The passage

1In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2“Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah and all the other nations from the time I began speaking to you in the reign of Josiah till now. 3Perhaps when the people of Judah hear about every disaster I plan to inflict on them, they will each turn from their wicked ways; then I will forgive their wickedness and their sin.”

Also referenced today

The shape of the message

1. Setting: a nation under threat and a king hearing God’s word
2. God’s word written and read publicly through Jeremiah and Baruch
3. Leaders’ response and the scroll brought into the royal court
4. Jehoiakim’s defiance: cutting the scroll and burning it
5. God’s response: the words rewritten, republished, and preserved
6. Final contrast and warning: the king judged, the word enduring

Questions to hold while you listen

• Where do you see the difference between having access to truth and submitting to it in Jeremiah 36?
• What are some ways people “cut” Scripture today without ever burning a Bible?
• Why do you think only three leaders protested when the scroll was burned, and what does that reveal about complacency?
• How does the contrast between Josiah and Jehoiakim clarify what a right response to God’s word looks like?
• When God’s word exposes something in you, what tends to happen next—repentance that softens, or resistance that hardens?

Notes

This week

Pay attention to any part of Scripture you feel tempted to ignore because it confronts you—repentance, holiness, sexual purity, generosity, or forgiveness. Choose to submit instead of trimming it to fit your lifestyle.