Jeremiah 32:16-25

C. The Prayer for Further Explanation Jeremiah 32:16-25

TRANSLATION

(16) Then I prayed unto the LORD after I had given the deed of purchase unto Baruch the son of Neriah, saying, (17) Ah, O Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and Your outstretched arm. Nothing is too marvelous for You! (18) You are the One who shows loving kindness to thousands and repays the iniquity of fathers upon the bosom of their sons who follow them. You are the great, the mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts; (19) great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are opened upon all the ways of the sons of men, giving to each man according to his way and according to the fruit of his deeds. (20) You did signs and wonders in the land of Egypt unto this day both in Israel and among mankind in general and have made for Yourself a name as at this day. (21) You brought out Your people Israel from the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, a strong hand, an outstretched arm and with great terror. (22) You have given to them this land which you had sworn to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey. (23) And they came and possessed it but they did not obey Your voice and they did not walk in Your law; all which you commanded them to do they did not do; and You have brought all this calamity against them. (24) Behold, the siege instruments have come to the city to capture it; and the city has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it by sword, famine, and pestilence. That which You have spoken has come to pass; behold, You are observing it! (25) But you have said unto me, O Lord GOD, Purchase for yourself the field with silver, and secure witnesses while the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.

COMMENTS

Even though Jeremiah had faithfully executed the command of God to purchase the field in Anathoth, even though he had publicly indicated the symbolic import of the transaction, he still was unable to comprehend the implications of what he had done. In times past Jeremiah had agonized in prayer over the incomprehensible judgments of God; now it is the gracious promise of God which he cannot fathom. A prediction that property would again be bought and sold in the land seemed to him utterly incongruous with the present circumstances and completely opposed to the messages he has so often repeated.

The prayer of Jeremiah for enlightenment surely must take its place alongside the truly outstanding prayers of Scripture. Cawley has proposed an appealing two-fold analysis of this prayer. In the first part of the prayer the prophet dwells on the God of the people (17-22), and in the second part, on the people of God (23-25). That Jeremiah is here pouring out his heart before God is indicated by the opening words of the prayer, Ah Lord God! The Hebrew particle ah expresses the most intense emotions; it is usually a cry of anguish. The prophet passes immediately to the praise of his God. In this part of his prayer Jeremiah depicts God as (1) the God of creation. As such He is omnipotent; nothing is too difficult for Him (Jeremiah 32:17). (2) He is the God of justice dispensing grace to thousands who turn to him and punishment to those who follow after iniquity (Jeremiah 32:18).[283] (3) He is God of wisdom. As such he is omniscient (Jeremiah 32:19). Unlike human counselors, God has the power to execute the plans of His counsel. (4) He is God of all the earth whose wonders had been performed in Egypt as well as Israel and whose fame is universal (Jeremiah 32:20).[284] (5) He is the God of history who brought forth His people from the bondage of Egypt and gave to them the Land of Promise (Jeremiah 32:21-22). This ascription of praise to God is instructive for the prayer life of the Christian. One should remember in prayer to praise God for His work in creation and salvation, for His grace, His counsel, His signs and wonders, and His great acts of deliverance.

[283] According to Rashi, God recompenses the iniquity of the father unto the bosom of their children when the children follow the footsteps of their fathers.
[284] The phrase even unto this day in reference to the miracles in Egypt probably means which are remembered unto this day and not which continue to this day.-'

Jeremiah's prayer moves from praise to confession in Jeremiah 32:23. The prophet admits the gross ingratitude of the fathers who, having been blessed with possession of Canaan, refused to hearken to the Law of God. He acknowledges the justice of the present situation in which Jerusalem finds itself. He then describes that situation: siege mounds have been erected which will shortly enable the enemy to ascend the walls and enter the city. Sword, famine and pestilence have combined to smite the beleaguered defenders. Jeremiah 32:24 is narration and narration is part of Biblical prayer. The petitioner tells God something that God already knows. The closing words of Jeremiah 32:24 are instructive: You see it. Jeremiah is not telling God something that He does not already know. Why then the narration? It is as though Jeremiah is presenting his case before a judge. All pertinent facts in the case must go into the record so to speak. Furthermore, the narration element in prayer often helps one to think through more carefully a situationto analyze it and crystallize his thinking about it. Prayer-narration may help one sharpen his focus and present a petition which is more apropos for the circumstances and more in harmony with the will of God.

The narrative portion of the prayer continues in Jeremiah 32:25. In spite of the fact that this city is about to be taken by the Chaldeans You, O Lord, have told me to purchase a field. This is narration; but it is also implied petition. It is interesting that in this prayer there is no direct petition. Jeremiah does not ask for anything. But the manner in which he composed the narrative portion of the prayer raised a problem and offered an implied petition. The problem is apparent inconsistency between the impending fall of the city which is taking place by divine decree and the command to purchase a field. The implied petition is Lord, how do I reconcile these two seemingly discordant facts? Will You enlighten my mind; will You solve the problem?