Jeremiah 32:26-44
One of the more fruitful aspects of studying Old Testament prophets is the conversational relationship many of them have with God. Often, when a prophet prays or asks questions, God answers. In my walk with God, I may not always hear an audible voice answering me when I pray, but I do have the record of God’s responses to His prophet’s prayers throughout Scripture. In this passage, Jeremiah has wondered what God was up to in having him buy a field that was useless to him and for the foreseeable future. Jeremiah opens his prayer in faith by saying, “Nothing is too hard for you.” (vs. 17) And he closes it with a request for understanding, “Yet you, O Lord God, have said to me, ‘Buy the field…’ though the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans.” (vs. 25)
God answers by beginning where Jeremiah began. He says:
“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?” (vs. 26)
Later, at the end of the prayer, God reiterates to Jeremiah that he will restore the land and bring the exiles back thus making the purchase of the land a fruitful and purposeful act of hope on Jeremiah’s part. But it is the beginning of God’s answer that intrigues me.
Often in Jeremiah’s life he poses direct questions to God and in may of those instances we have God’s response. What is telling about God’s answers to Jeremiah are that he rarely-if ever-directly answers the question. This passage is no exception. Instead of reassuring Jeremiah right up front that Judah will come back from exile and the land will be restored, he asks Jeremiah if he has the faith to leave it in his hands.
Instead of telling Jeremiah exactly when, where and how the exile will end and the land will be restored he essentially tells the prophet, “I can handle it.”
Can I accept that kind of answer from God? Do I have what it takes to press on in life as faithfully as I know how when the resolution to my present need is out there in the unforeseen future? Almost every time God speaks and answers Jeremiah’s prayers for understanding, the gist of the response is that what Jeremiah really needs is faith in God and the strength to persevere. As a follower of Christ I will never have all my questions answered, so what then will be my demeanor toward life? Will I base my relationship with God on blessing and positively answered prayer? Or will I base it on the “rock that is higher than I”? (Ps. 61:2)
In his excellent biography of Oswald Chambers, David McCasland tells a story in which Oswald and his wife, Biddy, visited a sick friend who was close to death. When they returned home, Biddy wondered out-loud about what God would do. Oswald responded, “I don’t care what God does. It’s what God is that I care about.” Oswald’s remark was not intended to be blunt or unfeeling. Instead, it was intended to convey the fact that though God’s actions are sometimes confusing, the Lord himself never is.
I may not always be able to explain God’s timing or actions with regard to my situation, but I can always affirm the truth that with him nothing is impossible. That is the promise and the faith that will sustain me through any and all seasons in life.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
A Prayer For The Confused: Jeremiah 32:16-25
Jeremiah 32:16-25
Jeremiah’s cousin, Hanamel, visited him in prison and sold him a piece of the family farm. Jeremiah, under the prompting of God, obliged and sealed the purchase as legally as he knew how and preserved the documents for future generations. The catch is that the land is useless not only to Jeremiah, but to an entire generation of Judeans who are about to be taken off into exile. So why did God ask Jeremiah to buy the land? That is a good question, and one that Jeremiah now poses to God.
When we come to God in prayer and have something on our mind to ask of him, how do our prayers typically begin? When we have a request of God, what is the content and structure of our prayer? If you are anything like me, those prayers are usually entirely comprised of supplication. Here, however, we have a beautiful example of a prayer from a prophet of God in a time of bewilderment, and in it there is much for us to learn about our prayer lives.
First of all, the final verse of the prayer is Jeremiah’s inquiry. It is posed in the form of an implied question:
“Behold, the siege mounds have come up to the city to take it, and because of sword and famine and pestilence the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What you spoke has come to pass, and behold, you see it. Yet you, O Lord GOD, have said to me, ‘Buy the field for money and get witnesses’--though the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans.” (32:24-25)
We should take note, though, that the request for understanding is the last verse, and only the last verse of the prayer. Here is how Jeremiah begins:
“Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who has made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. You show steadfast love to thousands…” (32:17-18)
For seven verses, Jeremiah extols God, lists his qualities and greatness, and then gets to his request. He begins by noting that God is the creator of the universe. What that means is that God created not only the heavens and the earth, but he created Jeremiah as well and knows his beginning from his end. Then the prophet praises God for his enduring love to all people. Even in the midst of strife and tumult, God loves his people and he loves Jeremiah.
Through the rest of the prayer Jeremiah praises God as all knowing, for being all powerful, and for being the great History Maker. If God was able to arrange the Exodus from Egypt, certainly he can handle this matter of the Babylonians.
When Jeremiah came to God with a request, his prayer was seven parts praise and one part petition. By focusing his prayer time on God’s greatness and goodness, he put his focus on the important thing-on God instead of his confusion. It has been said that good prayer requires good theology. If we do not know who our God is, then to whom do we pray? If our prayers are small and anemic, it might be because our God is small and anemic.
Begin your prayers this week by focusing your attention on God in all his splendor and love, spend time there before you move on to your supplication, and see if it doesn’t change your perspective and maybe even your situation.
Jeremiah’s cousin, Hanamel, visited him in prison and sold him a piece of the family farm. Jeremiah, under the prompting of God, obliged and sealed the purchase as legally as he knew how and preserved the documents for future generations. The catch is that the land is useless not only to Jeremiah, but to an entire generation of Judeans who are about to be taken off into exile. So why did God ask Jeremiah to buy the land? That is a good question, and one that Jeremiah now poses to God.
When we come to God in prayer and have something on our mind to ask of him, how do our prayers typically begin? When we have a request of God, what is the content and structure of our prayer? If you are anything like me, those prayers are usually entirely comprised of supplication. Here, however, we have a beautiful example of a prayer from a prophet of God in a time of bewilderment, and in it there is much for us to learn about our prayer lives.
First of all, the final verse of the prayer is Jeremiah’s inquiry. It is posed in the form of an implied question:
“Behold, the siege mounds have come up to the city to take it, and because of sword and famine and pestilence the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What you spoke has come to pass, and behold, you see it. Yet you, O Lord GOD, have said to me, ‘Buy the field for money and get witnesses’--though the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans.” (32:24-25)
We should take note, though, that the request for understanding is the last verse, and only the last verse of the prayer. Here is how Jeremiah begins:
“Ah, Lord GOD! It is you who has made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. You show steadfast love to thousands…” (32:17-18)
For seven verses, Jeremiah extols God, lists his qualities and greatness, and then gets to his request. He begins by noting that God is the creator of the universe. What that means is that God created not only the heavens and the earth, but he created Jeremiah as well and knows his beginning from his end. Then the prophet praises God for his enduring love to all people. Even in the midst of strife and tumult, God loves his people and he loves Jeremiah.
Through the rest of the prayer Jeremiah praises God as all knowing, for being all powerful, and for being the great History Maker. If God was able to arrange the Exodus from Egypt, certainly he can handle this matter of the Babylonians.
When Jeremiah came to God with a request, his prayer was seven parts praise and one part petition. By focusing his prayer time on God’s greatness and goodness, he put his focus on the important thing-on God instead of his confusion. It has been said that good prayer requires good theology. If we do not know who our God is, then to whom do we pray? If our prayers are small and anemic, it might be because our God is small and anemic.
Begin your prayers this week by focusing your attention on God in all his splendor and love, spend time there before you move on to your supplication, and see if it doesn’t change your perspective and maybe even your situation.
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
An Act of Hope: Jeremiah 32:1-15
Jeremiah 32:1-15
If you know just a handful of stories or verses from Jeremiah, chances are you know a little of this narrative in which Jeremiah buys a field. As the chapter opens, we join Jeremiah “shut up in the court of the guard” (vs. 2)-he was in jail. The story of his inprisonment is detailed in chapters 37 and 38, but in short, he continued to speak God’s word thereby irritating king Zedekiah and receiving the punishment of being thrown into prison.
While there, God visits him and warns him of his visiting cousin, Hanamel, who is on his way to sell Jeremiah a piece of the family’s property.
Though the basic story of chapter 32 is fairly familiar, its impact does not have its full force until we pay attention to the setting of this transaction. First of all, the visitor is a relative. We last saw Jeremiah’s family in chapters 11 and 12 when Jeremiah learns of their plot to kill him, so it is doubtful that Hanamel has come to Jeremiah out of the kindness of his heart-he needs to make a buck and run. Second, the Babylonians are camped on the land Hanamel wants to sell. The family farm is swarming with angry Chaldeans who are killing and capturing Judeans. Thirdly, Jeremiah is keenly away of the coming exile and the 70 year period in which this piece of land is going to be a desolate waste. And finally, Jeremiah is a condemned man in prison. Even if the land is useful, it is doubtful Jeremiah will ever see it and make use of it.
So what does Jeremiah do?
“And I bought the field at Anathoth from Hanamel my cousin, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver.” (vs. 9)
Though this is likely the worst real estate transaction in the OT, Jeremiah buys the field. Another detail is significant. Jeremiah goes through the entire legal rigor necessary for this kind of contract and gives the documents to Baruch to be preserved. Why does Jeremiah buy the field and why does he preserve the documents? The answers are the message.
“For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought on this land.” (vs. 15)
Jeremiah does not buy the land for its immediate promise or investment potential, but in faith hoping in God’s word that the land will again be populated and fruitful. Jeremiah believed God was powerful enough to accomplish His word and he acted on it. This transaction literally makes no sense unless you truly believe the word of God.
In commenting on this story, Eugene Peterson said that Christian hope is an act. If we hope in God, the actions of our lives-the insignificant and the significant-will reflect our hope that God will accomplish His word. Jeremiah’s act of hope was for his fellow Judean prisoners (vs. 12), his future descendants who would again settle on this very piece of property, and for us who need to learn what it means to live a life of hope in God.
One of my favorite quotes goes like this, “Live your life in such a way that it makes no sense apart from the existence of God.” Jeremiah’s purchase of the land makes absolutely no sense unless God exists and is able to fulfill His promises to His people.
Does my life reflect that kind of hope? Is it the case that the only way to explain my life and my choices is to conclude that God exists and that He is faithful?
If you know just a handful of stories or verses from Jeremiah, chances are you know a little of this narrative in which Jeremiah buys a field. As the chapter opens, we join Jeremiah “shut up in the court of the guard” (vs. 2)-he was in jail. The story of his inprisonment is detailed in chapters 37 and 38, but in short, he continued to speak God’s word thereby irritating king Zedekiah and receiving the punishment of being thrown into prison.
While there, God visits him and warns him of his visiting cousin, Hanamel, who is on his way to sell Jeremiah a piece of the family’s property.
Though the basic story of chapter 32 is fairly familiar, its impact does not have its full force until we pay attention to the setting of this transaction. First of all, the visitor is a relative. We last saw Jeremiah’s family in chapters 11 and 12 when Jeremiah learns of their plot to kill him, so it is doubtful that Hanamel has come to Jeremiah out of the kindness of his heart-he needs to make a buck and run. Second, the Babylonians are camped on the land Hanamel wants to sell. The family farm is swarming with angry Chaldeans who are killing and capturing Judeans. Thirdly, Jeremiah is keenly away of the coming exile and the 70 year period in which this piece of land is going to be a desolate waste. And finally, Jeremiah is a condemned man in prison. Even if the land is useful, it is doubtful Jeremiah will ever see it and make use of it.
So what does Jeremiah do?
“And I bought the field at Anathoth from Hanamel my cousin, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver.” (vs. 9)
Though this is likely the worst real estate transaction in the OT, Jeremiah buys the field. Another detail is significant. Jeremiah goes through the entire legal rigor necessary for this kind of contract and gives the documents to Baruch to be preserved. Why does Jeremiah buy the field and why does he preserve the documents? The answers are the message.
“For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought on this land.” (vs. 15)
Jeremiah does not buy the land for its immediate promise or investment potential, but in faith hoping in God’s word that the land will again be populated and fruitful. Jeremiah believed God was powerful enough to accomplish His word and he acted on it. This transaction literally makes no sense unless you truly believe the word of God.
In commenting on this story, Eugene Peterson said that Christian hope is an act. If we hope in God, the actions of our lives-the insignificant and the significant-will reflect our hope that God will accomplish His word. Jeremiah’s act of hope was for his fellow Judean prisoners (vs. 12), his future descendants who would again settle on this very piece of property, and for us who need to learn what it means to live a life of hope in God.
One of my favorite quotes goes like this, “Live your life in such a way that it makes no sense apart from the existence of God.” Jeremiah’s purchase of the land makes absolutely no sense unless God exists and is able to fulfill His promises to His people.
Does my life reflect that kind of hope? Is it the case that the only way to explain my life and my choices is to conclude that God exists and that He is faithful?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)