Exploring the Text: Promises of hope
For Israel, and for Jeremiah, things do not look good. Jeremiah has been prophesying God's coming judgment and has now been jailed for it. Things are not going well for the nation as a whole and everything is starting to look hopeless. It is in this situation that Jeremiah gets a message from God telling him to purchase a piece of property. Sure enough, shortly after getting the message, his cousin comes to him and presents the opportunity to purchase the property. Jeremiah recognizes that this is indeed a God given opportunity, so he purchases the property and instructs that the deed be put someplace safe so it can be found when needed.
At first glance it seems strange that this whole transaction is recorded and takes up so much space. The reason for it is found in verse 15. While it seems like everything is going downhill and that there is no hope, this is an act of investment in the future. Jeremiah, and all of Israel for that matter, may be looking at their current circumstances and thinking that there is not hope for the future, but God sees differently. Jeremiah's purchase of the property is an act of faith that Israel will be restored, that there will be a future, that there is hope.
Sometimes we may get too focused on our current circumstances and feel like nothing will every change. Jeremiah reminds us that there is hope for the future, God does restore, and we can depend on him, even enough to buy when everyone else is selling.
David W. Dalton
For Israel, and for Jeremiah, things do not look good. Jeremiah has been prophesying God's coming judgment and has now been jailed for it. Things are not going well for the nation as a whole and everything is starting to look hopeless. It is in this situation that Jeremiah gets a message from God telling him to purchase a piece of property. Sure enough, shortly after getting the message, his cousin comes to him and presents the opportunity to purchase the property. Jeremiah recognizes that this is indeed a God given opportunity, so he purchases the property and instructs that the deed be put someplace safe so it can be found when needed.
At first glance it seems strange that this whole transaction is recorded and takes up so much space. The reason for it is found in verse 15. While it seems like everything is going downhill and that there is no hope, this is an act of investment in the future. Jeremiah, and all of Israel for that matter, may be looking at their current circumstances and thinking that there is not hope for the future, but God sees differently. Jeremiah's purchase of the property is an act of faith that Israel will be restored, that there will be a future, that there is hope.
Sometimes we may get too focused on our current circumstances and feel like nothing will every change. Jeremiah reminds us that there is hope for the future, God does restore, and we can depend on him, even enough to buy when everyone else is selling.
David W. Dalton