In the tenth year of Zedekiah, king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar, the city of Jerusalem was under siege. The Babylonian army had surrounded the city, and the people within its walls were trapped, their hearts heavy with fear and despair. The once-bustling streets were now eerily quiet, save for the occasional cry of anguish or the distant clash of weapons. The siege had dragged on for months, and the people of Judah were beginning to lose hope. It was in this time of turmoil that the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet.
Jeremiah was confined in the courtyard of the guard, which was in the palace of the king of Judah. Zedekiah had imprisoned him there because Jeremiah had prophesied that the city would fall to the Babylonians, that Zedekiah would be captured, and that Judah would be taken into exile. The king, angered by these words, had ordered Jeremiah’s imprisonment, hoping to silence the prophet’s voice. But the word of the Lord could not be silenced.
One day, as Jeremiah sat in the courtyard, the Lord spoke to him, saying, “Behold, Hanamel, the son of Shallum your uncle, will come to you, saying, ‘Buy my field that is in Anathoth, for the right of redemption by purchase is yours.’” Jeremiah was puzzled by this command. Anathoth was his hometown, a small village in the territory of Benjamin, but it was now under Babylonian control. The land was worthless in the eyes of men, for who would buy a field in a land soon to be conquered and desolate? Yet Jeremiah trusted the Lord and waited.
As the Lord had said, Hanamel came to Jeremiah in the courtyard of the guard. His face was weary, his clothes dusty from the journey. He approached Jeremiah and said, “Please buy my field that is in Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin, for the right of inheritance and redemption is yours; buy it for yourself.” Jeremiah recognized this as the fulfillment of the Lord’s word, and he knew what he must do.
Jeremiah called for Baruch, the son of Neriah, his faithful scribe and companion. Together, they prepared the deed of purchase, carefully weighing out seventeen shekels of silver. The transaction was conducted in the presence of witnesses, as was the custom. Jeremiah signed the deed, sealed it, and had it witnessed by those who stood nearby. Then he gave the deed to Baruch, instructing him to place it in an earthenware vessel so that it would be preserved for many days.
After the deed was secured, Jeremiah turned to the people who had gathered to witness the transaction. His voice, though weary from years of prophesying, carried the authority of the Lord as he declared, “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 many days.’ For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.’”
The people listened in stunned silence. How could Jeremiah speak of a future when fields and vineyards would be bought and sold again? The city was under siege, the land was about to be conquered, and the people were on the brink of exile. Yet Jeremiah’s words were not his own; they were the words of the Lord.
Jeremiah continued, his voice rising with conviction, “Thus says the Lord: ‘As I have brought all this great disaster upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good that I promise them. Fields shall be bought in this land of which you say, “It is a desolation, without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.” Men shall buy fields for money, sign deeds, seal them, and take witnesses, in the land of Benjamin, in the places about Jerusalem, in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negeb; for I will restore their fortunes, declares the Lord.’”
The people were torn between hope and disbelief. Jeremiah’s actions seemed foolish in the eyes of the world, but they were a profound act of faith. By purchasing the field in Anathoth, Jeremiah was declaring his trust in the Lord’s promise of restoration. Though the land would be laid waste and the people taken into exile, the Lord would not abandon them forever. He would bring them back to their land, and life would flourish once more.
After the people had dispersed, Jeremiah turned to the Lord in prayer. He fell to his knees in the courtyard of the guard, his face lifted toward heaven. “Ah, Lord God!” he cried. “It is you who have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and by your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for you. You show steadfast love to thousands, but you repay the guilt of fathers into the lap of their children after them. O great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord of hosts, great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are open to all the ways of the children of man, rewarding each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds.”
Jeremiah’s prayer was a mixture of awe and confusion. He acknowledged the Lord’s power and justice, yet he struggled to understand how the Lord could bring about such a restoration after such devastation. “You have said to me, O Lord God, ‘Buy the field for money and get witnesses’—though the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans.”
The Lord answered Jeremiah, His voice like a mighty wind that filled the prophet’s soul. “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me? Therefore, thus says the Lord: Behold, I will give this city into the hands of the Chaldeans and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall capture it. The Chaldeans who are fighting against this city shall come and set this city on fire and burn it, with the houses on whose roofs offerings have been made to Baal and drink offerings have been poured out to other gods, to provoke me to anger. For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done nothing but evil in my sight from their youth. This city has aroused my anger and wrath, from the day it was built to this day, so that I will remove it from my sight.”
The Lord’s words were heavy with judgment, yet they were not without hope. “Thus says the Lord: Just as I have brought all this great disaster upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good that I promise them. Fields shall be bought in this land. For I will restore their fortunes, declares the Lord.”
Jeremiah’s heart was lifted by the Lord’s promise. Though the days ahead would be dark, though the people would face exile and suffering, the Lord would not forsake them. He would bring them back to their land, and they would once again live in peace and prosperity. The purchase of the field in Anathoth was a sign of this hope, a tangible reminder that the Lord’s promises are sure and His faithfulness endures forever.
As Jeremiah rose from his knees, he looked out over the city of Jerusalem, its walls battered by the siege, its people weary and afraid. Yet in his heart, he carried the assurance of the Lord’s promise. The fields of Anathoth would one day be tilled again, the vineyards would bear fruit, and the people of Judah would return to their land. For the Lord, the God of Israel, had spoken, and His word would not return void.
