Buy the Field
You can almost sense the need people have today for encouragement. Unfortunately, most of our world looks to an empty cistern for that encouragement. The wells that our culture offers us to draw from seem to come up empty—dry with disappointment. What could God be doing in days like these? I’m sure the people in the days of the Prophet Jeremiah asked the same question. Jeremiah ministered to a nation that was in a low place. Continuous rebellion against God had brought them under judgment. Even in the midst of that place, God gave Jeremiah a lesson of hope.
King Zedekiah, sick of Jeremiah’s prophesies of judgment, imprisoned the prophet in an attempt to silence him. The Babylonians stood on the cusp of conquering Jerusalem. Things couldn’t get much darker. And yet, that’s when one of the most encouraging words you’ll find in Scripture comes to us. The Lord spoke to the imprisoned prophet and told him that his cousin would approach him with an offer to purchase a field in their hometown. This deal was not a “win-win” situation. Jeremiah was in prison so what use did he have for property? The field itself was in the hand of the enemy so Jeremiah might not even have the opportunity to take possession of it. Nevertheless, the Lord told Jeremiah to purchase the field. Remarkably, Jeremiah responds by faith and obeys the Lord. After the purchase had been made and the contract had been notarized, Jeremiah shares the reason for this prophetic action. In short, it is hope. “For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Houses and fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.
Jeremiah’s purchase of the field demonstrated his faith in God’s promise. Even though the people were presently under the judgment of God, God promised to bring his people back to the land and one day that land would belong to its rightful owners. Why did Jeremiah have this kind of hope? It wasn’t because he was an optimistic person. By all accounts his ministry was anything but encouraging. Jeremiah’s hope came from his solid theology. He knew God. Jeremiah says this about the Lord: “Nothing is too difficult for you” (Jeremiah 32:17).
Let that sink in. Nothing is too difficult for the Lord. Jeremiah 32:19 sheds further light on what this means. The Lord is “great in counsel and mighty in deed.” The first reference here is to wisdom. Even the wisest and most intelligent people have struggled this past year. But nothing is impossible for the Lord because His mind and understanding are so much greater and higher than our own. God doesn’t get stressed or anxious. He doesn’t have to think about what to do next. He doesn’t get confused about what is happening around us. He sees everything and understands it with the perfection that only our Creator can have. Secondly, He is mighty in deed. Trying times make us forget our God is great in power. Scripture is filled with examples of God doing the “impossible." God created the universe out of nothing. God created a nation through a barren couple. God continually delivered His people from their enemies. God sent a perfect Savior who could undo the curse of sin and offer redemption to the world. God has not ceased working in our days. He is still redeeming sinners, answering prayer, and moving in mighty ways.
Life is filled with impossibilities. Sometimes those come to us in situations we can’t figure out, but our God is great in counsel. We can ask for wisdom and He will give it (James 1:5). At other times we face tasks we can’t complete or obstacles we can’t overcome, but our God is mighty indeed. We can ask Him for His help and He has promised to hear us (1 John 5:14-15). Nothing is too difficult for the Lord!
Let me know your thoughts. I’d love to hear your comments below.