45 This is the message which Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written down these words in a book [a]at Jeremiah’s dictation, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, saying: 2 “Thus says the Lord the God of Israel to you, O Baruch: 3 ‘You said, “Ah, woe is me! For the Lord has added sorrow to my pain; I am weary with my groaning and have found no rest.”’ 4 Thus you are to say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, what I have built I am about to tear down, and what I have planted I am about to uproot, that is, the whole land.” 5 But you, are you seeking great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I am going to bring disaster on all flesh,’ declares the Lord, ‘but I will give your life to you as booty in all the places where you may go.’”
Here we have a bit of a flashback, to the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign. It seems Baruch was having a bit of a pity party, saying “woe is me!” (v 3) So what is God’s message of encouragement to Baruch? Take a look at v. 4, “Behold, what I have built I am about to tear down…” Oh yeah, super encouraging… or not. Yet there is a gem in v. 5 that we all should take to heart, “But you, are you seeking great things for yourself? Don’t!” (slightly paraphrased at the end).
We don’t exist for our own glory, nor do we find fulfillment in gaining fame and glory. Oh sure, we might get a spike of adrenaline or other endorphins that make us feel good. Yet those last only for a moment, and God doesn’t even have to tear that down, we just crash naturally, all on our own, until we get the next hit, and the vicious cycle continues.
Part of the problem with seeking our own glory, is that we forget what we’re supposed to be doing, which is serving others. That isn’t just for folks in ministry, pastors, missionaries, and evangelists. No, we are all called to serve, using our gifts for the good of others. And ultimately, “that they may see our good works and glorify our Father (God) in heaven.”
God promises to take care of Baruch, but he needs to get his eyes off himself and see the bigger picture. God had more for him to do than just writing, though that could and would also be used for God’s glory. We’ve seen some of those things throughout Jeremiah’s story, but ultimately God did watch over Baruch and Jeremiah both. We can worry and fret about a lot of things, especially when our “kingdom” feels threatened. Yet anything we do on this earth is likely to end at some point, whether we retire, or change careers, or whatever. God’s kingdom is eternal; do His work, seek to glorify Him with your life, and let Him take care of the rest.