36:1 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah in the fourth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling over Judah.
The fourth year of King Jehoiakim was 605-604 B.C.
36:2 “Get a scroll. Write on it everything I have told you to say about Israel, Judah, and all the other nations since I began to speak to you in the reign of Josiah until now.
King Josiah began his reign in 627 B.C. Jeremiah was commanded to record all of his prophecies for the last 22 years of his ministry.
36:3 Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about all the disaster I intend to bring on them, they will all stop doing the evil things they have been doing. If they do, I will forgive their sins and the wicked things they have done.”
Jehovah wanted the people of Judah to read all of these written prophecies so that they would know what was to come. If they read them and repented of their evil, then Jehovah would delay the prophetic disasters which were about to come upon them.
36:4 So Jeremiah summoned Baruch son of Neriah. Then Jeremiah dictated to Baruch everything the Lord had told him to say and Baruch wrote it all down in a scroll.
Baruch means “blessing.” Baruch was the scribe of Jeremiah.
36:5 Then Jeremiah told Baruch, “I am no longer allowed to go into the Lord’s temple.
The Jewish leaders did not like Jeremiah’s prophecies, so they banned him from the temple.
36:6 So you go there the next time all the people of Judah come in from their towns to fast in the Lord’s temple. Read out loud where all of them can hear you what I told you the Lord said, which you wrote in the scroll.
Baruch was to read the prophecies of Jeremiah to the people.
36:7 Perhaps then they will ask the Lord for mercy and will all stop doing the evil things they have been doing. For the Lord has threatened to bring great anger and wrath against these people.”
Jeremiah hoped that the people would hear his prophecies and repent of their sins.
36:8 So Baruch son of Neriah did exactly what the prophet Jeremiah had told him to do. He read what the Lord had said from the scroll in the temple of the Lord.
Baruch read Jeremiah’s prophecies from the temple grounds.
36:9 All the people living in Jerusalem and all the people who came into Jerusalem from the towns of Judah came to observe a fast before the Lord. The fast took place in the ninth month of the fifth year that Jehoiakim son of Josiah was ruling over Judah.
The ninth month of the fifth year of King Jehoiakim was the same time when the Babylonian Chronicle reported King Nebuchadnezzar was in Palestine collecting “vast tribute” from those nations he had conquered.
36:10 At that time Baruch went into the temple of the Lord. He stood in the entrance of the room of Gemariah the son of Shaphan who had been the royal secretary. That room was in the upper court near the entrance of the New Gate. There, where all the people could hear him, he read from the scroll what Jeremiah had said.
Gemariah (and his brother Ahikam) supported the prophecies of Jeremiah.
36:11 Micaiah, who was the son of Gemariah and the grandson of Shaphan, heard Baruch read from the scroll everything the Lord had said.
Micaiah heard Baruch read all of Jeremiah’s prophecies at the temple.
36:12 He went down to the chamber of the royal secretary in the king’s palace and found all the court officials in session there. Elishama the royal secretary, Delaiah son of Shemaiah, Elnathan son of Achbor, Gemariah son of Shaphan, Zedekiah son of Hananiah, and all the other officials were seated there.
Micaiah gave a report to the royal house. Achbor played a part in the recovery of the Mosaic Law during the time of the good King Josiah (2 Kings 22:12–14). However, his son Elnathan did not possess all of his father’s godly characteristics.
36:13 Micaiah told them everything he had heard Baruch read from the scroll in the hearing of the people.
Micaiah gave his report to the royal officials.
36:14 All the officials sent Jehudi, who was the son of Nethaniah and the grandson of Cushi, to Baruch. They ordered him to tell Baruch, “Come here and bring with you the scroll you read in the hearing of the people.” So Baruch son of Neriah went to them, carrying the scroll in his hand.
Baruch was commanded to appear personally before the royal court.
36:15 They said to him, “Please sit down and read it to us.” So Baruch sat down and read it to them.
Baruch read all of Jeremiah’s prophecies to the royal court.
36:16 When they had heard it all, they expressed their alarm to one another. Then they said to Baruch, “We must certainly give the king a report about everything you have read!”
This report of Jeremiah’s prophecies scared the royal court. These prophecies must be reported to the king.
36:17 Then they asked Baruch, “How did you come to write all these words? Do they actually come from Jeremiah’s mouth?”
The royal court wanted to know if all of these prophecies came from Jeremiah’s mouth.
36:18 Baruch answered, “Yes, they came from his own mouth. He dictated all these words to me and I wrote them down in ink on this scroll.”
Baruch confirmed that all of the written prophecies came from the mouth of Jeremiah.
36:19 Then the officials said to Baruch, “You and Jeremiah must go and hide. You must not let anyone know where you are.”
The officials asked Baruch and Jeremiah go into hiding. Giving out the Word of God is dangerous business in the satanic world system.
36:20 The officials put the scroll in the room of Elishama, the royal secretary, for safekeeping. Then they went to the court and reported everything to the king.
The scroll was kept in Elishama’s room for safe keeping. The report was given to the king.
36:21 The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll. He went and got it from the room of Elishama, the royal secretary. Then he himself read it to the king and all the officials who were standing around him.
Jehudi read Jeremiah’s prophecies to the King and his court.
36:22 Since it was the ninth month of the year, the king was sitting in his winter quarters. A fire was burning in the firepot in front of him.
The ninth month of the year would be between November 24 and December 23, 604 B.C. The Jerusalem weather was very cold at this time. The king was staying in his winter palace.
36:23 As soon as Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll, the king would cut them off with a penknife and throw them on the fire in the firepot. He kept doing so until the whole scroll was burned up in the fire.
King Jehoiakim was different than his godly father (King Josiah). He actually cut the Word of God to shreds and threw it into the fire. Political leaders are too civilized to follow Jehoiakim’s lead. Instead, they censor the Word of God in public educational institutions.
36:24 Neither he nor any of his attendants showed any alarm when they heard all that had been read. Nor did they tear their clothes to show any grief or sorrow.
King Jehoiakim’s cabinet did not even tear their robes in blasphemy.
36:25 The king did not even listen to Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah, who had urged him not to burn the scroll.
King Jehoiakim refused to listen to these three godly men of his court. Liberal politicians today will not listen to a man of God. The majority of today's electorate will not listen to a man of God. Those of cults, isms, liberal churches, charismatic churches, emergent churches, and seeker churches will not listen to a man of God. They will all listen to a man who tickle their ears.
If one has never studied the entire counsel of the Word of God at the deepest level, then they do not have enough Bible doctrine to even know if they are even sitting in the right church. They are most likely sitting in a cult, ism, liberal church, charismatic church, emergent church, or seeker church, but they think that they are in the right church. They may be sitting in a large mega-church which emphasizes music concerts, skits, plays, topical preaching, and feel-good sermonettes, thinking that they are in the right church. They may be attending a denominational church which their family, race, or friends have attended for years, thinking that they are in the right church. They may be sitting in a large mega-church with thousands of others, thinking that they are in the right church
Most real biblical churches teach verse-by-verse and book-by-book from the original languages. They pray as a congregation, sing maybe one song, and spend the majority of their time in deep Bible instruction of their congregation through original language studies. Since most people want their ears tickled through entertainment and feel-good semonettes, then original languages types of churches will usually be very small.
It is interesting to note that there was a small church who only had one salvation in twenty years. They thought that they were a failure. However, that one salvation was Billy Sunday. He became one of the greatest evangelists of all-time. His teachings brought thousands to the Lord Jesus Christ.
36:26 He also ordered Jerahmeel, who was one of the royal princes, Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest the scribe Baruch and the prophet Jeremiah. However, the Lord hid them.
King Jehoiakim sent out warrants for the arrest of Jeremiah and Baruch. However, Jehovah hid them. Jeremiah and Baruch were protected personally by Jehovah.
36:27 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah after Jehoiakim had burned the scroll containing what Jeremiah had spoken and Baruch had written down.
God has pronounced anyone as anathema who adds or subtracts to the Word of God. Liberals take away from the Word of God. Cults, isms, and charismatics add to the Word of God. Man can burn a scroll, censor the Bible in public schools, or add his own words to the Bible. It will cost him his eternal life. Man can never destroy the Word of God.
The Catholics add to the Bible in two different ways. They added the Apocrypha and falsely call these extra books the Word of God. They claim that when the Pope speaks ex-cathedra, that his words are equal to the written Word of God.
There are many cults and isms who add to the written Word of God. The Jehovah Witnesses teach that their Watch Tower Magazine is equal to the written Word of God. The Mormons add the Book of Mormon. The Muslims add the Koran. Seventh Day Adventists add the writings of Ellen G. White. Hinduism add may books which they falsely claim are divine, such as the Vedas, the Upanishads, and the Sutras. Judaism adds the Mishna, which they falsely claim was an additional Oral Law which was inspired by God.
Liberals take away from the Word of God by claiming that not all of the Scriptures are inspired.
All of these groups are anathema, because they add or take away from the Scriptures. They all teach a perverted gospel. See Galatians 1:8.
36:28 “Get another scroll and write on it everything that was written on the original scroll that King Jehoiakim of Judah burned.
Jeremiah was commanded to rewrite his past prophecies on the scroll.
36:29 Tell King Jehoiakim of Judah, ‘The Lord says, “You burned the scroll. You asked Jeremiah, ‘How dare you write in this scroll that the king of Babylon will certainly come and destroy this land and wipe out all the people and animals on it?’ ”
King Jehoiakim made the same mistake as modern liberals. He elevated his own human opinion above the written Word of God.
36:30 So the Lord says concerning King Jehoiakim of Judah, “None of his line will occupy the throne of David. His dead body will be thrown out to be exposed to scorching heat by day and frost by night.
The messianic seed would not come from the line of King Jehoiakim. Jehoiakim would die a violent death. His body would not receive a royal burial.
36:31 I will punish him and his descendants and the officials who serve him for the wicked things they have done. I will bring on them, the citizens of Jerusalem, and the people of Judah all the disaster that I threatened to do to them. I will punish them because I threatened them but they still paid no heed.” ’ ”
The descendants of Jehoiakim would all die by sword, starvation, or disease.
36:32 Then Jeremiah got another scroll and gave it to the scribe Baruch son of Neriah. As Jeremiah dictated, Baruch wrote on this scroll everything that had been on the scroll that King Jehoiakim of Judah burned in the fire. They also added on this scroll several other messages of the same kind.
Baruch wrote out a new scroll. His new scroll became the Book of Jeremiah.