Jeremiah 32 “Hope in a Time of Despair”

Jeremiah 32 NIV

Suggested Praise Songs:                                                             

• Blessed Assurance – Modern Hymns of Worship — Rialdo Suwandi
• One Sonic Society ft. Mike Weaver – Great Is Thy Faithfulness (Beginning To End)
• Way Maker – Leeland

Resources for Family Worship (with Children):

• God’s Promises – Lesson for Kids
• I Will Trust You | HLA Wilderness Escape VBS | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• He Comforts Us | Treasured VBS | Group Publishing – Song for Kids
• Rend Co. Kids – My Lighthouse (Hand Motions) – Song for Kids
• Discussion Questions for Children & Youth are located in the section after Explanation, Meditation, and Prayer (at the end of this email/blog).

Explanation:

In the tenth year of King Zedekiah (v. 1), Jerusalem was destroyed by Babylon (587 BC). To defend against Babylon’s assault, Zedekiah shut and secured all of Jerusalem’s gates, and Babylon surrounded the city with a siege to starve it into surrender. In this situation, Zedekiah imprisoned Jeremiah for prophesying Jerusalem’s fall (vv. 2–5).

While Jeremiah was in prison, the word of the Lord came to him. God told him that his cousin Hanamel would come and ask him to buy a piece of land in Anathoth (Jeremiah’s hometown), and that he should buy it (vv. 6–8). Just as the Lord said, Hanamel came and offered the land for sale, and Jeremiah purchased the field in obedience to the Lord’s command. In the courtyard of the guard, in front of everyone, he entrusted the deed to Baruch (vv. 9–13). He then gave Baruch the Lord’s instruction to store the deed in a clay jar for safekeeping (vv. 14–15).

After obeying the Lord’s command, Jeremiah prayed (v. 16). He first confessed that God is the Creator, who sees all people, and who is full of grace (vv. 17–19). Then he recalled and praised God for delivering Israel from Egypt (vv. 20–22). Even after receiving such grace and settling in the land of Canaan, the people of Israel abandoned God’s grace and failed to live according to His law—resulting in Babylon’s attack (v. 23). Everything that is happening now is exactly what the Lord had foretold (v. 24). After saying this, Jeremiah asked why the Lord would command him to buy a field in such a hopeless situation (v. 25).

The Lord answered Jeremiah, making it clear that He Himself is using Babylon to destroy Jerusalem (vv. 26–29). The reason is that Israel and Judah repaid God’s grace with idolatry. Because of this, they fell into all kinds of evil, and detestable practices filled the entire nation (vv. 30–35). Yet the same God who judges Israel and Judah will, in His time, restore them. When that time comes, the Lord will make an “everlasting covenant” with His people and renew them (vv. 36–41). The Lord commanded Jeremiah to buy the land to show that this restoration will surely come. The land that has become desolate will indeed be restored (vv. 42–44).

Meditation:

At that time, Jerusalem was like a ship that had broken apart and was sinking. Because of Babylon’s siege, food ran out, and there were even cases of women boiling and eating their own children. In that situation, the Lord told Jeremiah to buy the piece of land his cousin was offering. With Jerusalem and all the land of Judah about to fall into Babylon’s hands, such an action seemed utterly foolish. It was time to sell land, not buy it. People needed to hold onto anything they could. Yet the Lord told Jeremiah to buy the land and store the deed in clay jar. Through this command, the Lord confirmed His promise to restore Israel and Judah.

This story reminds us of an episode in the life of the Apostle Paul. As he was being taken to Rome as a prisoner, the ship he was on encountered a violent storm on the Mediterranean Sea called the northeaster (Euraquilo). As the storm raged and everyone was exhausted, Paul received a revelation from God that no one on the ship would lose their life. With that assurance, Paul told the people to eat and regain their strength. But because they were overwhelmed with seasickness and fear, they paid no attention. So, Paul stood among them and ate food himself. Though he must have been suffering from seasickness as well, he acted for the sake of saving everyone on board. Seeing him, the others took courage and ate too. Later, when the ship broke apart near land, all of them survived (Acts 27).

People who believe in God are called to discover hope in the midst of despair and to share that hope with others. To do this, we must first learn to see our times through God’s eyes and then speak and act with that faith and hope. Those who speak and act in this way are called “visionaries.”

Prayer:

Lord, I want to know You truly and believe in You rightly. I want to see hope not from my circumstances, but in You. Even when reality feels hopeless, help me to find hope in You. And with that hope, help me lift up those who are in despair. Please help us. Amen.

Discussion Questions for Children & Youth:

Key Point: God’s promise through Jesus changes our hearts so that we can truly know, love, and follow Him.

• For Preschool-Elementary:
  • What do you think hope feels like? (Happy? Safe? Warm?)
  • Can you remember a time when something felt scary or hard, but God helped you or someone in your family?
  • Who is one person you can encourage when they feel sad or scared? What could you say?
    
• Youth:
  • Jeremiah bought land even though everyone else thought it was pointless. What is something God might be asking you to trust Him with, even if it doesn’t make sense right now?
  • Paul acted with hope in a literal storm. What does acting with hope look like for you—in school, friendships, or family life?
  • Hope isn’t pretending everything is fine—it’s believing God is working even in hard moments. Where in your life do you need God’s hope today? (You can share silently in prayer or out loud—your choice.)