September 12, 2024
Every person needs a go-to guy — that particular person who is willing to step up, help out and lend a hand when needed. This type of relationship should be reciprocated. It is not much of a friendship if one person does all the giving while the other does all the taking. You could say that Jesus never needed help, but He did choose to utilize others in His ministry. In church life, it is a blessing when dependable people join a mission together to achieve a task.
Baruch, a figure often overlooked, played a pivotal role in Jeremiah’s message and life. His example shows us that it may not always be easy or comfortable to be used by God, but obedience always leads to blessing and a closer intimacy with the heavenly Father. This underscores the significant role each of us can play in God’s plan, no matter how seemingly insignificant.
Jeremiah is widely regarded as the weeping prophet. He was faithful to God’s calling on his life despite times of great sorrow and no visible results. Jeremiah refused to compromise or change his message to please his day’s religious and political leaders. As a result, he was banned from the temple on two separate occasions. Jeremiah called on Baruch to write down and deliver the message on his behalf. You may be able to silence the messenger, but you cannot stop the message!
Baruch spoke the words he was assigned, and many of the listeners became afraid. A man named Micaiah knew others in the temple needed to hear the message and shared it again with a different audience. The message remained the same, but the method was different this time. He sat with them so they could focus more intently and contemplate each word. However, this did not change the fact that King Jehoiakim did not like what he heard, so he cut up the scroll and threw it in the fire. He took it further and ordered that Jeremiah and Baruch be apprehended. We should remember that, as students and teachers of God’s Word, we cannot control how others respond to hearing the Scripture, but we can be faithful in sharing it.
Baruch then found himself on the king’s most wanted list. Baruch did not understand how, by being faithful, he was now in trouble. Most pastors and Bible study teachers I know do not do what they do to be recognized or rewarded, but they also don’t appreciate stress. Baruch then discovered what many pastors need to learn now: When you are faithful to the calling and proper sharing of the message God has for you to share, persecution will come. I have had people in my ministry boil in anger at me for simply preaching the words of Jesus. In those times, we must remember that the goal of our ministry is not to be famous or even accepted. Our ministry is to be a mouthpiece for God and to be obedient.
God instructed Baruch to put his earthly desires and hopes on the back burner because judgment was coming. This is an excellent example of God’s grace extended to His followers. It also reminds us to be faithful when challenges arise. Can God count on you?
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This lesson was written by Bobby McKay, pastor of New Liberty Baptist Church in Morton, Mississippi, and originally published by The Baptist Paper. This study is based on the Bible Studies for Life curriculum from Lifeway Christian Resources.
