Jeremiah 36:1-32

God is persistent.  He has constantly pursued mankind in order to reconcile us to Himself. He has done the same for the children of Israel even though they have consistently turned their backs on Him.  God’s Word has come to Jeremiah and he has repeatedly warned the nations of Judah and Israel of the coming judgment against them.  Jeremiah has now been banned from speaking in the assembly but that does not stop God.  He commands Jeremiah to record his message on a scroll in written form in hopes that the people will respond to these warnings, turn from their sin and follow Him.  I am very thankful that persistency is a part of God’s character because if it were not, He would have given up on me a long time ago.

JEREMIAH DICTATES THE WORD OF GOD: Jeremiah’s oral messages and warnings were being ignored.  Jeremiah is no longer permitted in the assembly to speak the Word of the Lord so God changes the delivery system.  He calls Jeremiah to record His message in written form in hopes of sparking repentance in the nation.  Jeremiah dictates the message to Baruch who then takes the message and reads it to the people.  There is at least a stirring of fear in the people as they take Baruch to the officials so they might hear what Jeremiah has foretold.  The officials recognize the words of Jeremiah and also respond in fear of the Lord.  They take Baruch to the presence of the king in order for him to hear the message from God.  Jeremiah had not been given this opportunity for some time but God’s persistence has once again given the people and the king an opportunity to hear His Word.  God longs to be heard and He is constantly at work in the hearts and lives of His children so His message can be heard by all men everywhere.

JEHOIAKIM DESTROYS THE WORD OF GOD: All of the officials fear the message God has delivered to them and they hope the king will respond in repentance but they are greatly disappointed.  King Jehoiakim hears the Word of God and systematically destroys it column by column throwing it in the fire and watching it burn.  The officials urge him to stop but he refuses to listen to his counselors just as he refused to listen to Jeremiah and as He has refused to listen to God in any way.  Sin will blind the heart of man and make him unreceptive to the Word of God.  Pride is a very difficult thing for men to swallow, especially men who are in positions of power.  We all have a hard time admitting we are wrong and we do not usually like to be rebuked, but if we are going to be the men and women God wants us to be, we must learn to listen to the Word of God and not turn our backs upon it whenever we do not like the message.


JEREMIAH DELIVERS THE WORD OF GOD: When Jeremiah leans the scroll had been destroyed, God’s Word comes to him once again and he is called to write down the same message over again.  Only this time the message has an added chapter about the plight of Jehoiakim.  His body will be cast out dead into the field without being buried and he will not have a descendant to sit upon the throne.  Jehoiakim wanted to kill Baruch and Jeremiah but God hid them so His message could once again be recorded and written down as a testimony against this evil generation.  God has determined to punish the people for their wicked ways but hoped to turn them back to Himself.  Jeremiah delivers the message once again but the people still refused to listen.  God calls us to be responsive to His Word, especially when we do not like the content of the message.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Isaiah 54:1-17

Hope is a wonderful blessing from God, without which we would be vulnerable to all kinds of destructive tendencies in our lives.  Today’s society is marked by depression, anger, fear, anxiety and self-righteousness, in large part, because of the sense of hopelessness that prevails in our culture.  Isaiah writes to a people who are about to be taken into captivity because of their sin.  God knows that they will feel rejected, threatened and hopeless so He reveals His future plans for the nation in order to give them hope in the midst of the coming trial.  Hope is the expectation of good based upon the promises of God.  Many times when our lives are marked by the sins mentioned above it is because we have forgotten or failed to focus upon the promises of God’s Word. THE PROMISE OF GOD: From the very first day that God revealed His plan for the nation of Israel, He promised numerous descendants.  God chose Abraham, not because he was more righteous than any of the other people of his
Read more

1 Timothy 2:11-15

Let a woman learn quietly   with all submissiveness.    I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet.    For Adam was formed first,   then Eve;   and Adam was not deceived, but   the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.    Yet she will be saved through   childbearing—if they continue in   faith and love and holiness, with self-control. There is certainly controversy and confusion about this passage in many churches today.  The idea of a distinction between men and women and their roles in the family and church certainly goes against the flow of many cultures around the world.  Some would argue that the literal and plain teaching of this passage is no longer applicable to today’s culture.  However, it is always dangerous to discard biblical teaching or try to interpret Scripture based on the cultures in which we live.  Certainly, the Spirit who inspired this text was aware of the many changes that would occur in future cul
Read more

1 Timothy 1:1-2

Paul,   an apostle of Christ Jesus   by command of   God our Savior and of Christ Jesus   our hope, To Timothy,   my true child in the faith:   Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. The true sign of maturity is multiplication.  Believers, churches, and ministries that do not reproduce are not demonstrating true maturity.  One of the key characteristics we can identify in Paul’s ministry is that he was constantly reproducing godly believers who were faithfully following the Lord.  Evangelism, discipleship, and leadership training are the hallmarks of mature ministers and ministries.   THE APOSTLE: Paul was called by God to be an Apostle.  Though Paul converted after the resurrection and assentation of Jesus, he met Jesus in the road to Damascus and was instructed by Jesus in the desert.  Paul considered himself to be the least of the Apostles because he persecuted the church and did not walk with Jesus on earth like the other Apostles.  However, God had
Read more