No One is Above God's Law; Jeremiah 25, 36 & 45

May the mumbling commence!

Positions of leadership do not make anyone above the Law of the Lord.  On the contrary, being a leader means one is held to a higher standard.  Jeremiah and Baruch found this out as they dealt with King Jehoiakim of Judah.  Baruch also struggled with this higher standard.  Read some excerpts below from Jeremiah 36, 25, and 45:

After they put the scroll in the room of Elishama the secretary, they went to the king in the courtyard and reported everything to him.  The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and Jehudi brought it from the room of Elishama the secretary and read it to the king and all the officials standing beside him.  It was the ninth month and the king was sitting in the winter apartment, with a fire burning in the firepot in front of him.  Whenever Jehudi had read three or four columns of the scroll, the king cut them off with a scribe's knife and threw them into the firepot, until the entire scroll was burned in the fire.  The king and all his attendants who heard all these words showed no fear, nor did they tear their clothes.  Even though Elnathan, Delaiah and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them.  Instead, the king commanded Jerahmeel, a son of the king, Seraiah son of Azriel and Shelemiah son of Abdeel to arrest Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet. But the Lord had hidden them. (36:20-26)

The king showed no fear – unlike his attendants.  They had trembled with fear when they heard the words of the Lord, spoken through Jeremiah and recorded by Baruch.  The king burned the entire scroll in his firepot, thinking the only thing it was good for was warming himself.  No fire of fear burned within him out of reverence for the Lord.  The king must have thought he was above the Law and that he was exempt from punishment.  The Lord knew differently.  Read from another passage:

Weep and wail, you shepherds;

       roll in the dust, you leaders of the flock.

For your time to be slaughtered has come;

       you will fall and be shattered like fine pottery. 

The shepherds will have nowhere to flee,

       the leaders of the flock no place to escape. 

Hear the cry of the shepherds,

       the wailing of the leaders of the flock,

       for the Lord is destroying their pasture. 

The peaceful meadows will be laid waste

       because of the fierce anger of the Lord. 

Like a lion he will leave his lair,

       and their land will become desolate

because of the sword of the oppressor

       and because of the Lord's fierce anger. (25:34-38)

If you have people in your care, it does not mean that you can take advantage of them – use them for your own gratification.  Leaders are not entitled to leisure as they people they lead toil to sustain a wasteful and resplendent way of life.  And, as Baruch found out, neither do the prophets and their servants find themselves above the Law of the Lord.  They will not be removed from the suffering any more than the king would.  Read from another passage:

This is what Jeremiah the prophet told Baruch son of Neriah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, after Baruch had written on a scroll the words Jeremiah was then dictating:  "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to you, Baruch:  You said, 'Woe to me! The Lord has added sorrow to my pain; I am worn out with groaning and find no rest.'" 

 The Lord said, "Say this to him: 'This is what the Lord says: I will overthrow what I have built and uproot what I have planted, throughout the land.  Should you then seek great things for yourself? Seek them not. For I will bring disaster on all people, declares the Lord, but wherever you go I will let you escape with your life.'" (45:1-5) 

Wherever we go the Lord goes along with us to protect our lives – even when He sends us away for punishment.  The Lord does not use exile and famine to tear down for spite’s sake.  Though tearing down does happen because of the rotting foundation of idols that we have chosen, the purpose of tearing down those parts of our lives is to rebuild our lives anew – stronger for the foundation will be the everlasting foundation of the Lord and His Word, which will never fail.

Enough mumbling for now… 

Peace Out