Baruch: Bible Character Study

Introduction

Baruch son of Neriah was Jeremiah's scribe. He came from a family of some standing; his brother served the king. When Jeremiah bought a field in a city about to fall, Baruch was the one who sealed the deed in a clay jar as a sign that houses and fields would again be bought in the land.

When Jeremiah was banned from the temple, Baruch wrote God's words on a scroll and read them there himself. The scroll reached King Jehoiakim, who cut it piece by piece and threw it in the fire. Baruch and Jeremiah hid, and Baruch wrote it all again, with more. He was worn out and wanted more from life, and God told him not to seek great things for himself, but promised him his life. He was taken to Egypt with Jeremiah at the end.

And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not
(ESV)

Name means: “Blessed”
Home: Jerusalem, later Egypt
Role: Scribe and companion of Jeremiah
Read in

Baruch's story

Beginning
Sealing the deed
He seals Jeremiah's land deed in a jar as a sign of hope.
High point
Writing the scroll
He writes the prophet's words and reads them in the temple.
Low point
Into the fire
The king burns the scroll; they hide.
Low point
Woe is me
Worn out, he complains, and God gives him a hard, kind word.
Ending
Written again
He writes every word again, with more added.

Starts as a scribe with prospects. Ends as a faithful servant whose life was his reward.

Where Baruch lived and went

Only places Scripture records. Softer, dotted pins are traditional or uncertain sites. Tap a pin for the passage.

HomeMinistryKey momentTraditional or uncertainPinch or use + to zoom. Tap a cluster to spread it out.

How Baruch is wired

The Loyalist

Enneagram 6, Investigator wing

To be secure, and faithful to the one he serves.

Scripture doesn't give us much here, so treat this as a best guess.

At their best, toward 9 Under stress, toward 3

Why we think so

He stays loyal. He goes with Jeremiah into danger and exile. ()
He feels the strain. He says he is weary with groaning and finds no rest. ()
He does the careful work. He records every word exactly as dictated. ()

The 5 wing shows in his scribe's careful precision. ()

Other lenses

Big Five. Read from what is recorded in Kings and the prophets.

ReservedOutgoing

SteadyReactive

ChallengingAccommodating

SpontaneousDisciplined

TraditionalCurious

DISC style: Faithful, careful, worn

Strengths & struggles

What's good in Baruch

Faithful and brave in a dangerous job (). Persistent when his work was destroyed (). Loyal to Jeremiah to the end ().

Where Baruch struggles

Weary and complaining (). Seeking great things for himself ().

What Baruch wanted most

Great things for himself ().

What Baruch feared most

Scripture does not say directly. He felt that sorrow had been added to his pain ().

Baruch's people

Jeremiah

The Lord

The LORDPromised to give him his life as a prize of war ().

Family

SeraiahHis brother, an officer of the king ().

Discipled or reached

JeremiahThe prophet he served as scribe (Jer 36:4).

Opposed

JehoiakimThe king who burned the scroll and ordered his arrest ().

Family of Faith

See where Baruch fits

AbrahamJesus

c. 630–570 BC (debated). Connected to Jesus through Jeremiah → Jeconiah → Shealtiel → Zerubbabel → Abiud → Eliakim → Azor → Zadok → Achim → Eliud → Eleazar → Matthan → Jacob → Joseph of Nazareth.

Open the timeline

Where this points to Christ

Baruch watched God's word burn and wrote it again. Jesus said heaven and earth will pass away, but his words will not.

A king tried to destroy God's word with a penknife and a fire, and it came back longer (). Jesus said, Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away (). Baruch was told not to seek great things for himself; Jesus, who could have, made himself nothing ().