It is one of the most tragic episodes in the history of Israel’s divided monarchy.
He came to the throne of Judah after his father, the reformer-King Josiah, had been killed in battle with the Egyptians, closing an otherwise glorious reign with an act of disobedience to God that cost him his life (II Chron. 35:21). His younger brother, Jehoahaz, had first been elevated to the throne, only to be deposed by Pharaoh Necho II after a reign of only three months (II Chron. 36:2-3). Necho then replaced Jehoahaz with Eliakim, eldest son of Josiah, changing his name to Jehoiakim (verse 4).
Unfortunately, however great and godly a spiritual leader Josiah was for the nation, it appears his leadership and godly example didn’t extend to his home. The inspired record doesn’t tell us why. But the three sons we read about in the Bible, who succeeded Josiah to the throne, were all wicked (II Kings 23:31-32,36-37; 24:18-19). And from the inspired account it seems that Jehoiakim was the worst of them all.
The idolatry his father had purged from the land was brought back. Social injustice again became widespread. The Bible tells us how Jehoiakim built a new palace for himself by cruel and oppressive means. In the words of Jeremiah:
Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbor’s service without wages, and giveth him not for his work (Jer. 22:13).
Speaking directly to this wicked king, the prophet declared in the same chapter:
But thine eyes and thine heart are not but for thy covetousness, and for to shed innocent blood, and for oppression, and for violence, to do it (verse 17).
The violence committed by this apostate king didn’t spare even God’s prophets. One by the name of Urijah, who apparently was delivering the same message Jeremiah was preaching, stirred the wrath of King Jehoiakim. And the Bible tells us what happened to as a result:
And there was also a man that prophesied in the name of the Lord, Urijah the son of Shemaiah of Kirjath-jearim, who prophesied against this city and against this land, according to all the words of Jeremiah.
And when Jehoiakim the king, with all his mighty men, and all the princes, heard his words, the king sought to put him to death; but when Urijah heard it, he was afraid, and fled, and went into Egypt;
And Jehoiakim the king sent men into Egypt, namely, Elnathan the son of Achbor, and certain men with him into Egypt.
And they fetched him Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king, who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people (Jer. 26:20-23).
Quite obviously, this wicked ruler did not tremble at the word of the Lord. The counsel of God’s prophets meant nothing to him, and he was fully prepared to kill these messengers whenever they rebuked his many misdeeds.
But God wasn’t through with Jehoiakim. He sent him another prophetic message, this one directly from Jeremiah. The Bible tells us how Baruch, Jeremiah’s scribe, was commissioned by the prophet to read a written message to the king and the people of Judah in the courts of the Temple. From what we read in Jeremiah chapter 36, this message from God’s prophet made quite an impression, to the point where the princes of the kingdom asked that Baruch read the scroll of Jeremiah in their presence, in private.
When Baruch did so, the Bible tells us the princes’ reaction:
Now it came to pass, when they had heard all the words, they were afraid both one and other, and said unto Baruch, We will surely tell the king of all these words. . . .
Then said the princes unto Baruch, Go, hide thee, thou and Jeremiah; and let no man know where ye be (Jer. 36:16,19).
Burning the Word of God
Obviously the princes had a good idea what the king might do once he heard Jeremiah’s testimony. And so, thinking of Baruch’s and Jeremiah’s safety, the princes urged them to hide, and to tell no one where they were.
Many of us know what happened when the king heard of Jeremiah’s message, and demanded that the scroll be read in his hearing:
Now the king sat in the winter-house in the ninth month; and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him.
And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth (Jer. 36:22-23).
That wasn’t the end of the matter, of course. The king tried to find Jeremiah and Baruch, undoubtedly intending to do to them what had been done to Urijah. But in this case God did not permit the work of a prophet to be cut short through martyrdom, because the Bible says, regarding Jeremiah and his scribe, that “the Lord hid them” from Jehoiakim’s anger (verse 26). And the next thing we read is that a new scroll was written at God’s command, with the same message (verses 27-28).
Obviously God’s Word can’t be defeated—not by flame, not by death, not by the rage or scorn of unsubmissive hearts.
Jehoiakim’s Hearth Still Burns
Whether on the Internet or in Sabbath School discussions, whether in academic classrooms or the printed page, it doesn’t take long to recognize that Jehoiakim’s hearth still burns, though in many different ways. Listen to the following Ellen White statement about her testimonies, and the reference to what Jehoiakim did:
Many now despise the faithful reproof given by God in testimony. I have been shown that some in these days have even gone so far as to burn the written words of rebuke and warning as did the wicked king of Israel. But opposition to God’s threatenings will not hinder their execution [1].
Had today’s technology been available to him, I’ve little doubt Jehoiakim would have aired his grievances against Urijah and Jeremiah on a website, or perhaps Facebook!
Years ago, in the aftermath of Desmond Ford’s public rejection of the sanctuary doctrine and the authority of the Spirit of Prophecy, I was informed by credible sources of an academy Bible teacher who had taken his Ellen White books and burned them, just as Jehoiakim had done with the scroll of Jeremiah. Thankfully his employment with the denomination ceased at about that time.
More recently, a pastoral colleague told me how he was speaking with a fellow pastor regarding certain controversies in contemporary Adventism. When the former quoted an Ellen White statement to the latter, the latter retorted bluntly that he didn’t agree with the Ellen White statement. When the second pastor was reminded that it was Ellen White speaking, not the first pastor’s private opinion, the second pastor confirmed that he still reserved the right to disagree.
Several years ago a similar incident was reported to me, from a university religion class. A teacher in this class was insisting that the wine Jesus miraculously provided for the marriage feast at Cana was fermented. When a class member raised her hand and pointed out Ellen White’s statement to the contrary in The Desire of Ages [2], the teacher responded that that was Ellen White’s personal opinion.
I will state without qualification that no pastor or Bible teacher who rejects the counsel of an inspired prophet in the above fashion has any business living off the holy tithe or carrying credentials from the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The presence of such persons on the denominational payroll is a scandal of intolerable proportions. The Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventism declare plainly, regarding the writings of Ellen White, that “her writings speak with prophetic authority” [3]. And whether or not a prophet’s writings form a part of the canonical Scriptures makes no difference. The authority exercised in the faith community by such prophets as Nathan, Elijah, Huldah, and John the Baptist is not depicted in the Bible as any less than the authority exercised by such canonical writers as Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, or the apostle Paul. The divine voice speaks through them all. God does not have junior prophets.
Picking and Choosing
Ellen White is clear as to the grave peril of accepting certain of her writings as divinely authoritative while rejecting others as supposedly her own opinion. The following statement are among the clearest relative to this danger:
Many times in my experience I have been called upon to meet the attitude of a certain class, who acknowledged that the testimonies were from God, but took the position that this matter and that matter were Sister White’s opinion and judgment. This suits those who do not love reproof and correction, and who, if their ideas are crossed, have occasion to explain the difference between the human and the divine.
If the preconceived opinions or particular ideas of some are crossed in being reproved by testimonies, they have a burden at once to make plain their position to discriminate between the testimonies, defining what is Sister White’s human judgment, and what is the word of the Lord. Everything that sustains their cherished ideas is divine, and the testimonies to correct their errors are human—Sister’s White’s opinion. They make of none effect the counsel of God by their tradition [4].
As you now hold the testimonies, should one be given crossing your track, correcting your errors, would you feel at perfect liberty to accept or reject any part, or the whole? That which you will be least inclined to receive, is the very part most needed. God and Satan never work in co-partnership. The testimonies either bear the signet of God or that of Satan. A good tree cannot bring forth corrupt fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. By their fruit ye shall know them. God has spoken. Who has trembled at His word? [5].
Notice how the above statement identifies the writings of Ellen White as the Word of the Lord, and echo the Biblical imperative of trembling at the prophetic Word (Ezra 10:3; Isa. 66:2). Not that the Ellen G. White writings are an addition to the Bible, any more than the books of such prophets as Nathan, Gad, Shemaiah, and Iddo are an addition to the Bible (I Chron. 29:29; II Chron. 9:29; 12:15; 13:22). But they still constitute God’s Word. Here’s another statement where she uses similar language:
In reading the Testimonies, be sure not to mix in your filling of words; for this makes it impossible for the hearers to distinguish between the word of the Lord to them and your words [6].
Other statements likewise identify the exclusively divine origin of the prophetic writings of Ellen White:
In these letters which I write, in these testimonies I bear, I am presenting to you that which the Lord has presented to me. I do not write one article in the paper expressing merely my own ideas. They are what God has opened before me in vision—the precious rays of light shining from the throne [7].
I have my work to do, to meet the misconceptions of those who suppose themselves able to say what is testimony from God and what is human production. If those who have done this work continue in this course, satanic agencies will choose for them.
Those who have helped souls to feel at liberty to specify what is of God in the Testimonies and what are the uninspired words of Sister White, will find that they were helping the devil in his work of deception [8].
Yet now when I send you a testimony of warning and reproof, many of you declare it to be merely the opinion of Sister White. You have thereby insulted the Spirit of God [9].
No one who insults the Holy Spirit has any business in the Sabbath pulpit or in the classroom of a Seventh-day Adventist academy, college, or university. No such person has any business darkening the lectern at any denominational gathering.
Conclusion: A Donkey’s Funeral
Those in Bible times who rejected the counsel of God’s prophets didn’t fare well. Ask those on the outside of Noah’s ark as they gasped for air in the rising waters of the Flood, screaming for mercy as they clung to the horns of the nearest triceratops [10]. Ask such kings as Saul and Zedekiah, or such rebuke-resenting rebels as Pashur and Herodias. Concerning the fate of wicked King Jehoiakim after he burned the scroll of Jeremiah, we read:
Therefore thus saith the Lord of Jehoiakim king of Judah: He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David, and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost.
And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them (Jer. 36:30-31).
Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah: They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother! or Ah sister! they shall not lament for him, saying Ah lord! or, Ah his glory!
He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem (Jer. 22:18-19).
Those refusing to repent of their disregard for the inspired Word will one day find themselves cast beyond the gates of a greater Jerusalem (Rev. 22:15). Let us pray and strive by God’s grace to be among those of whom the same author writes:
Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and enter in through the gates into the city (verse 14).
REFERENCES
1. Ellen G. White, Testimonies, vol. 4, p. 180.
2. ----The Desire of Ages, p. 149.
3. Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists, quoted in The Seventh-day Adventist Church Manual, 2015 edition, p. 168.
4. White, Selected Messages, vol. 3, p. 68.
5. ----Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 98.
6. Ibid, vol. 6, pp. 122-123.
7. Ibid, vol. 5, p. 67.
8. ----Selected Messages, vol. 3, p. 70.
9. ----Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 64.
10. ----Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 100.
Pastor Kevin Paulson holds a Bachelor’s degree in theology from Pacific Union College, a Master of Arts in systematic theology from Loma Linda University, and a Master of Divinity from the SDA Theological Seminary at Andrews University. He served the Greater New York Conference of Seventh-day Adventists for ten years as a Bible instructor, evangelist, and local pastor. He writes regularly for Liberty magazine and does script writing for various evangelistic ministries within the denomination. He continues to hold evangelistic and revival meetings throughout the North American Division and beyond, and is a sought-after seminar speaker relative to current issues in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He presently resides in Berrien Springs, Michigan