John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 36:20-21

"And they went in to the king into the court; but they had laid up the roll in the chamber of Elishama the scribe; and they told all the words in the ears of the king. So the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll; and he took it out of the chamber of Elishama the scribe. And Jehudi read it in the ears of the king, and in the ears of all the princes that stood beside the king." — Jeremiah 36:20-21 (ASV)

The Prophet now relates that the princes went to the king, after first depositing the roll with Elishama the scribe. For as the king was easily offended, they were unwilling to perform such an offensive task immediately. And so, those who are with kings and capture their attention often charm them with their flatteries, for there is no independence in courts, since the greatest flatterer is highest in favor.

Since, then, all courtiers eagerly seek to find out how they may please kings, they also carefully beware of offending them. This was the reason why the princes deposited the roll with Elishama. From this we learn that their regard for God was small and cold; for if they believed that Jeremiah had dictated to his scribe what he had received from the Spirit of God, offending the king certainly should not have been considered so important by them.

Why, then, did they not venture to bring forward the roll immediately and urge the king to listen, except that adulation, as I have said, is always timid? So it was that they did not venture to show the roll to the king, but only told him that they had read some dreadful things. In this way, the king did not find fault with them, as they had not too boldly brought before him what he was unwilling to hear. This, then, is one point.

It now follows that the king sent Jehudi to fetch the roll from the chamber of Elishama the scribe. In the person of Jehoiakim, we see how the unbelieving shun and seek God at the same time, but with a confused mind, as they do not know what they seek. The king might have carelessly despised what had been related to him, for if he wished to be free from all trouble, why did he order the roll to be brought to him and part of it to be read?

From this we see that the unbelieving, though they wish to go as far as possible from God, still run to Him in a sort of blind manner. They do not do this of their own accord, however, for God, by His secret impulse, draws them to Himself, making them more inexcusable.

Thus it happens that curiosity leads many to hear the truth, and some madly ask, "What is the truth to them?" like wild beasts running against swords. Such was Jehoiakim's disposition. He wished all Jeremiah's prophecies to be buried, yet he could not restrain himself but wanted to know their substance or some part of them. Therefore, he sent Jehudi to fetch the roll.

It is then added that Jehudi read the roll before the king and before his counselors. Thus his impiety became more evident, as he was not moved by the predictions read to him. Indeed, he could not endure the recitation. After some chapters had been finished, he became so enraged, as we shall see, that he threw the roll into the fire and burned it.

It was, however, God’s purpose to take away every pretext from the king as well as from his counselors, so that they might not afterwards claim that they had fallen through ignorance. For after the roll had been presented to them, it was their own fault if they were not restored to the state of safety from which they had fallen. He now adds—