July 24

July 24

Jehoiakim (Southern King 11 years) -- Jeremiah's prophecy (70 years) to Jehoiakim destroyed.

Today's Readings:

Reading 1: 2 Kings 24:1-7

Reading 2: Jeremiah 25:1-14

Reading 3: Jeremiah 36

We have been reading that God is using the surrounding nations, especially Babylon, as His instruments of judgment on the sinful nation of Judah, just as He did with Assyria against the nation of Israel.

Jeremiah has been prophesying for 23 years about the consequences of Judah's sin, and now God tells him to write out the prophecies in full. But wicked king Jehoiakim refuses to respond to the prophecies as they are read. Instead, he cuts them off the scroll and burns them in the fire!

Such callous disregard for God's words illustrates the hardness of heart that God was determined to erase from Judah. And don't think that being a prophet (or the prophet's scribe) were easy jobs! Both Jeremiah and Baruch have to hide to avoid execution, and then they rewrite the scrolls Jehoiakim had burned. All that work repeated in obedience to God!

Have a great day!

Mark.