Peace in the Chaos [Jeremiah 32]
When I was in seminary I had an awesome professor, Dr. Ronald Allen. His outlines were amazing and most of the visuals he provided were pictures taken at biblical sites he had visited. We had two exams in the Old Testament Prophets class that semester that were a significant percentage of our grade. It was the first time in my academic journey that I was introduced to a Blue Book. If you don’t know what that is, let me explain. It was 16 pages of notebook paper with a blue cover that was used to answer the exam question[s]. I actually still have one from March 11, 1999. On that night we were asked to use nothing but a bible [without study notes] to answer this question: What is the meaning of Jeremiah’s buying of property in Jeremiah 32?
Jeremiah’s actions are rather confusing in this passage until the end of the chapter. In this time in history the people of Israel were on the precipice of exile, and the people and leadership were out of control. Zedekiah, the king, sees Jeremiah’s ominous words as treasonous and bad for morale. So, he puts Jeremiah in protective custody where he enjoys a great deal of freedom: “he is able to conduct a business transaction (i.e., the purchase of property), preach, and receive visitors.”1 Jeremiah’s boldness in this season shows the confidence he had that Yahweh would restore His people. His purchase of property in this hopeless season would have had a unique effect on three different audiences:
[1] The remnant of faithful people would be encouraged by Jeremiah’s confidence in Yahweh’s promise to restore His people. [2] Those who had fallen away from the Lord would have seen the faith Jeremiah had in his prophecies, and witnessed his authentic faith in Yahweh. His boldness may have opened the door to their personal spiritual restoration. [3] Those who worshiped other gods than Yahweh witnessed Jeremiah boldly standing on the promise of God’s restoration of His people. The hope would be that his actions would catch their attention in a way that would turn them back to Yahweh.What God said and asked — Jeremiah believed and did. Even though to those around him the purchase of land did not make sense. He was committed to storing the deed somewhere safe so when the prophecy was fulfilled His ministry would continue [even after he died]. What a wonderful picture of Jeremiah’s faithfulness as the prophet of Yahweh!
What was Jeremiah’s response to everything going on around him? He prayed [32:16-25]. Where did Jeremiah get the confidence to be this bold? It was because he knew he was God’s instrument and as His faithful servant the journey would be a roller-coaster ride filled with: encouragement, perplexing moments, disappointing situations, and even some success in drawing people to the Lord. In some excruciating circumstances God used the “weeping prophet” to make a bold statement of faith concerning Yahweh’s judgment in the present and restoration in the future. He trusted God to keep his promises.
42 “For thus says the Lord: Just as I have brought all this great disaster upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good that I promise them. 43 Fields shall be bought in this land of which you are saying, ‘It is a desolation, without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’ 44 Fields shall be bought for money, and deeds shall be signed and sealed and witnessed, in the land of Benjamin, in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negeb; for I will restore their fortunes2, declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 32:38-44
In Jeremiah’s journey we see that he enjoys authentic peace in chaos. In your life, if the peace of God seems hard to engage, I want to encourage you to embrace Paul’s 1st Century life coaching to the people of Philippi [remember these are words he wrote in prison]:
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness [gentleness] be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:4-9
Look at Paul’s roadmap that leads to the presence of the God of peace: finding joy in the Lord, living with a gentle spirit, and praying with purpose and gratitude [even when the stresses of life try to drag us down]. Paul wraps up this section by boldly proclaiming that everything he taught is worthy of being applied to their lives: What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
I will be joining the seminar in heaven with Jeremiah and Paul [and many others] when they describe the peace of God that sustained them when they were incarcerated for their kingdom work. I can imagine it will be a must-see event for all of us.
Merry Christmas!
– Pastor Chuck