Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-08-25

In the year COG b. c. Observation-Disclosures
carried away TO Babylon as captives a
large number OF the people of Judah.
Amongst them. were Ezekiael a priest.
and Daniel. a member of the royal fam
lIy. In 5ss B. c. he placed zedekiah on
the thorne as his vice gerent and made
him swear by God that he would De
faithful to him.
Zedekiah was a weak king. 1t is true
he had some things TO contend with.
The nobility were favorable 10 the Egyp-
tan party, and he was not strong enough
to resist them. He was following ID the
footsteps of his predecessors. and refus-
ing to hear the words of God as spoken
through His prophets.
In 5si B. c. Ezekiah over in Babylon
spoke a word fro God concerning him
CEzek. ID. He said that Zedekiah should
be taken captive and carried to Baby
lon. but he should not see it. No doubt
Zedekiah heard of this for there was
constant communication between the cap
lives al Babylon and the remnant in Je-
rusalem. In $50 B. c., four Yeas later,
jeremiah (ch 32) said of him that he
should see Nebuchadnezar face to face.
There seemed to be some conflict be-
tween the statements of these two proph-
cts. There has ever been a tendency
e
and this offered sufficient excuse. Men
today find. and bubble over. statements
in the Bible that are on the surface
conflicting. and they jump at the con-
clusion they all along desired. that ii
is therefore not Gods word. There is,
however. no real conflict: but perfect
harmony. as we shall see there was in
this case.
THE SIEGE.
However, this seems to have aided the
mobiles in their efforts to make Zedekiah
refuse to accept Jeremiah's many mes
sages to him. Shortly after this he re-
beIled against Nebuchadnezzar; he broke
the solemn oath he had made to him.
thus bringing the God by whom he had
sworn into dishonor with the Babylonian
court. Acknowledgement Immediately laid
siege to Jerusalem, surrounding the city
with his army so that none could go out
or come In to bring relief or reinforce
ments. He built forts about it. from
which his soldiers could shoot their ar
rows over the COAL: and he brought his
engines of war with which he could bat
ter down the walls wherever a weak
place could be found or made. This siege
lasted for IS months, beginning about the
last Of December SIS B. CO and the city
being taken in June $50 b. c. ls..t.f.
During most OF the siege Jeremiah was
prisoner. One OF the incidents of his
Imprisonment then, We studied last week.
1t was during this time that he composed
that mournful dirge over the city he
loved which is known in our Bible as
Lamentations. The conditions during
the latter part of the siege can be better
Imagined than described Think Of what
would happenuin -FourrcAtFs IL 1t was
completely cut OFF from the outside world
for is months. The disposal of the re-
fuse and OF the dead would make q prob
lem that is horrible to contemplate. Dis
ease was the necessary result. Famine
could not be avoided. The pitiful pic
ture Is given of those who had lived for
luxury selling their most valued posses
sions for the necessities of life, and
finally dying of starvation l1ecadses mo
more WIS to'fbe had What then must
have been the suffering OF the poor
liam Iii, 10. CHI 2:1l, u, ls, 20. The