Jeremiah 36:24
“Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.”
An amazing statement is made about King Jehoiakim and his servants in the verse above when it says, “Yet they were not afraid…” God spoke to Jeremiah and had him write the words in a roll. When the words were read in the house of the LORD, three men thought that these words should be read to the king. After listening to the words being read, the king took his penknife and cut the roll and threw it into the fire. No one was afraid when this was done. The brazen move by this king should have caused these people to fear God’s reaction.
Jehoiakim’s problem was that he did not like what Jeremiah wrote. He thought his position could give him the power to overcome God’s judgment. This is why he and his servants did not fear what was done to the roll. They didn’t fear because they thought their past success gave them the power to change what God said He would do.
There are times when people of position do wrong and the prophet of God speaks against them. Whether the person of position is a pastor, church leader, city leader or politician, their position doesn’t change what God says He will do. There are four thoughts we must remember when the man of God speaks against our sin.
First, God’s Word doesn’t change because you change it. Jehoiakim thought he could change God’s Word by cutting the roll and throwing it into the fire, but he didn’t. Just because you twist God’s Word to fit your changing lifestyle doesn’t mean that God’s Word has changed. God’s Word is not changed just because you try to persuade people that His Word doesn’t really mean what it says.
Second, sin’s consequences don’t change because you ignore them. You can bury your head in the sand concerning the consequences of sin, but that doesn’t mean they won’t happen. You can pick your sin, but you cannot pick the consequences. Ignoring what is going to happen won’t change the course you have taken. The only thing that will change sin’s consequence is to change your actions.
Third, God’s man is not the enemy because He was used to reveal your sin. Jeremiah wasn’t Jehoiakim’s enemy; his enemy was his sin. Don’t get upset at God’s man just because your sin has been exposed. Why is God’s man a good man as long as he doesn’t speak against your sin? Friend, instead of focusing your anger against the man of God, you need to focus your anger against your sin. Attacking God’s man won’t change your sin, instead it will add to it.
Fourth, God’s power is not lessened because you attack Him. Don’t be so emboldened in your sin that you think you can attack God and get away with it. God’s power is not lessened just because you proclaim you are going nowhere. You can make all the proclamations you want, but God’s Word is true and His power will eventually overcome yours.
The best reaction to sin is to get right. Don’t be like Jehoiakim who rebelled against God’s Word. Repentance is the best action to take when you have sinned and God speaks to you about that sin through His man.