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1 This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD in the tenth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar. 2 The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace of Judah. 3 Now Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him there, saying, “Why do you prophesy as you do? You say, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it. 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 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. 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, 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. 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 they will last a long time. 15 For this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’ (Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15 NIV Bible)
Happy Wednesday, Friend! May the joy of Lord be your strength. May your smile to all people to be one that reflects His.
When I was a sophomore in junior college, my Sociology professor, announced to the class that for the first time in many years, Americans could own gold. Gold at the time was $32 an ounce. Mr. Oliver said we should buy as much as we could afford and hold on to it, for he was predicting a sharp increase in price. I got excited! I had saved up $500! I started doing math and thinking riches. I soon graduated and I was in Houston and shared with my Dad my plans for my $500. Dad nixed the plan and said I should instead buy a car for the final two years of university. The plan sounded great in my mind, but I trusted God and on I went.
God was similarly involved with a weeping prophet. Picture the scene: Jerusalem is under siege by the Babylonian army. The city is surrounded, supplies are running low, and defeat seems inevitable. In the middle of this crisis, the prophet Jeremiah sits in prison—not for any crime, but for telling the uncomfortable truth about what's coming. King Zedekiah has locked him up because his prophecies are "bad for morale."
It's in this context of total hopelessness that God asks Jeremiah to do something that appears completely insane: buy a piece of land. Not just any land, but land in Anathoth, a town that's either already captured or about to be captured by enemy forces. It's like buying beachfront property during a tsunami.
But here's what makes this story remarkable—Jeremiah doesn't hesitate. When his cousin arrives with the deed, the prophet doesn't laugh, doesn't argue, doesn't point out the obvious foolishness of the transaction. He buys the field. Sound investment? Would you have made the same purchase?
From every practical standpoint, this purchase makes no sense. The Babylonians are about to destroy everything, cart the survivors off to exile, and leave the land desolate. Any reasonable financial advisor would have told Jeremiah to keep his money, that this was the worst possible time to invest in real estate.
But God's economics operate on different principles than Wall Street's. While everyone else sees only destruction and defeat, God sees restoration and return. While others focus on the immediate crisis, God is already planning the comeback. This land purchase isn't about current market conditions—it's about future kingdom realities.
Jeremiah's willingness to buy the field becomes a prophetic act, a physical declaration that the story isn't over, that God's promises are more reliable than current circumstances, that faith sometimes requires us to invest in what seems impossible. It was a public transaction so that everyone could see it and maybe, receive the hope that God shared with them.
"This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land." God's message through Jeremiah's purchase is clear: this isn't the end. The siege will end, the exile will conclude, the people will return. What looks like permanent destruction is actually temporary displacement.
This promise must have seemed absurd to everyone watching. Jerusalem was falling, the temple would soon be destroyed, and the people would be marched off to Babylon. Yet God is talking about a real estate market revival, about normal life resuming, about a future so certain that it's worth investing in today.
God's perspective always extends beyond our present crisis. When we see endings, He sees new beginnings. When we see destruction, He sees reconstruction. When we see the closing of chapters, He sees the opening of new ones. A foolish investment? No, an inventment made with God's help will make them realize God was at work in their lives and would bring desired results.
God invites us to join Jeremiah in making investments that don't make sense from a purely human perspective. Maybe it's continuing to pray for someone who shows no signs of changing. Maybe it's giving generously when your budget says you can't afford it. Maybe it's pursuing a calling that others consider impractical.
These acts of "illogical faith" become our own prophetic declarations—testimonies that we believe God's story isn't finished, that His promises are trustworthy, that His kingdom is worth investing in even when we can't see immediate returns.
Like Jeremiah, we're called to buy fields in enemy territory, to invest in God's future when everyone else is focused on present problems, to act on hope when circumstances suggest despair.
PRAYER: Lord, give us Jeremiah's courage to invest in Your promises even when current circumstances make such investments seem foolish, trusting that Your kingdom economics always prove wiser than human wisdom. For it is in Jesus' strong name that we pray, amen!
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! OUR CALL TO ACTION: This week, identify one area where God might be calling you to make an investment—of time, resources, or faith—that doesn't make sense from a worldly perspective but aligns with His promises and kingdom purposes.
I love you and I thank God for you! You matter to God and God has invested in you! Use it wisely!
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
