King Jehoiakim... completely open about his rebellion to and rejection of God's Word...
As he listened to Jeremiah's book of prophecy read to him... he'd stop every so often... cut the piece out of the scroll... and throw it into the fire...
Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it
from the chamber of Elishama the secretary. And Jehudi
read it to the king and all the officials who stood beside
the king. It was the ninth month, and the king was sitting
in the winter house, and there was a fire burning in the
fire pot, before him. As Jehudi read three or four columns,
the king would cut them off with a knife and throw them
into the fire in the fire pot, until the entire scroll was consumed
in the fire that was in the fire pot. Yet neither the king nor
any of his servants who heard all these words was afraid,
nor did they tear their garments. Even when Elnathan
and Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn
the scroll, he would not listen to them.
Jeremiah 36:21-25 ESV
King Jehoiachim... had no fear of the Lord...
King Zedekiah... he approached Jeremiah multiple times... both openly and secretly... asking for intercession and seeking what God had to say...
Yet... he took God's Word... as one of many options... if it didn't sound good to him... or didn't meet with his understanding of the situation... he rejected it...
King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and received him
at the third entrance of the temple of the Lord. The king said
to Jeremiah, "I will ask you a question; hide nothing from me."
Jeremiah said to Zedekiah,
"If I tell you, will you not surely put me to death?
And if I give you counsel, you will not listen to me."
Jeremiah 38:14-15 ESV
King Zedekiah... feared man... more than God...
One openly rebellious. One diplomatic.
Both completely disobedient.
There is only one way to receive God's Word... as what it is... God's Word...
He is... and has... the final Word.
How do you handle God's Word...?
Do you openly reject it...? rebel against it...? see it as a book written by men...?
Do you deceive yourself...? constantly consulting...? but only taking what sounds good...?
Or... do you actually receive it as what it is...? God's Word to obey...?
I've invited you many times in these writings to join The Journey...
today... I ask you to be discerning...
If you have no intention of obeying what you read...
honestly wrestling with it... as God's Word...
don't... read... it...
Disobedience to His Word... hardens your heart... once you know what His Word is...
So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it,
for him it is sin.
James 4:14 ESV
This week's readings...
Monday Jeremiah 41-42
Tuesday Jeremiah 43-44
Wednesday Jeremiah 45-47
Thursday Jeremiah 48
Friday Jeremiah 49
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