Cherishing God’s Word

Let the writing begin!

“Now it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, that this Word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: ‘Take a scroll of a book and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah even to this day.’” Jeremiah 36:1-2

What is the backdrop of this chapter? It is the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign. Both this chapter and the previous chapter happened before King Zedekiah’s reign. The events of Jehoiakim’s reign are relevant for Zedekiah because what happened to his brother Jehoiakim is about to happen to him. He too would be carried away to Babylon.

2 Kings 24:1 says, “During Jehoiakim’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon invaded the land, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. But then he turned against Nebuchadnezzar and rebelled.” A vassal means he was subordinate to Nebuchadnezzar in exchange for peace. The terms of peace for Israel included sending income tax revenue to Babylon. As a gangster protects a business on his turf does. “You pay the gang your dues and no one gets hurt.”

Daniel 1:1-2 speaks of Jehoiakim being carried off to Babylon. But by the fourth year of his reign, he’s back in Jerusalem as a vassal serving at the pleasure of Nebuchadnezzar.

The Lord told Jeremiah to write all the words which he had given him from the days of King Josiah until now – 22 years of prophecies. I’m glad that Jeremiah did what God asked him to do and that God continues to preserve and make His words understandable.

“It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the adversities which I purpose to bring upon them, that everyone may turn from his evil way, that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.” Jeremiah 36:3

God kept holding out the Word of life to the people of Jerusalem. He has no delight in the death of the wicked. He urged Jeremiah to keep communicating with them. If they would not let him speak in public, then, he was to write for them. He wrote down the words God gave him. He directed Baruch to read the words aloud to the people in the house of the Lord.

The Lord said to Jeremiah “It may be that the house of Judah will hear... and turn from his evil way.” That is “repent!” An effective evangelist for Christ named John Sung used to say, “Without repentance there is no reaping.”

In Matthew 3:2, John preached, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

In Mark 1:14-15, Jesus preached, “The time has come, the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

In Acts 3:19, Peter preached, “Repent and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.”

In 2 Timothy 2:25, Paul preached, “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves, if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth.”

In Revelation 3:19, Jesus said to the church in Laodicea, “So be earnest and repent.”

Repentance opens the door for God to do things in your life that otherwise He will not do.

“Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah; and Baruch wrote on a scroll of a book, at the instruction of Jeremiah, all the words of the Lord which He had spoken to him.” Jeremiah 36:4

Baruch is Jeremiah’s cousin. He was the grandson of Maaseiah the brother of Jeremiah’s father Hilkiah. Maaseiah begat Neriah. Neriah begat Baruch. [1] While in prison, Jeremiah dictated his prophecies to Baruch, and Baruch wrote them down. Praise God for their teamwork!

When the Apostle Paul was imprisoned, he had a scribe named Tertius. Tertius added his name to Paul’s letter to the Romans. In Romans 16:22, he wrote, “I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord.”

“And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, ‘I am confined, I cannot go into the house of the Lord. You go, therefore, and read from the scroll which you have written at my instruction, the Words of the Lord, in the hearing of the people in the Lord’s house on the day of fasting. And you shall also read them in the hearing of all Judah who come from their cities.’” Jeremiah 36:5-6

During a day of fasting in God’s house, people would come from the city and the countryside to be there. Usually, those who fasted in God’s house took His words very seriously.

“It may be that they will present their supplication before the Lord, and everyone will turn from his evil way. For great is the anger and the fury that the Lord has pronounced against this people.” Jeremiah 36:7

“God wants to do more than convict; He wants to convert.” [2] It is one thing to hear God’s Word. It is another thing to submit all you say and do under its authority.

“And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading from the book the words of the Lord in the Lord’s house. Now it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the Lord to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem. Then Baruch read from the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper court at the entry of the New Gate of the Lord’s house, in the hearing of all the people.” Jeremiah 36:8-10

The fifth year of Jehoiakim’s reign means that a year has passed since Jeremiah and Baruch started their prophecy recording project. Perfect timing! Jehoiakim just proclaimed a fast. People from the cities and the countryside of Judah are in the Lord’s house. Baruch reads the words from a location where people can hear him. He reads from Gemariah’s chamber. Gemariah is Jeremiah’s and Baruch’s cousin. He is the grandson of Azaliah. Azaliah is Jeremiah’s father’s brother... his uncle.

“When Michaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the Lord from the book, he then went down to the king’s house, into the scribe’s chamber; and there all the princes were sitting — Elishama the scribe, Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, Elnathan the son of Achbor, Gemariah the son of Shaphan, Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes.” Jeremiah 36:11-12

Michaiah is the great grandson of Jeremiah’s Uncle Azaliah, another of his cousins. When he heard Baruch reading God’s Word from Jeremiah’s scroll, he informed the princes about it. Prince Elnathan had previously led a posse to Egypt to capture a good prophet named Urijah and bring him back to Jerusalem for execution. Hananiah would have Jeremiah arrested and put in stocks at a future date. [3] Prince Gemariah, on the other hand, was a cousin of Jeremiah and Baruch. He would prove himself helpful to them at a future date.

“Then Michaiah declared to them all the words that he had heard when Baruch read the book in the hearing of the people. Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying, ‘Take in your hand the scroll from which you have read in the hearing of the people and come.’ So, Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and came to them.” Jeremiah 36:13-14

In Matthew 10:18-20, Jesus said to His disciples, “On My account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”

I am so thankful that our Lord Jesus gave us this promise. How many seminaries and churches teach people what to do in the event of being arrested for the Gospel’s sake? I remember when I preached the Gospel in China, I did try to imagine what I would do and say if arrested by the authorities. One time, I met a soldier who confessed to me that he had killed many Christians. I had handed him a Gospel tract. He was not in uniform. Thankfully, the Lord gave me peace to remain calm and to continue to share the Gospel with him. He did not protest and did not arrest me. Praise the Lord! That experience was a real blessing to me, and hopefully to him as well!

In Matthew 10:28, Jesus told His disciples, “Do not fear them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

The trials of this world are momentary. May the Lord help you to keep your eye on the prize, namely, to be with Him forevermore!

“And they said to him, ‘Sit down now, and read it in our hearing.’ So, Baruch read it in their hearing. Now it happened, when they had heard all the words, that they looked in fear from one to another, and said to Baruch, ‘We will surely tell the king of all these words.’ And they asked Baruch, saying, ‘Tell us now, how did you write all these words—at his instruction?’ So Baruch answered them, ‘He proclaimed with his mouth all these words to me, and I wrote them with ink in the book.’ Then the princes said to Baruch, ‘Go and hide, you and Jeremiah; and let no one know where you are.’” Jeremiah 36:16-19

Obviously, some of the princes favored Baruch and Jeremiah. They urged them to hide. They knew Jehoiakim was a prophet killer because he had previously executed Urijah the prophet.

Jeremiah's story reminds me of life in China. I shared the Word of God with hungry souls at unpublicized locations. We depended on the Lord to hide us from those who would arrest us.

Leaders who persecute people for speaking God’s Word are not good leaders.

“And they went to the king, into the court; but they stored the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe and told all the words in the hearing of the king.” Jeremiah 36:20

After hearing their report, the king wanted to see Jeremiah’s book.

“So the king sent Jehudi to bring the scroll, and he took it from Elishama the scribe’s chamber. And Jehudi read it in the hearing of the king and in the hearing of all the princes who stood beside the king.” Jeremiah 36:21

This was King Jehoiakim’s big opportunity to hear the Word of the Lord and to turn to back to God. His father, King Josiah, acted on God’s Word. Would Jehoiakim turn back to God now?

“Now the king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month, with a fire burning on the hearth before him.” Jeremiah 36:22

“In the East neither chimneys nor ovens are used, but, in cold weather, a brazen vessel containing burning charcoal. When the wood has burned to embers, a cover is placed over the pot to make it retain the heat.” [4]

“And it happened, when Jehudi had read three or four columns, that the king cut it with the scribe’s knife and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.” Jeremiah 36:23

King Jehoiakim’s forefather, King Josiah, humbled himself, tore his robes and immediately acted on God’s Word the moment that he heard it. King David, Jehoiakim’s forefather, described the behavior of a wicked man in Psalm 36:1-3, he wrote, “I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: there is no fear of God before their eyes. In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin. The words of their mouths are wicked and deceitful; they fail to act wisely or do good.” King Solomon, another of Jehoiakim’s forefathers, wrote in Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

Jehoiakim was evil. Rather than love God’s Word, he hated it.

“Yet they were not afraid, nor did they tear their garments, the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words. Nevertheless Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah implored the king not to burn the scroll; but he would not listen to them.” Jeremiah 36:24-25

Babylon’s army had already attacked captured Jehoiakim once. How could he be so foolish? Well, I have seen this kind of lifestyle among other captives of sins. Though sin is costing them dearly, they keep pressing on forward in it.

At least some of the king’s princes wanted to preserve the scroll.

If only there had been even a doctor of the Law among them like Gamaliel in the Book of Acts, perhaps Jehoiakim would not have burned God’s Word in fire. In Acts 5:38-39, Gamaliel advised those who wanted to put Peter and John to death, saying, “For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

“The king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son, Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord hid them.” Jeremiah 36:26

Thankfully, the Lord hides His servants from His enemies. The Lord hid David’s life numerous times from a king who wanted to destroy him. In Psalm 32:7, David wrote, “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”

“Now after the king had burned the scroll with the words which Baruch had written at the instruction of Jeremiah, the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying: ‘Take yet another scroll and write on it all the former words that were in the first scroll which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has burned.’” Jeremiah 36:27-28

It is a futile effort for authorities to try to keep God’s Word from people. For example, Mao Zedong wanted to cut out the tongue of God. He wanted everyone to be able to read his little red book so people were taught how to read. He wanted people to hear his voice so radios were installed in public places all over China. Now, Mao Zedong is dead. Christians in many regions of China outnumber communist party members. Radio wave transmitters beam Bible programs to radios into China daily. Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.”

“And you shall say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, ‘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 cause man and beast to cease from here?’ Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: he shall have no one to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat of the day and the frost of the night. I will punish him, his family, and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring on them, on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on the men of Judah all the doom that I have pronounced against them; but they did not heed.” Jeremiah 36:29-31

“One day the king who burned the Bible because he was so anxious to keep warm would be exposed to the heat by day and the frost by night.” [5]

In Jeremiah 22:19, Jeremiah prophesied of King Jehoiakim, saying, “He will have the burial of a donkey—dragged away and thrown outside the gates of Jerusalem.” This word came to pass when Jehoiakim died enroute to Babylon. The Babylonians did not bury his corpse but it left as meat for the birds of the air to feast on. He dishonored God. God dishonored him.

Dwight L. Moody described the difference between men like Josiah and men like Jehoiakim this way: “Either the Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible.”

“Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote on it at the instruction of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And besides, there were added to them many similar words.” Jeremiah 36:32

Evil King Jehoiakim sought to silence God by burning His Word, but rather than lessening God’s words, his crime led to God increasing His words on earth. The more Jeremiah’s government tried to stifle God’s Word, the more it grew and spread. King Jehoiakim should have let the Bible burn in his heart not in his fireplace.


[1] 2 Chronicles 34:8, Jeremiah 35:6; Jeremiah 32:12; 36:4-26; 43:3; 45:1

[2] Dr. Phillip Graham Ryken, Jeremiah and Lamentations from Sorrow to Hope, Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL, © 2001, p. 548-552

[3] Jeremiah 26:22-23; 28:10-17

[4] Jamieson Fausset Brown Commentary

[5] Dr. Phillip Graham Ryken, Jeremiah and Lamentations from Sorrow to Hope, Crossway Books, Wheaton, IL, © 2001, p. 552-555