NOTES for Jer 45:1-46:28
The Lord's call to Baruch not to ask great things for himself, but to remember that instead of spoil he has been given his own soul, which will not perish under any circumstances, may appear insignificant to those who find it hard to restrain their appetites. But the wise person will not doubt the boundless value of this gift, which surpasses everything usually considered first in importance.
Meanwhile Jeremiah begins to utter prophetic speeches about the peoples surrounding Israel. Once again we see that not only the paths of the Israelite people, but also the paths of all peoples are connected with the Lord's paths. First we hear a prophecy about the fate of Egypt, which is not surprising, since the prophet is forced to be in that country and the lives of Jeremiah's compatriots are inseparably bound up with its fate. But next the speech will turn to other countries that seem less significant, whose influence on Israel's destiny is weaker or has already remained in the past. Yet what is insignificant to us is not always insignificant to God.
Egypt's forces are strained against Babylon; the Egyptian army is mighty and its warriors are brave, but Egypt has no support from the Lord. For many centuries Egypt was the house of bondage and a stronghold of paganism, and now the hour of its fall has come. Babylon, of course, is also a pagan power, but today it is an instrument of retribution for the centuries of evil accumulated among the nations.
One can refuse to think about the consequences of one's deeds; one can even refuse to consider them sinful. But one will have to answer for them all the same.