Jeremiah 36:9-19 – Our attitude matters when we hear God’s Word.

Nine months after Baruch first recorded Jeremiah’s prophecies of 23 years on a scroll, it was read to the people. Jeremiah 36:9 gave us the precise moment and place where Baruch read the recorded messages. He read it to the people on the ninth month in the fifth year of Jehoiakim's reign in the house of the Lord, “in the chamber of Gemariah… in the upper court, at the entry of the New Gate of the Lord’s house.”

On a day of fast, Baruch read the recorded words. Jeremiah 36:11-19 tells us whom the words were read to, how they received the word, and how different key personnel responded or reacted on hearing the word. The first time it was read to all the people, we are not told how they responded. They were probably too busy with the rituals that they missed the seriousness of the message and did not respond to the Word as they should. There are postures that we must take when we come to listen to God’s word if we are to be impacted by it.  We must come to read the word of God, whether in our personal time or in church, or in public meetings, always come with a reverent attitude, an earnest heart, and an inquisitive mind. When we come with such anticipation, we will be enabled to hear and discern what God wants to say to us.  

One person that was highlighted in verse 11 was Micaiah, the son of Gemariah. He was specially mentioned because he came with the posture to receive the Word. Verse 11 said that he “had heard all the words of the Lord.'  In other words, he heard everything in its entirety.  Verse 12 said that when he had heard the word, he quickly went to the other officials in the king’s chamber and declared them. The way he responded to what he had heard gives us an indication that his interest in what God was saying. If we are to discern what God is saying to us, we must come to His word with an attitude like Macaiah. The next time we come to read or hear the Word of God, remember to come to it with an attentive and receptive heart.

Then some would hear the Word of God with the fear of others’ opinions. When the officials in the king’s chamber heard the word, they were frightened and so they threatened to report Baruch to the king.  They knew that the recorded messages  would not be palatable to the king’s ear. They wanted to know precisely how the recorded roll came about. So Baruch told them “He (Jeremiah) dictated all these words to me, and I wrote them with ink on the book.”  They immediately told him and Jeremiah to hide themselves in a secret place and not make it known to others. They knew that when the king had heard the word, he would go into a tirade.

More important than discussing how others receive the Word, we must consider how we, each of us personally will approach the Word of God. Will we be like the fourth kind of hearers in Jesus’ parable on the Sower? We come to listen with a heart that is receptive and ready to obey and do God’s will. If we come with attitudes like the first three kinds of listeners in that same parable, the Word of God will not take root, find a place in our hearts, and make an impact in our lives. Each time we come to hear from God, come prepared with our attitudes adjusted and the soil of our hearts well-plowed, pliable, and receptive to His Word.