Jeremia 32:40 Kommentar

In this chapter we have, I. Jeremiah imprisoned for foretelling the destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity of king Zedekiah (Jer 32:1-5). II. We have him buying land, by divine appointment, as an assurance that in due time a happy end should be put to the present troubles (Jer 32:6-15). III. We have his prayer, which he offered up to God upon that occasion (Jer 32:16-25). IV. We have a message which God thereupon entrusted him to deliver to the people. 1. He must foretell the utter destruction of Judah and Jerusalem for their sins (Jer 32:26-35). But, 2. At the same time he must assure them that, though the destruction was total, it should not be final, but that at length their posterity should recover the peaceable possession of their own land (Jer 32:36-44). The predictions of this chapter, both threatenings and promises, are much the same with what we have already met with again and again, but here are some circumstances that are very particular and remarkable.

INTRODUCTION TO JEREMIAH 32 This chapter contains an account of Jeremiah's imprisonment, and the cause of it; of his buying a field of his uncle's son, and the design of it; of his prayer to God, and of the answer returned to him. The time of his imprisonment, the place where, and the reasons of it, are observed in Jer 32:1; that his uncle's son would come and offer the sale of a field to him was told him by the Lord, which he did accordingly, Jer 32:6; of whom he bought the field, paid the money, had the purchase confirmed in a legal way, before witnesses, Jer 32:8; and the writings of it he committed to Baruch, to put in an earthen vessel, where they were to continue some time as a pledge of houses, fields, and vineyards, being possessed again after the captivity, Jer 32:13; then follows a prayer of his to the Lord, in which he addresses him as the Maker of all things; as the Lord God omnipotent; as a God of great grace and mercy, as well as strict justice; as a God of wisdom, counsel, and might, and an omniscient and righteous Being, Jer 32:16; and recounts the wonderful things he had done for the people of Israel, Jer 32:20; and observes the ingratitude and disobedience of that people, which were the cause of the present siege of the city, which should surely be delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans, Jer 32:23; to which prayer an answer is returned, Jer 32:26; in which the Lord describes himself as the God of all flesh, and as able to do what he pleases, Jer 32:27; and confirms the delivery of the city of Jerusalem unto the Chaldeans, Jer 32:28; and assigns the causes of it, the backslidings, disobedience, and dreadful idolatry of the people, Jer 32:30; and, notwithstanding, promises a restoration of them to their own land again, Jer 32:36; when an opportunity is taken to insert the covenant of grace, and the special articles and peculiar promises of it, for the comfort of the spiritual Israel of God, whether Jews or Gentiles, Jer 32:38; and the chapter is concluded with a fresh assurance of the return of the captivity, and of the punctual performance of the promise of it; when fields should be bought in every part of the land, in like manner as Jeremiah had bought his, Jer 32:41.

For thus saith the Lord, like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people,.... The Chaldean army now besieging them, the famine and pestilence among them, as well as their captivity, which was just at hand and certain: so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them; in the preceding verses; as being their God, and they his people; giving them one heart, and one way; putting his fear into them; causing them to persevere to the end: rejoicing over them to do them good; and planting them in the land. God is as faithful to his promises as to his threatenings; and those who have seen the fulfilment of the one need not doubt of the accomplishment of the other; for if he has done all the evil things he threatened to do, which are his acts of justice, his strange acts, much more will he do the good things he has promised, which are his acts of grace and mercy, in which he delights.

(Verse 40) And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, and I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. For He made an everlasting covenant with us and will not cease to show us kindness. And what follows: 'And I will put my fear into their hearts, that they shall not depart from me,' (Jeremiah 32:40) He grants free will to choose, yet the fear that is given remains as a grace from the giver.

(Verse 37 and following) Behold, I will gather them from all the lands to which I have driven them in my anger, in my wrath, and in great indignation, and I will bring them back to this place and make them dwell securely. They will be my people, and I will be their God. And I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and for the good of their children after them. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, and I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. Many thought this at the time of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua, the son of Jozadak, the high priest, when Haggai and Zechariah prophesied during the time of the completion of the Temple under the priest Ezra, and the walls were rebuilt under Nehemiah, that those whom He had cast out in anger, wrath, and great indignation from Jerusalem, and had scattered throughout the whole world, He had afterwards made them dwell confidently and be a people of God; and that the Lord had been their God, and the other things that the Scripture contains. But how can this be adapted to that time: That I will make them dwell confidently, and I will strike for them an everlasting covenant, or I will establish for them an eternal testament, cannot be thoroughly approved: indeed, those whom we have read and holy history narrates were often taken captive not only by neighboring nations, but also by the Persians and Macedonians, and by the Egyptians and Romans, and until now they serve. Therefore, all things must be referred to the advent of the Savior: which we see fulfilled in our time of faith, and the election of the remnant has been preserved according to the Apostle (Romans 9).

It is much more difficult to persevere when a persecutor is endeavoring that one not persevere, and on this account one is sustained in perseverance to death. The latter perseverance is more difficult to have, the former easier, but for him to whom nothing is difficult, it is easy to give either one. For God has promised this in saying, "I will give my fear in their heart, that they may not revolt from me." And what else do these words mean but, such and so great shall be my fear, which I will give into their heart that they will adhere with perseverance to me?...So when the hand of God is on him, that we not depart from God, then the work of God (for this is what is meant by his hand) reaches indeed to us. For in Christ "we have obtained our lot, being predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things." Therefore it is by God's hand, not our own, that we depart not from God. This is his hand, I say, who declared, "I will give my fear into their heart, that they may not revolt from me."

Pride has so stopped the ears of their heart that the Pelagians do not hear, "For what have you that you have not received?" They do not hear, "Without me you can do nothing." They do not hear, "Love is of God." They do not hear, "God has dealt the measure of faith." They do not hear, "The Spirit breathes where it will," and, "They who are led by the Spirit of God, they are the children of God." They do not hear, "No one can come to me, unless it were given him of my Father." They do not hear what Esdras writes, "Blessed is the Lord of our ancestors, who has put into the heart of the king to glorify his house that is in Jerusalem." They do not hear what the Lord says by Jeremiah, "And I will put my fear into their heart, that they do not depart from me. I will visit them to make them good." They do not hear that word by Ezekiel the prophet, where God fully shows that he is not induced to make people good because they deserve good, that is, because they obey his commands, but rather that he repays to them good for evil, by doing this for his own sake and not for theirs.

This grace God placed "in him in whom we have obtained a lot, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who works all things." And thus as he works that we come to him, so he works that we do not depart. For this reason, it was said to him by the mouth of the prophet, "Let your hand be on the man of your right hand, and on the Son of man whom you made strong for yourself, and we will not depart from you." This certainly is not the first Adam, in whom we departed from him, but the second Adam, on whom his hand is placed, so that we do not depart from him. For Christ altogether with his members is—for the church's sake, which is his body—the fullness of him. When, therefore, God's hand is on him, that we depart not from God, assuredly God's work reaches to us (for this is God's hand). By this work of God we are caused to be abiding in Christ with God—not, as in Adam, departing from God. For "in Christ we have obtained a lot, being predestinated according to his purpose who works all things." This, therefore, is God's hand, not ours, that we depart not from God. That, I say, is his hand who said, "I will put my fear in their hearts that they depart not from me."

The prophet Jeremiah, speaking in the person of God, clearly tells us that the fear of God by which we can hold on to him comes from the Lord: “I shall give them one heart and one way so that they may fear me during all their days, so that all will be well for them and for their children after them. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, and I shall not cease to do good things for them, and, as a gift, I shall put fear of me in their hearts so that they may never go away from me.”

JEREMIAH, IMPRISONED FOR HIS PROPHECY AGAINST JERUSALEM, BUYS A PATRIMONIAL PROPERTY (HIS RELATIVE HANAMEEL'S), IN ORDER TO CERTIFY TO THE JEWS THEIR FUTURE RETURN FROM BABYLON. (Jer 32:1-14) tenth year--The siege of Jerusalem had already begun, in the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah (Jer 39:1; Kg2 25:1).

(Jer 31:31, Jer 31:33; Isa 55:3). not depart from me--never yet fully realized as to the Israelites. I will not turn away from them . . . good-- (Isa 30:21). Jehovah compares Himself to a sedulous preceptor following his pupils everywhere to direct their words, gestures. put my fear in . . . hearts . . . not depart from me--Both the conversion and perseverance of the saints are the work of God alone, by the operation of the Holy Spirit.