1. Jeremiah finds himself imprisoned for prophesying that Jerusalem will fall to Babylon. Though confused by his circumstances, he remains committed to God. 2. While in prison, Jeremiah buys a piece of property at God's command, even though the land will soon be conquered. He uses his time in prison to commune with God through prayer. 3. Jeremiah's prayer expresses confidence in God's power and ability to accomplish his purposes, even through judgment. God reassures Jeremiah that he will both judge Israel and ultimately restore the nation.

1. THE PRISON OF HIS PURPOSES
Jeremiah 32:1-15
Summary:
 Let’s get the picture here, Jerusalem is surrounded by Babylonians and under siege.
 King Zedekiah has locked Jeremiah up for making such NEGATIVE PROPHECIES concerning the FALL OF JERUSALEM.
 You will recall that Zedekiah of Jerusalem was awarded his job by Babylon as a puppet king - APPOINTED BY KING
NEDUCHADNEZZAR (II Kings 24:18-20, see notes), but later he decided to rebel against Babylon.
 The rebellion is not going well. So...the fall of Jerusalem is imminent.
 Nevertheless, Jeremiah's cousin (Hanameel) comes to visit him in jail and offers to sell him a piece of prime property
in Judah (back in Jeremiah's hometown of Anathoth).
 How prime can a piece of property be when yourwhole government is about to fall into a foreign nation's hands?
 Apparently, as a sign to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Jeremiah buys theproperty to demonstrateto theking of
Judah and everybody else THAT HE IS CONVINCED THE EXILES WILLRETURN 70 YEARS AFTER THE FIRST
DEPORTATION
 Whatever he was thinking, God told him to buy it (verse 8).
 In verse 12 we see that the land transaction took place "before all the Jews that sat in the court of the prison."
 Then (verse 14) Jeremiah tells his secretary (Baruch) to put the deeds into a jar that will last a long time (better make
it a 50-plus-year jar).
 Before the witnesses, Jeremiah declares in verse 15, "FOR THUS SAITH THE LORD OF HOSTS, THE GOD OF ISRAEL;
HOUSES AND FIELDS AND VINEYARDS SHALL BE POSSESSED AGAIN IN THIS LAND."
 So, while Jeremiah had been prophesying the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians, he is just as adamantly declaring
the return of those who are exiled in the process back to Jerusalem in 70 years.
 As an action to validate his faith, he makes a land deal which will be useless if his prophecy is incorrect.
 God's question as to whether anything is too hard for him is probably to be answered in the negative.
 God cannot move into the future without first going through judgment.
Intro:
 Our God is a mysterious God. He works in ways that you and I cannot understand.
 He declares this very thing in His Word, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,
saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my
thoughts than your thoughts,” Isaiah 55:8-9.
 He is a God Who is doing some amazing eternal things in your life and mine.
 He is a God Who is working out a sovereign, unstoppable plan.
 As He does what He does in us and around us, we often find ourselves standing back, scratching our heads,
wondering about what is going on.
 There are times when we find ourselves caught up in the vortex of God’s eternal plan, with things going on in and
around us that seem to make no sense at all.
 Have you ever been there?
 Can you identify?
 You know God is in control, but you have no idea what Heis up to and sometimes that sense of the unknown bothers
us deeply.
 That is the place Jeremiah finds himself in these verses.
 He is in prison and God is doing something in him, to him and around him that he cannot fully comprehend.
 Since we also find ourselves in that same prison from time to time, it might be helpful for us to look at what Jeremiah
experienced in The Prison Of His Purposes.
 I would like to take Jeremiah chapters 32-33 and show you some facts about this prison that you need to know.
 Let’s join Jeremiah in The Prison Of His Purposes.

2. 1. THIS PRISON CAN BE A PLACE OF CONFUSION
a. The CIRCUMSTANCES OF LIFE Can Be Confusing – Even before Jeremiah arrived in this prison, his life had
been a series of devastating circumstances. Let’stake a brief look at the trials faced by this faithful prophet:
 He had been denied the comforts of love and family – Jer. 16:2.
 “You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons or daughters in this place.”
 He had been denied the comforts of encouragement and friendship – Jer. 15:10.
 Alas, my mother, that you gave me birth, a man with whom the whole land strives and contends! I have neither
lent nor borrowed, yet everyone curses me.
 Jeremiah preached the truth and stood for God and not a single person said, “Thank you”, or offered a
word of encouragement and friendship.
 He had been denied the comfort of personal liberty – Jer. 32:2.
 The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the
courtyard of the guard in the royal palace of Judah.
 Jeremiah conducted much of his ministry from the CONFINES OF PRISON.
 There can be little doubt that these circumstances of life, and others besides, caused Jeremiah much confusion and
turmoil of spirit.
 He had been faithful to the Lord in spite of everything that had come against him, and still hesuffered greatly.
 In fact, there is no record that Jeremiah ever gained a single convert in 50 years of ministry!
 Note: If we looked only at the circumstance of our lives, we too can find ourselves confused. – (why are we not
prospered)
 Sometimes, it may seem that God isn’t fair in His treatment of His servants.
 Life is hard at best and sometimes it seems that God’s children carrya greater portion of the burden than others do.
 “For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.” Eccl.
2:23.
 Look at Job! God’s Own testimony is that Job was a godly, faithful servant, Job 1:8.
 Yet, look at how Job suffered!
 It just doesn’t seem fair!
 Consider Jesus! No One has ever been more righteous than He, yet He suffered more than any man, Heb. 12:2-3
o fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its
shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so
that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
 What we fail to see is that God is operating on a higherplane than we can see.
 He is doing things that we cannot fathom.
 He is moving in ways that we cannot comprehend.
 God has used Job’s tragedies to comfort millions down through the ages.
 Job had no idea what God was doing.
 Jeremiah’s troubles were used to teach a nation about thejudgment and faithfulness of God.
 Jeremiah didn’t grasp it all either.
 So, when your path makes no sense and it seems that God is not treating you fairly remember this:
o God is working out a good plan in your life, and you can trust Him, even though you don’t have all the details.
 Nowhere does the Bible say that God is fair!
 It does say that He is just and that He will always do right.
 “Shall NOT THE JUDGE of all the earth DO RIGHT?” Genesis 18:25.
 You will never understand Him, but you can always trust Him!
b. The COMPLICATIONS OF LIFE Can Be Confusing – v. 2-5 – Here is Jeremiah, he is preaching the message God has
given him. - 2 The army of the king of Babylon was then besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the
courtyard of the guard in the royal palace of Judah. Now Zedekiah king of Judah had imprisoned him there, saying, “Why do you
prophesy as you do? You say, ‘This is what the Lord says:I am about to give this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he
will capture it. 4 Zedekiah king of Judah will not escape the Babylonians[a] but will certainly be given into the hands of the king of

3. Babylon, and will speak with him face to face and see him with his own eyes.5 He will take Zedekiah to Babylon, where he will
remain until Ideal with him, declares the Lord. If you fight against the Babylonians, you will not succeed.’”
 He holds nothing back, but he tells the truth and he is thrown into prison for his efforts.
 It must have seemed to Jeremiah that he was being shelved by God.
 Surely his situation made no sense to him at all.
 Note: Have you ever been there?
o Another person getsthat promotion and you are passed over.
o Your children are rebelling against you.
o Another company gets more projects than yours.
o Your co-worker gets higher pay than you.
o Your classmate seems to have it all.
 The complications of life are many and they arrive without warning.
 They are devastating in their impact and they leave us wondering, if not out loud, at least in our hearts, “WHERE
IS GOD AND WHAT IS HE DOING TO ME?”
 Sometimes it seems as though God has forgotten our address, doesn’t it?
 Sometimes it seems as though God has placed us on the back shelf, out of the action, and that He has forgotten
all about us.
 Sometimes it seems that Hedoesn’t care about what we are facing.
 Sometimes it seems that Heis nowhere to be found.
 The COMPLICATIONS OF LIFE CAN BE VERY CONFUSING!
 Remember Elijah? He wanted to die – 7000 prophets not kissed or bowed down before Baal
 We ARE NOT ALONE IN OUR CONFUSION over LIFE’S COMPLICATIONS.
c. The COMMANDS OF LIFE Can Be Confusing –Jeremiah locked up in prison.
 He has been preaching that Judah is about to fall into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, KING OF BABYLON.
 Even as he languishes in the prison, the Babylonians are coming to execute God’s judgment on the Israelites for
their rebellion and their idolatry.
 Jeremiah has even prophesied that JUDAH WILLGO AWAY to BABYLON IN CAPTIVITY FOR 70 YEARS, Jer. 25:11.
o This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
 In the midst of this impossible situation, Jeremiah’s uncle sends his son Hanameel to Jeremiah, asking Jeremiah
to Redeem A Piece Of Property That Belongs To Jeremiah’s Family.
 That made no sense! The Babylonians surely possessed that land already.
 Even if they didn’t they would soon. They would possess it for the next 70 years.
 Jeremiah was being asked to pay money for a piece of property that he would never be able to farm or even see.
 Yet, God was in this matter, v. 7, and Jeremiah bought the property as he was commanded, v. 9-16, fulfilling all
the legal requirements of such a transaction.
 “so I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel and weighed out for him seventeenshekels[b] of silver. 10 I signed and
sealed the deed, had it witnessed, and weighed out the silveron 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.”
Note: Sometimes the commands of life can be confusing also. – cast the net on the other side, leave Egypt, Abraham
to give up Isaac
 God will come by and request something that makes no sense.
 He may call you into a new ministry in a place that seems to make no sense.
 He might uproot you from a church where you have served for years.
 He may require you to give up something that you love very much.
 He may make a request of your life that seems insane on the surface.
 When God shuts you up in the prison of His purposes, you can expect Him to require some strange things from
your life.

4.  He doesn’t ask these things from us to confuse us, but He does so to accomplish His purposes.
 We don’t always know what He is doing, but as I have already said, we can trust Him to do right.
 He will never lead you down a wrong path, Psa. 37:23. - The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him;
2. THIS PRISON CAN BE A PLACE OF COMMITMENT
 Even though Jeremiah was in a difficult place, it is interesting to watch his life.
 He was confused about his circumstances, but he was committed to doing theLord’s will anyway.
 His commitment to the Lord is easy to see.
a. v. 16-25 The Prison Became A Place Of COMMUNION – Jeremiah did not understand his circumstances and
he did not understand what the Lord was doing in his life, but he used that time as a time of personal
growth and communion with the Lord.
 He praised the Lord for His greatness, His glory and His power.
 He praised Him for His past works. Jeremiah was in a hard place, but he turned to the Lord in that prison and
spent time with the Lord.
Note: The hard places of life can affect us in one of two ways.
 They can drive us away from the Lord as they did Cain, Gen. 4:1-16.
 Or, they can drive us to the Lord as they did Job, Job 1:20-21. - At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his
head. Then he fell to the ground in worship 21 and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart.[a]
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, may the name of the Lord be praised.”
 When we find ourselves in one of the prison experiences of life, there is no better thing for us to do than to
PRAY!
 When we turn from our fears, our doubts and our confusion, to FACE THE LORD, we are allowed to step out
of ourreality and into His presence, Heb. 4:16. - Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, sothat
we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
 Prayer brings us into contact with the help and theresources we need to make it through ourprison times,
Phil 4:6-7.- Donot be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present
your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in
Christ Jesus.
 Prayer is never an easy business. It is made even more difficult when trials and trouble arise in ourlives.
 But, we must pray! We must seek thehelp of ourFather. He cares about what we face and He invites us to
come to Him for the help we need, Jer. 33:3
b. v. 26-44 ThePrison Became A Place Of CONFIDENCE – The theme of Jeremiah’s prayer had been
CONFIDENCE in God’s abilities, v. 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
 When the Lord speaks to Jeremiah after his prayer, God confirms His power and His ability, v. 27- “I am the
Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?.
 God tells Jeremiah that He is going to judge Israel for their sins and their rebellion, v. 28-36.
 But, He also tells Jeremiah that He will restore Israelone day, and keep His covenant with them, v. 37-44.
 The essence of Jeremiah’s prayer is summed up in verses 24-25. - “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 silverand have the transaction witnessed.’
o He declares his confusion over what he has been asked to do, but he also declares his confidence in
the plans, purposes and power of God.
 Note: That is the place to which God wants to bring us.
 He wants us to reach the place where we do not need to know all the answers.
 His desire for us is that we come to the place where we trust Him, even when what He is doing in us and
around us makes no sense at all.

5.  Psa. 56:3-4- When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid.
What can mere mortals do to me?
 One of the greatest days in your Christian walk is the day when you reach that place of peaceful
contentment, where you may not know what God is going to do, but you KNOW THAT HE HAS A PLAN.
 The Three Hebrew boys reached that place, Dan. 3:16-18.
 Daniel reached that place, Dan. 6:10 (Daniel learned that the decree had been published,) Paul reached that
place, 2 Cor. 12:9-10- But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for
Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am
strong.
 Many others have arrived there and we can as well, by the grace of God.
c. v. 9-15 The Prison Became A Place Of COMPLIANCE – Jeremiah’s character is seen in how he responded to
the Lord in a time of confusion and personal pain.
 He SIMPLY DID what the Lord asked him to do.
 He redeemed the family and he made sure that he took every step that was necessary to record the
transaction.
 I am sure that some people must have laughed at Jeremiah as he did this, but he did it anyway.
 I am sure that many did not understand, but that did not stop him.
 He remained faithful to the Lord, even when doing all that God required made no sense at all. – NOAH’S ARK
 Note: Anyone can serve the Lord and keep His commands when they make sense and the way is easy.
 However, it takes true commitment and dedication to do the Lord’s will when others do not understand.
 Imagine how Abraham must have felt as he led Isaac up that mountain to put him to death.
 Put yourself in his sandals.
 That was a moment when the requirements of the Lord made no sense at all.
 But, if you will read Genesis 22, you will find no hesitation at all in Abraham’s response.
 He just did what the Lord asked him to do.
 That is the responseGod is after from each of us.
 It’snot always easy to obey God.
 It is made especially difficult when God’s commands make no sense at all.
 It is not easy to do what Hewants when ourhearts are breaking.
 It is not easy to REMAIN STEADFAST WHENEVERYONE AROUND us seems to be moving away from God.
He is looking for a people who will obey Him, without question, simply because they love Him, John 14:15. - If you love me,
keep my commands.
3. THIS PRISON CAN BE A PLACE OF COMFORT
a. We Are Comforted By GOD’S PROVIDENCE – Jer. 32:26-33:26 – Jeremiah is comforted by the Lord’s ability to
declare ahead of time that which will take place in the future.
 He is reminded that God works on both ends of time to accomplish His will in the world.
 Yes, Israel will be destroyed and taken captive; but they will be brought him and restored to their land
and to fellowship with God.
 Note: When we find ourselves in the prison of His purposes, we need to take comfort in Who our God is.
 We may not understand everything that He is doing, but we can trust the fact that He is in control.
 We serve a sovereign God Who is WORKING OUT AN ETERNAL PLAN.
 I take comfort from the fact that He is in control, Eph. 1:11 - In him we were also chosen,[a] having been predestined
according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,
 I may not know what He is doing, but He knows and He has a plan to make everything work out right in the end,
b. We Are Comforted By GOD’S POWER – Jeremiah is comforted by the Lord’s Power. Not only does God have
the power to declare the future, He also had the power to bring it to pass.

6.  Note: Let me just remind you that we serve a God of limitless power and ability, Eph. 3:20 - Now to him who is able to do
immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
 If you have a need in your prison, He can meet it!
 If you have a mountain, He can move it.
 If you are in a deep, dark valley; He knows the path out.
 He can and will take care of your situation in His time and in His way.
c. We Are Comforted By GOD’S PRESENCE – Surely Jeremiah felt all alone and deserted in his prison. Yet, the
Lord was still with him.
God spoke to him there and God even used that prison to meet the needs in Jeremiah’s life, Jer. 37:21. - King Zedekiah then gave
orders for Jeremiah to be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given a loaf of bread from the street of the bakers each day until all the
bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.
 Note: The prison times of life can be frightening.
 They can make us feel as though we have been deserted by the Lord and left there to die.
 Regardless of how things may appear, we still have His promise that He will never leave us, Heb. 13:5.
 God will often use the very things we fear as His vehicle to move in our lives.
o The Disciples in the storm, Mark 6:48-51.
 The Widow of Zarephath – God used the needs and tragedies in her life to demonstrate His presence and power, 1
Kings 17.)
 You may feel like it, but you are never alone!
d. We Are Comforted By GOD’S PROMISES – When Jeremiah heard from the Lord in his prison, he was given
the good news that things world work out.
 The Lord came with His promise that all would be well in the end.
 Surely, that word from the Lord cheered the heart of the prophet in that prison.
 Jeremiah leaned heavily on the Word of God, Jer. 15:16.- When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy
and my heart’s delight ,for I bear your name, Lord God Almighty.
 Note: As we journey through this life, we often find ourselves in what can only be described as prisons.
 We can find hope and comfort in our prison by leaning on the promises of God.
 As God told Jeremiah in verse 27, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?”
 No matter what kind of situation we are facing in life, we can rest in the promise that our God can handle it.
 Nothing is too hard for Him!
 The world laughs at us today because we do not run with them in the pursuit of worldly pleasures.
 The world does not understand our commitment to the Lord and they mock us as a result.
 But, there is a day of vindication coming for the saints of God!
 Our commitment to Him will pay off and we will be rewarded for our loyalty to Him.
Conc:
 Are you in the Prison of His Purposes today?
 Is God doing some things in your life that do not make sense?
 Is He allowing some things to happen to you that just do not add up?
 Is He working out some plan that you cannot seem to get a handle on?
 Are you confused and concerned about some of the things that are happening to you?
 Do you find yourself doubting Him more than you find yourself trusting Him?
 Do you need a word in your prison?
 If so, come to Him like Jeremiah did, pour out your heart before Him and look to Him for the guidance you need.