Then Hanamel my uncle’s son came to me in the court of the prison according to the word of the LORD, and said to me, “‘Please buy my field that is in Anathoth, which is in the country of Benjamin; . . . then I knew that this was the word of the LORD. So I bought the field from Hanamel the son of my uncle who was in Anathoth” Jeremiah 32: 8a, 9a, NKJV.
Dear God of our Salvation, please give us the faith that we need to take You at Your Word, and just do what You tell us to do, whether we understand Your command or not. This we ask in the Holy Name of Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Who would ever have believed that this famous slogan/trademark was inspired by the last words of the notorious “spree-killer” Gary Gilmore, just before a firing squad executed him in Utah in 1977! Today I want to take this phrase and baptize it with new meaning. I want to make it an utterance of faith. God’s Word can be trusted. If He asks you to do something – just do it!
Our Scripture reading is taken from an era in Israel’s history when God’s people were facing Babylonian captivity. God had revealed to His prophet the entire scenario. Because he had declared the prophecy to Zedekiah, king of Judah, the king had him put in prison. It is while he is in prison that his cousin visits him and asks him to purchase the field!
This chapter is rife with messages of faith! Being in prison for declaring the Word of the LORD must have been a most discouraging experience for the prophet. When we do wrong – even we know that wrong brings its own punishment; so we brace ourselves and accept it. But when you are trying to do your best, and you suffer, unless you are rooted and grounded in the Lord, the foundation beneath your feet could shake a bit. It is then that we must call to mind the “way the Lord has led us in the past.” That is why journaling is such a wonderful practice. It serves as a buffer against future discouragement.
Jeremiah would have had good reason to say to his cousin why should I purchase a piece of land that is going to lay waste? Have you not heard that we are going into captivity? Is that the reason you are trying to get rid of it? That kind of reasoning would have been considered logical from a human perspective. But Jeremiah knew that captivity was only a part of the picture. For the prophecy also spoke of redemption! Hallelujah! God’s messages are always two-fold:
“‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ” ‘ “Take these deeds, both this purchase deed which is sealed and this deed which is open, and put them in an earthen vessel, that they may last many days.” ‘ ” For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ” ‘ “Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land” ‘ ” (14, 15).
Even then Jeremiah could have reasoned: if this captivity is going to last seventy years, I have no guarantee that I will live long enough to enjoy my investment. Instead, because the prophet knew that “this was the word of the LORD” he simply – did it!
We could learn some valuable lessons from this “weeping prophet”!