I knew that this was the word of the Lord; so I bought the field. Jeremiah 32:8–9
In 1929, as the US economy crashed, millions of people lost everything. But not Floyd Odlum. As everyone else panicked and sold their stocks at cut-rate prices, Odlum appeared to foolishly jump in and purchase stocks just as the nation’s future disintegrated. But Odlum’s “foolish” perspective paid off, yielding robust investments that endured for decades.
God told Jeremiah to make what seemed like an absolutely ludicrous investment: “Buy [the] field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin” (Jeremiah 32:8). This was no time to be buying fields, however. The entire country was on the verge of being ransacked. “The army of the king of Babylon was . . . besieging Jerusalem” (v. 2), and whatever field Jeremiah purchased would soon be Babylon’s. What fool makes an investment when everything would soon be lost?
Well, the person who’s listening to God—the One who intended a future no one else could envision. “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land” (v. 15). God saw more than the ruin. God promised to bring redemption, healing, and restoration. A ludicrous investment in a relationship or service for God isn’t foolish—it’s the wisest possible move when God leads us to make it (and it’s essential that we prayerfully seek to know He’s behind the instruction). A “foolish” investment in others as God leads makes all the sense in the world.
Read: Jeremiah 32:6-15 (NIV)
6 Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me:
7 Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth,q because as nearest relative it is your right and dutyr to buy it.’
8 “Then, just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, ‘Buy my fields at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.’
“I knew that this was the word of the Lord;
9 so I bought the fieldt at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekelsb of silver.u
10 I signed and sealed the deed,v had it witnessed,w and weighed out the silver on the scales.
11 I took the deed of purchase—the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy—
12 and I gave this deed to Baruchx son of Neriah,y the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.
13 “In their presence I gave Baruch these instructions:
14 ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Take these documents, both the sealedz and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time.
15 For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’a
INSIGHT
- Where do you sense God asking you to make a ludicrous investment in someone or something?
- How will this step require you to trust God in ways that appear foolish?
One of the main features in the book of Jeremiah is that the prophet primarily records the message God is giving directly to His people. This was the main role of a prophet, for prophets stood before the people to represent God and His purposes to the nation. In Jeremiah’s writings, this is clearly evidenced in that the phrase “thus saith the Lord” (kjv) appears no fewer than 147 times in this book! That’s 147 of the 431 times that phrase appears in the entire Old Testament. Clearly, Jeremiah was committed to communicating God’s message to His people.
PRAYER
God, it’s a good thing You see the future because sometimes all I see is ruin and disaster. Show me where to go, where to give my life. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen!!
Read: Jeremiah 32:6-15 (NIV) | Bible in a Year: Genesis 31-32; Matthew 9:18-38
