“Seekest great things for thyself? Seek them not.” Jeremiah 45:5
Dear Ones:
We all have a natural tendency to want to BE great, and to DO great things. This is all and good if God is in the design. For example, Moses became great, and did great things. Daniel and Paul also were great men, in different circumstances at different times. When Cyrus the Persian ruled over the Persian empire, he was considered to be great, and a doer of great things. Nebuchadnezzar was also great in this perspective. However, when we look at the Lord Jesus Christ at the moment when He was crucified, and then put into a grave that was not His own, we have to ask ourselves, “What is the measure of true greatness?” And why did the Lord, through Jeremiah, tell Baruch, “Do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not.” The answer lies in two words, motive and purpose.
Without being historians, or Biblical scholars, we see that Jeremiah lived during a very tumultuous time in history. He had prophesied concerning the fall of Jerusalem, and had been in prison during the siege. The society was in disarray because of this invasion by the Babylonians, and there is no doubt that the societal structure of that time had broken down. Baruch was a personal scribe to Jeremiah, a man of good intelligence and ability, and faith. The temptation that lay before him was that of seeking to BE something, or DO something, which did not conform to God’s purpose. This is not to say that he should not do good to those who needed help, or cease to minister to Jeremiah. However, it did mean that, instead of “leaning to his own understanding”, and pursuing his personal interests and position, he was to seek that which was of God, at that time and in that place. Why?
The fundamental consideration of what one is to be and to do, can only be understood by what God wills, provides for, and does. In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he unveils to them the work of God in Christ, and what He has DONE for the believer. “But of Him (God) are you IN Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” (1:30) We see here that, as the Lord Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the Father has created all IN and BY Him, by the working of the Holy Spirit. He has done all of this for the believer, even having made the Lord Jesus to be the believer’s LIFE. All that is done in and through him is for the glory of God. Man is created to KNOW and GLORIFY God. James helps us to understand this by writing: “EVERY good and perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights.” (1:17) There is NOTHING therefore, that is good, that does not come from God. He IS good, and therefore, all that He gives is good. The corresponding glory belongs to Him, and to Him alone.
The all-inclusive, and complete, work of God in Christ to save us, and to bring us to heaven, is ultimately for the purpose of revealing the excellency of His glory and goodness. So that, as we come to know Christ, trusting Him for all, we begin to see and understand the meaning of Paul’s words: “According as it is written, ‘He that glories, let him glory in the Lord.” It is as the Christian author wrote: “Every virtue I possess, and every victory won; every thought of holiness, is His and His alone.”
So, why did God tell Baruch not to seek something great for himself? First of all, because there is nothing so great in the eyes of God as that which He accomplishes in His goodness and grace, regardless of how small it looks in the eyes of men. And secondly, there is no higher purpose and provision, than that of God. His will is, as He declares, “good and perfect,” because it has its origin and accomplishment in Him.
Dear Father, Give us grace to seek first Your kingdom and righteousness, because You are worthy. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad