God's Word Unfettered

Read Jeremiah 36:11-26

There is something faintly amusing about Jehoiakim solemnly cutting Jeremiah's prophecy into pieces and throwing it into the fire. It's a little like King Canute sitting on the shore ordering the tide not to come in. The Word of God cannot be fettered or chained; neither can it be destroyed. The Word of God "abides forever" (I Peter 1:25), as King Jehoiakim found out, to his cost.

Throughout history there have been "Jehoiakims". Think back to the time when the English Bible was publicly burned by those who wanted its message to remain obscure and unknown. Or, what about Spain in the days of the Inquisition, or Eastern Europe under communism? Sadly, the same conditions exist for many Christians in Moslem lands. A new threat has emerged in recent years in militant secularism. In some places, sections of the Bible are regarded as hate-speech. A prominent actor declared, recently, that he always removes certain sections from Leviticus from the Gideon Bibles he finds in his hotel rooms, because he does not agree with the content. There are still those who believe that they can shackle the Word of God.

Why are the Jehoiakims of the world doomed to failure in the long run? Why has the Bible survived for so long? The answer is that the power of the Bible comes from God. For millions of people the Bible is the only book which answers the searching questions in the heart of every man and woman. As long as these questions remain (which will be as long as human beings exist), there will continue to be a hunger for the truths which the Bible contains, and an unceasing demand for it. Despite what people say about it, and despite its woeful neglect by some councils of the modern church, the Bible will remain what it has been throughout the centuries, the most powerful and the most precious book in the world. How could it be any other way, since the Bible is God's self-revelation, it is the Word that points to the Word-made-flesh, in Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord God, for all those who have given their lives to preserve and promote Your Word. Help me to value the privilege and freedom that they have bought for me. In the name of Christ, my Lord. Amen.

Image: Jehoiakim burns Jeremiah's prophecy.