October 26-November 1
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Jeremiah was the prophet at a time when the Jews were to be conquered by Babylon. He was called to be a prophet and cry repentance. He was to warn the Jews about what was coming, and he also gave messages of hope. The Jews would one day be restored to the land.
The Lord also gives Jeremiah a peculiar object lesson.
Babylon had already started to take over the land of the Jews and were making a siege against Jerusalem. Then this happens.
Jeremiah 32:6-7
6 And Jeremiah said, The word of the Lord came unto me, saying,
7 Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of redemption is thine to buy it.
Jeremiah has prophesied that Jerusalem would fall. He, more than anyone, knew that Jerusalem would not prevail. He, more than anyone, knew the land was worthless.
Let it also be known that Babylon had already taken over Anathoth. They had not yet conquered Jerusalem completely, but they had conquered Anathoth. Jeremiah’s uncle comes, and he’s like, “Jeremiah, buy this land that isn’t really mine anymore.”
And yet, the Lord tells Jeremiah to buy the land. Jeremiah does so. He pays 17 shekels for it. It is recorded and done with witnesses. Despite the fact that Jeremiah is in prison for prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem, he buys the worthless piece of land.
Perhaps the Lord sent Hanameel to Jeremiah because the Lord knew that Hanameel was going to need the 17 shekels. Perhaps it was because the Lord also wanted to teach a significant lesson.
Let’s talk about poignant details.
In Israelite tradition, all of the land belonged to God. It was divided up as inheritances to families, but it truly all belonged to God. When you ran up debts or needed money, you had to sell the land to your family first. If that didn’t work, you would lease that land to others but then the land would be restored to the family clan during the year of Jubilee. Bottom line: the land actually already belonged to God.
Because of wickedness, that land was taken over by the enemy.
And though the land prices had plummeted, silver stayed precious. Silver was the currency in Babylon as well. While everything else in the economy had gone nuts, silver retained its inherent value. There is archeological evidence of people hoarding silver during turbulent times. Silver stayed precious. The land was worth nothing.
But Jeremiah bought the worthless land with his precious silver.
This was meant to be a radical act of faith. It was supposed to be this object lesson that the Jews would return one day. Everything seemed hopeless, and for a time, things were hopeless. However, it would not remain that way. It’s an object lesson and it’s the traditional lesson that we pull from this story.
But I think it goes deeper than that.
Like the land, we already belong to God. We came from Him. We are His spirit children. We are here because He brought us here.
Because of sin, we found ourselves captured and conquered and separated from loved ones. We had our inheritance taken away from us. The enemy prevailed.
Our Brother, our family member, had that first “right of redemption.” Jesus Christ had the right to redeem and keep us in the family.
Despite the fact that we are largely worthless, He used His precious blood to pay for us. He bought us. Jeremiah paid for the land with 17 shekels. The number 17 means, “overcoming the enemy” in the bible.
Christ has already paid the price, and the land is bought. Unfortunately, we are still a part of Babylon for a while until everything is restored. We don’t bring much value yet, but like this land, we were bought on the hope of redemption. Christ paid for us with deep hope that we would be restored to Him.
The scriptures are just really awesome, ya know?
The more I study these stories, the more I see Jesus Christ. There are many good principles that we pull from these stories. There are principles of wisdom and charity and forgiveness and mercy and justice and hope and so on and so forth. There are many principles that can lead us towards good lives.
But I keep finding Christ in these stories. He is everywhere. His victory is taught in all of the details of these stories. I love finding Him again and again and again.
Perhaps those who recorded the words in the bible did not fully understand what they were writing about, but I testify that the Lord did. He knew what He was doing when He asked Jeremiah to buy a worthless piece of land. He knew that we needed to learn good principles to help us build happy lives, but more importantly, He knew we needed to know what He did for us in order to find happiness and peace. I testify that He bought us, as worthless and conquered as we were. I testify that He bought us based on the simple hope that we would one day be restored to the family because of how much He loves us.
Despite the fact that we are largely worthless?? Really?? I know sometimes Church affiliated podcasters take extreme viewpoints to get clicks, views, etc. but I shut such tripe off very quickly or don’t even start. You and I have a pretty long history, so some grace is a well-earned part of the equation here so I read to the end.
Let’s start with the current Young Women’s Theme…… I am a beloved daughter of heavenly parents, with a divine nature and eternal destiny.
As a disciple of Jesus Christ, I strive to become like Him. I seek and act upon personal revelation and minister to others in His holy name.
I will stand as a witness of God at all times and in all things and in all places.
As I strive to qualify for exaltation, I cherish the gift of repentance and seek to improve each day. With faith, I will strengthen my home and family, make and keep sacred covenants, and receive the ordinances and blessings of the holy temple.
Next, the Young Men’s Theme…… I am a beloved son of God, and He has a work for me to do.
With all my heart, might, mind, and strength, I will love God, keep my covenants, and use His priesthood to serve others, beginning in my own home.
As I strive to serve, exercise faith, repent, and improve each day, I will qualify to receive temple blessings and the enduring joy of the gospel.
I will prepare to become a diligent missionary, loyal husband, and loving father by being a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
I will help prepare the world for the Savior’s return by inviting all to come unto Christ and receive the blessings of His Atonement.
As adults, we don’t outgrow any of those divine affirmations. The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. (Psalms 24:1). None of that sounds worthless to me.
I get that your point was that the land MIGHT have been worthless to other men, but Jeremiah had already prophesied that the Babylonian captivity would only last for 70 years. Once Israel possessed those lands of their inheritance again, the land Jeremiah bought might be more valuable?? We have no reference as to the value of the land before it was captured though. FYI, it was a field before and still was.
Jeremiah bought because the Lord God Jehovah told him too and he was obedient prophet and servant of the Lord. His actions reinforce Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. Honoring our covenants and keeping Father’s commandments. The wisdom of the world could say his actions were foolish, but honoring our covenants and becoming true Latter-Day Saints is the purpose and design of our existence. (David O McKay Pathways to Happiness 1964). We are blessed now and far into the future because God doesn’t make worthless junk!!
Thanks for the info about the number 17!! Have a wonderful week, you are precious to God, and to me. 🙂
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I appreciate you, friend. You are likewise precious to me!
I also promise I was not trying to resort to extreme tactics for views. That’s not really my style. Rather, I was emphasizing a different truth. Even The Book of Mormon talks about the nothingness of man. Objectively speaking and removed from the Savior, I am largely worthless. My potential plummets or remains unfulfilled, and therefore, worthless. I wouldn’t be able to go home. I wouldn’t be able to make much of a difference. I am nothing without Him.
There is also the truth that I have incredible potential, but even potential is worthless until it is fulfilled. The only way my potential is fulfilled is through the blood of Jesus Christ, and His power. When I talk about my own nothingness, it’s not meant to diminish any value the Lord places on us because of His great love for us. Rather, it’s meant to highlight our grand dependence on Him. It’s meant to show how much we need Him. Speaking from the land-parable, that land would have been virtually worthless despite its potential if the Lord did not restore it. I suppose that was part of my point. I apologize if I did not articulate myself well.
The Lord loves us enough to buy something that would be nothing without Him. Perhaps I should work on better conveying this specific message!
Even if we still stand on different emphasis, I can at least promise you that this wasn’t meant to be a marketing ploy haha I can understand that it might have come off that way, but I feel content that my intent was nowhere near that. I appreciate you!
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Thanks for explaining. I see your point much more clearly now. Moses also said man is nothing (Moses 1:10) after his theophany w God. That man is nothing without Christ is 100% accurate.
No I don’t think you take extreme positions just for views. It is definitely not your style, which has been demonstrated over & over for years now. Your titles are very clever & engaging, especially this one. Even if there seemed like vague similarities, I was wrong to compare you to those who do.
Keep the office open my friend.
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Don’t think twice about it. There have definitely been times that I’ve felt tempted to dive into that technique because it feels impossible to compete with negative voices on the internet otherwise. However, I’ve decided to just keep doing my thing for now. It’s always good to be reminded and check myself. Thank you friend.
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