Be Like Baruch

"After him Baruch the son of Zabbai earnestly repaired the other piece, from the turning of the wall unto the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest."

Nehemiah 3:20

As I read the Bible this morning, this verse stood out from all the others.  Thirty-one times in chapter 3 of Nehemiah (KJV), children of Israel are named as ones who laboured to "repair" Jerusalem.  The wall had been broken down, the gates were burnt with fire, and the city had been desolate for a long time.  What grabbed my attention is that Baruch was the only one with a descriptive word included to show how he repaired:  "earnestly."  The NKJV translates the word "carefully," but it is not as close a translation as the KJV in this instance.

I wondered, what did Baruch do that distinguished him from all the rest?  Many repaired the city, but Baruch repaired earnestly.  The transliteration of the original Hebrew is "hara," and this is the only time in scripture this particular word is translated as "earnestly."  Most of the time it is translated "kindled" (44 times), "wroth" (13 times), "hot" (10 times), and "angry" (9 times).  Copying the definition from the Strong's concordance in the Word Search Bible program, it means: "to glow or grow warm; figurative (usually) to blaze up, of anger, zeal, jealousy :- be angry, burn, be displeased, × earnestly, fret self, grieve, be (wax) hot, be incensed, kindle, × very, be wroth."  In my own words, I would say Baruch was fired up!  He literally attacked this building and repairing project with such fervor and violence that it seemed like he was angry.  Baruch had an attitude of great intensity and a singular ferocity which made an impression as he worked.

I would love to meet Baruch, the violent builder that he was!  He funneled all his aggression to labour for God's glory by rebuilding the city in which God had placed His name.  Baruch had a limited role, but the bit committed to him he did with all his might.  Without knowing it, Baruch was heeding the exhortation Paul gave in Colossians 3:22-24:  "Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. ²³ And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."  Whatever we do should be done for the glory of God, and we are told to do it heartily.  Christians are called to love God and serve him heartily, vehemently, with all our heart, mind, and soul.

Jesus says in Revelation 3:15-16 to the church in Laodicea, "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. ¹⁶ So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth."  Baruch was not lukewarm, but boiling hot.  God would rather us be boiling hot than cold or lukewarm.  Jesus also worked earnestly.  He knew time was short and He needed to expend His energy fully in glorifying God.  Jesus says in John 9:4-5:  "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. ⁵ As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."  Work was not an option:  it was an imperative.  Whatever Jesus did, He did it heartily.  Jesus did what needed to be done.

Let us be like Baruch, a man wholly on fire to do the job set before Him.  May the same divine power and intensity which marked Jesus Christ mark all Christians as we are baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire!