The Burning of The Book

   The end of the nation of Judah is rapidly approaching. The final destruction of Jerusalem will be described in chapter 39. But, once again, GOD wants us to step back in time to see the final days before the catastrophe so that we might understand why the nation fell. So, in this chapter, we’re looking at an event that occurred during the previous reign of Jehoiakim which ominously signaled that the nation was in fact doomed. The year was 605 BC & it was the fourth year of Jehoiakim (the 2nd son of Josiah to sit upon the throne). It was also the first year of a new king of the resurging rival nation, Babylon. This new king’s name was Nebuchadnezzar. The timing of GOD’s instruction to Jeremiah during this development among the nations is ominous in itself since Jeremiah has been prophesying that a foe (an enemy nation) would invade Judah from the north. In this same year, Nebuchadnezzar won a decisive battle over Egypt at Carchemish, defeating the only other world power, & thereby establishing Babylon’s dominance & threat over the whole region. This is also the same year in which GOD gave Jeremiah the instructions we find in chapter 36.