Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1911-08-10
Jehoiakirn Burns
the Prophets Book
Sunday School Lsssos fes Ass. -. 1911
Specially Arranged for This Paper
LESSON TEXT.-Jeremiah So.
aErxsODr r-nnro o. "a

Il MOI ~
GOLDEN TExT.-'"The word Of our
God shall stand forever. lisa. 4o:s.
TIME.-Jeremiah was prophet from B.
e. GIG, the 18th year of Josiah, till the
destruction of Jerusalem, B. c. 56s.
Jehoiakim reigned II years, b. c. COS
597.
Jeremiah's book was written r. c. 6O4.
The Fast day, ninth month OF b. c. 603.
Jehoiakim burns the book soon after the
fast
PLACE.-Jerusalem. The Temple courts
and the kings palace.
Nebuchadnezsar besieging Jerusalem,
LIST year.
Daniel carried away captive.
jeremiah under disfavor.
Jchoiakim an unwise king.
For twenty years jeremiah had
been trying, by oral teachings, to per-
suade the nation to repent and turn
to God, but the people and their rul-
ers had been deaf to his warnings.
AS a last resort, in the fourth year
of Jehoiakim, the Lord commanded
the prophet to write down the sub.
stance of his exhortations, and thus
to focus them in n mighty blow
upon the consciences Of king and peo
pie. Moreover, for some reason Jere
miah was shut up, restrained" from
public utterance, being probably for
hidden by the authorities to preach;
so that for the time the written word
was the only way by which Jeremiah
could reach the ears Of the people.
The chosen amanuensis was Bar
UGH, the son Of Neriah, a scribe. The
book was not like ours, but was a
roll of parchment, consisting OF sew
eral skins sewed together, the edges
cut even, and the whole rolled on
wooden rods fastened at each end so
that the parchment could be rolled
from one to the other. The writing
was arranged in columns, each like
the page of a book. It must have
taken Baruch some months to have
written down such prophecies as
jeremiah wished to have read, and
which constituted a considerable part
Of the present book Of jeremiah.
jeremiah sent Baruch to the tenn
pie to read the book to the assem-
bled crowds. 1t was a wintry day.
Baruch went up into the chamber OF
a friendly noble, over a new gateway
opening both ways into the inner and
outer courts. There, from the win
dow or balcony of the chamber, or
from the platform or pillar on which
the kings had stood on solemn occa-
sions, he recited the long alienation
of lament and invective to the vast
congregation. Reading in this way
was almost the only way by which
the people could become acquainted
with the word Of God. Few could
read. And copies Of the law cost q
small fortune.
The king sent Jehudi, one OF his
officers, to fetch the roll 80 that Je-
hoiakim might learn its contents at
first hand and not from hearsay. The
king sat in the winter house.
1t seems probable that after Jehudi
had read three or four columes. the
king snatched the roll from his hands
and. taking the knife used for sharp
ening the scribe's pens. cut up the
roll himself, and cast it into the fire.
Some think that only the first portion
was read, when all the roll was con-
sumed in the fire. But Professor Ben
nett says that the Hebrew implies
that at the end Of every three or four
columns the king put out his hand for
the roll. cut away the portion read,
threw 1t on the fire. and handed the
remainder back to Jehudi. repeating
the process.
The king commanded the arrest OF
Baruch the scribe and jeremiah. But
the Lord hid them, by e of some
unknown providence and guidance;
or. as usual. by the use Of means In
spired by God. Shutting the eyes
does not ward of the lightning's
stroke. Fools. that think that by
wringing the neck Of the growing
cock they can proven. the coming OF
the morning.
When the word of the Lord came
the book was destroyed, but Its con-
tents and its truths lived. Take
thee . another roll, and write in
It," jeremiah knew what he had said
before. and God gave him further
revelations. Professor Brown thinks
that Baruch's second roll contained
the first seventeen chapters Of our
Jeremiah. Thou shalt say to Jehoia-
kim that the prophecies should Ger.
tainly come true"
Attempts to destroy the Bible have
been made. When men are forbidden
to read It, and everything is done to
prevent its circulation. The frontis-
piece Of Wycliffe's Bible represents
the fire Of true Christianity against