Evening star., 1923-06-02
Sunday School Lesson

too great, for the prophet to sacrifice
his manhood or message to please the
people, who, shutting their eyes to
the dangers which threatened the ma
tion from within, blindly trusted to
the services of the temple to save
Judah from the dangers which
threatened her from without. When
jeremiah fearlessly applied the test
of life, love and labor to their reli-
gion they were weighed in the bal
anceS and found wanting. He con-
demned Journalism of religion because
1T lacked morality. He demanded
that they make their life good by a
genuine reform, through repentance
and return unto Gods true prophets
for guidance. He exposed the hy-
pocrlsy of the priests and the false
prophets. who promised the nation
safety through sacrifices, which serv-
priests of the temple. jeremiah COM
piled with his commission. to keep
not back word" for he warned them
that unless they, as a people, lived up
to the true religion, that the temple
would become like Shiloh-once the
abode of the tabernacle and ark-a
place of ruins. and Jerusalem would
become curse to the nations.
The prophet was charged with trea-
son, heresy and blasphemy, which
was a capital offense. because he
dared to demand the worship of the
evidence of true religion. They ac-
cused him with treason. because in
the hour of the country's danger he
had discouraged the people from car
rylnS out the governments plans for
national safety. They claimed that
jeremiah was a hereto, because his
word was untrue and not from God.
The religious leaders sought his
life, because he had declared that the
temple would be destroyed. which
In hat nf
sonal peril Jeremiah faced death un-
AFRAID, because God was his strength
and defense.
His loyalty to Jehovah and Judah
was proven by the fact that he took
advantage of the opportunity present
ed by his defense to call upon his fell
low countrymen to repent. reform and
return unto God for mercy and for
glveness. God rewarded his faith by
using His power by protecting the
prophet and securing for him a square
deal from the elders and princes who
passed Judgment upon his activities.
Jeremiah's defense was that he had
only spoken Gods word While'it is
evident that he expected the worst
from their hands. as he assured them
that he did not fear death, although
ne deplored receiving it at their
hands, because of the fate it would
bring upon them. Ahikan defended
jeremiah. demanded that he be ac-
quilted Upon the records of the
false prophets and jeremiah, the lat
ter was cleared of the false accusa-
.tions
He was not pacifist but a patriot.
whose patriotism was based upon
spiritual idealism. He placed religion
apone patriotism His political pro-
gram was inspired by his religious
ialth. He was a red-blcoded 100 per
cent citizen of Judah, ,-ho realized
because OF his vision of Judah's des-
tiny that the only hope of her con-
tlnuing as a permanent nation was
through the country becoming a de-
pendency of Babylon. jeremiah recoe-
nlzed that Jerusalem held a strate-
glc position in the pathway of the
empire. between the Euphrates and
the NlIe. History has vindicated the
positions taken by the prophet who
labored among his fellow country
men like Savanarola did in Florence
he exhibited the courage of his con-
Vlctions by recording them. He back
ed them up with cash. buying at pre-
war prices the ground covered by the
tents OF the army of Nebuchadnezzar
as an evidence of his faith that God
would protect jerusalem
he appealed to the people by SYM
poiS ana used every up-to-the- min
ute method to secure the regenera-
tion or his countrymen. He discover
ed the value of the individual He
endured the punishment of imprison-
iIASHS "llilIl e. DeIO" the
dungeon, knee-deep in the unimagin-
able mire, where foul reptiles
wound through the darkness and
deadly odors nauseated and sufrocated"
His faith did not finch. He followed his
convictions into the exile, and. ac-
cording to tradition, he met vio-
lent death at the hands of the people
upon Whom@he was pressing his con-
victions. Like all the worlds great
men, Jeremiah was not esteemed
much in life. The oppressed people of
all ages have found a message of en-
couragement in his prophecies. that
to large extent the prophecies for
the period in which we now live. No
Old Testament ever caught a clearer
picture of Jesus than did jeremiah.
He found Gods message in the pot
ter's wheel. He did not hesitate to
wear the yoke to proclaim his Lord.
He utilized the loyal Rechabites to
teach the nation that they should
also be loyal to their vows. If they ex-
pected a blessing from the Lord.