“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 everyone may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.’” (1-3)
“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. Yet neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid, nor did they tear their garments.” (22-24)
This is an interesting and revealing story. God told Jeremiah to write down everything he had ever spoken to Judah, then to deliver that scroll to the palace. The desire was that the king would repent and be rescued from destruction.
Of course, Jeremiah obeyed. However, Jeremiah was forbidden to enter the Lord’s house. He got Baruch’s cooperation, who then delivered his message to the palace. Then, Jehudi read the words to King Jehoiakim at the winter palace as they warmed themselves by a fire. After every few lines of the scroll were read, the king would trim them off and toss them into the fire. Clearly, King Jehoiakim thought that if he disregarded or destroyed the message, it would not be true or apply to him. In this case, God had warned of Judah’s destruction by Babylon.
How many people today disregard God’s word as if doing so somehow nullifies it? How many times do I do the same? Unfortunately, the end of those who disregard God’s word will be similar to Jehoiakim’s, which is destruction.
I have to guard my own heart, so that I don’t disregard or avoid parts of the Bible as if doing so erases those parts. The hubris that would cause a man to think his disregard of God’s word would nullify it is astounding.
We will soon see that Isaiah was right: “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” (Isaiah 40:8) Jeremiah’s words were right, too, and King Jehoiakim was wrong.
Father, please help me not to walk in the way of Jehoiakim, pretending that I can nullify your word with a dismissive attitude. Amen.
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