Day 612: Promise made, promise kept - Jeremiah 32 vs 6 - 15

6-7 Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me: Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum your uncle will come to you and say, ‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.’ 8 Then Hanamel my cousin came to me in the court of the guard, in accordance with the word of the Lord, and said to me, ‘Buy my field that is at Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, for the right of possession and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.’ Then I knew that this was the word of the Lord.

9-12 “And I bought the field at Anathoth from Hanamel my cousin, and weighed out the money to him, seventeen shekels of silver. I signed the deed, sealed it, got witnesses, and  weighed the money on scales. Then I took the sealed deed of purchase, containing the terms and conditions and the open copy. And I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanamel my cousin, in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, and in the presence of all the Judeans who were sitting in the court of the guard. 

13-15 I charged Baruch in their presence, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware vessel, that they may last for a long time. For thus says the  Lord  of hosts, the God of Israel: Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.’ Jeremiah 32:6-15 (English Standard Version)

Jeremiah had been placed under arrest because he had told King Zedekiah that the Babylonians were going to capture and destroy the city of Jerusalem. But his arrest didn't prevent God from still giving him a message for the nation. The message was in the form of a visual aid. Jeremiah was to redeem some land of a relative and do all the necessary requirements. Verses 9-12 show just how carefully Jeremiah obeyed God's instructions and did all the legal work needed in those days for such a purchase of land.

What was the purpose of this act and why were the documents placed in an earthenware jar? (vs 13-15)

It was a pledge from the Lord that after 70 years of exile they would return to their homeland and buy and sell homes again. Jerusalem would be lived in once more. Nowadays we have what are called 'time capsules'. They are collections of items that were stored in safe containers to be opened in the future. The earthenware jar served a similar purpose. Many of the famous 'Dead Sea Scrolls' which were discovered in the 1940's were preserved for over 1000 years in similar earthenware pots.

God has done something similar, but even more wonderful, through Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul said that all those who had believed on Christ “were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it.” (Ephesians 1:13-14) And in another place he writes: “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.” (2 Corinthians 1:20)

And then we have the apostle Peter's words when he wrote: “In God's great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you who, through faith, are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:3-5)

God has pledged to save those who believe on His beloved Son. His pledge will be fulfilled!