XI. EBED-MELECH REMEMBERED. Ebed -Melech had befriended J e r e m i ah in his trouble (Jer. 38:7-13) and t he f a i t h f ul God of Jeremiah, who n e v er fails t o r e w a rd H is servants, now sends J e r e m i ah to bring him comfort as he had formerly comforted t h e prophet. A nd this, w a s t he word to h i m: "I Will surely deliVer thee, and thou shalt not fall by t he sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: BECAUSE THOU HAST PUT THY TRUST IN ME, SAITH THE LORD." sin of his life f r om t he public a nd even f r om his friends, b ut never f r om God. T he sin of A d a m found h im out and he cried, "1 w a s a f r a i d ." Cain's sin compelled h im to cry, "My p u n i s h m e nt is more t h an I can b e a r ." Sin found Absolom and stretched him by t he hair b e t w e en heaven and earth. Sin will And you out. No m a t - ter w h e re you go, or w h at you do. It round J o n ah upon t he sea and H e r od on t he throne. Sin, like a detective, will dog your s t e ps and h a u nt your w a k i ng hours and t e r r i fy you in your dreams. T ou may, like Ma c- beth, cry " O ut foul spot," b ut it will not out. T h e price of sin is terrible. Israel paid t he price of h er sin with t he loss of h er k i n g- dom, a nd now J u d ah pays in t he s a me m a n - ner. It w as so with Sodom, Babylon, Tyre, Sidon, Greece, B o me and Spain, and t he nations n ow rioting in rebellion a g a i n st God and r u n n i ng their sinful race will h a ve t he s a me experience. God plays no favorites.- H e loved Israel a nd J u d a h. H e loves t he world. H e loves H is own, b ut with saint and sinner, t he law of God is inexorable. Be sure your sin will find you out. t r u s t ed and dishonored (2 Chr. 19:2), for alliance with the world Is a root of evil and the curse of the church today. 3. Amaziah "did what was right . . . but not with a perfect heart" (2 Chr. 25:2). He, too, paid p a g an m e r c e n a r i es to do w h at t he Lord w as able and willing to do for nothing (the help of t he world a l w a ys costs more t h an the g r a ce of God); and worshipped t h e gods whose devotees he h ad destroyed (2»:15). 4 Uzziah, a f t er a long glorious reign w as lifted up with pride and would h a ve forced ...s w ay into t he holy place in defiance of t ne law of tHe s a n c t u a ry (Num. 16:40) and died a lener. 5. Jotham, of honorable mention, did "not remove the high places" and p e r- m i t t ed t he people to sacrifice t h e re (2 Kgs. 15-35) like t he rest he fell s h o rt of t un surrender. 6. Hezekiah, whose p r a y er of faith destroyed t he a r my of Assyria, and saved Jerusalem, and obtained a fifteen years' reprieve f r om d e a th (2 Chr. 32:20, 21; Isa 38:5): to whose reign mo re space is given in t *e Bible t h an to a ny other, even he erred through pride and "trust In uncer- tain riches," and b r o u g ht on himself a severe reproof (1st. 39:1-7). 7. Josiah, m « ^ h i g h- ly commended t h an all (2 Kgs. 23:25), w as not able to a v e rt i mp e n d i ng j u d g m e n ts ( i Chr. 34:24, 2 5 ) . - a nd by common inference erred and paid his life a forfeit (2 Chr. 3a:20- 24). By all this we l e a r n: (1) T h at t he
u z a r - a d a n, N e b u s h a s b a n, Rab-saris, Nergal- sherezer, B a b - m a g, all t he k i ng of. Babylon's princes look gently, look well, a f t er t h at good and f a i t h f ul s e r v a nt of t he Most H i gh God, J e r e m i a h, r e w a rd h im f or all his toils and sorrows, give h im t he desire of his heart, and a f ar more exceeding and eternal weight of glory is y et in reserve for h im (2 Cor. 4:7). " T he Lord is slow to a n g er a nd plenteous in mercy. H e will n ot a l w a ys chide, neither will H e keep H is anger forever, P s a. lOd: 8 9. Zedekiah presumed too long upon t he goodness of God. " B e c a u se sentence aaginst I n evil work is not executed speedily there- fore t he h e a rt of t he sons of m en is fully set in t h em to do evil." Eccl. 8:11. T he devil blinded his mind (2 Cor. 4:4), t h e r e f o re N e b u c h a d n e z z ar had t he satisfac- tion of p u t t i ng out his eyes. H ow different would h a ve been t he story had he Pjayed, "Open thou m i ne eyes t h a t I m a y behold wonderful things out of t h y law, P s a. 119: 18 H e lost H is throne, he lost his sons, he lost his eyes. T h e re w a s no excuse for t he king. God had w a r n ed him repeatedly, b ut he had b e en too wilful to h e ar or heed t h e c o mm a nd of God. H e h ad not only sinned, b ut had dragged others with h im into t he depths. H e h ad capped the climax of sin, his c up w as full and his people w e re led a w ay into captivity. H e had done t h at which w a s evil in t he sight of t he Lord. T h e re is no escape f r om t h e consequences of sin. " Be s u re your sin will And you out. Ma ny a m a n is able to conceal t he g r e at REVIEW: T HE KINGDOM OF JUDAH. Lesson X- I. JUDAH CONTINUED 407 YEARS (975- 588, B. CO with 20 kings. Of these seven w e re of t r ue theocratic spirit, r e g a r d i ng t h e m s e l v es as vice-gerents of t he heavenly ^ . n g and s e r v a n ts of J e h o v a h, w ho reigned not for their own b ut for H is glory, n ot for t h e m s e l v es b ut for their people. "They sat on the throne of Jehovah" (1 Chr. 29:23). E v e ry k i ng should be a "servant of Jehovah" (Rom. 13:1, 2); and every s e r v a nt of J e- h o v ah is a k i ng (Rev. 5:10) Yet ^ot one oi those good m en w a s perfect. 1. Asa, one of t he g r e a t e st and best of g r e at f a i th (2 Chr 14-11): and g r e at zeal for reform (15.8, 16) failed: (a.) In faith, for he hired a p a g an " l y (16:2-4); (b) in zeal for the truth for he persecuted a prophet (16:7-10); and died t r u s t i ng t he doctor a p a rt f r om God. I. Jehoshiphat. An amiable and m i g h ty m o n- arch- a r e f o r m er (2 Chr. 17:3); a promoter of public Bible study (17:8, 19) and national prosperity (17:12, 13); "Joined affinity with Ahab" (18:1) .the Baalite, and married his son to Jezebel's daughter, bringing on h i m- self t he j u st a n g er of t he God he t h us dis-
PITH AND PIVOT.
Lesson for September 3d
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