Jeremiah 45
Bad news for a scribe, Baruch
Baruch’s complaint
1God gave Jeremiah a message for Neriah’s son, Baruch, a scribe who wrote onto a scroll the prophecies Jeremiah dictated. At the time, Josiah’s son Jehoiakim was into his fourth year [1] as king of Judah. 2This was the message the LORD and God of Israel had for Baruch:You complained, “Oh no! I've been carrying around all this pain and now the LORD throws sorrow on my back. [2] It’s too much. I’m exhausted and I've had all I can take.”
God says it’s going to get worse
4Well, here’s the bad news. Everything I’ve built here in Judah is coming down. Every plant I’ve given roots to in this land is coming out. I’m going to rip out the plants and tear down the cities.5But you want your life to take a turn for the better? [3] Let it go. I’m turning disaster loose on everyone. But I’ll give you this much, I’ll let you live through what’s coming. No matter where you go during that time, I’ll let you keep your life as a prize you can take from the coming war.
Footnotes
145:1
This took place in about 605 BC, almost 20 years before Babylonians defeated Judah and leveled Jerusalem in 586 BC.
245:2
We have to guess what kind of pain and sorrow Baruch was dealing with. His “pain” may have been the usual stuff of life: aching knuckles, running nose, and damaged relationships. The new “sorrow” may have come from the words Jeremiah was dictating. These are not, for the most part, happy prophecies. These are predictions of defeat, captivity, and violent death.
345:5
Baruch’s prayer in his sad context was a bit like praying for good health and prosperity while your country is being overrun by invaders. It’s a good prayer but apparently at the wrong time.
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