Cut It Up and Throw It In The Fire?

In our Midweek Bible Study I have been teaching a series titled "Who Are You?" The focus of the series has been getting to know some little-known characters in Scripture. Ahithophel, Hobab, and Hephzibah are some of the folks we've gotten better acquainted with. Last night, we looked at Jehoiakim. Jeremiah 36:23 tells us, "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." If we had been there, our first response might have been disbelief and outrage! Someone actually cutting up God's Word and throwing it into the fire is hard to imagine...or is it? Many people mistakenly think of God's Word as a collection of "nice sayings" or "tidbits for successful living". While God's Word certainly contains some nice sayings and is a collection of wisdom for successful living, it is self-described as "powerful and sharper than a two-edged sword". The Apostle Paul describes it as "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction." The message that God had given to the prophet Jeremiah, and was delivered to Jehoiakim, was one of impending judgment. I suspect Jehoiakim didn't especially like what he heard, which led to his chop-and-burn course of action.

Here's my point...Sometimes we find God's Word offensive. It has a way of "calling us out" on our sin. It smashes our pride, laziness, lust, greed, anger, and the list goes on. If we aren't careful, our response can be the same as Jehoiakim. No, we may not physically cut up God's Word and throw it in the fire. But we can choose to ignore its message or scorn its truths. Either way, the result is the same.