“The Lord Has Hidden You…!”

“The Lord Has Hidden You…!”
King Jehoiakim went gainst the advice of some of his officials and burned the scroll containing the word of God which Baruch wrote, as dictated by Jeremiah. The good thing is that the king allowed the word to be read to him. Unfortunately, burning the scroll did not change the word of God contained therein. This reminds me of the story of a youngman who happily told his friends that he was now liberated from all the dos and don’ts of the Bible. When asked how he did it, he said he had stopped reading the Bible. Stopping to read the Bible changes nothing because ignorance is no excuse before the law.
King Jehoiakim did not end at personally burning the scroll piecemeal; he ordered that they should arrest Jeremiah and Baruch. “But the Lord had hidden them”(Jer. 36:20-26).
We may wonder whether the king’s action was the childish attitude of youth; in which case we may conclude that leadership should not be entrusted to young people.
Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king of Judah and died at age thirty-six (II Kgs 23:36). He was young and childish, but that was no reason for him to undermine the word of God and to be a threat to the prophets of God.
Even when we know the evil disposition of a king, among his coterie must be those who should brave the odds to tell the king not to do certain things. Even if he would not listen, there is no harm in trying.
My friend, the goodnews we have for you this morning is that no matter the evil intentions anybody may have against you, the Lord will hide you from their snares. In fact, the Lord has already hidden you from the Jehoiakims of today!
Trust in the Lord always. He will hide you until he has accomplished his mission through you.
Weekend prayer: Lord hide me under the wings of the cross where those who seek my life cannot see me. Amen!
Have a blessed weekend! Peace be with you!