Jeremiah 45:5

And seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not: for, behold, I will bring evil upon all flesh, saith the LORD: but thy life will I give unto thee for a prey in all places whither thou goest. SEEKEST THOU GREAT THINGS FOR THYSELF? - thou art over- fastidious and self-seeking. When my own special people, a "whole" nation (), and the temple, are being given to ruin, dost thou expect to be exempt from all hardship? Baruch had raised his expectations too high in this world, and this made his distresses harder to be borne. The frowns of the world would not disquiet us if we did not so eagerly covet its smiles. What folly to seek great things for ourselves here, where everything is little, and nothing certain! I WILL BRING EVIL UPON ALL FLESH - the whole Jewish nation, and even foreign peoples ...

It afterwards follows, _And seekest thou great things for thyself? _We now see clear enough why he reproved Baruch, it was, because he was too careful as to himself, and too timid; and thus it was that he was impeded in his duty. He then says, _And dost thou seek for thyself? _The particle לך _, lac, _for thyself, is put here emphatically; for here God sets Baruch in the balance, and the whole people together, with the temple and divine worship. _“Dost thou,” _he says, _“outweigh _them? Is thy life of more value than the temple, the safety of the people, and all my gifts which so much excel?” It was then God’s purpose in this way to make Baruch ashamed of himself, because he preferred a frail life to so many things and so glorious. _Dost thou, _then, he says, _seek great things, _ גדלות _, gidalut, for thyself? _that is, _“Shall _thy state be eminent while the temple is

Verse Jeremiah 45:5. _AND SEEKEST THOU GREAT THINGS FOR THYSELF?_] Nothing better can be expected of this people: thy hopes in reference to _them_ are vain. Expect no national amendment, till national judgments have taken place. And as for any _benefit_ to _thyself_, think it sufficient that God has determined to preserve thy life amidst all these dangers. _BUT THY LIFE WILL I GIVE UNTO THEE FOR A PREY_] This is a proverbial expression. We have met with it before, Jeremiah 21:9; Jeremiah 38:2; Jeremiah 39:18; and it appears to have this meaning. As a _prey_ or _spoil_ is t

PROMISE TO BARUCH. EXPOSITION JEREMIAH 45:1 THESE WORDS; _i.e._ the revelations which Baruch had committed (or was committing) to writing. JEREMIAH 45:3 HATH ADDED GRIEF TO MY SORROW. Baruch felt "sorrow" or "pain" at the sinfulness of the people; "grief" or "anxiety" was added by Jeremiah's announcement of the judgment. I FAINTED IN MY SIGHING; rather, _I am weary with my sighing_;_ _comp. Psalms 6:7 (Authorized Version, 6). Jeremiah 45:

SEEKEST THOU GREAT THINGS FOR THYSELF? SEEK [THEM] NOT,.... Riches and wealth honour and esteem, peace and prosperity; these were not to be sought after and expected, when the whole nation would be involved in such a general calamity. Baruch perhaps expected that his reading the roll to princes would have been a means of preferring him at court, of advancing him to some post or office, in which he might have acquired wealth, and got applause, and lived in peace and plenty all his days; but this was not to be looked for; when, if he observed, the very roll he wrote and read contained in it prophecies of the general ruin of the nation. The Jews restrain this to the gift of prophecy they suppose Baruch sought after, which was not to be enjoyed out of the land of Canaan: FOR, BEHOLD, I WILL BRING EVIL UPON ALL FLESH; not upon every individual person in the world; but upon all the inhabitant...

CHAPTER 45 This is the shortest chapter and contains a special message to Baruch, the companion and secretary of the prophet Jeremiah. It must be noticed that this did not take place in Egypt, where now the prophet and his friend sojourned, but it was in the fourth year of Jehoiakim. Baruch had just finished writing the words which Jeremiah dictated. It was no doubt a strenuous task, and when Baruch laid down his pen, the work having been finished, the Lord sent him a special message, showing that He had not forgotten the faithful scribe. He, too, was deeply exercised over the existing conditions; he shared the grief and sorrow of the prophet. But there must have been a measure of disappointment in Baruch's heart. Had he expected some special recognition? Was he seeking something for himself, expecting great things? Had he planned and was he lifted up with some high ambition? It would se...

BARUCH. This prophecy concerning him is dated 604, when the first roll (these words) was written (Jeremiah 36:1 ff.). The implied reference to personal danger might be explained by Jeremiah 36:26, if the date were a year later, or by the troubles of 586, if we disregard Jeremiah 45:1_ b_. Probably this formed the (fitting) close of Baruch's biography of the prophet. Baruch has complained that to his pain (perhaps on account of the fortunes of his people) sorrow (concerning his personal future) is added. Yahweh asks whether _he_ can expect much when Yahweh has to be destroying His own work; yet Baruch's life shall be spared (J

AND SEEKEST, &C.. Wouldst thou seek to secure great things for thyself? EVIL. Hebrew. _ra'a'._ App-44. SAITH THE LORD. [is] Jehovah's oracle. LIFE. soul. Hebrew. _nephesh._ App-13. FOR. PREY. Compare Jeremiah 39:18....

_seek them not_ What form Baruch's aspirations took can only be matter of conjecture. It has been suggested that as grandson of Maaseiah who was governor of Jerusalem in Josiah's reign (2 Chronicles 34:8) he may have aspired to high office, or, as ch. Jeremiah 43:3 may be thought to hint, that he was "Chaldaïzing" and looking in that direction for promotion. _thy life will I give unto thee for a prey_ See on Jeremiah 21:9....

DISCOURSE: 1084 WE MUST NOT SEEK GREAT THINGS Jeremiah 45:5. _Seekest thou great things for thyself? Seek them not_. WORLDLINESS is a great and common evil: and it is often manifested in those from whom we should least expect it. The sons of Zebedee solicited the highest posts of honour in their Master’s kingdom, immediately after _he_ had been foretelling his crucifixion: and all the disciples disputed about preeminence even at the last supper, just after they had been warned, that one of them would betray his Lord. Thus Baruch, when he had been writing in a book all the prophecies of Jeremiah, wherein God’s determination to destroy the Jewish nation had been repeatedly declared, was promising himself years of case and affluence; and was afraid to write another copy of the prophecies, lest the king, who had destroyed the former copy, should put him to death. Jeremi