Expert: Pastor Don Carpenter - 5/11/2009

Question
Would you please help me understand this passage?
Thank you

Answer
Hi Racine,

Thank you for this question.  I am sorry about this late response.  It is very difficult for me to give you a complete response for time sake...  I have taken the liberty to paste some information from a reliable commentary that I use on that passage.  I hope that it will help you.


Jeremiah’s faith in the restoration. 32:1–44.

Chapter 32 provides a tangible demonstration of Jeremiah’s faith in God’s promise to restore His people. The final siege of Jerusalem was well under way. Anathoth, the birthplace of Jeremiah, had already fallen to the Babylonians. While imprisoned in the house of the king, Jeremiah purchased a piece of property in Anathoth from his opportunist cousin, Hanameel. Because of the desperate plight of the nation, the purchase of a piece of property, now in enemy hands, would have been absolutely foolish. However, Jeremiah’s action in purchasing the property was a clear demonstration to all of his faith in the promised restoration
32:1–2. Tenth year. The siege began in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign (39:1). Except for a short reprieve from the Egyptian forces (37:5), the siege lasted for eighteen months into the tenth year of Zedekiah when Jerusalem finally fell.
3–15. Parenthetically, verses 3–5 are an explanation as to why Jeremiah was imprisoned. Right of redemption. The law of redemption (Lev 25:23–28) granted that a near relative could redeem property under certain conditions and thus keep it in the family. Weighed him the money. Before coinage was introduced (sixth century b.c.), money was weighed in silver and gold (cf. Gen 23:16). Seventeen shekels. The actual value is unknown. Proper legal procedures were followed, consisting of a signed deed (subscribed the evidence) and witnesses. From the Jewish military colony in Elephantine (495 b.c.), an island in the Nile, we have learned that duplicate deeds were written on papyrus. One copy was rolled up and sealed to prevent tampering, while the other was left open for easy reference (see D. W. Thomas, p. 256ff.).
Baruch. This is the first mention of Jeremiah’s faithful amanuensis who was responsible for preparing the documents under the prophet’s direction. Earthen vessel. Valuable documents were commonly placed in pottery jars. Many of the Dead Sea scrolls, as well as papyri from Elephantine, were preserved in earthenware. Pitch was generally used to seal the jars. Once the land was repopulated, these sealed deeds would allow the rightful owner to reclaim the family patrimony. This is a key to the understanding of the vision of the seven-sealed book in Revelation. This title-deed to the world remains sealed until the rightful owner, the Lord Jesus Christ, claims His inheritance.
16–25. Jeremiah had second thoughts after the purchase and responded with a prayer of doubt and anguish of spirit. The prophet cannot understand why God would ask him to purchase the property with the immediate destruction of the city in sight. Yet, nothing is too hard for God (cf. vs. 17); and Jeremiah’s obedience and faith is an example for us to follow in similar circumstances.
26–44. God replied, using Jeremiah’s own words (vs. 27 cf. vs. 17). God comforted His prophet by reassuring him that although the city will be destroyed there will one day be a restoration. Abominations: Idols. Pagan gods were inhabiting the Temple (see 7:30 note). High places … Molech (see 7:31 note).

c.    Prophecy of the Davidic kingdom. 33:1–26.

33:1. Verse 1 indicates that this is a continuation of the prophecy given to Jeremiah while he was shut up in the court of the prison. Jerusalem will be rebuilt and will be ruled by a righteous king.
2–13. The maker thereof means the Maker of the Earth. God here pledges the unchanging faithfulness of His being for the fulfillment of His promises to His people. Mighty. Inaccessible, hidden. The mysteries of eternity are available to the believer only through a call unto the Lord. Thrown down by the mounts. During the siege, the buildings near the city walls were torn down in order to provide more space for defense by the soldiers. It. Jerusalem. Praise the Lord. The liturgical formula of praise used in the Temple (Ps 135:1) will once again be upon the lips of Israel. Return the captivity of the land. Return to the land. Shepherds … flocks. Imagery of peace, rather than war and devastation. Vale. The Shephelah, the low hills and valleys between the coastal plains and the Judean hill country. South. The Negev (see 17:26 note).
14–18. The question of how God will accomplish His promise is answered in these verses. He will raise up a Branch of righteousness of the line of David, a King who will reign in righteousness. Some years earlier, a similar message had been given identifying the King as Yahweh Tsidqeµnuµ, Jehovah our Righteousness. The Lord our righteousness. The righteous rule of a righteous king will bring about a righteous city. Of the twenty Davidic kings who reigned over Judah from David to the captivity, most of them were evil and unworthy of the name of David. In chapters 22 and 23 Jeremiah had bitterly indicted the family line. However, now he prophesies that one great King would come and reign in righteousness. With Jeremiah, we still look forward to that righteous reign of the Righteous Branch of David, the Lord Jesus Christ.


Jerry Falwell, executive editor; Edward E. Hinson and Michael Kroll Woodrow, general editors, KJV Bible commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1994.

In Christ
Pastor Don