The Progress., 1898-12-17
THE SABBATH SCHOOL.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS
FOR DECEMBER 10.

oiu WHeu liz began TO reign, ana ne fotgQe1
eleven years In Jerusalem" After the death
OF Josiah, the good king, three Of his sons
and one grandson succeeded him. regning
altogether twenty-five year3-Jehoahaz or
Shallum, three months; Eliakim. or Jehoi-
AKIN, eleven years; Coniah, or Jeconiah, or
Jehoiachin, three months, and Zedekiah
| eleven years. The first two and the last
were sons Of Josiah, the third was his grand
son and was thirty-seven years captive
In Babylon DER. ILL.,, 80. The story Of the
final captivity Of judah, the topic Of this
lesson, is found in three other places der.
xxxix., II Kings ky, II ChrOn. xxxvi.)
and must therefore be something to be
prayerfully pondered by u.s.
2. "He did that which was evil in the
eyes of the Lord, according to all that Je-
hoiakim had done" What brief but COM
prenenstve summary of a mans life "evil
In the eyes of the Lord" and how it con-
| firms the statement that the carnal mind
Is enmity against G0d" (Rom. viii, ~
The eyes of the Lord are running to and
fro throughout the whole earth and wher-
ever there is heart trusting in Him He
VIII show Himself strong on behalf Of such
or Chron, xvi, 81. The devil is also going
to and fro in the earth seeking to DESTROY
man and turn him from God.
3. He cast them out from His pres
ence." Thus the Lord did to Jerusalem
and judah because OF their sins for they
Knocked the messengers Of God and de-
spised His words and misused His proph-
cts, until the wrath of the Lord arose
against His people, till there was no rem
edy Oh Chron. xxxvi., 16). He earnestly
protested unto them, rising early and pro-
testing, but they obeyed not nor inclined
their ear aud continued walking in the
Imagination of their evil hearts DER xi..
a, -. 1t is impossible to 20 where God
cannot see US, but it is possible to lose the
sense OF His presence, as when Cain went
out from the presence Of the Lord FPS.
cxxxix., IA; Gen. w., 16). The presence of
the Lord is the assurance of al! sure guild
ance and blessing (Ex. xXxiii., Il; xiii,
10y.
T., 5. $50 the city was besieged unto the
eleventh year Of King Zedekiah" The
Lord had said through Jeremiah that the
King of Babylon would take the city and
destroy it, and for this testimony the
prophet was put in prison Ger. xxxiv., 2:
xXxli., y, but shutting up a messenger of
the Lord or stopping lis mouth or even
Killing him or burning up his message
will not prevent the purpose Of the Lord
from being fulfilled. All Scripture shall
surely and literally be fulfilled, and even
the enemies of God can only fulfill His
pleasure, for He maketh even the wrath
OF mar to praise Him, and the remainder
doth He restrain. The King of Babylon
was unconsciously Gods instrument in
Christening His people Of Judah and Jeru-
salem. Even Herod and Pontius Plate
and the gentiles and Israel when they COM
vii CT
pass what GSd forsaw would be Acts iv..
81. 2S). '' avg
g. 1.-THE famine was sore in'the city, 50
that there was no bread for the people OF
the land" The study OF the famines of
Scripture, with their reasons and results az
far as we can judge of the same. is a most
profitable study; for example, the famine
OF Gen. xii. and its results to Abraham, the
famine in Bethlehem and its effects upon
Elimeloch and Naomi as recorded in Ruth.
In Eek. xiv, q, famine is called one of
Gods four sore judgments, but in Amos
viii, ii, we read ofthe worst kind Of fam
Inc, even famine Of hearing the words of
the Lord.
Z. "All the men Of war fed and went
forth out of the city by night" In chapter
xxx, 4, we read that Zedekiah went with
them. Ezekiel was a: this time captive
In Babylon, but God showed him and he by
an object lesson showed the people lust
what was going on In Jerusalem at this
time, SO that even without telephone or
telegraph the Jews at Babylon knew of
events at Jerusalem the very day they hap.
pened Geek. xii, etc.. God has permitted
man to bring to pass most wonderful things
IN these days In which We live, but never
In any nation has been seen or heard such
wonderful things as God has done and will
yet. do in and for Israel, His chosen peo.
pie.
8. "The army of the Chaldeans pursued
after the king and overlook Zedekiah In
the plains of Jericho" When Jonah would
fee from the presence Of the Lord. al
though he got off to sea and possibly fancied
be was really on bis way to Tarshish, the
Lord wanted him at Nineveh and 80 sent
two detectives after him, q storm to stop
the vessel and fish specially prepared to
bring him ashore. The king Zedekiah may
have thought himself safely away from the
king OF Babylon and possibly have fidiculed
the words Of jeremiah, but II so it only
proved that he did not know the Lord nor
that every purpose Of the Lord must be
performed.
9. "Then they took the king and carried
nllu up unto the King OF Babylon to Rib
lab, In the land Of Klamath, where he gave
judgment upon him." Thus it came to
pass as 1t had been foretold, but the most
pitifui thing about it all, as 1t seems to
me, was that one who should have been an
honor to the Lord, on the throne Of tho
Lord at Jerusalem, is found prisoner In
the hands OF an enemy of God, and this
enemy sitting in judgment upon him. It
was a sorry sight when Abraham was re-
proved by Abimelech because he for fear
OF his life told lie about his wife. 1t was
fearful thing when David by his great
sin gave occasion to the enemy to BIAS
pheme; when Simon Peter by his self con-
fldence and following afar off denied his
Lord. But all these are written for our
instruction that We may not sin as they
did.
10. "And the king of Babylon slew the
sons Of Zedekiah before his eyes, This
might have been avoided ii 7edekiah had
only been obedient to the word of the Lord
by Jeremiah and had surrendered to the
King OF Babylon, but he thought he knew
better than jeremiah, and be would not
believe God but hardened his heart and