T H E K I N G ’S B U S I N E S S their distress if it be for His glory.— Sum. Bible. v.9. He is like to die. God have ' mercy on the man who sports with pain and distress or treats even the meanest insect with wanton cruelty.— Blair. No more bread in the city. He had here tofore got a piece of bread supplied tp him. There is the utmost want of bread in the city, so that even if he were at large there could no more be regularly supplied to him, much less now in the place where none remember or pity him, so that he is like to die for hunger.— Maurer. v. 11. The king commanded. Let this encourage us to appear boldly for God. We may succeed better than we could have thought, for “ the hearts of kings are in the hands of the Lord.”— Sel. v. 12. Ebed-melech said unto Jere miah. He realized that the enfeebled prophet had not strength to grasp the rope and would have to be drawn up by means of a noose around his body. At the same time, it was obvious that in his condition the ropes must chafe him severely and cause him sore pain. So he devised the plan of using these old clouts and rotten rags to act as pads — \ truly an act of kindness well worthy of a place in the divine record. What value does the Word of God set upon “acts of service which seem trifling enough in themselves but which, all un known to the doers, oftentimes very really help the larger purposes of God’s kingdom. The cup of cold water which Christ commanded may well save some one from fainting who will yet become a great power in blessing others.— Holden. Heaven in sunshine will re ward the kind.— Byron. An effort made for the ease o f .another lifts us above ourselves.— Child. These cast clouts and rotten rags. Literally, “ these worn out garments.” God can make the meanest things His instruments of goodness to His people (1 Cor. 1:27- 29). These clothes were put in under the arms so as to avoid his being cut by the cords.—Maurer. “ Cast clouts” means “ torn clothes.”—Henderson. v. 13. They drew np Jeremiah. Jere miah’s gratitude to his deliverers is re corded in a short paragraph in which Ebed-melech, like 'Baruch, is promised that his life shall be given him for a prey because he trusted in Jehovah. As of the ten lepers whom Jesus cleansed only the Samaritan returned to give
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glory to God, so when none of God’s people were found to rescue His proph et, the dangerous honor was accepted by an Ethiopian proselyte,— Ball. PICTORIAL QUESTIONS Who was Jeremiah? Jer. 1:1. Wlio was Zedekiah? Who was besieging Jerusalem at this time? How many times had the Assyrians LESSON come into Palestine dur- QUESTIONS ing Jeremiah’s time? W. H. Pike This was the third in vasion. Who are the princes? 38:1. What did they hear Jeremiah say? 38:2-3. What was God’s purpose concerning the nations? Read Jer. 27th chapter. What escape did God make for the people? 38:2. What would happen to those who remained in the city? 38:2-3. What did the princes request of the king? What did the king reply? What reason did the princes give for persecuting Jeremiah? What did they do with Jeremiah? How did they put him in the dungeon? What was in the dungeon? Who was anxious about Jeremiah’s co’ndition? What did this one do? What did he say was likely to befall Jeremiah in the dungeon? What did the king command him to do? How did they get Jeremiah up out of the dungeon? Where did they keep Jeremiah in the future? PRACTICAL QUESTIONS What was the cause of this Baby lonian siege? Had the people been warned and instructed concerning their attitude toward Jehovah? Was Jeremiah faithful in giving God’s message to the king and people? Does it take courage to deliver truth? Does it pay to always stand for the truth? Does God always provide a way of escape for the faithful in times of national judgment? Which would you rather have been, Zedekiah upon the throne or Jeremiah in the pit? Do we have to stand today upon a plat form of truth as Christians, regardless of consequences? Will we receive per-
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