God’s word will stand!

Jeremiah 36

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.

God’s word will stand. What God says, God will do.

God gave Jeremiah a word while he was confined, to give to the people of Judah, concerning their sins. God was giving the word so that they people would hear it, listen and hopefully turn away from their evil-doing before the consequences that were coming. God hates sin and sin not only deceives but it destroys us, unless we repent of them. We know that Jesus came to die for sin so that we might no longer live in them. This story was pre-Jesus and back then, God used prophets and messengers to get His message out. He spoke to them and then they spoke to the people. We now have direct access to God through Jesus’ work on the cross. Although He still uses messengers, thank God that He speaks to our hearts.

Jeremiah, known as the weeping prophet, endured a lot of agony because of his call. People did not want to listen to him - some would and some wouldn’t! Same with us today! Same with Jesus.

Usually what I would gather from this chapter is the message that “sometimes we have to start over or do something over again that we already did once because it didn’t work the first time.” But in actuality as you read this chapter, you’ll see that not only did the word not fail the first time but it was all written over again to prove that it wouldn’t fail! I wasn’t honed in on the doing it again part as usual, but the fact that no matter what happens, God’s word never fails.

Sure, we are to do certain things over again, even if we don’t want to, because God said so. Just like when the fishers toiled all night and caught nothing, yet at Jesus’ command, they cast out again. It didn’t make sense but it worked! Why? Because God's way, God’s timing, God’s instructions, and God's word never fails! It accomplishes His purposes, every-time. It’s called faith and obedience.

God had given Jeremiah the words to write and to speak to all of the people, right up to the king; King Jehoiakim. Since Jeremiah was shut up, he would give dictation to Baruch to write the words down and to speak them. Baruch obeyed. We must obey when God speaks, no question. He called Jeremiah to speak His word and He also called Moses. He calls us too, to do various things. Both of these men didn’t feel as if they measured up or were qualified to do what Gods was asking them to do, but God chose them. And He used them mightily for the saving of many! When God chooses you, He also equips you. A lot of times what He ask of us will make no sense, especially because He uses the weak things of the world to confound the wise. That’s how God works.

This word was directed to a people who had went the wrong way and I’m sure that it felt as if it would do no good and one would listen. Most of them listened.

When God speaks we must obey, whether it be to relay a message or to do something that we don’t want to do. If it was easy, it be automatic. So many times we resist because of the uncomfortableness of the situation. We’ve grown more spiritually mature when it becomes more automatic. There will always be questions but we learn to trust God and believe that He is right, and so we understand and know that His ways and thoughts aren’t ours. We trust that His plan and that will, will prevail, and so we listen. Obedience becomes more automatic with time. We can take God at His word because His word never fails! He’s not a man that He should lie. He is Creator God.

“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 loved the people and didn’t want them to suffer for their sins. He wanted them to turn away from them. We know that it’s still today, not His will that any should perish but that all would come to repentance! He calls but we must come. It’s the whole reason for the message and the word - to convict, convince, and for us to change! God is the same yesterday, today, and forever more and so are His ways. His standard is still the same. Sin is still sin and God is still good. His method and approach may be different but it’s all for one purpose, the reason that He sent Jesus! For us to lay down our own will and to follow Him.

He created us and He has the ultimate plan for our lives. But, if we are living the way we want to, we miss it and we miss out. When we live wickedly, there’s a price for sin for which Christ died and paid the price for. We must accept what He did and walk in His plan. Like I said, it’s not just automatic. We must obey. Make no mistake, the Lord gets angry, and great is His anger and wrath towards sin. He hates the sin but He loves the sinner so much that He not only warns us but makes a way out of it.

Are you walking in the way of sin? Then you’re in the path of God's anger but you’re also in the path of His mercy and grace, according to which one you choose!

He cared about them! He cares about you. His Word still stands and always will. So does His mercy and grace.

So Baruch did according to all that Jeremiah commanded him and read the words of the Lord in the Lord’s house. Often, even though we go through the motions and go to God’s house, we still aren’t living the way we ought and we take for granted the things and ways of God. The people of Judah were blatantly ignoring His will. We are His temple. We ought to live like it. Some repent, some won’t. That’s just a fact, but He wills for all of us to come and to come to a place in our life where we make a choice to change our hearts and minds. He didn’t come or die in vain! If the message doesn’t prick or convict, then our hearts have become hardened and damaged. Yet, scripture says that God can take a heart of stone and turn it into a heart of flesh. He gives warning but we must give way and listen. Again, Some did!

Baruch read the directed word of God to the people. When one of the men heard it, he was so convinced and understood the importance and urgency that this man went down himself to the king's house. He went into the scribe's chambers and told all the princes there about what Baruch had read and said! God is no respecter of persons. He wants one and He wants all from least to greatest to hear and listen. They heard and they heeded. They realized what was happening and no doubt God used them. God goes before us, just as He did in the story of Joseph. He is working even when we can’t see and in ways that we can’t imagine. He is protecting us even when we don’t know that we need to be!

They sent a man down to get Baruch, the messenger. They wanted him to read the word to them and so he did. They listened and knew that they had to tell the king, but also knew that the king wouldn’t like this message. Because of their understanding and figuring out that Jeremiah was the one behind it all, (God’s mouthpiece) that Baruch and Jeremiah both would both need to be hidden because they’d be in danger because of the kings wrath at the word of God. They knew it was risky but had to be done, and so they were used by God. I believe, to not only present the word but to help hide the men from the king's anger. They were wise. We must fear God more than man and trust that God has a way of protecting us. He uses Who He wants to, to do what He needs them to do!

These men obviously feared God and took Him at His word, and took it seriously. So here we go. They went into the court of the king to get the scroll into someone’s hand to read it to the king. The king fetched a man named Jehudi to read it, and so he read it to the king and all the princes who stood beside him. Now the king was kicked back by the fire relaxing and every-time that Jehudi had read three or four columns of the word, the king would cut it with his knife and throw the pieces (the word) into the fire. He was listening to the words but he wasn’t fearing. He didn’t like what he was hearing.

The fact is, the king didn’t want to hear the truth! He didn’t like it or take it seriously. When people are hell-bent on their ways and sins, they will fight and hurt whoever is in their way! If you are the messenger, they’ll shoot you (figure of speech). They aim all their hate at anyone IN THEIR WAY. And God's word was clearly offensive to him. We know this because the word says that he burnt it until all was gone. It was burnt up and the word says “THEY WERE NOT AFRAID, NOR DID THEY REND THEIR GARMENTS.”

When we don’t want to hear and we refuse to listen, we can’t repent. We must have open and sincere hearts like Jeremiah’s! When we do hear and are convicted, there should be a heart change, a change of mind, and a change of some sort of action to turn and go in the right direction. A turn around is what God is looking for.

God’s word and warning of impending destruction did not phase these men. Well, it didn’t seem to anyway, but it did. It obviously angered the king and bothered him or he would have done nothing. What we tend to forget is, that “anger is an emotion too!” Angry people are just as emotional as those who we see as emotional. It’s just aimed in a direction! But it’s all emotion.

Three men tried to persuade the king to stop and to not burn the scroll, but prideful hearts don’t listen. Pride comes over time from a series of events and a hardening of the heart. It’s a process. We know that a haughty (puffed up, look at me) spirit comes before pride (a hardened, ‘no one can touch or tame me’ attitude) and pride before a fall. This king thought he was untouchable but God's word stands! The king failed big time, he just didn’t know it YET. God will do what He says He will do. Even though Jeremiah was shut up at the time , he wasn’t fully shut up because God still got His word across, although Jeremiah wasn’t the one to deliver it.

Although they wouldn’t listen, God would still act. And even though they burned the scroll, God didn’t forget the word that he sent and He was going to prove it! God doesn’t forget what He says He will do, although we may not listen or cooperate. We receive the blessing for obedience and the curse for disobedience. (Deuteronomy 11) We can’t just do whatever we want to and expect to be and lived blessed!

Jesus was persecuted and hated without cause. He tells us that by being His disciples, so will we be as well. Some people will love you for the truth but on the contrary, some will hate you. Don’t be on the side of the fence that hates truth!

“Yet they were not afraid, nor did they tear their garments, the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words.” Jeremiah 36:24

So the king sent someone to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But remember? The Lord hid them. God takes care of those on a mission until He has finished what He has started in them! We must not fear men. We must fear God more and do whatever He asks us to do whether on the side of spreading His word or a choice to obey His word spoken. We must fear not to!

God's word came back to Jeremiah and He told him what to say to the king and to write it all down again. They went back through the process all over again. This time it wasn’t just a warning to turn but a message that He’d matter of fact destroy them because of their refusal to repent and for downright ignoring His word. It’s wicked to ignore God and to not give Him first place in our lives. He is God. His word stands, no matter what we do or what we say. If we obey or disobey accordingly.

“For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, He hath also rejected thee from being king.” 1 Samuel 15:23

And so if you read on you will see that Jeremiah obeyed faithfully what God had told him to do and instead of the enemy destroying Jeremiah, God destroyed the enemy. God's word will stand when all else fails. Even if it seems that others are getting the best of you or that God has forgotten His word. Nothing could be further from the truth. Just make sure you are standing in His word and obedience to Him. You can be sure of that and of Him.

Jeremiah 36:

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.

“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11

What are you willing to do or not do? Don’t let His words fall on deaf ears, let it soften your heart!

God is a God of retribution and vengeance but also of mercy and grace. A reckoning day is coming and He will judge righteously. To those who have obeyed, every tear will be wiped away! To those who have disobeyed a price will be paid.