THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION

Jeremiah: Prophet Of Judgment Followed By Blessing

Part LIX: God's Restoration Of Israel And Judah Illustrated, Jeremiah 32:1-44

B. God's Encouragement To His Servants In Hard, Confusing Times

(Jeremiah 32:16-44)

I. Introduction

A. When God's people face hard times, be they trials due to punishment for sin or persecution for the sake of righteousness, the Lord knows they need to be encouraged, so He provides it.

B. After predicting Judah's captivity and God had Jeremiah illustrate the nation's restoration by buying a field, due to the hardship he faced and its resulting confusion, Jeremiah had second thoughts about buying the field.

C. God addressed Jeremiah in this difficult time with edifying insight, what instructs us today (as follows):

II. God's Encouragement To His Servants In Hard, Confusing Times, Jeremiah 32:16-44.

A. After Jeremiah had made his field purchase in Jeremiah 32:1-15, the trauma of seeing the Babylonian army's siege ramps already being erected against Jerusalem's walls for the enemy to invade his city left Jeremiah feeling stressed and confused about the wisdom of his recent land purchase, Jeremiah 32:16-25:

1. Beginning his prayer by respectfully focusing on God's greatness, Jeremiah noted that God's creation of the universe had shown that nothing was too hard for Him, Jeremiah 32:16-17.

2. Jeremiah noted that God was also loving and righteous, that He observed all the ways of all men and would sovereignly reward every man according to his work, be it good or evil, Jeremiah 32:18-19.

3. Jeremiah recalled how God's character had been displayed in delivering Israel from Egypt with mighty miracles to bring her into the Promised Land, but that once in the land, the nation had failed to obey the Lord so that He had brought upon them the calamity of the Babylonian invasion, Jeremiah 32:20-24.

4. Then, astoundingly to Jeremiah, God had led him to buy the field when the Babylonian army was about to invade the city of Jerusalem where he dwelt, what seemed humanly illogical to Jeremiah, Jeremiah 32:25.

5. It does not seem likely that Jeremiah doubted the ability of God to give him the field, for he had already clarified that nothing was too hard for the Lord, Jeremiah 32:17. It is thus likely that "Jeremiah was expressing in verses 24-25 his bewilderment over how God would accomplish this restoration rather than doubting if God would accomplish it," Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 1174. The stress of the threatening invasion of the city left Jeremiah's mind reeling about the logic of buying the field!

B. God's answer repeated the content of the messages He had already given Jeremiah to give to the people, but this time, God applied the message to Jeremiah himself for his insight and edification, Jeremiah 32:26-44:

1. In responding to his confusion, the Lord reminded Jeremiah of his own claim back in Jeremiah 32:17 that nothing was too hard for Him, Jer. 32:26-27. God used Jeremiah's own words to direct him!

2. The Lord then repeated a truth Jeremiah himself had taught in Jeremiah 19:13, that God was about to give Jerusalem into the hands of the Babylonians fittingly to set fire to the houses on whose roofs the people had burned incense to Baal and poured out libations to other gods, angering the Lord, Jer. 32:28-29.

3. Accordingly, the Lord further described the abominable things the people of Jerusalem had done in rebellion against the Lord, further cause for Him to destroy the city in judgment, Jeremiah 32:30-35.

4. Nevertheless, even Jerusalem that Jeremiah had predicted would be delivered to the Babylonians with the sword, famine and disease slaying many of his countrymen (Jer. 32:36), even this city would be rebuilt as God gathered His people out of captivity to return them to the land to dwell in peace, blessing and righteousness, Jer. 32:37. Just as Jeremiah himself had predicted in Jeremiah 31:27-40, God would give the nation a new heart to revere Him, making an everlasting covenant with them that He might receive them back as His own, rejoicing over them and blessing them with the buying of fields again, v. 38-44.

5. In verse 43, God's reference to Jeremiah as "you" is emphatic, matching Jeremiah's emphatic "You" used of God in verse 25, Kittel, Bib. Heb., p. 766, 768: God met Jeremiah's question about buying the field in the invasion (v. 25) with God's critique of Jeremiah's doubt of His Word caused by the invasion (v. 43)!

Lesson: When the stress of the Babylonian invasion tempted Jeremiah to have second thoughts about buying the field God had him buy, the Lord reminded him of the words Jeremiah himself had taught, for those words were also for him! Under duress, Jeremiah was to shift his focus from his human viewpoint to trust God's Word.

Application: In times of duress and a weak faith, God wants His servants to apply His Word to their OWN lives!