“IF YOU’RE NOT BARUCH, DON’T WRITE IT!”

It is very unlikely that the prophet Jeremiah ever spoke those words! Nevertheless, I do have your attention! During our year of studying what our roles are in the Kingdom, consider Baruch. Very little in scripture is said about him. According to Smith’s Bible Dictionary page 76, there are four entries for “Baruch” in the Old Testament. Three are mentioned in Nehemiah, and the one we want to consider is described as follows:

• His name means “blessed” – remember a previous theme?
• He was a faithful attendant of Jeremiah.
• He was an amanuensis (fancy word for secretary) to Jeremiah (Jeremiah 36:4-5+).
• Possibly of noble family – son of Neriah and brother to Seraiah, quartermaster to King Zedekiah (Jeremiah 1:1; 51:59).
• Was forced to go to Egypt with Jeremiah and others instead of Babylon (Jeremiah 43).

Think about what it must have been like to dictate the Spirit filled words spoken by one of God’s faithful prophets! Not only did he write them down, but because Jeremiah was banned from the house of the Lord, he was also instructed to read them aloud to the people! Later, he was to read what he had written down to the officials, who upon hearing him, had to basically ask if those were indeed Jeremiah’s words. They feared for not only Jeremiah’s life, but his too, and told them both to go and hide from the king! The king eventually got his hands on the scroll. He did not like what was on it, so he burned it! Yet, guess what? Baruch, at God’s instruction, via Jeremiah, writes another scroll! (a paraphrase of Jeremiah 36).

Consider the trust Jeremiah had in him. How many other people could he trust to write down the holy words of God. After all, someone had to be there for him. It would have been difficult to write down what he had received by inspiration having to carry a yoke over his shoulders or being hung in a pit of sludge! After all, Jeremiah gave Baruch the deed to his property (see Jeremiah 32).

In Jeremiah 42-43, we see that God did not want the people to flee to Egypt, but instead serve under Babylon for the allotted time. Yet the “insolent men” of Judah felt like Baruch was trying to persuade Jeremiah to lie about what God had said. “The commanders of Judah”, who did not obey the voice of the Lord, took the remnant that was going to stay in Judah anyway by force (?) to Egypt.

Nevertheless, throughout his life Baruch apparently remained faithful to God and Jeremiah. He may have had some doubt and despair, but can we blame him? He was writing down some horrible stuff! It had to cross his mind that he might be a victim of those atrocities as well. After a slight reprimand, God said that He “will give you your life as a prize of war in all places to which you may go.” It seems that Baruch avoided the fate that was to come upon Jerusalem, and may have been one of those that was able to return from Egypt (a paraphrase of Jeremiah 44:28-45). This is the last we hear of him in inspired scripture. The last words of chapter 51 are “Thus far are the words of Jeremiah” (vs. 64, ESV). Many believe that the last chapter of the book of Jeremiah, the “recap” of the fall of Jerusalem, was written solely by Baruch.

There is also an apocryphal text called the Book of Baruch (there may be two more?). These do not hold up under scrutiny. It is believed they were written a long time after his death. Chapter 1 of Book of Baruch states that the words written by him (Baruch) were written in Babylon while Jerusalem burned (586 BC). As far we know, he was in Egypt.

So, what can we learn from him? What value is there to read and speak of him? Well, for one thing, it is 2022 and we are using him as an example in a church bulletin. This man who was not inspired(?), but just dictated the words of an inspired man are still around for us to read and learn from! What if Jeremiah did not have a trusted ally who wrote these words down the way he wanted them to be presented?

Secondly, just the willingness to “dictate” a speaker’s lesson or sermon can be very helpful to oneself and others. Shorthand is a lost art to write things down accurately and quickly. However, just look around the assembly this Sunday. There are a lot of people taking notes. My grandmother recorded (by hand) every Gospel sermon she ever heard. She had special notebooks for them. The top of the page had date, time, location, speaker, and title. They were thorough! (and I would give anything to have those now).

Our very bulletins have lines for you to take notes! Many of us are visual learners and “can see” in our own handwriting better than hearing and retaining the words. Just like in school. It is almost impossible to remember everything said in a lecture. One must write it down. They can be an invaluable reference for you as you prepare a future lesson/sermon or just in your daily studies. As you read or study, you might remember that the speaker said something about a topic or verse, but what was it? Oh, you wrote it down last week! There it is!

So, what is the big deal you ask? People take notes in church. What does this have to do with our roles in the Kingdom and the example of Baruch? What if the notes we take during a lesson answer someone’s question about the Bible? These notes, in your own handwriting, may be the key to opening a door for further study with a family member or friend. Can you see this scenario play out in your mind?

“What are these?”

            “Notes I wrote down during the sermon last Sunday at church.”

“You wrote all of this down at church?”

            “Yeah. It helps me stay focused on the lesson, and I can refer back to it later.”

“What’s this one about?”

            “Salvation and what blessings we have in Christ.”

“Do you mind if I take these home and read them?”

Now imagine sharing those notes with your children and grandchildren many years after that lesson was preached! And you thought you had no talent to use in the Lord’s Kingdom.

WELL DONE BARUCH!