「神の約束の言葉に信頼する」十一月第二主日礼拝 宣教 2025年11月9日
エレミヤ書 Jeremiah 32章6〜15節 牧師 河野信一郎
Good morning. Welcome to Okubo Church, our guests. Welcome back, members of the church. I am thankful that we can offer worship to God together with you all again this morning.
At Okubo Church’s morning worship service, we are currently studying the Book of Jeremiah as a series. This morning, focusing primarily on Jeremiah 32:6-15, I would like to speak on the theme of “Walking in Trust in the Promised Words Given by God.” Since this continues from last week, I would like to briefly review last week’s message.
Last week, we heard how the prophet Jeremiah suffered unjust treatment at the hands of the powerful, including the king of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Why did he receive such treatment? At that time, the Southern Kingdom of Judah and its capital, Jerusalem, were under threat from the Babylonian Empire. Jeremiah’s direct and unvarnished delivery of the message he had received from God angered the kings, leading to his imprisonment. I’d like to explain this sequence of events from the Bible. Historically, this occurred around 587 BC, just before the massive Babylonian army invaded Jerusalem and the city was about to fall.
Read Jeremiah chapter 32, verses 3 through 5. That is, “King Zedekiah of Judah said, ‘Why do you prophesy such things?’ and had him imprisoned. Jeremiah’s prophecy was this: ‘This is what the Lord says: Behold, I will deliver this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it. Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans. He shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him face to face. Zedekiah shall be taken to Babylon, and there he shall remain until I visit him, declares the Lord. You will never prevail against the Chaldeans.” Thus God declared His certain judgment, saying He would cast you away. The true words of God spoken through the prophet were words of judgment and destruction so terrible they made one want to cover one’s ears and imprison the prophet who spoke them.
Thus, the prophet Jeremiah was imprisoned. He was subjected to harsh words and violence. Jeremiah endured unreasonable and unjust treatment. Yet, reading this morning’s passage, we see that Jeremiah’s relatives came to visit him in prison, indicating his detention was relatively lenient. Moreover, what’s even more intriguing—or perhaps baffling—is the reason for their visit. Why would they bring up such a matter amidst such harsh circumstances?
Yet behind this relative’s visit lay God’s astonishing promise of salvation. May we discern this truth from this morning’s Scripture, and even as we live in this world filled with absurdity, even as we often face unjust treatment in this world, even amid much anxiety and confusion, may we hear that God’s abundant love is poured out upon us. May we be those who live trusting in God’s promise.
Then let us read Jeremiah chapter 32, verses 6 and 7. “Then Jeremiah said, ‘The word of the Lord came to me: Behold, your uncle Hanamel son of Shallum will come to you and say, ‘Buy my field in Anathoth for yourself. You have the right to buy it and possess it as a kinsman-redeemer.'” Thus, Jeremiah receives this word—this revelation—from God in advance, foretelling that this very thing will soon happen to him.
I will now read verse 8: “Then my cousin Hanamel came to me in the prison, as the Lord had said, and said, ‘Buy the field in Anathoth that belongs to the tribe of Benjamin. Since you have the right to inherit it as a relative, buy it.’ I knew this was the word of the Lord.” The phrase “as the word of the Lord had come” is crucial. What is happening to Jeremiah here is God’s will, and the key point is to “know” this—to recognize and believe that it involves an amazing plan and provision.
Here it states, “as a relative, you have the right to buy and own it.” Reading Leviticus 25:24 and following in the Old Testament, we see that such regulations existed in Jewish society to prevent the land, given by God with His blessing, from falling into the hands of strangers. If a relative had to sell their land due to poverty, or if it had already been sold, other relatives had not merely the right to buy it back, but rather a duty to buy it back, a responsibility to redeem it. The phrase “Please buy back my field in Anathoth” refers to land located 4 kilometers northeast of Jerusalem. Since it was also Jeremiah’s hometown, it was a place of great significance to him.
But we can’t help but think, “At this point?” Why? Because the Southern Kingdom of Judah is on the brink of defeat by the Babylonian army. We understand the urgent situation: the capital, Jerusalem, is about to fall, and all the surrounding lands will soon be occupied by Babylon. Where on earth would anyone be buying land that could become worthless tomorrow? Anyone buying such land would surely be called utterly foolish. Yet, such a person does indeed exist. It is Jeremiah. We are utterly dumbfounded, our jaws dropping in disbelief.
Let us read verses 9 through 12. “So I bought the field in Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel, paying him seventeen shekels of silver. I drew up the deed, sealed it, called witnesses, and weighed out the silver on the scales. Then, according to the established custom, I took the sealed deed of purchase and an unsealed copy and handed them to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah. My cousin Hanamel, the witnesses who had signed the deed of purchase, and all the people of Judah who were in the prison saw it.”
But reading this, am I the only one who wonders how the people surrounding Jeremiah can remain so calm? If it were me, I’d want to confirm with Jeremiah: “Though it may be presumptuous for someone like me to say, are you truly certain it’s acceptable to sign the document?” The great Babylonian army was already pressing in. They knew the land would become worthless. What expressions did those witnesses wear as they stood there watching the whole sequence unfold? I wonder if there was anyone like me, utterly speechless, who looked at Jeremiah’s actions and thought, “No way, that’s a foolish decision!” and tried to stop him.
However, from his words in verse 13 and following, we see that Jeremiah possessed such overwhelming conviction—or perhaps decisiveness—and such absolute trust in God that no one could voice such thoughts or doubts openly. What did he do? “Then, in their presence, he commanded Baruch: ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Take these documents—the sealed deed of purchase and its copy—and put them in an earthenware jar to preserve them for the future. For the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, declares: The time will come when houses, fields, and vineyards will be bought back in this land.’”
Here Jeremiah repeats twice, “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says.” He believed that buying the field in Anathoth was God’s will, that God was encouraging him to do so. If modern people heard this, they would likely think, “What blind faith, what madness, how terrifying! This is why religion is dangerous!” But those who feel this way—when they find themselves in dire straits, what will they rely on? What will they cling to as their anchor in life?
The Bible tells us that there is a God who created us with purpose and plan, sustains us with love; a Savior, Jesus Christ, who makes us aware of this God; and the Holy Spirit who protects, encourages, and guides us daily. Jeremiah believed in this God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as “the Lord of Hosts.” He placed his complete trust in this God and walked the path that God encouraged and guided him to follow.
And those who trust in the Lord Almighty, God, pray to Him in both good times and bad. Jeremiah’s prayer is recorded in verses 16 through 25 of chapter 32. It is an honest prayer to God. While giving thanks for the love and mercy God has shown Israel, it also lays bare Israel’s sins against God. Because of those sins, they are now besieged by Babylon and on the brink of falling. Yet, even in such a time, they resolve to obey God’s command to buy land in the land of Judah.
The Lord God Almighty declares in verses 26 through 35 that He will bring judgment upon Israel and Judah for their repeated sins, delivering their land into the hands of Babylon. Yet, the God full of love and mercy gives a word of promise in verses 37 through 44. “I will gather them from the nations where I drove them in my great anger and fury and wrath, and I will bring them back to this place and let them dwell securely. They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them, never to revoke my favor from their descendants. I will give them a heart to obey me, so they will never turn away from me. I will delight in showing them mercy, and I will plant them firmly in this land with all my heart and soul.”
Truly, the Lord says this: Once I brought this great disaster upon this people, but now I will bestow every blessing upon them as I promised. In this land, people will buy fields again—the very land you say has now fallen into the hands of the Chaldeans and become a desolate wasteland where no one lives, neither man nor beast. People will pay silver, draw up deeds, seal them, and call witnesses to buy fields in the territory of Benjamin, around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah, in the hill country, in the lowlands, and in the Negev. For I will restore their fortunes,” declares the Lord.
As we can see here, Jeremiah’s purchase of the field in Anathoth before Jerusalem’s fall was an act born of his trust in God. He believed that even if the land were plundered by the Babylonian army, God’s promise to restore them to their original land would surely be fulfilled—even if it took seventy years. We are called to believe in the God who makes these promises of salvation—as in verse 42, “Now I will give them every blessing as I promised,” and verse 44, “I will restore their fortunes”—and to place our trust in Him.
We too are people who forget God and live selfishly, and in doing so, we sometimes make wrong judgments and find ourselves in dire straits. Yet even so, God loves us and sent Jesus Christ to rescue us from the darkness. This Jesus is the Savior who fulfills God’s promised salvation, reconciliation, restoration, and peace. He is the One we should believe in and place our complete trust in. This morning, God is calling us to believe in this Jesus and place our trust in Him. Peace is given to us through faith.