Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-11-18


The waste places Of Jerusalem 10 be-
said that fofty-tWo thousand. under the
leadership of two great men named
Zefubhahei and Joshua. took advantage
of this offer and returned 60 their tuuu.
try. and began 90 rebuild aud rciunlbt
the places which had been dJsullts ilr
so long. But The work langush,d, i1r
they were surrounded by people who
motive. Boo laws and customs.
The men Of Ei1n were there. the
of l.sau. They had ,u-
cfnlchcd, during the years of the cIp
tiyiiV. upon lands formerly occupied by
nj lnc command OF Cyfu. Co give place
TO tho returning capuvca Other nations
were also there Co sow tire seeds of
tho members at this colony which bad
gone mp lull of zeal aud enthusiasm Co
fginhabit their arcisn. land to rebuild
the temple II God, and renew ilg
worship of Jehovah. Even IN the Days
oi Cyrus, VINO was friend 10 the Jews,
The ue'.hbOrng nations melted Tic
Persian governor TO rcp.ftto that mon.
arch that Il would be impultc and
dangerous 20 permit these people who
had created $50 much trouble in former
Years for the kings Of Assyria and
Babylon To rebuild the cily aud temple
Ut their God. These couspmton sue
rcCdcd so well that Cyrus forbade The
Jews to continue. and Tor the last seven
years Of his reign the work Of rebuild.
ing Jerusalem ceased, in the reign OF
his successor. Cambyscs, they were not
permitted 20 resume a. but boo the days
Of another king, Darius Hyst1spcs-
who was n second Cyrus 70 the Jews
the temple was flashed and dedicated.
But Il was not until two other great men,
Ezra and Nehemiah, had come from
Babylon by permission OF IT'S king, that
the work upon the walls OF he city was
entirely accomplished, Nehemiah was
the Cupbcarcr Of Ar.nNrTNes lougi-
manus. and d was under him and due
mostly TO bis heroic efforts that the
labor was finally completed. Having
instituted the law Of Moses again, aud
established that custom which prevailed
IN the days OF our Savior OF reading the
law IN public. he returned 10 Babylon.
But the Jews were q backaIiding people.
They needed To be constantly reminded
OF the duties they owed 20 their God;
and Notwithstanding the puuiihmcn,s
they had received for their neglect aud
transgressions, they fell away again.
The worship Of Jehovah llngulshcd. the
paying OF tithing ceased, and the Priest.
hood, not being supported any longer by
the people, could not continue 10 serve
In the temple, but were compelled to go
out into tie fields and earn their bread,
letting the work Of the Lord take care
Of itself Il was this state Of things, with
other evils, that brought forth the last Of
the Old Testament Prophets The sins
which he denounced so s,rcnuously were
prevalent when he came, iuur hundred
years before the birth Of the Savior,
You will observe that Malachi laid
great stress upon the principle OF tithng,
aud upon The principle OF offerings,
for the support OF the Priesthood while
they ulhCiated Ia the temple, and doubt.
less for the expenses OF the temple and
perhaps Tor the rebuilding of the city.
HE'S believed TO have been contemporary
with Nehemiah. who was directing that
important labor So urgent was he in
showing the people the necessity Tor
observing these things, 10 order that
heaven might continue 10 smile upon
them, that their enemies might not again
come upon them aud carry them into
captivity, In order that jerusalem might
stand upon her feet aAd remain Tree
unto the coming OF her King, for whose
earthly advent Abraham and his pos
lefity had been chosen as q peculiar
people, select lineage, and commanded
TO remain distinct and not allow them
selves To be seduced from their allUgi.
ance TO Jehovah or TO neglec, Ia any
particular the laws which lie had given
thcm-so urgent was Malachi. so much
in earnest, that he pleaded with the
people In these words, "Will a man
rob Godl' Probably there were
some among them who said;
mo, not II he knows IT," Not II
he knew he was stealing from the Al
mighty would any lew dare do such a
thing. "Yet ye have robbed me, said
the Prophet, speaking IN the name Of
the Lord. But ye say Wherein have
we robbed theeY" Doubtless they were
thunderstmck when he told them that
Il was Ia Withholding the tithcs and OF
ierings which should be paid into the
storehousc Of the Lord that there
might be meat In His house, and means
TO carry on the work which He had in
stiuted. After seventy years Of exile.
sorrow and suffering, lie had permitted
them to return for this purpose, aud
now 10 neglect Il again, and cause the
worship OF Jehovah IN His holy temple
to cease, because His servants not be.
ing supported according TO the law
which He had given, were compelled to
go into the fields and dig for themselves,
and slight the sacred duues Of their cali
ingl
The law Of tithing was no new thing
to the Jewish people. AS early as the
times Of Abraham, he, the head OF the
house NJ lsfacl, paid tithesto Molchiscdek,
| after whom the High Priesthood was
named Abraham, returning from the
slaughter OF the kings, gave him tithe5
| Of all he POSSESSED, IN order that he
might be sanctided by that Law, and
receive In return n spiritual blessing
from MC'Chsedek, who was his superior,
for, as Paul reasons, II Is the lesser who
| is blessed Of the greater, and consider,
says he, "how great this man WAS, unto
whom the Puirarch Abraham gave the
tenth OF the spells" We arc shown, Ia
reading the scriptures, how God insti.
tuted this law while His people were
wandering In the wilderness On the DAYS
Of Moses, Amer He had called him up
into the Mount and given him the Deca.
lOgue, the ten commandments, lie in-
structed him as Co how he should organ.
ize the Priesthood. Ii seems that II had
| leau the ORIGINAL dpgiuu 10 tnLa the