Day 619: Doing the impossible - Jeremiah 32 vs 16 - 25

16-17 “After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord, saying: ‘Ah, Lord God! It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you.  18-19 You show steadfast love to thousands, but you repay the guilt of fathers to their children after them, O great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord of hosts, great in counsel and  mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of man, rewarding each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds. 

20-22 You have shown signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and to this day in Israel and among all mankind, and have made a name for yourself, as at this day. You brought your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and outstretched arm, and with great terror. And you gave them this land, which you swore to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey. And they entered and took possession of it. 

23-24 But they did not obey your voice or walk in your law. They did nothing of all you commanded them to do. Therefore you have made all this disaster come upon them.  Behold, the siege mounds have come up to the city to take it, and because of sword and famine and pestilence the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What you spoke has come to pass, and behold, you see it. 25 Yet you, O Lord  God, have said to me, “Buy the field for money and get witnesses”- though the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans.’” Jeremiah 32:16-25 (English Standard Version)

Verse 25 may imply that Jeremiah was puzzled by God's instruction to buy some land and store the deed of sale documents in an earthenware pot. If so, why would he have been puzzled?

He knew Jerusalem was about to be destroyed by the army of King Nebuchadnezzar, so what was the point of buying land? In vs 23-24 he shows he even knew WHY God was giving the city up to destruction. Despite the miraculous way God had given Israel a country of their own (as described in vs 20-22) they had not stayed faithful to Him. They had not taken His laws to heart. So was it possible that there could yet be a happy outcome, and people would once again buy land?

The Bible shows that Jeremiah wasn't the only one to be puzzled at how God would make His promises come to pass. The prophet Isaiah once exclaimed: “Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? (Isaiah 66:8) A man in the New Testament named Nicodemus was puzzled at how people can be 'born again' when they are old. Some Christians in Corinth were sceptical about our bodies being raised again. Can God do such a thing? So how did Jeremiah deal with questions that arose in his mind regarding things that seemed impossible? (vs 16-17)

He reminded himself of the God he was serving. If God made the heavens and earth – then surely there is nothing that is too hard for Him! That's a truth we need to remind ourselves of often. All of creation is a daily display of God's awesome power. The one who brings life back to a land that had been parched with famine is well able to bring new life to people who've been broken by sin. Jeremiah remembered that he was serving 'a great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord of hosts, and who is great in counsel and  mighty in deed!' (vs 19) Do we view God in that way?

But, knowing how mighty God is doesn't mean we can therefore live recklessly, and do as we choose. Look again at what else Jeremiah said of God in vs 18-19.

It's not too hard for God to see the life of each and every person who has ever lived! That seems impossible. But the God who knows every star in the universes He made is surely able to know what you and I have done with our lives. That should motivate us to want to live each day of our life in a manner that is pleasing to Him. May He make it possible for us to do that.