John Calvin Commentary Jeremiah 36:22-23

"Now the king was sitting in the winter-house in the ninth month: and [there was a fire in] the brazier burning before him. And it came to pass, when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, that [the king] cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier." — Jeremiah 36:22-23 (ASV)

Here Jeremiah shows how little he had accomplished; for the king not only cast the scroll aside but tore it into pieces, and after tearing it, he wished for its memory to perish, for he cast it into the fire. This trial must have deeply affected the Prophet's mind; he had dictated that scroll by God’s command, and now he saw that all his labor had been in vain.

He might then have complained to God that so much labor had been spent without fruit. For why had God commanded the scroll to be written, except to lead the king and his counselors to repentance? As for the people, the Prophet could not know whether it had achieved the purpose for which he sent his scribe Baruch to them, as no account is given of the attention they paid.

But Baruch was led to the king’s palace, so everyone was kept in suspense: what was the outcome now? The king burned the scroll. There is no doubt, then, that the Prophet's mind was greatly affected. But God exercises His servants in this way when He commands them to speak to the deaf or to bring light to the blind.

Let us then learn simply to obey God, even if the labor He requires from us may seem useless. And so Paul rises above all the ingratitude of the world and says that the ministers of the Gospel are a sweet odor to God, whether for death or for life (2 Corinthians 2:15–16).

For even though most people are made worse by hearing the Gospel, the obedience ministers render to God is still acceptable to Him; the outcome is not what we should primarily focus on. Jeremiah saw that the king’s mind was exasperated, but he did not therefore repent of his obedience, because he knew that the outcome was to be left with God and His will.

The duty of people is to carry out whatever God commands, even if no fruit seems to come from their labors. This, then, is one important lesson.

Now, concerning the king, we see in him as in a mirror how monstrous is the blindness of those who are slaves of Satan. Surely the king, when God thundered so powerfully in his ears, should have been terrified. Indeed, he could not treat the word with ridicule; instead, he became enraged, acted violently like a rabid wild beast, and vented his rage against the scroll itself!

If he thought Jeremiah was the author, why did he not disregard him as a man with no authority in public affairs? For Jeremiah could not have undermined his royal status. There is no doubt, then, that he perceived, however unwillingly, that he was dealing with God. Why then did he become so enraged?

What could he hope to gain by such madness towards God? But this, as I have said, was that dreadful blindness found in all the reprobate, whose minds the devil has deluded. For on the one hand, they perceive, whether willingly or unwillingly, that God is present and that they are, in a way, summoned to His tribunal; and on the other hand, as though forgetful of God, they rage madly against Him.

It is then said of King Jehoiakim that while he was in his winter house and sitting before the fire, when three or four pages had been read, he cut the scroll with an iron pen or with a scribe's small knife. The word תער tor, often means a razor, but here it should be understood as the knife used by scribes, un canivet.

The king, in the first place, did not wait until Jehudi finished reading the scroll. After he had heard three or four leaves (or pages, as we call them), he seized the scroll and cut it. In the second place, not content with this sacrilege, he burned the scroll, as though he could abolish God’s judgment along with the book. But we shall see later what he gained by this intemperate spirit in burning the scroll, until the whole was consumed in the fire.