Showing Off God’s Character

“And yet, O Sovereign Lord, you have told me to buy the field – paying good money for it before these witnesses – even though the city will soon be handed over to the Babylonians.” ~ Jeremiah 32:25

Has God ever prompted you to do something that made absolutely no sense?

In the context of the passage above, God had revealed to Jeremiah, who had been prophesying for some time, that Jerusalem would be handed over to the Babylonians because of Israel’s long disobedience and sin against God. Even as Jeremiah wrote this prayer back to God, he mentions in the preceding verse that “ramps have been built against the city walls.” Meaning, the Babylonians were at the front door and siege was imminent.

I have to say I am struck by Jeremiah’s radical obedience in this act. It’s one thing to speak prophetic words to share God’s truth, but it’s another thing to take your savings – that may be your only source of provision as you’re about to be taken captive and driven into exile – and spend it on a piece of property that you may well never get to set foot on. Would you buy property that was about to be seized and stolen by an advancing army? And not just buy it but pay good money for it? Why would God ask Jeremiah to purchase this plot of land clearly knowing what was to come?

As always, God has a reason. And in this case Jeremiah gets to hear what it is (note: God doesn’t always explain the why). God said that Jeremiah was to buy this land as a sign that God would someday restore Israel and give them back the land He had promised them. 

Is that really such a big deal? Yes! It’s of primary importance for us to understand and be reminded frequently that God ultimately always keeps His promise and His covenant with us as believers. This act of investing in land that was about to be seized was to remind God’s people that even in the midst of their losses God had not forgotten His promise to them.

What can we learn from this as single parents? I think it reveals an important aspect of God’s love that allows severe consequences to befall us when we choose to turn our backs on him for an extended period of time. He may allow us to lose our home, our security, our livelihood, even allowing enemies to gain the upper hand in our lives…for a while. Usually for the purposes of humbling us and drawing our hearts back to Him. If we do confess and repent, and return to God in loving obedience, that season of loss doesn’t have to last forever. God’s heart is ALWAYS to restore us in the end, if we submit and allow Him to.

Another thing we can learn from this is that God often asks us to do things that seem to make no sense financially or from any practical standpoint, but are for the sole purpose of glorifying God or revealing His good and faithful character. I imagine everyone around Jeremiah thought he was utterly ridiculous for buying this land at this time, even as he explained God’s promise. It was the epitome of poor human judgment. And yet…how great must his God be for Jeremiah to trust Him this much? How confident must Jeremiah be in his God’s good plan and character to do something so radical?

I remember fairly early in my journey as a single mom, I felt God impress on me not to apply for any government assistance for food or housing and to keep tithing 10% of my income. Just from a practical standpoint, this made no sense because I wasn’t receiving any child support and my income wasn’t even enough to cover my bills. Even good Christians didn’t advise me to do this. And yet…God had something He wanted to teach me about trusting Him fully as my provider. And He had something He wanted to reveal to others who would follow in my wake and hear my story of what a faithful provider He turned out to be.

Truth be told, Jeremiah didn’t know when God would make good on this promise to give this land back to His people. We know now that it didn’t happen during Jeremiah’s lifetime. But it did happen soon after. God did bring His people back from exile to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and the city wall, and He restored His people in this holy city. 

Is there something you would like to see God restore in your life? Are you prepared to take radical steps of obedience that God asks you to? Are you ready to say no to indulging in all that our culture and media want to feed you in order to devote yourself to God? Are you willing to live in a way that sets you apart, causing people to gossip about you and even say that you’re crazy, to show off God’s character?

Jeremiah was. It certainly didn’t earn him much in the way of material success or accolades in this life, but it’s pretty clear that he had a strong sense of being chosen, called and favored by God. What else can really compare to that?

Lord, You are sovereign over all things and You know what is to come. Help us stay in close, loving relationship with you and be alert and obedient to Your leading. Give us the faith to obey, even in radical ways. And not with the expectation of personal reward, but with the desire to show off Your character and Your glory so that others will come to know and trust You too. Amen.