Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-02-18
JEH0IAKlM'S FOLLY.
LESSON YIN, FIRST QUARTER INTER-
NATIONAL SERIES, FEB a.

Text of the Lesson. der. xxxyi, 1881
Memory Verses, &c, s3-GoIden Text
Heb. iii, 15-COmmcntary by The Rev
ID. M. stearns.
10. "Then said the princes unto Baruch
Go hide thee, thou and jeremiah, and LEI
no man know where sc be" Baruch wa
Jeremiaps scribe, and bad just been read
Ing in the ears Of the people, in the Lord,
house, upon the fasting day, the words O
the Lord, which he had written from thu
mouth OF Jeremiah Oversees 6, g. The Lore
gave these words TO jeremiah in the hon,
that tine people might turn and be for
given Oversees 3, y, for He is ever seeking tC
save. Baruch having read to thasleople i.
sent for to read the words to the princes
which, having heard, they are afraid, in
quire further, and then give counsel as in
this verse, being friendly to the prophet.
20 And they went in to the king and
told all the words in the ears of the king. ,
Jehoiakim was the son of Josiah the good
king, but was very different from his fa
Their. He was preceded by his brother Je
hoahaz. who reigned only three months
and was then carried captive into Egypt
III Chron. xxXvi, 1-5),
81. so the king sent Jehudi to fetch the
roll, and Jehudi read it in the ears of the
king, and in the ears of all the princes. u
This is the will OF God, that kings, princes
and people in all the world should hear
His word. This is the responsibility of all
who have the word, that they should give
1t or read it to others; and il we are only
willing He will set before us open doors
All results are with Him. He will see to it
%. snow the king sat in the winter
house in the ninth month, and there was a
fire on the hearth burning before him."
Winter and summer houses, and houses OF
ivory, are spoken of to indicate the luxury
and self indulgence of the people (Amos iii,
15). If the fasting day of verse was the
fast OF atonement, in the seventh month
Q4ev. XVI, 29), then some little time lover a
month"; elapsed between Baruch's first
reading and this reading before the king.
23. "lle cut it with the penknife and cast
1t into the fire that was on the hearth, un-
til all the roll was consumed in the fire
that was on the hearth" This was his
treatment of the word of the God of Israel
upon whose throne he sat Il Chron, xxx.
23) and whose representative he ought to
have been. Contrast his fathers treat.
AA
And yet Jehoiakim did not do worse than
the professors and preachers of our day
who in the name of "higher criticism" or
Science" or something else, penknfe the
Bible, cutting out what they please, refus
ing us anything supernatural, and assur-
ing us that even Jesus Christ was not an
infallible authority in all things. All such
had better heed lsa viii, 20, r. v
% 4,
their garments" And no moro are these
unbelieving critics Of our times, who are
thus Fastening on to their own destruc
ton and leading multtudes with them
IS. Nevertheless EInathan made inter
cession to the king that he would not burn
the roll but he would not hear them" If
any one will not receive the truth God
will let them believe lie Oh Thess. H.
1919, but fearful will be the result Chap
ter xiii, l5-1O. Elnathan and the others
did well to plead for the word, even though
they pleaded in vain. God will not for
get it.
26. But the king commanded to take
Baruch, the scribe and jeremiah, the
prophet, but the Lord hid them" Not
only did he not fear to destroy the Word of
the Lord, but he feared not to kill his
servants also IL he could but lay hands on
them. Rebellion fearfully hardens the
heart. How safe are those whom God
hides; see how securely lie hid Elijah
Il Kings xviii, 10y. Compare Ps. xvii, 5;
xxxii, T. and give good heed to Zeph. ii,
3; Luke XXI 30 that you may rejoice in
Col. ill, 3.
81. "Then the word of the Lord came to
jeremiah after that the king had burned
the roll" The Lord had seen it all and
observed it; He had now more work for
jeremiah and knew just where to find
him. The prophet had only to hold him.
self ready for anything that Jehovah
might require, either to appear or be hid
den, to speak or be quiet, to do or to suffer
28 Take thee again another roll, and
write 1t in all the former words that were
in the first roll" In verse 80 it is said
that many more words were added. 1t is
impossible to destroy the word of God
All efforts to dose have only Increased the
number of copies. The Biblo has been
compared to man who has been shot and
hung and drowned and burned in the
fire and scattered to the winds, and yet in
some wonderful way is more alive than
ever.
20. Thus saith the Lord, Thou hast
burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou
written therein, saying" The king hated
the book because it told of Il coming iudg.
ment; so the Bible is now hated by many
because 1t tells of n lake of fire for the I'M
godly, and of everlasting punishment and
of coming judgments, But though many
may penknfe these these things ont of
their Bibles and hate those who preach
them, yet the facts stand.
80, 81. therefore thus saith the Lord of
Jehoiakim, king of Judah, | will punish
him, and his seed. and his servants for
their iniquity, but they hearkened not"
His miserable death and wrutched treat
ment of his body, with evils upon his
seed and kingdom are here foretuld, ard
all came to pass. The believer not only
has redeemed soul now, but will have
redeemed body, too, just like the body of
his Lord, and shall sit with Him on His
throne, and no evil can befall him q John
iii, 3, 3; Phil. iii, 20, 81; Rev iii, 81; ps.
xci, 8, l0. But the prospect before the un.
believer is as indescribably awful rs the
other is glorious. (See | Thess. l. 10,
Math. XIV, Al; Rev. xiv, OLD God has
provided salvation for all and is not will
ing that any should perish, but how shall
any escape who neglect SO Ereata salvationY
And what a fearful esponsibility rests upon
all who in any way add to or diminish the
word of God (Rev xxi, Is, 10; Deut, iv,
q xii 80; Prov. xxx, 6). With many today
the whole book Of Revelation is completely
set aside, and preachers tell their hearers
not to read il; whereas in this book all the
other books OF the Bible end and meet, and
in 1t is the contamination of all hreyious
prophecy. 1t is the only book of all the
sixty-six that contains a special blessing
upon reader and hearer Rev. j. 81 myself
have heard one of the most popular preach