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.  

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