Now it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, that this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: 2 “Take a scroll of a book and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel, against Judah, and against all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah even to this day. 3 It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the adversities which I purpose to bring upon them, that everyone may turn from his evil way, that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.”--Jeremiah 36:1-3
Now the king was sitting in the winter house in the ninth month, with a fire burning on the hearth before him. And it happened, when Jehudi had read three or four columns, that the king cut it with the scribe’s knife and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth. Yet they were not afraid, nor did they tear their garments, the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words. Nevertheless Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah implored the king not to burn the scroll; but he would not listen to them. And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king’s son, Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to seize Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet, but the LORD hid them.--Jeremiah 22-26
Do you hear the Father's heart for His children in the first three verses of Jeremiah 36. His heart so wants them to turn from their sin and come to Him. This brings tears to my eyes. The Lord is so ever ready to forgive. He just wants to hear you say, "I am sorry," and turn so your sin does not destroy you and put you into an eternity without Him. God had Jeremiah write all that He had spoken to His people over the last 22 years in the hopes that Judah would hear and repent. God truly gives us every opportunity to turn and come to Him. . He does everything and anything He can short of violating our free will to bring us into a relationship with Him. He gives us warning after warning and even put stumbling blocks in our paths to prevent us from sinning more egregiously.
Hebrews 10 warns us:
"For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. 29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God."
Reading on in Jeremiah 36, we see an example of someone who thinks he knows better than God. Who truly as it says in Hebrews trampled the Son of God underfoot, the Spirit of God underfoot and burned the Word of God. Fighting against God is so stupid. The king reviled God's word as evidenced by his cutting it with a knife and then burning it in the hearth by his feet. Some people just decide based on no reading nor any evidence to despise the word of God and spend their life doing just that. Maybe the king thought by destroying the word he could keep it from coming to pass. There is no escape from His word. God's word will come to pass. Check out all the prophecies that already have. Check out especially the prophecies about Jesus...the Bible was written by someone outside of time...it is a supernatural book. What He has said He is going to do. You may not believe it...you may ignore it or even trample it underfoot but you will not win...The king tried...but God's word still came to pass. It is now too late for the King to turn...but it is not too late for you.
Jesus spoke about hell more than He spoke of heaven. Most of us know the truth...we know the Gospel. We, however, continue despite that knowledge in our own stubborn, sin filled ways...fighting against God all the way. I know I did it for years until God in His graciousness and kindness to me in Christ Jesus brought me to a point where I could literally not go on without Him. Pride once picked up is a very hard thing to put down. Our Lord brought mine crashing down on my head. It got my attention like nothing else did...and you know...I will be eternally grateful to Him. Don't be eternally sorry...put down your pride...go to Him NOW...no matter what condition you are in...God doesn't care...confess your sin and need...He is looking for an excuse to be gracious to you.
Be blessed both temporally and eternally this new year....
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
“He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” -- John 3:14-21
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