When God Tells You to Buy Real Estate During a War
What’s Jeremiah 32 about?
While enemy armies surround Jerusalem and the prophet sits in prison, God tells Jeremiah to buy a piece of family land. It’s the ultimate act of faith – investing in a future that seems impossible when everything around you is falling apart.
The Full Context
Picture this: it’s 587 BC, and Jerusalem is under siege. The Babylonian army has the city surrounded, people are starving, and everyone knows the end is near. In the middle of this nightmare, the prophet Jeremiah sits in the courtyard of the guard – essentially under house arrest because King Zedekiah didn’t like his prophecies about the city’s doom. This is when God decides it’s the perfect time for a real estate transaction.
The backdrop here is crucial. Jeremiah had been faithfully delivering God’s hard truths for decades – that Judah’s rebellion against God would lead to exile in Babylon. The people hated these messages, the kings ignored them, and now the inevitable was happening. But Jeremiah 32 isn’t just about judgment – it’s about hope beyond the horizon. This chapter sits at a pivotal moment in Jeremiah’s ministry, where God shifts from promises of destruction to promises of restoration. The land purchase becomes a prophetic symbol that speaks louder than words: God isn’t done with His people or His promises.
What the Ancient Words Tell Us
The Hebrew word qanah (to buy/acquire) appears repeatedly in this chapter, but it carries deeper meaning than our modern “purchase.” In ancient Near Eastern culture, land wasn’t just property – it was identity, legacy, and covenant promise all rolled into one. When Jeremiah’s cousin Hanamel shows up offering to sell the family field in Anathoth, he’s not just making a business deal. He’s invoking the ancient law of redemption from Leviticus 25:25, where the nearest relative has the right and responsibility to buy back family land.
Grammar Geeks
The phrase “the right of redemption is yours” uses the Hebrew go’el, the same word used for a kinsman-redeemer. This isn’t just about property rights – it’s about family obligation and covenant faithfulness. Jeremiah becomes a living picture of what God does for His people.
Here’s what makes this wild: Anathoth was probably already under Babylonian control. Jeremiah was essentially buying land he couldn’t visit, in a country about to be emptied of its people, with money he might never see again. The transaction itself follows proper legal procedures – witnesses, sealed documents, the works – but it’s happening in the most impractical circumstances imaginable.
What Would the Original Audience Have Heard?
To Judeans watching their world collapse, Jeremiah’s land purchase would have seemed either completely insane or incredibly hopeful. Ancient Near Eastern people understood that when empires conquered territory, the old property laws became worthless. Your deed meant nothing if the new rulers decided to redistribute the land.
But covenant-minded Israelites would have caught something deeper. God had promised Abraham that his descendants would possess the land forever (Genesis 17:8). Even though judgment was coming, God was having His prophet literally put money where his mouth was – investing in the promise that “houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land” (Jeremiah 32:15).
Did You Know?
Archaeological discoveries show that property deeds in ancient Mesopotamia were often stored in clay jars for long-term preservation, exactly like Jeremiah does in verse 14. This wasn’t unusual – what was unusual was storing deeds for land you expected to be uninhabitable for 70 years.
The weight of this moment would have been palpable. Here was a prophet who had correctly predicted every disaster that was now unfolding, and he was betting his inheritance on God’s promises of restoration. For people losing everything, this was either the actions of a madman or the faith of someone who truly knew God’s heart.
Wrestling with the Text
After making this purchase, even Jeremiah seems to have second thoughts. His prayer in verses 17-25 is fascinating – he starts by affirming God’s power and faithfulness, recounts Israel’s history, acknowledges the current judgment is deserved, and then basically says, “But God… about this land purchase… that was really Your idea, right?”
There’s something beautifully human about this moment. Jeremiah had enough faith to obey, but apparently not enough to avoid wondering if he’d heard correctly. The prophet who had stood fearlessly before kings and delivered unpopular messages for decades suddenly sounds like he’s second-guessing himself.
Wait, That’s Strange…
Notice that Jeremiah doesn’t question God’s command until after he’s obeyed it. Sometimes faith means acting on what God has said even when circumstances make it look foolish – and processing the doubt afterwards.
God’s response starting in verse 26 is remarkable. Instead of rebuking Jeremiah for his uncertainty, God patiently explains the bigger picture. Yes, judgment is coming because of persistent rebellion. But beyond that judgment lies restoration, return, and renewal. The land purchase isn’t just about real estate – it’s about God’s unchanging character and unbreakable promises.
How This Changes Everything
This chapter revolutionizes how we think about faith in dark times. Jeremiah’s land purchase becomes a masterclass in hope that looks beyond immediate circumstances to God’s ultimate purposes. It’s not naive optimism that ignores reality – Jeremiah acknowledges the coming destruction. But it’s faith that acts on God’s promises even when they seem impossible.
The theological implications are staggering. God doesn’t just promise to restore His people after exile – He has His prophet invest in that future. Every time Jeremiah looked at that deed stored safely in a clay jar, he had tangible evidence of God’s commitment to bring His people home.
“Sometimes the most radical act of faith is making plans for a future you can’t yet see.”
For us, this means faith sometimes looks like planning for God’s promises even when present circumstances argue against them. It means living with one foot in current reality and one foot in God’s assured future. It means that hope isn’t just an emotion – it’s an investment.
Key Takeaway
True faith doesn’t ignore present difficulties but invests in God’s promised future. Sometimes the most profound act of worship is making practical preparations for what God says is coming, even when it seems impossible from where you’re standing.
Further Reading
Internal Links:
External Scholarly Resources:
- Jeremiah: A Commentary (Old Testament Library) by R.E. Clements
- The Book of Jeremiah (NICOT) by J.A. Thompson
- Jeremiah 26-52 (Word Biblical Commentary) by Gerald L. Keown
Tags
Jeremiah 32:15, Jeremiah 32:27, Jeremiah 32:1-44, Faith, Hope, Covenant faithfulness, Divine promises, Exile and restoration, Babylonian siege, Property redemption, Prophetic symbolism, Trust in God’s timing
