Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1898-12-07
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
LESSON xl FOURTH QUARTER, IN
TeRNATlONAL SERIES, DEC. ~.

Text Of the Lesson. Jer. xxxvi, Ho-S3-Mem-
Org Verse. ss-Goiden Text, Isa. n, o.
Commentary Prepared By the Rev. ID. N.
stearns. -
copyright. 1885, by d. NJ. stearns.I
30. And they went In to the king and
told all the words in the ears Of the king. I"
This Is King Jehoiakim, son Of Josiah,
who reigned II years, but did evil In the
sight of the Lord In the fourth year Of
his reign the Lord told jeremiah to write
In book oil the words He had spoken
against Israel since the days of Josiah and
read them to the people II perchance they
might turn from their sins to the Lord and
have their iniquity forgiven. Both In the
fourth and fifth years Of Jehoiakim's reign
these words were read publicly and pri-
vately again and again (see previous part
Of this chapter), and now some who heard
them tell them to the king.
81. $50 the king sent Jehudi to fetch
the roll, and Jehudi read it In the ears Of
the king" Baruch the scribe, who had
written the words of the Lord from the
mouth of jeremiah, had also read the
book In the ears Of the people and of the
rulers oversees 9, 8, 10. Is, l6), but now
Jehudi reads II does not matter much
who reads provided he reads distinctly
and give the sense and cause the people to
understand the reading (Neh. viii, 81. A
TO the origin of the words, they were from
the Lord, tho Lords words He used
Jeremiah's mouth and Raruch's pen and
mouth, but the message was neither from
jeremiah nor from Baruch, but from God
Now 1t Is Jehudi's mouth, but it 10 still
the same message from the Lord.
90, 20. "He cut It with the penknife and
cast 1t into the fire that was on the hearth,
until all the roll was consumed In tho
fire." Thus did Jehoiakim with the roll
containing the message from the Lord.
Thus he despised and treated with con-
tempt the message from the Lord and
turned his back upon the Lord and would
not hearken to Him. What q contrast to
Josiah in our last lesson, who humbled
himself before God and turned to Him
with all his heart! Jehoiakim was a Cain
man, while Josiah, like Abel, had faith in
God. All are either for or against God.
"a. "Yet they were not afraid, nor rent
their garments, neither the king nor any
of his servants that heard all these words I"
The hard hearted, rebellious king would
influence those about him in some meas
ure to be rebellious, like himself. When
once the heart turns away from God, the
hardness ofttimes increases very quickly.
When we receive not the truth in the love
Of 1t, God let's us believe delusion and a
lie QI Thess. Ii, IL, 12). 1t is fearful
thing to even listen to word against God
or against His word for while holiness is
not easily communicated, sin is, accord
ing to Hag. ii, 10, 10.
25. "He would not hear them" Three
are mentioned who pleaded with the king
not to burn tho roll, but he would not
listen to them. He thought that he knew
better than his counselors, he was in his
own esteem wiser than his father who had
humbled himself before God, he did not
believe that ''Hc that, being often re-
proved, hardeneth his neck shall suddenly
be destroyed, and that without remedy"
(Prov. xxx, u.
26. "But the Lord hid them" This re-
fers to Baruch and jeremiah, whom tho
king would now like to lay hands upon
and put a stop to such words as these. In
verse 10 we learn that when the book was
about to be read to the king some advised
them to hide SO that they could not be
found, and now we learn that in their
hiding they were guided by God. Elijah
was SO securely hidden by God that he
could not be found by Ahab i'm any nation
or kingdom Il Kings xvii, 3; xviii, 10).
There is q rock, the Rock of Ages, in
whom we may so securely hide that nc
evil can befall us Eek. xxxiii, 22; Isa il,
10; XVI, 4, margin). The life of all who
truly receive Christ as their Saviour is
said to be hid with Christ in God, for He
is our life (Col. ill, 8, ~.
81, 2S "Take thee again another roll
and write i'm it all the former words that
were in the first ROLL l have for some
years reveled In the blessed assurance of
Ps. cxix, 80, Forever, o Lord, Thy word
is settled in heaven" On my way home
from India last year it was my privilege
while spending few days in London to
rejoice in some blessed fellowship with my
dear brother In the Lord, Rev. John Will
kinson, author of that wonderful book,
"Israel My Glory" found him one day
greatly rejoicing in Ps cxix, 80, on which
he expatiated somewhat after this fashion:
Just think of what we have here! What
is settled? Thy word Where is it settled9
In heaven. For how long is it settled?
Lord Let the enemies throw out Jonah
and his book, and Daniel and his book,
and whatever they do not like, they can
no more destroy the word of God than
Jehoiakim could destroy the words of Jere-
miah g roll. When we reach heaven, we
shall find Jonah and his book and Daniel
and his book and all the word of God for
ever settled there
30. 1.-THE king Of Babylon shall certain
ly come and destroy this land and shall
cause to cease from thence man and beast"
These were some Of the words In the roll
which Jehoiakim burned which caused
him to hate 1t and burn 1t. Jonah was
wondrous type Of our Lord In His death
and resurrection, and this the great truth
which satan hates and may be one reason
why he would II possible set aside tho book
Of Jonah. In Daniel perhaps more than in
any other book In the Bible the Importance
Of the wisdom Of this world to understand
the things Of God is made manifest, and
for that reason, among others, the book of
Daniel is disliked Revelation tells of the
devil downfall and final doom and there
fore he would like you not to read that
book.
80, 81. Therefore thus saith the Lord
Of Jehoiakim, king of Judah" Then fol-
lows statement of what would come upon
him personally for this sin, but he would
not hearken In chapter xii, 10, 1t was
written that he should be buried with the
burial Of an ass. God is not willing that
any should perish, has no pleasure In the
death of the wicked hut IL In spite of all