Investing in the Future

Jeremiah 32:1-3, 6-15

9-30-07

          The prophet Jeremiah lived in extremely troubling times. He had prophesied that Judah would be defeated in battle and that the people would be carried off into exile by the Babylonians.  In today’s passage, we find those words coming true.

Because his prophesies did not please the king Jeremiah was placed in jail, Jerusalem was under siege by the Babylonians and things looked very bad. In the midst of this hopeless situation, God encourages Jeremiah to do a very strange thing. Jeremiah did many strange things during his tenure as a prophet, and to try to explain his actions, he often said that the “word of the Lord came to me saying do this or do that.”  It’s almost like what Flip Wilson’s character Geraldine would say when she did something wrong: “The devil made me do it.” Jeremiah would use the explanation: God told me to do it!

A relative came to Jeremiah and told him he had the right to purchase some property to keep it in the family, so in the midst of being in jail and while the nation was doomed for destruction, Jeremiah bought a field. Sometimes it’s smart to invest in real estate, because you realize its value will go up or you can use the property to generate income. Yet it is absolutely crazy to purchase land that is going to fall into another nation’s possession and you will be moved to the enemy’s country --that is if you don’t die in jail first.

          The situation is similar to buying a home in Hawaii five years before the lease ends. You see, most of the land in Hawaii is owned by the state or the native people, and the original buyers were given 99-year leases on the land. Now, many of those leases are coming to an end, and no matter how valuable the house or the condo, there is no guarantee that the lease will be reissued, so if you buy property, you may pay a huge price to own it only five years or so. Talk about speculating. Jeremiah had no idea how long he would own or benefit from this field, but he purchased it because God told him to. I am sure the safe thing to do in a time of crisis was to hold on to his silver, since he might need it to bribe an official or pay for security once he was carried into exile. Why should he throw his money away on something that was clearly going to be a losing proposition? 

Several years ago, I got the bright idea to buy stock in Kmart right before it went into bankruptcy. I figured that such a large company would find a way to avoid bankruptcy and my $1.50 stock was bound to go up. It was not a smart investment at all. I had no idea that the company’s stock would go to zero in bankruptcy and that they would issue new stock as a “new” company.  The prophet Jeremiah was investing in a bankrupt company because God told him to do it; he made sure everyone around him knew God said to do it, so they would not think he had lost his mind.

          At the end of the passage, we learn what message God wanted to convey to the people of Judah. That despite the dire and hopeless circumstances they found themselves in, it was not the final conclusion. The ending of the story would be different. Sometime in the future, there would be buying and selling of property in the land. The people would come back from exile, and life would be good. Their fortunes would be reversed. God wanted the people to have a message of hope in the midst of the darkness and terror.

          Neither Jeremiah’s action nor the message of hope God intended changed the current situation. The nation had acted in a way that brought about the judgment of God, and nothing would reverse the terrible predicament the nation was in. Sometimes we do things that cause negative consequences, yet the message Jeremiah wants us to hear is that there is hope for another future. Things can be completely reversed. The people who were living at the time of Jeremiah who were carried into exile were never going to see their homes or farms again, but their grandchildren might live in the Promised Land, the land flowing with milk and honey.

          This week, we watched as the Buddhist monks in Myanmar led protests for more freedom. Their protests brought about the same result the democracy demonstrations did several years back. The military junta reacted with force to put down the protests. This time, all the people of the world could see images of what was happening because of the Internet and the brave people who made illegal pictures and films. Many people have been killed by their own military, and Buddhist monasteries have been raided and ransacked. A cry has come from the people, yet the rest of world sits by simply watching or speaking empty words. The Associated Press reported that "a young woman who took part in a massive demonstration in Yangon on Thursday said she didn't think that 'we have any more hope to win.' She was separated from her boyfriend when police broke up the protest by firing into crowds and has not seen him since." The people have lost their hope. They don’t believe things will ever change.

          Many people today live in hopeless situations. Their lives have been turned upside down. They can’t see any possibility for change in their situations. Yet God’s message is that things can be turned around. Communities and organizations that have experienced years of decline can thrive once again. It happens.

Just like the response to Sarah and Mary who knew having a child was impossible, God says there is nothing too wonderful for the Lord to do. We are called to walk in God’s hope and invest. Many times people will be unwilling to put time, effort and money into things that don’t look as though they are going to pan out.  Negative attitudes and feelings easily spread in a community -- even within the community of faith -- preventing any movement or growth into the future God intends. And because of that, there are consequences just like the exile for Judea.  But we are a people of hope. Jesus Christ lived, died and rose again to offer us new life and a new future. No matter what the odds or situation, God never abandons us or gives up on our future. We should remember the words from Hebrews 6:18, 19 when we feel things will never be better or change: “We who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us. We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.” God has revealed God’s nature and mercy to us, and that is our hope: hope that anchors our souls no matter what storm may come. Amen.