Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me? — Jeremiah 32:27
The tiny baby boy screamed in pain in a cold village field on the outskirts of Langfang, China. He was covered with burns over seventy percent of his body, and one arm was just a charred stump. The villagers who had heard the baby’s cries and come to investigate turned away with anguish on their faces. Nothing could save this infant, who clearly had been the victim of a terrible accident and had been left to die by parents who had no idea how to help him; he had even been wrapped in burial clothes. But one older villager stayed behind. Moved with pity, he cautiously gathered the agonized child in his arms and went for help.
That one act of compassion sparked a miraculous series of events involving people from different countries, faiths, and social backgrounds. God had ordained that the impossible would happen — little Levi, as he was later named, would live, and would have a secure future with a family who loved him.
John and Lisa Bentley had come to China just a few weeks earlier to build an orphanage in a village near Beijing. The moment they laid eyes on this tiny infant, their hearts were touched by his desperate plight. They were convinced that God wanted them to fight for Levi’s life. “I might have looked at Levi’s circumstances and decided he was too much of a long shot,” Lisa says. “Instead, I decided to focus on what God could accomplish.”(1) Time after time, John and Lisa saw God work amazing miracles as they struggled to keep the tiny infant alive and make arrangements with the Chinese government for his release and transport to the United States where his terrible burns could be dealt with.
Even after Lisa and Levi arrived in Boston, where a team of surgeons had agreed to operate on the tiny boy, God’s miraculous provision was apparent. Just hours after their arrival, fatigued and emotionally at her limit after the long flight, Lisa found herself driving through heavy traffic in Boston, unsure of how to find her destination. In desperation she stopped, rolled down the car window, and spoke to the first couple who caught her eye. She told them she was visiting from China, and asked if they could give her directions. The couple looked at her and then asked an astonishing question: “Are you Lisa Bentley?” They turned out to be friends of a woman in China who had assisted them in making travel arrangements! They were both pediatric doctors, and ultimately became key players in supervising Levi’s recovery in the United States. Was that meeting on the busy streets of Boston just chance? No, John and Lisa knew that it was another evidence that God can do the impossible.
In our focus verse, God reminded Jeremiah of this same great truth. He asked the prophet a piercing question: “I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?” The situation facing this man of God, like the situation facing little Levi, seemed impossible. But God is able!
Today, when we face circumstances that seem to have no solution, we must remember that we serve an all-powerful God. Nothing we face is beyond Him. No problem that comes our way is too big for Him to solve. Let us grasp hold of that fact, and hold on in faith!
This text continues the dialog that took place between Jeremiah and God after Jeremiah had purchased land in Anathoth from his cousin. In spite of Jerusalem being surrounded by the Chaldeans, God had told Jeremiah to buy the property, which was in an area already controlled by the invading army. Then Jeremiah prayed, seeking confirmation for his act of faith. This last portion of chapter 32 gives God’s response to Jeremiah’s prayer.
Jeremiah had said to God in verse 17, “There is nothing too hard for thee.” In verse 27, God changed Jeremiah’s statement into a question, “Is there any thing too hard for me?” He was reminding Jeremiah that He, not the Chaldeans, controlled the events of the world.
Then in verses 28-35, God restated why Judah would be punished. Jerusalem would be captured and destroyed, and the people removed to Babylon, because of Judah’s refusal to obey God’s commandments in the Law of Moses and the teaching of the prophets. Their homes would be destroyed because they made sacrifices to idols from the roofs. The Temple would be demolished because they had polluted it with images of other “gods.” Since the Book of Jeremiah often contains references to “rising early,” it appears it was common in Judah for prophets to preach in the morning.
In verses 36-42 God assured the prophet again that He would gather the Jews back to their land, and that He would give them “one heart.” They would fear Him, for their good and also for the good of their children. Although part of this prophesy was fulfilled when the Jews returned from Babylon during the reign of Cyrus, the complete fulfillment will not occur until God delivers the Jewish people in the last days.
The last two verses of the chapter confirm the step Jeremiah took to buy the property. His action illustrated that in time, land would again be purchased by God’s people.
(Hannah’s Bible Outlines - Used by permission per WORDsearch)
II. The pronouncement of judgment against Judah
C. The consolations of the prophet
2. The surety of restoration demonstrated
c. The purposes of Jehovah (32:26-44)
(1) The destruction of Jerusalem (32:26-35)
(2) The future repopulation of Israel (32:36-44)
God is omnipotent, and He uses His power to accomplish His purposes. There is absolutely nothing too hard for Him!
1. Lisa Misraje Bentley, “Saving Levi: Left to Die . . . Destined to Live,” Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2007, p. 48-49
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