By Rev. W. L¡aWatkinson
JP^féiÉélïfe: & sm &
Eng land
Thus saith the Lord: Deceive not yourselves, saying, The Chaldeans shall surely depart from u s ; for they shall not depart. For though ye had sm itten the whole army ot the Chaldeans th at fight against you, and there remained but wounded men among them, yet should they rise up every man in his tent, and burn this city with fire.”— Jerem iah 37:9, 10.
9SgS| EREMIAH bad prophesied C (fb the'destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Chal- W V B o TV i ] deans. The Chaldeans came against the city, but hearing that the Egyptians were coming out against them they , forthwith raised the siege, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem were ready to believe that the storm had blown over and that they were safe. The Chaldeans had hastily departed, and the dark predic tions of Jeremiah seemed belied by the event. It is at this point that Jeremiah speaks in the text, “Thus saith the Lord: Deceive not yourselves saying, The Chal deans shall surely depart from u s : for they shall not depart.” And so it came to pass. Pharaoh's army which came forth to help Israel returned to Egypt, and the Chaldeans coming again to Jerusalem invested the city and burned it with fire. The great teaching of the text is, then, that we must not allow appearances to mis y®
lead us respecting the fact and certainty of the law of retribution. God has threatened the transgressor with severe penalties, and we may be sure that these penalties will be inflicted, however unlikely such retribution may sometimes seem, and however long it may be delayed. By Wonderful ways G
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