In the face of destruction and exile, God speaks of the future for His people. Jeremiah 32
God’s future for you and I may be very different from the outward circumstances of our lives at the present time!
Jerusalem was under siege and Jeremiah the prophet was a prisoner in the courtyard of the guard. Jeremiah 32:2
6 Jeremiah said, ‘The word of the Lord came to me: 7 Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, “Buy my field at Anathoth, because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it.”
8 ‘Then, JUST AS THE LORD HAD SAID, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, “Buy my field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.”
‘I KNEW (CIRCUMSTANCES CONFIRMED) THAT THIS WAS THE WORD OF THE LORD; 9 so I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels of silver.
In the midst of national chaos (similar to today) God was speaking of the future of His people and it was witnessed by the Jews present.
10 I signed and sealed the deed, had it witnessed, and weighed out the silver on the scales. 11 I took the deed of purchase – the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy – 12 and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, (first mention of this scribe who served Jeremiah) the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.
Jeremiah carried out a Prophetic Action on the Lord’s instruction, he demonstrated God’s will to give Judah a future after they’d gone through the exile in Babylon.
13 ‘In their presence I gave Baruch these instructions: 14 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: take these documents, both the sealed and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and PUT THEM IN A CLAY JAR SO THAT THEY WILL LAST A LONG TIME. (They would be needed in the future) 15 For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: HOUSES, FIELDS AND VINEYARDS WILL AGAIN BE BOUGHT IN THIS LAND.”
The discovery of the Qumrân scrolls (also coins and pottery) in clay jars inside caves in the middle of the last century was a modern day example of how ancient documents could be stored. The significance of this find which contained a copy of the whole Book of Isaiah, a thousand years older than any scroll in existence and it was a very close match to our scripture today. God confirmed the accuracy of His Word, which is under such attack today!
God said He would bring His people back to the land and plant them in it. We cannot afford to let circumstances dictate our future, God has His plans and they will be fulfilled. He is a good and faithful God to us, His children.
God bless and keep you today.