Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
Jeremiah 32:17-25
Jeremiah Questions YHWH As To Why He Has Commanded Him To Do This Strange Thing Of Buying Land If The Land Was In Fact Simply Going To Be Taken Over By The Chaldeans. He May Well Have Wondered Whether This Did This Then Mean That YHWH Intended To Intervene At the Last Moment And Save His People (Jeremiah 32:17).
Having handed over the deeds of purchase of the land to Baruch, Jeremiah comes to YHWH in prayer, and in the prayer he sums up how he sees the present situation, setting out the pros and cons. On the one hand he sets out his arguments as to why he knows that YHWH could deliver if He so wished, and on the other he acknowledges that YHWH's thoughts are based on a greater wisdom than his own, that the people are unworthy, and that it does not at present look as though He is going to deliver. He may have intended it to be a challenge to the mighty YHWH to once again act to save His people miraculously, in view of the fact that He has made him, Jeremiah, purchase a piece of occupied land, or to be a query as to why He has called on him to buy such land if He knows that He is not going to deliver His people. Or it may indeed be seen as a combined challenge with both options in mind.
The background to the prayer is that the enemy are at the very gates of Jerusalem and have dug in, building mounds and awaiting Jerusalem's final submission, seemingly with no intended intervention by YHWH at hand. But as Jeremiah watches this from the city walls he is also conscious of the power of YHWH and of what history has revealed about both His ability and His willingness to save, (He is after all a God Who shows covenant love to thousands), and it would appear that he was thus wondering what YHWH's final intentions might be at this final stage. (He may well have had in mind the last minute, remarkable deliverance of Jerusalem in the time of Isaiah).
So in his prayer to YHWH in the light of this, he deliberately draws attention to the positive, to His great and creative power, and His ability to do whatever He wants. Nothing, he points out, is too hard for Him. He is indeed the Mighty God of Battle, so he has no doubt that He could deliver if He wished to do so. And he also, possibly hopefully, draws attention to His covenant compassion, although he then immediately contrasts it with His judgment on sinners. He is clearly not wanting to presume.
On the other hand he recognises that He is the One Who is all-wise and sees all men's actions, and deals with them accordingly. That may count against Judah. On the other hand it could count against their enemies, and he recalls in this regard how God had similarly delivered Israel from Egypt when they were in an impossible situation, because He was aware of the sinfulness of the Egyptians. And had He not done similar things at other times since, even when His people were failing Him? Indeed he underlines how often YHWH has miraculously delivered His people in the past.
On the other hand he also acknowledges that, in spite of YHWH's past goodness revealed in the giving to His people of a land flowing with milk and honey, YHWH's people had once again failed Him and had not obeyed His voice or walked in His Law. Indeed they had done nothing of all that He had commanded them. He therefore acknowledges that that is why they are now in this perilous situation, and why siege mounts are visible outside the walls, and why the conditions within the walls of sword, famine and pestilence appear to be ensuring a final enemy victory. That might appear to settle the matter. But then he draws on what he sees as one last glimmer of hope. YHWH has caused him to buy land in Judah almost as though nothing was going on. Does that then mean that YHWH intends to deliver Jerusalem? He may well have been asking, ‘You have acted so in the past, are you now about to do so again, in view of the fact that you have made me buy this land?' The impression being given by the prayer is that Jeremiah is not quite sure what YHWH intends to do with the result that he has gone over all the facts which could influence such a decision in his prayer. On the one hand he knows that He could deliver them if He so wished, because He is mighty and powerful, and compassionate, and wise, and experienced as a miraculous Deliverer, but on the other he remembers that YHWH sees all that is going on and that YHWH has declared in the past the certainty of the destruction of Jerusalem. On the other hand this last does not appear to tie in with his having required Jeremiah to purchase a piece of land. The question Jeremiah is considering is in his prayer is, will He save or will He judge? (The prayer considers the arguments both ways). No wonder he is puzzled.
The prayer is typical of expanded Hebrew prayer which summarises the whole situation before coming to a conclusion, and in this case initially exalts YHWH as mighty Creator and miraculous Deliverer, before going on to present arguments in depth based on the people's sinfulness which might cause Him not this time to act in His divine power. We can compare for this kind of discursive prayer Daniel 9:14, and elements in Ezra 9:5; Isaiah 37:16. Note also Jonah 2:2 which demonstrates the Hebrew art of introducing into a simple prayer of distress matters of divine moment. This is typical prophetic prayer.
‘Now after I had delivered the deed of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to YHWH, saying,'
We should note here that Jeremiah obeyed first and then prayed afterwards. Our prayers would often be more successful if we learned this lesson. All too often our prayers are hindered because we are not walking in obedience to what God has called on us to do when we pray. But Jeremiah first did what he was told, and then brought his grievance to YHWH. Indeed it was his obedience that gave him grounds for doing so.
“Ah Lord YHWH! Behold, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for you, who shows covenant love to thousands, and recompenses the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them. The great, the mighty God, YHWH of hosts is his name.”
Firstly he draws attention to the positive possibilities. He draws attention to the greatness and all-powerful nature of YHWH, and declares that YHWH is the sovereign ‘Lord', Who has made the heavens and the earth by His own great power and personal activity. In other words that He is the Great Creator Who is over all things and can therefore do anything that He wants, whether in saving or in judging. For the idea of ‘Your great power and your outstretched arm' compare Deuteronomy 9:29 where it referred to His intervention in the deliverance from Egypt. Here it refers to His bringing about the very act of creation by His personal act of power.
Indeed he stresses that it needs to be recognised that there is nothing that is ‘too hard' (extraordinary, difficult) for Him. These words, which are repeated in Jeremiah 32:27, confirming their authenticity, are drawn from Genesis 18:14. The conclusion to be drawn from this is that He could save if He wanted to.
Furthermore he points out that He is also the God of Moses with whom He had made His covenant, for on the one hand, as He had declared to Moses, He shows ‘covenant love' to thousands (Exodus 20:6; Exodus 34:7), and on the other He recompenses to men their iniquity in failing to observe that covenant, both in respect of themselves and of their sinning descendants. Not the contrast between YHWH ‘showing covenant love to thousands' and those who pour their iniquities ‘into the bosom of their children'. This is the inheritance that they leave their children by having taught them sinful ways. Compare for these descriptions the words of Moses in Exodus 20:5; and especially Jeremiah 34:7. From the point of view of his argument this is neutral, leaving YHWH options either way. On the one hand YHWH could respond in compassion, in accordance with His covenant. On the other He could condemn on the basis of their iniquities.
And on top of this he draws out that He is also the God of battle, for He is ‘the great, the mighty God' (compare Isaiah 9:6), Whose Name is ‘YHWH of hosts'. In all this we have an indication of Jeremiah's sound knowledge of early Scripture, and a view of YHWH which is in deliberate contrast to Judah's powerlessness at the hands of the besieging Babylonians. He is making clear that if they are not delivered it will be because YHWH chooses not to deliver them, not because He cannot.
“Great in counsel, and mighty in work, whose eyes are open on all the ways of the sons of men, to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings,”
He then points out that YHWH is also both all-wise (great in counsel) and all-powerful in His activity (mighty in work), as well as being all-knowing, with His eyes open to all the ways of mere ‘sons of men', in order that He might reward each according to their deserts, and according to what they have achieved. Thus YHWH knows what is best and he is confident that He will make the right decision. We can compare with his description here the words of David in Psalms 53:2, ‘God looks down from Heaven on the sons of men, to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God.' Thus if He chooses not to intervene on Judah's behalf it will not be because He is unaware of precisely what is going on.
“Who set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, even to this day, both in Israel and among men, and made yourself a name, as at this day,”
Furthermore he points out that He is a God of continuing wonders and miracles. He initially established signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and has continued to produce such signs and miracles ‘to this day'. In mind here are no doubt the miraculous deliverances in Joshua (e.g. Jeremiah 10:8), Judges (e.g. Jeremiah 5:19), 1 Samuel (e.g. Jeremiah 7:8), 2 Kings (e.g. Jeremiah 13:4), and especially miraculous deliverances from sieges such as are found in 2 Kings 7:19, to say nothing of displays of YHWH's powers among the nations (‘among men') in the form of earthquakes, storms and other ‘miraculous' events (e.g. Joshua 10:8; Judges 5:19; 1 Samuel 7:8). Indeed thereby He had made a Name for Himself. There was thus plenty of precedent for YHWH's intervention, had He wished to do so. But now YHWH appeared to be silent.
“And brought forth your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs, and with wonders, and with a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terror,”
With the same strong hand and outstretched arm that He had used in creating, He had also personally delivered His people out of Egypt, by means of signs and wonders, His strong hand and outstretched arm, and great terrors. There could be no doubt therefore of His ability to save should He desire to do so. Babylon was no mightier than ancient Egypt.
“And gave them this land, which you swore to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey,”
And it was He Who had demonstrated His love for His people by giving them the land that they now possessed (the very land which Jeremiah had bought a portion of), a good and worthwhile land. It had been His gift to them, on the basis of His promises to their forefathers. (In this lay possible hope).
“And they came in, and possessed it, but they did not obey your voice, nor did they walk in your law. They have done nothing of all that you commanded them to do. Therefore you have caused all this evil to come on them.”
And the result was that they had come in and possessed it. Victory and territory had been secured with YHWH's help. But then had arisen the problem. They had not obeyed His voice or walked in His Law. Indeed they had done nothing of what He had commanded them. They had flagrantly disobeyed Him. And by doing so they had forfeited any right to the land. (That appeared to cancel out the possible hope).
“Behold, the mounds, they are come to the city to take it, and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it, because of the sword, and of the famine, and of the pestilence, and what you have spoken is come about, and, behold, you see it.”
Then he calls on YHWH to consider what lies before His very eyes. The siege mounds of the Babylonians have been built up outside the city walls, because they have come there to take the city, and it has already for all practical purposes been given into their hands because the city is almost consumed with the sword, and with famine, and with pestilence as YHWH had previously warned. Death and weakness were therefore everywhere, as YHWH Himself could see. It was in no position to consider resisting.
“And you have said to me, O Lord YHWH, Buy you the field for money, and call witnesses, whereas the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.”
On the other hand, having considered YHWH's power to deliver, in contrast with the present situation of the city, he still has cause for perplexity. What, he asks, is YHWH's intention in view of the fact that He has called on Jeremiah to buy a piece of land in the presence of witnesses (something which appeared to suggest that the land still had a future)? On the one hand he has obeyed YHWH and has bought the land, and on the other YHWH is delivering the city into the hands of the Chaldeans. This did not appear to make sense.
This is a perfect example of praying through a problem, by listing the pros and cons of the situation and considering the alternatives. The pros are that God is all-powerful and all-wise and mighty enough to deliver, and often acts graciously. The cons are that the people are totally undeserving and disobedient to the covenant, and thus subject to its curses. The question then was what YHWH's reaction was going to be in the light of all the facts.
Note On Jeremiah's Depictions Of God.
In chapter 10 Jeremiah had depicted God, in stark contrast with idols, as:
· Unique, so that there was none like Him, great and with a Name great in might (Jeremiah 10:6).
· To be feared as King of the nations, superior to all who have authority over the nations (Jeremiah 10:7).
· The true God, the living God, the everlasting King, before Whose wrath the earth trembles, so that the nations cannot stand up against His indignation (Jeremiah 10:10).
· The One Who has made Heaven and earth, establishing the earth by His wisdom and stretching out the heavens by His understanding (Jeremiah 10:12).
· The One Who brings into being and controls storm, tempest, lightning, rain and wind (Jeremiah 10:13).
· The One Who is the Former of all things (Jeremiah 10:16).
Now in this passage he has expanded on that view, and brought it into historical context in the light of His dealings with men. Thus:
· He made Heaven and earth by His great power and by His outstretched arm (Jeremiah 32:17 a).
· Nothing is too hard for Him (Jeremiah 32:17 b).
· He shows covenant love to thousands (Jeremiah 32:18 a).
· He recompenses iniquity on the sinful and their descendants (Jeremiah 32:18 b).
· He is the great, the mighty God and YHWH of hosts is His Name (Jeremiah 32:18 c).
· He is great in counsel, and mighty in His activity (Jeremiah 32:19 a).
· His eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men to give to all what they deserve because of their ways and actions (Jeremiah 32:19 b).
· He set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and had continued to do so to this day, making Himself a reputation both among His own people and among the nations (Jeremiah 32:20).
· He brought His people out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and with great terror (Jeremiah 32:21).
· He had given to them the land that He had promised to their forefathers, a land flowing with milk and honey (Jeremiah 32:22).
· He had brought evil on them, in the form of the Babylonians, because they had not obeyed His voice, nor walked in His Law, nor done anything of what He had commanded (Jeremiah 32:23).
Note how perfectly each list is suited to its context. The one contrasting Him with man-made idols, the other establishing His ability to act in history, with power, wisdom, understanding and discretion, while keeping in mind the deserts of His people in the face of His goodness towards them.