October 18

Jeremiah 31:27-32:44

Jeremiah buys a field. If a person read only this sentence, they might think, “ Good for Jeremiah. I hope he gets a good return on his investment.” If a historian or Biblical scholar read this passage, based on their familiarity with the state of Israel, they might assert that Jeremiah was a fool. However, if you read the Scripture passage posted right before this sentence, you would not only be familiar with the state of Israel at the time of this writing, but you would also know that Jeremiah was simply obeying the word of the Lord.

I think you and I can both agree that in the natural realm, Jeremiah buying a field was not what would be considered a wise monetary investment. As you recall, Jeremiah and his people were about to be carried away and their land completely destroyed. This would include the field that Jeremiah purchased. When I read this story, I wondered (as everyone did) why God would ever ask Jeremiah to purchase a plot of land that he would never be able to cultivate or even occupy. I mean, if I were an Israelite living at that time, I would probably try to sell all of the land I owned! Isn’t that what Jeremiah’s nephew was doing? I’m sure that those who knew him thought it a bit strange, even for Jeremiah. After all, they were preparing for what was to come-exile. But not Jeremiah, he was buying a field.

This story stirs my heart and increases my faith the more that I meditate on it. We know that even Jeremiah wrestled with God’s command and didn’t understand why He would make such an insane request. This is demonstrated clearly by the fact that the verses immediately following Jeremiah’s purchase describe him crying out to God for understanding in the matter.
Jeremiah’s obedience was his investment in what Israel saw as lost forever. Why invest in what you will never fully possess? Jeremiah’s obedience was birthed out of his unwavering faith in God’s promise. The promise of complete possession and restoration of the land. Jeremiah’s “foolishness” was a reminder to those who had lost sight of God’s original design for His people. When Israel was preparing to leave the land, Jeremiah was preparing to return. You might conclude that only a prophet could have such earth-shaking faith. I say only a visionary could. Only seeing through God’s eyes enables us give out of our lack because we see the eternal dividends of our obedience.

In Him, Lauryn