Words that Endure 长存的道

[Dexu Xia]

This word came to Jeremiah from the Lord.  Jeremiah 36:1

In the early nineteenth century, Thomas Carlyle gave a manuscript to philosopher John Stuart Mill to review. Somehow, whether accidentally or intentionally, the manuscript got tossed into a fire. It was Carlyle’s only copy. Undaunted, he set to work rewriting the lost chapters. Mere flames couldn’t stop the story, which remained intact in his mind. Out of great loss, Carlyle produced his monumental work The French Revolution.

In the waning days of ancient Judah’s decadent kingdom, God told the prophet Jeremiah, “Take a scroll and write on it all the words I have spoken to you” (Jeremiah 36:2). The message revealed God’s tender heart, calling on His people to repent in order to avoid imminent invasion (v. 3).

Jeremiah did as he was told. The scroll soon found its way to Judah’s king, Jehoiakim, who methodically shredded it and threw it into the fire (vv. 23–25). The king’s act of arson only made matters worse. God told Jeremiah to write another scroll with the same message. He said, “[Jehoiakim] will have no one to sit on the throne of David; his body will be thrown out and exposed to the heat by day and the frost by night” (v. 30).

It’s possible to burn the words of God by tossing a book into a fire. Possible, but utterly futile. The Word behind the words endures forever.

What has caused you or those you know to ignore the words of God? Why is it vital for you to submit to and obediently follow what He’s instructed?

Father, help me to take Your words to heart, even if they’re difficult to hear. Please give me a heart of repentance—not defiance.

 十九世纪初期，英国文学家汤玛斯 · 卡莱尔（Thomas Carlyle）将手稿交给哲学家约翰 · 斯图亚特 · 弥尔（John Stuart Mill）进行审查。但不知是有意还是无意，这份手稿竟然掉进火里。这虽是卡莱尔唯一的稿件，但他仍不屈不挠地重写遗失的章节。区区火焰绝不会使这个故事受到任何毁损，因为所有的细节都在卡莱尔的脑海中完好无缺。纵然失去唯一的手稿，但他最后仍完成了《法国大革命》这本巨著。

在犹大国腐败衰落的时期，上帝对先知耶利米说：“你取一书卷，将我对你说……的一切话，……都写在其上”（耶利米书36章2节）。这个信息显明了上帝慈爱地呼吁祂的子民悔改，好让他们可以避免敌军即将大举入侵的灾祸（3节）。

耶利米按照上帝的吩咐去行，而他所写的书卷很快就落入犹大王约雅敬之手。后来，约雅敬用刀将书卷割破，并扔进火中（23-25节），而烧毁书卷的行为只是让情况变得更糟。上帝指示耶利米，把先前的信息重新写在另一本书卷上，并论及约雅敬说：“他后裔中必没有人坐在大卫的宝座上；他的尸首必被抛弃，白日受炎热，黑夜受寒霜。”（30节）

人可能会将记载着上帝话语的书卷扔进火里烧毁，但这是徒然的，因为上帝的道必永远长存！

什么会使你或你认识的人忽略上帝的话？
为什么对你来说，顺服并遵从上帝的指示至关重要？

天父，有时我很难静心聆听祢的话语，
但求祢帮助我明白祢的心意，
除去我的冥顽不灵，赐我一颗悔改的心。