Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-01

- Va va
for My sake.
Closing events in the drama Of
Judah furnish the basis Of u lesson
study this week. The nation had failed
to hear the tocsin of her rapidly APP
preaching doom when warned by the
patriotic jeremiah. When Jerusalem
was in a. state OF siege, because the
king had refused to heed the message
of the prophet, Ito serve the king of
Babylon and live" jeremiah found him
self to be about as popular as a paclf1St
la in any one of the nations engaged
in the World War. If Judah had
needed the words of jeremiah. who n
sisted upon the nation fulfilling its
treaties with the Babylonian power, it
would have lived. Ezekiel and Jere-
miah had condemned the secret
treaties made with the vassal kings of
Moab. Ammon and Tyre, as well as
with Hophia of Egypt by zedekiah. The
weak and changeable son Of Josiah had
listened TO the advice of his political
ADVISORS and declined to heed the warn
ings of the prophets, who knew that he
a king in name only and that the
one hope for the survival of Judah
called for his faithful observance of
the treaty with the Babylonians.
The violation of the kings treaty
with Nebuchadnezzar was probably due
to the idolatrous practices of the igno-
rant men that had represented the
monarch in Jerusalem. Ezekiel
informs US that they introduced and
ancient and domestic forms of
idolatrous worship in the temple. Men
worshipped the sun with their backs to-
ward the temple of the Lord. This gave
the false advisors of the king a basis
for their jingoism, that repudiated the
treaty obligations at an hour when the
Seige of Jerusalem had been raised by
Nebuchadnezzar. when he left JeruSa-
lem to battle with the forces of the
Egyptians. If Zedekiah had followed the
words Of the prophets, his career would
not have been cut short and Judah's
fall stopped for the time being.
Zedekiah had a respect for Gods
word and a feeling of regard for >Jere-
miah. He revealed this by asking the
prophets prayers when he was pressed
by the Chaldeans. The trouble with the
weak king is seen today in the attitude
of many. who in their hours of trial
turn to the pastor. priest and preacher
for help, aid and assistance, when they
would have spurned these same men
and their messages in hours when they
could have helped save them. In the
moment of peril they turn to Gods
representatives and seek help for their
personal profit, pleasure or power,
Against that form of selfshness and
national suicide, jeremiah had raised
his voice. He was unpopular and mis-
Judged by his enemies, whose selfish
ness and sinful plans he had fought
and exposed.
Religious Persecution.
jeremiah was charged with being a
traitor and teaching doctrines that were
dangerous to the state. During the
raising of the siege, when the prophet
tried to leave the city SO as to collect
his share of the proceeds from his farm
lands, he was arrested. He faced the
dicted that the city would fall into the
hands Of the Chaldean forces and
had DECLARED publicly that 'he that
abideth In the city shall die by the
sword, the famine and the pestilence,
but he that goeth forth to the Chal-
deans shall live" This was the founda-
ton of the charge that he wa seeking
to unite with the forces of the nations
enemies.
In our own day and within very
recent times servants of the Lord Jesus
~ . 1laNC bCCAl pC4oCSdtCa ~ oAhSA
religious faith in various lands. Catholic
and Protestant missionaries have been
hailed before authorities for their at
titude against the government. when
they were not antagonistic to that
nation at all. They had given their
lives and love for the people hoping to
save them by the preaching of the
Gospel that condemned certain politi-
cal practices and methods of men. The
influence of the Soviet powers in Rus
STA has been antagonistic to men of
are, according to accounts reaching the
writer, prosecuting members of the
church Of the Lord Jesus in Russia.
The press has brought the story of the
kidnapping and prosecutions Of faith
full Christian servants in China. The
blood of the martyrs has always been
the seed of the church. To be sent OF
God has always involved the posi-
bility OF suffering fdr His glory. Faith
full witnesses of God, including the Son
of God Himself. have been called upon
to pass through the fires of religious
prosecutions. The annals Of the Jewish
race tell the story of how men of their
race and religion have suffered for
their faith.
jeremiah was prosecuted by Passhur,
n of the priests and chief officers in
the house of Jehovah. because he had
~prophesied in the court of the Temple
that the "impenitence and obduracy of
the people" would result in the destruc-
ton of Jerusalem. He placed him in
the cruel stocks, but he could not by
punishment stop the prophets activity.
Released from the stocks the next day,
he changed the priests name from Pas
shur, meaning prosperity around, to a
name meaning terror on every side. Al
though the prophet had complained OF
his treatment and felt God had left
him, his courage was speedily restored.
and he did not hesitate to publicly criti-
CHE his enemy. When he tried to leave
the city he was imprisoned by the au-
thorities for advising that they sur
render to the C~haldeans.
The Prophets Rescue.
He was imprisoned in the dungeon
house of Jonathan after being beaten
and condemned upon the charge OF
treason. The king summoned Jere-
miah for an interview and when he ad-
vised hat they surrender the city, he
was placed in the dungeon once more,
He was saved by the intercession of an
Ethiopian eunuch, who interceded for
his release and pulled him out of the
mire of the pit within the dungeon.
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