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Jeremiah’s Scribe
The book of Jeremiah provides us with some unique glimpses into the writing process of the Bible. Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe, is actually participating in the transmission and preservation of God’s Word. In Jeremiah 36:4, Jeremiah calls Baruch and—as he dictates a message to the people—Baruch copies it all down on a parchment scroll. This is an excellent illustration of how inspiration works. First, God does not physically take control of the prophet Jeremiah and move his hand as he writes. Rather, God gives Jeremiah visions and messages. Normally the prophet then formulates the message and writes it down. In this particular case, Jeremiah himself did not do the writing but dictated to Baruch, who then wrote it down. Baruch also communicates the message in public. Because Jeremiah is out of favor in the court and has been denied access to the temple, Baruch reads the prophetic message in the temple on a holy day. Baruch never claims to be speaking for himself or even for Jeremiah; the message comes from God.
Read the story of Hananiah in Jeremiah 28. In what ways does this narrative reveal the principle revealed in Isaiah 8:20?
God’s message does not flatter or bend to public opinion. It is not always, or even very often, “politically correct.” Nor does God’s message contradict itself; human interpretations of the message might be contradictory, but never the message itself.
In Jeremiah 28:7–9, the prophet refers to the unity of Scripture built on the firm foundation of fulfilled prophecy. The false prophet’s untimely death in this chapter vividly reinforces this important principle.
The point is that God has given us not only His Word but also very good reasons for trusting in that Word, even when we come to parts that we don’t understand or sections that offend our sensibilities. The Bible doesn’t save us, Jesus does; but He has revealed Himself to us more fully in the Scriptures than He has anywhere else.
There are many forces at work to weaken our trust in the Word of God. Identify some of those forces and ask yourself how you can protect yourself from them. After all, if we stop trusting in the messages of the Bible, what is left to trust in?
| MONDAY | December 20 |
The book of Jeremiah provides us with some unique glimpses into the writing process of the Bible. Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe, is actually participating in the transmission and preservation of God’s Word. In Jeremiah 36:4, Jeremiah calls Baruch and—as he dictates a message to the people—Baruch copies it all down on a parchment scroll. This is an excellent illustration of how inspiration works. First, God does not physically take control of the prophet Jeremiah and move his hand as he writes. Rather, God gives Jeremiah visions and messages. Normally the prophet then formulates the message and writes it down. In this particular case, Jeremiah himself did not do the writing but dictated to Baruch, who then wrote it down. Baruch also communicates the message in public. Because Jeremiah is out of favor in the court and has been denied access to the temple, Baruch reads the prophetic message in the temple on a holy day. Baruch never claims to be speaking for himself or even for Jeremiah; the message comes from God.
Read the story of Hananiah in Jeremiah 28. In what ways does this narrative reveal the principle revealed in Isaiah 8:20?
God’s message does not flatter or bend to public opinion. It is not always, or even very often, “politically correct.” Nor does God’s message contradict itself; human interpretations of the message might be contradictory, but never the message itself.
In Jeremiah 28:7–9, the prophet refers to the unity of Scripture built on the firm foundation of fulfilled prophecy. The false prophet’s untimely death in this chapter vividly reinforces this important principle.
The point is that God has given us not only His Word but also very good reasons for trusting in that Word, even when we come to parts that we don’t understand or sections that offend our sensibilities. The Bible doesn’t save us, Jesus does; but He has revealed Himself to us more fully in the Scriptures than He has anywhere else.
There are many forces at work to weaken our trust in the Word of God. Identify some of those forces and ask yourself how you can protect yourself from them. After all, if we stop trusting in the messages of the Bible, what is left to trust in?
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