Day 689: A fireproof message - Jeremiah 36 vs 20 - 32

20-21 So they went into the court to the king, having put the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the secretary, and they reported all the words to the king. Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the secretary. And Jehudi read it to the king and all the officials who stood beside the king. 22-23 It was the ninth month, and the king was sitting in the winter house, and there was a fire burning in the fire-pot before him. As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them into the fire in the fire-pot, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire-pot. 24-26  Yet  neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid, nor did they tear their garments.  Even when Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king's son and Seraiah the son of Azriel and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel to seize Baruch the secretary and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord hid them.

27-28 Now after the king had burned the scroll with the words that Baruch wrote at Jeremiah's dictation, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: “Take another scroll and write on it all the former words that were in the first scroll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has burned. 29-31 And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, ‘Thus says the Lord, You have burned this scroll, saying, “Why have you written in it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and will cut off from it man and beast?” Therefore thus says the Lord  concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall have none to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat by day and the frost by night. And I will punish him and his offspring and his servants for their iniquity. I will bring upon them and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and upon the people of Judah all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, but they would not hear.’” 32 Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote on it at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And many similar words were added to them. Jeremiah 36:20-32 English Standard Version

This wouldn’t be the last time that God's words would be thrown in a fire. Throughout history attempts were made to destroy Bibles. A short film called 'The Book that would not Burn' tells the story of how Bibles (and Christians) were burned when the gospel first came to the island of Madagascar. The queen at that time, like King Jehoiakim of Judah, was persuaded by some of her officials to disregard it's message. Once again we see the Bible's attention at times to even small details, as vs 22-23 show. What should the response of the King have been? (vs 24)

As Jeremiah's words spoke of God's coming judgement on Jerusalem because wickedness had become so vile and commonplace, the King ought to have humbled himself, even to the point of tearing his garments as people did in those days when tragedy threatened. Instead, he burned God's message and ordered God's messengers to be arrested.

But God protected Jeremiah and Baruch and once again His words were written down. This has happened throughout history. In the 1500's William Tyndale had Bibles translated and printed into English and smuggled into the country. Any copies found by the authorities of the day were burned. Tyndale himself was eventually strangled and burned. But God's word did not perish in the flames and it continued over succeeding centuries to be printed, and to transform lives.

What was the sad outcome of Jehoiakim? (vs 29-31)

What we do with the message of the Bible has crucial consequences. It calls men and women to truly repent of sin and to love and obey the Lord Jesus Christ. And this is more than a life or death matter, it's about eternal life or eternal death. It's a message that saves men and women from what Jesus called, the unquenchable fire of hell. (Mark 9:43)