Jer 36.1-32 tells the story of how King Yehoiakim burned the scroll of Jeremiah’s prophecies which was read to him, and the consequences.
v 1…And it came about in the fourth year of Yehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, that this word came (about 607 BC) from the Lord (Yehovah), saying,
v 2…”Take a scroll and write on it all the words which I have spoken to you concerning Israel, and concerning Judah, and concerning all the nations, from the day I first spoke to you, from the days of Josiah, even to this day (about 23 years).
v 3…Perhaps the house of Judah will hear all the calamity which I plan to bring on them, in order that every man will turn from his evil way; then I will forgive their iniquity and their sin (individually, not nationally; the fate of the nation was set-Jer 7.16, 11.14, 14.11).”
v 4…Then Jeremiah called Baruch (blessing) the son of Neriah (Yehovah is light) and Baruch wrote at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord, which he had spoken to him, on a scroll (the same Spirit that dictated the prophecies to him, brought them to mind again so he could repeat them to Baruch, but this would take awhile).
v 5…And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, “I am restricted (hindered for some reason that is unknown), I cannot go into the house of the Lord (to read the scroll).
v 6…So you go and read from the scroll which you have written at my dictation the words of the Lord to the people in the Lord’s house on a fast day (God knew they were going to call a fast day in Kislev in v 9). And also you shall read them to all the people of Judah who come from their cities (to avert the coming calamity).
v 7…Perhaps (no presumption, but it seems to indicate that some may heed the warning and repent) their supplication will come before the Lord, and every one will turn turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and the wrath that the Lord has pronounced against this people (the threat is very real and life and death hangs in the balance).”
v 8…And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah commanded him, reading from the book the words of the Lord in the Lord’s house (the prophecies of Jeremiah were read in the Temple).
v 9…Now it came about in the fifth year of Yehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month (Kislev) that all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem proclaimed a fast before the Lord (to avert disaster).
v 10…Then Baruch read from the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord in the chamber of Gemariah (Yehovah has completed), the son of Shaphan (shy, rabbit) the scribe (of the king, like a secretary of state), in the upper court (it led from the outer court to the inner court of Israel, at the entry of the New Gate of the Lord’s house, to all the people (probably from a window).
v 11…Now when Micaiah (who is like Yehovah) the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard all the words of the Lord from the book,
v 12…he went down to the king’s house, into the scribes chamber . And behold, all the officials were sitting there-Elishama (my God has heard) the scribe, and Delaiah (Yehovah has drawn) the son of Shemaiah (heard by Yehovah), and Elnathan (God has given) the son of Achbor (mouse), and Gemariah the son of Shaphan and Zedekiah (Yehovah is righteous) the son of Hananiah (Yehovah has favored) and all the officials (they did not attend the fast that was proclaimed for some reason. They did not hear the words of Jeremiah in the Temple).
v 13…And Micaiah declared to them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read from the book to the people.
v 14…Then all the officials (princes, rulers) sent Yehudi (Jew) the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah (Yehovah is peace), the son of Cushi (their blackness), to Baruch, saying, “Take in your hand the scroll from which you have read to the people and come (to the king’s palace).” So Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and went to them.
v 15…And they said to him, “Sit down please, and read it to us.” So Baruch read it to them (a very bold and courageous thing to do).
v 16…Now it came about when they had heard all the words, they turned in fear to one another and said to Baruch, “We will surely report all these words to the king (the king wasn’t at the fast either; they did not do this out of ill-will, but they thought the king should know).”
v 17…And they asked Baruch, saying, “Tell us please, how did you write all these words? Was it at his (Jeremiah’s) dictation (or your memory)?”
v 18…Then Baruch said to them, “He dictated all these words to me, and I wrote them with ink in the book.”
v 19…Then the officials said to Baruch, “Go, hide yourself, you and Jeremiah, and do not let anyone know where you are (some of these leaders seem to be good men and believed Jeremiah)
Jer 36.20-32 gives us insight into the process of how Yehovah actually inspired Jeremiah to record the direct words from his mouth.
v 20…So they went to the king in the court, but they deposited the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and they reported all the words to the king (the main idea of what was said; they thought that the king might destroy the scroll, which he will eventually do).
v 21…Then the king sent Yehudi to get the scroll (to satisfy his curiosity), and took it out of the chamber of Elishama the scribe. And Yehudi read it to the king as well as to all the officials who stood beside the king (probably told to do it because the king had not heard and there were probably others who had not heard it).
v 22…Now the king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month (Kislev is our November/December so he was in a warm part of the palace; this shows his disregard for the fast day service in the Temple-he stayed comfortable at home), with a fire burning in the brazier before him (like a stove).
v 23…And it came about, when Yehudi had read three or four columns (written in block form), the king cut it with a scribe’s knife (used to cut out mistakes from a scroll) and threw it into the fire that was in the brazier, until the scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier (a clear indication of his contempt for Yehovah and Jeremiah and the word. But this will not erase the judgments that were coming. God’s enemies have tried to destroy the word of God before and since, but to no avail).
v 24…Yet the king and all his servants who heard all these words were not afraid, nor did they rend their garments (in repentance because they believed the false prophets, so they did not think there was any need to repent).
v 25…Even though Elnathan and Dedaiah and Gemariah entreated the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them (Godly people are seldom listened to).
v 26…And the king commanded Yerahmeel (may God have pity) the king’s son, Seraiah (Yehovah is ruler) the son of Azriel (God is my help), and Shelemiah (Yehovah is peace) the son of Abdeel (servant of God) to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord hid them (what a waste of time to try and hunt those who Yehovah protects).
v 27…Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah after the king had burned the scroll and the words which Baruch had written at the dictation of Jeremiah, saying,
v 28…”Take again another scroll and write on it all the former words that were on the first scroll which Yehoiakim the king of Judah burned (just like the first two tablets of the commandments were broken and another set was made; the same Ruach Ha Kodesh that inspired Jeremiah’s mind the first time for dictation, could easily inspire him a second time so they could be written again. All attempts to destroy the Scriptures will fail).
v 29…And concerning Yehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, ‘Thus says the Lord, “You have burned this scroll, saying, ‘Why have you written on it that the king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall make man and beast cease from it?’
v 30…’Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Yehoiakim king of Judah, “He shall have no one to sit on the throne of David (his son Yeconiah was not confirmed by Nebuchadnezzar and was removed after three months, a vassal king of Babylon), and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat of the day and the frost by night (the “burial” of a donkey as predicted in Jer 22.19).
v 31…I shall also punish him and his descendants and his servants for their iniquity, and I shall bring on them and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the men of Judah all the calamity (evil) that I have declared to them-but they did not listen (you can close your eyes and your ears, but that won’t change Yehovah’s word).'”
v 32…Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the son of Neriah, the scribe, and he wrote on it at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Yehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire; and many similar words were added to them (Jeremiah had other prophecies given to him, and Yehovah used this event to put all of them in a scroll as a witness against the rebellious nation and its people).
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