“Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today. It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.” (Jeremiah 36:2–3, ESV)
When I worked for a company that manufactured industrial printing equipment, I had many tasks. One was to supervise the installation of their equipment in their clients’ factories. I noticed something after starting up their equipment. There were no operating instructions or maintenance instructions provided with the equipment. So, I proceeded to write these for those who had purchased the equipment. The procedures revealed the correct operating procedures so they would be successful and safe in using the machinery.
Proper instructions that are given in writing are vital. The reason is that verbal instructions are often forgotten over time and gradually replaced by flawed ideas invented by men.
The Lord told Jeremiah the prophet to write all the information that He had revealed to him about the problems with the nation’s apostasy, their idolatry, and the resultant judgment that was coming at the hands of the Babylonians. Jeremiah dictated this information to Baruch who wrote the information on a scroll. Baruch then was to read the contents of the scroll, God’s word, to the inhabitants of the nation in the hope that the nation would come to repentance.
The initial reading of the scroll was in Gemariah’s chamber, a high ranking official in King Jehoiakim’s government. Gemariah’s son heard the words and moved with concern reported the message to the king’s ministers. Because of the message’s significance, it was taken to the king and read. Gemariah was present at the time the scroll was read to the king. However, king Jehoiakim was unaffected by the message and against Gemariah’s pleading had the scroll burnt.
The result Jehoiakim’s response was that the nation did not repent. The judgment would come upon them despite the warning.
Today we see the same response to the word of God. Many will hear the word preached and summarily reject the truth of the Bible. Let me say this. Rejecting the truth does not change the truth. Truth is absolute and unchangeable. Jehoiakim’s rejecting and burning the scroll that contained the word of God did not change the fact that the judgment would come at the hand of the Babylonians. According to the word the only thing that could have stayed off the judgment was repentance. This required faith in God according to His word, the truth.
While there are many of the unsaved who deny the truth of God’s word, unfortunately there are many who profess to be Christians and reject portions of the Bible as outdated saying they are not culturally relevant. To have this viewpoint is to undermine the authority of God and bring everything into question. Friends, stand firm on the truth. Remember that the church is “a pillar and buttress of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15, ESV).
Renewing the Heart 