Day 675: God's written word - Jeremiah 36 vs 1 - 8
1-3 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today. It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”
4 Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord that he had spoken to him. 5-7 And Jeremiah ordered Baruch, saying, “I am banned from going to the house of the Lord, so you are to go, and on a day of fasting in the hearing of all the people in the Lord's house you shall read the words of the Lord from the scroll that you have written at my dictation. You shall read them also in the hearing of all the men of Judah who come out of their cities. It may be that their plea for mercy will come before the Lord, and that every one will turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and wrath that the Lord has pronounced against this people.” 8 And Baruch the son of Neriah did all that Jeremiah the prophet ordered him about reading from the scroll the words of the Lord in the Lord's house. Jeremiah 36:1-8 English Standard Version
What does God say was His purpose in having Jeremiah write down all that He had spoken through him to the people of Israel and Judah? (vs 1-3)
The words Jeremiah had spoken ever since the days of King Josiah were a message of the disaster that would come upon the nation if they did not turn from the evil things they were doing. So God's word was meant to bring them to repentance. That’s true even today. The Bible as a whole is a record of things God has spoken through prophets and apostles concerning the fearful day of judgement that is coming upon all the world, and calling men and women to turn from sin that they may find God's forgiveness.
Like in Jeremiah's time, many people nowadays scoff at this message from God's word. The apostle Peter wrote of how people in his generation were mocking Christians and saying: “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.” (2 Peter 3:4) Peter's reply to them was: “You mustn't forget this one thing, dear friends, that a day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. The Lord isn’t really being slow about His promise, as some think. No, He is being patient for your sake. He doesn't want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.” (2 Peter 3:8-9) The apostle Paul also spoke of God being patient with people and said: “Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that His kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4)
If Jeremiah had been preaching since the days of Josiah to the fourth year of Jehoiakim it means he had been sharing God's warning and call to repentance for more than 10 years. But what had it led to? (vs 5-7)
He was banned from preaching in the temple! Yet, in patience and love, God was sending a written copy of His word to be read in the temple so that the people could hear it and still be saved. That’s true for us as well. What a great privilege it is to have written copies of the words of life God has spoken to the world. How have we responded? We never know when we read the Bible or hear God's word being preached whether it will be our last time or not. The important question is: “Have I taken God's word to heart? Has it led me to repentance of sin and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ?” May we read it as often as we can and ever ask the Lord to give us understanding and faith.