Jeremiah 45
COMMENTARY:
: 1 The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke unto Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book at the mouth of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah king of Judah, saying (5612 “book” [cepher] means letter, scroll, writing, composition contained in a scroll, missive, recording of past events, or document.)
DEVOTION: It is thought of some that this chapter was out of order as far as the time period written about. Some think that it is where the LORD wanted it to show that HE told what the future events of the children of Judah.
Here is a man of God called to be a prophet writing the message of the LORD through someone who was a good writer. The future was given. It was a future that Baruch would not like because he had plans to become someone important in Judah. His plans were going to not come to fruition.
We think we know what we want to do in the future but the LORD has other plans for our life. HE knows what is best for us even when we don’t understand what HE is doing. Baruch was going to have to make new plans with the help of the LORD.
Jeremiah was there to help him realize that the LORD had different plans for his life. It would be nice if the LORD always sent someone into our lives to help us face the future that HE has planned than the one that we have planned.
We need to be loose with our plans for the future. We need to be in prayer to ask the LORD to give us wisdom in what direction we should head. HE will open the right doors and close the wrong doors. We seem to be able to go through the wrong doors or think the wrong thoughts in spite of the LORD’S leading and direction.
CHALLENGE: Are we open to going through the doors the LORD has for us in the future or are we going to try to force our own way on our life in spite of the LORD’S leading in a different direction?
: 3 You did say, Woe is me now? For the LORD has added grief to my sorrow; I fainted in my sighing, and I find NO REST. (4496 “rest” [m@nuwchah] means resting place, quietness, ease, still, content and satisfied state or comfortable.)
DEVOTION: In reading the book of Jeremiah we realize that it is not in chronological order. Here is another recording of the writing of a book of the LORD’S prophecies to Jeremiah by Baruch, his secretary. It is thought that the time period covered in this chapter fits in with chapter 36.
After this chapter we have the judgment of the nations. Here we find Baruch feeling sorry for himself. He was having a pity party for himself. He thought that he had picked the right job.
He was with Jeremiah throughout his ministry. Now they were in trouble. No one was listening to Jeremiah. There was no prestige in serving someone to whom no one was listening. In fact, there was persecution. They were taken forcibly to Egypt. They were called liars.
He is recording a time when there seems to be trouble upon trouble. It is a time when there seems to be no relief from trouble. There is no time to find a place of peace and quiet. There was no place where he was content and satisfied with what was happening.
He was just feeling grief. He was walking around sighing with all that was going on in his life as a servant of Jeremiah. He thought it would be a job that would bring prestige.
Have we ever thought that if we could be with someone who was famous things would go well with us? Or if we could become famous things would be well with us?
We think we need to be able to find a place of quietness in our lives. We think it would be good to just have a peaceful life without any problems. However, we know that we learn through suffering. That is what we are called to do. When we suffer we learn, so that, we can teach others to go through suffering and realize that the LORD is with us during our suffering.
If the world seems to be closing in on us, we need to come apart before we come apart. One of the disciplines of the faith is solitude. Each of us should have a quiet place to meet the LORD everyday. Can we meet with God in the midst of a storm as well? Baruch was feeling the storm. God was reminding him that HE was with him in his present storm.
CHALLENGE: Self pity is never good. We need to dwell on all the blessing we have in the LORD. We need to remember all the past blessing as we face the future.
: 4 Thus shalt you say to him. The LORD says thus, Behold, that which I have built will I break down, and that which I have planted I will pluck up, even this whole land. (1129 “built” [banah] means establish a family, fortify, work on, established, develop, or to make something by combining materials and parts.)
DEVOTION: The LORD is the one who built up the nation of Israel to be a power in the world. HE was the one who gave them the laws that they were to live by if they were going to receive blessings from HIM. HE was the one who protected them when they were faithful to HIM. HE is the one who was to be worshiped in spirit and in truth.
However, the children of Israel and Judah decided that they could live without the help of the LORD. They wanted to be on their own and worship whatever god they wanted to besides the God who created the world.
The LORD had something to say about their choice. HE was the ONE who established the nation. HE was the one who protected the nation. HE was the one who gave them the commands that would protect them.
The children of Israel and Judah decided they didn’t need to follow the LORD so the LORD sent judgment first to the ten tribes and finally to the two tribes that followed their example instead of staying faithful to the LORD.
We have a choice today as well. We can worship the way we want to worship or we can properly worship the LORD in spirit and in truth. The tribe of Judah thought they could do as they pleased and faced the consequences of the their actions.
CHALLENGE: We also can do as we please in our worship and then face the consequences or we can worship the LORD in Spirit and in TRUTH and have the blessings of the LORD. The choice is ours! The consequences are ours if our choice is wrong!
: 5 And seek you great things for yourself? Seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, says the LORD: but your life will I give unto you for a prey in all places whither you go. (7998 “prey” [shalal] means spoil, plunder, gain, profit, goods, property or possession of value.)
DEVOTION: Barach was complaining to the LORD about all the hard times he was going though. He was discouraged. He was looking at all the bad things that were happening to him and Jeremiah.
The LORD instructed Jeremiah to correct his attitude. It was a bad attitude. He was looking at all the wrong things. He was looking at his lack of respect. He was looking at what people were saying about them. He was looking for fame and profit.
The LORD answered his attitude with a simple answer. HE stated that he still had his life. He was alive when many around him were being killed. He had a future and a hope. He walked between people who had dead while the LORD gave him LIFE.
As long as we are alive we can praise the LORD. Each breathe we take is a gift from HIM. HE can take us at any time. Sometimes like Baruch we think we would be better off dead. That is not a Biblical thought that thought comes from the enemy.
If we are alive the LORD has a purpose for our life in HIS service. HE is still using us for HIS glory. It might not be what we wanted but HE is still looking out for us.
Too often we let our old nature take control like Baruch and want more. The LORD just has to state that we could have LESS.
CHALLENGE: Be content with what the LORD has given you. HE knows what is best for us at this time period in our life.
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