The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-07-20

Vain was the help of man. Judah
was caught in a corner.
The hungry. weary, suffering but
dauntless patriots within Jerusalem's
walls were put in a plight to break
the nerve of the braveSt. Forty-six
of the fortified cities of Judah were
fallen beneath the Assyrian's steady
on-march. George Adams Smith thus
windy pictures the situation of the
besieged "Signs of the Assyrians'
advance were given in the sky ana
night after night the watchers on Mt.
Zion, seeing the glare in the west.
must have speculated which of the
cities of Judah were being burned.
Clouds of smoke across the heavens.
from prairie and forest fire, told how
war, even if it passed would leave
trail of famine: and men thought with
breaking hearts of the villages and
fields, heritage of the tribes of old,
that were now bare to the food and
the fire of the foreigner. Then came
the touch of the enemy, the appear
ance of armed bands, vistas down
Jerusalem's favorite valleys, of char
lots, sQuadrons of horsemen emerging
from the plateaus north and west OF
the city, heavy siege towers and
swarms of men innumerable.
Terrified but tenacious, the Jews
still held out. They had been driven
to mans last ditch-God. They relied
upon the Help of the helpless. Over
against the imposing display OF the
Assyrian military pomp they could
place only the invisible God. They
were in the plight of Abraham Lin
coin during the Civil war, who con-
fessed: ct have often been driven to
my knees by the overwhelming con-
viction that I had no where else to
CO." And truly blessed is the man OF
the nation that has reached such
condition.
Of tta GsroruGefn1
The Representatives of Sennacharib
came up to the walls of the besieged
city with a request for surrender.
Failing in this they began to taunt
the defenders with their weakness. TO
intimidate them by a boastful display
of the Assyrian power, and to SOW
seeds of disloyalty to Hezekiah among
the listening Jews, for that purpose
conducting the negotiations in the He-
brew tongue. 1t was a powerful ar
gument reinforced, as 1t was, by the
vision of the conquered country and
by the gnawing needs OF the people
shut up within the walls OF Jerusa-
lem. 1t was pointed out how kings
and cities had been unable to with
stand the Assyrian onslaught 1t held
up to view the idols and affairs that
had been overthrow and the help
lessness of the gods of the nations IN
the face of Sennacharib's might. In
this impractical folly. Be sensible.
This God of yours cannot help you.
What is God against my victorious
record and my invfncible forces? How
will your God deliver you out Of my
hand ?"
SIENNA charib represented the prac-
teal man of the world, to whom alb
stractions do not appeal. The worldly
wise think the other worldliness of
faith to be Of folly. The plutocratic
financier looks with a sheer upon the
poor poet, professor, preacher and
| other idealists. Their dreams and
their reliance upon abstract things
are utterly incomprehensible to him.
He patronizingly commends religion
as good thing for the poor, weak
common people-the kind on whose
necks he walks-and he will build
them a church; but for himself his
/ trust is in the riches. To his vision
the dollar is almighty. If he possessed
a portion of the learning or the in
sight of the idealist he would know
that his confidence is built upon
frail foundation. The teaching of his
i, tory as to the instability of riches is
clear. I call to mind now an ex-mil-
| lionaire' who is glad to borrow So, or
to get a SIS a week job. Every big
city has its quota of such. The lesson
is one with the lesson of Sennacharib,
who is now but a hard name for
school children to con.
An Ancient Case of Bluffing.
There is a strongly familiar sound
about the narrative here: They
cried with a loud voice unto
/ the people of Jerusalem to
| alright them and to trouble them
So big-talk is not a recent discovery.
/ These Assyrians in the speech of to-
day were 'bluffing." They ever tried
to bluff the God of Judah with their
| - f,,lr ~ mr. O.
| senting a formidable front. they
| thought to overawe their adversar-
| les. But in vain: while Assyria had
appearances. judah had real power.
Hezekiah's power is made plain by
this glimpse behind the scenes, a
view which Sennacharib could not
get Newspaper men know that
there is an inside 10 every story.
| And it is usually the most interest
| ing part. Back of events and appear
ances lie motives and principles: the
latter are the texture of literature.
while the mere facts make only
news. One of the privileges of heav-
en- will be full knowledge; causes and
effects, as well as agents, will be clear
ly apparent. Then we shall see be-
hind many mems brilliant success
the tireless labor and faith and pray
ers of his mother or wife. Then in
history's big deeds we shall plainly
read the influence of men and actions
utterly unknown or ignored on earth.
Simple faith will then be rated as of
more power than statecraft or the art
of war or the knowledge of the
worlds ways.
With that all seeing vision immor-
tails may hold the real power of a poor
mans prayer, such as put the armies
OF Sennacharib to flight. For the point
of this old story is that Jehovah is a
prayer-hearing and a prayer-answer-
G,nd His 81
intensely that to fight against them is
to fight against Him. The proud
Assyrian in his blind vanity was really
doing battle against the Lord of Hosts.
be himself if He could suffer defeat,
sent one of his many angels to smite
the boaster. Angel" means simply
messenger. even the devil often has