Are You Reliable? - Baruch

Jeremiah sent for Baruch son of Neriah, and as Jeremiah dictated all the prophecies that the LORD had given him, Baruch wrote them on a scroll. Then Jeremiah said to Baruch, “I am a prisoner here and unable to go to the Temple. So you go to the Temple on the next day of fasting, and read the messages from the LORD that I have had you write on this scroll.”

Jeremiah 36:4-6

If automobile manufacturers want consumers to see one quality in all their products, it is reliability. They know that people won’t buy that sexy sports car if it sits lifeless on its chassis when someone turns the key in the ignition.

People value dependability. They want dependable cars that always start, cell phone service that never drops a call, insurance that always covers them when they have an accident, and friends who never fail them in a time of need.

Baruch, a relatively obscure scribe who served the prophet Jeremiah, earned a reputation for being reliable. As Jeremiah’s secretary, Baruch had to accurately record (and sometimes speak aloud) his mentor’s prophecies, including those of the coming invasion and destruction of Jerusalem and the national captivity that would follow.

Baruch demonstrated his reliability by

• —coming when Jeremiah called on him from inside a prison cell (see Jeremiah 36:4);
• —accurately writing down Jeremiah’s prophecies (see Jeremiah 36:4);
• —reading the prophecies aloud as Jeremiah instructed him (see Jeremiah 36:8-9); and
• —remaining committed to Jeremiah’s message even in the face of serious opposition and setbacks (see Jeremiah 36:32).

Baruch was completely reliable for his friend Jeremiah and for God. He is an example of the kind of friend we all want and of the kind of friend, husband, father, and servant we should all be.

Are you reliable? Can people count on you to do what you say you will do? Do you make a habit of following through on what you start even when it becomes an unexpected burden? Solid relationships require the quality of reliability, just as much as a car needs gas or a plant needs light. Are you providing it?