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| INSIGHTS FROM THE SCRIPTURE: The story takes place during a time of exile for the Israelites. Most of Canaan has already been conquered by the invading Babylonians under the reign of king Nebuchadnezzar, and only Jerusalem and several other fortified cities remain in Judah. The Babylonians have a war policy in which they export all of the peoples they conquer and import peoples from distant lands to inhabit the area. This was a way for them to keep the peace and prevent rebellions from starting since it separated groups who were close and possibly organized. Many of the Israelites were already in exile due to this policy and the ones left in Jerusalem would soon be also. The king in Judah at this time is king Zedekiah. Jeremiah, a prophet of the Lord, is with Zedekiah in Jerusalem. When Jeremiah prophesies to Zedekiah that Jerusalem will be overtaken and that the Babylonians will take Zedekiah, Israel’s king has Jeremiah locked up in the courtyard of the palace. This is most likely either because Zedekiah feared for his own well-being or because Jeremiah’s prophesies were damaging the war effort in Judah. In this story God has Jeremiah buy a piece of land from his cousin. This is scripturally Jeremiah’s duty because of the law found in Leviticus 25:25 which states that if a man becomes poor and has to sell his land, his nearest relative will redeem him and purchase the land. The reason God has Jeremiah buy the land, however, is completely different. In biblical times, prophets prophesized in many different ways: they sometimes preached their message, sometimes told stories to get it across, and sometimes they even acted out their prophesies as a way to bring them forth. Jeremiah buying his cousin’s land was a prophecy acted out. In doing so Jeremiah showed how, one day, the Lord would restore the people of Israel and return to them the land of Canaan. |
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