LESSON 13   
   *December 18 - 24   
      
      
   Baruch: Building a Legacy in a Crumbling World   
      
   SABBATH AFTERNOON   
      
   Read for This Week's Study:   
      
   Isa. 53:1-5; Jer. 7:1-11; 28; 45; Matt. 6:25-34.   
      
   Memory Text:   
      
   "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it   
   is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:20).   
    The world, as Baruch knew it, was drawing to a close. Jerusalem and Judah   
   were in their final moments. Assyria, which had dominated the ancient Near   
   East for well over two hundred years, was internally divided, engaged in civil   
   war, and losing its grip on its vassal states. Meanwhile, a new superpower was   
   on the horizon: Babylon. For a little time, Judah had some respite and, under   
   good king Josiah (640-609 B.C.), the nation managed to expand its territory   
   and renew its commitment to the worship of the true God. However, with rapid   
   changes occurring at the end of the seventh century B.C., time was running out   
   for Jerusalem. King Josiah died in battle against the Egyptians (2 Kings   
   23:29). His sons, reigning after him, did not have the same status as their   
   father, and they rebelled repeatedly against Babylon, a fatal  mistake.   
   Finally, in 586 B.C., Jerusalem was taken, the temple destroyed, and many   
   Judeans taken captive.   
      
   Baruch lived in this time of dramatic change and loss. However, though his   
   world was crumbling, he left a legacy that no king or war could destroy.   
      
   What can we learn from Baruch, our final background character in the Bible?   
      
   *Study this week's lesson to prepare for Sabbath, December 25.   
   SUNDAY   
   December 19   
      
   Baruch's World   
      
   Baruch's world was constructed around certain political, economic, and   
   religious realities that dominated his nation at that time. Politically   
   speaking, the country of Judah was chafing under the yoke of Babylonian   
   domination. Strong nationalistic undercurrents affected all areas of society.   
   People wanted to be free of Babylon. Economically, things were going quite   
   well, at least for a sector of the population growing wealthier by exploiting   
   the poor. And, of course, there was the religious system of ancient Judah,   
   which was to form the foundation for all the society.   
      
   Read Jeremiah 7:1-11. What are some of the crucial moral and spiritual   
   problems the people were being warned about? What parallels might we be able   
   to draw to our own time today? Give special attention to verse 4. What were   
   the people being told there, and what lesson can we take from that for   
   ourselves?   
      
   Baruch's name means "one who is blessed," and Baruch does seem blessed. He was   
   a scribe, which meant that he was a highly educated man. He seems to have come   
   from a family of scribes, and he had the correct family connections.   
      
   Exactly how Baruch is drawn into the service of the priest and prophet   
   Jeremiah we are not told. Perhaps it is the solidness of Jeremiah's connection   
   to God that draws Baruch to him. Indeed, the social, political, and economic   
   ideal that Jeremiah preaches is firmly rooted in God's revelation. Jeremiah is   
   not afraid of standing up for the Word of God, even when it is deemed   
   politically incorrect to do so. Through his visions, Jeremiah has unique   
   insights into the fallibility of the structures that his society trusted in,   
   and he was called upon by the Lord to warn the people about what their actions   
   would lead to if they didn't change their ways. Perhaps it was his desire to   
   be a part of this that led Baruch into his special role.   
   Read again Jeremiah 7:1-11. How might these words apply to you, in your own   
   walk with the Lord? What things in your life need amending? What "lying words"   
   might you also be trusting in? What other "gods" might you be walking with?   
   How open and honest with yourself are you willing to be in confronting these   
   questions?    
   MONDAY   
   December 20   
      
   Jeremiah's Scribe   
      
   The book of Jeremiah provides us with some unique glimpses into the writing   
   process of the Bible. Baruch, Jeremiah's scribe, is actually participating in   
   the transmission and preservation of God's Word. In Jeremiah 36:4, Jeremiah   
   calls Baruch and--as he dictates a message to the people--Baruch copies it all   
   down on a parchment scroll. This is an excellent illustration of how   
   inspiration works. First, God does not physically take control of the prophet   
   Jeremiah and move his hand as he writes. Rather, God gives Jeremiah visions   
   and messages. Normally the prophet then formulates the message and writes it   
   down. In this particular case, Jeremiah himself did not do the writing but   
   dictated to Baruch, who then wrote it down. Baruch also communicates the   
   message in public. Because Jeremiah is out of favor in the court and has been   
   denied access to the temple, Baruch  reads the prophetic message in the temple   
   on a holy day. Baruch never claims to be speaking for himself or even for   
   Jeremiah; the message comes from God.   
      
   Read the story of Hananiah in Jeremiah 28. In what ways does this narrative   
   reveal the principle revealed in Isaiah 8:20?   
      
   God's message does not flatter or bend to public opinion. It is not always, or   
   even very often, "politically correct." Nor does God's message contradict   
   itself; human interpretations of the message might be contradictory, but never   
   the message itself.   
      
   In Jeremiah 28:7-9, the prophet refers to the unity of Scripture built on the   
   firm foundation of fulfilled prophecy. The false prophet's untimely death in   
   this chapter vividly reinforces this important principle.   
      
   The point is that God has given us not only His Word but also very good   
   reasons for trusting in that Word, even when we come to parts that we don't   
   understand or sections that offend our sensibilities. The Bible doesn't save   
   us, Jesus does; but He has revealed Himself to us more fully in the Scriptures   
   than He has anywhere else.   
   There are many forces at work to weaken our trust in the Word of God. Identify   
   some of those forces and ask yourself how you can protect yourself from them.   
   After all, if we stop trusting in the messages of the Bible, what is left to   
   trust in?    
   TUESDAY   
   December 21   
      
   Thwarted Ambitions (Jeremiah 36)   
      
   The seriousness of the situation finally seemed to be dawning on the people of   
   Judah. In Jeremiah 36:9, the people gathered in the temple for a day of   
   fasting before the Lord. Through his professional connections with other   
   scribes, Baruch manages to secure a good public place, in the window of   
   Gemariah at the entrance to the temple. Here Baruch proceeds to read the   
   scroll that he has written at Jeremiah's dictation. After Baruch's reading of   
   the message, court officials ask him to give them a private reading. After   
   inquiries as to where the message comes from, the officials decide to bring it   
   to the king's attention. For a brief moment it looks as if there might be   
   change in Judah. For Baruch this is a moment of hope. Should things turn   
   around, then his support for Jeremiah will pay off. In the possible   
   reformation he will be a man of importance, maybe elevated  to a high position   
   in the government.   
      
   What did the king's response mean to the future hopes of Baruch, at least on a   
   professional level? See Jeremiah 36.    
   Scrolls were made of papyrus and were expensive. They had to be copied by   
   hand. This made each scroll a scarce and precious resource. This particular   
   scroll was God's message to King Jehoiakim. The king and his servants showed a   
   deliberate insult to God by systematically cutting and burning the scroll. The   
   burning of the scroll meant the loss of many hours of hard work by Baruch.   
      
   Baruch, who may have hoped for an honored position in court, now realizes that   
   he has backed the "wrong" player and effectively sabotaged his future as a   
   scribe at the royal court of Jerusalem. He also has angered the most powerful   
   man in the kingdom. Here's a clear case where someone's stand for the Lord has   
   cost him something.   
      
   Together with Jeremiah, Baruch is now a marked man. Royal agents comb the   
   city, seeking to get hold of these defeatists. Following God is no path for   
   cowards or people who want to use God in order to make a nice career for   
   themselves. Being God's messenger does not represent a life driven by personal   
   ambition but rather involves letting God's will unfold in our lives, whatever   
   the cost. At times, that cost can be very great.   
   What has following the Lord cost you? When was the last time you had to lose   
   or sacrifice something important to you because you stood for a biblical   
   principle or for a commandment from God? Think through the implications of   
   your answer, whatever it is.    
   WEDNESDAY   
   December 22   
      
   Woe Is Me!   
      
   The Lord has a special message just for Baruch (Jeremiah 45). And no wonder,   
   considering the circumstances.   
      
   First, the historical reference to the fourth year of Jehoiakim in Jeremiah   
   45:1 puts chapter 45 after chapter 36. Jeremiah is most probably in prison,   
   and the prospect of a revival among the leaders of Judah no longer seems   
   probable. Second, Baruch's future, at least from an earthly perspective, seems   
   bleak at best. Thus, as Jeremiah 45:3 states, Baruch is having what might be   
   called "a bad day." Of course, feeling dejected, sad, or depressed is a   
   natural part of our human existence on our fallen earth. There are many   
   reasons for feeling this way, and one should never think that it's wrong or   
   sinful to have these  feelings. Depending upon the circumstances, it almost   
   would seem inhuman not to have them. Certainly plenty of biblical characters   
   had their moments of despair (see 1 Kings 19:4; Job 6:2, 3; Ps. 55:4). We fool   
   ourselves if we think that, somehow, we are going to escape them ourselves.   
      
   Read Isaiah 53:1-5. What kind of mood and feelings are depicted here, and who   
   is one who is suffering these feelings? What should that tell us?   
      
      
   What's most important for us to remember during times of emotional distress   
   and sadness is that this doesn't mean God has forsaken us. It means only that,   
   as with all fallen humanity, we will suffer in this life. Whether the   
   suffering is our own fault or not doesn't, in one sense, matter. What matters   
   is that we, amid our suffering, do not let the evil one use our grief to turn   
   us away from the Lord or make us bitter and resentful against Him. What   
   matters is that we claim God's promises of forgiveness, of healing, of a   
   better future and a new life in a new heaven and a new earth.   
      
   We all long for things to go well; we all long for a better existence, here   
   and now. But often, given the nature of our world, that doesn't happen or at   
   least it doesn't happen as we imagine we would like it to. Hence, how   
   important that, amid whatever we are going through, we don't forget the great   
   hope that awaits us once the horrible experience of sin, suffering, and death   
   is forever over.   
   What are some of your favorite Bible promises about the new heaven and new   
   earth? Read through them, pray over them, and ask the Lord for the faith to   
   hang on until the time when you, yourself, will be living in them.   
      
   THURSDAY   
   December 23   
      
   What Is in It for Me?   
      
   Read Jeremiah 45. What does this passage tell us about God? What does it tell   
   us about Baruch?   
      
   Baruch is sad, in pain, restless, and worn out. Baruch sees all of his life   
   work being uprooted, all of his dreams vanishing like a mist.   
      
   God's heart is pained, too. He has tenderly planted and watched over Israel.   
   Like a parent agonizing over a stubborn, rebellious child--the Lord has warned   
   and pleaded with His people for over a thousand years. Baruch's pain and   
   sadness are but a faint reflection of God's. Perhaps this is why God's heart   
   always is touched by our sorrows. We never weep alone. The God who knows the   
   "number of hairs" on our heads takes the time to address a despondent scribe   
   and gives him hope and encouragement. In the judgment that was soon to fall on   
   Israel, Baruch would be saved. God would preserve his life. The expression   
   found in verse 5 ("thy life will I give thee for a prey") also can be found   
   reflected in other parts of the book of Jeremiah (Jer. 21:9, 38:2, and 39:18).   
   It evokes the figure of a soldier escaping with his life after a defeat in   
   battle.   
      
   Paradoxically, salvation comes only through "defeat." It was in the   
   humiliation and apparent defeat at the cross that Jesus won the victory. It is   
   only as we are willing to stop fighting and surrender our lives, plans, and   
   future to God that we can find security. It's when we are willing to totally   
   surrender all that we become secure in the Lord.   
      
   What similarity can you note between Jeremiah 45:1-5 and Matthew 6:25-34?   
      
   In Jeremiah 45, God reminds Baruch of what really is important. In Matthew 6,   
   Jesus reminds us that our lives are more important than our earthly   
   possessions. For all his dreams of greatness, in the hour of disaster all that   
   really mattered was Baruch's life. Ironically, even though Baruch missed out   
   on a great future in the Jerusalem political scene because of his loyalty to   
   Jeremiah, this connection really saved his life and gave him a far bigger   
   legacy than anything he could ever have dreamed of.   
      
   It is this legacy that we have searched for in the shadow figures of the Old   
   Testament that we have studied over the past 13 weeks. Most of the people we   
   have gotten to know a little better were not the major power brokers of their   
   particular time, but their names or titles have been recorded in Scripture so   
   that we can learn from them, from both their successes and their failures.   
      
      
   FRIDAY   
   December 24   
      
   Further Study:   
      
      
   "Taking another roll, Jeremiah gave it to Baruch, 'who wrote therein from the   
   mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had   
   burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words.'   
   Verses 28, 32. The wrath of man had sought to prevent the labors of the   
   prophet of God; but the very means by which Jehoiakim had endeavored to limit   
   the influence of the servant of Jehovah, gave further opportunity for making   
   plain the divine requirements.   
      
   "The spirit of opposition to reproof, that led to the persecution and   
   imprisonment of Jeremiah, exists today. Many refuse to heed repeated warnings,   
   preferring rather to listen to false teachers who flatter their vanity and   
   overlook their evil-doing. In the day of trouble such will have no sure   
   refuge, no help from heaven. God's chosen servants should meet with courage   
   and patience the trials and sufferings that befall them through reproach,   
   neglect, and misrepresentation. They should continue to discharge faithfully   
   the work God has given them to do, ever remembering that the prophets of old   
   and the Saviour of mankind and His apostles also endured abuse and persecution   
   for the Word's sake."--Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 437   
      
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