#1094 Jeremiah 36 Ye Ole Cancel Culture

 

In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “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. 3 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.”

4 Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord that he had spoken to him. 5 And Jeremiah ordered Baruch, saying, “I am banned from going to the house of the Lord, 6 so you are to go, and on a day of fasting in the hearing of all the people in the Lord's house you shall read the words of the Lord from the scroll that you have written at my dictation. You shall read them also in the hearing of all the men of Judah who come out of their cities. 7 It may be that their plea for mercy will come before the Lord, and that every one will turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and wrath that the Lord has pronounced against this people.” 8 And Baruch the son of Neriah did all that Jeremiah the prophet ordered him about reading from the scroll the words of the Lord in the Lord's house.

9 In the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem proclaimed a fast before the Lord. 10 Then, in the hearing of all the people, Baruch read the words of Jeremiah from the scroll, in the house of the Lord, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the secretary, which was in the upper court, at the entry of the New Gate of the Lord's house.

11 When Micaiah the son of Gemariah, son of Shaphan, heard all the words of the Lord from the scroll, 12 he went down to the king's house, into the secretary's chamber, and all the officials were sitting there: Elishama the secretary, Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, Elnathan the son of Achbor, Gemariah the son of Shaphan, Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the officials. 13 And Micaiah told them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the scroll in the hearing of the people. 14 Then all the officials sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, son of Shelemiah, son of Cushi, to say to Baruch, “Take in your hand the scroll that you read in the hearing of the people, and come.” So Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and came to them. 15 And they said to him, “Sit down and read it.” So Baruch read it to them. 16 When they heard all the words, they turned one to another in fear. And they said to Baruch, “We must report all these words to the king.” 17 Then they asked Baruch, “Tell us, please, how did you write all these words? Was it at his dictation?” 18 Baruch answered them, “He dictated all these words to me, while I wrote them with ink on the scroll.” 19 Then the officials said to Baruch, “Go and hide, you and Jeremiah, and let no one know where you are.”

20 So they went into the court to the king, having put the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the secretary, and they reported all the words to the king. 21 Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the secretary. And Jehudi read it to the king and all the officials who stood beside the king. 22 It was the ninth month, and the king was sitting in the winter house, and there was a fire burning in the fire pot before him. 23 As Jehudi read three or four columns, the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them into the fire in the fire pot, until the entire scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the fire pot. 24 Yet neither the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid, nor did they tear their garments. 25 Even when Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. 26 And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king's son and Seraiah the son of Azriel and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel to seize Baruch the secretary and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord hid them.

27 Now after the king had burned the scroll with the words that Baruch wrote at Jeremiah's dictation, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 28 “Take 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 concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, ‘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 will cut off from it man and beast?” 30 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall have none to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat by day and the frost by night. 31 And I will punish him and his offspring and his servants for their iniquity. I will bring upon them and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and upon the people of Judah all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, but they would not hear.’”

32 Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote on it at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And many similar words were added to them. Jeremiah 36 ESV

Jeremiah 36 Jehoiakim Burns the Scroll

1-8. In the fourth year of Jehoiakim - This takes us back a few years before what we have presently discussed. An interesting look back at around the time near the first Babylonian invasion.

Baruch the son of Neriah - So Jeremiah has a secretary/scribe who takes dictation from him. 

There was a long relationship between the scribe and the prophet. “Seventeen years later on the eve of the final fall of Jerusalem Jeremiah entrusted to Baruch the title deed to the field he bought in Anathoth (Jeremiah 32:13, 16). Baruch finally went with Jeremiah to Egypt (Jeremiah 43:6).” (Thompson)

I am banned from going to the house of the Lord - Now this can happen to most, even for being ceremonially unclean, coming into contact with the dead, for an outward sign of sickness, but in Jeremiah's case it is most likely due to something he said. Some rulers were not big on freedom of speech, or as the case with most, not big on speech that went against their preference, true or not. Censorship and cancel culture is not new to our time, neither is propaganda, and men will continue in these cycles, but only the vehicle will change. Papyrus, Pony Express, Telegraph, Newspaper, radio, tv, Facebook, Twitter, etc... Jeremiah was basically banned from communicating his prophecies where there were large gatherings.

Baruch...did all that Jeremiah the prophet ordered him - He took down the word with care, and he carried it with such, then delivered it where and how he was supposed to, for it was God's words to this people. Jeremiah's hope was that they would hear and repent. How faithful are we in this? I can see the look of irritation in the eyes of some when I say, "I don't know, I am not sure", or when they have not presented enough from Scripture to support what they saying. Rather than doctrine or expository teaching it sounds more like speculation, and to this I am becoming more wary. 

…16But not all of them welcomed the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” 17Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ. 18But I ask, did they not hear? Indeed they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”… Romans 10: 16-18

…13for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14How then can they call on the One in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? 15And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”… Romans 10: 13-15

9-19. In the ninth month - 

“The ninth month was December, 604 bc, when the Babylonians overthrew Ashkelon in the plain of Philista, an incident which probably provoked the fast.” (Harrison)

We must report all these words to the king - The people were moved by what Baruch read, and were afraid enough that they thought the king should hear as well. 

When Micaiah -

…12and commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Achbor son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the servant of the king: 13“Go and inquire of the LORD for me, for the people, and for all Judah concerning the words in this book that has been found. For great is the wrath of the LORD that burns against us because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book by doing all that is written about us.” 2 Kings 22: 12-13

Go and hide, you and Jeremiah - There is great precedence for this with this particular king. Like Saul who chased David mercilessly, and that against God's word, Jehoiakim likes to kill the messenger when he doesn't like the message. He had Uriah hunted all the way to Egypt so he could punish him for repeating what God said.

…22Then King Jehoiakim sent men to Egypt: Elnathan son of Achbor along with some other men. 23They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him put to the sword and his body thrown into the burial place of the common people. 24Nevertheless, Ahikam son of Shaphan supported Jeremiah, so he was not handed over to the people to be put to death.… Jeremiah 26: 22-24

20-32. As Jehudi read - The king would hear a few lines and then cut them out and throw them into the fire, as if to say, "I don't accept this, I pronounce it null and void." There has been an issue all throughout Jeremiah's ministry where false prophets gave a preferred message, and had many adherents even against what could be visually and readily seen against it. It is worse now under new rule, for this king is not like Josiah, he has no heart toward God or reform. He is crying out in rebellion against reason, "I am not naked, I am clothed in the finest apparel that can only be seen by those who are of a politically correct, deep thinking persuasion. If you can't see them, then you lack compassion and wokeness." 

“We are all tempted to use the penknife to God’s Book. There are passages in it which we do not like; those that cross our favourite notions, our cherished sins. Practically, we eliminate them. We never read them, or we explain them away, or profess to doubt their inspiration.” (Meyer)

17For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19For what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.… Romans 1: 17-19

Nor did they tear their garments - They were untroubled by these things as far as fear or a need to repent, but a funny thing about pride, it can justify violence quickly. They have no remorse over their sin, and they doubt that judgement is truly coming, but they do have remorse over the life and breath of Baruch and Jeremiah; they would like to see these lives extinguished.

But the Lord hid them - Jeremiah still had more to say on God's behalf; it was not time for him to go home.

Write on it all the former words - Heaven and earth will pass away, but God's word will remain. He has them record it again.

You have burned this scroll - God includes this time a special note for the king, and it is considered open rebellion against the King of kings, Jehoiakim's tantrum. Men roll their eyes and yawn now, how patient a God we have, but to behold Him without Christ, as an enemy, my heart breaks for them. 

…26And this is the interpretation of the message: MENE means that God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end. 27TEKEL means that you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient. 28PERES means that your kingdom has been divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.”… Daniel 5: 26-28

…29Look, the days are coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore, and breasts that never nursed!’ 30At that time ‘ they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”’ 31For if men do these things while the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?”… Luke 23: 29-31

“The captain may destroy the map which indicates the rocks in his course; but that will not rob them of the cruel fangs with which they will pierce the timbers of his ship. Men may deride and destroy the Bible; but this will not empty the future of hell, or hell of its bitter remorse.” (Meyer)

xi. “This was not the last attack on the word of God. Kings and governments have set themselves against it; sceptics and liberal scholars have sought to discredit or dismember it; but it remains indestructible. The man who acts as Jehoiakim did will be judged.” (Cundall)

To sit on the throne of David - 

“The three-month reign of Jehoiachin (cf. 2 Kings 24:6, 8) does not contradict the prediction of verse 30. Jehoiachin’s succession was not a valid one but only a token one because he was immediately besieged by Nebuchadnezzar, surrendered in three months, and then went into exile, where he died after many years. No other descendant of Jehoiakim ever ascended the throne.” (Feinberg)

But they would not hear - Oh listen, learn that great strength, listening, and not just reading or hearing, but perceiving. Stop at the end of every paragraph and ask yourself what you just read, and if you don't know then read it over again. Know that your life depends upon the word of God.