God’s message to Baruch
45
📚The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written 📖 these words from the mouth of Jeremiah in a book, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying, 45:1 The smallest chapter in Jeremiah but containing a great lesson for all of us.⚜
2 📚“Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: 3 📚You said, ‘Woe to me now! For the LORD has added grief to my sorrow. I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest.’
45:2-3 Baruch’s association with Jeremiah in the ministry brought him much trouble and sorrow. God has never promised an easy, trouble-free life to His prophets and servants – in fact, quite the contrary (Jer 1:19; Matt 10:17; John 15:18-21; 16:33; Acts 9:15-16; 14:22). In this service for God they all learn sooner or later what sorrow, groaning and difficulties are. Judging from v 5 Baruch was tempted to escape from his trouble by seeking a position that would bring him some personal honor and peace. Baruch’s brother Seraiah was later an officer in the time of King Zedekiah (Jer 51:59), and for all we know, occupied some important position before that. So perhaps Baruch was tempted to quit God’s service with Jeremiah and seek some high place through his brother’s influence.⚜
4 📚“You shall say this to him: ‘Thus says the LORD: See, I will break down what I have built, and I will uproot what I have planted, this whole land. 5 📚And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them. For, see, I will bring disaster on all flesh, says the LORD. But I will give your life to you like plunder every place you go.’ ”
45:4-5 God’s just judgments were about to be fulfilled, disaster was coming on the people. It was no time for any of God’s servants to be seeking great things for themselves. Actually God’s servants should never seek great things for themselves – especially perhaps in our day when there is reason to believe that the end of this age is near, and that God’s wrath is soon to bring disaster on the world. God’s people selfishly seeking position, money, power, and man’s honors is madness. Would it not be madness to be hanging a record of one’s honors and greatness on the walls of a house when the house is on fire and the roof is about to collapse? But, alas, it is a madness one sees everywhere. Compare Phil 2:21.
Let us see that God’s command to Baruch is for us too, and learn always to be God-seekers, not self-seekers. Let us seek great things for Christ and not for ourselves. And let us learn and apply the truth of Matt 10:38-39. We have reason to think Baruch listened to God’s word. He remained Jeremiah’s faithful assistant (Jer 32:1, 12, 13; 43:3, 6 – both of these events took place many years after the event in chapter 45).⚜