TREMBLE AT GOD’S WORD (3)

“Yet they were not afraid, nor did they tear their garments, the king nor any of his servants who heard all these words” – Jeremiah 36:24

Judah’s Jehoiakim is one detestable example of a person who chose to rebel rather than TREMBLE AT GOD’S WORD: “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” (Jer.36:23-24). After listening to the Word of God that Jeremiah had dictated to his secretary, Baruch, and being read by one of the king’s officials, Jehudi. Jehoiakim was so angry at the prophecies of God’s judgment that he burnt the scroll as if that would prevent the prophecies from coming to pass. What a foolish act! He treated God’s Word despicably but didn’t get away with it!

The king’s foolish action was an open rebellion against God. But he could burn the scroll; he couldn’t burn the Word of God. His Word cannot be stopped or destroyed. Paul said that he suffered trouble as an evildoer, even to the point of chains; but the Word of God was not chained (2Tim.2:9). God gave Jeremiah the burnt message again and added more (v.32). It was unfortunate that Jehoiakim didn’t emulate his father, Josiah, a good king, who had trembled at the Word of the LORD when the Book of the Law was found and he heard the content. He tore his clothes and commanded that an enquiry be made from the LORD for him, the people and all Judah, concerning the words of the book (2 Kgs 22:12-13). Josiah’s tearing of his garments was an outward show of remorse. He went further to tear down idol shrines and restore obedience to God’s Law (2Kgs.23:19-25). These were the very opposite of his son’s rebellious response.

There are always consequences for disrespecting God and His Word. Jehoiakim, though born by a godly father, was a godless tyrant who committed atrocious sins. Because of the impenitent sin of the nation of Judah, God sent invading armies to capture and enslave them. Jehoiakim was taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar who carted him off in chains to Babylon (2Kgs.24:2; 2Chr.36:6). He was later returned to Jerusalem having acted as Nebuchadnezzar’s servant for three years and paying tribute to him. It was during the time that he served as a vassal in Babylon that Jeremiah prophesied in Jerusalem, to the effect that the Babylonian invasion was God’s punishment for Judah’s sin and called the nation to repent. Jehoiakim requested that Jeremiah’s scroll be read in his court, and there, he tried to destroy God’s Word.

Jehoiakim reigned eleven years, but in servitude to Egypt’s Pharaoh (2Kgs.23:36). Jeremiah rewrote the burnt scroll, including pronouncing judgement on Jehoiakim: “He shall have no one to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat of the day and the frost of the night” (v.30b). Again, “He shall be buried with the burial of a donkey, dragged and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem” (Jer.22:19). The prophecy was fulfilled when, in the eleventh year of his reign, Jehoiakim stopped paying tribute to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar responded by besieging Jerusalem, and Jehoiakim was killed (2Chr.36:5).

One vital lesson from Jehoiakim’s life is that godly parentage does not necessarily guarantee godly children. Many times, in the history of Israel and Judah, the Bible records that the children of good kings and prophets “did evil in the sight of the Lord” and did not follow the paths of their fathers (2Kgs.21:1-2; 1Sam.8:3). God holds each individual responsible for his or her obedience to His direction (Dt.24:16). King Jehoiakim’s wilful rejection of God’s Word and his subsequent fate are a perfect illustration of the folly of disobedience: “He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy” (Pro.29:1). Let’s learn to tremble at God’s Word!