Jeremiah 36:24

A FOOLISH BRAVERY

‘They were not afraid.’

Jeremiah 36:24

Jehoiakim is king in Jerusalem. The best of fathers he had—the devout, true-hearted Josiah; but this Jehoiakim turned out to be the worst of sons. Against God, King Jehoiakim used his power. And the badness in the lifted places struck infection through the lower orders of the people. Sin was getting everything out of gear in that kingdom of Judah. But Jehoiakim was not going on unwarned. Jeremiah, the Lord’s prophet, was living in Jerusalem, and faithfully Jehoiakim was being told of the Divine displeasure and of the doom for his own and the people’s sins which was surely gathering.

And the point is that, notwithstanding such defiance of the Divine will, and such refusal to treat rightly the Divine message, and such childish rage against the mutilation of God’s Word written in the prophetic roll, neither Jehoiakim nor his courtiers were afraid. They were puffed up with a foolish bravery (Jeremiah 36:24).

Think a little of such foolish bravery. There is many a modern instance and illustration of it.

I. It is a foolish bravery to ignore facts.—Just that did Jehoiakim.

(1) It was a fact that he had sinned.

(2) It was a fact that Jeremiah was God’s prophet.

(3) It was a fact that God, by the mouth of Jeremiah, had spoken doom for the sin of Jehoiakim unless he should repent.

But Jehoiakim would have nothing of these facts. He cut the roll to pieces and threw it on the fire, etc. But thus petulantly and wilfully to ignore facts did not change the facts. The facts stood, and it was the foolishest sort of daring thus to ignore them.

Think of certain facts.

(1) It is a fact that good is what ought to be; (2) that God is the good; (3) that evil is what ought not to be; (4) that the good which ought to be must be against the evil which ought not to be; (5) that God, Who is the good which ought to be, must be Himself against the evil which ought not to be; (6) that if I choose the evil which ought not to be, the good God, who must be against the evil which ought not to be, must be against me.

All this is written in two Bibles—in the Bible of the Scriptures, in the Bible of the nature of things.

Now, if I just ignore such facts as these and treat them as though they were not, it is the foolishest of bravery; it is poor bravado. Yet multitudes, during the past year and entering on the new year, have been and are doing precisely this. Does not the lapse of an old year and the beginning of a new admonish us it is time to stop such sheer and senseless carelessness of facts?

II. It is a foolish bravery to imagine yourself an exception from the working of the Divine law.—Doubtless this was a kind of reason prompting Jehoiakim. It is quite likely he thought that the law of doom for sin would not strike him, a king. If he did not think so, multitudes of men do think so.

Have you never been subdued into a vast awe, as the absolute irreversibleness of natural law has been pressed upon you? In this changing, transitory world there is one thing we can count on—the laws of physical nature will hold on their courses. The great wheels turn constantly, and they keep turning. It is because natural law is so unchanging that we may build our cities, and send our ships, and plough our fields, and reap our harvests.

But there is another and a fearful side to this irreversibleness of natural law. When, for any reason, man stands athwart one of these great natural laws, the penalty for violation is sure to smite.

And this is as true in the moral realm. It is a foolish bravery to think yourself an exception to God’s law. He said it—there are many who think it who do not so plainly say it—that young man, whom I was seeking to dissuade from courses of dissipation. ‘Oh,’ he answered, ‘it may hurt other fellows, but it won’t me; I am an exception.’ How crammed with folly such temerity!

III. It is a foolish bravery to refuse truth which you dislike.—This Jehoiakim did. The prophet’s roll which warned him he cut to pieces.

IV. It is a foolish bravery to go on heedlessly saying, ‘I don’t care.’—Thus did Jehoiakim, and multitudes follow him.

V. It is a foolish bravery to refuse repentance.—This Jehoiakim did, but the doom smote (Jeremiah 36:30).

Illustration

‘Behold a real and a right bravery. In the British Museum I saw the MS. of a letter from General Gordon to his sister, dated Khartoum, February 27th, 1884—“I have sent Stewart off to scour the river White Nile, and another expedition to push back rebels on the Blue Nile. With Stewart has gone Power, the British consul and Times correspondent; so I am left alone in the vast palace, but not alone, for I feel great confidence in my Saviour’s presence. I trust and stay myself in the fact that not one sparrow falls to the ground without our Lord’s permission; also that enough for the day is the evil.

All things are ruled by Him for His glory, and it is rebellion to murmur against His will.” ’