Evening star., 1911-08-26
# fR@unoap' @cbool lesson\
MA Bp Keb. .Nugb T.I @teoenson

lowed the advice of jeremiah to sur
render as individuals. that others were
restless. still the leaders fought on un-
til one night the middle gate in the
temple suddenly gave way under the
terrific pounding OF the batter!ng ram.
The efforts of NebuchadneZZars persist
ent fighters along the lines that made
him one of the worlds great military
! leaders. were crowned with success. The
city was at his mercy. The king and
his forces. under protection OF the
night, fled. They left the city too late.
Had he gone out when advised by Jere-
miah the nation might have been saved
the suffering of the siege and the infec-
tion of the severe burden of defeat He
delayed until he was forced TO retreat or
surrender. The spirit of the Jew that
never surrenders would not permit that
he lay down his arms. The end had
come when he would be compelled to
capitulate to the superior forces of Ne
buchadnezZar. Seeking to escape In the
darkness the king and his army were de-
tected In their flight They were followed.
overtaken and compelled to give battle
on the wide plains of Jericho. And the
scenes of Joshua's first triumph. the
last fight for the expiring monarchy was
defeated.
Doom.
The wretched king was carried in Ham,
ath, where Nebuchadnezzar had his head.
quarters for his operations In Palestine.
After the two-hundred-mile trip Zedss
kiah was brought before Nebuchadnez-
Ear, who considered the Judean king to
be an migrate and a traitor The sem
tence passed upon him was a character
istic one, that prevailed in the east un-
til very recent times. Zedekiah, who har-
dened his heart against Jehovah. refused
to surrender or forsake the city, caused
great loss of life and suffering. was fore
ed to witness the slaughter of his sons
and princes before his eyes and was
then blinded
Later he was sent a prisoner to Baby
lon, where he died. Thus the prophecies
of Ezekiel and jeremiah were fulfilled.
although they appear on the surface to
be apparently contradictory, that he
should not see Babylon and yet that he
should die there. Jerusalem was ordered
destroyed because after repeated efforts
the Assyrians had learned that every
ruler from the time of Jehoikim betrayed
them. The city was strong fortress.
that required eighteen months siege to
capture. and If left standing was apt at
any time to cause serious trouble by be-
coming the center of sedition. The in-
terests of their empire demanded that
Jerusalem be destroyed. In the fifty
third chapter of jeremiah. who was an
eyewitness of the city's destruction, is a
minute record of the work that Nebu-
zaradan. the chief of the Babylonian gen.
erals, performed in demolishing the city.
The palaces, public buildings and forti-
fications were completely destroyed. The
fanatical loyalists who sought shelter in
the walls of the temple were slaughtered
In the precincts of the place of worship.
The vessels of the temple, 1000 I'm num-
Der, according to Ezra, were gathered to-
gether and carried away with the other
spoils to Babylon. After 400 years or
checkered history the temple was de-
stroyed by fire. All survivors of the
siege and slaughter except the poor serfs
were taken captive to Babylon, leaving
Jerusalem a desolation and a wailing. At
last Micah's grim prophecy was literally
fulfilled. Jerusalem became heaps, ana
the mountain of the house as high places
Of the forest"
Destiny.
Judah ceased to be a political power.
So IL will be with America IL we do not
heed the lesson that God Is teaching VI
by example In history, which is His
story, written for our guidance. Jerusa-
lem and Judah fell as all nations have
fallen when God weighs them in the bal
ance and they are found wanting. In
Judah its outward causes may be said TO
have been a bad economic policy, moral
teachers. The real cause was their
heart was not right toward God. If
America ever falls Ii will not be from
physical debility, economic policy, weak
ness of army. or smailness OF navy e
will not be because the Chinese are
too many, the Japanese too hardy, the
Germans too thorough. or the English too
businesslike but the cause VIII be found
in the moral cancer that today is sapping
the life of the nation. The wages Of sin
for man or nation is death. BE sure
your sin will find you out, is warning
to us as individuals and as nation.
After sin comes death. Modern society
breeds IN its own life the germs Of its
destruction. The words of the historian
of the French revolution ought to be
needed by americans. You shall rever-
ance your Almighty Maker. You shall
speak the truth. You shall do justice to
your fellow-man. II you set truth aside
for convention and convenient lies; IL
you prefer your own pleasure. your own
WILL your own ambition, to purity and
manliness and justice. and submissive to
your Makers commands. there are whirl-
winds still provided In the constitution
of things that will blow You to atoms
Philistines. Assyrians, Babylonians were
the whips provided for the lsraelites.
Within the shadow and valley Of death
of Judah God stood keeping watch
above his own" He protected Jeremiah,
rewarded Ebedmelech. who saved the life
of Gods prophet and out OF the destruc-
tion Of his chosen people He was PLAN
ming to recreate a nation that would
perform the will OF God.
Ont of death comes q large life Greece
died. vet lives in the noble graces that
fransfRure the thonghts OF men. Rome
fell. yet in the majesty and law OF all
nations she lives forever. So. Jerusalem
nerished. but II is toward q new Jerusa-
lem. whose builder and maker Is God.
that cometh down from heaven. that
man looks for the beginning Of the days
OF eternal glory.