Rejecting God’s Word

Jeremiah 36:20-32 

20 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. 21 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. 22 Now the king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month, with a fire burning on the hearth before him. 23 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. 24 Yet they were not afraid, nor did they tear their garments, the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words. 25 Nevertheless Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah implored the king not to burn the scroll; but he would not listen to them. 26 And 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.

27 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: 28 "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. 29 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?'" 30 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. 31 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."'"

32 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.

The king of Judah rejected God’s word and suffered the consequences.  He began listening to the words through the written account of His conversation with Jeremiah and quickly cut off the reading by grabbing the scribes knife (used to sharpen reed pens) and slicing the scroll before tossing the word of God away like garbage into the raging fire.  He then watched it burn to ashes as of that would make God’s convicting words go away.  The king and princes around him were unmoved and without the fear of God by hearing the reading against their sin because they had utterly rejected the LORD and His word.  People continue to do this to the present time and will err in the same way with deaf ears and blinded eyes until the Lord returns in judgment as they continue to deny their condemnation in those words which they ignore and cast away as if they can escape by forced ignorance.  We are all still held to account for our rejection or acceptance of the Lord according to His word.  That never changes.  The king further tried to stop God’s instruments by seizing Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, “but the LORD hid them.”  Yes, some are martyred for their testimony of God’s word through the ages and some are protected and delivered according to his word and will for other purposes until He calls them home.  These two were delivered to write the book of Jeremiah again so that the generations then and since have it for our instruction and warning (1 Corinthians 10:11, Romans 15:4).  The LORD always preserves His word so that we are all informed of our accountability and that we may know Him through grace and forgiving mercy.  His word presents the bad news of our hopeless state of sin and judgment, but also shows the good news of His hope-filled reconciling gospel grace.  The penalty for the king to reject God and His word was the punishment of destruction and death.  Such also is what we all face while under the condemnation of His word according to our sin unless saved by Him according to the hearing of His word (John 3:18-20, 5:24).  The word of God is to be heard so that it may penetrate our hearts and minds through opened ears and eyes, resulting in conviction which cuts our hearts and causes repentance through faith in the Lord and acceptance of Him and His word to our deliverance from justice and judgment.  This is the gospel to be accepted or rejected.  Who would want to cast it aside like trash to burn as they did in the early reformation or mock God and ignore the dire warnings?  Remember this example from scripture to remind ourselves and others the terrible and lasting results of rejecting God’s word.