River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1922-07-13
JEHoIAklM TRIES TO DESTROY
GODS WORD

LESSON TExT-Jeremiah Sc.
GOLDEN TExT-The Word OF our God
! shall stand forever.-Isa. 4OS.
/ REFERENCE MATERIAI<-Isa. 56:s-ii.
Matt 5:17-19.
PRIMARY ToPIC-The Burning Of
| Good Book.
JUNIOR ToPIC-Jehoiakim Burns the
| Prophets Book.
| INTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR TOPIC
A King Who Scorned Gods Word.
YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT TOPIC
How to Meet the Forces Antagonistic
| to Gods Word.
|. The Book Being Written (vv.
| 1-4).
| /. The Time of (v. ~. In the
fourth year of Jehoiakim, jeremiah
had been exercising the prophetic min
istry some thirty years.
q Against Whom Spoken ". ~.
They were directed against Israel,
Judah and all the nations.
| 3. The Purpose of ". 81. The
grand object of the Lord in sending
this message by the prophet was
Judah's repentance.
4. Method of ". a. Jeremiah die
tated the words of the Lord to Ba-
ruch the Scribe. who wrote them upon
i a roll of book.
II. The Book Being Read (yv. 5-2D.
jeremiah was unable to speak the
message of the Lord to the people,
as he was "shut up" ". 81. "Shut
up" most likely means royal ban
against Jeremiah's proclamation OF
Gods Word to the people or against
his entering the temple.
| /. To the People (yy. 6-1O). The
| occasion which brought the people
together was day of fasting (y. 81,
because of the threatening of the
Babylonians. Jeremiah directed Ba-
ruch to read to the people the words
of the Lord which he had dictated
to him, with the hope that the people
would present their supplicatiOn be-
fore the Lord and return every one
| from his evil way.
2. To the Princes wv. 11-19). While
the reading of the book unto the peo-
pie seemingly created no great i'm
preston, yet AIichaiah was so deep.
moved that he went to the scrits's
chamber where the princes were as
sembled and declared unto them
all the words which he had heard
Baruch read. The princes sent for
; Baruch to come and bring the roll
with them. Baruch came and read to
them with the result that ~ they
were aroused with fear ". 16). (2)
They inquired as to how he had writ.
ten the words (vv. II, 1S). To this he
replied that he had written in the
book the words which Jeremiah had
dictated TO him. (3) Their concern
for the safety of Jeremiah and
Baruch ". 19). They were instruct
|. ed to hide themselves from mans
sight.
g. To the King wv. 20, Ply. The
princes regarded the words of the
Lord to be of such Importance that
they should be read in the hearing of
in the judgments pronounced. Upon
their report of the matter to the king,
he had Jehudi bring the roll and read
1t to him in the presence Of the
princes.
/ III. The King Destroying the Roll
wv. 22-26).
4 Instead Of becoming penitent and
afraid he became enraged and cut the
roll leaf by leaf and threw it into the
fire until it was consumed. This he
did against the intercession Of some
OF the princes. When the roll was
DESTROYED he ordered Jeremiah and
Baruch arrested.
w. The Roll Rewritten (vv. 27-32).
The burnt roll was reproduced by
the command of the Lord, and many
like words were added unto them. We
should learn from this incident
/. The Indestructibility of Gods
Word. Men may cut 1t to pieces and
burn it, but the Word of God shall
stand forever. 1t comes TO light again
with woes added to be visited upon
its would-be destroyers.
2. The reason men attempt to de-
stroy Gods Word. 1t is because of the
authoritative rebuke of their sins. The
Bible arraigns man for his pride and
wickedness and asserts Gods sover-
eign power over man and his demand
for a personal surrender unto Him
and worship OF Him.
3. The Method of Attempted De-
struction of Gods Word. 1t was part
by part. "When Jehudi had read
three or four leaves he cut it with
penknife." The nationalist today cuts
out the biblical conception Of God az
being whose essential nature de-
mands punishment of sin; therefore
he cuts out the Bible doctrine of man
as created of God In His likeness and
image. Instead Of that he makes
man q product Of evolution; therefore
he explains away the fall OF man.