Jeremiah 36 records Judah’s formal rejection of God’s written word. Because Jeremiah is restricted from entering the temple, he dictates all the words the Lord has spoken to him to Baruch the scribe. Baruch faithfully writes them on a scroll and publicly reads them in the temple during a day of fasting, ensuring the people hear God’s message.
When the officials hear the scroll, they recognize its seriousness and report it to King Jehoiakim. The scroll is read aloud before the king, but instead of repentance, Jehoiakim responds with contempt. As each section is read, he cuts it off with a knife and throws it into the fire, deliberately destroying the word of the Lord despite warnings from his advisors.
God’s response is immediate and decisive. Jeremiah is commanded to dictate the words again — this time with additional judgments against Jehoiakim. The burning of the scroll does not silence God; it multiplies the testimony against the king. Jehoiakim is condemned for his defiance, and his dynasty is declared unfit to rule, while Jeremiah and Baruch are protected by the Lord.
Jeremiah 36 reveals that rejecting God’s word does not erase it. Human authority can attempt to suppress truth, but God’s word endures, is rewritten, and stands in judgment over those who despise it.
Christ-Foreshadowing in Jeremiah 36
The written scroll points forward to Christ as the living Word. Just as the king attempts to destroy God’s written message, Jesus — the Word made flesh — is rejected, condemned, and handed over to death by earthly rulers.
Baruch’s faithful role as scribe and messenger anticipates Christ’s obedience to the Father’s will, faithfully delivering God’s message regardless of rejection. The scroll being rewritten with added words foreshadows the resurrection: the Word is not destroyed by fire or death, but returns with greater authority and judgment.
Jehoiakim’s act of cutting and burning the scroll mirrors humanity’s attempt to edit, discard, or silence God’s truth. Yet Christ stands as the uncut, unburned Word — enduring beyond rejection, ruling beyond human power, and reigning as the final authority over all who hear and respond.
The Word Still Stands” — Jeremiah 36
Verse 1 — Write the Words
The word of the Lord came once again
“Take a scroll and write it then
Every warning, every cry
From days gone past till now applied
Perhaps they’ll hear, perhaps they’ll turn
And I will forgive what they’ve earned”
So Baruch wrote with steady hand
All the words the Lord had planned
Chorus — Read It Aloud
Read the scroll in the house of prayer
Let every ear hear and beware
In fasting days, in crowded halls
Let truth be heard by great and small
The word once spoken, written down
Calls every heart to turn around
Verse 2 — The Scroll Is Heard
Baruch stood where the people came
And read aloud the Lord’s own name
Officials trembled, fear ran deep
“This word must reach the king,” they speak
They hid us both for safety’s sake
While the scroll its path would take
Line by line before the throne
The written word was clearly known
Chorus — The King Responds
As the reader spoke, the fire burned
Winter’s chill by coals was turned
Three or four columns read with care
Then cut and cast into the flare
Piece by piece the scroll was lost
But not the word… not the cost
The king felt no remorse or fear
He hardened heart and closed his ear
Bridge — Fearless Messengers
The servants pleaded, “Do not burn!”
But pride refused the chance to learn
Orders given, capture sent
Yet God had hid His servants then
The flame consumed the written page
But could not cage the prophet’s rage
Nor silence what the Lord decreed
Truth lives beyond the paper’s need
Verse 3 — Write It Again
Then came the word, unbroken, sure
“Take another scroll — endure
Write again what once was read
Add the judgment just declared
Because the king has burned My word
His line will fall — this you’ve heard
No heir secure, no throne will stand
His body cast on scorched-up land”
Final Chorus — The Word Endures
You can burn the scroll, cut the page
But you cannot stop the living flame
The word of God will rise again
Written once… and written then
Heaven and earth may pass away
But truth remains… truth remains
Outro — Unstoppable
The scroll was burned, the word rewrote
Judgment sealed by stubborn vote
What God has spoken cannot fall
The word still stands… above it all
