Have you ever had a bad day at work? Ever gone home and complained to family or friends about what happened?
Let me relate a story of another person who also had a bad day at work: Baruch. He lived around 590 BC and we don’t know too much about him. Apparently, he was a scribe. And his dad’s name was Neriah.
Baruch took a writing gig, working for Jeremiah. (He’s the guy we know today as “the prophet Jeremiah.”) But back then he didn’t seem to be as universally respected.
In Jeremiah chapter 36, we read about Baruch’s first day on his initial assignment. It seemed to go okay. He showed up with his stylus and scroll and Jeremiah told him to write down what he said. Nothing out of the ordinary; that’s what scribes did.
The content of the scroll was a bit intense. It certainly was not a casual shopping list or inventory control. Jeremiah said that this is what God told him to write, and it basically included all the bad things that Israel, Judah and other nations had done to offend God. The reason it needed to be written down is because God told Jeremiah that maybe the people would repent once they realized what they had done; and then God could forgive them. I suppose at least the intention was good.
So Baruch started to write. We don’t know how long it took, but it could have lasted a day or more. All Baruch had to do was record what he heard. And he did just that.
Once it was complete, he probably sat back in satisfaction of his work, with the scroll on his lap. But, then Jeremiah looked at Baruch and announced his next assignment and this one did not involve writing.
Jeremiah started by saying,
“I am banned from going to the house of the Lord…”
Wait, what? Banned?
How did you, Jeremiah, get banned from the Temple? That’s like Mother Teresa getting banned from India. Or Jesus being banned from a church. That in itself is just weird.
And Jeremiah continued,
“…so you are to go, and on a day of fasting in the hearing of all the people in the Lord’s house you shall read the words of the Lord from the scroll that you have written at my dictation. You shall read them also in the hearing of all the men of Judah who come out of their cities. It may be that their plea for mercy will come before the Lord, and that every one will turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and wrath that the Lord has pronounced against this people.”
I can imagine that Baruch might have said, or at least thought something like, “Now wait just a minute. I am a scribe and I came here to write and I have done that. You are asking me to do something for which I am not trained. I don’t speak to crowds, ever. And no offense, but these words came from you…I mean, ahem, from God, but through you, so…don’t you think it would carry more weight if you read them yourself?”
And if Baruch had had some hesitations, he probably would have been justified. See, if you read verses two and three, God actually did not specify who was to write the words nor who was to deliver the bad news. Therefore, it wasn’t like Baruch was going to disobey God directly if he politely refused such a request. It was just that Jeremiah had asked him. If Baruch said no, we can assume Jeremiah would have found another way.
And it was not only that Baruch might have been uncomfortable speaking. He knew what the scroll said, and it wasn’t all nice. He would have to deliver some pretty harsh statements and since he would be the messenger, he could get blamed. This was a much more difficult task since it would associate him much closer with the prophet and with the words.
Nevertheless, in the end, Baruch accepted. Maybe he felt this was important and maybe he had faith that God would intervene miraculously. If the people really did repent, he could be part of a great revival.
He was faithful and he did as Jeremiah asked. He read the words in the temple. And after doing so, some religious leaders who had heard him, asked if the words had come from Jeremiah. He told them yes. Then they warned him to take Jeremiah and go hide somewhere. And they took the scroll from him. They then reported the words to the king who demanded to hear what the scroll had to say. So one of the King’s servants read it aloud. After every three or four columns, the King cut the scroll with a knife and tossed the piece into the fire. Eventually, the entire scroll was destroyed in the flames. Talk about a dramatic way to send a message to all in the King’s court. This would be like someone giving a Bible or a Quran to a government official, who would then rip parts of it out and burn it in a nearby fire. It was pretty bold. And the King’s attitude was clear: this was garbage, nonsense, and fit to be burned. Most certainly it was not to be obeyed.
Anyway, while all that was happening, we can assume Baruch ran to get Jeremiah and then went off to hide. We read in chapter 36, verse 26, that the king then ordered both Jeremiah and Baruch to be arrested.
Therefore, let’s think for a moment about Baruch. He was a simple scribe, trying to survive. He took a job with Jeremiah and did it faithfully. Then he was asked to do something much harder, which was to READ those words, in public. And the words were not nice and welcomed. They were not part of the Bible back then. They pronounced judgement and destruction for the people. This was not a happy and encouraging message. It would be like being invited as a guest speaker in a church and standing up and saying, “Thank you for inviting me here today. God has revealed to me your great sin, which I will now explain. And if you don’t repent, you will all die a most painful and tormenting death, starting tonight.” That would be hard to hear for most people, even the humble among them.
But Baruch did it. And then the king found out and ordered him to be arrested. All the sudden, he was a criminal. His very life was in danger and he knew it. Revival did not break out. No one repented. And the result must have been pretty upsetting to Baruch since it came to God’s attention and God told Jeremiah to deal with it.
In chapter 45, we see that Jeremiah eventually approached Baruch and basically said, Look, I know you are stressed out. I know you are upset. This job of following Yahweh is sometimes no easy task. For some, it can cost dearly. He then even repeated Baruch’s own words: You said, ‘Woe to me! The Lord has added sorrow to my pain; I am worn out with groaning and find no rest.’ So as we can see, Baruch was distressed and probably angry. He might not have understood why God would allow him to suffer while just trying to make a living. He was trying to be faithful and yet wound up seeing the government issue a warrant for his arrest. He never wanted to be a criminal. He did not know that helping the great prophet Jeremiah would make him an outlaw and might get him executed. He never anticipated that. And if he had known it, he probably would have never taken the job.
In chapter 45, we see that Jeremiah eventually approached Baruch and basically said, Look, I know you are stressed out. I know you are upset. This job of following Yahweh is sometimes no easy task. For some, it can cost dearly. He then even repeated Baruch’s own words: You said, ‘Woe to me! The Lord has added sorrow to my pain; I am worn out with groaning and find no rest.’ So as we can see, Baruch was distressed and probably angry. He might not have understood why God would allow him to suffer while just trying to make a living. He was trying to be faithful and yet wound up seeing the government issue a warrant for his arrest. He never wanted to be a criminal. He did not know that helping the great prophet Jeremiah would make him an outlaw and might get him executed. He never anticipated that. And if he had known it, he probably would have never taken the job.
Sometimes for us, when life is hard, we like Baruch, might say, Woe to me! The Lord has added sorrow to my pain; I am worn out with groaning and find no rest.
And yet, God’s words to Baruch reassure us. Jeremiah went on to say: I will overthrow what I have built and uproot what I have planted, throughout the earth. Should you then seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them. For I will bring disaster on all people, declares the Lord, but wherever you go I will let you escape with your life.
This is a message just for Baruch, but there maybe something for us in there too. Meaning, Baruch was upset and confused. He felt he had a reason to be angry and even to blame God. But God helped him to look at it from a different perspective. Basically God said that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. And at that time in history, punishment was coming. And if they did not repent, thousands of others would die, but Baruch would live. At that moment, Baruch might have wanted much more in life…than merely to live. He might have wanted to prosper and make money. Maybe get married and have children. Maybe pursue other dreams of his. But it was not that kind of season. Mass destruction was coming. Even so, God was gracious to Baruch to spare his life and show him that soon he would learn to focus on being thankful—for life—rather to focus on all that he had not. Instead of complaining that he couldn’t find work now that he had become a criminal, he would thank God for life. Instead of being upset for having to hide from the authorities trying to arrest him, he would thank God for life. Instead of focusing on how his dreams had not come about, he would thank God for life. Instead of all the reasons he could have for being upset, he would remember that God told him he would spare his life, and that was enough reason to praise God. In fact, it was all he needed.
Selah
If you are breathing right now, you have enough reason to thank God…all day today and everyday for the rest of your life. Will you spend your time focusing on all the reasons to be upset and discouraged and sad and disappointed? Or will you remember the precious gift of life God has granted you?
Ont that day when you get to heaven and meet some of those who died in the womb, they might excitedly ask you, “So what was it like? I mean, what was it like to walk on the earth? Was it beautiful? Do the flowers really smell? What is it like to taste food?” And countless other little things we take for granted every day. If we spend our time NOT being thankful, we might be ashamed in those moments…when we realize how blessed we are to live and breathe and how many others never get that chance.
May we be like Baruch after he heard the word of the Lord: Thank you God for life. In the midst of all the trials and tragedies and hardships and travails, thank you for life. Even if nothing else good ever happens to me, I will not cease to thank you for the chance I have had to live and breathe. And for those who died before they had the chance to breathe, I will cherish each moment so that one day I can tell them of the unfathomable privilege to live.
God spared me. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
©2016, Alignment Life
Alignment Life 