T HE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S Thus God through His prophet employ ed all possible means and had recourse to every agency and appeal to lead this people back in allegiance to Him. It was all in vain. Grace was despised, mercy was rejected and at length the storm of judgment burst upon them. MONDAY, May 29. Jer. 36:1-8. God’s Word Received and Recorded After Jeremiah had been exercising his prophetic ministry for more than twenty years, God commanded him to write the 'words which he had been speaking in a book. A possible reason for this command was that if the words were written down and laid -before the people they might take time to meditate upon them and thus be led to see their wickedness and re pent. Jeremiah was obedient to this command and with the help of a secretary Baruch he committed his prophetic message to writing! He had been told to speak all the words that God gave him. Now he is to write the words. The same God who dictated the utterance inspires the writing. This is verbal inspiration. The spoken word addresses the ear. Thè written word appeals to the eye. In either case a thought is conveyed to the mind. It will not do to say that one word is as good as another. Each thought must have its own word as the channel of its communication. 1 Cor. 2:13. If inspiration is not verbal it is nothing. TUESDAY, May 30. Jer. 36:9-19. God’s Word Read to the People. A solemn fast day was proclaimed be cause of the dangers threatening the na tion by the revolt of Jehoiakim from the king of Babylon thus bringing the wrath of Nebuchadnezzar upon the nation. Baruch stood by an open window in the temple and read to the assembled people from the newly written roll. One who heard the reading was so impressed by it that he went and told the princes and courtiers of the royal household what he had heard. They sent, for Baruch and asked that it be read to them. They were so moved by fear when they heard it that they determined that the king should hear it also, hoping that it might turn him from the course he was pursuing which was bringing destruc tion upon the nation. There is wonder ful power in the Word of God when it is given advance. It must be used in the appointed way. A remedy will have no effect unless it is administered. "Is
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not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” Jer. 23:29. WEDNESDAY, May 31. Jer. 36:20-26. God’s Word set at Naught. The action of Jehoiakim with refer ence to God’s Word is in striking' con trast to that# of Josiah. 2 Chron. 34:19, Jehoiakim rent the book. Josiah rent hfs clothes. Jehoiakim thought himself above the reproof of Jehovah. His cour tiers shared the royal contempt for the prophetic message. They foolishly thought that by destroying the roll, they would render its judgments inoperative, as if a sick man in the hospital should destroy the chart which traced the prog ress of his disease believing it to be responsible for his pains. When Jehoia kim threw the torn fragments of- the roll into the fire, he -threw in at the same time figuratively his royal house, his doomed city and all the people of the land. His rage was futile. God had Jeremiah write it all out again and many other words besides. We are therefore the gainer by the transaction for this second manuscript re-written and enlarged is supposed to be the one that we have today. George Muller, of Bristol, said: “ It is a common temptation of Satan to make us give up the reading of the Word and prayer when our enjoyment is gone, as if it were of no use to read the Scrip tures when we do not enjoy them, and as if it were of no use to pray when we have no spirit of prayer; whilst the truth is, in order to enjoy the Word, we ought to continue to read it, and the way to obtain a spirit of prayer is to continue praying, for the less we read the Word of God, the less we desire to. read it, and the less we pray, the less we desire to pray.” I 9 A A A A NEW SUBSCRIP- 1 | Z (U ,U U U TIONS This YEAR | 1 C AN W E MA K E IT? I YES, WITH YOUR HELP . a t e a t e LOST YOUR APPETITE? ^liiiiintiiinininiiiiifiinniiiiiiiiiiiasiNRii.MimHiiiiwiifntuHiiHHHiHimiNiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiHiiuniiiiuiiiiii^
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