Listen to enough conversations at a family gathering and you will hear two opposite stories about the islands. One says things are getting worse: crime, prices, roads, politics, young people leaving. The other says there is nowhere else like home, and that one day, God willing, we will build there, retire there, or at least keep a piece of land for the children.
Both stories can be true at once. And there is a strange episode in the book of Jeremiah that speaks to exactly that tension.
The worst possible time to buy
In Jeremiah 32, Jerusalem is under siege. The Babylonian army is outside the walls. Jeremiah himself is confined in the court of the guard for prophesying that the city will fall. By any sensible measure, this is not a good time to invest in property.
Then his cousin Hanamel arrives and offers to sell him a family field in Anathoth, because Jeremiah has the right of redemption. And God tells him to buy it. Jeremiah does. He weighs out the silver, signs the deed, has it witnessed, and gives instructions that both copies, the sealed one and the open one, be placed in a clay jar so they will last a long time (Jeremiah 32:9–14).
Why? The reason is given in verse 15: houses and fields and vineyards would again be bought in that land. The purchase was a sign. Jeremiah was putting his money where God’s promise was.
Faith with a deed attached
Hebrews describes faith as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). We often talk about faith as a feeling, but in Jeremiah it has a very physical form: silver on the scales, a signed deed, witnesses, a clay jar. His hope was not vague optimism. It was a considered act, done properly, with the paperwork in order.
That combination is worth noticing. Jeremiah did not buy recklessly. He bought a specific family field, through a known relative, with a legal right to do so, following the correct procedure in front of witnesses. Faith and prudence sat side by side.
Buying land from a distance
Many Caribbean people buy or build at home while living somewhere else, and the story has something to say to them too. Jeremiah was, in effect, a buyer who could not visit the property. He was locked up. He had to trust the process and the people.
For anyone buying from abroad, or from another parish, the lessons are practical:
- Know who you are dealing with. Jeremiah bought from a relative with a recognised claim. Many land scams involve sellers who have no right to sell. An attorney-at-law should confirm the seller’s title before any money changes hands.
- Do it properly. A signed agreement, witnesses, registration. A handshake with a cousin is not enough, however much you trust him.
- Keep the documents safe. Jeremiah’s clay jar is an ancient version of a safe deposit box. Store originals securely and keep copies where family can find them.
- Confirm the boundaries. A commissioned land surveyor can make sure the field you are paying for is the field on the ground.
Hope is not a guarantee
It would be wrong to turn this passage into a promise that every property purchase will rise in value, or that buying land is always God’s will. Jeremiah bought because God specifically told him to, as a prophetic sign. He did not live to see the field’s restoration. The hope pointed beyond his own lifetime.
That might be the most important lesson. Some investments in home are not about personal return at all. A family field held and kept in good order, a title finally sorted after two generations, a small house built for an elderly parent in the district: these are acts of hope for people who will come after us. They say, in concrete and paper, that we believe there is a future in this place.
Between the two stories
So what do we do with the two stories told at family gatherings, the one about decline and the one about home? Jeremiah held both. He preached honestly about hard times, and he bought a field. He did not pretend the siege was not happening. He simply refused to believe it was the final word.
For the Caribbean family weighing whether to invest at home, that is a helpful posture. Look clearly at the risks. Take proper advice. Do the paperwork carefully. And where it is right, act in hope, knowing that faith sometimes looks like a deed in a clay jar.
This article is general information only and is not financial, legal, tax or other professional advice. Please speak to a qualified professional about your own circumstances.
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