Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-06-17

Zedekiah's reign, and the city fell
| on the 9th day of the 4th month Of
| the 18th year of his reign-18
months lacking one day. 1t was
during those IS months that Jere-
miah was cast into the mire about
which we studied last week. The
suffering of those months was in
tense. How long do you suppose
! the people of Atlanta could sub
sist if an army should surround it
and cut off all communications with
| the outside? A railroad strike that
would tie up freight deliveries and
prevent the transportation Of sup
plies would be q serious menace to
the life of this people within less
than one month. But Jerusalem
was cut off for IS months until
there was no food in the city.
The conditions which the famine
created may be learned from La.
mentations. jeremiah wept rs he
saw sucking babes with their
tongues cleaving to the roof of the
mouth for thirst; mothers boiling
their own children for food; won-
en- raised in luxury picking grains
of what from the dung dropped in
the streets; and the NaZarites noted
for their beauty all wizened and
black with hunger and starvation,
unrecognizable in the streets.
Weakened by hunger the defend
ers Of the walls were not able to
resist the attacks of the enemy.
Finally breach was made in the
north wall of the city and Zede-
kiah and his army escaped by a
gate in the south wall, hoping to
go by the way of the plain and
get out of the reach of the Chal-
deans. His escape was by night just
as Ezekiel had prophesied. Over in
Babylon Ezekiel had digged hole
through a wall and after covering
his eyes with a scarf crawled through
the wall. When asked what he was
doing, he said God had told him to
do that to show how the king
would escape out of Jerusalem, by
night and through a secret gate.
But Zedekiah did not escape. His
little children may have been an
impediment to speed-he was only
80 years old and his children must
have been small-he was overtaken
by the Chaldeans on his way to
Jericho. and was delivered to Ne
buchadnezzar up at Riblah; for the
Babylonian king was carrying on
sieges at Tyre and Lacish and
other points north at the same
time and had established headquar-
tiers at Riblah.
Nebuchadnezzar was not likely to
show a great deal of mercy to a
man whom he had elevated to the
throne and who had turned against
him and had resisted an invasion of
a year and a half, expensive as that
must have been in men and. means.
Nor did he. The unhappy weakling
who had been on the throne was
made to see each Of his sons tor
tured to death and then to see the
death of each of his cabinet officers
and military advisers; then a red
hot iron was applied to each of his
eyes, he was bound in chains, and
carried captive to Babylon to exist
there and to die there. Thus was
fulfilled literally another prophecy
of Ezekiels, which seemed an i'm
possibility at the time. Zedekiah
was to see the king of Babylon face
to face Uer. 32:4) and to be taken
to Babylon but not see it Ezek.
1919. This literally happened.
The City Devastated
Through the breach in the walls
of Jerusalem the mighty Chaldeans
poured and devastated the city.
Nebuzaradan, the general in charge,
turned the soldiers loose. Every
thing that was at all valuable was
taken-all the rest of the vessels of
the temple, the laver of brass which
Solomon had made, the shutters and
bowls and spoons and shovels, the
braZen bulls under the laver, the
wonderful pillars of Solomon,
joachim and Boaz-the masterpieces
of Hiram's art. The houses of the
rich and of the mobiles were also
rifled. The sepulchres also were
robbed Of their treasures.
But this was not the worst-the
people were horribly handled. No
horror was spared. Old men were
slain; old women brutally murdered;
young women and maidens were
violated; priests were murdered in
the sanctuary. Blood flowed in
rivers in the sacred city. There is
legend that the Chaldean officer
himself was terrified at the horrible
human slaughter and ordered it to
cease.
Then the city was devoted to de.
struction. The temple, the palace,
and the houses of all the noblemen
were burned, and great breaches
made in the walls. The city of
David was a mass of ruins!
Not only was the city destroyed,
but it was depopulated. The mas
sacre left but few, and these were de-
ported. All the artisans were taken
away to build for ACKNOWLEDGMENT
and to prevent them rebuilding Je-
rusalem. None were left except the
poor of the land who were consider
ed worthless and harmless. But to
show how complete had been the de.
struction. the total number car
ried captive was only 8S2.
Psa. 79:1-4 gives vivid descrip-
ton of the scene: o God, the heather
are come unto thine inheritance.
Thy holy temple they have defled;
They have laid Jerusalem on heaps.
The dead bodies of thy servants
have they given to be meat unto
the fowls of the heaven;
The flesh of thy saints unto the
beasts of the earth.
Their blood have they shed like wa
ter round about Jerusalem;
And there was none to bury them.
We are become reproach to our
neighbors,
A scorn and a derision to them that
are round about us.
A Remnant Saved and Lost
NebuchadneZzar had had his fill