Dear Baruch

It's not clear if Baruch wanted to be famous. He was only a scribe, it's true, but he was a scribe to Jeremiah. That's touching close to fame, nicht wahr?

Or maybe he just thought a little respite from persecution would be nice.

One day he's taking dictation from the prophet, as usual, and is startled to find himself---rather than Israel or Egypt---the subject of the latest oracle from God:

"Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: You said, 'Woe is me! For the Lord has added sorrow to my pain. I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest.' Thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord: Behold, what I have planted I am plucking up---that is, the whole land. And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not, for behold, I am bringing disaster upon all flesh, declares the Lord. But I will give you your life as a prize of war in all places to which you may go" (Jeremiah 45:2-5).

There's a splash in the face, no? It's like you finally come in from working the field all day, and rather than patting you on the back and offering you to recline and dine, the boss says:

"'. . . Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink.' Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty'" (Luke 17:7-10).

Reality is always best. The hirelings who worked longer than the welfare guys picked last should not expect more pay (Matthew 20:1-16). Elijah's job complaint is handled by God's assigning him three new jobs (1 Kings 19). Jonah's pity party extracts no apology from the Lord (Jonah 4:9). Peter's sense of fair play is gently disabused by Jesus; it's not Peter's business what God has planned for the younger apostle (John 21:20-23). Paul tells Timothy straight up to expect hardship as a good soldier (2 Timothy 2:13).

I was contemplating the severity of God and writing this essay when an interruption drew me from my study for hours. When I returned, my son was watching Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ on the computer screen, and I was drawn in. It changed the ending of this essay.

Jeremiah 45 does not show the severity of God at all, but his restraint. What he could have told the scribe if he had wanted to! But when God is sad, who can he tell? Not the hundredth part of his sorrow is shown us:

How can I give you up, O Ephraim?

How can I hand you over, O Israel?

How can I make you like Admah?

How can I treat you like Zeboim (Hosea 11:8)?

The merest hint is given his friend Abraham:

"Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering . . ." (Genesis 22:2).

As for Baruch, though he is firmly put in his place, though he is mercifully realigned in his attitude, though he does not win "scribe of the year," he walks away with his life as a prize, when God has to weep alone while dismantling everything he has built for centuries.

Plus Baruch gets a whole chapter written to him, and is featured in a blog post on WORLDmag.com. Maybe he gets his fame after all.

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