:7; Jer 52:11. The indefinite-ness of the expression visit and the prospective, leaving it open either to deliverance or death, was perceived even by Jerome, who says visitatio et consolationem significat et supplicium. It should also be not unobserved that the expression die in peace, Jer 34:5, admits of this double meaning.Though ye fight, etc. These words are not found in the record, Jeremiah 34. Coming after the positive prediction of calamity they do not make the impression of being intended for an admonition, but appear to have the meaning of a statement of reason: if you fight with the Chaldeans it certainly cannot result otherwise; ye cannot then prosper. The prophet does not want to call forth a subjective volition, but merely to present the objective nexus rerum. On the subject-matter, comp. Jer 21:9; Jer 27:8 sqq., as well as the introduction to Jer 34:1-7, and the remarks on Jer 34:1-5.
Jer 32:6-7. And Jeremiah to buy it. After that in Jer 32:1-5 the general situation had been portrayed in which the following event took place, Jer 32:6 begins the narrative of the event itself. This narrative is given as the report of a third person. From the word in Jer 32:6, to the close of the prayer in Jer 32:25, it is Jeremiah who speaks. It is, however, a third person who tells us that Jeremiah spoke all these things, as is seen from the words and Jeremiah said, Jer 32:6. This form of presentation is not unusual in this book. Comp. Jer 19:14-15; Jer 26:7-9; Jer 28:5-7 coll. Jer 32:1; Jeremiah 37 etc.Son of Shallum thine uncle. That the uncle was named Shallum is seen from Jer 32:8-9. Though Hanameel is also designated , uncle, this is explained by the possibility of using this word in the wider sense. The meaning of patruus is the innermost of a series of concentric circles, which represent a progress from general to particulars. From the Canticles we unquestionably obtain the radical meaning of caritas, amor (Jer 1:2; Jer 1:4, etc.). From this is derived the meaning of carus, amicus (abstr. pro concreto as in), comp. Isa 5:1; Son 1:13-14; Son 1:16, etc. Now though the fathers brother is especially called the dear one, the friend of the family, this is an honorable distinction, which may of course in certain circumstances be transferred to another relative, as is doubtless the case here for the sake of brevity with respect to the son of the .Right of redemption. According to Lev 25:25 in the case of an impoverished Israelite wishing to sell his piece of ground, his nearest of kin have the right of purchase. Comp. Saalschuetz, Mos. Recht, S. 147 sqq.; 483, 808 sqq.The members of the tribe of Levi also, according to Num 35:2 coll. Joshua 21 owned real estate, viz., so much as was included in the precincts of the cities allotted to them (, comp. 1Ch 6:40-41). The statement in Lev 25:34, that this real estate could not be sold appears simply to mean that the sale of priests property to those who are not priests was forbidden. Among the family the sale must have been possible, otherwise an illegal act would have been demanded of Jeremiah, not only by his cousin but by the Lord Himself. The right of redemption () had moreover its two sides. Towards the seller it was a duty, towards the more distantly related it was a right. Comp. Ruth 4
Jer 32:8-10. So Hanameel in the balances. The right of inheritance was generally and especially among the priests the basis of the right of redemption. For it was indeed the sense of the whole institution, that the real estate should remain in the family. Accordingly it was always the next heir who was in the first place entitled and obligated to the . We find no intimation in the Law what the relation of the was to the (comp. Saalschutz, Mos. R. S. 811). After all it appears to me that this was left to the friendly understanding of the two relatives, and the loyal disposition of the goel was reckoned upon. From the fact that the visit announced to him by revelation was really received, Jeremiah knew that the proposal, which his visitor made him, and of which the Lord had not yet said anything, was also an expression of the divine will.The price seems small. This has been explained by supposing that the seller was driven to the sale by urgent need and that the property was depreciated by the war. Both may be correct, but I do not think that the small price is thus explained. This would have been unworthy of the prophet. Could Jeremiah buy as a speculator? Livy relates (XXVI. 11) that when Hannibal was before the gates of Rome the very field on which his camp stood was sold, nihil ob id dimiunto pretio. Comp. Florus, II. 6 (Parva res dictu, sed ad magnanimitatem populi Romani probandam sails efficax, quod its ipsis quibus obsidebatur diebus ager, quem Hannibal castris insederat, venalis Rom fuit hastque subjectus invenit emtorem).Can the proud assurance of the Romans have produced a greater effect than the trust reposed by our prophet on the divine promise? I therefore think that seventeen shekels was the nominal price. Its smallness may be explained, apart from the possible smallness of the object purchased, by the nearness of the jubilee year. Though we have no data by which to determine how far distant the jubilee was from the time of sale, it may be safely assumed that the provisions of the law, Lev 25:15-16, were not unobserved. The year of manumissio, spoken of in Jeremiah 34, was not a jubilee. Comp. rems, on Jer 34:14 and Herzog, R.-Enc. XIII., S. 212. Seventeen shekels in our money was little more than ten dollars. Comp. Herz. R.-Enc., IV., S. 764.Whence did Jeremiah obtain the money? Had he, the prisoner, for whom a daily scanty subsistence was furnished (Jer 37:21), pecuniary means at command? His silence on this point shows that he regarded it as of little moment. There was probably more money than bread in the city. Baruch also might have procured him the funds.After the account of the purchase and the price in Jer 32:9, the particulars of the transaction are specially enumerated in Jer 32:10. First the writing and sealing. From what follows we see that the deed of purchase was written in duplicate. One copy remained open, the other was closed with seals. Qu emtionum consuctudo hucusque servatur, ut quod intrinsecus clausum signacula continent, hoc legere cupientibus apertum volumen exhibeat, Jerome on Jer 32:14. Whether the open copy also bore a seal cannot be definitely ascertained from the text. The object of the writing in duplicate appears to me to have been twofold. First, that which duplicates generally have, viz., to have a second copy in case the first is lost; secondly (and this is especially the destination of the sealed deed), in case of injury or defacement, which the open deed might suffer either by accident or design, to have an intact original. The circumstance that Jeremiah does not mention the witnesses till after the sealing is not to be explained, with Hitzig, as though the contents of the closed deed and the price were concealed from them. Evidently the prophet does not wish to confuse the three points in Jer 32:10. He therefore relates first of the deed (), then of the witnesses, then of the weighing of the money. The order of subjects then prevails, not however excluding the order of time, since the weighing out the money at any rate came last. If we should argue as Hitzig does, we should come to the conclusion that the witnesses had nothing at all to do with the documents. This, however, is contradicted by Jer 32:12, where it is expressly stated that the witnesses subscribed the book of the purchase. As now in Jer 32:11, Jer 32:12 init., Jer 32:14 appears to be a general conception, to which the specifications given in the second half of the verse are subordinate, the word may in Jer 32:12 also designate both documents; they may therefore have both been subscribed by the witnesses.
Jer 32:11-12. So I took of the prison. The words , in Jer 32:11, are difficult. Those explanations do violence both to grammar and context which (a) assume an accusative of the norm; according to the law and customs, for which no instance can be adduced; (b) consider these words to indicate the contents of a third . The enumeration in Jer 32:14 is opposed to this, and the difficulty of perceiving what laws and customs were observed in a third deed, and why this was drawn. Only one explanation is grammatically possible and in agreement with the context, viz., that which takes the words as in apposition to . Then the question arises, what are we to understand by the words themselves? The respective definitions of the Mosaic law (comp. ex. gr. Deu 5:28)? But why should these be written out in detail and be designated as the main contents of the ? It is better then to take in the sense of statutum, establishing, settling, and in the sense of stipulation. The main thing established, i. e. the object of the purchase and the price, as well as the special stipulations or conditions of sale were then fully contained only in the . Yet I confess that this explanation also is not perfectly satisfactory. We must wait for further illumination.Baruch is here mentioned for the first time. Hence the more exact statement of his lineage. Josephus (Antt. X. 9, 1) calls him . The high position of his brother Seraiah at court (Jer 51:59) seems to prove that he was of a respectable house.Before all the Jews. The prophet intimates that two circles of witnesses are to be imagined surrounding the central point, formed by Jeremiah and Baruch, a narrower and a wider. The wider circle testifies to the witness of the narrower.
Jer 32:13-15. And I charged in this land.In an earthen vessel. To keep the deeds from damp, moths or dirt. Can the earthen vessel have survived the abomination of destruction? It matters not. The main thing was the establishment of the fact that the Lord in the midst of their dread of destruction, at a moment when all hope for the future seemed to have fled, gave the promise of a glorious restoration, as indicated in Jer 32:15. The object of this promise was on the one hand to comfort those who were involved in the present ruin, and on the other hand to prove that the Lord had fore willed, foreknown and foretold the predicted favorable turn of affairs. Comp. rems. on Jer 30:1. To attain the latter object the transaction had certainly to be brought to the knowledge of posterity in an authentic manner. For this purpose the documents themselves relating to the purchase, which would hardly contain any account of the accompanying circumstances, would be less useful than on the one hand oral tradition based on the declaration of many eye and ear witnesses, and on the other hand the written report of the prophet.
Footnotes:
[1]Jer 32:3. . The Nota relationis is to be regarded as in the accusative. Comp. Naegelsb. Gr., 70, b; Num 13:27; Isa 64:10; Psa 84:4.
[2]Jer 32:9.On the accus. . Comp. Naegelsb. Gr., 70, g.On the article. I b. 71, 4 a.
[3]Jer 32:10.The article in is again general. Naegelsb. Gr., 71, 4 a.
[4]Jer 32:12. . Misled by the Atnach, many suppose that is wanting here. But this does not belong to , init. ver., but to .
[5]Jer 32:14.. The two Vaus here as in Jer 32:20=both, and also comp. Jer 5:24. Naegelsb. Gr., 110, 3. The construction would certainly be simpler and clearer, if were wanting before , and it would certainly not be impossible that, as Graf thinks, this may have been repeated from Jer 32:11 by an oversight. A certain solemn breadth may, however, also have been intended. Then first the quantitative multiplicity or duplicity of the deeds may be generally set forth, then their qualitative unity (they form together only one dead of sale. Comp. Jer 32:11-12); finally the multiplicity is specified: there are two deed, one sealed, the other open. The and can then both be referred at the same time to .
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
CONTENTS
We have in this Chapter the imprisonment of Jeremiah for his faithfulness. The Prophet complains to God. The Lord confirms the word of his servant. The Chapter closeth with God’s gracious promises of a return to the people.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
There was some considerable space, it should seem between the close of the former Chapter and this, for, according to the date of the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar, it could not be very far from the time of the total overthrow of the kingdom. Let the Reader not overlook the faithfulness of God’s servant upon this occasion. Where is the servant, where is the minister of God in the present hour to be found for such integrity?
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Evidences Sealed and Evidences Open
Jer 32:14
The placing of the deeds in an earthen vessel or vase was of course peculiar to this case. It was intended to preserve them from damp and decay in their secret hiding-place during the long years of the captivity, as Jerusalem ere many months would be destroyed by the King of Babylon.
I. Consider this mode of the authentication of purchase of property as an illustration of one of the evidences of the truth of the Word of God.
One of the great features of Christianity is that it is based on facts. What Professor Rawlinson says of the historical statements of the New Testament is equally true of the Old. ‘When a shallow learning and a defective knowledge of the records of the past have led men to think that they had found a slip or a mistake, and a shout of triumph has been raised, profounder research has always demonstrated the veracity and accuracy of the sacred writer, and has exposed the ignorance of the assailant’ Some years ago a Yorkshire clothier lost a bale of cloth. He suspected a neighbour who was in the same business, and whose character was ‘none of the best’. He entered his neighbour’s warehouse, and pointing to a bale which he immediately recognized said, ‘That is mine’. The rogue said, ‘Prove it’. The owner of the bale was in a difficulty and went home. He was convinced that he was right, and yet how could he prove his case? One night as he lay awake he suddenly said, ‘I have it’. Next morning he took witnesses and said to his suspected neighbour, ‘Will you let me take that bale to the drying croft?’ The man could not well refuse. The croft is the place where the cloth, after being dyed, is stretched on long, strong needles attached to posts. In this croft no two posts were equally distant. Our friend, taking the cloth, fitted the first needle into the first hole on the edge of the cloth, the second needle exactly agreed with the second hole, and so on to the end. The distances between the holes in the cloth exactly corresponded with the distances between the needles. The case was clear the proof was certain. There are 1000 needles, so to speak, in the Bible, and there are 1000 holes in the land in which the Book was written and in the countries to which the Book refers. Take the cloth to the croft the Book to the lands; compare the narrative with the history of the world to which it continually refers, and in every instance the needle corresponds with the hole. The open evidence is one with the sealed. The mode of evidence which was used by the Jewish people to prove the certainty of purchase strikingly illustrates to my mind this mode of authenticating the veracity of the words of the living God.
II. My text is a striking illustration of spiritual truth. It is in redemption spiritual as it is in redemption literal; there must be two kinds of evidence, sealed and open, to make the title good; so that if either of these be deficient, the claim or title to the Divine heritage is invalid, and we have no manifested interest in the precious blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ, through which alone there is forgiveness of sin and an entrance into everlasting life.
1. There are the evidences which are sealed or secret, which cannot be seen, and read, and known, of men. ( a ) The revelation of Christ to the heart in His person and work as adapted to our necessities is a sealed evidence. ( b ) A spirit of adoption is a sealed or secret evidence. ( c ) A secret love to God’s people is an evidence that God hath ‘sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts’. ‘We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren.’ (d) I can only mention one other evidence of a like character, and that is the love of truth, the loyal allegiance of the soul to all revealed truth. From the time that the entrance of the Word giveth light, the soul loves the light, and continually craves for it.
2. Consider the open evidences. Remember that; this kind of evidence, in verification of the purchase by Jeremiah of the field of Hanameel, was open, that it might be seen, might be read, might be known. To make it manifest that we have an interest in that which Christ has purchased for us, there must not only be the secret evidence within the soul, but the open parchment of a godly and consistent life. A religion which begins and ends with emotion can give no real evidence of our title to everlasting life. We must look to it that we have open evidences as well as sealed, for both are equally needed to prove our title good.
III. ‘Put them in an earthen vessel to continue many days.’ I believe that the application of these words is to the final restoration of the Jewish people to the land of their fathers; but we are distinctly taught that the captivity in Babylon is a type and picture of the captivity of death and the grave. This thought runs through Psalm and prophecy. The earthen vessel seems to describe the Christian here, frail, of the earth earthy, at present unrecognized as regards his princely condition, and yet one for whom the inheritance is kept.
J. W. Bardsley, Many Mansions, p. 232.
References. XXXII. 14 Spurgeon, Sermons, xxxix. No. 2297. XXXII. 17. Ibid. vol. viii. No. 462. XXXII. 26, 27. Ibid. vol. xxxiv. No. 2020. XXXII. 27. Ibid. vol. xlvi. No. 2675. C Holland, Gleanings from a Ministry of Fifty Years, p. 92. XXXII. 30-42. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxxix. No. 2316. XXXII. 39. Ibid. vol. xxvii. No. 1623. XXXII. 40. Ibid. vol. xxxv. No. 2108.
The Enthusiasm of God
Jer 32:41
God is telling His people the great things He purposes to do for them, and He declares He will accomplish all with His whole heart and with His whole soul. Here we are brought face to face with the kindling fact that God is a God of enthusiasm.
I. God is Enthusiastic.
Enthusiasm is an impressive element of Bible theology. It is God’s quenchless enthusiasm which is to establish in triumph the ever-increasing kingdom and peace of Emmanuel. All Christian missionary crusades have as the guarantee of their victory the enthusiasm of God.
If enthusiasm be a quality which Old Testament theology ascribes to God, it is also emphatically accredited to Him by the theology of the New Covenant. It is revealed as an outstanding feature of Him to have seen Who is the Father. ‘With My whole heart and with My whole soul’ was the motto of His Incarnate life.
Enthusiasm must surely be an essential of a true theology. One cannot conceive of an impassionate God. The very idea and etymology of the word ‘enthusiasm’ involves God. An ancient Greek finely described enthusiasm as ‘a God within’. And such all grand enthusiasm is, and must be evermore.
II. God is Enthusiastic Concerning Human Character.
God’s ‘people’ represent character. And God’s enthusiasm for character is shown in His enthusiasm for His people.
The fact is, nothing in man creates such enthusiasm on God’s part as the instituting and enhancing of character. Your soul is that in you in which God is most interested, and He is interested in everything about you. Christ’s cross is the measure of God’s enthusiasm for character.
III. God’s Enthusiasm is Beneficent.
There are those whose so-called enthusiasm is self-centred. No altruism irradiates them. Nobody is anything bettered for them. God’s zeal is to help, to bless, to enrich men.
IV. The Enthusiasm of God is Exemplary.
All enthusiasm is contagious. The awful peril is that we imitate evil enthusiasms. God’s enthusiasm is the true ideal for man. ‘Be ye imitators of God.’
V. There are things which do not excite God’s enthusiasm.
God has no spark of enthusiasm for much that man burns about. This is apparent in the objects of their respective enthusiasms. God has no enthusiasm for self-centredness. God has no enthusiasm for worldliness. God has no enthusiasm for indifferency. Stoicism is not sanctity.
VI. What a Claim God has on us by Reason of His Enthusiasm.
A God who, with His whole heart and His whole soul, seeks man’s highest good, is a God who constrains our devotion.
Here is ground of trustfulness. Can I fear for the morrow when this God is mine? Here is ground of hope. All shall always be well, seeing such a God is mine. Here is ground of service. Too much one cannot do for such a God. Passion is reason in the service of such a God.
VII. We may safely Reckon on God’s Enthusiasm, if we be His.
The mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but God’s steadfast enthusiasm abideth. Pass through the wilderness gripping that beloved hand.
Dinsdale T. Young, The Enthusiasm of God, p. 1.
References. XXXII. 41. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxxiv. No. 2036. XXXIII. 3. Ibid. vol. xi. No. 619; vol. xlvi. No. 2664. S. Martin, Comfort in Trouble, p. 161. XXXIII. 9. A. Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture Isaiah and Jeremiah, p. 340; see also After the Resurrection, p. 156. XXXIII. 9. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxvii. No. 1636. XXXIII. 11. J. C. Hedley, Sermons in St. Edmund’s College Chapel, p. 126. XXXIII. 15-26. Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xlii. No. 2472. XXXIII. 23. F. Lynch, Christian World Pulpit, vol. lv. 1899, p. 236. XXXV. 2. D. T. Young, Neglected People of the Bible, p. 147. XXXV. 12. A. Ramsay, Studies in Jeremiah, p. 137. A. N. Obbard, Plain Sermons, p. 71. XXXV. 16. A. Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture Isaiah and Jeremiah, p. 351. XXXV. 18, 19. A. Phelps, The Old Testament A Living Book for All Ages, p. 201. XXXVI. 3. C. Kingsley, Sermons on National Subjects, p. 316.
Fuente: Expositor’s Dictionary of Text by Robertson
X
THE PROPHECY OF JEREMIAH ON THE RESTORATION
Jeremiah 30-33
This prophecy may be called Jeremiah’s messianic prophecy, or the prophecy of the blessed age, the messianic age, that glorious age that was to come. Most of the teaching of Jeremiah up to this point is permeated with the note of sadness and of doom, the theme of which is destruction. From this Jeremiah might be called a thorough-going pessimist, but here we shall see that he was anything but a pessimist. He was one of the greatest optimists. When his nation seemed so determined to go on in sin and rebellion against God and hence to destruction, Jeremiah could be nothing but a pessimist, so far as the immediate future of his country was concerned. There is such a thing as a sane and sensible pessimism. The man who is a pessimist when he sees that sin is unbridled in its sway over the people, is the only man who takes a sane view of the situation. But in this passage we will see that Jeremiah was one of the greatest optimists that the world ever saw.
Blessed is the man who can mediate between the pessimist and the optimist. All the prophecies concerning the messianic age, and the restoration from the exile to Palestine were optimistic. Amos was a pre-exilic prophet, and he prophesied a return of the Jews and a glorious age; so did Hosea, Isaiah, Joel, Micah, and Zephaniah. All of these pictured the return to Jerusalem and the worship in Mount Zion. Isaiah puts it in the form of a reign of David’s son over a true and righteous Israel, at the time of the restoration from the Exile in Babylon. Joel pictures the messianic age and we are told in Act 2 when it was fulfilled. Peter there declares that Joel’s prophecy was fulfilled in what was enacted at that time. Ezekiel pictures it also as a restored nation and a restored theocracy in Jeremiah 40-48.
Now, let us consider what Jeremiah has to say concerning the Jews and their glorious restoration. In these four chapters (Jeremiah 30-33) we have three great subjects:
1. The triumphal hymn of Israel’s salvation (Jeremiah 30-31)
2. The story of the purchase of a field by Jeremiah during his imprisonment, and the explanation (Jer 32Jer 32Jer 32 )
3. The promise of the restoration with the renewed glory of the house of David and the Levitical priesthood (Jer 33Jer 33Jer 33 )
Observe that this prophecy is not dated. It merely says, “The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.” It is altogether likely that it came in the latter part of the reign of Zedekiah, possibly during the imprisonment in the court of the guard, or it may have occurred a little earlier than that.
In the introduction the prophet is commanded to write these things (Jer 30:1-3 ). The fact that God commanded Jeremiah to write this messianic prophecy shows that he put considerable value upon it and that he intended it to be preserved for his people, Israel. He said, “The days will come, saith Jehovah, that I will turn again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah; and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave their fathers, and they shall possess it.” This is the essence of the prophecy contained in Jeremiah 30-31.
The prophecy relative to Judah in Jer 30:4-11 is that there shall be an end of Judah’s troubles, for the foreign domination shall cease. Judah is pictured here as sorely troubled. Notice verse Jer 30:5 : “We have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace.” Then he pictures the nation in that figure, which is so many times used in the Scriptures, as in the pain of travail. Verse Jer 30:7 : “For that day is great, so that none is like unto it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble.” Then he adds, “But he shall be saved out of it.” In verse Jer 30:8 : he describes how the foreign domination of Babylon shall be broken off. Verse Jer 30:9 : “They shall serve Jehovah their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.”
Of course, this is not David himself, in a literal sense, that shall be raised up. It means that one of David’s royal posterity shall reign over Israel. Israel shall have her kingdom restored and on the throne a king of the old royal line. In a large measure that promise was fulfilled in David’s greater son, Jesus Christ. In Jer 30:10 he calls Israel by the name of “Servant,” the word used so often in Isaiah 40-66, and promises return and rest. Jer 30:11 : “I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have scattered thee, but I will not make a full end of thee; but I will correct thee in judgment, and will in no wise leave thee unpunished.”
Judah is pictured in Jer 30:12-17 as incurably wounded. The hurt of the cities of Judah is incurably deep but she shall be restored to health. Verse Jer 30:12 : “Thy hurt is incurable, and thy wound grievous,” therefore punishment must come to Judah. Then he pictures her as being despised among the nations, forgotten by her lovers, i.e., all those nations whom she followed after strange gods. He adds that their chastisement was a cruel one, but that it was because of the greatness of their iniquity; because their sins were so increased. Jer 30:15 adds: “Why criest thou for thy hurt?” There is no use crying. Why do you cry unto me? “Thy pain is incurable.” It was all because of the greatness of their iniquity. Verse Jer 30:16 : “They that devour thee shall be devoured; and all thine adversaries, every one of them, shall go into captivity.” Verse Jer 30:17 : “I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds.”
There is a promise respecting Jerusalem and other cities of Judah in Jer 30:18-22 . The city shall be rebuilt and shall be prosperous. Verse Jer 30:18 : “And the city shall be builded upon its own hill, and the palace shall be inhabited after its own manner.” Now, that was particularly fulfilled under Ezra and Nehemiah, in their later history. Jer 30:19 describes the happiness and merriment of the people. Jer 30:20 says, “Their children also shall be as aforetime, and their congregation shall be established before me.” Verse Jer 30:21 : “Their princes shall be of themselves and their ruler shall proceed from the midst of them.” He shall be of the royal line; shall be of themselves. Their rulers shall proceed from their own blood. They shall be relieved from the domination of Assyria, Egypt, and Babylon.
The prophecy of Jer 30:23-24 is that there shall be a sweeping tempest upon her enemies: “Behold, the tempest of Jehovah, even his wrath, is gone forth, a sweeping tempest: it shall burst upon the head of the wicked.” This undoubtedly refers to the nations that have harassed Judah so long.
The picture found in Jer 31:1-6 is that Israel shall be restored to the worship of their own God, Jehovah. Verse I: “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.” This was true when God brought them forth from Chaldea and from Egypt after the exile. The great motive expressed is that God might be their God and they his people. In the glory of the restoration he says, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel.” In Jer 31:3 we come to a great and glorious passage, “I have loved thee with an everlasting love.” That is a great text. We have here a vision of the fidelity and love of Jehovah for his people. He loves forever. “With lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” That was true in Egypt. He drew them to himself. It will be true again when he shall draw them from among the nations. Jehovah loves the people of Israel now with the same jealous love as of old, and he is drawing them. The time is coming when he will draw them together to him with this everlasting love. This same truth applies to all Christians of the world, both Jew and Gentile.
Samaria shall be resettled and repeopled: “Again shalt thou plant vineyards upon the mountains of Samaria. . . . For there shall be a day that the watchman upon the hills of Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto Jehovah our God.” Which means that there will be watchmen who will watch for the rising of the new moon and the time of the feasts, and then the word will go from mouth to mouth and the people will all observe the feasts together. Now, that prophecy has never been literally fulfilled.
Samaria was peopled by aliens from Babylon and Assyria mixed with Jews and when the Jews returned from the exile, these people wanted to help them in the work of rebuilding, but they were spurned. This made the Samaritans the bitter enemies of the Jews and of their leaders. In Jesus’ time “the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans,” but many of them were converted in Christ’s ministry and through the apostles after Pentecost. The future will determine the glories of this prophecy.
There is a great promise in Jer 31:7-9 . A great company shall return from the north. Verse Jer 31:8 : “Behold, I will bring them from the north country, and gather them from the uttermost parts of the earth, and with them the blind and the lame, and the woman with child.” Verse Jer 9 : “I will cause them to walk by rivers of water, in a straight way wherein they shall not stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first born.”
The announcement in Jer 31:10-14 is that this return shall be proclaimed to the nations. This passage reminds us very much of Isa 40 . The expressions are almost identical. Note the clause in Jer 31:10 which is almost the same in both books, “As a shepherd doth his flock.” Then in verse Jer 31:12 : “They shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow unto the goodness of Jehovah, to the grain, and to the new wine, and to the oil, and to the young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered garden.” That is a beautiful picture; the people coming shall be like that of a flowing stream hurrying on to an experience of the goodness of Jehovah. All the nations shall see it.
And mourning Ephraim shall be comforted and restored (Jer 31:15-20 ). Rachel is heard weeping for her children. She refuses to be comforted. Rachel was the mother of Joseph and he was the father of Ephraim, the leading tribe of the Northern Kingdom, which finally absorbed all the rest of the tribes of that division of the kingdom west of the Jordan. Hosea calls Israel Ephraim. Rachel weeping over her children is a pathetic picture of the destruction of the Northern Kingdom, but there is hope for it. She shall not weep forever. Verse Jer 31:16 : “Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears; for thy work shall be rewarded, saith Jehovah: and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.” Then he goes on to describe the repentance of Ephraim. Jer 31:20 sounds much like Hosea in his great prophecy. Here Jeremiah says, “Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a darling child?”
In the exhortation in Jer 31:21-22 the wanderer is asked to return. Speaking to Israel, he says, “Set thee up waymarks, make thee guide-posts; set thy heart toward the highway, even the way thou wentest.” Jer 31:22 is a remarkable prophecy: “How long wilt thou go hither and thither, O thou backsliding daughter? For Jehovah hath created a new thing in the earth: A woman shall encompass a man.” In Jeremiah’s time the man must encompass the woman. But this prophecy predicts that there is going to be a new state of things: “A woman shall encompass a man,” shall surround him, that is, she shall win him and also be his protector and safeguard. The Spiritual application of that seems to be that the time will come when Israel, this backsliding and wandering woman, shall be changed; shall be different; she shall have a new disposition. Instead of God having to go after her and surround her and induce her to keep herself true to him, she will take the initiative; she will surround the Lord and shall be true to him; shall go after him, and meet him more than half way. That was true to some extent when they came back from the exile. They were true to God and protected his cause, but the larger fulfilment is doubtless yet to come.
The prophecy as to the life of Israel after the restoration (Jer 31:23-26 ) shows that the life of restored Israel shall be happy and blessed. Note verse Jer 31:23 : “Jehovah bless thee, O habitation of righteousness, O mountain of holiness.” What a magnificent description of the city is that. That prophecy was fulfilled only to a very slight degree after the return from exile. Its true fulfilment is spiritual. Jeremiah was much pleased with the vision.
There shall be great material prosperity for the renewed people and there shall be individual responsibility. Great prosperity is shown in the verse Jer 31:27 : “I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and with the seed of beast.” The idea there is that it is going to be so thickly populated that it will be literally sown with men and with beasts, like a field. Then in Jer 31:29 , “In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” That was a proverb based upon the fact that because of the father’s sins the children suffered. They kept saying that in the exile, because a multitude of those who were in exile never sinned as their fathers did, and had to suffer for the wickedness and sins of their fathers. Hence they kept saying, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” They were suffering for the iniquities of their fathers, not their own. There was a note of bitterness and complaint in it. They regarded the law as unjust. The great law of individual responsibility is here asserted. That doctrine is worked out with great clearness in Eze 18 .
In the blessings of the new covenant (Jer 31:31-34 ) we have the climax, the greatest of all Jeremiah’s prophecies. This is indeed the high-water mark of all the Old Testament prophecy. Jeremiah had come to the conclusion that the heart of the man was deceitful and above all things desperately wicked and that he could no more change it of himself than the leopard can change his spots, or the Ethiopian his skin; that the people who are accustomed to do evil, cannot do good. They must be changed. There must be a new order of things, a new covenant. What is this new covenant? Jer 31:33 lays down a new condition: “I will put my law in their inward parts.” Moses wrote it on tablets of stone but the law to be effective must be written in the inward parts. It must be written on the tablets of the heart. On that condition “I will be their God, and they shall be my people,” saith Jehovah.
Then the prophet asserted the doctrine of individual, or personal experience of the knowledge of God, verse Jer 31:34 : “And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Jehovah; for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, saith Jehovah: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.” He does not mean by that that there shall be no more teaching but he does mean that each individual shall have a personal experience for himself. His parents cannot give it to him; each individual shall have a personal knowledge of God for himself. As regards their sins God provides a sacrifice so that he will remember their sins no more forever, consequently there shall be no more need for the sacrifices of atonement.
Now, that wonderful prophecy was not fulfilled in that restoration. When Nehemiah had completed the walls of Jerusalem, Ezra brought forth the book of the Law and read it before them and they made another covenant to keep the Law. That was 150 years after Jehovah had said, “I will make a new covenant.” Ezra brought forth this same old covenant and the people adopted it again. That was not a new covenant, and in no sense a fulfilment of the prophecy here. The people asked Ezra to read it, which showed that it was in no sense in their hearts. This covenant is fulfilled in Christianity. Jesus preached the new birth and the principle of personal knowledge of God. It is the fundamental element of the gospel, that God’s law must be in the heart, not in mere ceremony.
It is said of the new people in Jer 31:35-37 that they shall be perpetual. They shall abide forever. This is expressed by a comparison of the material universe with God’s eternal purpose concerning his people. The prophecy concerning Jerusalem in Jer 31:38-40 is that the holy city shall be rebuilt. Jerusalem shall be holy unto Jehovah. Now, that was to some extent fulfilled in the restoration under Nehemiah and Ezra, but for 1900 years it has been trodden under foot. For the larger fulfilment we look to Christianity in the millennium.
The prophecy of Jer 32 occurred in the tenth year of the reign of Zedekiah, during the siege, when Jeremiah was shut up in the court of the guard. In that condition, when the city was thus surrounded and seemed doomed to pass into the hands of the enemy and be destroyed, Jeremiah utters this prophecy. The following are the main points of it:
1. The announcement of the Oracle of Jeremiah (Jer 32:15 ). This section simply contains the record of the fact that the oracle came from God to Jeremiah at this time and the fate of the city is announced.
2. The purchase of an ancestral field (Jer 32:6-15 ). Jeremiah received word from Jehovah that a certain man was coming to ask him to buy a field at Anathoth which belonged to Jeremiah’s family and was within his right. God told him to buy it. He tells us that he did so, and paid seventeen shekels for it. Doubtless property was cheap at that particular time, for all the land was overrun by the Chaldeans. The deed was signed and two copies made; then they were subscribed to before witnesses. They were then deposited in an earthen vessel to be kept, because seventy years or more was to pass before they could be used. Such is the story. It reminds us of the incident that occurred in the wars of Hannibal. When he was encamped before the gates of Rome, the very ground upon which he was encamped was bought by men in the city, for they believed in the future of Rome. They paid for it and believed that they would make use of it. So it was with Jeremiah; he believed in the future of Jerusalem and. Judah more truly than those men believed in the future of Rome.
3. His misgiving, with his retrospection of Jehovah’s’ power, justice, and lovingkindness, manifested in Israel’s history (Jer 32:16-25 ). He closes that retrospection by summing up the situation. We find it in Jer 32:24-25 . The city is in a state of siege, and is going to be destroyed very soon.
4. Jehovah’s reply to Jeremiah’s misgivings (Jer 32:26-35 ). The reply is this: “Because of the people’s sins Jerusalem shall be destroyed by the Chaldeans.”
5. Jehovah gives an emphatic promise of future favor (Jer 32:36-44 ). Again and again Jehovah says, “I will gather them out of all countries; I will give them one heart and one way; I will make an everlasting covenant with them.” Men shall buy fields, shall subscribe deeds, seal them and call witnesses, etc.
Jeremiah gives the date of its deliverance, about the year 586 B.C., while the Chaldeans were besieging the city and Jeremiah was shut up in the court of the guard. The items of this chapter are as follows:
1. The call for a larger faith (Jer 32:2-3 ). Jehovah will show them difficult things.
2. The city shall be reinhabited and shall be joyful (Jer 32:4-9 ). [I am simply giving the substance of these portions. They are largely repetitions and details are not necessary.]
3. The land of Judah shall be repopulated (Jer 32:10-13 ). Jer 32:12 says, “Yet again there shall be in this place, which is waste, without man and without beast, and in all the cities thereof, a habitation of shepherds causing their flocks to lie down.” In the cities of the lowland, the hill country, the South, Benjamin, and Judah, shall the flocks again pass under the hands of the shepherd.
4. David shall have a righteous successor upon the throne (Jer 32:14-18 ). Jer 32:15 contains the substance, a glorious messianic picture, like Isa 11:1-2 .
5. The royal line of David and of the Levitical priesthood shall certainly be perpetuated, Jer 32:19-22 .
6. The Davidic Dynasty shall certainly be re-established (Jer 32:23-26 ). The seed of David shall sit upon the throne.
The fulfilment of this prophecy occurred partly in the restoration, partly in Christianity, and shall be completely fulfilled in the glorious reign of Christ when Christianity shall be triumphant throughout the world. In this we have a remarkable perspective of prophecy, a prophecy with several fulfilments stretching over a long period of time.
QUESTIONS
1. What is the nature of this section of Jeremiah?
2. How does it compare with his former prophecies?
3. How does it compare with the prophets before him?
4. What is the outline of these four chapters?
5. What is the date of this prophecy?
6. What is the nature of Jer 30:1-3 ?
7. How is the importance of this section here indicated and what the reason assigned?
8. What the prophecy relative to Judah in Jer 30:4-11 ?
9. How is Judah pictured in Jer 30:12-17 and yet what hope is held out to Judah?
10. What is the promise respecting Jerusalem and the other cities of Judah in Jer 30:18-22 ?
11. What is the prophecy of Jer 30:23-24 and what is the fulfilment?
12. What is the picture found in Jer 31:1-6 and when realized?
13. What is the great promise in Jer 31:7-9 ?
14. What is the announcement in Jer 31:10-14 and other Old Testament passage similar to it?
15. What is the prophecy here concerning Ephraim (Jer 31:15-20 )?
16. What is the exhortation in Jer 31:21-22 and what the meaning of the “new thing” here?
17. What is the prophecy as to the life of Israel after the restoration (Jer 31:23-26 ) and how did this prospect affect Jeremiah?
18. What are the material blessings for the renewed people and how is their individual responsibility set forth? (Jer 31:27-30 .)
19. What are the blessings of the new covenant? (Jer 31:31-34 .)
20. What is said of the new people in Jer 31:35-37 and how is it expressed?
21. What is the prophecy concerning Jerusalem in Jer 31:38-40 and when fulfilled?
22. What is the date of the prophecy of Jer 32 ?
23. What are the main points of this prophecy?
24. What is the date and contents of Jer 33 ?
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
Jer 32:1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which [was] the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar.
Ver. 1. The word that came to Jeremiah. ] What this word was, see Jer 32:26 .
In the tenth year of Zedekiah.
a Notanda est tam diutina populi pertinacia.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Jeremiah Chapter 32
The crisis was now at hand. Jerusalem was undergoing its last siege. The king of Babylon had begun it ere the ninth year of Zedekiah closed, and took the city early in his eleventh year, after having invested it some eighteen months, though not without an interruption. The occasion of the prophet’s imprisonment, during which this message came from Jehovah is first explained. “The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar. 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. For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; and Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes; and he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon and there shall he be until I visit him, saith the Lord: though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper.” (Ver. 1-5.)
Then from verse 6 we have the message itself. As an old writer remarks, if the prophet was bound, the word of God was not bound. The word of Jehovah came to him, saying, “Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of redemption is thine to buy it. So Hanameel mine uncle’s son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the Lord, and said unto me, Buy my field I pray thee, that is in Anathoth which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord. And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle’s son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver. And 1 subscribed the evidence, and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances. So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open: and I gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel mine uncle’s son, and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the book of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison. And I charged Baruch before them, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in earthen vessel, that they may continue many days. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.” (Ver. 7-15.) Thus the mournful servant of the Lord changes his sackcloth for the raiment of daily life. He had put on the attire of mourning when others vaunted of their tower of false prophecy and their arm of flesh, before the king of Babylon smote Jerusalem. Now, while all were shut up closely and himself a prisoner, the king and the people within, more his enemy than the cruel Chaldean without, and with the certainty that the city must soon be taken and Zedekiah not escape but go to Babylon a captive, he buys his cousin’s field in witness that houses, and fields, and vineyards should again be possessed in the land.
Now when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed unto the Lord, saying, Ah Lord God! behold, thou has made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: thou showest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the Lord of hosts, is his name, great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings: which hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even unto this day, and in Israel, and among other men; and hast made thee a name, as at this day; and hast brought forth thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with great terror: and hast given them this land, which thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey; and they came in and possessed it; but they obeyed not thy voice, neither walked in thy law; they have done nothing of all that thou commandedst them to do: therefore thou hast caused all this evil to come upon them: behold the mounts, they have come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest it. And thou hast said unto me, O Lord God, Buy thee the field for money, and take witnesses; for the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.” (Ver. 16-25.)
Such was the faith and the patience of this holy prophet. To bear at all cost a true testimony of Jehovah’s mind to His people was far dearer to him than earthly goods, or honour, or life. When outward peace reigned, he saw the coming ruin; when the ruin was approaching its climax, he took measures, according to his discernment of the word of Jehovah, of a restoration that could not fail. Accordingly the word of Jehovah comes to the pleading prophet. “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me? Therefore thus saith the Lord; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it: and the Chaldeans, that fight against this city, shall come and set fire on this city, and burn it with the houses, upon whose roofs they have offered incense unto Baal, and poured out drink offerings unto other gods, to provoke me to anger. For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have only done evil before me from their youth: for the children of Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands, saith the Lord. For this city hath been to me as a provocation of mine anger and of my fury from the day that they built it even unto this day; that I should remove it from before my face, because of all the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke me to anger, they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And they have turned unto me the back, and not the face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction. But they set their abominations in the house, which is called by my name, to defile it. 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 unto Molech; which Ii commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.” (Ver. 27-35.)
Thus nothing would set aside the speedy execution of the long-suspended sentence. From the beginning (for so it always is with man) had Jerusalem been for His anger and for His fury to this day, making His house the especial seat of their abominations and building the high places of Baal in the valley of the son of Hinnom, with the horrid sacrifices of sons and daughters to Molech. Judgment therefore must fall on their idolatries and their iniquities If any deny Him, He must deny them. But He abides faithful; He cannot deny Himself. “And now therefore thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel concerning this city, whereof ye say, It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence; behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in mine anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: and I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them: and I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul.” (Ver. 36-41.), Jeremiah, like Daniel, might go his way till the end be; but then he too shall stand in his lot, and the right of inheritance shall not be lost, nor the evidence of the purchase forgotten of the field in Anathoth.
It is too plain to be mistaken, unless the mind be perverted by some false system, that Jehovah speaks of a day yet future for Israel. They have never yet been gathered out of all countries, nor have they been caused since their dispersion to dwell safely in their land. Nor has the sentence of Lo-ammi been yet reversed, nor have they had one heart and one way, fearing Jehovah always for the good of themselves and their children after them. Nor can it be pretended that the “everlasting covenant” is made with them, when they shall not depart from Jehovah and He will rejoice over them, planting them in the land in truth with all His heart and all His soul.
“For thus saith the Lord; like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them. And fields shall be bought in this land, whereof ye say, It is desolate without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans. Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe evidences, and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the south: for I will cause their captivity to return, saith the Lord.” (Ver. 42-44.)
Fuente: William Kelly Major Works (New Testament)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Jer 32:1-5
1The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2Now at that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard, which was in the house of the king of Judah, 3because Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Why do you prophesy, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am about to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will take it; 4and Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but he will surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye; 5and he will take Zedekiah to Babylon, and he will be there until I visit him, declares the Lord. If you fight against the Chaldeans, you will not succeed’?
Jer 32:1 the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar This would make the date 587 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar’s father, Nabopolassar (626 – 605 B.C.), was the founder of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. When the last strong king of Assyria (Ashurbanipal) died in 626 B.C., Nabopolassar rebelled. He started a new empire which was very successful. In 605 B.C., after the death of Nabopolasser, Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 B.C.) returned to Babylon. This was after his successful battle at Carchemish, where he defeated the remnant of the Assyrian army and Pharaoh Necho’s Egyptian army at the headwaters of the Euphrates. After being crowned king he returned to this area to subdue Palestine.
Jer 32:2 This new place of imprisonment (cf. Jer 38:13; Jer 38:28; Jer 39:14) was an improvement of the prophet’s situation. He had originally been placed in a cistern and was in danger of death (cf. chapter 38).
Jer 32:3 This summarizes Jeremiah’s prophetic message inside Jerusalem as the Babylonian army lay siege to the city (cf. Jer 21:3-7; Jer 27:12-15).
Jer 32:4 but he will surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon The VERB (BDB 678, KB 733, Niphal IMPERFECT) is intensified by the addition of the INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE of the same root.
The term hand is a Hebrew idiom for power. See Special Topic: Hand .
The term Chaldean has several possible meanings.
1. an ethnic group
2. a language
3. a group of Babylonian wise men
See full note at Dan 1:4 online at www.freebiblecommentary.org .
and he will speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye This Hebrew idiom speaks of a personal encounter (cf. Jer 39:5). We learn from 2Ki 25:4-7 that Zedekiah’s family was put to death before his eyes and then his eyes were blinded and he was taken into exile.
Jer 32:5 until I visit him This VERB (BDB 823, KB 955, Qal INFINITIVE CONSTRUCT) is used several times in Jeremiah as both positive and negative constructions. YHWH’s visit means His presence.
1. positive (i.e., care for)
– Jer 15:15
– Jer 23:2 (negated but the action is positive)
– Jer 27:22
– Jer 29:10
– Rth 1:6
– Psalm 65:19; Psa 106:4
2. negative (i.e., punish)
– Jer 5:9; Jer 5:29; Jer 6:6; Jer 6:15; Jer 9:9; Jer 9:25; Jer 11:22; Jer 14:10; Jer 21:14; Jer 23:34; Jer 25:12; Jer 27:8; Jer 29:32; Jer 30:20; Jer 32:5; Jer 36:31; Jer 44:13; Jer 44:29; Jer 46:25; Jer 49:8; Jer 50:18; Jer 50:31; Jer 51:44; Jer 51:47; Jer 51:52
Zedekiah was blinded after he was forced to watch his sons killed, along with the princes of Judah. He was exiled to Babylon, where he died in prison (cf. Jer 52:10-11).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
The Twenty-First Prophecy of Jeremiah (see book comments for Jeremiah).
The word that came, &c. This chapter commences an historical part of the book, describing the incidents of the two years preceding the capture of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. See Jer 32:2.
the LORD. Hebrew. Jehovah. App-4.
the tenth . . . eighteenth year. Another contact between Biblical and secular chronology. See App-86.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Chapter 32
The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar ( Jer 32:1 ).
Now in the eleventh year of Zedekiah is when Jerusalem fell. So this is right at the end.
For then [even at this time, the tenth year] the king of Babylon’s army had besieged Jerusalem: and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah’s house. For Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him, saying, Why do you prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; and Zedekiah the king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes; And he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith the LORD: though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper ( Jer 32:2-5 ).
So because of this prophecy of Jeremiah saying, “Zedekiah’s going to be taken, the king is going to look at him eye to eye and all and going to carry him away captive,” it got the king upset and threw him in jail. Now this particular prophecy that he is referring to, to show you that we’re not in chronological order, is a prophecy that you find in the thirty-fourth chapter of Jeremiah here. And so this particular prophecy of him looking at him eye to eye and so forth is further on. So you see that we’re not in a chronological order as far as the prophecies are given here in Jeremiah. So you can’t really look at this in a chronological order, but these are just prophecies that have come down and we’ll get that this evening as we get into the thirty-fourth chapter the first part there, this particular prophecy that got Jeremiah thrown in jail. Now he is in the prison, in the king’s court in prison.
And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of redemption is yours to buy it. So Hanameel mine uncle’s son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the LORD, and said unto me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is yours, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD ( Jer 32:6-8 ).
Now the incongruous part of this is that already Benjamin had fallen to Babylon. And so this field that was in question is already under Babylonian control. And they are going to be captives in Babylon for seventy years. Why would he want to redeem a field that is already under Babylon control? So when the Lord spoke to him and said, “Now buy the field. Tomorrow Hanameel your cousin is going to come and ask you to buy his father’s field for the right of redemption is yours, go ahead and buy it.” He thought, “Man, is this me? Surely this can’t be the Lord telling me this.” Until when Hanameel came in and said, “Hey, my father wants you to redeem the field, the right of redemption is yours.” “Then I knew it was the Lord saying it.” But he still didn’t know, he still was troubled by the thing. “Why in the world does God want me to do it?” But he went ahead in obedience.
And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle’s son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver. And I subscribed the evidence, and I sealed it, and I took two witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances ( Jer 32:9-10 ).
In the scales there, he weighed out the money.
And I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and customs, and that which was open: And I gave the evidence of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel my uncle’s son, and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the book of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison. And I charged Baruch before them, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in a clay pot, that they may continue many days ( Jer 32:11-14 ).
In other words, preserve them because it’s going to be a long time before I’m going to be able to take this field. So seal these things and preserve them.
For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in the land ( Jer 32:15 ).
So it was a sign of his faith that God was going to bring them back from captivity. Though it’s already under enemy control, God’s going to bring us back. The land’s going to be ours again and so we’re going to possess this land again.
Now under Jewish law, when you had sold or forfeited property, they would always draw up these legal instruments and they would seal them. And there came the time of redemption, usually in the seventh year, so that the thing that you had sold remains in the new ownership for six years and in the seventh year you had the right to redeem it providing you could fulfill the requirements that were in the sealed scroll. So at the time of redemption, you would come forth, you would bring these scrolls, and you would break the seal, you’d open the scroll. You would prove that you had the right to redeem it, and then you would pay the price or whatever was required within the scroll and you could redeem it. And it became your property again so that you never really sold your property permanently unless you could not redeem it in the year of redemption.
Now another aspect was added to this law of redemption, and that is, if you were personally unable to redeem it, you didn’t have the money, you couldn’t redeem it yourself in the time of redemption, if you had a brother or an uncle or a cousin or someone who is a part of your family, a kin to you, he could step in and he could pay the money and he could redeem it so that it remains in the family and in the family’s name. He would be called the ga’al, the family redeemer. And that is, he keeps it in the family, the ga’al.
An interesting Jewish law that God no doubt established in order to give a broader picture. For the earth originally was God’s because He created it. But when God placed man upon the earth, God gave the earth to man. God placed Adam upon the earth and He said, “Hey, be fruitful and multiply, replenish the earth. For I have given it to thee and I’ve given you dominion over the earth, over the fish of the sea, the fowls of the air, over every moving and creeping thing.” And God gave man dominion over the earth. Now when Satan came into the garden and tempted Eve and Eve gave to Adam and he also ate of that forbidden fruit, in their action of submitting themselves to Satan, they in reality turned the control of the earth over to Satan. So that Satan at that point and from that point began to be the owner of the earth in effect. It’s his. Man turned it over to him, forfeited it to Satan. And since that time, the earth has been under Satan’s control.
You do not see the world that God created, nor do you see the world that God intended. You see a world that is filled with suffering. God never intended the suffering. You see a world that is filled with prejudice. God never intended the prejudice. You see the world in which the poor are oppressed by the rich. God never intended it to be that way. You see a world where children are starving to death. God never intended that. You see a world that is filled with sickness. God never intended that. All of the calamities and the evils that we see in the world today have been created because of man’s rebellion against God. Because man will not obey God and obey the laws of God, you see the result in a world that is filled with corruption and violence and greed and inequality. God never intended it to be that way. He intended us to all live together as brothers in equality. And it is wrong to blame God for the troubles of the world today. It is wrong to blame God for the crimes, for the sicknesses, for the malformed babies, for all of these evil things that we see. It isn’t God’s world. Jesus twice in referring to Satan called him the prince of this world.
Now, man could not redeem the world back. When man forfeited the world over to Satan, that was it. There was no way that man could redeem it back. Man’s bankrupt spiritually. And so, “God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son” ( Joh 3:16 ). For what purpose? To redeem the world back to God. Now Jesus became a man in order that He might be next of kin or a kinsman. And He is our kinsman-redeemer. He became man in order that He might redeem the world back to God. And when Jesus came, Satan took Him up into a high mountain and showed to Him all of the kingdoms of the earth and he said, “All of these and the glory of them I will give to You if You’ll bow down and worship me, for they are mine and I can give them to whomever I will” ( Luk 4:5-7 ). Satan is promising Him the kingdoms. Jesus didn’t say, “What do you mean? They’re not yours. You can’t give them.” Jesus recognized that Satan had this right. He was boasting. “They are mine, I can give them to whomever I will.” That was a true boast of Satan. It is still true, it’s still Satan’s world. Though Jesus paid the price of redemption by His death upon the cross, He redeemed us by His blood. He paid the price. Yet the world still is under satanic control, the world is still in subjection to Satan, under Satan’s rule. All creation is still groaning and travailing, waiting for this day of the manifestation of the sons of God. This day of redemption, we long, we look forward to it.
In the book of Revelation, chapter 4, as John is taken into the heavenly scene he sees the throne of God. He sees the elders on their lesser thrones around the throne of God. He sees the glassy sea before the throne of God. He sees the cherubim as they are there. He hears them as they worship God saying, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty, which is, which was and which is to come” ( Rev 4:8 ). And he watches the twenty-four elders at this point as they fall on their faces, take their golden crowns and cast them before this glassy sea which is before the throne of God and he hears them declare, “Thou art worthy to receive glory and honor for Thou hast created all things. And for your good pleasure they are and were created” ( Rev 4:11 ). Then as you move into chapter 5, he sees in the right hand of Him who is sitting upon the throne a scroll that is sealed with seven seals writing both within and without.
All right, now here you have the thing with Jeremiah here making these scrolls and sealing one and leaving another one open. The instruments, the title deeds for the property. And he has the scroll sealed with seven seals and the angel proclaims with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to take these scrolls and to loose the seals?” In other words, “Who can redeem the earth so that it again becomes God’s?” “And no man was found worthy in heaven, in earth, under the sea to take the scroll or to loose the seals. And I, John, began to sob convulsively because no one was found worthy to do this” ( Rev 5:2-4 ). Why is John so upset? Why is he sobbing like that? Because if no one redeems the earth at this point, it remains in Satan’s control forever. And the thought of that is more than John can bear. “But the elders said unto me, ‘Don’t weep, John. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah hath prevailed. He’s going to take the scroll and open the seal.'” And John said, “I turned and I saw Him as a Lamb that had been slaughtered. And He came forth and He took the scroll out of the right hand of Him that is sitting upon the throne. And when He did, the elders came forth with golden vials full of odors which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song saying, ‘Worthy is the Lamb to take the scroll and loose the seals thereof, for He was slain and has redeemed us by His blood out of all of the nations, people, tongues and tribes and hath made us unto our God kings and priests and we shall reign with Him on the earth'” ( Rev 5:6-10 ).
And then there was a hundred million angels plus millions of others who joined in saying, “Worthy is the Lamb to receive glory and honor and dominion and mights and authorities and thrones and powers” ( Rev 5:11-12 ), and so forth. That glorious day when the kingdoms of this world will again become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and the earth is restored and we see what God intended when He created the earth and placed man upon it. As we live together in peace and in love and in harmony and in righteousness. When all commercial systems are put away and man lives as God intended him to live. Every man ‘neath his vine and fig tree and me under my coconut.
So this little insight here into Jeremiah is interesting because it gives you an insight into this law. But one extra little facet here which I find quite interesting is that most generally under the Jewish law… Of course, Jesus then takes the scroll and He begins to open the seals. And the judgment comes and then He comes in chapter 10, the scroll is open. He puts one foot upon the sea, and one foot upon the earth and He says, “The kingdoms of this world have now become the kingdoms of our Lord Jesus Christ.” He lays claim to that which He purchased with His blood.
The interesting thing to me is that generally the pattern was six years of servitude and the seventh year set free. And it was just about 6,000 years ago now that Adam went into the servitude of sin and Satan. We are coming very, very close to the seven thousandth year. The time of redemption is at hand. I mean, we’re… look at it. We’re coming out to the year 2000. Now just when it was that Adam fell, we do not know for sure. One chronology, Usher’s, Bishop Usher has it figured about 4,004 B.C. If that is so, then the seven thousandth year will begin about 1996. But we don’t want to really be date-setters as such, but just know that we’re getting close. The time and the seasons, we do know. And man has just about had it; 6,000 years is about all we can take. We’ve about done as much damage as we can possibly do without destroying now ourselves. And the Lord’s going to intervene. And He’s going to establish His kingdom, a kingdom that will never end.
So it’s fascinating to read Jeremiah here and to realize the significance of the scroll of the laws of redemption and of the kinsman-redeemer. Whereas Jeremiah became the kinsman-redeemer; Shallum could not redeem his own property. Jeremiah stepped in and redeemed it for him. Man can’t redeem himself. Jesus stepped in and redeemed us. Jesus redeemed the world and us as His children.
Now when I had delivered [Jeremiah says] this evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed unto the LORD, saying ( Jer 32:16 ),
Jeremiah’s still troubled with this. “Lord, it’s stupid for me to buy this. Why should I do it?”
Ah Lord GOD! behold, you have made the heaven and the earth by your great power and your stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee ( Jer 32:17 ):
Now I think it’s valuable to study the prayers in the Bible and this prayer of Jeremiah is a valuable one to study. Notice how he begins his prayer. “Oh Lord God, You’ve created everything, and there is nothing too hard for You.” Oh, what a glorious way to begin a prayer. “Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name” ( Mat 6:9 ). The disciples followed this pretty much in their prayer in, “O Lord, Thou art God. Thou hast created the heaven and earth and everything that is in them” ( Act 4:24 ). It’s good when you start to pray to, in your addressing of God, to sort of remind yourself of Who you’re talking to. “Lord, there’s nothing too hard for You.” Remember that when you pray.
You show loving-kindness unto thousands, and you recompense the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: You are The Great, The Mighty God, The LORD of hosts, is your name; You are great in counsel, and mighty in work: for your eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men, to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings: And you have set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even unto this day, and Israel, and among other men; and you have made thee a name, as at this day; And you have brought forth your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with great terror; And you have given them this land, which you did swear to their fathers to give them, a land that is flowing with milk and honey; And they came in, and possessed it; but they did not obey your voice, nor did they walk in your law; they have done nothing of all that you have commanded them to do: therefore you have caused all this evil to come upon them: Behold [the Babylonians have these machines out there] the mounts, they are coming against the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence: that you have spoken is come to pass; and, behold, we are seeing it ( Jer 32:18-24 ).
You said there’d be the sword, the pestilence, famine, and God, we see it.
And now, Lord, you say to me to buy this field ( Jer 32:25 ),
You’re so smart. You’ve done all of these things. But God, it’s stupid to buy that field because the Babylonians have it. And You said unto me, O Lord God, “Buy thee the field for money.”
and take witnesses; for the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans ( Jer 32:25 ).
They already, why would I buy it when it’s all going to fail?
So it’s interesting he doesn’t get to his complaint until he goes through quite a long prayer. He doesn’t rush right in with the complaint, but he talks about the greatness and the power of God and all. And then he finally gets down to the real issue. “God, You’ve done all this and now You tell me to buy this field? When the Chaldeans have already taken the place?” And so the Lord spoke to him.
He said, Behold, I am the LORD ( Jer 32:26-27 ),
And God picks up something from Jeremiah. He said,
[I’m] the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me? ( Jer 32:27 )
Jeremiah says, “Lord, You are God. There’s nothing too hard for You.” And God is saying, “Is there anything too hard for Me?”
Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it: and the Chaldeans, that fight against this city, shall come and set fire on this city, and burn it with the houses, upon whose roofs they have offered incense unto Baal, and poured out drink offerings unto other gods, to provoke me to anger ( Jer 32:28-29 ).
Now, all of those houses over there are flat roofs and the people’s patios are all out on the roofs of their houses. You see ladies scrubbing the roofs of their houses. It’s very interesting thing. You go over there today and so many flat roofs and you see the ladies out there scrubbing the roofs as they are family areas. And in that day, people were offering sacrifices unto the false gods, pouring out the drinks to the false gods there in the roofs of their own houses. Lord says, “I’m going to burn them.”
For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have only done evil before me from their youth: for the children of Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands, saith the LORD. For this city hath been to me as a provocation of my anger and my fury from the day that they built it even to this day; that I should remove it from before my face; Because of all of the evil of the children of Israel and of the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke me to anger, they, their kings, their princes, their priests, and their prophets, and the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And they have turned unto me their backs, and not their face: though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not hearkened to receive instruction. But they set their abominations in the house, which is called by my name, to defile it. [They have even set up in the temple abominations.] And they built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom [Gehinnom there], to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech ( Jer 32:30-35 );
They burn their children in the fires to appease the god Molech.
which I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin. And now therefore thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning this city, whereof ye say, It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence; Behold, I will gather them out of all countries, whither I have driven them in my anger, and in my fury, and in great wrath ( Jer 32:35-37 );
Now God is saying, “Yes, this is going to happen, but this is the future. Behold, I will in the future gather them out of all of the countries, whither I have driven them in Mine anger, and in My fury, and in My great wrath; and I will bring them again unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely.”
And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them: And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me. Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul. For thus saith the LORD; Like as I have brought all this great evil upon the people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them. And fields shall be bought in this land, whereof ye say, It is desolate without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans. Men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe the evidences, and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the south: for I will cause their captivity to return, saith the LORD ( Jer 32:38-44 ).
So God is saying, “All right now, don’t worry about it, Jeremiah. They’re going to come back and the land is going to be theirs. I’m going to fulfill also My promise to bring them back again.”
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Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary
Jer 32:1-5. 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. For then the king of Babylons army besieged Jerusalem : and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judahs house. For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying. Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; and Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shalt surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes; and he shall lead Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith the Lord: though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper.
So you see that Jeremiah was shut up in prison at the time here mentioned. Zedekiah, the king of Judah, had treated him very harshly, because of his faithful utterance of the Word of the Lord. He was a true servant of Jehovah, yet he suffered much at the kings hand. One very remarkable event, which happened at that time, is here recorded.
Jer 32:6-8. And Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of redemption is thine to buy it. So Hanameel mine uncles son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the LORD, and said unto me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself. Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD.
The Lord had told him beforehand that it would be so; and, therefore, in due time, his cousin came to him with the offer of this plot of land in the country of Benjamin.
Jer 32:9-10. And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncles son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver. And I subscribed the evidence, and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances.
This was, in every respect, a very extraordinary transaction. Remember that the Chaldeans were already besieging Jerusalem, and they were all over the land, carrying fire and sword into every part of it. Jerusalem was straitly shut up, so that none of the inhabitants could get out of the city; yet here is Jeremiah, himself a prisoner, buying land which was virtually worth nothing whatever; but he believed so firmly that the Chaldeans would yet permit the Jews to live unmolested in that land that he paid down the purchase money for the field, and saw to the legal execution of the deed of transfer, just as you or I might have done if we were purchasing a plot of land in our own country. This is a notable instance of the triumph of faith over unfavourable surroundings, and also of the prophets obedience to the Word of the Lord.
Jer 32:11-12. So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open: and I gave the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the sight of Hanameel mine uncles son, and in the presence of the witnesses that subscribed the book of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison.
Jeremiah did all this openly. What they may have thought to be an absurd action, he did not do in private; but in the presence of them all. True faith in God does not go in for hole-and-corner transactions. Faith can do its business in the light of the sun. Faith believes God under all circumstances, and believes that the truest common sense is to obey his Word. Therefore she is not ashamed of what she does; neither shall she ever have cause to be ashamed or confounded, world without end. There is a living God; and if we do what he bids us, good must come of it. No harm shall happen to the man who confidently rests in the Most High.
Jer 32:13-17. And I charged Baruch before them, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in an, earthen vessel, that they may continue many days. For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land. Now when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed unto the LORD, saying, Ah LORD GOD!
Faith cannot live without prayer. When she has performed her most heroic deeds, she turns to God and humbly asks for renewed strength; for oh! my brethren, the best of men are but men at the best; and those who have the most faith never have any to spare. Jeremiah says, I prayed unto the Lord, saying, Ah Lord God! It looked, at first sight, as if the prophet was going to utter some mournful complaint, or to express some doubt or misgiving concerning the purchase of the land; but it was not so. Having allowed that exclamation to escape from him, his faith came to the rescue, and he continued:
Jer 32:17. Behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:
Is not that a grand sentence? There is nothing too hard for thee. He that could make the heaven and the earth can do anything. Read, in the Book of Genesis, the story of the creation, and see how He spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast; and then judge as to what can ever be a difficulty to the Almighty. Surely you must say to him, as Jeremiah did, There is nothing too hard for thee.
Jer 32:18. Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them; the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name,
See how these godly men, in their times of trouble, delighted in the great names and glorious attributes of God. There are, nowadays, many namby-pamby, fashionable religionists, wrapped in luxury, who have only a little god; they never seem to know the Great, the Mighty God; but Jeremiah, with the smell of the prison still clinging to him, talks grandly: the Great, the Mighty God, the Lord of hosts, is his name,
Jer 32:19-21. Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings: which hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even unto this day, and in Israel, and among other men; and hsst made thee a name, as at this day; and hast brought forth thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm, and with great terror;
Those ancient Jews, in the time of their trouble, always looked gratefully back to the wonders wrought by Jehovah in Egypt. That great deed of God, when he smote the might of Pharaoh, was always present to the Hebrew mind; and the people, in every season of tribulation, refreshed themselves with the remembrance of it. Well, then, dear friends, as they sang the song of Moses, shall not we sing the song of the Lamb? Will not we go back in thought to the glorious triumphs of our Redeemer, and recount again and again, for the encouragement of our faith, what Christ did for us upon the tree, even as the Jews thought often, for the strengthening of their confidence, of their wondrous deliverance from Egypt by the high hand and the stretched out arm of Jehovah?
Jer 32:22-24. And hast given them this land, which thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey, and they came in, and possessed it; but they obeyed not thy voice, neither walked in thy law; they have done nothing of all that thou commandedst them to do: therefore thou hast caused all this evil to come upon them: behold the mounts,
The margin renders it, the engines of shot, which we see, by the next chapter, were powerful enough to throw down the houses in Jerusalem.
Jer 32:24-25. They are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence; and what thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, thou seest it. And thou hast said unto me, O LORD GOD, Buy thee the field for money, and take witnesses; for the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.
I suppose that, although Jeremiah, with unquestioning faith, had done as God had commanded him, yet afterwards, when he was alone in his prison cell, he began to think the whole matter over; and though he may not have had any actual doubts, yet he probably had some anxieties as to the issue of the whole affair. He could not quite understand it, so he wisely put it before the Lord. Some of you, who have truly trusted God, may yet be just now perplexed with anxiety of one kind or another. Well, then, tell it all out before the Lord; go at once into his presence, and spread the case before him, as Jeremiah did.
Jer 32:26-27. Then came the word of the Lord unto Jeremiah, saying, Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?
That question we will try to answer presently.
Fuente: Spurgeon’s Verse Expositions of the Bible
Jer 32:1-5
Jer 32:1-5
The word that came to Jeremiah from Jehovah in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar. Now at that time the king of Babylon’s army was besieging Jerusalem; and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard, which was in the king of Judah’s house. For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; and Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes; and he shall bring Zedekiah to Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith Jehovah: though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper?
Was besieging Jerusalem…
(Jer 32:2). The journey of Jeremiah to purchase that field in Anathoth did not take place during the brief lifting of the siege in the preceding year, but after the siege had been renewed.
Wherefore dost thou prophesy…
(Jer 32:3). Zedekiah here repeated the prophecies of Jeremiah for which he had retaliated by casting the prophet into prison. It seems incredible that he would still have disbelieved Jeremiah after all the fulfillments of Jeremiah’s prophecies which had taken place and were still taking place before his very eyes.
There shall he be until I visit him…
(Jer 32:5) God’s visiting a person sometimes signified his coming to bless the individual; but here it does not seem to indicate any such thing. Zedekiah’s fate was much worse than that which usually befell defeated ancient kings. They slaughtered his sons before his eyes, and then put his eyes out, and carried him to Babylon where he died (2Ki 25:7).
Harrison noted that this incident and others recorded here through Jeremiah 44 all happened during the kingship of Zedekiah.
CONFIDENCE IN RESTORATION
Jer 32:1 to Jer 33:26
In chapter 32 God directs Jeremiah to demonstrate to his contemporaries in a most tangible way that the nation did have a future. Even though the Babylonian enemy was at the gates of Jerusalem God commanded Jeremiah to purchase a field. Jeremiah, quite perplexed, inquired as to the significance of this act. Why would God have him purchase a field when for years the word of the Lord had been that Judah would be overthrown? God explained to His prophet that there would be a national restoration to the land. Then, as if to settle the matter once and for all, God gave to Jeremiah a lengthy promise concerning the glorious future of Israel.
The Present Plight Jer 32:1-5
To set the stage for the dramatic action recorded in chapter 32 the author first spells out in detail the plight of the nation and the plight of Jeremiah. The time and circumstances of this particular narrative are particularly important and should be noted carefully.
1. The present plight of the nation (Jer 32:1-2 a)
Late in the ninth year of the reign of king Zedekiah (January 588 B.C.) the Babylonian army began the siege of Jerusalem (Jer 52:4; 2Ki 25:1 f.). According to the Jewish system of counting, the tenth year of Zedekiah would have begun in March/April of 588 B.C. In the summer of 588 the Babylonians were forced temporarily to lift the siege of Jerusalem. An Egyptian army was attacking from the south and Nebuchadnezzar felt that he must deal with that threat before effecting the capture of Jerusalem (Jer 37:3-5). Shortly the Babylonian army returned just as Jeremiah had said it would (Jer 37:8).
The chronological problem arises as to whether the events in chapter 32 should be assigned to phase one of the siege (before the lull in the summer of 588 B.C.) or to phase two (after the lull). Most commentators opt for the latter placement. For a discussion of the problem and presentation of an alternative view see the special note at the end of the present chapter. Though the precise placement of this material within the period of the siege operations must be left an open question this much is certain: At the time Jeremiah performed his symbolic act of purchasing a field the situation in Jerusalem was desperate and the prospects of deliverance nil. Many Judeans were now at long last able to interpret the handwriting on the wall. The overthrow of Jerusalem was certain to all those who were not completely blind. Jerusalems doom was sealed.
2. The present plight of the prophet (Jer 32:2b-5)
At the time Jeremiah was commanded to purchase the field of his cousin he was confined in the court of the guard. Chapter 37 tells how Jeremiah was arrested and eventually put in the court of the guard for trying to leave Jerusalem during the lull in the siege. Most commentators view this as proof conclusive that chapter 32 chronologically follows chapter 37. It should be noted, however, that in chapter 32 Jeremiah is arrested because of his preaching not because of alleged treason as in chapter 37. This would suggest that Jeremiah was imprisoned more than once in the court of the guard during the siege of Jerusalem. Regardless of the chronological reconstruction of these events, the present chapter records one of the most remarkable examples of personal faith found in the Bible.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
The next of the prophecies of hope consists of the account of Jeremiah’s purchase of a field in Anathoth, with the interpretation of the suggestiveness of the action. While he was still in prison through the opposition of Zedekiah, the word of the Lord came to him, informing him of the coming of Hanamel his cousin, requesting him to buy a field in Anathoth. Knowing that this was the will of God, he purchased the field, and declared in the presence of witnesses that his purchase was a sign that houses and fields and vineyards would yet be bought in the land.
Notwithstanding this, the outlook seemed so contrary to any such expectation that Jeremiah inquired of the Lord how the prophecy he had uttered could be fulfilled. This inquiry was introduced by an ascription of praise to God, and a description of the wonder of His dealing with His people.
Jehovah’s answer to his inquiry consisted, first, of an all-inclusive general affirmation of His Being and power, coupled with an inquiry whether anything was too hard for Him. The word of the Lord then proceeded to declare to Jeremiah the certainty of the judgment which he had already foretold, and the reasons for it.
Finally, that word of the Lord announced the divine determination to gather His people together from all the countries, and declared the resulting restoration of prosperity, so that what Jeremiah had declared to his cousin and the witnesses would become true.
Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible
Ungrateful Forgetfulness
Jer 2:1-8; Jer 26:1-24; Jer 27:1-22; Jer 28:1-17; Jer 29:1-32; Jer 30:1-24; Jer 31:1-40; Jer 32:1-44
God regarded Israel as His bride, who had responded to His love, or as a vineyard and cornfield which were expected to yield their first fruits in response to the careful cultivation of the owner. Why had they failed to respond? For the answer let us question our own hearts. What marvels of perversity and disappointment we are! Who can understand or fathom the reason of our poor response to the yearning love of Christ! The heathen, in their punctilious devotion and lavish sacrifices at their idol-shrines, may well shame us. The root of the evil is disclosed in Jer 2:31. We like to be lords, to assume and hold the mastery of our lives. But God has been anything but a wilderness to us. He has given us ornaments, and we owe to His grace the garments of righteousness which He has put on us. In return we have forgotten Him days without number, Jer 2:32. Let us ask Him to call us back-nay more, to draw us by the chains of love.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
IMPRISONED FOR THE TESTIMONY OF GOD
(Chaps. 32, 33)
All the fervid appeals of the prophet had been apparently wasted on Zedekiah. His heart was bent on departure from GOD. For over nine years, however, we hear of no positive act of persecution on his part. It is rather the other way. The records indicate that he stood in awe of the solemn and terrible denouncer of his iniquitous ways. His conscience would be, like Herod’s, on the accuser’s side.
In this tenth year of his reign he was in great straits, owing to the fact that the army of the king of Babylon had invested Jerusalem. In his distress he turned not to the Lord, but brazenly steeled his heart against His words. Jeremiah, particularly, was as a thorn in his side. He determined to silence him. Accordingly he commanded his apprehension, and the prophet was soon placed under arrest and shut up in the court of the prison, which adjoined the royal palace.
The ostensible reason given was that by his words he weakened the hands of the people of Jerusalem by declaring that the defence would be in vain; the Lord having assured him that the city was to fall into the hands of the besiegers.
Of Zedekiah, too, he had prophesied only evil.
He should not escape, but be certainly delivered into the power of Nebuchadrezzar and led to Babylon as a captive (Jer 32:1-5). All this was a most unwelcome message for the self-willed king. Having no thought to humble himself, he concluded to silence the seer rather than bow to his message. It has been the common resource of men in all ages, who being set upon their own ways are angered when coming judgment is proclaimed.
In the prison Jeremiah is instructed by the Lord to make what to many would have seemed a most unwise investment.
His cousin Hanameel, the son of his uncle Shallum, had a field in Anathoth, which he, doubtless pressed by the troubles of the times, was desirous of realizing some money upon. A purchaser would be hard to find, but he is instructed to go direct to the very man who had prophesied the captivity of the people, to whom he offers to sell it, as the “right of redemption” (Jer 32:7) was Jeremiah’s; that is, according to the law he was the Gael, or kinsman-redeemer. By his purchasing the field, it would not pass from the house of his fathers.
Hanameel accordingly went to the court of the prison, there to find his cousin in durance vile. The Lord had already apprised Jeremiah of his purpose. “Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin,” he said: “for the right of inheritance is thine, and the redemption is thine; buy it for thyself” (Jer 32:8). Assured that it was from the Lord, the prophet unhesitatingly bought the property in question, paying for it seventeen shekels of silver. The deed was accordingly made out transferring the property to him, properly attested by witnesses, all in due order as required by the law and custom of the time.
The title-deeds seem to have been contained in two rolls. One was open and the other sealed.
The open one would probably, under ordinary circumstances, be placed on file in the official archives; the sealed one was to be safely stored away until the seventy years’ servitude had come to a close, when it would be of value in determining the portion of Jeremiah’s heirs. It was delivered to Baruch, of whom we now hear for the first time, but who was evidently the prophets amanuensis, and a faithful man.
He was instructed to “take these evidences, this evidence of the purchase, both which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days. For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land” (Jer 32:9-15).
The purchase is thus seen to be a distinct act of faith on Jeremiah’s part. GOD had informed him of the sure return from Babylon of the remnant of the people, upon the expiration of the seventy years. He implicitly believed that word, and therefore bought what seemed to be a piece of ground now worthless, in the possession of which neither he nor his heirs could enter.
At the appointed time the sealed title-deeds would put the rightful owner into possession of the field.
No thoughtful Bible student can fail to see in this striking incident the key to the understanding of the vision of the seven-sealed book in the Revelation. The latter is unquestionably the title-deed to this world. It remains sealed till the rightful Heir steps forth to claim it. He, the worthy One, has first to purge His heritage by judgment, before entering into possession of it. The opening of the seals is the declaration that He is about to enter into His vested rights.
Returning to our chapter, we have, from the 16th verse to the 25th, Jeremiah’s prayer upon the signing of the deeds, followed (from verse 26 to the end) with the Lord’s reiteration of the promise that the land shall yet be inhabited by Israel and fields again bought therein.
In his prayer the prophet acknowledges the power, as also the loving-kindness, of the Lord, and owns the righteousness of His judgment upon His people because of their sins. “Ah, Lord God!” he prays, “behold, Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by Thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for Thee” (Jer 32:17).
This is the ground of his confidence. He reposes upon the Word of the Omnipotent GOD.
“Thou showest loving-kindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the Lord of hosts, is His name, great in counsel and mighty in work: for Thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” (Jer 32:18-19).
He is owned as the Moral Governor of the universe, who deals with all according to their works. Nothing is too small for His notice, or too great for His capacity.
“All things are naked and open before the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.” (Heb 4:13)
His eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth to render to all men according to the fruit of their doings. He shows Himself strong in behalf of those who seek to honor Him; while, to such as lightly esteem Him, He appears as an enemy. Not that He ever is such – His mercy endureth forever” (1Ch 16:34) – but from the wicked He hides His face.
Jeremiah goes back to the nation’s beginning in Egypt, owning the grace that dealt with them in giving deliverance from the cruel oppressor and in bringing them into the land of promise. All He had undertaken had been abundantly fulfilled, but they obeyed Him not; therefore “all this evil” had come upon them (Jer 32:20-23). Now the Chaldeans surrounded the beloved city, while famine and pestilence raged within. “What Thou hast spoken is come to pass; and, behold, Thou seest it” (Jer 32:24). Yet the Lord had said, “Buy the field for money, and take witnesses;” even though the city was given into the hand of the Chaldeans (Jer 32:25). Here he breaks off abruptly, and at once the Lord answers him by delineating more fully the sin of Israel and Judah, but in assuring him also of the everlasting nature of His covenant with them.
He declares, in Jer 32:27, that He is the GOD of all flesh, and asks, “Is there anything too hard for Me? – taking up the expression Jeremiah had used in the beginning of his prayer. Precious it is to have to do with One to whom nothing is impossible. What comfort for His imprisoned servant to know that it was the Almighty upon whom he leaned!
Into the hand of the Chaldeans the city shall surely be given, He goes on to say; and Nebuchadrezzar shall take it, destroying the houses and roofs where incense was offered to Baal, and drink offerings were poured out unto other gods.
From their youth the course of Israel and Judah had been only evil. Jerusalem had been to Him “as a provocation” of His anger “from the day they built it unto this day;” therefore it should be razed to the ground (Jer 32:28-31).
Kings, princes, priests, prophets, and the commonalty of Judah and Jerusalem, had all been of one heart to do evil in His sight. They had turned their backs upon Him; and though He gave them instructors who would fain have recovered them to Himself, they had refused to heed their messages. Even in His own house they had set up their abominable idols, thus defiling its sacred precincts, while unmentionable idolatrous practices (of which He could say, “which I commanded them not, neither came it into My mind”) had they perpetrated (Jer 32:32-36).
Therefore there was no remedy; He would give them up until His chastisement had yielded “the peaceable fruit of righteousness.” (Heb 12:11) In that day He will “give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear [Him] forever, for the good of them, and of their children after them” (Jer 32:37-39).
When, in true repentance, they turned back to Himself, He would “make an everlasting covenant with them,” and never more turn away from them, but would put His fear in their hearts, that they should not depart from Him (Jer 32:40). With His “whole heart and soul” He will rejoice over them to do them good. How touchingly human the language used! (Jer 32:41).
All the evil prophesied had been and should be fulfilled to the letter. In like manner will He literally carry out all His promises for good. No word of His can by any means fail of accomplishment. Israel restored and the land once more inhabited in peace and safety, “men shall buy fields for money, and subscribe evidences, and seal them, and take witnesses in the land of Benjamin, and in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountains, and in the cities of the valley, and in the cities of the south” (Jer 32:42-44).
The thirty-third chapter consists of two distinct prophecies, but we group them with the preceding because all alike were given during the time that Jeremiah was shut up in the court of the prison. His body might be in confinement, but none could hinder the communication of divine messages to the soul of the man of GOD.
Fuente: Commentaries on the New Testament and Prophets
Jer 32:27
This is God’s account of Himself.
I. I am. Individuality.
II. I am the Lord. Dominion and majesty.
III. The God of all flesh. Universality, condescension; not only the God of mighty spirits, but the God of infirm and dying flesh.
IV. Is anything too hard for Me? Distrust rebuked, prayer encouraged, completeness guaranteed.
Parker, City Temple, vol. i., p. 61; see also Pulpit Analyst, vol. v., p. 605.
References: Jer 32:27.-J. H. Evans, Thursday Penny Pulpit, vol. xvi., p. 57. Jer 32:39.-Spurgeon, Sermons, vol. xxvii., No. 1623. Jer 32:41.-Ibid., Morning by Morning, p. 265.
Fuente: The Sermon Bible
CHAPTER 32
Jeremiah in Prison
1. Shut up in the court of the prison (Jer 32:1-5)
2. The revelation of the Lord concerning Hanameel (Jer 32:6-15)
3. The prophets prayer (Jer 32:16-25)
4. Jehovahs answer (Jer 32:26-44)
Jer 32:1-5. The siege of Jerusalem began in the ninth year of Zedekiahs reign. It was in the tenth year, a year later (Jer 39:1) that we find Jeremiah in prison. In order to understand this imprisonment Jer 37:11-21 must be consulted. He was first thrown as a prisoner into the house of Jonathan the scribe. It was a dungeon, perhaps some underground place. He was consigned there. It was a horrible place, for Jeremiah was afraid he might die there (Jer 37:20). Zedekiah seems to have been somewhat favorably inclined towards him. He asked him secretly to his palace and after Jeremiah told the king, in answer to his question about a word from the Lord, that the king should be delivered into the hands of the king of Babylon, Zedekiah on his request released him from the dungeon and put him into the court of the prison, and was kept by the kings order from starvation (Jer 37:21). Here, in our chapter, is the full text of his faithful message; had it been less faithful he might have been released.
Jer 32:6-15. The coming of his cousin with the request to buy his field in Anathoth is divinely announced. The right of redemption was Jeremiahs. (See Lev 25:25.) Hanameel came, and Jeremiah, realizing that it was of the Lord, bought the field, paying for it seventeen shekels of silver. The sale was legally transacted and executed; there being two rolls, one sealed, the other open. It was all delivered to Baruch, the faithful secretary of the prophet, mentioned here for the first time. He was instructed to put all in an earthen vessel. By his action the prophet proved his simple faith in the promised return.
Jer 32:16-25. What a beautiful prayer it is which came from the lips of the prisoner! He acknowledges first of all, as we all do in believing prayer the power of God, that there is nothing too hard for the Lord. Then he speaks of the loving kindness and righteousness of the God of Israel, and mentions the past history of the nation. What the Lord had predicted against the city and the nation had been done; the city was given to the Chaldeans. What Thou hast spoken is come to pass; and behold Thou seest it. He then mentions the fact that the Lord had told him to buy that field. Then the prayer is interrupted, like Daniels prayer.
Jer 32:26-44. The answer the Lord gave to praying Jeremiah is twofold. Jeremiah had said in faith, There is nothing too hard for the LORD. The Lord answered him, Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is there anything too hard for Me? Then He announces first of all the fate of the doomed city (Jer 32:28-35). After this comes once more the message of comfort and peace looking forward to that blessed future when Israel is gathered out of all countries, brought back to the land–when they shall be His people (Jer 32:36-44) .
Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)
am 3415, bc 589
in the: Jer 39:1, Jer 39:2, Jer 52:4, Jer 52:5, 2Ki 25:1, 2Ki 25:2, 2Ch 36:11
the eighteenth: Jer 25:1
Reciprocal: Jer 21:1 – when Jer 39:15 – while
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jer 32:1. The attention of the reader has frequently been called to the un- ehronological character of parts of the Bible. This is particularly true of the prophetic books. On this point I
shall quote from Smith’s Bible Dictionary as follows: Apparently the prophets kept written records of their predictions, and collected into larger volumes such as were intended for permanent use, As the different parts of the prophetic writings were not written at the same time, it can he understood that in collecting them into one book they might not always be compiled in lust the same order as they were written. Thus the present chapter through chapter 36 should be read or at. least dated after chapter 37, for that chapter closes with the same subject that begins the present one. With this explanation settled, let us now consider the passages in their order and as they occur in the common version before us. We are in the tenth year of Zedekiah’a reign and he has just one more year to sit on the throne. The army of Babylon is at the gates of Jerusalem and conducting a distressing siege against that city that is about to end in defeat for the besieged.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Jer 32:1. The word that came to Jeremiah As the date of the following transaction and prophecy is here stated to have been in the tenth year of Zedekiahs reign, while the Chaldeans invested the city, and Jeremiah was confined in the court of the prison, it must have been after the Egyptians had retreated back to their own land, and the Chaldeans had renewed the siege a second time. Jeremiah at the beginning, it seems, of the siege foretold to Zedekiah that the city should be taken, and the king sent captive to Babylon, Jer 34:1; Jer 34:7. The king, or his princes rather, irritated at his freedom, put him in prison, or, at least, in the court of the prison, which was in the palace. And it was in this place that the transaction here recorded happened. As Nebuchadnezzar came to besiege Jerusalem in the ninth year of Zedekiah, it is probable Jeremiah had now been confined a year or more in prison. The siege, it may be observed, lasted from the tenth month of that year to the fourth month of the eleventh year of that kings reign.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jer 32:1. The eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar. This name, which in Hebrew signifies groaning and complaint, aptly describes the miseries he inflicted on the nations. Like an inundation he ravaged all the conquered states, instead of watering them. He was son of Merodach, and founder of the Babylonian empire. Dan 2:7. He is called the head of gold, and the flying eagle. In the first year of his military career, which was the twenty ninth of king Josiah, he ruined Nineveh, and put a final end to the Assyrian empire, which had continued one thousand three hundred years. He defeated Pharaoh Necho in the fourth year of king Jehoiakim, and subdued Egypt. Jer 46:2. In the twelfth year of his reign he subdued Arphaxad, who is thought to be Astyages, king of the Medes, who had founded Ecbatana, the capital of Media. Judith 1. After this he subdued all the kingdoms of the west; though for one year, the immortal Judith stopped his whole army by cutting off the head of Holofernes. But having appointed Nebuzaradan to succeed, in the nineteenth year of his reign, he burned Jerusalem and its temple. In four years more he spread his conquests as far as Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, and even to Gibraltar, called by the ancients the pillar of Hercules. These authorities are collected from Berosus, as in Josephus. Eusebius Prp. lib. 5. Strabo, lib. 15. Nebuchadrezzar reigned forty five years, not including the five years he conquered under his father.
Jer 32:5. Until I visit him. The Vatican copy of the LXX reads, And there he shall abide. Two other Versions of the LXX read, And there he shall die. But others give this gloss; Until I shall deprive him of life by the visitation of death, as in Num 16:29.
Jer 32:9. Seventeen shekels of silver, which are less than two guineas of our money. The Hebrew word is shekels; but the Chaldaic reads minas, viz. seven minus, and ten pieces of silver, which sum our Prideaux estimates at sixty eight pounds.
Jer 32:18. The iniquity of the fathers. See Exo 20:5.
REFLECTIONS.
What a mercy that the Lord preserved Jeremiah so long among a rebellious people, and unhurt. But matters come to extremities in the issue. The Chaldeans fighting without, and Jeremiah fighting within, though not with carnal weapons, excited vengeance in the court, when it ought to have excited repentance towards God, and submission towards the Babylonians; and then a multitude of lives would have been saved.
Here we may first observe that Jeremiah was comforted by the spirit of prophecy. The Lord apprized him of his cousin Hananeels approach to sell a field. See Lev 25:25; Lev 25:34. Then he knew assuredly that the Lord had spoken by him, and that fields and vineyards should again be bought and sold in Jerusalem. Thus at all times the accomplishment of prophecy is the comfort of the church.
Next, Jeremiah was not only obedient to the Lord, but he was humane and charitable. He well knew that the land was of no value now; that the country must be desolate for fifty eight years longer, till the seventy years should be accomplished; yet when his cousin was become distressed, he bought his land and paid him the money with pleasure. When the beauty of grace is surrounded with the glory of moral excellence it bears a striking resemblance of heaven.
We have also Jeremiahs supplication to the Lord in prison. He had bought a field for others to possess, an occurrence common in human affairs, but he wanted support and counsel. Like John the baptist, who in similar circumstances sent to Jesus, this prophet entreated the Lord to clear up his dark ways. It seemed unaccountable that he was forbidden to marry, as in chap. 16., because of impending calamities, and yet commanded to buy a field. Hence we learn, that good men in the dark and cloudy day must pray to God, and wait his pleasure in the path of obedience.
The Lord sends a speedy answer to the prayers of his afflicted saints. He repeats to this prophet the reasons for his visitation on Israel, and he repeats the promises of their return. Consequently, he had directed him to preserve the writings in an earthen glazed vessel, to be a proof to posterity of the truth of prophecy, and that the field purchased in such extraordinary circumstances belonged to the prophets family. Thus the faithful have hope in the promises, while every aspect of providence inspires the wicked with despair.
Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jeremiah 32. The Redemption of Land at Anathoth.A token of confidence in the future restoration. Probably not much more than Jer 32:6-15 is original. This narrative, it should be noticed, is both preceded (Jer 32:30 f.) and followed (Jer 32:33) by restoration prophecies.
Jer 32:1-5. In 587 B.C., during the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, Jeremiah was a prisoner in the guard-court, used for specially-treated prisoners (Jer 37:20 f.); the explanation given is that he had prophesied (Jer 21:7, Jer 37:17, etc.) defeat and captivity for Zedekiah (fulfilled as in 2Ki 25:7). Jer 32:2-5 are parenthetical, and should be placed in brackets; Jer 32:6 ff. are not, as they might seem, an answer to Zedekiahs question. According to Jer 37:11 ff., Jeremiah was arrested in the interval during which the Babylonians had withdrawn from the siege, for alleged desertion to the enemy; the princes were hostile to him, but Zedekiah showed him kindness.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
32:1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the {a} tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which [was] the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar.
(a) So that Jeremiah had now prophesied from the thirteenth year of Josiah to the last year save one of Zedekiah’s reign, which was almost forty years.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Jeremiah’s purchase of land 32:1-15
This was another of Jeremiah’s symbolic acts (cf. Jer 16:1-4; Jer 18:1-12; Jer 19:1-2; Jer 19:10-11; Jer 27:1 to Jer 28:17; Jer 43:8-13; Jer 51:59-64).
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
A message came to the prophet from the Lord about 587 B.C., the year before Jerusalem fell.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
CHAPTER XXX
RESTORATION I
THE SYMBOL
Jer 32:1-44
“And I bought the field of Hanameel.”- Jer 32:9
WHEN Jeremiah was first called to his prophetic mission, after the charge “to pluck up and to break down, and to destroy and to overthrow,” there were added-almost as if they were an afterthought-the words “to build and to plant.” {Jer 1:10} Throughout a large part of the book little or nothing is said about building and planting; but, at last, four consecutive chapters, 30-33, are almost entirely devoted to this subject. Jeremiahs characteristic phrases are not all denunciatory; we owe to him the description of Jehovah as “the Hope of Israel.” {Jer 14:8; Jer 17:13} Sin and ruin, guilt and punishment, could not quench the hope that centred in Him. Though the day of Jehovah might be darkness and not light, {Amo 5:18; Amo 5:20} yet, through the blackness of this day turned into night, the prophets beheld a radiant dawn. When all other building and planting were over for Jeremiah, when it might seem that much that he had planted was being rooted up again in the overthrow of Judah, he was yet permitted to plant shoots in the garden of the Lord, which have since become trees whose leaves are for the healing of the nations.
The symbolic act dealt with in this chapter is a convenient introduction to the prophecies of restoration, especially as chapters 30 and 31 have no title and are of uncertain date.
The incident of the purchase of Hanameels field is referred by the title to the year 587 B.C., when Jeremiah was in prison and the capture of the city was imminent. Jer 32:2-6 are an introduction by some editor, who was anxious that his readers should fully understand the narrative that follows. They are compiled from the rest of the book, and contain nothing that need detain us.
When Jeremiah was arrested and thrown into prison, he was on his way to Anathoth “to receive his portion there,” {Jer 37:12 (R.V.} i.e., as we gather from this chapter to take possession of an inheritance that devolved upon him. As he was now unable to attend to his business at Anathoth, his cousin Hanameel came to him in the prison, to give him the opportunity of observing the necessary formalities. In his enforced leisure Jeremiah would often recur to the matter on which he had been engaged when he was arrested. An interrupted piece of work is apt to intrude itself upon the mind with tiresome importunity; moreover his dismal surroundings would remind him of his business-it had been the cause of his imprisonment. The bond between an Israelite and the family inheritance was almost as close and sacred as that between Jehovah and the Land of Promise. Naboth had died a martyr to the duty he owed to the land. “Jehovah forbid that I should give thee the inheritance of my fathers,” {1Ki 21:3} said he to Ahab. And now, in the final crisis of the fortunes of Judah, the prophet whose heart was crushed by the awful task laid upon him had done what he could to secure the rights of his family in the “field” at Anathoth.
Apparently he had failed. The oppression of his spirits would suggest that Jehovah had disapproved and frustrated his purpose. His failure was another sign of the utter ruin of the nation. The solemn grant of the Land of Promise to the Chosen People was finally revoked; and Jehovah no longer sanctioned the ancient ceremonies which bound the households and clans of Israel to the soil of their inheritance.
In some such mood, Jeremiah received the intimation that his cousin Hanameel was on his way to see him about this very business. “The word of Jehovah came unto him: Behold, thine uncle Shallums son Hanameel is coming to thee, to say unto thee, Buy my field in Anathoth, for it is thy duty to buy it by way of redemption.” The prophet was roused to fresh perplexity. The opportunity might be a Divine command to proceed with the redemption. And yet he was a childless man doomed to die in exile. What had he to do with a field at Anathoth in that great and terrible day of the Lord? Death or captivity was staring everyone in the face; land was worthless. The transaction would put money into Hanameels pocket. The eagerness of a Jew to make sure of a good bargain seemed no very safe indication of the will of Jehovah.
In this uncertain frame of mind Hanameel found his cousin, when he came to demand that Jeremiah should buy his field. Perhaps the prisoner found his kinsmans presence a temporary mitigation of his gloomy surroundings, and was inspired with more cheerful and kindly feelings. The solemn and formal appeal to fulfil a kinsmans duty towards the family inheritance came to him as a Divine command: “I knew that this was the word of Jehovah.”
The cousins proceeded with their business, which was in no way hindered by the arrangements of the prison. We must be careful to dismiss from our minds all the associations of the routine and discipline of a modern English gaol. The “court of the guard” in which they were was not properly a prison; it was a place of detention, not of punishment. The prisoners may have been fettered, but they were together and could communicate with each other and with their friends. The conditions were not unlike those of a debtors prison such as the old Marshalsea, as described in “Little Dorrit.”
Our information as to this right or duty of the next of kin to buy or buy back land is of the scantiest. The leading case is that in the Book of Ruth, where, however, the purchase of land is altogether secondary to the levirate marriage. The land custom assumes that an Israelite will only part with his land in case of absolute necessity, and it was evidently supposed that some member of the clan would feel bound to purchase. On the other hand, in Ruth, the next of kin is readily allowed to transfer the obligation to Boaz. Why Hanameel sold his field we cannot tell; in these days of constant invasion, most of the small landowners must have been reduced to great distress, and would gladly have found purchasers for their property. The kinsman to whom land was offered would pretty generally refuse to pay anything but a nominal price. Formerly the demand that the next of kin should buy an inheritance was seldom made, but the exceptional feature in this case was Jeremiahs willingness to conform to ancient custom.
The price paid for the field was seventeen shekels of silver, but, however precise this information may seem, it really tells us very little. A curious illustration is furnished by modern currency difficulties. The shekel, in the time of the Maccabees, when we are first able to determine its value with some certainty, contained about half an ounce of silver, i.e., about the amount of metal in an English half crown. The commentaries accordingly continue to reckon the shekel as worth half a crown, whereas its value by weight according to the present price of silver would be about fourteenpence. Probably the purchasing power of silver was not more stable in ancient Palestine than it is now. Fifty shekels seemed to David and Araunah a liberal price for a threshing floor and its oxen, but the Chronicler thought it quite inadequate. We know neither the size of Hanameels field nor the quality of the land, nor yet the value of the shekels; but the symbolic use made of the incident implies that Jeremiah paid a fair and not a panic price.
The silver was duly weighed in the presence of witnesses and of all the Jews that were in the court of the guard, apparently including the prisoners; their position as respectable members of society was not affected by their imprisonment. A deed or deeds were drawn up, signed by Jeremiah and the witnesses, and publicly delivered to Baruch to be kept safely in an earthen vessel. The legal formalities are described with some detail; possibly they were observed with exceptional punctiliousness; at any rate, great stress is laid upon the exact fulfilment of all that law and custom demanded. Unfortunately, in the course of so many centuries, much of the detail has become unintelligible. For instance, Jeremiah the purchaser signs the record of the purchase, but nothing is said about Hanameel signing. When Abraham bought the field of Machpelah of Ephron the Hittite there was no written deed, the land was simply transferred in public at the gate of the city. {Gen 23:1-20} Here the written record becomes valid by being publicly delivered to Baruch in the presence of Hanameel and the witnesses. The details with regard to the deeds are very obscure, and the text is doubtful. The Hebrew apparently refers to two deeds, but the Septauagint for the most part to one only. The R.V. of Jer 32:11 runs: “So I took the deed of the purchase, both that which was sealed, according to the law and the custom, and that which was open.” The Septuagint omits everything after “that which was sealed”; and, in any case, the words “the law and the custom”-better, as R.V. margin, “containing the terms and the conditions”-are a gloss. In Jer 32:14 the R.V. has: “Take these deeds, this deed of the purchase, both that which is sealed, and this deed which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel.” The Septuagint reads: “Take this book of the purchase and this book that has been read, and thou shalt put it in an earthen vessel.” It is possible that, as has been suggested, the reference to two deeds has arisen out of a misunderstanding of the description of a single deed. Scribes may have altered or added to the text in order to make it state explicitly what they supposed to be implied. No reason is given for having two deeds. We could have understood the double record if each party had retained one of the documents, or if one had been buried in the earthen vessel and the other kept for reference, but both are put into the earthen vessel. The terms “that which is sealed” and “that which is open” may, however, be explained of either of one or two documents somewhat as follows: the record was written, signed, and witnessed; it was then folded up and sealed; part or the whole of the contents of this sealed up record was then written again on the outside or on a separate parchment, so that the purport of the deed could easily be ascertained without exposing the original record. The Assyrian and Chaldean contract tables were constructed on this principle; the contract was first written on a clay tablet, which was further enclosed in an envelope of clay, and on the outside was engraved an exact copy of the writing within. If the outer writing became indistinct or was tampered with, the envelope could be broken and the exact terms of the contract ascertained from the first tablet. Numerous examples of this method can be seen in the British Museum. The Jews had been vassals of Assyria and Babylon for about a century, and thus must have had ample opportunity to become acquainted with their legal procedure; and, in this instance, Jeremiah and his friends may have imitated the Chaldeans. Such an imitation would be specially significant in what was intended to symbolise the transitoriness of the Chaldean conquest.
The earthen vessel would preserve the record from being spoilt by the damp; similarly bottles are used nowadays to preserve the documents that are built up into the memorial stones of public buildings. In both cases the object is that “they may continue many days.”
So far the prophet had proceeded in simple obedience to a Divine command to fulfil an obligation which otherwise might excusably have been neglected. He felt that his action was a parable which suggested that Judah might retain its ancient inheritance, but Jeremiah hesitated to accept an interpretation seemingly at variance with the judgments he had pronounced upon the guilty people. When he had handed over the deed to Baruch, and his mind was no longer occupied with legal minutiae, he could ponder at leisure on the significance of his purchase. The prophets meditations naturally shaped themselves into a prayer; he laid his perplexity before Jehovah. Possibly, even from the court of the guard, he could see something of the works of the besiegers; and certainly men would talk constantly of the progress of the siege. Outside the Chaldeans were pushing their mounds and engines nearer and nearer to the walls, within famine and pestilence decimated and enfeebled the defenders; the city was virtually in the enemys hands. All this was in accordance with the will of Jehovah and the mission entrusted to His prophet. “What thou hast spoken of is come to pass, and, behold, thou seest it.” And yet, in spite of all this, “Thou hast said unto me, O Lord Jehovah, Buy the field for money and take witnesses-and the city is in the hands of the Chaldeans!”
Jeremiah had already predicted the ruin of Babylon and the return of the captives at the end of seventy years. {Jer 25:12; Jer 29:10} It is clear, therefore, that he did not at first understand the sign of the purchase as referring to restoration from the Captivity. His mind, at the moment, was preoccupied with the approaching capture of Jerusalem; apparently his first thought was that his prophecies of doom were to be set aside, and at the last moment some wonderful deliverance might be wrought out for Zion. In the Book of Jonah, Nineveh is spared in spite of the prophets unconditional and vehement declaration: “Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown.” Was it possible, thought Jeremiah, that after all that had been said and done, buying and selling, building and planting, marrying and giving in marriage, were to go on as if nothing had happened? He was bewildered and confounded by the idea of such a revolution in the Divine purposes.
Jehovah in His answer at once repudiates this idea. He asserts His universal sovereignty and omnipotence, these are to be manifested, first in judgment and then in mercy. He declares afresh that all the judgments predicted by Jeremiah shall speedily come to pass. Then He unfolds His gracious purpose of redemption and deliverance. He will gather the exiles from all lands and bring them back to Judah, and they shall dwell there securely. They shall be His people and He will be their God. Henceforth He will make an everlasting covenant with them, that He will never again abandon them to misery and destruction, but will always do them good. By Divine grace they shall be united in purpose and action to serve Jehovah; He Himself will put His fear in their hearts.
And then returning to the symbol of the purchased field, Jehovah declares that fields shall be bought, with all the legal formalities usual in settled and orderly societies, deeds shall be signed, sealed, and delivered in the presence of witnesses. This restored social order shall extend throughout the territory of the Southern Kingdom, Benjamin, the environs of Jerusalem, the cities of Judah, of the hill country, of the Shephelah and the Negeb. The exhaustive enumeration partakes of the legal character of the purchase of Hanameels field.
Thus the symbol is expounded: Israels tenure of the Promised Land will survive the Captivity; the Jews will return to resume their inheritance, and will again deal with the old fields and vineyards and oliveyards, according to the solemn forms of ancient custom.
The familiar classical parallel to this incident is found in Livy, 26. II, where we are told that when Hannibal was encamped three miles from Rome, the ground he occupied was sold in the Forum by public auction, and fetched a good price.
Both at Rome and at Jerusalem the sale of land was a symbol that the control of the land would remain with or return to its original inhabitants. The symbol recognised that access to land is essential to all industry, and that whoever controls this access can determine the conditions of national life. This obvious and often forgotten truth was constantly present to the minds of the inspired writers: to them the Holy Land was almost as sacred as the Chosen People; its right use was a matter of religious obligation, and the prophets and legislators always sought to secure for every Israelite family some rights in their native soil.
The selection of a legal ceremony and the stress laid upon its forms emphasise the truth that social order is the necessary basis of morality and religion. The opportunity to live healthily, honestly, and purely is an antecedent condition of the spiritual life. This opportunity was denied to slaves in the great heathen empires, just as it is denied to the children in our slums. Both here and more fully in the sections we shall deal with in the following chapters, Jeremiah shows that he was chiefly interested in the restoration of the Jews because they could only fulfil the Divine purpose as a separate community in Judah.
Moreover, to use a modern term, he was no anarchist; spiritual regeneration might come through material ruin, but the prophet did not look for salvation either in anarchy or through anarchy. While any fragment of the State held together, its laws were to be observed; as soon as the exiles were reestablished in Judah they would resume the forms and habits of an organised community. The discipline of society, like that of an army, is most necessary in times of difficulty and danger, and, above all, in the crisis of defeat.