Baruch Baruch the son of Neriah was a royal scribe in Jerusalem who served as secretary for Jeremiah the prophet. His brother Seraiah was a “staff officer” in Zedekiah’s administration (Jer 51:59-64). Baruch’s family evidently ranked highly in the administration of Judah. In the fourth year of King Jehoiakim of Judah (605 BC), God instructed Jeremiah to record the messages he had given to Israel, Judah, and the other nations (36:1-3). Jeremiah sent for Baruch, who wrote the prophecies down (36:4) and read the words to the people (36:8-19). When the message reached Jehoiakim, he destroyed the scroll and called for Baruch’s and Jeremiah’s arrest (36:21-26). But they had gone into hiding, where Jeremiah repeated the prophecies and Baruch again wrote them down (36:27-32). At about that time, God gave Baruch a personal message through Jeremiah (Jer 45). Baruch might have been troubled about the loss of career prospects or personal comfort resulting from his association with Jeremiah. God comforted Baruch with an assurance of protection and instructed him not to seek “great things” for himself, because the promise of Judah’s destruction was certain. When Jerusalem was destroy...

Jeremiah Jeremiah, a prophet in Jerusalem before its destruction in 586 BC, is sometimes called the “weeping prophet” because he shared his personal struggles and sorrows as he delivered God’s messages. Jeremiah was born in Anathoth, near Jerusalem, during Manasseh’s reign. His father was Hilkiah of Benjamin. Jeremiah received his calling as a prophet during the thirteenth year of Josiah’s reign (627 BC). At first, Jeremiah retreated from his call (Jer 1:6), but God assured Jeremiah that he would tell him what to say and would guide and protect him despite opposition (Jer 1:7-8, 18-19). Jeremiah warned the kings and people of Judah to repent in order to avoid exile. They had broken God’s covenant, primarily through idolatry (Jer 10:1-16), and as a result, they were subject to the consequences (Deut 27–28). They rejected God’s invitation to repent, so Jeremiah later delivered messages that God’s judgment had become inevitable. Jeremiah was particularly hated by Judah’s leaders. King Jehoiakim held Jeremiah in contempt and tried to silence him. King Zedekiah secretly sought Jeremiah’s advice, but bowed to his administrators when they wanted to silence the prophet. God’s w...