NBBC SS: Jeremiah 36
Explore the Bible Sunday School: Jeremiah, Lamentations Summer 2023 • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Introduction: Friends, last week we considered that God used men like Peter to write God’s Word that we have with us. However, God’s Word was written so long ago. With regular books, they do not last forever. How is it that we still have God’s Word today? Well, Jeremiah 36 helps us to understand just that.
Jeremiah 36:1-3 “1 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Take a scroll and write on it all the words which I have spoken to you concerning Israel and concerning Judah, and concerning all the nations, from the day I first spoke to you, from the days of Josiah, even to this day. 3 “Perhaps the house of Judah will hear all the calamity which I plan to bring on them, in order that every man will turn from his evil way; then I will forgive their iniquity and their sin.”
Friends, we’re reading here of something amazing that has happened.
God has spoken His Word to His servant, the prophet Jeremiah!
Say his name with me, “Jeremiah.”
A prophet, like Jeremiah, was one who received God’s Word to proclaim to others.
What is it that God wanted others to know?
God tells Jeremiah here to write down His Word of warning against the sins of the nations of Israel and Judah.
Why would anyone write anything down?
Because it’s important to remember what was said!
I keep a little notebook with me at all times.
I do this so that I can write things down throughout the day.
It may be things that I need to do.
It may be things that I’ve been thinking about from God’s Word that I want to remember what the Lord has taught me.
You see, friends, God’s Word is important to remember; therefore, He instructed Jeremiah to write down what He spoke to Jeremiah.
Notice, friends, the important thing that God wanted Jeremiah to write down concerned the sin of the people.
Define sin.
Friends, this is God’s incredible kindness because He is warning the people about the consequences of sin.
Sin deserves punishment.
However, friends, God wants them to experience something other than punishment.
This is why He had Jeremiah write His Word down to warn the people of their sins.
God wants the people to turn from the evil way, or to repent of their sin (say that word with me, “repent.”)
If the people repent, or ask God to forgive their sins, God will forgive their sins.
Friends, God does the same thing for you if you have believed in the Lord Jesus as your Savior from your sins.
He has promised to forgive your sins when you ask Him to do so, if you have believed in the Lord Jesus as your Savior (1 Jn 1:9).
Jeremiah 36:4-7 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 which He had spoken to him. 5 Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, “I am restricted; I cannot go into the house of the Lord. 6 “So you go and read from the scroll which you have written at my dictation the words of the Lord to the people in the Lord’s house on a fast day. And also you shall read them to all the people of Judah who come from their cities. 7 “Perhaps their supplication will come before the Lord, and everyone will turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and the wrath that the Lord has pronounced against this people.”
(Advance slide) Notice, friends, Jeremiah followed God’s instruction to write down His Word by using someone else in this process.
Jeremiah asked Baruch to write down God’s Word that he, Jeremiah, had received (say his name with me, “Baruch.”)
What’s amazing is how we see that Jeremiah is obeying God by sharing His Word, first with Baruch!
Friends, when we know God’s Word, we must share it with others.
However, we read of a problem that prevents Jeremiah from going out to the House of the Lord, the Temple, to share God’s Word (Everyone say, “Temple.”).
Jeremiah says that he is restricted.
You see, way back in Jeremiah 32, we’re told that Jeremiah was imprisoned.
The reason for Jeremiah’s imprisonment relates to his obedience to proclaiming God’s Word as His prophet.
How is God’s Word going to get to the people if Jeremiah is imprisoned?
Friends, our God is so creative that He finds ways to get His Word to others.
In this case, Jeremiah used the same person that he had write down God’s Word that was given to him: Baruch!
You know what, friends? - Baruch went just as Jeremiah instructed as God had instructed him.
Jeremiah 36:8-10 “8 Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading from the book the words of the Lord in the Lord’s house. 9 Now 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 Baruch read from the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper court, at the entry of the New Gate of the Lord’s house, to all the people.”
Jeremiah 36:11-19 “11 Now when Micaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard all the words of the Lord from the book, 12 he went down to the king’s house, into the scribe’s chamber. And behold, all the officials were sitting there—Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the other officials. 13 Micaiah declared to them all the words that he had heard when Baruch read from the book to the people. 14 Then all the officials sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying, “Take in your hand the scroll from which you have read to the people and come.” So Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and went to them. 15 They said to him, “Sit down, please, and read it to us.” So Baruch read it to them. 16 When they had heard all the words, they turned in fear one to another and said to Baruch, “We will surely report all these words to the king.” 17 And they asked Baruch, saying, “Tell us, please, how did you write all these words? Was it at his dictation?” 18 Then Baruch said to them, “He dictated all these words to me, and I wrote them with ink on the book.” 19 Then the officials said to Baruch, “Go, hide yourself, you and Jeremiah, and do not let anyone know where you are.””
Jeremiah 36:20-26 “20 So they went to the king in the court, but they had deposited the scroll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe, and they reported all the words to the king. 21 Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it out of the chamber of Elishama the scribe. And Jehudi read it to the king as well as to all the officials who stood beside the king. 22 Now the king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month, with a fire burning in the brazier before him. 23 When Jehudi had read three or four columns, the king cut it with a scribe’s knife and threw it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier. 24 Yet the king and all his servants who heard all these words were not afraid, nor did they rend their garments. 25 Even though Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah pleaded with the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. 26 And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son, Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but the Lord hid them.”
Well, friends, it did not take too long for word to get back to the king about God’s Word shared through Baruch.
The king at this time was named Jehoiakim (everyone say, “Jehoiakim.”)
At first, when we read Jeremiah 36:21, we’re encouraged because one of the king’s servants read God’s Word to the king.
This is great because the king Jehoiakim is hearing the warning about his sin and the people’s sin.
Surely, hearing this warning will encourage king Jehoiakim to ask God to forgive him!
Unfortunately, king Jehoiakim does a terrible thing.
King Jehoiakim takes a knife and cuts God’s Word!
Is this anyway for someone to treat God’s Word?
No!
We should treat God’s Word with respect!
King Jehoiakim then takes the strips of God’s Word that he has cut and burns them!
Is this anyway to treat God’s Word?
No!
Why do you think that Jehoiakim would act this way?
He did not care for what God had to say about his sin.
He did not care for what God had to say.
Friends, is this the only way that someone demonstrates that they do not care about what God’s Word says?
No!
You do not have to cut up and burn God’s Word as the only demonstration that you do not care about what God’s Word says!
You can even sit in Good News Club and be talking with your friend or even thinking about something else!
Friends, this is so dangerous because God warns us about our sin and wants forgive us when we ask His forgiveness.
We would not know these things unless He wrote them down for us!
Jeremiah 36:27-32 “27 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah after the king had burned the scroll and the words which Baruch had written at the dictation of Jeremiah, saying, 28 “Take again another scroll and write on it all the former words that were on the first scroll which Jehoiakim the king of Judah 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 on it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and will make man and beast to cease from it?’ ” 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 also punish him and his descendants and his servants for their iniquity, and I will bring on them and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the men of Judah all the calamity that I have declared to them—but they did not listen.” 32 because of all the evil of the sons of Israel and the sons of Judah which they have done to provoke Me to anger—they, their kings, their leaders, their priests, their prophets, the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”
Well, friends, even though king Jehoiakim cut and burned God’s Word, that did not stop God from protecting His Word.
God instructed Jeremiah to write His Word down again.
Jeremiah obeyed and had Baruch write down God’s Word, word-for-word.
Friends, just because someone decides to try to cut up and burn God’s Word, that does not mean that they can completely destroy God’s Word!
God is capable or protecting His Word.
God has been protecting His Word for thousands of years.
Unfortunately, friends, God promised that Jehoiakim and those that sinned against God would suffer punishment for their sins (everyone say, “punishment.”).
Conclusion: Friends, just like God protected His Word when Jehoiakim attempted to destroy, so God has done for thousands of years! This is both how important God’s Word is and how confident we can be in our faithful God to protect His Word even when others intend something different. Friends, just like Jehoiakim’s sin deserves punishment, so does our sin! But Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross to forgive our sins, and rose from the dead to give new spiritual life to those that believe in Him. Friends, we get to read this in God’s Word that He has protected!