The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1892-02-25
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Jeremiah Persecuted - Jer. 81: 11-sf--
J. Memory Verses 1917.

06E0"IBn IerS0CutCu - OeE' css
Memory Verses 1917.
| Especially Arranged from s. s. Quarterly.l
LESSON FOR FEBRUARY 2S 1899.
TME-B G. bSs-5se. During the final siege
of Jerusalem, in the | asst two years OF Zede-
kiah Fifteen years after the last lesson.
PLACE.-Jcrusalem.
KNos-zedekiah, the last king Of Judah.
Nebuchadnezzar king Of Babylon Pharaoh
Hophra king OF Egypt
. PLACE IN BIBLE HIsToRY.-2 Kings 24:17-2o;
25:L Q; Chron. SO: 10-17.
OTHER CHAprERs.-In jeremiah, belonging
to this period (chaps. 81. 1884, 3s).
OTHER PRoPHETs.-Ezekicl In Babylonla
.(chnps. "a, 25), Daniel In Babylon.
THE THREE SIEGEs.-The first In the fourth
year Of Jehoiakira. b. c.. 6o1 Daniel was taken
captive at this timo. II was the beginning OF
the seventy years captivity. The second was
in 5oS when Jehoiachin was carried away The
third was in 5sS, tho time OF today's lesson.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES had be.
gun his last siege OF Jerusalem, at the close OF
which it was destroyed. After time he left
the city and went away to fight the Egyptians
under Pharaoh Hophra. This was NJ the De-
ginning Of our lesson. During the first part OF
the siege the noblos emancipated their slaves,
but as soon rs the ChaldeSns left they enslaved
them again CHAP. 3D.
JEREM1Au's LAND PURcHAsE.-we read In
Jer. S2:6-l5 thai the prophet during the siege
bought Piece Of land on which the Chaldean
nrmy W ere oncamped, showing his perfect faith
In the Word of God which he preached and in the
promise OF return from captivity. The deeds
were written on clay tablet as In Nineveh ct
that time. 'Jercmiah's deed Of purchase,
moreover, was preserved in jar, like the
numerous clay deeds Of the Egibi banking hrm,
which existed at Babylon from the age OF
Nebuchainozzar to that Of Xerxes These jars
served the purpose Of our modern safes."--
Ssycc's Fresh Light ETC., p. los.
HELPS OVER HARD PLAcEs-11. "Chal-
Goans:" q general namc for the people Of
Babylon Broken up:" broke up the siege.
{see circumstances above) II. THE land Of
Benjamin" TO his homo at Anatroth in Benja-
min. separate himscf:" either to go secret.
ly among the crowds, but better, 10 secure his
share Of feed at his residence, or to take pos
session of his inheritance He would need the
food in the famine when the Chaldeans re.
turned. "In the midst Of the peoples" Great
Numbers would rush out Of the city for various
reasons. I3. Thou fallest away" Desertest;
art traitor. Is. Tho princess" Not the
friendly ones In the first lesson. Those were
taken captive. But tho new ones. 10. "Cabin:"
vaulted cells belonging to the underground
dungeon. Many days." Till after Ncbuchad-
nezzar returned to the siege ". lo). having de-
feeted the Egyptians. 81. Court Of the pris-
on Or guard; above ground, where the guard
dwelt. much moro comfortable place than
the cell OF the dungeon.
LESSON COMMENT.
The mission of Jeremiah was sad
one, for his lot was to predict the down.
fall of Judah. At the time of this les
son Zedekiah was king, and he was the
last of the long line Of kings of Judah
from Rehoboam down. In the chapter
from which this lesson Is taken, we see
that jeremiah had been predicting the
captivity of Judah. and had said that
the Chaldeans would most surely take
and destroy the city. For this he was
accounted as traitor to his country,
and was cordially hated. In fact, how
ever, he was one of the few real patriots
that were left, and if they had only lis
tened to his warning some time before
this, the land would have been saved.
Our lesson Sbegins at the point where
for a brief season the army Of the Chal-
deans left Judah, for fear of the Egyp-
tian army. Then it was that the proph-
ct left the city, and was arrested on the
charge that he was about to go over to
the Chaldcans. He was beaten, and
then thrown into cell in the prison;
but even there he persisted in his proph-
ecy of evil against Judah. So there
they kept him for awhile and fed
him on the bread and water of Attic
ton.
otu otuOiCS VI VIC lANCS VI CuC PEOPh-
cts have been in vain if they have not
taught us that their lives were full of
sorrow and suffering. Elijah, Amos,
Isaiah, and now Jeremiah, all suffered
many things, and that not because they
deserved to suffer- but because they
dared to say that which was true. Had
they been willing to go on with the
''madding throng," they would have
been left alone; or had they conde-
scended to prophesy smooth things,
they would have been honored and fat
tered by the corrupt rulers of their
times. But, like Moses, they preferred
to stand by the truth though the heav-
ems were to fall, and for this they suf-
fered many things of their enemies.
Nor is theirs an unusual experience. So
long as the world remains what it is,
godly men must expect to suffer at the
hands of the ungodly. ''In the world
ye shall have tribulation and SORROW"
said the Master of us all. This has in
many thousands of instances proved
true, and those who have dared to
stand for the truth have lain on no
fowery beds Of ease. To them, how
ever, the world owes more than it does
" sAicSS VIM AAo'S ohiJ SciSulpCu IlclE
own selfish desires. In fact, if it We're
not for men and women who are willing
to lose all for the sake of the truth, the
the world to-day would be much worse
off than it is. These are the salt of the
earth-the leaven that works for the
good of all. These are the light of the
world, without whom it would lie in
Egyptian darkness. If the time ever
comes when there can be found no such
people. then the end lis not far off, and
to die will be better than to live.-Rev.
A. j. Schau1ler, D. D.
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
l. Gods promises and threatenings
are sure 10 be fulfilled.
.. The marks of true and false repent
ance.
3. The best people are sometimes mis-
represented.