John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 36:15-16

"And they said unto him, Sit down now, and read it in our ears. So Baruch read it in their ears. Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they turned in fear one toward another, and said unto Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words." — Jeremiah 36:15-16 (ASV)

We see that there was some regard for religion in the princes, for they submitted to hear and respectfully received the Prophet’s servant. Had Jeremiah himself come, he would, no doubt, have been received as God’s Prophet, since such honor was given to his servant that the princes ordered him to be seated, which was certainly a favor.

From this it appears that they were not profane despisers of God. Then follows another thing—that they were moved with fear. Then, regarding the king’s counselors, we see that they were in such a state of mind that they readily listened to and dreaded the threats of God.

But this was a fear that no doubt soon vanished. And what he says—that they feared each as to his neighbor,—was a sign of a change; for he who fears as he ought thinks of himself and examines himself before God, but when the mind wavers, everyone looks to another.

It was then a sign of repentance that was not real and genuine, to fear in such a way as to look to one another. For each of them ought to look to God, so that from an inward consciousness they might acknowledge their sins and thus flee to the true remedy.

It follows that they said, Declaring we shall declare to the king, etc. From this we learn that their fear was such that they still did not wish to offend the king. They then referred the matter to him, being anxious to gratify him.

This is the religion of the court: to fear God in such a way as not to lose favor, but, on the contrary, to perform one’s duty so as not to be liable to the charge of not being sufficiently attentive and devoted to the king’s interest. In short, the Prophet thus represents to us, as in a mirror, the religion of the king’s counselors, and shows us at the same time that their minds were corrupted by ambition, and that this ambition so prevailed that they paid more regard to a mortal king than to the only true King of heaven.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, that as you are pleased to invite us daily to yourself, we may respond to your call in the spirit of meekness and obedience. And also so seriously impress our minds that we may not only confess our sins, but also so loathe ourselves on account of them, that we may, without delay, seek the true remedy, and, relying on your mercy, may so repent that your name may hereafter be glorified in us, until at length we become partakers of that glory which your Son has obtained for us by his own blood. Amen.