John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 36:4-6

"Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah; and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of Jehovah, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book. And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I cannot go into the house of Jehovah: therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of Jehovah in the ears of the people in Jehovah`s house upon the fast-day; and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities." — Jeremiah 36:4-6 (ASV)

Here the Prophet declares that he dictated to Baruch, a servant of God, whatever he had previously taught. But there is no doubt that God suggested to the Prophet at the time what might have been erased from his memory, for all the things that we said some time ago do not always occur to us. Therefore, the greater part of so many words would have escaped the Prophet if God had not dictated them to him again. Jeremiah then stood, so to speak, between God and Baruch, for God, by His Spirit, presided over and guided the mind and tongue of the Prophet. Now the Prophet, with the Spirit as his guide and teacher, recited what God had commanded; and Baruch wrote down, and then proclaimed the whole summary of what the Prophet had taught.

He therefore says that he called Baruch the son of Neriah to him, who wrote from his mouth, and he wrote all the words of Jehovah. Jeremiah repeats again that nothing came from himself. We therefore see that he did not dictate according to his own will what came to his mind, but that God suggested whatever He wished to be written by Baruch.

It is added that he commanded Baruch to recite in the Temple what he had written, because he himself was detained. Some think that he was shut up in prison; and he used the same word before, when he told us that he was thrown into prison by Zedekiah. But since sacred history does not say that he suffered anything like that under Jehoiakim, I am inclined to think that he was prevented by God. I do not, however, attribute it to a divine revelation, as it might have happened either through God’s command or through some human obstacles.

If we believe the Prophet was in prison and could have gone out, he nevertheless abstained. For the more liberty was given him, the more bound he felt to remain in prison, so that he would not violate public authority. But the other supposition is more probable: that he was detained by God’s hand.

Whatever the case, he says that he could not go out. He mentioned this so it would not seem that he was only concerned about himself and that, fearing danger, he had delegated this duty to Baruch. He then shows that he did not avoid his office because it exposed him to hatred, but that he was not free to go out.

Go, then, he says, and read in the volume. The Prophet, in this case, was ready to face any animosity that might arise, for he did not tell Baruch to recite from memory what he had heard from him, but ordered him to take the volume and to read, as we shall see later, what he had written.

The Prophet then did not, in this instance, avoid danger and put Baruch in his own place, but he expressly told him to read from the volume: What you have written, he says, from my mouth, and, what Jehovah has spoken, read these things to the people in the Temple, on a fasting day.

This day was chosen, first, because there was then a greater gathering of people, as immediately follows, for he was to read these things not only to the citizens but also to all the people. On fast-days they were accustomed, as is well known, to come in great numbers to the city to offer sacrifices.

It was then God’s purpose that these threats should be proclaimed not only to the inhabitants of Jerusalem but also to all other Jews, so that the report of them might spread throughout the land. In the second place, such a day was much more appropriate for the message conveyed. For why was a fast commanded, except to humbly implore God’s mercy and to avert His wrath?

Since this was the purpose of a fast, the Jews ought to have been then, so to speak, in a submissive frame of mind, prepared to calmly receive these threats and to benefit from them.

We then see that there were two reasons why the Prophet, by God’s command, chose this day: first, because there was a larger number of people, and secondly, because a fast ought to have made them teachable, so that they might more readily submit to God, confess their sins, and, being terrified, might also flee to God’s mercy, and thus despise themselves because of their sins.

The rest tomorrow.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, that as we continually provoke Your anger against us, we may at last return to You. May everyone so examine his life that, being prostrate under a sense of Your wrath, we may turn to the only true remedy: to implore You and to seek forgiveness. May You also so graciously meet us that we may in sure faith call on You and, in the meantime, truly find by experience that our prayers are not in vain, until we at last have a perfect enjoyment of Your mercy in Your heavenly kingdom. — Amen.