Jeremiah 32:1 - Meaning and Application

The date of this chapter shows that Judah and Jerusalem are now very near the fatal year when the Chaldeans, that is, the Babylonians, finished their destruction. God’s judgments came on them step by step, but since they did not turn to him in repentance, he kept pressing his case until everything was ruined. That happened in Zedekiah’s eleventh year, and what is recorded here took place in the tenth.

By this time the king of Babylon’s army had surrounded Jerusalem and was pressing the siege hard. They were sure they would soon take the city, while the people inside had made a desperate decision to hold out to the end. In that setting, Jeremiah said plainly that both the city and the royal court would fall into the hands of the king of Babylon.

He said the attackers would take the city as their prize, because God, who had given the city a special place, would hand it over and withdraw his protection (Jeremiah 32:3). He also said that although Zedekiah would try to escape, he would be caught and handed over as a prisoner to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. He would be brought face to face with him in shame and fear, after breaking his promise to him, and he would hear Nebuchadnezzar pronounce his fate while seeing the anger in his eyes (Jeremiah 32:4). Zedekiah would be taken to Babylon and remain a miserable captive there until God “visited” him, that is, until God ended his life by death. Those who live in misery may truly be said to be visited in mercy when God takes them home by death.

Jeremiah also foretold that every attempt to drive the besieging army away would fail. “Though you fight with the Chaldeans, you shall not succeed” (Jeremiah 32:5). How could they prosper when God was not fighting for them? See also (Jeremiah 34:2-3).

For saying this, Jeremiah was put in prison, though not in the common jail. He was held in the more honorable prison within the palace grounds, in the house of the king of Judah. There he was not shut up closely, but kept in the court of the prison, where he had better company, fresh air, and news brought to him. He was also protected from attacks by the crowd. Even so, it was still prison, and Zedekiah shut him up there for prophesying as he did (Jeremiah 32:2-3).

Zedekiah was far from humbling himself before Jeremiah, which he should have done (2 Chronicles 36:12). Instead, he hardened himself against him. He had once acknowledged Jeremiah as a prophet by asking him to pray and seek the Lord for them (Jeremiah 21:2), but now he rebuked him for prophesying (Jeremiah 32:3) and put him in prison. Perhaps he did not mean to punish him further, only to stop him from speaking more, but that was punishment enough. Silencing God’s prophets, even if it is not as violent as mocking or killing them, is still a great insult to the God of heaven.

See how deeply sin hardens the hearts of sinners. Persecution was one of the sins God was judging them for, yet Zedekiah kept doing it even while he was in great distress. No trouble, and no judgment by itself, can separate people from their sins unless God’s grace works with it. In fact, some people become worse under the very punishments that should have made them better.

While Jeremiah was in prison, he bought a field in Anathoth from a close relative (Jeremiah 32:6-7). At first, this seems surprising in several ways. One would not expect a prophet to take so much interest in ordinary business, though ministers should not get tangled up in business, they may still care about the affairs of this life. One would also not expect a man with no wife or children to buy land, since (Jeremiah 16:2) shows he had no family of his own. Yet he could buy it for his own use while living, and leave it to his relatives’ children after his death.

It is also surprising that a prisoner should be a buyer. How could he even have money ready to purchase land? Most likely he lived simply and saved what he received as a priest. That was no fault in him. We also have no reason to think the people treated him generously or supplied him beforehand. Most surprising of all, he bought land when he knew the whole country was about to be laid waste and fall to the Chaldeans. What use would that land be then? Still, it was God’s will that he should buy it, and he obeyed, even though the money seemed wasted.

His cousin came to offer the land to him. Jeremiah was not looking for it himself, and he was not trying to pile up property. Providence brought it to him, and it was likely a fair deal. He also had the right to redeem it (Jeremiah 32:8), and if he refused, he would not be doing his duty as a kinsman. He could legally refuse, but as a prophet, he needed to act in a way that honored his calling. In this matter he needed to do what was right and proper. The land was in the area belonging to a priests’ city, and if he refused, there was a risk that in those troubled times it could be sold to someone from another tribe, which the law did not allow. It was therefore wise for him to buy it. It would also help his relative, who was likely in need of money. Jeremiah had little, but he was willing to spend it in a way that honored God and helped his friends and country more than his own private comfort.

The bargain was made very fairly. When Jeremiah realized from Hanamel’s, his cousin’s, visit that the Lord had spoken and that God wanted him to buy the field, he did not hesitate. He bought it at once. He was also honest and exact in paying for it. He weighed out the money instead of simply handing it over on trust, even though Hanamel was his near relative. He gave him seventeen shekels of silver, about forty shillings in modern money. The field was likely small and not worth much each year, which helps explain the low price. Besides, Jeremiah already had the right of inheritance, so he was really only buying out his cousin’s present claim, since the future right was already his.

Some think this was only a deposit on a larger price, but the small amount is not surprising if we remember how scarce money was and how little land was valued at that time. Jeremiah was also very careful with the documents. They were signed in front of witnesses, and one copy was sealed while the other was left open.

There were two copies of the deed, one original and one duplicate. It may be that the sealed copy was for Jeremiah’s private use, while the open copy was to be kept in the public land records, where anyone interested could examine it. Careful handling of matters like this can prevent a great deal of unfairness and argument.

The deed of purchase was placed with Baruch before witnesses, and Jeremiah told him to store it in an earthen jar. That jar was a sign of how fragile all the securities this world can offer really are, since they are brittle and easily broken. The deed was to stay safe for many days, so that Jeremiah’s heirs could use it after the return from captivity. Then they would still have the benefit of this purchase. Buying property rights for the future can be a kindness to those who come after us, and a godly person may in this way lay up an inheritance for his children’s children.

The purpose of making this bargain was to show that, although Jerusalem was now under siege and the whole land seemed likely to be ruined, there would come a time when houses, fields, and vineyards would again be owned and used in this land (Jeremiah 32:15). Just as God had told Jeremiah to confirm his warning of Jerusalem’s coming destruction by remaining unmarried, so now He told him to confirm the promise of future restoration by buying this field. Ministers should make it clear in all they do that they truly believe what they preach. To do that, and to press the message more deeply on their hearers, they often must deny themselves, as Jeremiah did in both of these cases.

Since God had promised that this land would again belong to His people, Jeremiah was, on behalf of his heirs, taking his place in that promise. It is good to handle even ordinary affairs with faith, and to carry on daily business with an eye on God’s providence and promises. Lucius Florus says that during the Second Punic War, when Hannibal was besieging Rome and seemed close to taking it, a field on which part of his army was camped was put up for sale and bought at once, because the Romans believed their courage would raise the siege. If they could trust their city that far, how much more reason have we to trust the word of God and to commit ourselves to Zion’s interests, which will surely prevail in the end? Though we suffer now, we will not suffer always.