Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-10-20

There were about $4,000 OF the captives
who took advantage of the offer of Cy-
rus, and went back to Jerusalem. 1t re-
quired a good cal more faith on their
part than might at first thought be
needed. 1t was a perilous journey: they
were not warriors 1t required that they
leave everything they knew and go to
the unknown. But it seems to me that
the great test of their faith came when
they reached Jerusalem after a SIX
months journey.
Picture that scene If you can. Dowll
from the north comes a caravan of $4,000
people with their beasts and cattle. AS
they come to the brow of the hill and
get their first sight of the city of David,
about which most of them have heard,
and a few have seen in it's better days,
the scene that confronts them ID that OF
a mass of rubbish on high hill. Any
one who has seen any of the ruins of
castles or abbeys in Europe can form a
faint idea of the sight. Those who have
seen the ruins of Pompeii can get bet
ter idea of it-broken NC fls, houses In de-
cay, rubbish heaps here, there and yon-
der, weeds everywhere, and worst of all,
practically no evidences Of human life
anywherei
l 1t must have been very discouraging
to see all that had to be done, especial
ly when they realized the smallness of
their forces and the external difficulties
to be overcome But their faith was
sufficient for the task.
FIRST THINGS FIRST.
Notice that they did not sit down idly
and wonder how they were going to &C
complish their task. Notice also that
they appreciated the Importance of doing
first things first. They had no sooner
reached their destination than they
sought out the place where the altar had
stood on the temple hill, gathered stones
together for its construction, erected II
on the spot where God had chosen that
they should worship Him, and offered
sacrifices thereon-offeYings for their own
sin, offerings of thanksgiving for the
blessings God had bestowed on them, Of
ferings with prayer for His guidance and
blessing on them in their work.
The altar meant the greatest things to
the Jews. 1t was recognition or the
existence of God. We must believe that
God Is, and that He Is the rewarder or
them that diligently see kiln. 1t was
recognition of the relation of man to
God. dependent and submissive. 1t was
a recognition of their need for an atom
ing sacrifice, that without shedding OF
blood there is no remission of sin. 1t
a
atonement had been made, guilt was re-
moved.
This-all of these-was what they
meant when they erected that altar and
offered the sacrifices on it. Is 1T not to
be noted that this should be the first
act of the people who had been carried
away and their city laid in ruins be-
cause of their persistence in the sin or
idolatry? The punishment had been
severe, but the result was worth II.
Henceforth Israel forsook idoltry, and
has never since ben guilty of It, III
YOU will read the stories of Ezra and
Nehemiah carefully, describing the
events of the return and rehabilitation
of the city and nation, you will be sur
prised by the deep religious undercur-
rent that really becomes the supreme
hing in their lives, controlling every
thought and activity. the erection OF
the altar as their first act was bat the
foretaste of this. AT last, they had
learned to put first things first Have
you? What is the controlling motive
in your life? Wha, honestly, do you
consider the first and most important
thing in your life? WHAT are you wor-
shipping-loving, living for? Cfor that
is the essence of Worship. May God
grant that you may not have to expe-
rience the bitterness of Babylonian
captivity to learn the one great lesson
of life-your supreme need of God,
your sin, your inability to meet your
own neds, His grace in atonement, His
sufficiency for you. Brethren put nrst
things first.
THE NEXT FIVE MONTHS.
The next step was in fulillment OF
their next most important duty-to pro-
vide for their families. Their wives