Jeremiah 36-37

CHAPTER 36

God told Jeremiah to write in a book (scroll) everything the Lord had told him to say, his entire ministry, and read it to the people in the temple. Since he was still imprisoned, Baruch, Jeremiah's secretary, would have to read it to them. 

After Baruch read the book to the people, they were convicted and wanted to tell Jehoiakim. First, they told Jeremiah and Baruch to hide themselves. Then they read the book in the hearing of the king, and before they finished, he had the scroll brought to him and burned it in the fire; he also ordered Baruch and Jeremiah seized, but they were not found. 

Next the Lord had Jeremiah rewrite the scroll that Jehoiakim destroyed. And the Lord conveyed to Jehoiakim that no one in his family would ever sit on the throne of David.

COMMENTARY

Jehoiakim's heart attitude was not right toward the Word of God. The people, the princes, were convicted, but Jehoiakim did not believe it nor care about it. So he destroyed it. This is just as good as ignoring God's Word. 

But God has the final word, and He had Jeremiah rewrite His messages, and add to it that no one in the line of Jehoiakim will ever sit on the throne of David. Ever. 

CHAPTER 37

Remember: the book of Jeremiah is not written in chronological order. It jumps around a lot. In this chapter, King Zedekiah reigned instead of Coniah (son of Jehoiakim), whom Nebuchadnezzar placed on the throne in Judah. King Zedekiah asked Jeremiah (who was not in prison, yet) to pray to God for them because the Egyptian army came up at the same time the Chaldeans were set to besiege Jerusalem. When the Chaldeans saw the Egyptian army, they left. 

The Lord told Jeremiah to tell Zedekiah that the Chaldeans will return and will take Jerusalem and burn it with fire. Do not be fooled. Meanwhile, Jeremiah went to claim the property he had bought and Hananiah accused him of defecting to the Chaldeans. He had Jeremiah seized and put in prison. But Zedekiah had him released and asked him about his inquiry in the Lord. Jeremiah told him that he will be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, but Zedekiah did not want to hear this, and he put Jeremiah back into prison. 

Poor Jeremiah, surrounded by idiots. 

COMMENTARY

Up to this point, Jeremiah had been in ministry for thirty years. The Chaldeans, the army of the king of Babylon, has besieged Jerusalem for eighteen months. It was the third time for Nebuchadnezzar, but Pharaoh attempted to do Zedekiah a favor and chased the Chaldeans away. 

However, they would be back. Jeremiah told Zedekiah not to make an alliance with Pharaoh, but to surrender to Nebuchadnezzar. For that, Zedekiah put Jeremiah back into prison. But not before he was accused of defecting, which was not true. Nonetheless, he remained in prison until the Chaldeans sacked the city. 

credit: Working Preacher