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Readings: Jeremiah 32:36-41 + Romans 8:18-25
Have you ever decided something that, at the moment, seemed terrible but with time, ultimately worked out for good?
Jeremiah 32 opens with Jeremiah in prison, confined within the walls of king Zedekiah’s house.
As a prophet, Jeremiah had received a vision from God. Jerusalem and king Zedekiah will fall to the Babylonians (v. 1-5).
As you might expect, the king was less than thrilled with Jeremiah’s view of the future. So, to keep him from spreading discontent among his subjects, he put Jeremiah in prison.
Although detained, Jeremiah was able to receive visits from friends and family. During his confinement, he received a tugging from the Lord (v.6-7). Jeremiah had a sense he was about to receive an unexpected but important visitor.
Sure enough, Jeremiah’s cousin Hanamel comes for a visit (v.8). He asks Jeremiah if he would like to purchase some family land from him.
I can imagine Hanamel saying, “The land is nearby, only a few miles from here. It’s great, and I’ll sell it to you cheap. Since you’re the next of kin in line for it, I’ll offer it to you before anyone else. Oh, maybe I should mention, the Babylonians currently occupy that section of the neighborhood. But I’m sure that won’t turn into anything major. I mean, you said things would turn out ok, so, you know, you should buy it.”
Despite a seemingly foolish deal, Jeremiah agreed. He followed all the legal regulations of the day and ended up buying a piece of land occupied by military enemies, sight unseen, from prison (v. 9-15).
Jeremiah doesn’t even read the deed. Instead, he asks his assistant to have it stored away. The land might not be usable now, but Jeremiah prepares for the future. He believes things will turn around, and the property will be functional someday.
After purchasing the land and storing the deed, I can imagine Jeremiah having a bit of buyer’s remorse. Maybe he thought God instructed him to do this, but couldn’t he have misread the signs? What if he made a mistake?
Instead of dwelling on the what-ifs, Jeremiah prays (v. 17-25). He remembers times God has shown up. Jeremiah’s prayer serves both as a reminder to himself and as praise to God. He lists out instances of God’s mercy and love and recognizes nothing is too hard for God.
In his mercy, God responds to Jeremiah. To ensure Jeremiah knows it’s God, God repeats a variation of Jeremiah’s own words back to him. (v. 17 + 27). In his response, God reassures Jeremiah that there is a plan.
As God talks to Jeremiah, he gives him hope for the future. Jeremiah was obedient in his purchase of the field, despite all circumstances pointing to a foolish transaction. But God promises that, although judgment and destruction are coming, so is redemption and restoration.
Our God is a God of hope. He doesn’t leave us stranded in wondering, but instead lovingly points us toward himself (v. 37). We can trust that our God uses our circumstances, both as individuals and within our communities, to sow seeds of hope in us.
Just like God promised Jeremiah, he promises us, “I will never stop doing good to them.” (v. 40).
God’s timeline often doesn’t look like ours, but we can place our trust and hope in him, knowing that he will deliver on his promises.
Journal Prompt: How is God sowing seeds of hope within you? Where have you seen evidence of him delivering on his promises to you or your community?
