Return to Me #5 - Lesson of the Purchased Field
Jeremiah 32
Dr. Kurt Bjorklund
Part of Retun to Me—February 10 - March 17, 2024
March 7, 2024

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Message Notes and Group Study Guide

Date: March 9-10, 2023
Speaker: Dr. Kurt Bjorklund
Series: Return to Me
Message: #5 - Lesson of the Purchased Field

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Scripture

6 Jeremiah said, “The word of the Lord came to me: 7 Hanamel son of Shallum your uncle is going to come to you and say, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth, because as nearest relative it is your right and duty to buy it.’

8 “Then, just as the Lord had said, my cousin Hanamel came to me in the courtyard of the guard and said, ‘Buy my field at Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. Since it is your right to redeem it and possess it, buy it for yourself.’

“I knew that this was the word of the Lord; 9 so I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeen shekels of silver. 10 I signed and sealed the deed, had it witnessed, and weighed out the silver on the scales. 11 I took the deed of purchase—the sealed copy containing the terms and conditions, as well as the unsealed copy— 12 and I gave this deed to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of my cousin Hanamel and of the witnesses who had signed the deed and of all the Jews sitting in the courtyard of the guard.

13 “In their presence I gave Baruch these instructions: 14 ‘This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Take these documents, both the sealed and unsealed copies of the deed of purchase, and put them in a clay jar so they will last a long time. 15 For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.’

16 “After I had given the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the Lord:

17 “Ah, Sovereign Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. 18 You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the parents’ sins into the laps of their children after them. Great and mighty God, whose name is the Lord Almighty, 19 great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind; you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve. 20 You performed signs and wonders in Egypt and have continued them to this day, in Israel and among all mankind, and have gained the renown that is still yours. 21 You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror. 22 You gave them this land you had sworn to give their ancestors, a land flowing with milk and honey. 23 They came in and took possession of it, but they did not obey you or follow your law; they did not do what you commanded them to do. So you brought all this disaster on them.

24 “See how the siege ramps are built up to take the city. Because of the sword, famine and plague, the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians who are attacking it. What you said has happened, as you now see. 25 And though the city will be given into the hands of the Babylonians, you, Sovereign Lord, say to me, ‘Buy the field with silver and have the transaction witnessed.’”—Jeremiah 32:6-25 (NIV)

36 “You are saying about this city, ‘By the sword, famine and plague it will be given into the hands of the king of Babylon’; but this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 37 I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety. 38 They will be my people, and I will be their God. 39 I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. 40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. 41 I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul. —Jeremiah 32:36-41 (NIV)

[…] and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. —Isaiah 35:10 (NIV)

31 “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. 33 “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” —Jeremiah 31:31-34 (NIV)

In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. —Luke 22:20 (NIV)

4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” —Jeremiah 29:4-7 (NIV)

Notes

Study Guide

Step One: Icebreaker (Optional)
What have you purchased, prompted by a family member, that has surprisingly increased in value beyond your expectations?

Step Two: Open
Ask someone in your group to pray to open your time together. Ask another person to read Jeremiah 32.

Step Three: Discuss

  1. What stood out to you the most in this weekend’s teaching? What was challenging, encouraging, or confusing to you?

  2. According to Jeremiah 1:1, Anathoth is the hometown of the prophet Jeremiah and so it is his duty to buy a field in this region from his nearest relative. What does Leviticus 25:23-35 say about this Levitical law in the “Year of Jubilee” and how could obedience to this law be helpful in times of need?

  3. According to Jeremiah’s prayer in Jeremiah 32:17-22, what has God done to make Himself famous? Can you think of other accounts in the Bible that display God’s faithfulness to His people? Why does it matter to remember who God is and what He has done?

  4. In chapter 32, twice Jeremiah says that nothing is too hard for God, which harkens back to Genesis 18:14. Share about a difficult situation in your life that warrants a continual reminder that God is in control.

  5. Through Jeremiah, God reminds His people of the everlasting covenant He made with King David (Jeremiah 32:40). What is this promise from God to David, and why is this an important reminder to the Israelites? (See 2 Samuel 7:16, Psalm 89:3-4, and Isaiah 55:1-3)

  6. What have you learned from the “Lesson of the Purchased Field” that affects your knowledge of Jesus and how you will return to Him this week?

Step Four: Close in Prayer