The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1891-06-17
CAPTIVITY OF JUDAH.
international Sunday-school Lesson for
June FL, 1891.

June 81, 1891.
Especially Arranged from S. S. QUARTERLY |
LESSON TExr-2 Kings 25;l.ls.
GOLDEN TEKT-Come, and let US return unto |
the Lord.-Hos 81.
CENTRAL TRUTH-God's word, whether OF |
promise or warning, is certain TO be fulfilled.
TIME-Jerusalem destroyed In the summer OF |
g. C. $50. SO years after the las; lesson. !
PLAcE-Jerusalem Riblah, rs miles north Of |
Damascus; Babylon.
RULERS Zedekiah. 2lst and last king OF |
Judah, o son of Josiah; Nebuchadnezzar, king |
of Babylon, 10Th year.
PROPHETS - jeremiah, In Jerusalem (6s7-
5S2) Ezekiel. in Babylonia t59s579; Daniel, in
Babylon 6o6-5S5) Obadiah (5s5).
PARALLEL AcCoUNTs-Jer. 52:416;2 Chron. |
36:11-el; Jer. S9:1-S.
APPROACHES TO THE FINAL DOOM = The |
first captivity (when the seventy years captiy-
ity referred to in Jer. e9:10 begins)was soon
after the last lesson, B. C. coo. Daniel was
among these captves. The second captivity
took place six years later. Il c. sos by Nebu-
chadnezzar; ten thousand people and great
treasures we're carried to Babylon e Kings "a;
10-16) Ezekiel was among these cnptives
(Ezek. 1: 1, 81 Ten years later began the
third captivity, which is the subject Of to-day's
lesson.
HELPS OVER HARD PLAcEs-1. ninth year
of his:' Zedekiahs reign. "Tenth month";"
Thebet, which includes from middle Of Deem
Der to middle of January. Built forts:" high
wooden towers from which to fling darts, fire.
brands, or to thrust batteringrams. ., 3.
Eleventh year, fourth month" July, B. c.
5S6. A year and half after the siege began.
Here belong the 3,0a3 captivss of Jer. :2S
(where 18th" should be '17th.O A. "By way
of the gate" at the south Of the city. The be-
seigers entered on the north. Toward the
plain" of Jericho. Q. Riblah: seventy-hv
miles north Of Damascus. Here Nebuchadnez-
ger was overseeing two seiges, one at Jerusa-
lem and one at Tyre. II. Remnant of the
multitude:" those outside Of the city. 70. THE
poor of the land:" these had now some compen-
sation for their poverty. They had been oppressed
by the rich and great as jeremiah tells U.S.
and now their oppressors are ruined captives
and the poor have full opportunity in the coun-
try. Among those who remained was the
prophet jeremiah.
LESSON COMMENTS.
At last the end came. Gods judg-
ments had tarried long; but when they
came they proved as terrible as He had
said they would.
The fate of Jerusalem. 1t was be-
sieged by ACKNOWLEDGMENT; was reduced
to starvation; was assaulted and cap
tured; the temple was burned to the
ground; all the principal houses were
I destroyed; the walls were broken down,
and the people were for the most part
marched off into slavery in foreign
land. Just imagine what sight that
must have been, as the armies Of
Babylon marched away carrying with
them their long train of captives, and
leaving behind them the City of David
heap of ruins!
The fate Of the king himself AS soon
as the city was captured he fed, but
was overtaken and made prisoner. Neb-
uchadnezzar was then at Riblah, about
ten days journey from Jerusalem. To
him the king was taken. With heart
less cruelty, they killed Zedekiah's sons
before his eyes, and then put out the
eyes of Zedekiah himself, after which
they carried him away to Babylon,
| where he died.
In this lesson there is an instance of
| the fulfillment of two remarkable, and
apparently contradictory, prophecies,
with regard to King Zedekiah. '"The
former Of these DER 1874 states that
Zedekiah shall speak with the king of
Babylon, mouth to mouth, and his eyes
shall behold his eyes; the latter (Ezek.
1919, that he shall be brought to Bah
ylon, yet shall he not see it, though he
die there. The whole of this predic-
ton of Ezekiel, whose prophecy appears
to have been delivered at Babylon, is
truly remarkable, as describing almost
exactly the circumstances of Zedekiah's
fight"
Read from Deut. 2S:15-6S; say verses
40, 80, SO, Ga and 81. These are the
threats which God uttered through the
lips of Moses, in case the people turned
away to idolatry. How many years
before the captivity actually came
were these words uttered? Nearly
nine hundred years! Were these the
only warnings that God gave them?
Assuredly not! For He says: "All day
long have l stretched out my hands,"
meaning that He had continually
warned and invited His people. Never
was a nation warned SO clearly and so
continuously of the danger of apostasy.
And not only was Israel warned by
word of mouth, but she was punished
many times for her sins as an addition
al caution. Yet oil was in vain! The
king and the people together hardened
their hearts even as Pharaoh did, and
pushed ahead in their course. Then
came the end, as told in our lesson, and
the kingdoms both in the north and in
the south ceased to exist, the empire
came to an end. and the Jews mourned
as captives under foreign yoke. We
may well ask, how could God teach
men in a more impressive way that His
word stands sure, and that though
Heaven and earth pass away, His word
shall not pass away? AS in the days OF
Noah, so now their God waited and had
patience. But also, as In the days OF
Noah, God said: my spirit shall no,
always strive with man," so He said in
Zedekiah's time. The end had come
and now no cries would avail.-Rev. A.
+. Schaufller, DID.
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
/. God put every hindrance possible
in the way of their sin and destruc
ton = prophets, warnings, mercies
time for repentance, vision of the end
.. The punishment comes slowly a
first, in smaller measures, in order t.
give opportunity for repentance. 1t i:
accompanied by earnest warning ant
entreaties. 1t is intended to save mel
from sin.
8. God makes the way of transgres
sors hard, that men should not wall