“Thou didst say, Woe is me now! for the LORD hath added grief to my sorrow; I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest…And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek [them] not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest.” (Jer 45:3,5 AV)
Baruch was Jeremiah’s scribe. Seeing the blessing of God on Jeremiah, in so much as he was, Baruch was contemplating how the LORD might bless him. Jeremiah was delivered from the dungeon and allowed to go wherever he pleased. The Chaldeans put no restrictions on him because his ministry was to the erring people of Israel. Why imprison a preacher who is preaching at the very people you just enslaved? His ministry was a help to the captors. Now that Jeremiah was free and able to establish households and a decent living, his scribe desired a bit of God’s blessing, too. He wanted houses, fields, and material things. Yet, the LORD was not done judging Judah. What was left would be taken. What was of any value would be stolen. To desire a good life while the hand of God is heavy upon the land made no sense. This is Jeremiah’s argument. Why would Baruch look for material blessings in the midst of God’s judgment? Why would Baruch be frustrated or disappointed? It made no sense.
Baruch was promised one thing. He would not have to fear captivity or death. Nothing else in life was a guarantee. He lived in troublous times. He served a prophet who suffered much. The faithful scribe was in and out of difficulty. Yet, he never spent one night in jail nor ever had a spear pointed at him. He may not have had much, but he had more than most. It is easy to get blinded by overwhelming circumstances. It is easy to forget how blessed we are. Baruch was used of God to pen and preserve the written word of God. Several times, the parchments upon which the word of God was written were destroyed by a hateful king. Baruch risked his life to rewrite the word of God. If it weren’t for Baruch, the book of Jeremiah may never have made it into the cannon. Because of his faithfulness, countless lives down through the ages have been blessed. Baruch had a good life. He simply wanted more than was possible.
The things of life Baruch wanted, under different circumstances, would have been normal. He was not seeking wealth. He was not seeking status. Baruch did not want to be well known or have more money than he knew what to do with. Baruch wanted what would seem normal under peaceful conditions. He wanted a permanent home. He wanted fields to till. Baruch wanted a stable life of productivity and usefulness. Baruch wanted what would seem normal given a time of peace and not war. Baruch wanted a life that would not seem extravagant nor selfish. All he wanted was a life that he thought anyone could have. It simply wasn’t feasible. We want a perfect life. We don’t want much. Just a roof over our heads, trouble we can manage, and to live long without any major interruptions. We want a bit of heaven while living on earth. When looking at the logic of it all, we can understand Jeremiah’s words. It was not that what Baruch wanted was unreasonable. Given the present set of circumstances, however, it was unrealistic. It would be better for Baruch to set his eyes on eternity and plod through life until God called him home. The same can be said of us. We waste so much emotional reserved wanting something that is impossible. Man is born unto trouble as the sparks fly upward. Wanting something that simply isn’t possible is a waste of time and desire. Being content in God’s calling is the key to happiness.
No comments:
Post a Comment