In this chapter Jeremiah dictates a prophetic scroll and has the scribe / secretary read it for King Jehoiakim and all of Judah to hear.
“Now after the king had burned the scroll with the words that Baruch wrote at Jeremiah’s dictation, the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ‘Take another scroll and write on it all the former words that were in the first scroll… And concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah you shall say, “…Therefore thus says the Lord concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall have none to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out to the heat by day and the frost by night. And I will punish him and his offspring and his servants for their iniquity…” ‘ ” (v27-31a abr)
Many Judean officials, including some in the king’s court, took the words of God / Jeremiah / Baruch very seriously and wanted to repent of their evil ways. When the king heard the words, he burned the scroll and had no intention of heeding God’s warning. By doing this he brought consequences for his sin upon his family (including disqualifying future generations from the royal lineage), and upon the entire Judean people.
I’m not sure how you think, though I’ve sometimes rationalized my sins as “I’m only hurting myself”. What Satan doesn’t want us to know is: no sin only affects us alone. We may not be rulers of millions, however, when we blatantly sin and reject God’s word our souls are affected. If we get too far down a dark path, we can’t help but influence those around us in unrighteous ways.
Let’s pray for soft hearts and willing spirits so that we may accept God’s words when we hear / read them, and listen for His voice. The more open we are to His correction, the less likely we are to become influencers for evil. Our goal should be to influence others for Christ’s / God’s glory, and for their salvation – not the other way around.
Father God, our Most High Creator, Lord of Heaven and Earth, the Great I Am, we praise Your holy and mighty name. Thank you for creating us in Your image, so we may bear the image of Jesus to those around us. May we earnestly and humbly seek Your guidance and correction, knowing that our Christlikeness will positively influence our neighbors for Jesus’ kingdom. May we do this joyfully and consistently all of our remaining days. All honor, glory and praise be unto You, forever and ever, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training