Daily Devotional For Wednesday, August 5, 2026
Good morning Southside! Our daily devotional for today comes from Jeremiah 36:21-26:
“The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll. Jehudi brought it from Elishama’s room and read it to the king as all his officials stood by. (22) It was late autumn, and the king was in a winterized part of the palace, sitting in front of a fire to keep warm.(23) Each time Jehudi finished reading three or four columns, the king took a knife and cut off that section of the scroll. He then threw it into the fire, section by section, until the whole scroll was burned up (24) Neither the king nor his attendants showed any signs of fear or repentance at what they heard. (25) Even when Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah begged the king not to burn the scroll, he wouldn’t listen. (26) Then the king commanded his son Jerahmeel, Seraiah son of Azriel, and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest Baruch and Jeremiah. But the LORD had hidden them” (NLT).
Our text sits in the context of the first few verses of Jeremiah 36 where God told Jeremiah to write some scrolls to be given to the king Jehoiakim. Jeremiah summoned a person by the name of Baruch ben Neriah (Jer. 36:4) to write down on these scrolls the prophecies the Lord was giving him to give to the king, but the king will have not only refused to listen to them, he will have the scrolls destroyed. Puritan pastor Thomas Watson said this:
“We may know the Scripture to be the Word of God by its miraculous preservation in all ages. The holy Scriptures are the richest jewel that Christ has left us; and the church of God has so kept these public records of heaven, that they have not been lost. The Word of God has never wanted enemies to oppose, and, if possible, to extirpate it … but God has preserved this blessed Book inviolable to this day. The devil and his agents have been blowing at Scripture light, but could never blow it out; a clear sign that it was lighted from heaven” (Source: Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity, p. 27).
Watson’s point is that history is full of people who attempted to destroy God’s word, God’s message and those who brought it. The good news is – all have been unsuccessful. This reminds us of Jesus’ promise in Matthew 24:35. In our passage, we have King Jehoiakim in the winter part of his palace trying to stay warm. What does he use to fuel his fire – scrolls with God’s word. Had Jehoiakim been completely successful, we would not have the Book of Jeremiah today. We know when Jehoiakim became king, and he is now in his fourth year as king, so we can place this around 605 BC. This is the year King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon defeated the Egyptians at Carcemesh and when Nebuchadnezzar was also attacking Judah and Jerusalem.
The words that Barach ben Neriah wrote down as given to him by Jeremiah were not Jeremiah’s words, but the Lord’s as given to Jeremiah. Scripture has a way of causing people today in our culture and the church to resist, refuse and resent God’s word. Jehoiakim was no different. Jehoiakim’s desire to use God’s scrolls/word as fuel for his fire to keep him warm, he is now experiencing for all eternity the fires of hell for rejecting it. He wanted to be warm, he will be for all eternity. Like so many people today, they doubt God’s divine judgment, even those who claim to be a Christian. Most people love 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 but most do not like God’s divine warning of judgment as given in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10? What is so shocking about Jehoiakim’s reaction is not his stupidity, but his defiance. Read Jeremiah 36:24-26. No fear or respect of the Lord, just mockery. Jehoiakim’s reaction was totally different than King Josiah’s reaction when the Law of Moses was found in 2 Kings 22:11.
This reminds me of Dwight Moody’s response in comparing Josiah to Jehoiakim when he said this: “Either the Bible will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from the Bible” (Source: Phillip G. Ryken, Preach The Lord, “Jeremiah and Lamentations: From Sorrow To Hope (p. 554). Crossway Books.
This passage makes it clear that those who intentionally engage in a lifestyle where they intentionally choose the sins mentioned in Corinthians 6:9-10, they WILL NOT enter the kingdom of heaven. This does not sit well in our culture today and not even in some churches. We pride ourselves on our open-mindedness, inclusiveness, tolerance as we shred God’s Word and use it to mock the Lord who gave it to us. Or, we say, “I don’t accept that or believe that”or “I don’t believe in that type of God.”
If your doctor said to you, “Your test results are back and you have stage 4 pancreatic cancer,” your attitude of, “Well, I don’t accept that or believe that” does not nullify the test results. In the end, God will not be mocked (Gal. 6:7). God’s divine judgment will come to those who mock Him and His Word. Most people love Jesus’ words in John 3:16-17, but not His words in John 9:36-41.
Reflection Assignment: Where do you see people and even some Christians mocking God’s word with their rejection, defiance and unbelief in the words of judgment in it? Are there any areas where you exhibit this type of attitude and/or actions?
Scripture To Meditate On: Ephesians 5:6, “Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey Him” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, please forgive me when I mock You and Your Word. I do not want to be defiant, rebellious or resistant to Your will or Your word. Help me with my doubts and struggles to surrender to You and Your word. I love You Lord, In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly