Write it down, Jerry! A commentary on Jeremiah 36

Jer. 36: 2 Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto this day.

Well, let’s just say that the “Word of God” would be more mobile in written form since Jeremiah is in “lockdown” and not able to go and speak to the people. Here it is from the written text:

Jer. 36: 4-6 Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book.

And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I cannot go into the house of the LORD:

Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the people in the LORD’S house upon the fasting day: and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities.

So Baruch goes to the “temple” and reads on a fast day and the words were heard by a scribe. Apparently, this caused quite a stir to the point that Baruch gets to go to the “kings house” (vs 12) and read to “all” the princes there. So what was the result of this?

Jer. 36: 16 Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they were afraid both one and other, and said unto Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words.

They were afraid? These words had been spoken for a long time by Jeremiah, yet now fear is gripping these people to the point that they should tell the King? Well, that they did and the king was interested in the reading from the roll. He had the roll brought to him and read before him. So Jehudi was sent to get the roll and he personally was to read it to the king. Well he doesn’t get into it very deep until he does the unthinkable! Here it is in text:

Jer. 36: 23-25 And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.

The written “Word of God” was destroyed ! And what was the response of the king and others there?

Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.

Nevertheless Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them.

So the response is to “destroy” the Word of God and the words become invalid? I should say not! So what was God’s response to the destruction of the roll? The Lord says this to Jeremiah:

Jer. 36: 28 Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned.

God had Jeremiah to go over to the “copier” and make a “copy” of the original ! When will mankind ever learn how eternal the “Word of God” is! And to add insult to injury to the god of this world who is behind all of the effort to “make God’s word of none effect”, just read the last verse of this chapter..

Jer. 36: 32 Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words.

Notice, there were added unto them “many like words”! Guess what? I have been reading those words and the many like words mentioned. How do I know this? Because of God’s promise to “preserve” his pure words !! This copy I have and am reading is just as “sure” as what they read to the king.

Psalm 12: 6 The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.