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13 Oct: The Unburnable Word
This word came to Jeremiah from the Lord. Jeremiah 36:1
Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 36:27–32
In the early nineteenth century, historian Thomas Carlyle handed a manuscript to philosopher John Stuart Mill for review. Somehow, the only copy ended up in a fire. Years of work were gone in an instant. Yet Carlyle refused to give up. He sat down and rewrote the lost chapters from memory. What seemed like a devastating setback became the path to producing his renowned work, The French Revolution.
Near the end of Judah’s declining kingdom, God gave the prophet Jeremiah an assignment:“Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you” (Jeremiah 36:2). The message revealed God’s desire to show mercy, urging His people to turn from their sins before the coming invasion arrived (verse 3).
Jeremiah obeyed and recorded God’s words. Eventually, the scroll was brought before King Jehoiakim. Instead of listening, the king cut the scroll into pieces and threw it into the fire (verses 23–25). But destroying the scroll did not erase God’s message. The Lord instructed Jeremiah to write another one containing the same words. He also pronounced judgment on Jehoiakim, saying,“[Jehoiakim] 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” (verse 30).
People may destroy a written copy of God’s Word, but they cannot destroy the truth it contains. Kings, critics, and flames cannot silence what God has spoken. His Word remains unchanged and endures forever.
By: Asher Christman
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Reflect & Pray
What has caused you or those you know to ignore the words of God? Why is it vital for you to submit to and obediently follow what He’s instructed?
Father, help me to take Your words to heart, even if they’re difficult to hear. Please give me a heart of repentance—not defiance.