[278 words]
After reading about Jeremiah, I have no right to complain about my lot in life as a preacher. The fact is, I never had the right to complain (Philippians 2:14). God did not give Jeremiah a choice to be a prophet, and times were very bad for good people (Jer. 1:1-10). His message was not only unpopular; it was viewed as treasonous (Jer. 32:2-5). He was a prisoner because of his unpopular messages.
Then, while he was in prison, while Babylon had already started the siege for the inevitable destruction of Jerusalem, God tells Jeremiah to buy his cousin’s field in their hometown of Anathoth (32:7). This would literally be throwing away your money, like buying bonds from Greece or buying oceanfront property in Arizona.
But Jeremiah did it, because God said so. That is a good enough reason when a person who has the authority tells us to do something, and Jesus called that kind of faith greater than any He saw in Israel (Matt. 8:5-13). By faith, Jeremiah obeyed. He gave the deed to Baruch and told him to put it in an earthen jar so it would last as God commanded. This exemplified that financial transactions and inheritances would resume in Judah in the future (v.15).
Then Jeremiah asked God about the apparent ill timing of such a purchase, but God assured him that his obedience would not be in vain. Judah would be restored (32:16-44). It was great faith on the part of Jeremiah. He never saw its fulfillment. He died in faith, like Abraham (Hebrews 11:8-17).
We are called to have the same kind of faith that pleases God. Let us invest in that home which we do not see…yet.
Highway 5 church of Christ
Benton, AR