Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1898-12-08
AN ATTEMPT THAT FAILED.
sunday school Lesson Cor December
II, 1S9s-Trying 10 Destroy Gods
Word jeremiah 36;2O-32.

/ Work.-Our section to-day is brief. but
is part Of an important era. 1t gives
US an insight into the inner life
/ of the kings and prophets. We may
well study here some hing of the life
/ and character of jeremiah, the great
| prophet of these trout lous times %
His name means exalted of the Lord"
| (2) His father was Hilkiuh (1:1), prob
ably the high priest who found the
the book of the law for Josiah e Kings
22:s. etc). (3) His birth was at An
athoth, a priestly city close by Jeru-
salem, on the north He was born prob
! ably about b. c. 647. the same wear as
King Josiah; for he began to prophesy,
a young man. in the thirteenth year of
/ Josiah. 627 (1:6), and Josiah was 81
/ years old at that time "a Ills office
was that of both priest and prophet
| (5) He never married. (6) His pub
/ lie life continued from the thirteenth
year of Josiah (B. c. 627) till some time
after the destruction of Jerusalem (B.
&. 5S6), or more than forty years. ()
| His character. jeremiah was naturally
of a shy and timid disposition, shrink
ing from public life, sensitive to a most
| painful degree, and Responding. The
| great work he had to do was contrary
TO his natural disposition, but it was
done better on this very account. At
the same time, as often occurs, he was
the bravest of the brave. Timid in re-
solve, he was unflinching in executions;
| fearless when he had to face the whole
world. He stood almost alone.
II r IL
Part of Jehoiakim's Reign.-O The
| Egyptians under Pharaoh Necho
marched through Palestine up to the
Euphrates to attack and conquer AS
syria, r. c. COOS. (2) Josiah Joined the
Assyrians, and attacked the Egyptians.
He was defeated and slain. and the
| Egyptians tried to make themselves
masters Of Syria and Palestine Cd His
! third son Jehoahaz was made king, but
| Pharaoh Necho took him prisoner.
after a three months reign, and carried
him away captive in chains. ca Jehoi-
AKIN. an older brother, was made king.
| 90 He neglected the people. and built
| 4 magnificent palace der 22:13-15) TO
| hold his mere shadow of royalty"
among a poor and oppressed people.
| co. Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. was
| conquered and destroyed in 606-5 by
"the brave and brilliant Nebuchadnez-
Ear of Babylon" (T Then Egypt was
defeated by the Babylonians and driven
home. (s) Then, in the fourth year
of Jehoiakim, (605-4), the young Baby
lonian conqueror swept down upon
Syria and Palestine. Jehoialim was
IL. r. -, L. -
| Babylon but Nebuchadnezzar restored
him to his throne as his vassal. He
carried away with him some captives,
among whom were Daniel, Hananiah,
| Azariah and Mishael, destined there
after for such memorable fortunes
| dan 1907. This was the small begin
ming of the Great Captivity.
III. Jeremiah's Prophecies Read
Before the People.-One December
day in the court of the temple Ger.
36:1-15). Jeremiah had been prophecy
ing for % years. at various times,
in many ways. pcrsuading the people
to repent and return to God. But his
efforts had failed of accomplishing
| their purpose. Now, as last resort,
he is commanded by God to write out
the substance of all these addresses in
one roll or book. in order that the
whole mass concentrated in one
mighty blow upon the conscience of
king anu people might move them to
return and be forgi~en. jeremiah
himself could not read the book, be-
cause he was shut up" not impris-
oned ". 19), but restrained" prob
ably forbidden by the king to preach
in public to the people, so that he
would have been arrested had he made
the attempt. Baruch therefore took
the roll, and from balcony over the
gate read it to the vast assembled null
titudes.
", Jeremiah's Book Destroyed by
the King-vs. 2O-26. 81. so the king
sent Jehudi to fetch the roll:" So
that he might have possession of it,
and might learn the contents from the
roll itself, and not through second
hand reports.
%. "When Jehudi had read three or
four leaves:" Rather columns of the
writing across the roll. "He:" the
king. apparently in anger snatching
the roll from Jehudi, "cut it with the
penknife," used for sharpening the
reeds used as pens, and which hung at
the scribe's girdle, land cast it into
the fire
90, THE king commanded !.
to take Jeremiah the proph-
ct; but the Lord bid them" We do
not know how. but he is not heard Of
for several years
V. But the Word Of God Was Not
Destroyed.-Vs 27-32. The Outward
Form Restored 2s Take thee again
another roll" etc: In this was writ
ten all His former words. and many
more Ike words were added w. 32).
81. 81 viii bring. all the evil
that have pronounced against them"
Destroying the book or numbering
the prophet. would not prevent the full
filIment of Gods word