T H E K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S didn’t: He couldn’t change his mes sage. He had given it before and he now gave it again and took the conse quences. He knew that his message would not be received and that he would incite intense animosity. (2) THE PRICE HE PAID, vs. 4-6. The princes are alarmed. “ Put this man to death” is the cry to the king, “ He weakens our cause”— just as Ama- ziah said about Amos (Amos 7:10) Then Amnzlnh the priest of Bethel sent .•J.e,'0boa,n king of Israel, saying, Amos c? " SI,Irc<1 against thee In the midst of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words.” and as the people said of Paul at Philippi (Acts 16:20) “And brought them to the magis trates saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city.” So it was with Ahab when he said to Elijah, “Hast thou found me, O mine and so it was with the two spies who brought a true report to the camjf—the people wanted to stone them. Does human nature love to hear the truth about eternal things? Why not? Is it because these natures of ours are devilish and rebellious toward God, and truth is a sword? (Heb. 4:12) that cuts deep into our wicked hearts and awak ens our consciences? How few there are like Nathan with his courage to say, “ Thou art the man.” Zedekiah is a proof of what we are saying. To the princes he became a puppet, “ The king is not he that can do anything against you.” No, =not such a king! And what is the matter with this poltroon? Was it the same as it was with king Saul? (1 Sam. 15:24) And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned; for I have transgressed the com mandment of the Lord, and tbv words; thelrn volL.f” are<1 ‘ he pe0plc’ and obeyed And was it not so with Pilata in his attitude toward our Lord Jesus Christ? (John 19:12) “And from henceforth Pilate souglft to release him; but the Jews erled out, say- lng. If thou let this man go thou art not Caesars friend; whosoever maketh him self a king speaketh against Caesar.”
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folding of the purposes and plans of God for His own. . Judah’s first captivity began when Jehoiakim was king. By permission of Nebuchadnezzar, he was permitted to retain his position in a nominal man ner for eight years or more. Jehoiachin succeeded him and reigned for three months, when he rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar and was carried fo Babylon with ten thousand of the chief men of Judah as prisoners. Zedekiah, a brother of Jehoiachin, was then made king and had been reigning for about nine years when the events of this les son occurred. (1) THE PROPHET’S PREDICTION, vs. 1-3. Jeremiah is a prisoner in the court of the guard, but he is still a prophet and is not released or relieved from his duty as God’s representative, to declare God’s counsel. He is a servant to whom a message is given by the Lord God and he must deliver it. He delivers for the second time the message he had before given to Zedekiah’s representative (21:8,9) “And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus salth the lord ; Behold. I set before you the way of life and the way ¡of death! He that abideth In this cltv shall die by Jhe sword, and by famine, and by the pestilence;. but he that - goeth out and -talleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey.” This was not an easy thing to say. It was an unpatriotic thing to say, reiter ating such a prophecy against his own people and city at such a time. He might have told them to ‘‘cheer up; God was good and would never permit them to suffer.” He might have refused to be a pessimist and have given them his own ideas of what.God meant by such a prediction. Jeremiah could have been a most popular preacher if he had rallied the choir and had some jazz music and told them that the clouds were breaking and soon the sun would shine and that they would be free from the rule of Nebuchadnezzar, but he
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