Category: Behar

Returning to the Land

May, 2003

Vayikra (Leviticus) 25:1-26:2 | Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 16:19-17:14

It seems that the sages who chose this Haftarah to correspond to the parasha could not have chosen a more appropriate one. Parashat Behar, Leviticus 25:1–26:2, is near the end of Leviticus, the instruction book for the cohanim. There, God was discussing what would happen to Israel if they kept the covenant that He made with them and the consequences of covenant unfaithfulness.

One of the main areas of God’s concern is for the land itself. Leviticus chapter 25 speaks about several regulations regarding the land. For instance, verses 25:1–7 teach about giving the land a Shabbat rest every six years and the verses after that speak about another rest to the land after every seven sabbaths of years. Amid these instructions about a rest to the land are also teachings about buying and selling and redeeming parcels of land.

Thus, we can easily see how the Haftarah in Jeremiah 32 was nothing other than a natural outflow of the Torah portion. It picked up where the parasha left off. Jeremiah 32 relates the story of how the Lord tells Jeremiah to redeem a tract of land. Jeremiah is instructed by God to do one of his several “prophetic actions.” Here God told him to purchase a field in Benjamin. Although he could see the Babylonian siege ramps already posed against Jerusalem, the Holy One wanted to assure Jeremiah that one day, he would be able to use the land he purchased. In like manner, the prophetic message is that Israel, although on the verge of disaster and captivity, would return and farm the Promised Land once again—by the grace and mercy of God.

Jeremiah testified that he heard God tell him to purchase the land, but that he also may have doubted what he had heard, (32:8). More than anyone else in his day, Jeremiah understood the impending disaster that awaited Judah. He prophesied about the coming of the Babylonians to his land.

However, verse eight tells us that he was finally assured that he heard from God when his relative came to him to offer the land for sale. In other words, privately Jeremiah heard from the Lord about purchasing the land. But, like most of us, he may have had some doubts—especially when we consider the historical atmosphere of his day. But then, seemingly out of nowhere, his relative approached him about buying the land. This sovereign act convinced Jeremiah that this transaction was going to be a very special purchase. Indeed it was!

The Holy One told Jeremiah, “Houses and fields and vineyards shall again be bought in this land.” (Jeremiah 32:15) This was God’s way of telling Jeremiah that the disaster, which he would soon witness, would not be permanent. This land purchase symbolized the fact that the remnant would return from Babylon to plant vineyards and to plough the fields again. The prophecy about the return to the land sounded great. There was one problem, however. According to Jeremiah, “The siege mounds have reached the city to take it; and the city is given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it, because of the sword, the famine, and the pestilence….” (Jeremiah 32:24)

“Siege mounds” were piles of dirt erected around the city so that soldiers could climb on top of them and attack the city. The siege mounds would have been a fearsome sight for the downtrodden and helpless people inside of Jerusalem. Jeremiah was speaking as if it was already happening—which it probably was!

But Jeremiah saw things differently. For we read him saying to the Lord, “What You have spoken has come to pass; and, behold, You see.” (32:24).
Indeed, the situation was as bleak as it could possibly have become. Yet, Jeremiah bought a tract of land for future use! What did he know that the rest of the people did not know? He knew the exile was temporary.

Verses 26-27 contain a wonderful promise from the Holy One. The text reads, “Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying, ‘Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?’”

The God of all mankind promised that He would bring the children of Israel back to the Land once again. Jeremiah was to purchase that tract of land as an eternal witness to that sacred promise. He was to preach about this transaction of redemption to all of the people and have it formally recorded for posterity—that all may see it and know that God has shown that He will redeem His people and return them to the Land that He swore to give to them as a gift of grace.

Search in articles...

 What's this?

This scroll icon indicates premium content for Myffoz members.
Click here to join or Sign in...

Browse Articles

• « The Millennial Kingdom
• Article Index
• » The Gospel in Leviticus

Select a Category

• Appointed Times
• Biblical Hebrew
• Discipleship
• Discover Israel
• Editorial
• Identity Celebrations
• Introduction to Torah
• Jewish History
• Jewish Tradition
• Messianic Theology
• Our Identity
• Questions and Answers
• The Blessed Home
• The Land and the People
• The Life of Messiah

• Traditional Treasures
• Walking Torah

Most Recent Articles

• The New Moon
• A Biblical Worldview
• Rosh Chodesh
• In the Shadow of the Almighty
• Restoring that which was lost!
• Take to Heart
• Yeshua's View of Torah
• Yeshua's New Wine
• A Taste of Freedom
• The Traditional Seder Plate
• The Omer
• Passover - Remembering our Redemption
• False Starts
• For Such a Time as This
• Our Identity

Article Archives

Browse through the complete database of articles by Category
Click here »