Jeremiah 36

These two chapters reflect on events from twenty years ago when Jehoiakim was king.

• In 605 BC, during the fourth year of Jehoiakim's reign, Nebuchadnezzar first attacked Jerusalem (see study note on Daniel 1:1).

• In those days, a scroll was a roll made of papyrus or leather strips joined edge to edge and rolled up.

• This description of Jehoiakim’s cynical response to God's call for repentance and obedience (Jeremiah 36:3, 7) highlights the hopelessness of the situation.

• Nowhere else does the Old Testament offer such detailed information about preserving spoken messages in written form.

The Lord gave the people of Judah many chances to repent. God wanted the messages of judgment to not only alarm them but also to make them aware of the consequences of idol worship. If they listened to the warning, repented, and sincerely worshiped the one true God, he would forgive their sins and wrongdoings.

Jeremiah was not skilled in writing, so he hired a scribe named Baruch. In their private quarters, Jeremiah recited messages from memory. It is unclear if Baruch helped with the composition or arrangement, or if he just wrote down exactly what Jeremiah said.

Jeremiah was either a prisoner under house arrest or banished from the Temple grounds.

The next day of fasting was a national festival, but it is unclear which one (none of the annual festivals happened in the ninth month; see study note on Jeremiah 36:8–9). Reading the scroll to the crowd in the Temple put Baruch at risk of arrest or attack.

• Jeremiah explained why he wrote the scroll (Jeremiah 36:3) and read it to the public.

• Perhaps...each one will turn from his wicked way: The people could still receive the Lord's forgiveness and avoid his anger.

Baruch wrote Jeremiah's messages from the Lord on the scroll. A day of fasting was announced near the end of 604 BC. Baruch followed Jeremiah's order to read the scroll in the Temple, where many people gathered in the courtyard.

• From the chamber of Gemariah...Baruch read: Baruch got permission from this high official to read to the public. This elevated spot near the New Gate entrance was close to where Jeremiah's public trial had happened a few years earlier (Jeremiah 26:10).

• Gemariah had a godly heritage. His father, Shaphan, took part in Josiah's reading of the scrolls found in the Temple (2 Kings 22:8–10).

Micaiah understood the importance of the Lord's messages that Baruch read. He ensured the palace officials knew what was said.

The palace officials acted quickly. When they heard Baruch reading Jeremiah's messages, they became frightened and decided to inform the king.

The officials wanted to learn where the scroll came from and what its messages meant.

The officials respected Jeremiah and Baruch by advising them to hide. They respected the Lord's messages by safely storing the scroll before informing the king.

Jehudi was well educated and might have been a scribe. Only the elite learned to read and write.

Jehoiakim was so hostile and stubborn that after hearing three or four columns of the scroll, he cut off the section with a sharp knife and threw it into the fire. Jehoiakim’s father, Josiah, reacted very differently when he heard the newly discovered Book of the Law (2 Kings 22:11).

The three officials who asked the king not to destroy the scroll likely held powerful positions. Jehoiakim did not punish them for trying to save Jeremiah's scroll.

After the Lord hid them, no one revealed Jeremiah and Baruch's location. The Lord can protect his servants.

While hiding, Jeremiah and Baruch copied all the messages from the destroyed scroll onto a new papyrus roll. No human king can destroy God's words. Instead, God sentenced Jehoiakim to death.

To die without heirs or a proper burial was considered the worst fate (see Jeremiah 22:19; Ecclesiastes 6:3). Jehoiakim’s son, Jehoiachin, ruled for only three months. Unlike his father, Jehoiachin heeded Jeremiah’s warning and surrendered to the Babylonians. They took him and others to Babylon as captives (Jeremiah 22:24–30; 2 Kings 24:8–16).