God's Word (Jeremiah #22) - Bible Baptist Church

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Text: Jeremiah 36 & 45

Let’s begin in 2 Kings 23:34-36 to get the setting. Egypt, in 600 B.C., was in full control of Jerusalem. King Jehoiakim was a puppet king for the Pharaoh. King Jehoiakim raided Judah’s treasury to pay Pharaoh Necho for his protection which turned out to be a waste of money.

It’s at this time that Jeremiah is banned from preaching in the house of the LORD. He’s not imprisoned yet, but his presence in the house of God is considered trespassing. This antagonism came with the change in leadership when King Josiah died and Jehoiakim took the throne. Jehoiakim’s dad, Josiah, was killed by Egyptians when he stuck his nose in a battle that wasn’t his. So instead of fighting Egypt, Jehoiakim yields to Egypt after his dad sort of kicked the hornets’ nest.

Egypt was in full control of Jerusalem and thus had access to the Mediterranean Sea and was still hostile to the Babylonian nation. King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon won’t stand for this kind of control in such a strategic place. Shortly after Jehoiakim takes the throne in Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar begins a siege in Judah to control the area. It’s at this time that teenagers like Daniel are hauled off to Babylon along with many influential people who are either killed or captured.

This brings us to our place in Jeremiah 36. The sermon comes immediately after Nebuchadnezzar’s first aggression toward Jerusalem. Jeremiah is told by the LORD to warn Judah and King Jehoiakim of God’s intent to scatter the nation out of the land and remove David’s throne from Jerusalem. The LORD is done with Israel killing innocent children, oppression, breaking contracts, crooked judges, pride parades, and living only to build bigger houses for themselves. In the fourth year of this obstinate 29-year-old Israeli king Jehoiakim, Jeremiah is given this message.

The LORD opens a door of repentance (vss 1-3)

Jeremiah invites Judah to repent and return from their evil so the LORD could forgive them. It was an opportunity. John called these opportunities a space to repent.
- Quit sleeping around.
- Quit lying to people in your business.
- Quit envying others.
- Quit loving money.
The invitation from God is first to repentance. This is why the world cannot embrace Christianity or godliness. This is why the words of God come across as judgmental because at the outset they are.
The invitation from God is first to repentance and this is not an old testament doctrine under the law or anything. This is standard throughout God’s dealing with mankind.
It may be… This type of characterization of God confuses me. And I’m not going to pretend the Bible doesn’t say what it says here.
- Neither this sermon nor Jeremiah’s sermon is about this theological question of what does God know or not know, but I’m going to point it out. What does God need to know in order to be God? What does God need to know in order for your will to be free? What information is knowable?
- One thing this type of statement from the LORD does show is that man is free to respond however he wants to. And God’s response will depend on whether a man receives His invitation or not.
The forgiveness in this case isn’t about a soul receiving eternal life, it’s about the nation of Israel prolonging its existence. Forgiveness, in this case, looks like God putting off judgment for a later time.

Baruch is a faithful minister (vss 4-10)

Jeremiah is banned from the house of the LORD, so he is going to send Baruch to do his preaching. Baruch was the man that recorded Jeremiah’s land purchase in chapter 32. Now, he’s going to record a sermon and go read it for Jeremiah.
Now, the LORD gives Jeremiah this message knowing Jeremiah can’t preach it. I would love to have a message from the LORD that was so clear and concrete that if I was laid up in bed sick on Sunday I could say to Randy or Joe, Here’s the message, just read this.
The message is what’s important. The messenger does not need to be a particular person. It is significant that Jeremiah was the one given the message.
Baruch is terrified to take this message. Not only is the message difficult, but Baruch is going to live through this terrible destruction from Babylon. Jeremiah 45 comforts Baruch that he is going to survive all of this. You know chapter 45 occurs after Baruch records the words for Jeremiah, but before he preaches these words because the preaching doesn’t happen until the 5th year of Jehoiakim (36:9).
So Baruch reads the message to Judah in the house of God on the day of fasting.

Divided leadership (vss 11-19)

The kings’ cabinet members hear the word of God and some are afraid. And some even tell Jeremiah and Baruch to hide themselves.
These differing opinions on Jeremiah’s ministry were probably the reason for the hope the LORD and Jeremiah had for his message.

Casual hatred of God’s words (vss 20-26)

God’s words were so important to Jeremiah that the message needed to be spoken even when he himself wasn’t able to preach it.
Now, we see King Jehoiakim casually take a penknife, cut a piece of the roll and toss it in the fire. He does this piece by piece until the whole roll goes up in smoke.
Jehoiakim then issues a warrant for Baruch and Jeremiah’s arrest, but the LORD hid them.
Paul would experience similar circumstances. Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: 2 And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith.
The LORD hiding God’s messengers is a legitimate prayer request that is answered.
This answers a rare dumb idea that says if you’re spiritual, you shouldn’t be afraid of the government. If Jeremiah was spiritual, he wouldn’t be hiding. Whatever.

God’s words (vss 27-32)

Now, the LORD will respond to Jerusalem’s king and we’ll be instructed.
First, you can’t avoid the words of God by ignoring or destroying them. What you and I need to learn is obedience to the unbreakable words of God.
Second, you can’t destroy God’s words because God is alive, has a voice, and can speak whenever He wants to.
Third, God is free to respond to someone who has rejected his warnings. No one is locked into a fatalistic story that’s already been written. God speaks, you respond, then God responds to you. Jehoiakim will die a terrible death without a burial. His body was thrown over the wall of Jerusalem and left to rot outside. The LORD said since you want to feed my words to the fire, I’ll feed your body to the birds.