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Chapter 32:1-15 (ESV) - The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard that was in the palace of the king of Judah. For Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him, saying, “Why do you prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the LORD: Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall capture it; Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face and see him eye to eye. And he shall take Zedekiah to Babylon, and there he shall remain until I visit him, declares the LORD. Though you fight against the Chaldeans, you shall not succeed’?”
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.’ 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.
“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. 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.
Question to consider: Why did the LORD have Jeremiah purchase the plot in Anathoth?
The eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign was right around 586 BC when he besieged Jerusalem. Even then, Zedekiah incarcerated Jeremiah for proclaiming the LORD's word against him saying that the siege would end in his defeat. The word said that Zedekiah would speak with Nebuchadnezzar face to face and see him eye to eye. In the description of the final siege and capture of Zedekiah in 2 Kings 25, the following was said about this encounter, “But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook him in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and they passed sentence on him. They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in chains and took him to Babylon.” (2 Kings 25:5-7)
Even though the end for Zedekiah was sad and tragic, Jeremiah received a hopeful promise from the LORD. His cousin probably wanted to unload his land to get cash and get out of Jerusalem while the getting was good. Seventeen shekels of silver was just a few dollars, but I’m sure there were no other eligible buyers.
The deeds were properly verified and buried in an earthen vessel in order to preserve them. Back in chapter 16, the LORD had said to Jeremiah, “You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons or daughters in this place.” (Jeremiah 16:2) So even though the deeds were being preserved, they were not being kept for Jeremiah’s offspring to receive the land.
This purchase was mainly to offer the LORD’s word of hope that at the end of their time of exile, there would be those who would come back to the land and be able to own their portion once again. Given that the city was overcome with famine and despair and ready to fall, this word was a blessing.
I also believe that it was a personal blessing to Jeremiah to be able to witness this word of the LORD come to pass, because he made note of the fact that his cousin came to him in "accordance with the word of the LORD." Jeremiah reminds me a lot of John the Baptist. He was the son of a priest, proclaimed the word of the LORD to the king and was incarcerated for it, and was given hope in the midst of his persecution and the pending judgment of Jerusalem.
Dear heavenly Father, thank You for giving us hope for a future even when things look bleak, and we deserve to be cast away from You. May this hope continue to draw us back to You in repentance until the day You call us home, or Christ returns in glory. Amen.