Jeremiah 36:23 “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.”
Imagine if the prophet Jeremiah were in your city or town this morning. What if he actually read aloud the very words that he received directly from God? The very words of God from the mouth of His servant! You might be tempted to think, “I would get more from God’s Word that way. I mean, straight from the source!”
However, Jeremiah is not going to appear in front of you today. By neglecting the Holy Spirit’s guidance with God’s Word today, you can end up just like King Jehoiakim. He sliced and diced the Word of God, then threw it in the fire. “Oh, Brother Wil,” you say, “I would never do that!” To disregard God’s Word and His Spirit is no better than willfully destroying God’s Word!
The truth is, you can get as much from God’s Word as you would get if the penman were standing before you. On the other hand, you are rejecting God’s Word just as much as Jehoiakim did when you do not listen to what the Bible says. You may never rip up your Bible and burn it; but when you hear preaching, do you neglect what God is saying to you through His Word? Do you reject Bible truth that doesn’t appeal to you?
You cannot break the Word of God. When you try to break His Word, you end up breaking yourself. Whether you are cutting out parts of it, burning it, or simply disregarding it, you will not break God’s Word. God had His way with Jehoiakim and commissioned Jeremiah to write the Word of God again. God’s Word is eternally settled in heaven, and nothing you can do on this earth will change the fact that it’s settled!
We stand in jeopardy if, for any reason, we are missing what God is saying. The danger you face today is reading or hearing the Bible and ignoring it or rejecting it altogether. You cannot do better than hearing from God through His Word and by His Spirit.
Prayer Requests:
1. Services tonight in Kodiak, AK; Dixons Mills, AL; and Irmo, SC
2. West Branch Men on the Move Conference in Williams, AZ this weekend
3. Deaf Rally in Oklahoma City, OK this weekend