Faithful to Speak to Us

One short chapter among the may chapters of prophesy found in Jeremiah. "When Baruch son of Neriah wrote on a scroll the words Jeremiah the prophet dictated in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, Jeremiah said this to Baruch: "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch: You said, 'Woe to me! The Lord has added sorrow to my pain; I am worn out with groaning and find no rest.' But the Lord has told me to say to you, 'This is what the Lord says: 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.'" (Jeremiah 45:1-5 NIV)" I can't help but imagine, and please don't quote me as an authority in this because I am far from it, that Baruch, son of Neriah, sat there writing down the words of The Lord that Jeremiah exclaimed for hours at a time. The things that God was saying were not easy things to hear. Time after time after time, the people of Israel and Judah simply turned their faces away from The Lord, no matter how faithful He was to execute His prophesies. Now, a remnant of Judah is in Egypt and Jeremiah is sharing God's message to them. Baruch has just written down a message of self-won destruction from The Lord. What is going through his mind? I can't help but wonder what I would be thinking if I was him. To be afraid? To be excited for God's faithfulness? To want to run in the other direction completely? And as he finishes writing a line, Jeremiah looks at this scribe and responds exactly to his feeling, his fears, his spirit: You said, 'Woe to me! The Lord has added sorrow to my pain; I am worn out with groaning and find no rest.' Do you think he kept on writing? Small chance. I bet he looked up and froze with that pale look on your face you get when someone catches you with your hand in the proverbial cookie jar. Then God delivers him a message, and a strong one at that. To paraphrase my interpretation: "Baruch, quit hoping for things beyond what you already have because I made them all and will destroy them all as fits my Will. Just trust in me, don't get too high on your horse and I will keep you alive." I'm no scholar and that is simply my interpretation of what God says to this man and the reason is that God is saying that to me today! Get on your high horse and trust that I will keep you alive. Is that not enough!? Is it not enough that I care for you and will protect you!? God is faithful. He proves that over and over and over again. And He reminds us that. Today He reminded me as I sat reading some Old Testament and thinking "This is just more of the same". He came down and said, Quit Moaning! Find your rest in me and not in the world! Just when I think He is talking to everyone else, He looks me in the face and reminds me that He speaks to me, too. I think Baruch and I got the same lesson taught. He is faithful to reach us, even thousands of years later.

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