Day 204 – Jehoiakim (Southern King 11 years) #2

• Continuing with in the reign of Jehoiakim, today’s readings once again focus on the major prophet of the day, Jeremiah. Meaning, Jehoiakim is busy trying to work out which foreign king to pal up with (should it be the Babylonians, or the Egyptians?); he ends up offering himself to both, when of course it should have been neither.
• According to the words we read in Jeremiah 25, how long had Jeremiah been speaking God’s messages to the people of Judah? Had the people listened? How would you feel if you were Jeremiah, sharing a message to a people who ignored it?
• What prophecy did Jeremiah give about the destruction of Jerusalem? How long does God, in Jeremiah 25, say that the people will be held in captivity?
• 70 years has some interesting consequences. Firstly it means that most, if not all, of the people to be exiled would die away from their home. Only their children would return to Judah (and Israel). Secondly, God had a rule that the farmland should be “rested” (i.e. no crops grown on it) once every 7 years. This rule had not been kept by the people for so long that the land was “owed” around 70 years’ rest! I bet the people didn’t realise God was keeping the peoples’ rules for them during this time!
• In Jeremiah 36, we see Jeremiah – again – bringing God’s messages to the king. By now he has been banned from entering the temple in Jerusalem, because the king hated hearing him, but that didn’t stop him. Who did Jeremiah send instead?
• The message written to the king included the damning words of God to Jehoiakim and his people. What happened when Baruch read the scroll in the temple (before the king heard it)?
• When Baruch was taken to the court to meet the king, he read the scroll again. What was the arrogant response of the king? Jeremiah 36:24 indicates that the king didn’t seem to care two hoots about the words Baruch was sharing from God. 
• How did Baruch and Jeremiah respond to the king burning the scroll? Do you admire their patience and persistence?!

We’re getting closer and closer to the inevitable exile of Judah, and today we had clear details about what that time would be like.

Whilst I hope you’re enjoying each day and learning more about yourself and God through the lives of the people, I can appreciate that these days are hard reading. Jeremiah isn’t always easy to read or understand, and the mini high of day 200 is now gone, replaced with another trek to the next milestone!

Don’t worry if you don’t remember the intricacies of the events of Baruch, and other such smaller story-lines. Do try and understand each day’s events well, and write helpful notes, but if some of the specifics fade as the weeks go by then that’s OK. You’ll still recall bits and pieces next time you read this part of Scripture again. Do, however, continue to read with a clear mind, a desiring heart to get closer to God, and a good understanding about the history you’re reading. Treat day 204 just like day 1, because it’s equally God’s word and therefore equally mind-blowing that we get to read it at all.