Jeremiah 46:1-12. Yesterday we finished a section of Jeremiah that dealt with the final years of the kingdom of Judah, including the last residents flight to Egypt (586 BC). Jeremiah had warned them not to run to Egypt for protection but they would not listen. In yesterday’s reading we saw a message to Jeremiah’s helper, Baruch. It was written several years earlier when Jeremiah dictated a long scroll to him containing many of the messages Jeremiah had given over the years. Many Bible experts think that the scroll contained most of chapters 1-20. Baruch then read the scroll to the people during a religious festival and again to the advisors to then king Jehoiakim. Not only was the content of the messages depressing but the rejection of those messages by the people was too. Baruch had been from a powerful family in the kingdom and now was the friend and helper of a rejected prophet. Understandably he was depressed by the events of his life. Chapter 25 was Jeremiah’s (really God’s) message to Baruch. Basically Baruch was told, “I (Yahweh, God) am going to bring on all of the disasters that you have just written about. I know you wanted to be great and powerful. You need to get over that and know that at least you will survive all of this.” That might not sound very encouraging but it was the reality of living in a time and place where God was being rejected, and he would survive.

Today we start a new section (chapters 46-51). Most of the book has been about punishment or correction that God was bringing into the lives of the Jewish people. A little bit has been about things that would happen to other nations. This section is mostly about what would happen in the future of nine or ten different nations around the land of Israel. In Jeremiah 1:4 Yahweh (the God of Israel, the one true God) told Jeremiah that before he was even born that God had picked him to be a messenger “to the nations”. In this section we will see Jeremiah fulfilling that destiny in a bigger way than he has so far.

In verse 1 we see that connection to God’s purpose for Jeremiah’s life (Jeremiah 1:4). We don’t want to miss out on the fact that the LORD (Yahweh) is interested in more that just Jewish or Israelite people. In the ancient world god’s were usually seen as local, interested in a particular area and/or group of people. Here we see a Jewish prophet with a message for the surrounding nations. These messages just weren’t about those nations but were “to” them (see Jeremiah 27:3-11).

The first nation to receive a message was Egypt. In verses 2 we are told that this prediction is about the army of Pharaoh Necho. Pharaoh means king and this king, Necho, ruled Egypt from 609 BC to 597 BC. In 609 BC he marched into the region to help support a last ditch effort by the assyrians against the Bbylonians. Josiah, king of Judah, tried to stop him and was killed in the battle at Megiddo. In 605 BC, the time of this prediction, Egypt was still dominant in the area. Nebuchadnezzar brought Babylonian forces into the area and met the forces of Necho at Carchemish, 500 miles north and slightly east of Jerusalem, on the Euphrates River. Necho’s forces were overwhelmed and retreated to the town of Hamath 150 miles south, thinking that Nebucahdnessar would not follow them that far they hoped to regroup. Nebuchadnessar did pursue them and basically destroyed Necho’s army. Necho managed to escape and retreat to Egypt leaving the area around Israel in Nebuchadnezzar’s hands. Nebuchadnezzar marched through the area conquering cities and taking certain citizens captive to be advisors in his government (Daniel was one of these men). Nebuchadnezzar’s father, King Nabopolassar died in Agust of 605 and Nebuchadnezzar had to return home to take control of the kingdom. In 601 BC Nebuchadnezzar returned to fight Egypt but was stopped at the Egyptian border by Necho and his troops.

Verses 3-4 describe Necho’s army preparing for battle, probably the one at Carchemish. Verses 5-6 describe the retreat and defeat of the Egyptian soldiers. In verses 7-8 get a hint about what is really going on in this battle. The Nile River is the heart of Egypt. The water from the Nile provides life to both the people, their livestock , and farms. Every year the Nile would flood and bring rich soil with it to the lower areas, sort of a self-fertilization of the area. As was common the Egyptian’s believed there was a “god” in charge of all of this, the god of the Nile, Hapi. The picture that Jeremiah painted, of the Nile flooding and covering an area, would have made any Egyptians who read this think of the power of Hapi and the good corps that came from the flooding. The army probably saw their conquest as making Egypt richer. We also see a picture of destruction of the non-Egyptians in the area “flooded” by their army. In verse 9 we see reference to other people groups in the army of Necho; Ethopia (the area south of Egypt alon the Nile), Put and Lydia (we are unsure where theses areas were).   These were mercenaries, hired soldiers who were not Egyptians, in the army of Necho.

In verse 10 we see that God was closely involved in this battle between Egypt and Babylon. IN verse 10 we see a name for God that has been used before by Jeremiah, Yahweh, God of the armies (hosts). In verse 10 we learn that the defeat of Egypt “up north by the Euphrates” was an act of revenge by God. The idea of vengeance relates to dealing with actions against someone. In this case the Egyptians had done something wrong with respect to God and God was “paying them back”. Just four years earlier Necho had killed Josiah, one of the few good kings of Judah, in battle. Some Bible scholars think this defeat may have been in response to that. If you read through Isaiah with us you might remember that Egypt had been a distraction to the Israelite people for a long time. The Israelites often looked to Egypt to take care of them. They were warned time and again that God was their source of safety not nations around them. It was probably as a response to this long term distraction of the people of Israel that God was responding. Military defeat could teach Egyptians as well as Israelites that God has standards and is in control and will not stand by and let people be distracted from the truth. For more about why God is so strict you might want to see “The Old Testament Connection”. In verses 11-12 we see some hints about God’s motives. Some experts think that the reference to Gilead is a taunt, you know, God is saying, “Nana nana nana!”. Gilead was a part of Israel east of the Jordan River. It extended almost from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea. It was known for healing ointments.   But in the rest of the verse we see that the Egyptians had tried many other medicines and had not been healed. By telling the Egyptians to look for healing from Israel he wasn’t making fun of them but rather pointing them to the true “medicine”. The real sickness that Egypt had (along with all the rest of us in the world) was a broken relationship with God. The promised one of Israel would be the only true “medicine” for that (see John 14:6) and so Egypt must look to Israel for true healing. If you are not convinced and think that God was “laughing” at the Egyptians think about the name he uses for them in verse 11, “O virgin daughter of Egypt”. That is a term of affection and protection. IN ancient times a father was supposed to protect his unmarried daughter (virgin) until she was entrusted to another in marriage. God is clearly looking at Egypt as a beloved child, disobedient and rebellious, but beloved. The punishment at Carchemish was in hope that “she” would look to Him for healing. In verse 12 we see that God really is concerned about all the nations, the world has heard of the trouble that Egypt is having, the offer of healing is a true one; God want the Egyptians healed in their relationship with him, news the world needs to hear too.

Sometimes it is hard to hear about God destroying things or letting us destroy each other. And a lot of people hate it when God is described as vengeful or jealous. We all want God to be love, love, love. But we live in a real world with a real God; God is pure, God has standards and character. God doesn’t ignore bad stuff, God doesn’t play favorites, and God created us with the ability to chose or reject him. God wants to have a relationship with us and has offered the solution to our disobedience and rebellion; Jesus. While he patiently waits for us to see and hear and decide, a lot of bad stuff happens, but God knows and has a record of it all. For those who chose Jesus the record will be cleared; Jesus’ suffering was enough for all of us. For those who reject Jesus, they will be left on their own; unfortunately one guilty act is all it takes to banish a person from the forever kingdom of God. That is why God is so serious about helping us see the consequences of our rebellion before it is too late. If you haven’t already give your life and eternity to Jesus, he is the “way the truth and the life and no one comes to God except through him”.

God help us never doubt your love. Help us see the truth about you in the way you have dealt with us in life. Help us understand your perfection and purity. Help us understand your love and patience. Help us understand how serious our disobedience and rebellion (sin) are. Thank you for taking the time to communicate to us through the Bible. Thank you for giving us evidence of it’s accuracy. Thank you for the example Israel has been. Help us learn from her mistakes. Thank you for caring about the “nations”. Thank you for caring about me. Thank you for protecting me, even if it has been painful at times. Let me come back to you with a whole heart. Thank you for your Holy Spirit who helps and thank you for Jesus who paid the price and unlocked the door to heaven for us.

Jeremiah 45:1-5. I want to apologize for the interruption in these posts. I had to migrate my site to a new server and after three very intense days of work was pretty tapped out. Plus I had other work that I put off and had to make up time for. It is very upsetting to me not to spend this time with God and share it with whoever is out there reading. Thank you for your time and I will try to remain faithful. Today’s reading is very short but very cryptic or mysterious. The phrase “we don’t know” just spins around this story. Today’s reading is a personal note from God to Baruch.

We don’t know a ton of stuff about Baruch. We do know he was the son of a guy named Neriah and the grand-son of a guy named Maaseiah (Jeremiah 32:16). We also know he was Jeremiah’s secretary or assistant, he was the guy who wrote all of Jeremiah’s prophecies down on a scroll and read it in the Temple to the people . He also read the scroll to the advisors to then king Jehoaikim (Jeremiah 36). That scroll was read by Jehudi (one of the advisors?) to the king. As the scroll was read the king cut off pieces of it and threw them in the fire, then he ordered that Jeremiah and Baruch be captured, probably with the intent of killing them. We also know that Baruch’s grand-father was an “official” (the Hebrew word “sar” most oftenly translated as prince, but also chief, leader, governor, or captain) in the city of Jerusalem in the time of Josiah (about 621 BC, 2 Chronicles 34:8). Finally we know that Baruch had a brother and that this brother was a leader (“sar”) in the court of Zedekiah (the last king of Judah. Zedekiah followed Jehoiachin who had been king for only a few months after the death of Jehoiakim (the guy who burned the scroll). Zedekiah was appointed by Nebuchadnezzar) (Jeremiah 51:59).

Today’s reading takes place in 605 BC (the fourth year of Jehoaikim). That was the year that Nebuchadnezzar first came to Jerusalem and took captives back to Babylon (including Daniel, another prophet. See Daniel 1:1 where Daniel may be counting the time a little differently).   This is before the time of Zedekiah but after the time of Josiah. Remember that Josiah was a pretty good king who tried to restore worship of Yahweh (the one true God) in Judah. Josiah had three sons who all were king after him. Jehoahaz for three months in 609 BC., Jehoiakim from 609 B.C. to 597 B.C. And Mattaniah (Zedekiah) from 597 B.C. to 586 B.C. All three of his sons were untrue to Yahweh however.

In verse 2 we find out that Baruch is feeling pretty down. Baruch has said, “Woe is me…” That word woe is “o-ee” in Hebrew, and seems to be related to a word that is sometimes translated as “sigh”. “O-ee!” Probably is the same in English, “O-ee!”. Then we see he said that Yahweh had added sorrow to his pain, he was tired, sighed a lot and found no rest.   Ok, he was burned out. I suppose copying the first 25 chapters or more of Jeremiah onto a scroll would not only be tiring but pretty depressing, there was a lot of judgment in there relating to the downfall of Judah and Jerusalem. To be fair there was some hope too, but a lot of it related to a good response to the message, the people needed to give in to Nebuchadnezzar, and that wasn’t happening; so we can figure that the “good” was out and more trouble was coming. The command to write the scroll came with hope that “all the people might hear and turn back to God”. So Baruch knew that what he was writing was going to be read tot the people, and he probably assumed they would not listen (which they did not). Pretty tough place to be for a guy who’s grandpa had been a “sar” in Jerusalem under a king who led the people to honor God (at least for a little while). And, although this is 7 years before Zedekiah became king Baruch’s brother probably wasn’t sitting out by a lake somewhere fishing, and even if he was at least he wasn’t working for a guy who everybody hated. No wonder Baruch was sighing.

In verse 4 Jeremiah is told to remind Baruch that this whole kingdom of Judah is about to be destroyed. And Jeremiah was to be sure that Baruch knew that the message was straight from Yahweh, too; “Thus says Yahweh (LORD).” In verse 5 we see that all of the “greatness” surrounding Baruch was having an effect on him, he wanted to be important too. His Grandpa had been a “sar” his brother would become one too. And here he was, probably spending several months writing a scroll that no one wanted to hear. In verse 5 we learn that it wouldn’t just be the buildings that would suffer in the invasion to come’ it would be the people too. And what would Baruch get for staying faithful? His life. The last phrase even implies that it wouldn’t be a very peaceful one either; “In all the places where you may go.” I wonder if Baruch thought, “Oh boy I get to live! But not settle down to a peaceful life.”

Reading these verses made me thing of Psalm 23.   In that Psalm David wrote, “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” Unfortunately every time I read those words I remember the very next line which is, “your rod and your staff comfort me.” That line refers back to the first line of Psalm 23, “The LORD is my shepherd”. The rod and staff were tools that the shepherd used to guide and protect the sheep; keeping them safe and cared for. I’ve always focused on the fact that God is caring for us and that is why we don’t need to fear. In the Psalm David (the author) tells us that he is not afraid of evil or bad when he walks through the “valley of the shadow of death”. If you’ve ever been in the hills or mountains you know that it gets dark sooner in the valleys, the mountains around you block the sun and put you in a shadow. Now imagine yourself in the valley and you notice the darkness and you look around you and see mountains or hills but they represent death to you. You are surrounded by death and it seems to be closing in on you; pretty scary. The next part is the important part though, why wasn’t David afraid? Because the LORD was with him. How is that comforting? Because Jesus is that LORD (John 10:9-15, compare John 10:11 with Psalm 23:1) and he lays down his life for us so we can be saved (have access to God and Heaven). In 1 Corinthians 15 a guy named Paul told a group of believers in a city called Corinth that Jesus died in our place, was buried and then came back to life (resurrected). Jesus’ resurrection is proof to us that we too will come back to life one day and live with God. Death isn’t a closed off canyon from which there is no exit it is a passage to an existence on the other side. God is on the other side waiting for us personally. Unfortunately many will pass through the valley having decided they don’t want to be with God and they will be banished from God’s forever kingdom. You need Jesus with you to pass through with no fear; he is our guide and our guarantee.

Baruch was in a valley too, it was not the actual “valley of death” but probably felt like it to him, or would (after the scroll in the fire incident). He was afraid and the LORD made sure Baruch knew that he cared about his life. That is another good thing to see in these five verses, God knows we exist and how we feel and cares about our hopes and fears. Baruch didn’t necessarily get exactly what he was looking for (he never became a “sar” in his world)) but he is certainly a “chief” in God’s kingdom, with his help Jeremiah has been able to show us the holiness and mercy of God.

Finally it is interesting that Baruch was upset because he wanted to be “great”. The Hebrew word translated “great things” means something like “have a large influence”, like a prince of king. And God’s answer to him is “I’m bringing trouble on all the people around you.” What good is being king of an empty kingdom? That is why God allows trouble in our world today, trouble that sometimes touches us, he is allowing time for his kingdom to become filled (2 Peter 3:9).   As we experience trouble in our lives we need to appreciate the life God is allowing us to still live and we need to be sure we are using it to bring people into his forever kingdom. Don’t focus on the pain focus on the promise and share your hope with others today.

God help me stay focused on the promise. Help me live each day for your kingdom, even if it is uncomfortable. Help me remember my good shepherd, Jesus, who has opened the door to heaven. Let me not be afraid when I am threatened by death, real or not. Help me not look for false greatness. Let me be a servant of you and your forever kingdom.