JEREMIAH 36A
Purpose for writing a book verse 1- 3
And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah
that this word came unto Jeremiah from the LORD – saying
Take you a roll of a book and write therein all the words that
I have spoken unto you against Israel and against Judah
and against all the nations from the day I spoke unto you
from the days of Josiah even unto this day
It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil
which I purpose to do unto them
That they may return every man from his evil way
that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin
Jeremiah has Baruch write a book verse 4- 7
THEN Jeremiah called Baruch – the son of Neriah
and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the
words of the LORD
which he had spoken unto him
upon a roll of a book
And Jeremiah commanded Baruch
saying
I am shut up
I cannot go into the house of the LORD
THEREFORE go you – and read in the roll
which you have written from my mouth
the words of the LORD in the ears of
the people in the LORD’S house
upon the fasting day
and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah
that come out of their cities
It may be they will present their supplication before the LORD
and will return every one from his evil way
for great is the anger and the fury that the LORD
has pronounced against this people
Baruch read the book in the Temple to the people verse 8- 10
And Baruch son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet
commanded him reading in the book the words of the LORD
in the LORD’S house
And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah
in the ninth month that they proclaimed a fast before the LORD
to all the people of Jerusalem
to all the people that came from the
cities of Judah unto Jerusalem
THEN read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the
house of the LORD in the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe
in the higher court – at the entry of the new gate of the
LORD’S house in the ears of all the people
Baruch read book to King’s princes verse 11- 15
WHEN Michaiah the son of Gemariah – the son of Shaphan
had heard out of the book all the words of the LORD
THEN he went down into the king’s house into the scribe’s chamber
and – lo all the princes sat there – even
Elishama – the scribe – Delaiah – son of Shemaiah
Elnathan – the son of Achbor – Gemariah – the son of Shaphan
Zedekiah – the son of Hananiah and all the princes
THEN Michaiah declared unto them all the words that he had heard
when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people
THEREFORE all the princes sent Jehudi – the son of Nethaniah
son of Shelemiah – the son of Cushi unto Baruch – saying
Take in your hand the roll wherein you have read
in the ears of the people – and come
SO Baruch -the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand
and came unto them
And they said unto him
Sit down now – and read it in our ears
SO Baruch read it in their ears
Baruch tells them Jeremiah gave messages verse 16- 18
NOW it came to pass – when they had hear all the words
they were afraid both one and other – and said unto Baruch
We will surely tell the king of all these words
And they asked Baruch – saying
Tell us now – how did you write all these words at his mouth?
THEN Baruch answered them
He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth
and I wrote them with ink in the book
Baruch and Jeremiah told to hide verse 19- 20
THEN said the princes unto Baruch
Go – hide you – you and Jeremiah
and let no man know where you be
And they went in to the king into the court
BUT they laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe
and told all the words in the ears of the king
King burned book verse 21- 25
SO the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll
and he took it out of Elishama the scribe’s chamber
And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king
and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside the king
NOW the king sat in the winter house in the ninth mouth
and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him
And it came to pass – that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves
he cut it with the penknife and cast it into the fire
that was on the hearth until all the roll was consumed
in the fire that was on the hearth
YET they were not afraid – nor rent their garments
neither the king nor any of his servants that heard all these words
NEVERTHELESS Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah
had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll
BUT he would not hear them
King orders Baruch and Jeremiah arrested verse 26
BUT the king commanded Jerahmeel – the son of Hammelech
Seraiah – the son of Azriel – Shelemiah – the son of Abdeel
to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet
BUT the LORD hid them
LORD commands Jeremiah to rewrite book verse 27- 28
THEN the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah after that the king had
burned the roll and the words which Baruch wrote at the
mouth of Jeremiah
saying
Take you again another roll
and write in it all the former words that were in
the first roll which Jehoiakim
the king of Judah has burned
LORD adds message for king verse 29- 31
And you shall say to Jehoiakim king of Judah – Thus says the LORD
You have burned this roll – saying
Why have you written therein – saying
The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land
and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast?
THEREFORE thus says the LORD of Jehoiakim king of Judah
He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David
and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat
and in the night to the frost
And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity
and I will bring upon them – the inhabitants of Jerusalem
and upon the men of Judah
all the evil that I have pronounced
against them
BUT they hearkened NOT
Jeremiah wrote book with additions verse 32
THEN took Jeremiah another roll
and gave it to Baruch the scribe – the son of Neriah
who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the
words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah
had burned in the fire and there were added
besides unto them many like words
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 3 It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgivetheir iniquity and their sin. (5545 “forgive” [calach] means pardon, spare, release, or remove guilt.
DEVOTION: This chapter is about the LORD commanding Jeremiah to put the LORD’S commands in writing for the king and people. Jeremiah dictated the words the LORD has given to Baruch to write on a scroll.
Jeremiah commanded him to go to the temple to read the scroll to the people. It was on the occasion of a national fast. Baruch read the words of the LORD to the people in the temple of the LORD. There reaction was that those who heard the words wanted the princes to hear the words of this book.
Michaiah heard the reading of the scroll at the Temple and told the princes. Baruch was asked to read the scroll to the princes. After they heard it they wanted to tell the king about the words of the scroll. They also warned Baruch and Jeremiah to hide, in case, the king wanted to kill them. It was wise advice.
When the words were taken to the king’s house – he burned them. The people were afraid but the king and his princes were not afraid. In fact, king Jehoiakim wanted to kill Jeremiah and Baruch but the LORD hid them so the soldiers could not find them.
Why did the LORD have Jeremiah write HIS words down? This verse gives us a good reason for the writing of the book. The LORD wanted all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judah to know what was going to happen to them. HE wanted them to return to HIM.
HE wanted them to leave their evil ways. HE wanted to see them return and HE would pardon their iniquity and sin. The Bible informs us in many places that the LORD is longsuffering.
Jeremiah wrote the scroll the second time at the command of the LORD. In the second writing there was judgment on king Jehoiakim and his children.
There are many who want to burn the Bible. There are many who want to cut up parts of the Bible. We had President of the United States who cut up parts of the Bible because he didn’t like them.
Our Bible is complete and we need to listen to what it has to say. There are many bad translations of the Bible. There are false books that people worship. We need to be reading the Word of God and listen to its warnings. The LORD is coming!!!
CHALLENGE: Understand that the LORD is long-suffering. HE loves HIS people. Repentance is necessary for God to forgive.)
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 6 Therefore go you, and readin the roll, which you have written from my mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the people in the LORD’S house upon the fasting day: and also you shall read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities. (7121 “read” [qara] means call, cried, proclaim, shout, summon, announce, invoke, or utter a loud sound.)
DEVOTION: Jeremiah is in prison because he dared to proclaim the Word of the LORD to the leaders of the nation. He was not afraid of their faces or what they could do to him. He was going to give the leaders the Words that the LORD had given him no matter what happened to him. He was not afraid of humans as they could only kill his body but the LORD could condemn him to the lake of fire for eternity.
So we find that he had to send his servant to the house of the LORD to read the message of the LORD to them, so that, they were warned of what was going to happen if they didn’t listen to the LORD and repent.
The same message is supposed to be proclaimed from our pulpits today but most of the pulpits in our churches are proclaiming easy living and calling it the Word of the LORD. Those pastors or ministers are going to have to face the LORD one day and face their judgment. They will be held responsibility for those that they made a twofold more a child of hell then themselves.
We live in a world that is changing to the point that the Bible is not being proclaimed very much and we are wondering why our world is going in the direction it is. If we were only listening to this book we would know why we are heading in the direction we are headed.
God is judging our nation for our turning from HIS commands to manmade religion. It is sad to go into a church and not hear the Word of God that is found in the Bible proclaimed with power. I think many of our rulers would do the same thing that the king of Judah did with God’s word as it was proclaimed with power to him. They would do what our courts are doing. They would do what our leaders are doing. They would do what most of our ministers are doing: cutting up the parts of the Bible they don’t want to hear!!
CHALLENGE: Are you going to a church that is really proclaiming the Word of God powerfully? Are you changing your life to fit the Word of God or changing the Word of God to fit your life?
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 24 Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words. (6342 “afraid” [pachad] means fear, awe, shake, tremble, dread, or reverence.)
DEVOTION: In any given circumstance each person responds differently. Some are fearful at the slightest sound. Some don’t scare very easily. Each of us has our threshold of fear.
The people heard the reading of the book and they were concerned that the king should hear these words. So Michaiah gathered the princes to hear the words of the book. Once they heard it they thought the king himself should hear the words of the LORD as recorded by Baruch from the prophet Jeremiah who received the message from the LORD.
However, after the princes heard the words of the LORD they told Baruch and Jeremiah to hide. They thought they knew how the king would react to the message from the LORD.
They were right. He burned the book. He ordered the arrest of Baruch and Jeremiah. Instead of fasting and praying and renting his garment, he ordered them arrested in order to kill them. The LORD had hid Jeremiah.
What is our reaction to our reading of the Bible? In this type of setting would we have not listened like king Zedikiah? Would we just have thrown the Bible away and walked away unchanged?
If we are not applying the Word of God to our life on a regular basis it is just like burning it and throwing it away. It does us no good. The LORD wants us to confess our sins to HIM on a daily basis. If we think we are without sin – we are liars.
CHALLENGE: If the LORD convicts you of sin in your life there needs to be repentance. King Zedikiah thought if he burned the words of the LORD it would go away. Don’t copy his thoughts.)
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
- Chastity (Purity in living)
- Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Baruch read Jeremiah’s book on fasting day verse 6
Jehoiakim proclaimed a fast for everyone verse 9
- Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
- Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
- Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
- Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
- Frugality (wise use of resources)
- Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Jeremiah told to write a book verse 2
Baruch wrote book with ink verse 18
Jeremiah writes second copy of book verse 32
- Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
- Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
- Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
- Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
- Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Supplications before the LORD verse 7
- Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
- Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
House of the LORD verse 5, 6, 8, 10
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Word of the LORD verse 1, 4, 6, 8, 10,
11, 27
Roll of a book verse 2, 14
Wrote all the words of the LORD verse 4, 18
Roll in chamber of Elishama verse 20
Wrote another roll verse 28, 32
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovah (Covenant keeping, Personal) verse 1, 4- 11, 26, 27,
29, 30
Judgment of God (evil) verse 3, 31
Anger of the LORD verse 7
LORD hides Jeremiah and Baruch verse 26
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
All nations verse 2
King of Babylon verse 29
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Evil way verse 3, 7, 31
Iniquity verse 3, 31
Sin verse 3
Not wanting to hear the Word of the LORD verse 21- 24
Not being convicted by Word of the LORD verse 24
King would not hear Word of the LORD verse 25, 29, 32
Not listening to the LORD verse 31
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Forgive verse 3
Read the roll (Bible) verse 6, 8, 13
Ears of the people to hear verse 6, 10, 14
Fasting verse 6, 9
Supplication verse 7
Return from evil way verse 7
Read in the ears of the leaders verse 15
Conviction of the Word of the LORD verse 16
Beg king to listen to Word of the LORD verse 25
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Jehoiakim (king) verse 1, 9, 28, 29, 32
Judah verse 1- 3, 6, 9, 28,
29- 31
Jeremiah (prophet) verse 1, 4, 5, 6, 8,
10, 19, 26,
27, 32
Israel verse 2
Josiah verse 2
Baruch verse 4, 5, 8, 10,
13- 19, 26,
27, 32
Jerusalem verse 9, 31
Gemariah (scribe) verse 10, 12, 25
Michaiah verse 11, 13
Princes verse 12, 14, 19
Elishama (scribe) verse 12, 21
Delaiah verse 12, 25
Shemaiah verse 12, 26
Elnathan verse 12, 25
Zedekiah verse 12
Jehudi verse 14, 21, 23
Roll read to the king (burned it) verse 20- 24, 27
Jerahmeel verse 26
Seraiah verse 26
David verse 30
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
QUOTES
36:5–6Jeremiah requested Baruch to go to the temple on a fast day and read the scroll to the people because he was “restricted” (ʿazûr) and unable to go himself. The word ʿazûr can mean “imprisoned” (as in 33:1; 39:15), but that meaning is unlikely here since vv. 19, 26 indicate he was free to move about. The word can also mean that he was in danger and hiding and therefore was not allowed in the temple (cf. 1 Chr 12:1). It is possible that he was ceremonially unclean, a condition that would have barred him from the temple. However, the most plausible interpretation of the word here is that the temple authorities saw him as a troublemaker and would not permit him to speak there, perhaps because of his temple sermon (see 26:7–19; also cf. Gen 16:2, “The Lord has kept me,” where it means prevented from doing something.
The fast day was a time when large crowds would be gathered in the temple. The OT does not mention fixed fast days during the preexilic period, but they were called in times of crisis or emergency. The presence of the Babylonian army in the region at that time would have been reason enough for Judah to call a fast day. (Huey, F. B. (1993). Jeremiah, Lamentations (Vol. 16, p. 320). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)
4–8Baruch, the prophet’s secretary (already mentioned in 32:12–13), came from a prominent family (v.4; cf. 45:1; 51:59). Jeremiah was inspired to dictate to Baruch from memory, probably with the aid of notes he had made (so Bewer). (That he dictated to Baruch should not, however, be taken to mean that God, who inspired him and the other biblical writers, used them in the same way. Biblical inspiration is not to be equated with dictation.) The dates in this chapter (vv.1, 9, 22) show that a number of months passed between the dictation and public reading of what was written. Jeremiah was “restricted” (ʿāṣûr, lit., “shut up”) from going to the temple (v.5). (It has been conjectured that this was because of ritual uncleanness on his part, but the time was too long for that [cf. v.1 with v.9].) The authorities had probably forbidden him to speak there because of his unpopular temple address (cf. 7:1–15; 26:1–7). In 33:1 and 39:15 the verb ʿāṣar means “confined” or “imprisoned,” but it cannot have that precise meaning here (cf. vv.19, 26). With Nebuchadnezzar on the march against Jerusalem, Jeremiah’s message could no longer be considered harmless. Because he could not go to the temple, he had Baruch act as his agent. To guarantee a good hearing of his written messages, Jeremiah chose a fast day when the people would be assembled in the temple (v.6). After the Exile, fast days were specified (cf. Zech 7:3, 5; 8:19), but earlier they were called in time of emergency (cf. Joel 2:12, 15). Some public calamity, perhaps a drought, had occasioned this fast. Internationally, it was a most opportune time for a fast because Jeremiah saw the significance of Egypt’s defeat by the Babylonians at Carchemish in 605 b.c. There was a feeling that turning to the Lord (v.7) in a public fast might avert the judgment that had been conditionally predicted (v.8). (Feinberg, C. L. (1986). Jeremiah. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel (Vol. 6, p. 604). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
36:4–7. Jeremiah summoned Baruch, his scribe (cf. 32:12–16; 36:26), and dictated to him all the words. It is not known whether Jeremiah recited all the prophecies from memory or if he read them from scrolls on which he had recorded them earlier. Both views allow for God’s superintendence (cf. John 14:25–26). Jeremiah was restricted, or barred, from the temple, possibly because of his earlier unpopular addresses there (cf. Jer. 7:1–15; 26:1–19). Because of this restriction Jeremiah told Baruch to go to the house of the Lord in his place. Baruch was to go on a day of fasting. Prior to the fall of Jerusalem in 586 b.c. fast days were not specified but were called in times of emergency (cf. 36:9; 2 Chron. 20:3; Joel 1:14; 2:15). Only after the fall of Jerusalem were regular fast days instituted (Zech. 7:3, 5; 8:19). Jeremiah hoped that as Baruch read to the people from the scroll they would repent of their sins. (Dyer, C. H. (1985). Jeremiah. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 1180). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
God declared His Word (vv. 5–26). Once again, God used human instruments to proclaim His Word to the people. “How shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:14) Since Jeremiah wasn’t allowed to go to the temple, he sent Baruch in his place. Baruch waited for a day when there would be a good crowd in the temple; when a fast was proclaimed several months later, probably because of the Babylonian menace, he took advantage of it.
It’s interesting to see how different people responded to the Word of God. There were three public readings of the book, and the first one was to the people in the temple (Jer. 36:10). There’s no record that the crowd responded in any special way. One man, Micaiah, however, became concerned because of what he had heard (v. 11). He was the grandson of Shaphan, the man who read the newly found book of the Law to King Josiah (2 Kings 22), so it’s no wonder he had an interest in God’s Word.
Micaiah told the princes about the book, and they asked to hear it, so Baruch read it to them (Jer. 36:12–19). Along with Micaiah, the officials trembled when they heard the Word (v. 16), for they knew that the nation was in great danger. They hid the scroll, told Baruch and Jeremiah to hide, and then went to report to the king that he needed to hear what Jeremiah had written.
The third reading of the scroll was before the king (vv. 21–26) and was done by Jehudi, who may have been one of the scribes. The king treated God’s Word like fuel for the fire! In spite of the remonstrances of three of his officials, the king continued cutting and burning the scroll until it was completely destroyed. The royal attendants who also heard the reading of the scroll showed no fear and thereby encouraged Jehoiakim in his evil deed.
Over the centuries, God’s enemies have tried to destroy the Word of God but have always failed. They forget what Jesus said about the Word: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away” (Matt. 24:35). “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isa. 40:8, NIV; quoted in 1 Peter 1:25). Translators and preachers of the Word have been persecuted and martyred, but the truth of God still stands. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). Be Decisive (pp. 144–145). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
Among the host of latter-day evils which are sapping the very foundations of Christianity in the minds of the masses, none has been more audaciously impious in its assault upon the truth of God than the so-called Higher Criticism. Under the guise of reverent scholarship seeking to determine the authenticity of books that faith has never questioned, the advocates of this destructive school have not hesitated to cut in pieces the Scriptures of truth, and deliberately seek to falsify the very words of the Lord Jesus Christ. He, at least, who knew all things, had no doubts as to the divine authority of every jot and tittle of the Old Testament. It was to Him the inspired utterance of the Holy Ghost. (Ironside, H. A. (1906). Notes on the prophecy and Lamentations of Jeremiah (p. 189). Neptune, NJ: Loizeaux Brothers.)
Ver. 6. Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, &c.] The roll being finished, Baruch is ordered to read it, which was the end of writing it: and since the prophet could not go himself, he sends another in his room, to read the words of the Lord in the ears of the people, in the Lord’s house, upon the fasting day; the day of atonement; the great fast, which was on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim; and so a different time of reading from that in ver. 9. This was a very proper time to read it in, when the people were fasting and humbling themselves before the Lord; though some think this was a fast proclaimed by Jehoiakim, to avert the vengeance threatened by the Chaldean army: and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities; to keep the feast of tabernacles; as they did five days after the fast, or day of atonement; and this seems to be the second reading of the roll enjoined. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 5, p. 606). London: Mathews and Leigh.)