Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-05-25
Golden Text: "Amend your ways
and your doings, and obey the voice
of jehovah" Jer. 26:13.

and your dOings, and obey the voice
of jehovah" Jer. 26:13.
The superficial student has shown
very little sympathy with Jeremiah
In fact, the English word "Jere
miah,'' descriptive of a wall anC
sigh, shows the estimate which has
been placed upon his character. A
deeper study Of the man, his mes
sage, and. the, people among. whom
he labored, will give a far different
viewpoint. In fact, it will place hlm
high in the annals of the really great
men Of the world. jeremiah was
priest by birth and a prophet by
necessity; an intense patriot VINO
was regarded as a traitor to his
country; man who craved love, bul
courted hatred; a seer who coulo
look beyond the external to the IN
ternal; man who was so far ahead
of his times that he emphasized the
truth that Jesus proclaimed six cen
turtles later.
Jeremiah was the son Of I1ilkiah
a priest Of Anatoth.- 1t was prob
ably not the Hilkaih who found the
book, although that is a possibility
He inherited, therefore, all OF the
traditions that attached to the
priests life, making it all the hard
er for him to denounce them later
in his ministry as he did. His cal
to preach publicly came in the thlr
tenth year of the reign of Josiah
five years before the discovery OF
the book of the law, although he
had been set apart before his birth
He prophesied for eighteen years OF
Josiahs reign, for three months OF
Jehovah's, for eleven years OF Je
'hoiakim's, for three months of Jeco
niah's, and for eleven years of Zede
kiah's, until the destruction of Jeru
salem by Nebuchadnezzar; and then
for quite a period afterwards as
captive in Egypt. Altogether he
stood for God between fifty and sixty
years, oftentimes alone, and always
facing bitter opposition. "--.,.
He craved love, but was not allow
ed to marry. p. He loved, his people
with passionate love, although he
was forced, to denounce them and tC
foretell their utter destruction. He
prayed for his people until God for
babe him to pray any more for them
He loved the land and the temple
but had to prophesy their desolatfon
He had to antagoniZe the prophets
the priests, and the people and often
had to openly oppose the king him
self; for there were two political par
ties in Judah-the Egyptian and the
Assyrian. The first trusted in Egypt
for deliverance, the second based
their hopes on the rapidly rising
power of Assyria. jeremiah Belong
ed to the latter, for he saw by reveal
ton that Assyria was to be Gods
instrument for bringing Judah back
to Himself. Josiah belonged to this
party, and hence went out to fight
Neco, king of Egypt, although he
had no quarrel with him personally
His sons did not follow in his foot
steps.
jeremiah was naturally a very re
firing man, but God made him an
iron pillar, brazen vessel, a de
fenced city-and, therefore, nc
amount of threatening, no coercion
no punishment, no hardships was
great enough to move him from his
position. God had called him from
the womb; God had empowered hin
for service; God had spoken to hin
and told him to- speak; and, he5 was
invincible and invulnerable. "".~r
The book of Jeremiah not only
/ contains many of his addresses, but
is also an autobiography, for we
have given us in the prophets owr
| words his feelings, his reasons fol-
| certain acts his personal history in
connection with his discourses. II
is not, therefore, at all chronological
but is grouped into ten books
without regard to the time, but with
reference to the general subject mat
| ter before them. For example chap
ter Z probably is in detail the ad
dress referred to in chapter 26-oul
lesson today.
But probably the most striking
thing in Jeremiah's prophecies is his
appreciation of the holloWness ant
valuelessness Of the. eXternals, ant
his emphasis upon the Importance
of the individual and the spiritual
| This really was the essence of his
poiemic against the temple which re
suited in his arrest and trial foi
heresy which we study today
Externalism
The reformation ~nder Josiah
lacked one thing-depth. The king
was strong enough to prevent any
open revolt from his religious re
forms, but at his death princes ano
people turned back to idols; and the
priests and prophets who should
have stood for God were like bao
shepherds and false prophets. Every
thing was according to form-but II
was form. During Josiah's latter
years everything was outWardly re
| liglous,, but there was no real depth
| of heart in their worship. AT 10
siah's death his son Jehoahaz (oI
Shallunl). came to the throne, but
as he was of the Assyrian party
Necho deposed him after he had been
on the throne three months, and
made his older brother, Eliaklm
king, changing his name to Jehola
kim. Jehoiakim was, of course, al
| lied with the Egyptian party at first
He was therefore against the proph
cts who stood for God. During the
three months his wicked brother haC
| reiened all that was dormant during
thci1. good e. fathers reign became
| manifest, so that in the first yeal
of Jehoiakim's reign we find Jere
miah denouncing their sin in the
plainest language, and calling upor
them to amend their ways and theil
doings if they hoped to avert the
otherwise certain destruction tina
should befall them.
| In chapter 7:1-2S we find the de
tails of this sermon that was deliv
cred in the gate of the temple, ant
which is barely summarized in chap
ter 26. jeremiah was sent by thu
Lord to speak these words and wa;
directed not to diminish a word
Faithfully he proclaimed that mes
sage: in fact, so faithfully, that tn
people and priests and prophet
rushed at him in an angry mob an
would have killed him at once ha
not the princes appeared on tn
scene and rescued him. He was trie
before them for heresy. His defens
was very simple, very calm. 9TH
Lord sent me" etc; therefor
amend your ways and your doings