Middletown transcript., 1922-06-17
LESSON FOR JUNE 18
THE DOWNFALL OF JUDAH

LESSON TEXT-II Kings 25:l-ol.
GOLDEN TEXT-Be no. deceived: GOD
is not Knocked; for whatsoever q man
soweth. that shall he also reap.-Gal. 6:7.
REFERENCE MATERIAL-Deut. 2S:15-
10; %, So, 81; II Chron. 36:11-23; Luke u:
I-44
PRIMARY TOPIC-God Furnishing Dis
obedient People
JUNIOR TOPIC-The Capture of Jeru-
salem.
INTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR TOPIC
"A Nation That Disobeyed God.
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOPIC
Results of National Disobcdience to God
Iedekiah was male king of Judah
by the king of BabSlon CA :11), but in
spite of this Kindness and the word
of the Lord spoken to him by Jeremiah
Jer. 3S:1T, IS: cf. Jer. 81 :0, he re-
belled against the king of Babylon. He
relied upon the help of Egypt, but all
that Egypt could do was to cause
temporary interruption of the siege of
Jerusalem.
|. The Seige of Jerusalem wv. 1-3).
l. Time of wv. l, p. 1t began on
the tenth day of the tenth month of
the ninth year of Zcdekiah's reign and
istH''d tibul tlSlilttH llpllliiS. hS
tenth month according to the Jewish
calendar corresponds to our December
January, as their calendar year began
about the middle of March. The reason
the exact time is given is that this
was to be an event of great Importance
to the Jews in their exile.
.. The Method ". y. Nebuchadnez-
uur emma in parcnp will a lorup urmy
and encamped against Jerusalem and
built forts against it round about. 1t
IL thought that siege walls were built
around the city, shutting it II. On
the tops of these walls forts were built
from which missiles of destruction
could be hurled by their engines OF
war against the city. With the city
| shut in It's fall was only question
of time
3. The Famine ". ~. Geike says:
"It was speedily followed, rs is always
the case, with an outbreak of pesti-
lence. Food was well-nigh gone.
| There had long been no bread. Moth
ers were at last driven to murder and
eat their children. The richest citi-
Zens wandering about Searching for
scraps in the dunghills." Even outside
the city the people We're starving
There was no bread for the people
of the land" It is estimated that one
third of the people of Jerusalem died
of starvation.
u. Zedekiah's Flight and Fate wv.
40.
l. 1.-The City was Broken Up" ". ~.
The Chaldeans had succeeded iE maxi
ing an opening in the wall so large
that they could make their way into
the city in spite of all that the He
brews could do. Resistance was car
ried on to the bitter end.
2. Zedekiah's Flight ". ~. The king
with his men of war fled by night to-
ward the plain. His object, no doubt,
was to cross the Jordan at Jericho
and hide in the mountains east of
Jordan.
3. Zedekiah's Fate wv. Sd. 1) He
was overtaken in the plains of Jericho
". 81. When his flight was discovered
the Chaldean army pursued and cap.
tured him. (2) He was brought to
the king of Babylon at Riblah ". g.
Riblah was town north of Damascus
1t was the kings headquarters from
which he directed his armies against
Tyre and Jerusalem. Before Neb
uchadneZzar. Xedekiah was tried as
a criminal. CD His fate ". y. His
sons were slain in his sight; his eyes
were put out he was bound with fet
ters of brass and they carried hin
to Babylon where he remained pris
oner until the day of his death Jer
III.
III. Jerusalem Destroyed wv. S-10)
The dismantlng of the city was de
layed month, perhaps awaiting in
structions from NebuchadnezZar, wht
was at Riblah.
l. They Burnt the House of the Lore
". %. This was the sacred temple
built by Solomon with additions ant
notifications. Before burning it the,
plundered it of all its sacred contents
.. Burnt the Kings House w. 81
This was doubtless the palace bull
by solomon.
3. Burnt All the Houses of Jeru
salem ". 9). The implication is tha
|
people ". 12).
, 4. They Broke Down the Walls o
Jerusalem. The aim was to rende
; the walls useless as means of de
fense.
~. The Disposition of the Peopl
,, wv IL. 12).
, 1. Carried Them into Captivity {,
11). The people who were left in til
city and those who had deserted t
the Babylonians We're carried to Bah!
Ion; all such as would be of use
Babylon.
.. The Poorest of the Land Wer
Left ". 12). The people who woul
not likely make any trouble were lei
as vine-dressers and husbandmel
h Doubtless they were looking fGrwar
0 to colonization by foreign peoples. Th
n object in leaving these people vas tn;
II tine country might be ready for the
n coming. Over these people Gedalia
o was appointed as governor with heat
c quarters at MiZpah.