Zedekiah and the rulers had not liked Jeremiah’s message
that they would be defeated, and he was left in the prison. A few months after the Babylonians besieged
the city, God sent another prophecy advising tham that they would be defeated,
in Jeremiah 32:1-5. “The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of
Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar. For then the king of Babylon's army besieged
Jerusalem: and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison,
which was in the king of Judah's house.
For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou
prophesy, and say, Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will give this city into the
hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it; And Zedekiah king of Judah
shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be
delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth
to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes; And he shall lead Zedekiah to
Babylon, and there shall he be until I visit him, saith the LORD: though ye
fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper.”
Though they would be defeated and carried away captive, God
directed Jeremiah to buy land to demonstrate that the captivity would not be
forever, in Jeremiah 32:6-15. “And Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD
came unto me, saying, Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall
come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of
redemption is thine to buy it.
So Hanameel mine
uncle's son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the
LORD, and said unto me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which
is in the country of Benjamin: for the right of inheritance is thine, and the
redemption is thine; buy it for thyself.
Then I knew that this
was the word of the LORD. And I bought
the field of Hanameel my uncle's son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the
money, even seventeen shekels of silver.
And I subscribed the evidence, and sealed it, and took witnesses, and
weighed him the money in the balances.
So I took the evidence of the purchase, both that which was sealed
according to the law and custom, and that which was open: And I gave the
evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Maaseiah, in
the sight of Hanameel mine uncle's son, and in the presence of the witnesses
that subscribed the book of the purchase, before all the Jews that sat in the
court of the prison. And I charged
Baruch before them, saying, Thus saith
the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Take these evidences, this evidence of the
purchase, both which is sealed, and this evidence which is open; and put them
in an earthen vessel, that they may continue many days. For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of
Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.”
After learning that they would again return to their land,
Jeremiah took time to praise God, thanking him for his past blessings and the
promise that they would once again possess the land, in Jeremiah 32:16-25. “Now
when I had delivered the evidence of the purchase unto Baruch the son of
Neriah, I prayed unto the LORD, saying, Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the
heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is
nothing too hard for thee: Thou showest lovingkindness unto thousands, and
recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after
them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name, Great in
counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the
sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the
fruit of his doings: Which hast set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt,
even unto this day, and in Israel, and among other men; and hast made thee a
name, as at this day; And hast brought forth thy people Israel out of the land
of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with a
stretched out arm, and with great terror; And hast given them this land, which
thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and
honey; And they came in, and possessed it; but they obeyed not thy voice,
neither walked in thy law; they have done nothing of all that thou commandedst
them to do: therefore thou hast caused all this evil to come upon them: Behold
the mounts, they are come unto the city to take it; and the city is given into
the hand of the Chaldeans, that fight against it, because of the sword, and of
the famine, and of the pestilence: and what thou hast spoken is come to pass;
and, behold, thou seest it. And thou
hast said unto me, O Lord GOD, Buy thee the field for money, and take
witnesses; for the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.”
No comments:
Post a Comment