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Commentary and questions by John C. Sewell

A PERSONAL NOTE TO BARUCH

JEREMIAH 45:1-5

Landmark Publications, Inc., 1045 Maynor Street, Nashville, TN., 37216, U.S.A. John C. Sewell, Ph.D., Editor



A Personal Note to Baruch

Text:

Jeremiah 45:1-5,

1. The prophet Jeremiah spoke to Baruch son of Neriah while he was writing down in a scroll the words that Jeremiah spoke to him. This happened in the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling over Judah. 2. “The LORD God of Israel has a message for you, Baruch. 3. ‘You have said, “I feel so hopeless! For the LORD has added sorrow to my suffering. I am worn out from groaning. I can’t find any rest.”’” 4. The LORD told Jeremiah, “Tell Baruch, ‘The LORD says, “I am about to tear down what I have built and to uproot what I have planted. I will do this throughout the whole earth. 5. Are you looking for great things for yourself? Do not look for such things. For I, the LORD, affirm that I am about to bring disaster on all humanity. But I will allow you to escape with your life wherever you go.”’” (NET) Introduction: I. Hamilton dated this oracle to Baruch to 605 (604 – Coffman) BCE, the fourth year of Jehoiakim, and can be associated with the scroll incident in Jeremiah 36, perhaps between verses 8 and 9. (Green via Coffman)

A. Jeremiah 36:1-32, The LORD spoke to Jeremiah in the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling over Judah. “Get a scroll. Write on it everything I have told you to say about Israel, Judah, and all the other nations since I began to speak to you in the reign of Josiah until now. Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about all the disaster I intend to




bring on them, they will all stop doing the evil things they have been doing. If they do, I will forgive their sins and the wicked things they have done.” So Jeremiah summoned Baruch son of Neriah. Then Jeremiah dictated to Baruch everything the LORD had told him to say and Baruch wrote it all down in a scroll. Then Jeremiah told Baruch, “I am no longer allowed to go into the LORD’s temple. So you go there the next time all the people of Judah come in from their towns to fast in the LORD’s temple. Read out loud where all of them can hear you what I told you the LORD said, which you wrote in the scroll. Perhaps then they will ask the LORD for mercy and will all stop doing the evil things they have been doing. For the LORD has threatened to bring great anger and wrath against these people.” So Baruch son of Neriah did exactly what the prophet Jeremiah had told him to do. He read what the LORD had said from the scroll in the temple of the LORD. All the people living in Jerusalem and all the people who came into Jerusalem from the towns of Judah came to observe a fast before the LORD. The fast took place in the ninth month of the fifth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling over Judah. At that time Baruch went into the temple of the LORD. He stood in the entrance of the room of Gemariah the son of Shaphan who had been the royal secretary. That room was in the upper court near the entrance of the New Gate. There, where all the people could hear him, he read from the scroll what Jeremiah had said. Micaiah, who was the son of Gemariah and the grandson of Shaphan, heard Baruch read from the scroll everything the LORD had said. He went down to the chamber of the royal secretary in the king’s palace and found all the court officials in session there. Elishama the royal secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials were seated there. Micaiah told them everything he had heard Baruch read from the scroll in the hearing of the people. All




the officials sent Jehudi, who was the son of Nethaniah and the grandson of Cushi, to Baruch. They ordered him to tell Baruch, “Come here and bring with you the scroll you read in the hearing of the people.” So Baruch son of Neriah went to them, carrying the scroll in his hand. They said to him, “Please sit down and read it to us.” So Baruch sat down and read it to them. When they had heard it all, they expressed their alarm to one another. Then they said to Baruch, “We must certainly give the king a report about everything you have read!” Then they asked Baruch, “How did you come to write all these words? Do they actually come from Jeremiah’s mouth?” Baruch answered, “Yes, they came from his own mouth. He dictated all these words to me and I wrote them down in ink on this scroll.” Then the officials said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah must go and hide. You must not let anyone know where you are.” The officials put the scroll in the room of Elishama, the royal secretary, for safekeeping. Then they went to the court and reported everything to the king. The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll. He went and got it from the room of Elishama, the royal secretary. Then he himself read it to the king and all the officials who were standing around him. Since it was the ninth month of the year, the king was sitting in his winter quarters. A fire was burning in the firepot in front of him. As soon as Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll, the king would cut them off with a penknife and throw them on the fire in the firepot. He kept doing so until the whole scroll was burned up in the fire. Neither he nor any of his attendants showed any alarm when they heard all that had been read. Nor did they tear their clothes to show any grief or sorrow. The king did not even listen to Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah, who had urged him not to burn the scroll. He also ordered Jerahmeel, who was one of the royal princes, Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest the scribe Baruch and the prophet Jeremiah. However, the LORD hid




them. The LORD spoke to Jeremiah after Jehoiakim had burned the scroll containing what Jeremiah had spoken and Baruch had written down. “Get another scroll and write on it everything that was written on the original scroll that King Jehoiakim of Judah burned. Tell King Jehoiakim of Judah, ‘The LORD says, “You burned the scroll. You asked Jeremiah, ‘How dare you write in this scroll that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land and wipe out all the people and animals on it?’” So the LORD says concerning King Jehoiakim of Judah, “None of his line will occupy the throne of David. His dead body will be thrown out to be exposed to scorching heat by day and frost by night. I will punish him and his descendants and the officials who serve him for the wicked things they have done. I will bring on them, the citizens of Jerusalem, and the people of Judah all the disaster that I threatened to do to them. I will punish them because I threatened them but they still paid no heed.”’” Then Jeremiah got another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah. As Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote on this scroll everything that had been on the scroll that King Jehoiakim of Judah burned in the fire. They also added on this scroll several other messages of the same kind. (NET)

B. Smith wrote, “So far as the record goes, Baruch first became associated with Jeremiah in the fourth year of King Jehoiakim. That was the year that Nebuchadnezzar defeated Pharaoh Neco at Carchemish.”

1. Jeremiah 25:1, In the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was king of Judah, the LORD spoke to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah. (That was the same as the first year that Nebuchadnezzar was king of Babylon.) (NET)




2. Jeremiah 36:1, The LORD spoke to Jeremiah in the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling over Judah. (NET)

3. As has been seen previously and as is evident here, the book of Jeremiah is not arranged in chronological order.

II. Coffman wrote that Jeremiah 45 “forms on excellent appendix to the portion of Jeremiah dealing with Jeremiah’s relationship to Judah, being also a good introduction to the prophecies against the nations which appear immediately afterwards.”

Commentary:

Jeremiah 45:1, The prophet Jeremiah spoke to Baruch son of Neriah while he was writing down in a scroll the words that Jeremiah spoke to him. This happened in the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling over Judah. (NET)

I. The prophet Jeremiah spoke to Baruch son of Neriah while he was writing down in a scroll the words that Jeremiah spoke to him.*

A. *NET Footnote: It is unclear whether this is the first or the second scroll.

1. Jeremiah 36:4, So Jeremiah summoned Baruch son of Neriah. Then Jeremiah dictated to Baruch everything the LORD had told him to say and Baruch wrote it all down in a scroll. (NET)

2. Jeremiah 36:32, Then Jeremiah got another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah. As Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote on this scroll everything that had been on the scroll that King Jehoiakim of Judah burned




in the fire. They also added on this scroll several other messages of the same kind. (NET)

B. Baruch, the son of Neriah, was the scribe or secretary of Jeremiah. He was a member of a prominent Jewish family. As the following references show, Baruch was very active, played a vital role, in Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry. (See Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary.)

1. Jeremiah 32:12-16, I took both copies of the deed of purchase and gave them to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah. I gave them to him in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, the witnesses who had signed the deed of purchase, and all the Judeans who were housed in the courtyard of the guardhouse. In the presence of all these people I instructed Baruch, ‘The LORD God of Israel who rules over all says, “Take these documents, both the sealed copy of the deed of purchase and the unsealed copy. Put them in a clay jar so that they may be preserved for a long time to come.”’ For the LORD God of Israel who rules over all says, “Houses, fields, and vineyards will again be bought in this land.”’ “After I had given the copies of the deed of purchase to Baruch son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD (NET)

2. Jeremiah 36:1-32, The LORD spoke to Jeremiah in the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling over Judah. “Get a scroll. Write on it everything I have told you to say about Israel, Judah, and all the other nations since I began to speak to you in the reign of Josiah until now. Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about all the disaster I intend to bring on them, they will all stop doing the evil things they have been doing. If they do, I will forgive their sins and the wicked things they have done.” So Jeremiah summoned Baruch son of Neriah. Then




Jeremiah dictated to Baruch everything the LORD had told him to say and Baruch wrote it all down in a scroll. Then Jeremiah told Baruch, “I am no longer allowed to go into the LORD’s temple. So you go there the next time all the people of Judah come in from their towns to fast in the LORD’s temple. Read out loud where all of them can hear you what I told you the LORD said, which you wrote in the scroll. Perhaps then they will ask the LORD for mercy and will all stop doing the evil things they have been doing. For the LORD has threatened to bring great anger and wrath against these people.” So Baruch son of Neriah did exactly what the prophet Jeremiah had told him to do. He read what the LORD had said from the scroll in the temple of the LORD. All the people living in Jerusalem and all the people who came into Jerusalem from the towns of Judah came to observe a fast before the LORD. The fast took place in the ninth month of the fifth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling over Judah. At that time Baruch went into the temple of the LORD. He stood in the entrance of the room of Gemariah the son of Shaphan who had been the royal secretary. That room was in the upper court near the entrance of the New Gate. There, where all the people could hear him, he read from the scroll what Jeremiah had said. Micaiah, who was the son of Gemariah and the grandson of Shaphan, heard Baruch read from the scroll everything the LORD had said. He went down to the chamber of the royal secretary in the king’s palace and found all the court officials in session there. Elishama the royal secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials were seated there. Micaiah told them everything he had heard Baruch read from the scroll in the hearing of the people. All the officials sent Jehudi, who was the




son of Nethaniah and the grandson of Cushi, to Baruch. They ordered him to tell Baruch, “Come here and bring with you the scroll you read in the hearing of the people.” So Baruch son of Neriah went to them, carrying the scroll in his hand. They said to him, “Please sit down and read it to us.” So Baruch sat down and read it to them. When they had heard it all, they expressed their alarm to one another. Then they said to Baruch, “We must certainly give the king a report about everything you have read!” Then they asked Baruch, “How did you come to write all these words? Do they actually come from Jeremiah’s mouth?” Baruch answered, “Yes, they came from his own mouth. He dictated all these words to me and I wrote them down in ink on this scroll.” Then the officials said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah must go and hide. You must not let anyone know where you are.” The officials put the scroll in the room of Elishama, the royal secretary, for safekeeping. Then they went to the court and reported everything to the king. The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll. He went and got it from the room of Elishama, the royal secretary. Then he himself read it to the king and all the officials who were standing around him. Since it was the ninth month of the year, the king was sitting in his winter quarters. A fire was burning in the firepot in front of him. As soon as Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll, the king would cut them off with a penknife and throw them on the fire in the firepot. He kept doing so until the whole scroll was burned up in the fire. Neither he nor any of his attendants showed any alarm when they heard all that had been read. Nor did they tear their clothes to show any grief or sorrow. The king did not even listen to Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah, who had urged him not to burn the scroll. He also ordered Jerahmeel, who was one of the




royal princes, Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest the scribe Baruch and the prophet Jeremiah. However, the LORD hid them. The LORD spoke to Jeremiah after Jehoiakim had burned the scroll containing what Jeremiah had spoken and Baruch had written down. “Get another scroll and write on it everything that was written on the original scroll that King Jehoiakim of Judah burned. Tell King Jehoiakim of Judah, ‘The LORD says, “You burned the scroll. You asked Jeremiah, ‘How dare you write in this scroll that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land and wipe out all the people and animals on it?’” So the LORD says concerning King Jehoiakim of Judah, “None of his line will occupy the throne of David. His dead body will be thrown out to be exposed to scorching heat by day and frost by night. I will punish him and his descendants and the officials who serve him for the wicked things they have done. I will bring on them, the citizens of Jerusalem, and the people of Judah all the disaster that I threatened to do to them. I will punish them because I threatened them but they still paid no heed.”’” Then Jeremiah got another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah. As Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote on this scroll everything that had been on the scroll that King Jehoiakim of Judah burned in the fire. They also added on this scroll several other messages of the same kind. (NET)

3. The prophet Jeremiah spoke to Baruch son of Neriah while he was writing down in a scroll the words that Jeremiah spoke to him. This happened in the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling over Judah. “The LORD God of Israel has a message for you, Baruch. ‘You have said, “I feel so hopeless! For the LORD has added




sorrow to my suffering. I am worn out from groaning. I can’t find any rest.”’” The LORD told Jeremiah, “Tell Baruch, ‘The LORD says, “I am about to tear down what I have built and to uproot what I have planted. I will do this throughout the whole earth. Are you looking for great things for yourself? Do not look for such things. For I, the LORD, affirm that I am about to bring disaster on all humanity. But I will allow you to escape with your life wherever you go.”’” (NET)

4. Jeremiah 51:59, This is the order Jeremiah the prophet gave to Seraiah son of Neriah, son of Mahseiah, when he went to King Zedekiah of Judah in Babylon during the fourth year of his reign. (Seraiah was a quartermaster.) (NET)

C. The “words” were those that Baruch had written or would write by direction of the Lord by his prophet Jeremiah. (See The Pulpit Commentary.

Jeremiah 45:2, “The LORD God of Israel has a message for you, Baruch. (NET)

I. “The Lord God of Israel has a message for you, Baruch.

A. The Lord understood Baruch’s troubles and sent a personally encouraging message to him by Jeremiah.

1. However, the message to the sinful Judeans was one of devastation.

a. Jeremiah 1:10, Know for certain that I hereby give you the authority to announce to nations and kingdoms that they will be uprooted and torn down, destroyed and demolished, rebuilt and firmly planted.” (NET)




b. Jeremiah 24:6, I will look after their welfare and will restore them to this land. There I will build them up and will not tear them down. I will plant them firmly in the land and will not uproot them. (NET)

Jeremiah 45:3, ‘You have said, “I feel so hopeless! For the LORD has added sorrow to my suffering. I am worn out from groaning. I can’t find any rest.”’” (NET)

I. ‘You have said, “I feel so hopeless! For the Lord has added sorrow to my suffering. I am worn out from groaning. I can’t find any rest.”’”

A. Both Jeremiah and Baruch faced continued opposition and persecution.

1. Jeremiah “also struggled with the horrendous weight of his prophetic ministry,” Hamilton wrote.

a. Jeremiah 15:10-21, I said, “Oh, mother, how I regret that you ever gave birth to me! I am always starting arguments and quarrels with the people of this land. I have not lent money to anyone and I have not borrowed from anyone. Yet all of these people are treating me with contempt.” The LORD said, “Jerusalem, I will surely send you away for your own good. I will surely bring the enemy upon you in a time of trouble and distress. Can you people who are like iron and bronze break that iron fist from the north? I will give away your wealth and your treasures as plunder. I will give it away free of charge for the sins you have committed throughout your land. I will make you serve your enemies in a land that you know nothing about. For my anger is like a fire that will burn against you.” I said, “LORD,




you know how I suffer. Take thought of me and care for me. Pay back for me those who have been persecuting me. Do not be so patient with them that you allow them to kill me. Be mindful of how I have put up with their insults for your sake. As your words came to me I drank them in, and they filled my heart with joy and happiness because I belong to you, O LORD, the God who rules over all. I did not spend my time in the company of other people, laughing and having a good time. I stayed to myself because I felt obligated to you and because I was filled with anger at what they had done. Why must I continually suffer such painful anguish? Why must I endure the sting of their insults like an incurable wound? Will you let me down when I need you like a brook one goes to for water, but that cannot be relied on?” Because of this, the LORD said, “You must repent of such words and thoughts! If you do, I will restore you to the privilege of serving me. If you say what is worthwhile instead of what is worthless, I will again allow you to be my spokesman. They must become as you have been. You must not become like them. I will make you as strong as a wall to these people, a fortified wall of bronze. They will attack you, but they will not be able to overcome you. For I will be with you to rescue you and deliver you,” says the LORD. “I will deliver you from the power of the wicked. I will free you from the clutches of violent people.” (NET)

b. Jeremiah 20:7-18, LORD, you coerced me into being a prophet, and I allowed you to do it. You overcame my resistance and prevailed over me. Now




I have become a constant laughingstock. Everyone ridicules me. For whenever I prophesy, I must cry out, “Violence and destruction are coming!” This message from the LORD has made me an object of continual insults and derision. Sometimes I think, “I will make no mention of his message. I will not speak as his messenger any more.” But then his message becomes like a fire locked up inside of me, burning in my heart and soul. I grow weary of trying to hold it in; I cannot contain it. I hear many whispering words of intrigue against me. Those who would cause me terror are everywhere! They are saying, “Come on, let’s publicly denounce him!” All my so-called friends are just watching for something that would lead to my downfall. They say, “Perhaps he can be enticed into slipping up, so we can prevail over him and get our revenge on him. But the LORD is with me to help me like an awe-inspiring warrior. Therefore those who persecute me will fail and will not prevail over me. They will be thoroughly disgraced because they did not succeed. Their disgrace will never be forgotten. O LORD who rules over all, you test and prove the righteous. You see into people’s hearts and minds. Pay them back for what they have done because I trust you to vindicate my cause. Sing to the LORD! Praise the LORD! For he rescues the oppressed from the clutches of evildoers. Cursed be the day I was born! May that day not be blessed when my mother gave birth to me. Cursed be the man who made my father very glad when he brought him the news that a baby boy had been born to him! May that man be like the cities that the LORD destroyed without showing any mercy. May he hear a cry of distress in the morning




and a battle cry at noon. For he did not kill me before I came from the womb, making my pregnant mother’s womb my grave forever. Why did I ever come forth from my mother’s womb? All I experience is trouble and grief, and I spend my days in shame. (NET)

B. The messages of God regarding the destruction of Jerusalem and death or capture of its citizens were certainly depressing to a loyal Judean like Baruch.

1. Elijah also had serious problems of discouragement.

a. 1 Kings 19:1-21, Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, including a detailed account of how he killed all the prophets with the sword. Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah with this warning, “May the gods judge me severely if by this time tomorrow I do not take your life as you did theirs!” Elijah was afraid, so he got up and fled for his life to Beer Sheba in Judah. He left his servant there, while he went a day’s journey into the desert. He went and sat down under a shrub and asked the LORD to take his life: “I’ve had enough! Now, O LORD, take my life. After all, I’m no better than my ancestors.” He stretched out and fell asleep under the shrub. All of a sudden an angelic messenger touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” He looked and right there by his head was a cake baking on hot coals and a jug of water. He ate and drank and then slept some more. The LORD’s angelic messenger came back again, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, for otherwise you won’t be able to make the journey.” So he got up and ate and drank. That meal gave him the strength to travel forty days and forty nights




until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God. He went into a cave there and spent the night. All of a sudden the LORD spoke to him, “Why are you here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been absolutely loyal to the LORD, the sovereign God, even though the Israelites have abandoned the agreement they made with you, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left and now they want to take my life.” The LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD. Look, the LORD is ready to pass by.” A very powerful wind went before the LORD, digging into the mountain and causing landslides, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the windstorm there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a soft whisper. When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his robe and went out and stood at the entrance to the cave. All of a sudden a voice asked him, “Why are you here, Elijah?” He answered, “I have been absolutely loyal to the LORD, the sovereign God, even though the Israelites have abandoned the agreement they made with you, torn down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left and now they want to take my life.” The LORD said to him, “Go back the way you came and then head for the Desert of Damascus. Go and anoint Hazael king over Syria. You must anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to take your place as prophet. Jehu will kill anyone who escapes Hazael’s sword, and Elisha will kill anyone who escapes Jehu’s sword. I still have left in Israel seven




thousand followers who have not bowed their knees to Baal or kissed the images of him.” Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen; he was near the twelfth pair. Elijah passed by him and threw his robe over him. He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, then I will follow you.” Elijah said to him, “Go back! Indeed, what have I done to you?” Elisha went back and took his pair of oxen and slaughtered them. He cooked the meat over a fire that he made by burning the harness and yoke. He gave the people meat and they ate. Then he got up and followed Elijah and became his assistant. (NET)

C. Willis pointed to the accusations of the people against Baruch as a factor contributing to Baruch’s emotional turmoil.

1. Jeremiah 43:1-3, Jeremiah finished telling all the people all these things the LORD their God had sent him to tell them. Then Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and other arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are telling a lie! The LORD our God did not send you to tell us, ‘You must not go to Egypt and settle there.’ But Baruch son of Neriah is stirring you up against us. He wants to hand us over to the Babylonians so that they will kill us or carry us off into exile in Babylon.” (NET)

D. Coffman, quoting the Broadman Bible Commentary, gave three grounds for Baruch’s discouragement: . . .

1. “he was overwhelmed with the prophet’s words on the seriousness of the people’s sin and the shattering consequences of it,….




2. he had probably already suffered some indignities because of his association with (Jeremiah) ‘the prophet of doom,’ and may have anticipated more to come; and…

3. he saw his own personal air castles of ambition and advancement come crashing down around him.”

E. Baruch grieved over the devastations which were coming upon Jerusalem and now he grieves over the troubles which were coming upon him as a result of these devastations.

1. Jeremiah 36:26, He also ordered Jerahmeel, who was one of the royal princes, Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest the scribe Baruch and the prophet Jeremiah. However, the LORD hid them. (NET)

F. The Pulpit Commentary reads that Baruch felt “sorrow” or “pain” at the sinfulness of the people and “grief” or “anxiety” because of Jeremiah’s announcement of judgments.

1. Baruch was faint, sighed in his distress and was weary.

a. Psalm 6:7, My eyes grow dim from suffering; they grow weak because of all my enemies. (NET)

Jeremiah 45:4, The LORD told Jeremiah, “Tell Baruch, ‘The LORD says, “I am about to tear down what I have built and to uproot what I have planted. I will do this throughout the whole earth. (NET)

I. The Lord told Jeremiah, “Tell Baruch, ‘The Lord says,…

A. As always, Jeremiah faithfully delivered God’s message… this time addressed to Baruch.




II. “I am about to tear down what I have built and to uproot what I have planted.

A. This caused God great sorrow. Servants of God enduring difficult times must understand that God shares their feelings of disappointment and rejection.

B. One servant of God having endured difficult times should encourage other servants of God experiencing troubling times, just as Jeremiah here encourages Baruch.

C. Smith reminded us that while God is not willing that any should perish, most people do not love him and will not serve him.

D. What Baruch had written on the scroll would certainly come to pass.

1. God had built the entire nation of Israel and Judah.

2. Because of their sins, God would destroy it.

a. Jeremiah 1:10, Know for certain that I hereby give you the authority to announce to nations and kingdoms that they will be uprooted and torn down, destroyed and demolished, rebuilt and firmly planted.” (NET)

III. I will do this throughout the whole earth.

A. The destruction foretold was not an isolated, but a general and widespread devastation on the Judean sinners.

B. Coffman wrote that a whole society was being destroyed and that, in the process, hardship and disaster would be visited on many associated individuals.




1. Under those circumstances, God warned Baruch to give up his thoughts of ambition and self-advancement. (See Coffman.)

C. The expressions “the whole earth” and “all humanity” are variously rendered as “this whole land” and “all flesh” (NKJV), “the whole land” and “in every place” (NRSV), “this whole land” and “all places” (AKJV), “the land” and “all people” (NIV) and “the whole land” and “all flesh” (NRSB).

1. Clearly these expressions as used here reference the affected geographical areas of the Middle East at that time, not the entire world.

Jeremiah 45:5, Are you looking for great things for yourself? Do not look for such things. For I, the LORD, affirm that I am about to bring disaster on all humanity. But I will allow you to escape with your life wherever you go.”’” (NET)

I. Are you looking for great things for yourself? Do not look for such things.

A. God’s servants, preachers and the like, are not to seek to achieve personal grandiose ambitions. (See Smith.)

B. Hopes of being appointed to high office in Jerusalem were all now baseless, never to be realized.

C. The Pulpit Commentary states that “such a time of crisis was not the occasion for personal ambition when the very foundations of the state were crumbling.”

II. For I, the Lord, affirm that I am about to bring disaster on all humanity.

A. What God had promised would most certainly come to pass.




III. But I will allow you to escape with your life* wherever you go. “’”

A. *NET Footnote: Hebrew – I will give you your life for a spoil.

B. When disaster struck the Judean refugees, God would spare Baruch’s life.

1. God had made a similar promise to faithful Ebed-Melech.

a. Jeremiah 39:18, I will certainly save you. You will not fall victim to violence. You will escape with your life because you trust in me. I, the LORD, affirm it!”’” (NET)

2. Both Baruch and Jeremiah survived the destruction of Jerusalem and migrated involuntarily to Egypt.

C. Smith wrote, “In all of his concern for the great international events of his day, Jeremiah was not too occupied to be concerned about the spiritual crises of a single disciple.”

1. This is also true of our Loving Eternal Father God who rules over all!

D. Smith concluded by saying, “God keeps his promises to individuals as well as nations.”

1. Willis noted that God kept this promise to Baruch even though the promise was fulfilled many years after it was given.

a. In order to save his life Baruch would have to flee, go wherever. (Coffman)

2. Our job as well as that of Baruch is to keep the faith!




3. After seventy years God kept his promise to return the Babylonian captive exiles to their homeland… and he did as promised.

a. Jeremiah 21:9, Those who stay in this city will die in battle or of starvation or disease. Those who leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians who are besieging it will live. They will escape with their lives. (NET)

b. Jeremiah 38:2, “The LORD says, ‘Those who stay in this city will die in battle or of starvation or disease. Those who leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians will live. They will escape with their lives.’” (NET)

E. In a time of death and destruction, God would spare the lives of his faithful servants. (See Coffman.)

1. Jeremiah 21:9, Those who stay in this city will die in battle or of starvation or disease. Those who leave the city and surrender to the Babylonians who are besieging it will live. They will escape with their lives. (NET)

2. Jeremiah 28:2, “The LORD God of Israel who rules over all says, ‘I will break the yoke of servitude to the king of Babylon. (NET)

3. Jeremiah 39:18, I will certainly save you. You will not fall victim to violence. You will escape with your life because you trust in me. I, the LORD, affirm it!”’” (NET)

F. “But thy life will I give unto thee for a prey” is, Clarke wrote, a proverbial expression.




1. “As a prey or spoil is that which is gained from a vanquished enemy, so it is preserved with pleasure as the proof and reward of a man’s own valor. So Baruch’s life should be doubly precious to him” in view of the tribulation though which he would pass, Clarke wrote.

G. “Spoil” may signify unlooked for or unexpected gain, in this case, Baruch’s life. (See Clarke.)

H. “In all places whither thou goest,” The Pulpit Commentary reads, “indicates that Baruch’s time of exile would be a restless one; it would nowhere be safe for him to take up a settled reference.”

Conclusion:

I. The last we hear of Jeremiah and Baruch leaves them in Egypt.

A. We could wish we had more information about the last days of these two faithful servants of God, but the Lord did not see fit to provide more.

B. Willis wrote that the fate of Baruch in this passage stands in sharp contrast to the fate of Johanan and his followers.

II. This chapter speaks of the widespread destructions of sinners and the continuing hope for the righteous chosen remnant, a fitting conclusion for the entire book of Jeremiah. (See Willis.)

III. Barnes via Coffman noted that Baruch was “ambitious, of noble birth, the grandson of Maaseiah the governor of Jerusalem during the times of Josiah. He was a scribe and probably looked forward to a high office of state. His world was destroyed by the sinfulness of his fellow countrymen, but he was left alive in a foreign country. His legacy as a




faithful servant of God lives on after more than 2,600 years and his eternal reward continues without end.




Questions

on

Jeremiah 45:1-5

(Questions based on NIV text)

1. Why are some chapters so long (Jeremiah 51:1-64) and other so short (Jeremiah 45:1-5)? __________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 2. When did God communicate the oracle recorded in Jeremiah 5 to Jeremiah for Baruch? Historically and personally in the lives of Jeremiah and Baruch, relate contemporary events of that time. __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 3. This oracle is not in its right chronological place in the book of Jeremiah. What is its correct chronological place? ________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________




4. According to Coffman, what does Jeremiah 45 form? What are its functions? _________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 5. What scroll is referenced in verse 1? __________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 6. Who is Baruch? __________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 7. What is God’s message to Baruch? How was this message delivered to Baruch? _________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 8. What caused Baruch to feel so hopeless? Give details. ___________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________




__________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 9. What other faithful servants of God faced despondency, grief and sorrow? ___________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 10. Of what did people in Jerusalem accuse Baruch? ____________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 11. According to Coffman, why was Baruch discouraged? ___________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________

12. Over what did Baruch grieve? ______________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________




13. The _____________ _____________ _____________, “Tell _______________, ‘The ____________ _____________, … As _____________, _____________ _____________ _____________ ____________’s _____________ … this time ____________ to _____________. 14. How important is it that today’s Bible teachers and preachers declare God’s truth, His whole truth and nothing but His truth? What would it hurt to change a little something here and there to bring our messages into agreement with our current cultural norms? ___________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 15. What was God about to do? Why was he about to do this? _______ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 16. Define “the whole earth” and “all humanity” as used in verses 4 and 5. ________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 17. What was going to happen to “the whole earth” and “all humanity”? _____________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________




__________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 18. Is it fitting for preachers to seek “great things” for themselves? What kinds of “great things” do preachers and other church leaders seek for themselves? _____________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 19. For what great things had Baruch looked? Why or how were these hopes dashed? ______________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 20. With death, dying and destruction all around him, what did God promise Baruch? ___________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 21. What is the meaning, significance of the phrase “wherever you go” in verse 5? _________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________




__________________________________________________________ 22. In what ways were Baruch and Obed-Edom comparable? ________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 23. How were Baruch and Elijah comparable? ____________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 24. How was Baruch’s life given to him for a prey? What does that phrase mean? What does “spoil” mean in verse 5? _________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ 25. Tell all you can about Jeremiah’s and Baruch’s last days. ________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________


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