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Dave Burnette's Commentary

Jeremiah Chapter 32

Written By: God through Inspiration
Penned By: Jeremiah
Date Penned: (627-586 BC)
Overview: To Urge God's People to Turn from Sin to God (c 1-52)
Theme: God's Judgement on Judah (c 1-45)
Message: Jeremiah Buys Land in Judah (v 1-44)

Jeremiah 32 Commentary 

(32:1-12) Jeremiah Buys Land - God told Jeremiah to buy a field outside Jerusalem. The city had been under siege for a year, and Jeremiah bought land that the soldiers occupied--certainly, in the eyes of the world, a poor investment. In addition, Jeremiah was a prisoner in the palace. But Jeremiah was demonstrating his faith in God's promises to bring his people back and to rebuild Jerusalem. 

(32:6-17) Trusting God - Trust doesn't come easily. It wasn't easy for Jeremiah to publicly buy land already captured by the enemy. But he trusted God. It wasn't easy for David to believe that he would become king, even after he was anointed. But he trusted God (1 Samuel 16-31). It wasn't easy for Moses to believe that he and his people would escape Egypt, even after God had spoken to him from a burning bush. But he trusted God (Exodus 3:1-4:20). It isn't easy for us to believe that God can fulfill his "impossible" promises either, but we must trust him. God, who worked in the lives of the people we read about in the Bible, will work in our lives, too, if we will let him. 

(32:17-25) Buyer's Remorse - After Jeremiah bought the field, he began to wonder if such a move was wise. He sought relief in prayer from his nagging doubts. In this prayer, Jeremiah affirmed that God is the creator of heaven and earth, for whom nothing is too difficult; the wise judge, who is aware of all the ways of people; and our redeemer, who has great power. God loves us and sees our situations. Whenever we doubt God's wisdom or wonder if it is practical to obey him, we can review what we already know about him. Such thoughts and prayers will quiet our doubts and calm our fears. 

(32:27) Taking Up Our Cross - We may feel that what God asks us to do is too difficult. Jesus said we must deny our selfish ways, take up our cross, and follow him (Mark 8:34-37). But he goes with us, helps us, and rewards us. This may seem difficult, but nothing is too hard with God's love and power enabling us. 

(32:35) Molech - These pagan shrines were where offensive worship rituals were enacted to please Molech, the god of the Ammonites. Children were killed in sacrifice to this pagan god. Such a practice was unthinkable in Hebrew worship. God had commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22:1-18), but that had been a test of faith, and God had provided an animal for him to sacrifice instead. 

(32:36-42) God's Power - God uses his power to accomplish his purposes through his people. God doesn't give us power to be all we want to be; he gives us power to be all he wants us to be. The people of Israel had to learn that trusting God meant radically realigning their purposes and desires toward him (Philippians 2:13). God would give them one heart and one purpose toward him. As the church today, we must develop singleness of heart and unity of purpose to love God above all else. 

(32:44) Questioning Prayer - God answered Jeremiah's questioning prayer about buying a field in captured territory. The mountains referred to are the hill country in western Palestine. The cities of the south are in the Negev, the southern part of Judah.

 


Dave Burnette's Life Application


The Lord's Instruction

Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today, we continue in the Book of Jeremiah with chapter 32. In our text today, the Lord instructed Jeremiah to buy a piece of Land to have him question his decision to purchase the Land. Through prayer, the Lord confirmed his decision to obey the Lord and follow His instruction. In making application, we see that the Lord still gives us instruction. Through prayer, the Lord both instructs and confirms his instructions to us. How about you? Do you seek instruction from the Lord in Prayer? Let us learn from our text today and the Life of Jeremiah to see that the Lord instructs us through prayer in everything we do.  

 

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Jeremiah 32

Jeremiah 32

 1The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar.

 2For 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.

 3For 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;

 4And 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;

 5And 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.

 6And 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 buy it.

 8So 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.

 9And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle's son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver.

 10And I subscribed the evidence, and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances.

 11So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed according to the law and custom, and that which was open:

 12And 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.

 13And I charged Baruch before them, saying,

 14Thus 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.

 15For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.

 16Now when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed unto the LORD, saying,

 17Ah 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:

 18Thou 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,

 19Great 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:

 20Which 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;

 21And 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;

 22And hast given them this land, which thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey;

 23And 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:

 24Behold the mounts, 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.

 25And 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.

 26Then came the word of the LORD unto Jeremiah, saying,

 27Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?

 28Therefore 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:

 29And 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.

 30For 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.

 31For 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,

 32Because 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.

 33And 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.

 34But they set their abominations in the house, which is called by my name, to defile it.

 35And 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 I commanded them not, neither came it into my mind, that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.

 36And 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;

 37Behold, 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:

 38And they shall be my people, and I will be their God:

 39And 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:

 40And 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.

 41Yea, 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.

 42For 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.

 43And 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.

 44Men 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: for I will cause their captivity to return, saith the LORD.