The Washington herald., 1911-08-12
LESSON EXPOSITION.



The golden text is taken from the
prophecy of Isaiah, and Peter repeated 1t
in his writing for the Christian era. 1t
is an inclusive and final declaration OF
truth: THE word of our God shall stand
forever" How marvelously the accuracy
of the declaration has been proved in the
history of the Scriptures, What storms
have beaten upon them. What weapons
have been formed against them, What
ingenuity has been employed in order to
encompass their destruction, And vet
they emerge from the storm, II being
spent. while they abide; and the weapons
intended to end them are themselves
blunted and rendered useless; and in the
calm and majestic passing of the GEN.
turies the ingenuity which would end
them is manifested as unutterabe folly
If reverently we may observe the whole
principle as II is focused in the incarnate
Word, the truth becomes vet more ap-
parent. In the actual days OF His pres
ence in the world all the forces Of dark
ness combined against Him, and IL seemed
as If they had won their victory when
He was nailed to the cross. Yet the
word OF the cross is to-day the evangel
of the worlds salvation, and the central
throne Of authority in the midst OF its
perish and those which are permanent.
Let Jehoiakim's penknife and his bra
zier of burning Goals be forevermore the
symbols of the folly and feebleness of all
attacks upon the word of the living God.
While our lessor is taken from a later
part of the Book of jeremiah, II main
tains the historical sequence. In its plac-
ing in the prophecy 1t constitutes a break
upon the historic method of the book
Its value Is that 1t gives an account OF
how the prophecies Of jeremiah against
Judah and Jerusalem came 10 be commit
ted to writing. The story takes US back
to the point Of the arrest and acquittal
of jeremiah. which we considered in our
last lesson end which took place at the
beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim.
What is here described took place in the
fourth and fifth wears OF that reign (see
verses l-9).
In the fourth year of Jehoiakim Jeho-
vah definitely commanded jeremiah to
write out his messages. This command
he obeyed by debating them to BaruCh;
and in the following year, the fifth Of the
reign, Baruch read them in the hearing
of the people. Micaiah heard this read
ing. and then went and told the princes
what he had heard. with the result that
the messages 10 them. They determined |
to tell the King, and in the meantime ad- !
vised Baruch and jeremiah to hide. The |
result was that Jehudi commenced the |
reading of the roll before the King, but |
the message evidently angered him, for |
he mutiiated it with his penknfe and |
east 1t into the fire. 1t is possible tC nu- |
tilate and burn a writing, but 1t is not |
possible to destroy the word of Jehovah. |
g-L
wrote, but this time with the addition OF
many words.
The action OF Jehoiakim vividly sets be- |
fore the mind the deadening effect OF !
long continued sin. When he mutilated |
and burned the roll in the presence of his |
princes 1t is said they were not afraid. |
nor rent their garments. neither the king |
nor any of his servants that heard all
these words" II may be that they would |
have denied that they were the messages |
Of Jehovah Indeed. il is most probable |
that that would have been their attitude |
Of mind; but that in itself is the effect |
of sin. Long-Continued disobedience 10 |
the law of God robs men of the capacity |
for recognizing the quality cf divine au-
thority in divine communications.
The story is the illustration therefore OF |
perpetual fact. and ought to appeal as
4 solemn warning. To do the will of God |
IS 10 know of the doctrine. whether it be |
IF Cod aud the reverse Is equally true.
To disobey the will OF God is to be unable
TO distinguish between the false and the
rue.
When the Kings anger was stirred. and |
ne commanded that Baruch and jeremiah
should be arrested, they were unable 70
ind them. The princes had advised them
% hide. but the Scripture declares that
he Lord hid them.
When the messenger of God. in fulfill
nent of his commission. is compelled to
lenounce sin and foretell judgment, such