August 31st, 2026
Scripture – “Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me: Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth, because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it.’ so I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels of silver. I signed and sealed the deed, had it witnessed, and weighed out the silver on the scales. I took the deed of purchase—the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy— and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, 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. For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’ “See how the siege ramps are built up to take the city. Because of the sword, famine and plague, the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians who are attacking it. What you said has happened, as you now see. And though the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians, you, Sovereign Lord, say to me, ‘Buy the field with silver and have the transaction witnessed.’ ” “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? Once more fields will be bought in this land of which you say, ‘It is a desolate waste, without people or animals, for it has been given into the hands of the Babylonians.’”
Jeremiah 32:6-7, 9-12, 15, 24-25, 27, 43 NIV
Observation – Jeremiah is imprisoned in Jerusalem and the Babylonians are besieging the city and are about to destroy it. God comes to Jeremiah and instructs him to buy land in Jerusalem during this chaotic time. Jeremiah obeys God and buys the land, signs the deed and has it witnessed. Jeremiah questions God, asking him why he would command him to purchase real estate when the city is being destroyed by a foreign army. God responds, “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? Once more fields will be bought in this land of which you say, ‘It is a desolate waste, without people or animals, for it has been given into the hands of the Babylonians.’”
Application – When our kids were little and we told them to do something they often wanted to debate about what we told them to do. We would respond with, “go do what we told you to do and come back and we can talk about it.” Rarely did they want to discuss it afterwards, the goal of their initial reaction was to avoid obedience, they really weren’t interested in our motivation or the validity of the command, just in not doing what we told them to do. Jeremiah does the exact opposite. God commands him to invest his money in real estate when he is in prison and the city, in which the real estate is located, is being destroyed. Jeremiah knows God, he trusts God and because he knows him and trusts him he obeys him and asks questions later, not to avoid the command but to truly understand what God asks him to do.
Prayer – Lord, if we don’t truly know you how can we trust you? Give us motivation and hearts to pursue you everyday so when you speak we can discern if you are talking to us or if we are hearing from someone else or something else. God please give us obedient hearts to carry out your commands immediately so that you are glorified and we are drawn closer to you. Amen.
What are you doing? Do it better 