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Bible story · Jeremiah 32:1–27
Buying a Field in a War Zone
Read it yourself in the King James Bible: Jeremiah 32:1–27 ↗
“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?”
Jeremiah 32:27 (KJV)The Story
The Babylonian army had Jerusalem surrounded. The city was days from falling, and everyone knew it. The prophet Jeremiah was locked up in the palace guardhouse, arrested by King Zedekiah for warning that Babylon would win.
Then God told Jeremiah something strange: your cousin Hanameel is coming to ask you to buy his field in Anathoth. Sure enough, Hanameel showed up with exactly that request. As the nearest relative, Jeremiah had the right to buy it.
It was the worst real estate deal imaginable. The land was in territory the enemy already controlled. Within months, the whole country would be in Babylon’s hands.
Jeremiah bought it anyway. He weighed out seventeen shekels of silver, signed the deed before witnesses, and had the documents sealed in a clay jar so they would last a long time. Then he explained why: God had promised that houses, fields, and vineyards would one day be bought again in this land. Jeremiah was betting everything on that promise.
Reflection
After signing the deed, Jeremiah prayed, and he admitted it made no sense to him. God’s answer was a question: “Is there any thing too hard for me?”
More Bible stories from Jeremiah. More about: Trusting God in Hard Times · Doubt · Jeremiah
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Day 15 of Book 1
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