Jeremiah 32

REVIEW OF CHAPTER FOURTEEN

I. Facts to Master

That which Jeremiah is told to write (Jeremiah 30:2).

That which God will do for Israel and Judah (Jeremiah 30:3).

The one the Israelites serve upon returning to their homeland (Jeremiah 30:9).

That which will happen to the nations which had scattered Israel (Jeremiah 30:11).

The figure used in Jeremiah 30:12-17 to depict the ter rible sin, punishment and restoration of Israel.

The identity of the Ruler mentioned in Jeremiah 30:21.

The new relationship which will exist between God and Israel in the future (Jeremiah 31:1; Jeremiah 31:9).

The new thing which God will create in the land (Jeremiah 31:22).

A proverb current in the days of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:29).

That which God would make with Israel (Jeremiah 31:31).

Jeremiah’s personal condition during the siege of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 32:1-3).

Jeremiah’s prediction regarding king Zedekiah (Jeremiah 32:4-5).

The name of Jeremiah’s cousin who offered to sell a field (Jeremiah 32:7).

The price of the field (Jeremiah 32:9).

Significance of this act of purchasing the field (Jeremiah 32:15; Jeremiah 32:42-44).

Name of a pagan god to whom the Jews sacrificed their children (Jeremiah 32:35).

Jeremiah’s personal situation at the time he de livered the oracle in Chapter 33.

That which God will cause to sprout (Jeremiah 33:15).

Special promises to the house of David and Levitical priests (Jeremiah 33:17-18).

II. Questions to Ponder

What is the fulfillment of the promises to bring Israel and Judah back to Palestine? Were they fulfilled in the returns of Zerubbabel (536 B.C.) and Ezra (458 B.C.)? Do these promises have any relationship to the Zionist movement of recent years?

In what way were the Jews encouraged to look upon their present trials? Jeremiah 30:4-11, esp. Jeremiah 30:11.

What is the permanent lesson that can be learned from Jeremiah 30:12-17?

What is the basis for thinking that the Prince of Jer 30:21 is Christ?

What figures of speech set forth the new relationship between Israel and God after the restoration? Jeremiah 31:2-5

Matthew (Jeremiah 2:18) quotes Jeremiah 31:15 and says it was fulfilled when Herod slew the Bethlehem innocents. Is Jeremiah 31:15 then a direct prophecy of what would happen at Bethlehem or does Matthew simply mean to say there is an analogy be tween the two events?

What is the new covenant predicted in Jeremiah 31? See Hebrews 8:8-12; Hebrews 10:16. 17; Matthew 26:28; Luke 22:20; 1 Corinthians 11:25. In what respect is the new covenant superior to the old?

What city does Jeremiah describe in Jeremiah 31:38-40, the earthly Jerusalem, the spiritual Jerusalem, the heavenly Jerusalem, or all three?

How does the principle actions speak louder than words especially apply in chapter 32?

How do the events of chapter 32 fit chronologically with Chapter s 30 and 37?

Is it necessary for a people to face the future with confidence? Why? What is the only solid basis for hope?

Why did the cousin come to Jeremiah and ask him to purchase the field? Jeremiah 32:6-8. Did Jeremiah fully understand the significance of the transaction?

What seeming contradiction is Jeremiah attempting to work out in his prayer? Jeremiah 32:16-25

What is significant about calling the Messiah a Shoot? Jeremiah 33:15. Where else is this designation used?

Have the promises of Jer 33:17-18 been fulfilled? When and how?

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

OBEDIENCE AND DISOBEDIENCE

Jeremiah 34:1 to Jeremiah 36:32

In Chapter s 34-36 Jeremiah relates three incidents which vividly illustrate the disobedience of the people of God in general and their leaders in particular. The episodes as they stand in the book are in reverse chronological order. Chapter 36 relates an event which transpired in the year 605-604 B.C. Chapter 35 can be assigned to almost any year between 602 and 598 B.C. The event in chapter 34 transpired during the final siege of Jerusalem (589-588 B.C.). The section contains narrative prose primarily biographical in character. An action parable is recorded in chapter 35.

A NOTE ON THE CHRONOLOGICAL PLACEMENT OF Chapter S 32-33

Chapter 32 contains the following chronological details which aid in integrating this chapter into the chronological framework of the last days of Jerusalem: (1) It was the tenth year of Zedekiah which began in March/ April 588 B.C.; (2) the Babylonian armies were besieging Jerusalem; and (3) Jeremiah was shut up in the court of the guard. Now since the arrest of Jeremiah, his imprisonment and subsequent confinement to the court of the guard are recorded in chapter 37 commentators are all but unanimously agreed that chapter 32 follows chapter 37 chronologically. Of course the basic assumption in this placement is that Jeremiah was only once confined to the court of the guard. This reconstruction may well be correct. The present writer, however, would like to offer an alternative reconstruction.

A close relationship exists between chapter 32 and chapter 34 of Jeremiah. Chapter 34 relates how Nebuchadnezzar was fighting against Jerusalem (Jeremiah 34:1). Outlying fortresses were still holding out against the Chaldeans, Lachish and Azekah being named in particular (Jeremiah 34:7). This would imply that chapter 34 must be assigned to an early part of the siege. The Chaldean strategy seems to have been to eliminate all military outposts before beginning the siege of Jerusalem in earnest.

These were the circumstances which existed when God told Jeremiah to go and deliver an oracle to king Zedekiah (Jeremiah 34:2). The precise words of that oracle should be noted with great care. (See the chart which follows). Chapter 34 does not reveal what the reaction of the king was to this message of doom. In Jeremiah 34:8 the narrator jumps ahead to a later phase in the siege of Jerusalem. The present writer would suggest that Jeremiah 32:2-5 indicates what king Zedekiah did when he heard the word of the Lord. He ordered Jeremiah confined to the court of the guard which was in the house of the king of Judah.

In support of the above suggestion the following points can be made:

1. Chapter 32 gives all the appearance of being the initial confinement of Jeremiah in the reign of Zedekiah. There is not the slightest hint that he had previously been confined by the king.
2. In chapter 32 Jeremiah is confined in the court of the guard as a punishment for what he had preached. In chapter 37 he is placed in the court of the guard as an act of mercy (see 19-21). Surely this would indicate that the confinement in chapter 32 and that in chapter 37 must be two different occasions.
3. The message for which Jeremiah is confined in chapter 32 is very similar to the message which he de livered to Zedekiah at the beginning of the siege in chapter 34. (See following chart).

How then are the events concerning the confinement of Jeremiah to be arranged chronologically? In the tenth year of Zedekiah (March/April 588 B.C.) Jeremiah went to the king and delivered an oracle of doom (Jeremiah 34:1-7). He was arrested by Zedekiah and confined in the court of the guard in the house of the king (Jeremiah 32:1-5). When the Babylonians temporarily raised the siege in the summer of 588 B.C. the prophet was probably released. Since most of the inhabitants of Jerusalem thought the Chaldeans were gone for good there was no further reason for detaining the political prisoners who might have proved dangerous in time of siege. During the lull in the siege operations Jeremiah preached a blistering sermon against the Jerusalem nobles (Jeremiah 34:8-22). No doubt he made some bitter enemies among the princes because of this sermon. As Jeremiah attempted to leave the city to tend to some business in Anathoth, he was arrested by the guard and hailed before the embittered princes who threw him into a dungeon as a traitor (Jeremiah 37:11-15). When the siege resumed Zedekiah was anxious to receive a further word from the Lord and so he sent secretly for Jeremiah. The prophet reiterated in one terse sentence the threat that he had been making for some time against the king (Jeremiah 37:17). Since Jeremiah knew he was innocent of the charge of treason he pleaded with Zedekiah that he might not have to return to the dungeon where he had been kept for some time (Jeremiah 37:20; cf. Jeremiah 37:16). Zedekiah acquiesced in the request of Jeremiah and ordered him confined henceforth in the court of the guard (Jeremiah 37:21). Jeremiah continued to preach even in the court of the guard and so the princes demanded that he be put to death. Zedekiah gave in to the princes and Jeremiah was thrown into an abandoned well (Jeremiah 38:1-6). From thence he was rescued by Ebedmelech (Jeremiah 38:7-13) and confined in the court of the guard until Jerusalem fell to the Chaldeans (Jeremiah 38:28).

THE SERMON WHICH GOT JEREMIAH ARRESTED DURING THE SIEGE OF JERUSALEM

Jeremiah 32:1-5

Jeremiah 34:1-7

Reference back to the sermon

The actual preaching

Thus says the LORD, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon (Jeremiah 4:3)

Thus says the LORD, Behold I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon (Jeremiah 4:2)

and he shall take it (Jeremiah 4:3)

and he shall burn it with fire (Jeremiah 4:2)

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 (Jeremiah 4:4)

and you shall not escape out of his hand but you shall surely be taken and delivered into his hand (Jeremiah 4:3)

and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes. (Jeremiah 4:4)

and your eyes shall behold the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with you mouth to mouth (Jeremiah 4:9)

and he shall bring Zedekiah to Babylon (Jeremiah 4:5)

and you shall go to Babylon (Jeremiah 4:3)

and there shall he be until I visit him (oracle of the LORD). Though you fight against the Chaldeans you shall not prosper (v.5).

Jeremiah 32:1-5

III. CONFIDENCE IN RESTORATION

Jeremiah 32:1 to Jeremiah 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 Jeremiah 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 (Jeremiah 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 (Jeremiah 52:4; 2 Kings 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 (Jeremiah 37:3-5). Shortly the Babylonian army returned just as Jeremiah had said it would (Jeremiah 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. Jerusalem’s doom was sealed.

2. The present plight of the prophet (Jeremiah 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.

Jeremiah 32:6-15

B. The Purchase of a Field Jeremiah 32:6-15

TRANSLATION

(6) And Jeremiah said: The word of the LORD came unto me, saying, (7) Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle shall come unto you, saying, Purchase for yourself my field which is in Anathoth, for you possess the right of redemption to purchase it. (8) And Hanamel my cousin came unto the Court of the Guard just as the LORD had spoken, and said unto me, Purchase my field, please, that is in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin; for You have the right of possession and redemption. Purchase it for yourself! And I knew that it was the word of the LORD. (9) And I purchased the field which was in Anathoth from Hanamel my cousin and I weighted out to him the silver, seventeen silver shekels. (10) Then I wrote a deed and sealed it and had men witness it and weighed out the silver on the scales. (11) And I took the deed of purchase, the sealed copy as is customary and lawful, and the opened copy; (12) and I gave the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in the presence of Hanamel my cousin and in the presence of all the men of Judah who were sitting in the court of the guard. (13) And I commanded Baruch in their presence, saying, (14) Thus says the LORD of hosts the God of Israel: Take these deeds, this sealed deed of purchase, and this open deed, and put them in a clay vessel in order that they might last for many days. (15) For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Once again houses and fields and vineyards shall be purchased in this land.

COMMENTS

In those dark days when the national catastrophe was taking shape, the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah. God revealed to him that a relative, Hanamel, would come to visit him in the court of the guard requesting that he exercise his right and duty as near kinsman to purchase a field in Anathoth. That Hanamel was a cousin to Jeremiah is made clear in Jeremiah 32:8-9.[281] The law of land-tenure in ancient Israel provided that an estate remain within a family (Leviticus 25:25). If a piece of property had to be sold, the nearest of kin had the duty and right to purchase it. The procedure that was followed in such cases is clearly outlined in the fourth chapter of Ruth. The tribe of Levi did not receive a tribal inheritance following the conquest, the priests were allotted thirteen cities (Joshua 21:19) and the Levites forty-eight (Joshua 21:41; Numbers 35:2-9). Hence, the priests would have owned property which could be sold only to fellow members of the tribe of Levi (Leviticus 25:32-34).

[281] The words your uncle refer to Shallum in Jeremiah 32:7. In Jeremiah 32:12 the word son of seems to have dropped out of the text, no doubt accidentally omitted by a copyist. The Septuagint, Peshitta and several Hebrew manuscripts support the reading son of in Jeremiah 32:12. The hypothesis that the Hanamel in Jeremiah 32:12 is a different individual from the one mentioned in the earlier verses is most unlikely.

Hanamel made his appearance at the court of the guard just as God had revealed. One can only conjecture as to why Hanamel wished to dispose of his property. He may have needed to convert his real estate into silver to pay off debts. On the other hand he may have desired to leave the area because of the Chaldean threat. Jeremiah being the nearest kinsman had first opportunity to purchase the property.[282]

[282] Hanamel either had no children or else they were too young to assume ownership of the property.

A business transaction was conducted there in the court of the guard. With careful attention to all legal details, the sale was concluded and the deed executed in the customary manner. The purchase price was mutually agreed upon and the pieces of silverseventeen shekelswere carefully weighed. -The price appears to be very low and several explanations of this fact have been proposed. Perhaps the field was small to start with. It is not at all unlikely that a real estate panic had been created by the recent Babylonian incursions. Furthermore, in ancient Israel the price of any property diminished as the year of Jubilee, every fiftieth year, drew near for in that year all real estate reverted back to the original owners.

The business transaction conducted by Hanamel and Jeremiah has been illuminated by numerous finds in the ancient Near East. (a) Jeremiah wrote in the book (Jeremiah 32:10). The word translated book (Hebrew sepher) can refer to any size document. Here the book is either the bill of sale or the deed or both. Jeremiah set forth in this business document all the particulars of the transaction.

(b) In accordance with ancient legal procedure a duplicate copy of the contract was made. The Babylonians would encase their legal contracts in a clay envelope upon which a copy of the document was recorded. The outer clay envelope was open for examination at any time; the inner clay tablet was consulted if any disagreement arose and it was suspected that the contract had been tampered with. In such a case the clay envelope was broken in the presence of witnesses to see if the sealed or hidden text agreed with that recorded on the envelope. The reference to the sealed and the open purchase agreement in Jeremiah 32:11; Jeremiah 32:14 is to the inner tablet and the outer envelope.

(c) Witnesses were summoned (Jeremiah 32:10). They apparently read and then signed the contract (Jeremiah 32:12).

(d) The silver was weighed out in the balance (Jeremiah 32:10).

(e) The two copies of the contract were given to Baruch to be put into an earthen jar which served as sort of a filing cabinet. Such jars have been excavated. This is the first reference to Baruch in the Book of Jeremiah although chronologically his first appearance is recorded in chapter 36.

A cunsiform envelope and business document from the second millennium B.G.

In Jeremiah’s day the double registration of purchase may have been recorded on papyrus. One copy was then rolled up and sealed while the other was rolled, left unsealed and placed in a closed cylinder.

The purpose of the whole elaborate transaction is indicated in a brief oracle contained in Jeremiah 32:15. By his purchase of the field in Anathoth the prophet was dramatically demonstrating his faith in God’s word that houses and fields and vineyards shall yet again be bought in this land. Considering the fact that Anathoth at that very moment was probably under Chaldean control, this was a most amazing action on the part of Jeremiah. One is only left to guess what kind of impact this dramatic act had on those Jews who were present in the court of the guard (Jeremiah 32:12).

Jeremiah 32:16-25

C. The Prayer for Further Explanation Jeremiah 32:16-25

TRANSLATION

(16) Then I prayed unto the LORD after I had given the deed of purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, saying, (17) Ah, O Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and Your outstretched arm. Nothing is too marvelous for You! (18) You are the One who shows loving kindness to thousands and repays the iniquity of fathers upon the bosom of their sons who follow them. You are the great, the mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts; (19) great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are opened upon all the ways of the sons of men, giving to each man according to his way and according to the fruit of his deeds. (20) You did signs and wonders in the land of Egypt unto this day both in Israel and among mankind in general and have made for Yourself a name as at this day. (21) You brought out Your people Israel from the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, a strong hand, an outstretched arm and with great terror. (22) You have given to them this land which you had sworn to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey. (23) And they came and possessed it but they did not obey Your voice and they did not walk in Your law; all which you commanded them to do they did not do; and You have brought all this calamity against them. (24) Behold, the siege instruments have come to the city to capture it; and the city has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it by sword, famine, and pestilence. That which You have spoken has come to pass; behold, You are observing it! (25) But you have said unto me, O Lord GOD, Purchase for yourself the field with silver, and secure witnesses while the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.

COMMENTS

Even though Jeremiah had faithfully executed the command of God to purchase the field in Anathoth, even though he had publicly indicated the symbolic import of the transaction, he still was unable to comprehend the implications of what he had done. In times past Jeremiah had agonized in prayer over the incomprehensible judgments of God; now it is the gracious promise of God which he cannot fathom. A prediction that property would again be bought and sold in the land seemed to him utterly incongruous with the present circumstances and completely opposed to the messages he has so often repeated.

The prayer of Jeremiah for enlightenment surely must take its place alongside the truly outstanding prayers of Scripture. Cawley has proposed an appealing two-fold analysis of this prayer. In the first part of the prayer the prophet dwells on the God of the people (17-22), and in the second part, on the people of God (23-25). That Jeremiah is here pouring out his heart before God is indicated by the opening words of the prayer, Ah Lord God! The Hebrew particle ah expresses the most intense emotions; it is usually a cry of anguish. The prophet passes immediately to the praise of his God. In this part of his prayer Jeremiah depicts God as (1) the God of creation. As such He is omnipotent; nothing is too difficult for Him (Jeremiah 32:17). (2) He is the God of justice dispensing grace to thousands who turn to him and punishment to those who follow after iniquity (Jeremiah 32:18).[283] (3) He is God of wisdom. As such he is omniscient (Jeremiah 32:19). Unlike human counselors, God has the power to execute the plans of His counsel. (4) He is God of all the earth whose wonders had been performed in Egypt as well as Israel and whose fame is universal (Jeremiah 32:20).[284] (5) He is the God of history who brought forth His people from the bondage of Egypt and gave to them the Land of Promise (Jeremiah 32:21-22). This ascription of praise to God is instructive for the prayer life of the Christian. One should remember in prayer to praise God for His work in creation and salvation, for His grace, His counsel, His signs and wonders, and His great acts of deliverance.

[283] According to Rashi, God recompenses the iniquity of the father unto the bosom of their children when the children follow the footsteps of their fathers. [284] The phrase even unto this day in reference to the miracles in Egypt probably means which are remembered unto this day and not which continue to this day.-'

Jeremiah’s prayer moves from praise to confession in Jeremiah 32:23. The prophet admits the gross ingratitude of the fathers who, having been blessed with possession of Canaan, refused to hearken to the Law of God. He acknowledges the justice of the present situation in which Jerusalem finds itself. He then describes that situation: siege mounds have been erected which will shortly enable the enemy to ascend the walls and enter the city. Sword, famine and pestilence have combined to smite the beleaguered defenders. Jeremiah 32:24 is narration and narration is part of Biblical prayer. The petitioner tells God something that God already knows. The closing words of Jer 32:24 are instructive: You see it. Jeremiah is not telling God something that He does not already know. Why then the narration? It is as though Jeremiah is presenting his case before a judge. All pertinent facts in the case must go into the record so to speak. Furthermore, the narration element in prayer often helps one to think through more carefully a situationto analyze it and crystallize his thinking about it. Prayer-narration may help one sharpen his focus and present a petition which is more apropos for the circumstances and more in harmony with the will of God.

The narrative portion of the prayer continues in Jeremiah 32:25. In spite of the fact that this city is about to be taken by the Chaldeans You, O Lord, have told me to purchase a field. This is narration; but it is also implied petition. It is interesting that in this prayer there is no direct petition. Jeremiah does not ask for anything. But the manner in which he composed the narrative portion of the prayer raised a problem and offered an implied petition. The problem is apparent inconsistency between the impending fall of the city which is taking place by divine decree and the command to purchase a field. The implied petition is Lord, how do I reconcile these two seemingly discordant facts? Will You enlighten my mind; will You solve the problem?

Jeremiah 32:27

D. The Plan of God Jeremiah 32:26-44

Jeremiah not only prayed; he also listened. Prayer is dialogue. Too often a Christian prays but does not tarry in meditation to listen to the still, small voice speaking to the heart and mind. Jeremiah requested; God answered. After a brief but important introductory word (Jeremiah 32:27) God makes announcements regarding the present (Jeremiah 32:28-35) and future (Jeremiah 32:36-41) circumstances of His people. These announcements are followed by assurance that God is true to His Word.

1. A basic proposition (Jeremiah 32:27)

TRANSLATION

(26) And the word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah, saying, Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. 1s anything too hard for Me?

COMMENTS

The reply to the prayer of Jeremiah fittingly begins with a declaration. The Lord declares Himself God, Elohim, the strong, the mighty, the God of creation and therefore the Ruler over all flesh. The contrast here between God and flesh is obviousthe exalted and powerful over against the lowly and weak. He is God of all flesh. What to mankind are baffling and perplexing problems find their solutions in Him. The purpose and plans of God can be thwarted neither by the most bitter attacks of His enemies nor the unbelief, misgivings or misunderstandings of His friends. He will not allow His actions to be circumscribed by the limits of human comprehension. He is God. Jeremiah needed to be reminded of that fact and so does every perplexed child of God today. The declaration that the Lord is God is followed by a question: IS there anything too hard for Me?[285] At the beginning of his prayer the prophet had affirmed that nothing was too hard for God (Jeremiah 32:17). But Jeremiah did not fully understand the implications of his own convictions. Had he fully comprehended the omnipotence of God he would not have seen any difficulty in the promise that God would resurrect Judah and Jerusalem from the grave of desolation. How easy it is to utter great truths without fully understanding their import. So God asks Jeremiah a question in order to make him think. It is as if God were saying, Jeremiah, you have the right convictions; but why have you not made the right deductions. If, as you say, nothing is too hard for Me, then trust Me that I can and will do all that I have promised to do. In Jeremiah 32:28-41 God makes two announcements regarding the immediate and ultimate fate of Judah and Jerusalem. Both announcements are introduced by therefore (Jeremiah 32:28; Jeremiah 32:36) which connects them logically with the basic proposition of Jer 32:27. Since nothing is impossible to the Lord, therefore He destroys Jerusalem (Jeremiah 32:28-35) and restores it (Jeremiah 32:36-41). Because he is GodAlmighty and Sovereignboth destruction and restoration are within His power.

[285] The same question is asked When Sarah laughed at the promise of a son in her old age (Genesis 18:14).

Jeremiah 32:28-35

2. God’s plan for the present (Jeremiah 32:28-35)

TRANSLATION

(28) Therefore thus says the LORD: Behold, I am about to give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall capture it. (29) And the Chaldeans who are fighting against this city shall come and they will burn this city and put it to the torch, even the houses upon roofs of which they have offered incense to Baal and poured out libations to other gods in order to provoke Me. (30) For the children of Israel and the children of Judah from the time of their youth have been doing nothing other than evil in My sight; for the children of Israel have only been provoking Me with the works of their hands (oracle of the LORD). (31) Surely this city has aroused My wrath and anger from the day when they built it, even unto this day; so that now it must be removed from My presence, (32) because of all the evil of the children of Israel and the children of Judah which they have done to provoke Methey, their king, their princes, their priests and their prophets, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. (33) And they turned the back to Me and not the face; though I was teaching them earnestly and persistently none of them would listen to receive correction. (34) They put abominations in the house which bears My name with the result that it was defiled. (35) They built high places of Baal which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom in order to offer their sons and their daughters to Molech (which I never commanded nor did it enter My mind to do this abomination) in order to make Judah sin.

COMMENTS

The answer of God for Jeremiah continues with a reaffirmation of the fact that Jerusalem would fall to the Chaldeans (Jeremiah 32:28-29) and a summation of the reasons why this calamity must take place (Jeremiah 32:30-35).

Throughout his ministry Jeremiah had been preaching that the enemy from the north, the Chaldeans, would destroy Jerusalem. God now assures Jeremiah that these threats had not been negated by the promise of a new day for Judah. God would indeed give Jerusalem into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 32:28) and the Chaldeans would put the torch to the city (Jeremiah 32:29). The blinded Jews thought it impossible that the chosen place of the sanctuary could be destroyed (Jeremiah 7:4; Jeremiah 21:13). They did not stop to think that with the Lord nothing was impossible. But it is not the might of the enemy which will gain the victory; God would deliver the city into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar. Thus even though the people could not comprehend or accept what God was about to do, nonetheless God would still fulfill His word.

Following the reaffirmation of His intent to destroy Jerusalem, God discusses the reasons for His decision. The basic cause of the calamity was idolatry. From the very beginning of the nation, the people had provoked God with their idolatry (Jeremiah 32:30). What was true of the nation as a whole was also true of Jerusalemone continuous record of idolatrous practice from the day the city was built.[286] Because of its sin Jerusalem must be removed out of the sight of God (Jeremiah 32:31). Idolatry permeated every strata of society including the professional priests and prophets (Jeremiah 32:32). Time and again God tried to teach them, instruct them, discipline them but to no avail (Jeremiah 32:33). The last vestige of allegiance to God disappeared when they erected abominable images in the Temple (Jeremiah 32:34). Yahweh thereby became just another god and His Temple just one among many shrines. The climax of the apostasy came with the erection of high places in the valley of Hinnom and the institution of the rites of child sacrifice (Jeremiah 32:35). Could such sin be ignored? Surely Jerusalem must fall!

[286] The Israelites did not build Jerusalem; but when David captured the city from the Jebusites alterations and additions were made. The Hebrew verb used here (banah) is frequently used in the sense of enlarging and repairing.

Jeremiah 32:36-41

3. God’s plan for the future (Jeremiah 32:36-41)

TRANSLATION

(36) And now therefore thus says the LORD the God of Israel concerning this city about which you people are saying that it has been given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, famine, and pestilence: (37) Behold, I will gather them from all the lands where I have driven them in My wrath, anger, and great fury; and I will bring them back unto this place and cause them to dwell in safety. (38) They shall be MY people, and I will be their God; (39) and I will give them one heart and one way to fear Me forever, for their own good, and that of their sons after them. (40) And I will make for them an everlasting covenant that I will not turn away from doing good for them; and I will put My fear into their heart so that they will not turn aside from following Me. (41) I will rejoice in doing good for them, and I will truly plant them in this land with all MY heart and with all My Soul.

COMMENTS

While the present prospects of Jerusalem and Judah were quite grim and dark the future was filled with bright hope. God’s plan for the nation as announced here has two basic features, restoration (Jeremiah 32:36-37) and reconciliation (Jeremiah 32:38-41).

Therefore in Jeremiah 32:36 corresponds to therefore in Jeremiah 32:28 and introduces the second deduction from the proposition that nothing is too hard for God (Jeremiah 32:26). As destruction which was thought to be utterly impossible was about to take place, so restoration which appeared to be equally impossible would take place in the future. Moses, the great forerunner and archetype of the classical prophets in Israel, had held out to the nation centuries before both the threat of captivity and the potentiality of restoration (Deuteronomy 30:1-5). According to Moses repentance was a prerequisite for restoration (Deuteronomy 30:3). In the present passage the emphasis is upon the changed spiritual conditions which will characterize the remnant after and presumably before the restoration.

The new Israel of God will be markedly superior to the old Israel. The spiritual changes that would take place among the people of God can perhaps best be described by the word reconciliation. six aspects of this reconciliation are mentioned in the paragraph. a) A new relationship will exist between God and His people: They shall be My people and I will be their God (Jeremiah 32:38).

b) The people will manifest a new commitment to the Lord. They will have one heart (inward disposition) and one way(outward manifestation). No longer would their heart be divided between the Lord and idols. There will be a unity of purpose and a unity of practice. Since the nation is united in its commitment to God, enmity and discord will disappear among the members of the people.

c) God will enter into a new covenant with His people (Jeremiah 32:40). Of this covenant Jeremiah has previously spoken (Jeremiah 31:31 ff.); but here he adds the emphasis that the covenant will be an everlasting covenant. God will never desist from showering blessings upon them; the people shall never turn aside from God. By His marvelous deeds and by the workings of His Holy Spirit God will continue to generate in the hearts of His people that fear, that loving, trusting awe that is essential if those people are to remain faithful to the terms of the covenant. Thus there will be under the new covenant an uninterrupted be stowal of gracious benefits on the part of God and a faithfulness to the Lord on the part of the people.

d) God will evidence His new joy by gladly doing good for His people (Jeremiah 32:41 a). Rebellious Israel had been such a burden to His heart, such a source of grief and anger. But once the nation has been reconciled to Him; God will rejoice over the faith, devotion and loyalty of Israel.

e) The people will enjoy new security in the land (Jeremiah 32:41 b). They shall be planted securely in their land by the Lord.[287] While God is reluctant to execute His wrath against the godless, He rejoices to bless the godly. Thus He will enter enthusiastically into the work of planting the new Israel securely in the land.

[287] The Hebrew reads literally, I shall plant them in this land in truth. Some commentators see this as a reference to the faithfulness of the Promiser rather than a reference to the stability of possession.

Jeremiah 32:42-44

4. The assurance of God’s plan (Jeremiah 32:42-44)

TRANSLATION

(42) For thus says the LORD: As I have brought against this people all this great trouble, so I will bring upon them all the good which I have been speaking concerning them. (43) Fields shall be purchased in this land of which you are saying, It is a waste without man or beast, it is given into the hands of the Chaldeans. (44) They shall purchase fields for silver and write the deed, seal it, have it witnessed in the land of Benjamin, and the environs of Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the lowland, and the cities of the Negev; for I will reverse their fortunes (oracle of the LORD).

COMMENTS

Up to this point two deductions have been made from The basic proposition that with God nothing is too hard. The argument takes a new direction in Jeremiah 32:42. Here God argues that the same degree of certainty which attends the threats of divine judgment also attends the promises of divine favor. The thought is the same as that in Jeremiah 31:28.

In view of the certainty of God’s promises of restoration the action of Jeremiah in purchasing the field in Anathoth was altogether fitting and proper. Normal business transactions would indeed again take place in the land (Jeremiah 32:43-44). The enumeration of the several regions of the kingdom is, according to Keil, rhetorical individualization for strengthening the thought.[288] God would reverse the fortunes of His people. He would bring them out of the shame and degradation of captivity and lead them home. This was the oracle of God!

[288] Keil, op. cit., II, 60. This same rhetorical device is used in Jeremiah 17:26.