In Jeremiah 36 we have the horrifying story of when some men came to read God's Word to Jehoiakim. But instead of listening intently and taking instruction from the Lord, Jehoiakim tore off little pieces of the scroll as the men were reading it and tossed those pieces into the fire. Bit by bit, he eventually burned the entire scroll.
In the story of his father Josiah, we see the righteous person's response to God's Word: tearing of robes, or sorrow.
"When the king [Josiah] heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes" - 2 Chronicles 34:19
But in the story of the son Jehoiakim, we see the other end of the spectrum; the wicked person's response to God's Word: tearing the Word.
When we think of people burning God's Word, we think of nations that suffer from extreme opposition to Christianity. But what if we, as Christ's followers, did the same thing in our hearts? We may not physically tear a page from the Bible and set it on fire, but what if we tear a message from our hearts, erase God's instruction from our mind and cast it away? Ever have a thought like this:
"I know it's wrong... but..."
"I shouldn't really enjoy this... but..."
It's easy to point a condemning finger at Jehoiakim for tearing pieces out of God's Word, however, I know in my own life there has been times that I've willingly thrown away bits and pieces of God's commands. I'm sure we've all done it—tried to justify something we know is wrong, saying it "could be worse" or "not as bad as what other people are doing".
Join me and let's hold ourselves to a higher standard; to God's standard. Let's be people like Josiah, not Jehoiakim. Let's respond to God's commands with sincerity and devotion. If we catch ourselves ripping out a little bit of God's word, let's confess it and correct it. Otherwise, like Jehoiakim, we eventually could rip out commands bit by bit until the entire Word of God has been thrown out of our heart.
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