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God’s hands. God has in all ages tested His servants by withholding from them the evidence of the success of their mis sion. Blessed is he who is content to work on in an unpopular cause, well satisfied with the reward of God’s good pleasure.— Holden. Do as seemeth good. Courage, by keeping the senses quiet and the understanding clear, puts us in a condition to receive true intelli- gence, to make computations upon dan ger and pronounce rightly upon that which threatens us. Innocence of life, consciousness of worth and great ex pectations are the best foundations of courage.— Elmer. Religion gives the higher moral courage which can look danger in the face unawed and undis mayed; the courage that can encounter loss of ease, of wealth, of friends, of good name; the courage that can face a world full of howling and of scorn, of loathing and of hate, can see all this with a smile, and suffering it all, can toil on, conscious of result, yet fearless still.— Theo. Parker. v. 15. Bring upon yourselves inno cent blood. So far will you be from escaping the predicted evils by shed ding my blood that you will, by this very act, only incur heavier penalties (Matt. 23:35|.SBrown. v. 16. Then said the princes. In the first case the priests and the prophets and the people are against Jeremiah, but not the princes (v. 1 0 ).' This is the method God adopted in the execution of HiB original promise to Jeremiah (1: 17-19). He did not permit all of his enemies to be united against him at the same time.-—Chr. Worker’s Com. All the people. The fickle people, as they were previously influenced by the priests to clamor for his death (v. 8 ), so now, under .the princes’ influence,' require' that he shall not be put to death. Com pare Jesus, Jeremiah’s antitype, the hosannas of the multitude, a few days before the same people, persuaded by the priests as to this case, cried, “ Away with him” (Matt. 21; 27:20-25 ).-|§| Jamieson. KB
Whom did the Word of God come through? Verse 7. How was Jeremiah’s message re ceived by the priests,
LESSON QUESTIONS W. H. Pike
the prophets and the people? What threat did the people make against Jeremiah? Where did the princes and priests and people gather? Who brought the accusation against Jeremiah? Was Jeremiah present when the accusation was made before the princes? What was Jeremiah’s reply? What two points did his reply cover? Did Jeremiah di vide his audience? What did certain elders have to say? Who was Micah? Was he as bold as Jeremiah in standing for God? Did he lose his life or did his king Hezekiah repent? Who was Urijah? Had he spoken less boldly than Jeremiah? Why did he flee to Egypt? Did he escape the wrath of Jehoiakim? Who went to Egypt to bring him again to Jerusalem? Who executed Urijah? In what manner was he killed? What did they do with his body? Would not Jeremiah expect the. same treatment at the hands of Jehoiakim? Who was Ahikam? Did not the prophetess Huldah prophesy the same truth before Josiah as did Jeremiah? II kings 22: 15-18. Was Ahikam present when Huldah prophesied and did not Josiah repent? Whom did Ahikam favor, Jere miah or the king? What four classes did Jeremiah have to deal with? Proph ets, Priests, Princes, People—which were the more influential? POLITICAL QUESTIONS What was the form of government in Jeremiah’s day?' Who were the real leaders in governmental affairs? Was the king a despot with full absolute power? Who were the king’s executive officers? Who were the kings advisers? Did the people have any say in the gov ernment? What was the priest’s work? To present the people before God in worship. What was the prophet’s work? To present God’s claims before the peo-
PICTORIAL QUESTIONS
Who was Jehoiakim? Who was Josiah? Over what kingdom did Je hoiakim reign? At what time in his reign did the Word of God come to him?
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