Jeremiah 36 FSI - HEAR, O EARTH

> [!title|noicon] **Jeremiah 36 Notes** > [[Jeremiah 35 FSI|<Prev]]   [\[Bible\]](Bible%20Books%20Navigation.md)   %%[[Jeremiah 37 FSI|Next>]]%% [[Jeremiah 36|Verse list view]] > [Jeremiah 36:1](Jeremiah%2036.md#^1) note > > This is now in the fourth year of Jehoiakim (see also [Jer 25:1](Jeremiah%2025.md#^1), [45:1](Jeremiah%2045.md#^1), [46:2](Jeremiah%2046.md#^2)) in the year 604 BC, 17 years before Judah and Jerusalem were destroyed by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, that God is speaking this Word to Jeremiah. ^jer36-1 > [Jeremiah 36:2](Jeremiah%2036.md#^2), [3](Jeremiah%2036.md#^3), [4](Jeremiah%2036.md#^4), [5](Jeremiah%2036.md#^5), [6](Jeremiah%2036.md#^6), [7](Jeremiah%2036.md#^7) note > > In this statement, God is saying something so profound and important that we just can't underscore it enough. God is showing in a very distinct, practical, positive way that cannot be misunderstood exactly where the Bible has come from. In [2 Timothy 3:16](2%20Timothy%203.md#^16) it is teaching us that *all scripture* is God-breathed and profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness. It is NOT saying (as some falsely claim) that "only" the verses that are inspired are thus profitable. *Everything* in the Bible is God-breathed. So God Himself moved every individual scribe to write what they did in the Bible ([2 Pe 1:20](2%20Peter%201.md#^20), [21](2%20Peter%201.md#^21)). *None* of the Bible was written by human private interpretation or according to some overall theme, every word is specifically given and inspired by the Holy Spirit. In fact, the Bible even teaches that they themselves, the prophets and scribes whom the Lord moved to write the Word, could not understand much of what they were writing because it was reserved for our learning today ([1 Pe 1:10](1%20Peter%201.md#^10), [11](1%20Peter%201.md#^11), [12](1%20Peter%201.md#^12)), according to God's progressive revelation. So they wrote words down without knowing how it all harmonized together in the days before there was a completed Bible like we have today. > > So now comes the book of Jeremiah. And here in Jeremiah 36 God lays it right out, where Baruch, who must have been a secretary to Jeremiah "wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah *all* the words of the LORD, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book" ([vv2](Jeremiah%2036.md#^2), [4](Jeremiah%2036.md#^4)). So this is the way God has given us the Bible. > > This gives us insight into the gigantic, root problem as to why people will not obey the Word of God, such as why many will not come out of the churches today, why they do not understand (or even want to understand) the timeline of history or why they really have no knowledge of what God's judgment plan is. It all starts with an attitude toward the Bible. One will never begin to have an understanding of the Bible until we have a very humble, intense attitude that THIS is the WORD of GOD. Even with highly regarded commentaries and theological books, invariably the writers do not understand the principle that every word in the original languages came from the Mouth of God. And at any moment that you have a lesser idea of any passage than that it is absolute Truth, or that any part of the Bible is not the Law of God, you will not receive Truth from the Bible. > > The moment that you think that a number or some other word in the Bible is a scribal error of some kind in the original languages, you have lost your trust in the whole Bible altogether because you have lessened its Authority. Or if you believe that whatever Luke or Paul (or whoever else) wrote reflects how their keen understanding underpins the Truth of the Bible, you have lost the importance of the Word of God. Any understanding they had came from the inspired Word, the inspired Word does not come from their understanding. > > For example, how did Moses know what to write, say, about a conversation between God and Cain before Cain killed Abel? Or how could he write definitively about the 6 days of creation with any authority? Or how could he write about God's conversation with Noah in connection with the flood? How could he write any of that? Only because God gave him word for word, every word came from the Mouth of God, just as we see with Baruch here writing *all* the words that God gave to Jeremiah to declare. So the Bible is THE Word of God, every jot and tittle. > > And so, in these verses, God has commanded Jeremiah, who has now commissioned Baruch while Jeremiah is shut up in the prison, to write all the Words of God spoken to Jeremiah in a book. And he is to read it to the people in the House of the LORD, if so they might present their supplication before the LORD and turn form their evil ways before the anger and fury of the LORD falls upon them. ^jer36-2-7 > Intro note to verses 8 and following > > From verse 8 to about verse 14, we see that God mentions all kinds of names. When we look at 1 Chronicles, we find there that God gives us name after name after name. And God gives us these names because He isn't just dealing with groups of people (like the nation of Israel or the city of Jerusalem), but He deals with each one of us as individuals. Each of us stands personally before God. We can't trust in our mother or father or aunt or uncle or how many preachers are in our family line to somehow think we stand a little bit better before God. We each stand individually before Him. That's why when we read about the rapture, one will be taken and the other will be left. So while the Word of God is being read to the people, it is ultimately being read to *each person* right from the Mouth of God. ^jer36-8ff > [Jeremiah 36:16](Jeremiah%2036.md#^16) note > > So we see the immediate result after Baruch read the Word of God to the people and then to the princes as instructed by Jeremiah: they were afraid. And, of course, just being afraid isn't really indicative of repentance. Typically when we warn people about judgment day and the wrath of God, they might tremble or fear a little bit, or just cut you off. But then they get busy with their lives and they just don't think about it. So fear alone isn't what it has to come to. And we'll address this in a bit. ^jer36-16 > [Jeremiah 36:21](Jeremiah%2036.md#^21), [22](Jeremiah%2036.md#^22), [23](Jeremiah%2036.md#^23) note > > The horror of this. Here is Word of God. It had just come fresh, delivered directly from the Mouth of God. And here is this king, a young man of about 30 years of age. He's arrogant and he is rebellious against God. And you can just see him sitting there, scoffing, dictatorial and not caring Who God Is, thinking, "Why do I have to listen to this." Then he takes his penknife and cuts up the scroll and casts it into the fire. > > This is the human race in our pride and arrogance. We see this horror story that was so dramatic, it was such a deliberate action to show, "I ... don't ... care what God has to say." But it actually represents how we react to the Bible. Whenever we don't listen to the Word of God we're effectively doing the very same thing. We are saying, "I'm wiser than You, God." It's an attitude of "Don't tell ME." > > Think about this in your own life. You're reading the Bible, then it talks about the wrath of God. Do you think, "I don't want to hear that right now. I'm busy," or, "It's depressing to me." So you close the Bible and try to get your mind onto something else. That's exactly what King Jehoiakim did. On the other hand, we should say, "Oh, I wonder if this applies to me? I wonder if I can learn from this because I'm a sinner under the wrath of God?" In other words, we are to never, never, never despise the Word of God. > > "...until all the roll was consumed in the fire that *was* on the hearth." A *scroll* is continuous. The Bible isn't actually talking about a Book as we have today, it was a scroll. > > Interestingly, the word *leaves* in this verse is a word normally translated *door*, like the door of a house or a building. So the proper translation here would be "when Jehudi had read three or four *doors*..." It's possible that these doors related to 3-4 paragraphs or sections or chapters. Now, what is the Door to the Kingdom of God? Christ said that He is the Door. But, of course, we can't know that Christ is the Door without the Bible. And since Christ is completely identified with the Word of God, the Word of God is the Door. It is what we read in order to understand the kingdom of God and to cry out to God for entrance into His kingdom. So what is one doing if they cut out 3-4 doors like king Jehoiakim? They are shutting up the kingdom, they are taking away the very means by which they can come into the kingdom of God or even know anything about it. > > Now why did he cut the doors after 3 or 4 were read? 3 is the number of purpose, so in a dynamic way the purpose is that he is shutting himself out of the Kingdom of God. So whenever we don't take the time to read the Word of God we are shutting ourselves out. So if we're just too busy or not interested "right now" in reading it and would rather be doing other things, it's like we are cutting off the door, we are throwing it into the fire, we despise the Word of God. We need to recognize and understand just how precious, how magnificent, how wonderful the Bible is. And we can pray to the LORD to help us be more diligent and to understand it more, for Him to open our eyes that there might be a little more for us to learn. > > The the number 4 has to do with the fullest extent of whatever is in view, or the universality of it. So it's like Jehoiakim is saying, "This is how I view the whole Bible, any part of it. It means nothing to me, I am the king and I know everything. Certainly no one is going to come to me with this." So he just cuts it up and throws it in the fire. ^jer36-21-23 > [Jeremiah 36:23](Jeremiah%2036.md#^23) note (continued) > > There was a time when Jehoiakim's father, Josiah, found a copy of the Word of God, the book of the Law. Back then there was no printing press, so having a copy was very rare to where even the King didn't have his own copy. And in [2 Kings 22:11](2%20Kings%2022.md#^11), [13](2%20Kings%2022.md#^13) we find that, once he heard the Word of God, he was completely broken and humbled before God. > > In 1 Kings 21 we read about King Ahaz, one of the most wicked kings of Israel who was married to Jezebel, one of the most vicious queens that ruled with him. Then here comes Elijah to Ahaz in [1 Kings 21:17](1%20Kings%2021.md#^17), [18](1%20Kings%2021.md#^18), [19](1%20Kings%2021.md#^19), [20](1%20Kings%2021.md#^20) where there is contention. Ahab is in total rebellion against God and Elijah has a terrible message for him that God is going to destroy him. Then in [1 Kings 21:21](1%20Kings%2021.md#^21), [22](1%20Kings%2021.md#^22)ff we read the judgments that are going to come upon him. So this is the setting with this rebellious, wicked king who was as wicked as anyone could be right up to this moment ([v25](1%20Kings%2021.md#^25), [26](1%20Kings%2021.md#^26)). So God had Elijah come up to him to tell him God was going to destroy him. And this is parallel to how Jeremiah is being sent to Jehoiakim to tell him that he will be destroyed. > > But notice Ahab's very surprising reaction in [1 Kings 21:27](1%20Kings%2021.md#^27). He walked softly before God, there as no arrogance and pride left, he was totally broken. And then we see God's reaction to this in [1 Kings 21:28](1%20Kings%2021.md#^28), [29](1%20Kings%2021.md#^29), where God determined not to bring the evil in Ahab's days, but in his son's days. Now, there's no evidence he actually became saved, nevertheless, God reacted to his broken heart. And this is an enormous encouragement to us that when we find we are in trouble with God, we don't shake our fist at Him, we don't alibi, we don't defend ourself, we don't try to rationalize why we had a right to sin, we simply come broken before Him, "Oh, Lord, have mercy, have mercy." And it might be in our case that God might even be pleased to save us. > > So this emphasizes that pride is the surest way to make certain that we're in trouble with God because pride is the opposite of mourning for our sins. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. And so here is Jehoiakim who hears the same Word, it's the same type of a message that he's going to be destroyed. But he in his pride throws the Word of God into the fire, which brought about a terrible result. When Jehoiakim despised the Word of God, God shut off the line of the kings so that Jesus did not come from that line. > > > > ^jer36-23b > [Jeremiah 36:24](Jeremiah%2036.md#^24) note > > Study in progress 6.2026. > > ^jer36-24 Tags: #Old_Testament #Jeremiah #Gods_judgment_on_His_people #FSI