1 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today. 3 It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the disaster that I intend to do to them, so that every one may turn from his evil way, and that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”…
27 Now after the king had burned the scroll with the words that Baruch wrote at Jeremiah’s dictation, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 28 “Take another scroll and write on it all the former words that were in the first scroll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah has 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 in it that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land, and will cut off from it man and beast?” 30 Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall have none to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat by day and the frost by night. 31 And I will punish him and his offspring and his servants for their iniquity. I will bring upon them and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem and upon the people of Judah all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, but they would not hear.’”
32 Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah, who wrote on it at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire. And many similar words were added to them.
REFLECTION:
In ancient times, most people were illiterate, so scholars were very precious and respected. The status of the scribes is even loftier, and their knowledge and learning are highly respected. Baruch was the scribe of Jeremiah. At that time, most people used lambskin and papyrus to record text, and then sewed or glued sheets of lambskin and papyrus into a volume of books, called scrolls. After the Israelites were taken into captivity, the scribes became law teachers, explaining the Old Testament law. In the New Testament era, the scribes became powerful political organizations. God ordered Jeremiah to write His words on a scroll, but because Jeremiah himself was not allowed to enter the temple, he called Baruch the scribe to write down what he was going to say on the scroll, and then read it to the people in the temple. As a result, when the rebellious King Jehoiakim heard God’s words, he not only turned a deaf ear to God’s words, but also burned the scrolls that recorded God’s words with resentment. Although he burned the scrolls, he could not destroy God’s words, nor could he escape God’s judgment. Today, many people still turn a deaf ear to God’s words and even become hostile, or say that the Bible contains many errors and is not worth believing. People can refuse to listen to what God says, but they cannot destroy it, because His words are powerful and will stand forever.
PRAYER:
Pray for God to strengthen your faith, make you believe that the Bible is infallible and be in awe of it, and be willing to live according to the way of life revealed in the Bible; pray for God to give you the courage, love and wisdom to face the stiffness and even hostility shown after people hearing God’s words, do your best to guide people to God.
12 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: 13 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Go and say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will you not receive instruction and listen to my words? declares the Lord. 14 The command that Jonadab the son of Rechab gave to his sons, to drink no wine, has been kept, and they drink none to this day, for they have obeyed their father’s command. I have spoken to you persistently, but you have not listened to me. 15 I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, sending them persistently, saying, ‘Turn now every one of you from his evil way, and amend your deeds, and do not go after other gods to serve them, and then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to you and your fathers.’ But you did not incline your ear or listen to me. 16 The sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have kept the command that their father gave them, but this people has not obeyed me. 17 Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, because I have spoken to them and they have not listened, I have called to them and they have not answered.”
18 But to the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Because you have obeyed the command of Jonadab your father and kept all his precepts and done all that he commanded you, 19 therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall never lack a man to stand before me.”
REFLECTION:
The rules of the Rechabites are somewhat similar to those of the Nazirites, who are those who make certain special vow to God (see Numbers Ch.6). For two hundred years, the Rechabites have abided by the legacy of their ancestors and never touched any alcohol. Although all Judah and the whole country had abandoned the covenant with God, these people still adhered to the covenant and did not waver. There is a sharp contrast between the Rechabites and the Israelites: the Rechabites can persist in the precepts of the leader who will make mistakes, but the Israelites have abandoned the covenant with the infallible God. Jonadab only once told them that drinking was not allowed, the Rechabites obeyed. God repeatedly ordered the Israelites to leave their sins, but they resisted and refused to obey Him. The regulations that the Rechabites obeyed were only of temporary significance, but they still stick to it, and the Israelites violate God’s eternal law. The Rechabites have kept the commandments for hundreds of years, but the Israelites have disobeyed God for hundreds of years; the Rechabites have been blessed, and the Israelites have caused misfortune. God hopes that the remaining people will be able to keep the covenant made with Him just as the Rechabites kept their father’s command. The same is true today. In the ever-changing world, some people think that adapting to change is the way to survive. However, God wants us to keep His word. In many cases, we will follow traditional customs. God’s word is based on His faithfulness, far superior than all traditional customs, and will never change. It contains a beautiful will for our life. Isn’t it more worthy of our observance and practice?
PRAYER:
Pray for God to strengthen your heart so that you can hold on to the truth and unwaveringly in the changing world. Pray for wisdom and strength when your heavenly values conflict with the values of the world, especially when the conflict comes from your relatives, friends or traditional customs. Pray that God will enable you to stand firm and at the same time have the dexterity to resolve contradictions, and guide people to the truth of life.
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army and all the kingdoms of the earth under his dominion and all the peoples were fighting against Jerusalem and all of its cities: 2 “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire. 3 You shall not escape from his hand but shall surely be captured and delivered into his hand. You shall see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to face. And you shall go to Babylon.’ 4 Yet hear the word of the Lord, O Zedekiah king of Judah! Thus says the Lord concerning you: ‘You shall not die by the sword. 5 You shall die in peace. And as spices were burned for your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so people shall burn spices for you and lament for you, saying, “Alas, lord!”’ For I have spoken the word, declares the Lord.”
REFLECTION:
This chapter describes the fulfillment of many of Jeremiah’s prophecies. In the Book of Jeremiah, many prophecies were soon fulfilled. God used Jeremiah’s mouth to warn Zedekiah, king of Judah, that even if the outcome was miserable, he must “hear the word of the Lord” (v4). Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and the whole city was in danger. Finally, Zedekiah, who was disobedient, finally decided to obey Jeremiah and calm God’s anger. He liberated slaves, thinking that by doing good deeds, he could please God, but in fact what he really needed was sincere repentance, which would bring about a change and renewal of life. The people of Judah did not abide by God’s law from the beginning. When the disaster of the siege was temporarily eased, the people returned to their previous behaviour, and even worsened and committed blatant crimes, as did Zedekiah himself. If there is no real renewal of the soul, and only hurriedly call upon God in danger, it seems to have obeyed God’s words, in fact, there is no real repentance, and defeat cannot be saved. Today, do we rush to pray to God only when we are at a critical juncture or desperate?
PRAYER:
Pray for God to enable you to learn from the defeat of Zedekiah, to be vigilant every day, and to walk with God at all times, so that you will not be far away from God in normal days, but only pray to God in times of trouble. Ask God to enlighten you so that you have a deeper understanding of your sins and a more thorough repentance, which will bring transformation and renewal in your life.
