Writing

 

    Jeremiah was a prophet of God.  He was chosen because of who he was in the time he lived.  God knew he would do as commanded, so God commanded a lot.  He had Jeremiah write down His words after speaking them for so many years.  Writing gives it authority.  It gives it permeance.  It gives it a place for as long as the world lives.  No one can take what you experience away from you and that includes what you read.

    Jeremiah wrote what God told him to write, then he read it out loud to the people.  This is when the people began to turn to God.  There is power in God's Word.  It changes things and affects everyone.  It also means that things got more difficult for Jeremiah because hard hearted people don't want to hear it.  Some people oppose the Bible in an obstinate way.  Jeremiah was banned from God's Temple by the priest.  

    When Jeremiah was banned, Baruch, Jeremiah's scribe, picked up what Jeremiah wrote and read.  God provides a work around to obstacles if you are obedient.  Baruch did this while it was a time of fasting.  That is important because fasting opens the spiritual door to new perspectives, open heart, and other impactful things for the particular person.  It is always personal and unique for the time of life.

    The officials had Baruch read God's Word to them and became afraid.  They advised advised Jeremiah and Baruch to go hide before they went to the king.  It was winter, so the king was located in a nice warm spot of the house.  It was a location that should have him calm and relaxed.  The king's scribe began to read God's Word and the king became angry.  He took God's Word and burned it.  Then he ordered Jeremiah and Baruch to be arrested, but God had hidden them.

    God knew this would happen.  He was already prepared to have Jeremiah rewrite it, but with inclusion of what the king did and the consequences.  The King Jehoiakim's actions brought holy judgment upon himself.  You do not burn or harm God's Word intentionally and not expect consequences.  The king did not only face judgment, but so did his descendants and officials with iniquity.  It was a curse of disaster that was put into writing. 

Jeremiah 36