Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1892-02-19
JEHOIAKINPS FOLLY.
LES ON VIII, flRs- QUARTER INTER
Nat JNh.- SER, FED. Fl.

Text of the Lesson, der. xxxvi, 1881.
Memory Verses, 22, 23-Golden Text,
ID. NJ. Stearns.
10. Then said the princes unto Baruch,
Go hide thee, thou and jeremiah, and let
no man know where We be-" Baruch was
Jeremiah's scribe and had just been read
ing in the ears of the people, in the Lords
house, upon the fasting day, the words of
the Lord, which he had written from the
mouth of Jeremiah Oversees 6, 81. The Lord
gave these words to jeremiah in the hope
that the people might turn and be for
given Oversees 3, D. for He is ever seeking to
save. Baruch having read to the people is
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"
Jeholaklm was the son of Josiah the good
king, but was very different from his IA
Their He was preceded by his brother Je-
hoahaz, who reigned only three months
and was then carried captive into Egypt
Oh Chron. XXXvi, ID
roll, and Jehudi read it in the ears of the
king, and in the ears of all the princes"
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
it or read it to others: and if we are only
willing He will set before us open doors
All results are with Him. He will see to it,
%. Nov 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 ill.,
l5) If the fasting day of verse was the
last OF atonement, i'll the seventh month
(Lev. xvi, 2g, then some little time lover
month"; elapsed between Baruch's first
reading and this reading before the king
%. "IIe cut it with the penknife and cast
it into the fire that was on the hearth, I'M
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 q Chron, xxx
80 and whose representative he ought to
have been. Contrast his fathers treat
ment of the word of God Gil Kings xxi, ID
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, penknife 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 lisa viii, 90 r.. V.
"a yet they were not afraid nor rent
their garments" And no more are these
unbelieving critics of our times, who are
thus Fastening on to their own destruc-
ton and leading multitudes with them.
% Nevertheless Elnathan made inter
cession to the king that he would not burn
the roll, but he would not hear them" II
any one will not receive the truth God
Will let them believe IA lie Oh Thess H.
10-l2) but fearful will be the result (chap-
ter xiii, l5-l0. Elnathal and the others
did well to plead for the word, even though
they pleaded in vain. God will not for
get it.
2G 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 if he could but lay hands on
them. Rebellion fearfully hardens the
heart. How safe are those whom God
hides; see how securely He hid Elijah
Il Kings xviii, 10). Compare Ps XVII, 5;
xxi, :, and give good heed to Zeph. ii,
8; Luke xxi, SO that you may rejoice in
Col. iii, 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
rs. lake thee again another roll, and
write it in all the former words that were
in the first roll" In verse 81 it is said
that many more words were added 1t is
impossible to destroy the word of God
All efforts to do so have only increased the
number of copies The Bible has been
compared to "A 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.
80 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 it tells of lake of fire for he I'M
godly, and of everlasting punishment, and
of coming judgments. But though many
may penknife these these things out 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 iniquty, but they hearkened not"
His miserable death and wretched treat
ment of his body, with evils upon bis
seed and kingdom are here foretold, and
all came to pass. The believer not only
has a redeemed soul now, but will have a
redeemed body, too just like the body of
his Lord, and shall sit with Him on His
throne, and no evil can befall him Il John
iii, 2, 3; Phil. iii, 20, 21 Rev. iii, 81; Ps
xci, 8, l0). But the prospect before the I'M
believer is as indescriDably awful as the
other is glorious. (See | Thess i, 7-10;
Math. XIV, Al; Rev. xiv, 9-ll) God has
provided salvation for all and is not will
In Or bat INV chould nariSh but hon, no