16 "And then, having handed over the legal documents to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to God, 17 'Dear God, my Master, you created earth and sky by your great power - by merely stretching out your arm! There is nothing you can't do. 18 You're loyal in your steadfast love to thousands upon thousands - but you also make children live with the fallout from their parents' sins. Great and powerful God, named God-of-the-Angel-Armies, 19 determined in purpose and relentless in following through, you see everything that men and women do and respond appropriately to the way they live, to the things they do. 20 "'You performed signs and wonders in the country of Egypt and continue to do so right into the present, right here in Israel and everywhere else, too. You've made a reputation for yourself that doesn't diminish. 21 You brought your people Israel out of Egypt with signs and wonders - a powerful deliverance! - by merely stretching out your arm. 22 You gave them this land and solemnly promised to their ancestors a bountiful and fertile land. 23 But when they entered the land and took it over, they didn't listen to you. They didn't do what you commanded. They wouldn't listen to a thing you told them. And so you brought this disaster on them. 24 "'Oh, look at the siege ramps already set in place to take the city. Killing and starvation and disease are on our doorstep. The Babylonians are attacking! The Word you spoke is coming to pass - it's daily news! 25 And yet you, God, the Master, even though it is certain that the city will be turned over to the Babylonians, also told me, Buy the field. Pay for it in cash. And make sure there are witnesses.'"
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Jeremiah 32:16-25
Commentary on Jeremiah 32:16-25
(Read Jeremiah 32:16-25)
Jeremiah adores the Lord and his infinite perfections. When at any time we are perplexed about the methods of Providence, it is good for us to look to first principles. Let us consider that God is the fountain of all being, power, and life; that with him no difficulty is such as cannot be overcome; that he is a God of boundless mercy; that he is a God of strict justice; and that he directs every thing for the best. Jeremiah owns that God was righteous in causing evil to come upon them. Whatever trouble we are in, personal or public, we may comfort ourselves that the Lord sees it, and knows how to remedy it. We must not dispute God's will, but we may seek to know what it means.