Jeremiah 36:2
"Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah, and all the nations, from the day I first spoke to you during the reign of Josiah until today.
“Take a scroll and write on it

God commanded that His spoken revelation be preserved in written form. The scroll would provide a durable record that could be read publicly, copied, and remembered beyond Jeremiah’s own lifetime. Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe, would later write the words as Jeremiah dictated them (Jeremiah 36:4).

Isa 8:1 Then the LORD said to me, “Take a large scroll…
Exo 17:14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll…
Rev 1:11 “Write on a scroll what you see and send it”…

all the words I have spoken to you

Jeremiah was not to record personal reflections or selected messages, but the full body of God’s revealed word entrusted to him. The written scroll carried divine authority because its contents came from the Lord through His prophet.

Ezk 3:10 “Son of man,” He added, “listen carefully…”…
Deu 18:18-19 I will raise up for them a prophet like you…
Jer 1:7 But the LORD told me: “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’…

concerning Israel, Judah, and all the nations,

God’s rule extended over the northern kingdom of Israel, the southern kingdom of Judah, and every surrounding people. His judgments and promises showed that no nation stood outside His authority. The recorded prophecies would testify both to Judah’s covenant accountability and to God’s sovereign purpose among the nations.

Jer 30:4 These are the words that the LORD spoke concerning…
Jer 25:13 I will bring upon that land all the words…
Jer 1:10 See, I have appointed you today over nations and kingdoms…

from the day I first spoke to you during the reign of Josiah

Jeremiah’s ministry began in Josiah’s thirteenth year (Jeremiah 1:2), during a period of reform in Judah. Although Josiah sought to restore worship according to God’s Law, the nation’s later rebellion revealed that outward reform had not produced enduring repentance in many hearts.

Jer 1:2-3 The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah in the thirteenth year…
2Ki 22:1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king,…
2Ch 34:1 Josiah was eight years old when he became king,…

until today.

The scroll gathered years of prophetic warning into a single testimony during Jehoiakim’s reign. God had repeatedly called His people to turn from sin before judgment came. Recording those words demonstrated both the certainty of the coming judgment and the Lord’s continuing readiness to forgive those who repented (Jeremiah 36:3).

Jer 25:3 From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon…
Jer 7:25 From the day your fathers came out of Egypt…
Jer 11:7 For from the time I brought your fathers…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jeremiah
A prophet called by God to deliver His messages to the people of Judah and Jerusalem. He is known for his perseverance in delivering God's word despite opposition.

2. Baruch
Jeremiah's scribe who wrote down the words of the Lord as dictated by Jeremiah. He played a crucial role in preserving the prophetic messages.

3. Jehoiakim
The king of Judah during whose reign this event took place. He is known for his resistance to Jeremiah's prophecies and for burning the scroll.

4. Josiah
The former king of Judah, during whose reign Jeremiah began his prophetic ministry. Josiah was known for his reforms and efforts to return Judah to the worship of Yahweh.

5. The Scroll
A physical representation of God's word, which was to be written and read to the people, signifying the importance of recording and preserving divine revelation.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Scripture
God's command to write His words on a scroll underscores the importance of Scripture as a permanent and authoritative record of His will.

Preservation of God's Word
The act of writing ensures that God's messages are preserved for future generations, highlighting the enduring nature of His truth.

Obedience to God's Commands
Jeremiah's obedience in dictating God's words to Baruch serves as a model for our own obedience to God's instructions, even when faced with opposition.

The Role of Scribes and Recorders
Baruch's role as a scribe illustrates the importance of those who faithfully record and transmit God's word, a task that continues in various forms today.

The Power of God's Word
Despite King Jehoiakim's attempt to destroy the scroll, God's word remained powerful and effective, demonstrating that human efforts cannot thwart divine purposes.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the instruction to write on a scroll in Jeremiah 36:2 reflect the importance of preserving God's word for future generations?

2. In what ways can we ensure that the teachings of Scripture are effectively communicated and preserved in our own lives and communities?

3. How does the role of Baruch as a scribe inform our understanding of the importance of those who work to preserve and disseminate God's word today?

4. What parallels can you draw between the opposition faced by Jeremiah and Baruch and the challenges faced by Christians today in sharing God's word?

5. How can the account of King Josiah's reforms inspire us to seek personal and communal renewal through engagement with Scripture?
Connections to Other Scriptures
2 Kings 22-23
Relates to King Josiah's reforms and the rediscovery of the Book of the Law, highlighting the importance of written Scripture in guiding the people back to God.

Isaiah 30:8
Emphasizes the importance of writing down God's words for future generations, ensuring that His messages endure beyond the immediate audience.

Revelation 1:11
John is instructed to write down what he sees, similar to Jeremiah's instruction, underscoring the continuity of God's command to document His revelations.
The Written WordS. Conway Jeremiah 36:2
Vicarious Ministry in Holy ThingsA.F. Muir Jeremiah 36:1-8
Hearers of God's WordS. Conway Jeremiah 36:1-32
People
Abdeel, Achbor, Azriel, Baruch, Cushi, David, Delaiah, Elishama, Elnathan, Gemariah, Hammelech, Hananiah, Jehoiakim, Jehudi, Jerahmeel, Jeremiah, Josiah, Micah, Micaiah, Michaiah, Neriah, Nethaniah, Seraiah, Shaphan, Shelemiah, Shemaiah, Zedekiah
Places
Babylon, Jerusalem, New Gate
Topics
Book, Hast, Josiah, Josi'ah, Judah, Nations, Reign, Roll, Scroll, Spake, Speaking, Spoke, Spoken, Therein, Till, Written
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Jeremiah 36:2

     1443   revelation, OT
     5263   communication
     5515   scroll

Jeremiah 36:1-4

     1431   prophecy, OT methods

Library
Jeremiah's Roll Burned and Reproduced
'Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch ... who wrote therein ... all the words of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire, and there were added besides unto them many like words.'--JER. xxxvi. 32. This story brings us into the presence of the long death agony of the Jewish monarchy. The wretched Jehoiakim, the last king but two who reigned in Jerusalem, was put on the throne by the King of Egypt, as his tributary, and used by him as a buffer to bear the brunt
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Growth of the Old Testament Prophetic Histories
[Sidenote: Analogies between the influences that produced the two Testaments] Very similar influences were at work in producing and shaping both the Old and the New Testaments; only in the history of the older Scriptures still other forces can be distinguished. Moreover, the Old Testament contains a much greater variety of literature. It is also significant that, while some of the New Testament books began to be canonized less than a century after they were written, there is clear evidence that
Charles Foster Kent—The Origin & Permanent Value of the Old Testament

On the Interpretation of Scripture
IT is a strange, though familiar fact, that great differences of opinion exist respecting the Interpretation of Scripture. All Christians receive the Old and New Testament as sacred writings, but they are not agreed about the meaning which they attribute to them. The book itself remains as at the first; the commentators seem rather to reflect the changing atmosphere of the world or of the Church. Different individuals or bodies of Christians have a different point of view, to which their interpretation
Frederick Temple—Essays and Reviews: The Education of the World

The Secret of Its Greatness
[Illustration: (drop cap G) The Great Pyramid] God always chooses the right kind of people to do His work. Not only so, He always gives to those whom He chooses just the sort of life which will best prepare them for the work He will one day call them to do. That is why God put it into the heart of Pharaoh's daughter to bring up Moses as her own son in the Egyptian palace. The most important part of Moses' training was that his heart should be right with God, and therefore he was allowed to remain
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making

The Essay which Brings up the Rear in this Very Guilty Volume is from The...
The Essay which brings up the rear in this very guilty volume is from the pen of the "Rev. Benjamin Jowett, M.A., [Fellow and Tutor of Balliol College, and] Regius Professor of Greek in the University of Oxford,"--"a gentleman whose high personal character and general respectability seem to give a weight to his words, which assuredly they do not carry of themselves [143] ." His performance is entitled "On the Interpretation of Scripture:" being, in reality, nothing else but a laborious denial of
John William Burgon—Inspiration and Interpretation

Jeremiah
The interest of the book of Jeremiah is unique. On the one hand, it is our most reliable and elaborate source for the long period of history which it covers; on the other, it presents us with prophecy in its most intensely human phase, manifesting itself through a strangely attractive personality that was subject to like doubts and passions with ourselves. At his call, in 626 B.C., he was young and inexperienced, i. 6, so that he cannot have been born earlier than 650. The political and religious
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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