Jeremiah 32:6-12: a reflection

6Jeremiah said, “The LORD’s word came to me, saying, 7‘Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you, saying, “Buy my field that is in Anathoth; for the right of redemption is yours to buy it.”’” 8“So Hanamel my uncle’s son came to me in the court of the guard according to the LORD’s word, and said to me, ‘Please buy my field that is in Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin; for the right of inheritance is yours, and the redemption is yours. Buy it for yourself.’ “Then I knew that this was the LORD’s word. 9I bought the field that was in Anathoth of Hanamel my uncle’s son, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver. 10I signed the deed, sealed it, called witnesses, and weighed the money in the balances to him. 11So I took the deed of the purchase, both that which was sealed, containing the terms and conditions, and that which was open; 12and I delivered the deed of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanamel my uncle’s son, and in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of the purchase, before all the Jews who sat in the court of the guard.

As the Babylonian army besieges Jerusalem and its fall seems certain, God tells Jeremiah to do a strange thing: to buy a field, a public act of hope in a future that looked hopeless. Jeremiah buys the field at Anathoth from his cousin, weighs out the money, signs and seals the deed, and has it stored up. I bought the field, Jeremiah says, and weighed him the money, and signed the deed, and sealed it, and called witnesses. To buy land in a country about to be conquered and its people carried into exile made no worldly sense; but Jeremiah did it as a sign of hope, trusting God's promise that one day fields would again be bought in this land, that God would restore his people. This shows an act of hope in the future God promised, even when the present looked hopeless. Jeremiah bought a field as a sign of hope in God's promise. An act of hope, betting on God's future when the present looks hopeless. Jeremiah invested in the future God promised, against all appearances. Hope in God's promise can act even when the present is dark.

Notice the hope embodied in Jeremiah's action. By every worldly calculation, buying a field in a land about to fall to Babylon and be emptied of its people was foolish; the land would be lost, the money wasted. But Jeremiah bought it anyway, carefully, publicly, with deed and witnesses, as a deliberate sign of hope: God had promised that after the exile he would restore his people, that houses and fields would again be bought in this land. Jeremiah staked his action on that promise, investing in a future he could not yet see, against all present appearances. This models a hope that acts. Real hope in God's promises is not merely a feeling; it can shape our actions, leading us to live and act in light of the future God has promised, even when the present looks hopeless. When circumstances are dark and the future seems lost, we can still act in hope, trusting God's promise of restoration, investing in the future he has promised. Hope in God's promise can shape how we act, even in dark times. Real hope acts on God's promised future, against present appearances. We can act in hope when the present looks hopeless, trusting God. Hope invests in the future God has promised.

That is worth taking to heart, for real hope in God's promises can shape how we act, leading us to invest in the future God has promised even when the present looks hopeless, as Jeremiah bought a field in a doomed land. We can let dark present circumstances crush our hope and shape all our actions, acting as though the future were lost; but Jeremiah, though Jerusalem was about to fall, bought a field as a sign of hope in God's promise of restoration. Hope can act. When the present looks hopeless, act in hope, trusting God's promise of a future he will bring. Let real hope in God's promises shape how you act, investing in the future he has promised even when the present looks hopeless, as Jeremiah, while the Babylonian army besieged Jerusalem and its fall seemed certain, obeyed God and bought a field at Anathoth, weighing out the money, signing and sealing the deed, and calling witnesses, as a deliberate sign of hope that God would one day restore his people and fields would again be bought in the land; for we can let dark present circumstances crush our hope and shape all our actions, acting as though the future were lost, but real hope in God's promises is not merely a feeling but can shape our actions, leading us to live and act in light of the future God has promised even against all present appearances, so that when circumstances are dark and the future seems lost we can still act in hope, trusting God's promise of restoration and investing in the future he has promised, as Jeremiah did.

Lord, as the Babylonian army besieges Jerusalem and its fall seems certain, you tell Jeremiah to do a strange thing: to buy a field, a public act of hope in a future that looked hopeless. Jeremiah buys the field at Anathoth from his cousin, weighs out the money, signs and seals the deed, and has it stored up. I bought the field, Jeremiah says, and weighed him the money, and signed the deed, and sealed it, and called witnesses. To buy land in a country about to be conquered and its people carried into exile made no worldly sense; but Jeremiah did it as a sign of hope, trusting your promise that one day fields would again be bought in this land, that you would restore your people. This shows an act of hope in the future you promised, even when the present looked hopeless. Show me the hope embodied in Jeremiah's action. By every worldly calculation, buying a field in a land about to fall was foolish. But Jeremiah bought it anyway, carefully, publicly, as a deliberate sign of hope: you had promised that after the exile you would restore your people. Jeremiah staked his action on that promise, investing in a future he could not yet see, against all present appearances. This models a hope that acts. Real hope in your promises is not merely a feeling; it can shape my actions, leading me to live and act in light of the future you have promised, even when the present looks hopeless. Take that to my heart, for real hope in your promises can shape how I act, investing in the future you have promised even when the present looks hopeless. When the present looks dark and the future seems lost, keep me from letting circumstances crush my hope and shape all my actions as though the future were lost; help me act in hope, Lord, trusting your promise of a future you will bring, as Jeremiah bought a field in a doomed land, investing in the future you have promised.