“And it happened, when Yehudi had read three or four columns, that the king [Jehoiakim] cut it with the scribe’s knife and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth” (Jeremiah 36:23).
If you received a direct, personal message from God—say in your mail- box—what would you do with it? Most Christians would read it carefully and try to heed to what it instructed.
Now, it’s highly unlikely that a letter from the Lord is going to be in your postal delivery tomorrow. And, yes, we all know that the Bible is God’s “love letter” to us all, and that its words contain counsel and guidance for our lives. But that very same Bible records the story of someone who did get a personal message from God, via the prophet Jeremiah. As we read in Jeremiah, that person, Jehoiakim, king of the southern kingdom of Judah, shredded the scroll and burned it “until all the scroll was consumed in the fire.”
Wow. That’s not what most would do with a letter from God—at least we hope not!
Jehoiakim could have followed in the righteous path of his father Josiah, but he went in exactly the opposite direction. He abused the people who worked for him and killed Urijah, a prophet, just for speaking God’s message against Jehoiakim. Jeremiah’s prophecy scroll detailed Jehoiakim’s faults and failings, but instead of heeding the message, the rebellious leader used a royal “delete key” to try to obliterate it.
Fat chance: We can read Jeremiah’s case against Jehoiakim today, and the monarch died apparently enroute to captivity in Babylon. We read in the New Testament that “God is not mocked” (Galatians 6:7) and Jehoiakim’s sad story proves it.
Lord, may I receive Your instruction from Your word. Help me to take it to heart and act on it!
