The book Baruch writes for Jeremiah and which the king burns
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¶ And it came to pass in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah
king of Judah, that this word came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
2 Take thee a roll of a book, and write therein all the words that
I have spoken unto thee against Israel, and against Judah, and against
all the nations, from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah,
even unto this day.
.3 It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do unto them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin. .4 Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah: and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the LORD, which he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book. 1 - Fourth year of Jehoiakim That would be about 604 BC. The chapters are not arranged chronologically. The events involving the book follow Jeremiah's strong message je20 for which he was imprisoned. 2 - Roll of a book Probably a leather scroll. Parchment was not used until the second century BC. 2 - All nations The message of chapter 25 je25. 3 - It may be A lesson for us to continue to work for the salvation of souls even when it seems hopeless. Of course the time may come when the doors are closed or when we need to invest our energy in more promising prospects. When met with rejection, we can still pray. 4 - Baruch A man who was faithful to the Lord and well educated. He likely edited and wrote portions of the book. We recognize the whole book as inspired. Image ©
Goodsalt.com.
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And Jeremiah commanded Baruch, saying, I am shut up; I cannot go into the
house of the LORD:
6 Therefore go thou, and read in the roll, which thou hast written from my mouth, the words of the LORD in the ears of the people in the LORD'S house upon the fasting day: and also thou shalt read them in the ears of all Judah that come out of their cities. 7 It may be they will present their supplication before the LORD, and will return every one from his evil way: for great is the anger and the fury that the LORD hath pronounced against this people. 8 And Baruch the son of Neriah did according to all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading in the book the words of the LORD in the LORD'S house. |
5 -
I
am shut up in prison.
6 - Fasting day A time called for a special purpose 2ch2001ff, jl0215. Baruch took Jeremiah's role, both writing and preaching. 6 - Go In the next year. See verse 9. "An extraordinary fast, in the ninth month (whereas the fast on the great day of atonement was on the tenth day of the seventh month, Le 16:29, 23:27-32), appointed to avert the impending calamity, when it was feared Nebuchadnezzar, having in the year before (that is, the fourth of Jehoiakim), smitten Pharaoh-necho at Carchemish, would attack Judea, as the ally of Egypt (2Ki 23:34,35). The fast was likely to be an occasion on which Jeremiah would find the Jews more softened, as well as a larger number of them met together." (JFB). |
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¶ And it came to pass in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah
king of Judah, in the ninth month, that they proclaimed a fast before the
LORD to all the people in Jerusalem, and to all the people that came from
the cities of Judah unto Jerusalem.
.10 Then read Baruch in the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the LORD, in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the higher court, at the entry of the new gate of the LORD'S house, in the ears of all the people. 11 When Michaiah the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book all the words of the LORD, |
10 - New gate Perhaps part of the reconstruction under Hilkiah and Shaphan 2ki2203ff. |
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Then he went down into the king's house, into the scribe's chamber: and,
lo, all the princes sat there, even Elishama the scribe, and Delaiah the
son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan the son of Achbor, and Gemariah the son of
Shaphan,
and Zedekiah the son of Hananiah, and all the princes.
13 Then Michaiah declared unto them all the words that he had heard, when Baruch read the book in the ears of the people. 14 Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, unto Baruch, saying, Take in thine hand the roll wherein thou hast read in the ears of the people, and come. So Baruch the son of Neriah took the roll in his hand, and came unto them. 15 And they said unto him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears. So Baruch read it in their ears. |
12
- Into the king's house The Lord sends people to bear His
message.
14 - Princes sent Jehudi Take ... the roll. The princes ordered him to sit down and read according to verse 15. |
| 16 Now it came to pass,
when they had heard all the words, they were afraid both one and other,
and said unto Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words.
17 And they asked Baruch, saying, Tell us now, How didst thou write all these words at his mouth? 18 Then Baruch answered them, He pronounced all these words unto me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book. 19 Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye be. |
18
- The words of the book were those of Jeremiah
19 - Go hide We realize he was not physically confined at this point as in v5. |
| 20 ¶ And they went in
to the king into the court, but they laid up the roll in the chamber of
Elishama the scribe, and told all the words in the ears of the king.
21 So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll: and he took it out of Elishama the scribe's chamber. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes which stood beside the king. .22 Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him. |
20
- Roll in the chamber "There were chambers in the king's
palace round the court or great hall, as in the temple [v10].
The roll was "laid up" there for safekeeping, with other public records.
22 - Winterhouse Probably a south part of the palace am0315. It was obviously heated. The events occurred in the winter. Compare am0315. |
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And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he
cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth,
until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.
24 Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words. .25 Nevertheless Elnathan and Delaiah and Gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them. 26 But the king commanded Jerahmeel the son of Hammelech, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet: but the LORD hid them. |
23
- Read three or four leaves Rather "... columns." The "the
law, and the [other] sacred Hebrew Books, are written in columns of a certain
breadth. ... delathoth, signifies gates or openings between column
and column, or between section and section." (Clarke)
24 - Hardened "The king and his 'servants' were more hardened than the 'princes' and councillors. ... Contrast the humble fear exhibited by Josiah at the reading of the law (2Ki 22:11)." (JFB). 26 - The Lord hid them Their hiding v19 involved divine providence. |
| 27 Then the word of
the LORD came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and
the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,
28 Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned. 29 And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thus saith the LORD; Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein, saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast? |
28
- Another roll The wicked king had not solved his problem
by burning the scroll. The new one would have more bad news for the king
and his princes as can be seen in the rest of this chapter.
29 - Thou shalt say Did you ever think it would be fun to be a prophet? Jeremiah's courage may strengthen our faith. How easily we are turned out of the path of righteousness, and how reluctant to plead with sinners. |
| 30 Therefore thus saith
the LORD of Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the
throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the
heat, and in the night to the frost.
31 And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not. 32 Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the son of Neriah; who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire: and there were added besides unto them many like words. |
30
- None to sit Jehoiakim was essentially the final king of
the time and the final opportunity to follow the advice of God's prophet.
Although his son, Jehoichin 2ki2406,
took over, it was only for three months 2ki2408.
32 - Another roll Has your computer hard drive crashed or did you lose a large file which you should have backed up? I expect the new book was even better than the first. |
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