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After Jerusalem’s Destruction 

Jeremiah 40–45 

Don Ruhl • Savage Street, Grants Pass, Oregon • August 25, In the year of our Lord Christ, 2019 

  1. Chaps 34–45 • Labor and Suffering of Jeremiah 
  2. Chaps 40–45 • After Jerusalem’s Destruction 
    1. 40.1 • Jeremiah Initially Taken Captive

      1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD after Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had let him go from Ramah, when he had taken him bound in chains among all who were carried away captive from Jerusalem and Judah, who were carried away captive to Babylon.
      1. Sometimes the righteous suffer along with the wicked. 
      2. This man of God had chains! 
        1. However, the captain of the guard knew somethings. 
        2. He knew that Jeremiah should not be in chains. 
    2. 40.2–4 • Babylon Releases Jeremiah

      2 And the captain of the guard took Jeremiah and said to him: “The LORD your God has pronounced this doom on this place. 3 Now the LORD has brought it, and has done just as He said. Because you people have sinned against the LORD, and not obeyed His voice, therefore this thing has come upon you. 4 And now look, I free you this day from the chains that were on your hand. If it seems good to you to come with me to Babylon, come, and I will look after you. But if it seems wrong for you to come with me to Babylon, remain here. See, all the land is before you; wherever it seems good and convenient for you to go, go there.”
      1. It is bad when a pagan can see why God’s people suffer, but they themselves cannot see it. 
      2. Jeremiah knew, of course, but the captain of the guard knew more than Jeremiah’s brethren. 
        1. Although the captain did not respect the Jews, 
        2. he did respect Jeremiah, 
          1. so much so that he promised to look after Jeremiah 
          2. if he went to Babylon. 
    3. 40.5–6 • Jeremiah Stays in Israel

      5 Now while Jeremiah had not yet gone back, Nebuzaradan said, “Go back to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon has made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people. Or go wherever it seems convenient for you to go.” So the captain of the guard gave him rations and a gift and let him go. 6 Then Jeremiah went to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, to Mizpah, and dwelt with him among the people who were left in the land.
      1. The captain thinks about it more and 
        1. makes the decision for Jeremiah. 
        2. The captain gave Jeremiah what he needed. 
      2. Would it have surprised you 
        1. if Jeremiah had decided not to go back to the Jews and 
        2. traveled some other place instead? 
          1. He could have done it, 
          2. having been disappointed badly in his brethren. 
    4. 40.7–12 • The Jews Accept Their Fate

      7 And when all the captains of the armies who were in the fields, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah the son of Ahikam governor in the land, and had committed to him men, women, children, and the poorest of the land who had not been carried away captive to Babylon, 8 then they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai the Netophathite, and Jezaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men. 9 And Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, took an oath before them and their men, saying, “Do not be afraid to serve the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you. 10 As for me, I will indeed dwell at Mizpah and serve the Chaldeans who come to us. But you, gather wine and summer fruit and oil, put them in your vessels, and dwell in your cities that you have taken.” 11 Likewise, when all the Jews who were in Moab, among the Ammonites, in Edom, and who were in all the countries, heard that the king of Babylon had left a remnant of Judah, and that he had set over them Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, 12 then all the Jews returned out of all places where they had been driven, and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and gathered wine and summer fruit in abundance.
      1. It seems that the king of Babylon made the right choice in Gedaliah. 
      2. He knew how to work for peace. 
        1. He takes charge and encourages them to resume their lives. 
        2. When others hear of that, they go to him. 
    5. 40.13–16 • Will Someone Assassinate the Governor?

      13 Moreover Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces that were in the fields came to Gedaliah at Mizpah, 14 and said to him, “Do you certainly know that Baalis the king of the Ammonites has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to murder you?” But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam did not believe them. 15 Then Johanan the son of Kareah spoke secretly to Gedaliah in Mizpah, saying, “Let me go, please, and I will kill Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and no one will know it. Why should he murder you, so that all the Jews who are gathered to you would be scattered, and the remnant in Judah perish?” 16 But Gedaliah the son of Ahikam said to Johanan the son of Kareah, “You shall not do this thing, for you speak falsely concerning Ishmael.”
      1. Why would Gedaliah not believe the report? 
      2. Even if it seemed false to him, what should he have done? 
        1. Why would a Jew want to assassinate Gedaliah? 
        2. They would have seen him as a traitor. 
          1. Some people do not know when to quit fighting. 
          2. Or Ishmael might have been jealous or rather envious. 
    6. 41.1–3 • Men Assassinate the Governor

      1 Now it came to pass in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family and of the officers of the king, came with ten men to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, at Mizpah. And there they ate bread together in Mizpah. 2 Then Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, and the ten men who were with him, arose and struck Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, with the sword, and killed him whom the king of Babylon had made governor over the land. 3 Ishmael also struck down all the Jews who were with him, that is, with Gedaliah at Mizpah, and the Chaldeans who were found there, the men of war.
      1. Of what kind of family was Ishmael? 
        1. He was of the royal family. 
        2. Perhaps he thought he should be governor. 
      2. In what kind of setting did he assassinate the governor? 
        1. They gathered with the governor and his aides to eat bread. 
        2. Know of anyone else who betrayed a leader while eating bread? 
      3. When no one suspected anything, Ishmael committed multiple murders. 
        1. Why kill the other Jews and why kill the Chaldeans? 
        2. He did not want the word to spread and he thought of them as traitors also. 
    7. 41.4–10 • The Assassins Continue Killing

      4 And it happened, on the second day after he had killed Gedaliah, when as yet no one knew it, 5 that certain men came from Shechem, from Shiloh, and from Samaria, eighty men with their beards shaved and their clothes torn, having cut themselves, with offerings and incense in their hand, to bring them to the house of the LORD. 6 Now Ishmael the son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went along; and it happened as he met them that he said to them, “Come to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam!” 7 So it was, when they came into the midst of the city, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah killed them and cast them into the midst of a pit, he and the men who were with him. 8 But ten men were found among them who said to Ishmael, “Do not kill us, for we have treasures of wheat, barley, oil, and honey in the field.” So he desisted and did not kill them among their brethren. 9 Now the pit into which Ishmael had cast all the dead bodies of the men whom he had slain, because of Gedaliah, was the same one Asa the king had made for fear of Baasha king of Israel. Ishmael the son of Nethaniah filled it with the slain. 10 Then Ishmael carried away captive all the rest of the people who were in Mizpah, the king’s daughters and all the people who remained in Mizpah, whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had committed to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam. And Ishmael the son of Nethaniah carried them away captive and departed to go over to the Ammonites.
      1. Why did this group of men appear with shaved beards, et al.? 
        1. They had offerings to make. 
        2. They had humbled themselves. 
      2. Notice that the Chaldeans had not completed the destruction of Jerusalem yet because the temple still stood or at least these men expected it to still be standing. 
      3. Why did Ishmael go out weeping? 
        1. It was all part of a deception 
        2. to trap these new people coming in. 
      4. He killed 70 of the 80. 
        1. How did the 10 manage to escape death? 
        2. They promised provisions. 
    8. 41.11–15 • Someone Stands Up to the Assassins

      11 But when Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces that were with him heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done, 12 they took all the men and went to fight with Ishmael the son of Nethaniah; and they found him by the great pool that is in Gibeon. 13 So it was, when all the people who were with Ishmael saw Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, that they were glad. 14 Then all the people whom Ishmael had carried away captive from Mizpah turned around and came back, and went to Johanan the son of Kareah. 15 But Ishmael the son of Nethaniah escaped from Johanan with eight men and went to the Ammonites.
      1. A man stands up against the assassins. 
      2. Ishmael quickly lost the Jews he had taken captive. 
        1. He leaves with only eight men and 
        2. joins the Ammonites. 
    9. 41.16–18 • Going to Egypt

      16 Then Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces that were with him, took from Mizpah all the rest of the people whom he had recovered from Ishmael the son of Nethaniah after he had murdered Gedaliah the son of Ahikam—the mighty men of war and the women and the children and the eunuchs, whom he had brought back from Gibeon. 17 And they departed and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which is near Bethlehem, as they went on their way to Egypt, 18 because of the Chaldeans; for they were afraid of them, because Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had murdered Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, whom the king of Babylon had made governor in the land.
      1. Johanan rescued more people. 
      2. However, he decided to go to Egypt. 
        1. He did the right thing, but 
        2. he believed that the Chaldeans would come back because 
          1. of the death of Gedaliah. 
          2. However, this was a bad idea. 
      3. It was a bad idea because 
        1. it went against God’s wishes. 
        2. Why did God want Jews in the land? 
          1. Remember His promises to Abraham. 
          2. He promised to give Abraham’s seed 
            1. the land and to become a nation and 
            2. to give to the world the blessing for every nation. 
    10. 10.42.1–3 • False Prayer Request

      1 Now all the captains of the forces, Johanan the son of Kareah, Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people, from the least to the greatest, came near 2 and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please, let our petition be acceptable to you, and pray for us to the LORD your God, for all this remnant (since we are left but a few of many, as you can see), 3 that the LORD your God may show us the way in which we should walk and the thing we should do.”
      1. Do you see anything wrong with this prayer request? 
      2. If someone came to you with that request, would you pray for them? 
      3. For what did they request? 
        1. That God would show them the way that they should walk. 
        2. That God would show them the thing they should do. 
    11. 11.42.4 • Stay with God’s Will

      4 Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard. Indeed, I will pray to the LORD your God according to your words, and it shall be, that whatever the LORD answers you, I will declare it to you. I will keep nothing back from you.”
      1. God’s Will 
        1. Nothing More 
        2. Nothing Less 
      2. Jeremiah promised to do his job as a prophet: 
        1. He would simply declare God’s word to them. 
        2. He would not hold anything back. 
          1. Obviously that meant not changing God’s word. 
          2. It meant not giving his opinion. 
    12. 12.42.5–6 • Sounding Sincere

      5 So they said to Jeremiah, “Let the LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not do according to everything which the LORD your God sends us by you. 6 Whether it is pleasing or displeasing, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we send you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.”
      1. Their words sounded good. 
      2. Alone, we see nothing wrong with their words. 
        1. We want to hear such words. 
        2. Their apparent commitment to God amazes us. 
      3. However, there is more to the story. 
    13. 13.42.7–18 • God Knows Hypocrites

      7 And it happened after ten days that the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah. 8 Then he called Johanan the son of Kareah, all the captains of the forces which were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, 9 and said to them, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition before Him: 10 If you will still remain in this land, then I will build you and not pull you down, and I will plant you and not pluck you up. For I relent concerning the disaster that I have brought upon you. 11 Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid; do not be afraid of him,” says the LORD, “for I am with you, to save you and deliver you from his hand. 12 And I will show you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and cause you to return to your own land. 13 But if you say, We will not dwell in this land, disobeying the voice of the LORD your God, 14 saying, No, but we will go to the land of Egypt where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor be hungry for bread, and there we will dwell— 15 Then hear now the word of the LORD, O remnant of Judah! Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: If you wholly set your faces to enter Egypt, and go to dwell there, 16 then it shall be that the sword which you feared shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt; the famine of which you were afraid shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there you shall die. 17 So shall it be with all the men who set their faces to go to Egypt to dwell there. They shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence. And none of them shall remain or escape from the disaster that I will bring upon them. 18 For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: As My anger and My fury have been poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so will My fury be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. And you shall be an oath, an astonishment, a curse, and a reproach; and you shall see this place no more.”
      1. Why did God wait 10 days before giving an answer? 
      2. What was the first part of God’s answer? 
      3. What was the second part of God’s answer? 
        1. Notice that what they hoped to Israel by going to Egypt, they would experience in Egypt, and 
        2. what they thought would happen to them in Israel would not happen. 
    14. 14.42.19–22 • Hypocrites

      19 “The LORD has said concerning you, O remnant of Judah, Do not go to Egypt! Know certainly that I have admonished you this day. 20 For you were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the LORD your God, saying, Pray for us to the LORD our God, and according to all that the LORD your God says, so declare to us and we will do it. 21 And I have this day declared it to you, but you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, or anything which He has sent you by me. 22 Now therefore, know certainly that you shall die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence in the place where you desire to go to dwell.”
      1. Why did the Lord want Judah to stay in the land of Canaan? 
      2. Notice that the Lord knew they were hypocrites. 
        1. 1Ch 28.9 
        2. Heb 4.12 
    15. 15.43.1–3 • Not Accepting God’s Answer

      1 Now it happened, when Jeremiah had stopped speaking to all the people all the words of the LORD their God, for which the LORD their God had sent him to them, all these words, 2 that Azariah the son of Hoshaiah, Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the proud men spoke, saying to Jeremiah, “You speak falsely! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, Do not go to Egypt to dwell there. 3 But Baruch the son of Neriah has set you against us, to deliver us into the hand of the Chaldeans, that they may put us to death or carry us away captive to Babylon.”
      1. Why did they believe that Jeremiah spoke falsely? 
        1. They had already made up their minds on the answer they wanted to hear. 
        2. They were not asking what the Lord’s will was, but they were asking Him to bless what they had already decided to do. 
      2. Their fear of Babylon was so strong that it overruled their faith in the Lord. 
    16. 16.43.4–7 • They Did What They Wanted to Do

      4 So Johanan the son of Kareah, all the captains of the forces, and all the people would not obey the voice of the LORD, to remain in the land of Judah. 5 But Johanan the son of Kareah and all the captains of the forces took all the remnant of Judah who had returned to dwell in the land of Judah, from all nations where they had been driven— 6 men, women, children, the king’s daughters, and every person whom Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, and Jeremiah the prophet and Baruch the son of Neriah. 7 So they went to the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the LORD. And they went as far as Tahpanhes.
      1. Some of the Jews had already returned to the land from other nations. 
      2. Why do you think they took Jeremiah with them? 
    17. 17.43.8–13 • Consequences for Not Accepting Answer to Prayer

      8 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes, saying, 9 “Take large stones in your hand, and hide them in the sight of the men of Judah, in the clay in the brick courtyard which is at the entrance to Pharaoh’s house in Tahpanhes; 10 and say to them, Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will send and bring Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will set his throne above these stones that I have hidden. And he will spread his royal pavilion over them. 11 When he comes, he shall strike the land of Egypt and deliver to death those appointed for death, and to captivity those appointed for captivity, and to the sword those appointed for the sword. 12 I will kindle a fire in the houses of the gods of Egypt, and he shall burn them and carry them away captive. And he shall array himself with the land of Egypt, as a shepherd puts on his garment, and he shall go out from there in peace. 13 He shall also break the sacred pillars of Beth Shemesh that are in the land of Egypt; and the houses of the gods of the Egyptians he shall burn with fire.”
      1. The Lord used Nebuchadnezzar to punish Egypt also. 
        1. Just as in the Ten Plagues, the Lord would judge the gods of Egypt. 
        2. “Beth Shemesh” here is not the place in Israel, but it simply means, “house of the sun.” 
        3. Note NASB, NIV, ESV. 
      2. These Jews thought that they could hide in a foreign nation hundreds of miles away, but the Lord had promised to find them wherever they went to hide. 
    18. 18.44.1–14 • Wrath on the Jews in Egypt

      1 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews who dwell in the land of Egypt, who dwell at Migdol, at Tahpanhes, at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying, 2 “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: You have seen all the calamity that I have brought on Jerusalem and on all the cities of Judah; and behold, this day they are a desolation, and no one dwells in them, 3 because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke Me to anger, in that they went to burn incense and to serve other gods whom they did not know, they nor you nor your fathers. 4 However I have sent to you all My servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not do this abominable thing that I hate! 5 But they did not listen or incline their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense to other gods. 6 So My fury and My anger were poured out and kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as it is this day. 7 Now therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do you commit this great evil against yourselves, to cut off from you man and woman, child and infant, out of Judah, leaving none to remain, 8 in that you provoke Me to wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have gone to dwell, that you may cut yourselves off and be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the earth? 9 Have you forgotten the wickedness of your fathers, the wickedness of the kings of Judah, the wickedness of their wives, your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 10 They have not been humbled, to this day, nor have they feared; they have not walked in My law or in My statutes that I set before you and your fathers. 11 Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will set My face against you for catastrophe and for cutting off all Judah. 12 And I will take the remnant of Judah who have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to dwell there, and they shall all be consumed and fall in the land of Egypt. They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine. They shall die, from the least to the greatest, by the sword and by famine; and they shall be an oath, an astonishment, a curse and a reproach! 13 For I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, 14 so that none of the remnant of Judah who have gone into the land of Egypt to dwell there shall escape or survive, lest they return to the land of Judah, to which they desire to return and dwell. For none shall return except those who escape.”
      1. The Lord reminded the Jews in Egypt of what happened and why it happened. 
      2. Then they did the same thing in the land of Egypt. 
        1. Why would they think they could get away with it there? 
        2. Did they think that Jehovah God was God only over Israel? 
    19. 19.44.15–19 • Credited the Wrong Source

      15 Then all the men who knew that their wives had burned incense to other gods, with all the women who stood by, a great multitude, and all the people who dwelt in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying: 16 “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you! 17 But we will certainly do whatever has gone out of our own mouth, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, were well-off, and saw no trouble. 18 But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.” 19 The women also said, “And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make cakes for her, to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her without our husbands’ permission?”
      1. They boldly declared that they would not listen to the Lord’s word. 
      2. What was their reasoning? 
        1. They thought that calamity fell upon them because they had quit honoring the queen of heaven. 
        2. However, what actually happened? 
          1. While they committed idolatry, 
          2. the Lord held back His wrath. 
            1. Thus, it seemed as though things went well with them. 
            2. Then they stopped, but still committed other sins, so the Lord punished them and they misinterpreted what happened. 
    20. 20.44.20–23 • The True Explanation

      20 Then Jeremiah spoke to all the people—the men, the women, and all the people who had given him that answer—saying: 21 “The incense that you burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them, and did it not come into His mind? 22 So the LORD could no longer bear it, because of the evil of your doings and because of the abominations which you committed. Therefore your land is a desolation, an astonishment, a curse, and without an inhabitant, as it is this day. 23 Because you have burned incense and because you have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD or walked in His law, in His statutes or in His testimonies, therefore this calamity has happened to you, as at this day.”
      1. Summarize the message of Jeremiah. 
    21. 21.44.24–30 • Babylon Will Conquer Egypt

      24 Moreover Jeremiah said to all the people and to all the women, “Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah who are in the land of Egypt! 25 Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying: You and your wives have spoken with your mouths and fulfilled with your hands, saying, We will surely keep our vows that we have made, to burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her. You will surely keep your vows and perform your vows! 26 Therefore hear the word of the LORD, all Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by My great name, says the LORD, that My name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord GOD lives. 27 Behold, I will watch over them for adversity and not for good. And all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end to them. 28 Yet a small number who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah; and all the remnant of Judah, who have gone to the land of Egypt to dwell there, shall know whose words will stand, Mine or theirs. 29 And this shall be a sign to you, says the LORD, that I will punish you in this place, that you may know that My words will surely stand against you for adversity. 30 Thus says the LORD: Behold, I will give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those who seek his life, as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy who sought his life.”
      1. For their determination to continue to honor the queen of heaven, what did the Lord say would happen? 
        1. They would not name the name of God anymore in Egypt. 
      2. Over what would He watch for them? 
      3. What would consume them? 
      4. Who would return to the Land of Judah? 
      5. What would they know? 
      6. What sign did He give them that they might know it is His word prophesying these things? 
    22. 22.45.1–5 • Baruch Blessed

      1 The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he had written these words in a book at the instruction of Jeremiah, 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, Woe is me now! For the LORD has added grief to my sorrow. I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest. 4 Thus you shall say to him, Thus says the LORD: Behold, what I have built I will break down, and what I have planted I will pluck up, that is, this whole land. 5 And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh, says the LORD. But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.”
      1. What did the Lord reassure Baruch would happen? 
      2. Why did the Lord tell Baruch not to seek great things for himself?