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TRfXCK THROUGH THE <BTBLE
Editor’s Note —Through an unfortunate accident,
the copy of the latter part of The Prophecy of Jere
miah. the first part of which was published some
.7eeks ago, was lost, and had to be supplied by Dr.
Campbell Morgan. As we could not secure it in
time to maintain the regular sequence, we
thought it best to omit the missing installment un
til later; and we therefore publish it this week.
Those who are preserving the entire series can add
this week’s installment in the proper place and pre
vent any break in the continuity of these remark
able Bible expositions.
*
THE PROPHECY OF JEREMIAH.
T this point there occurs a series of
prophecies whose dominant note is that
of hope. These are remarkable from
the fact that they were uttered during
the time that Jeremiah was in prison,
and the condition of affairs in the city
was almost calculated to fill the -mind
with despair. Out of the midst of this
darkness Jeremiah was granted visions
A
of ultimate restoration, and his messages are there
fore full of hope. The first of these may Be de
scribed as a song, declaring that the people of
God, now so overwhelmed with sorrow, should yet
ultimately pass through trouble to triumph. In
graphic language the prophet described the time
of Jacob’s trouble, and predicted deliverance. In
words that still burn as we read them, he depicted
the friendlessness of the forsaken people, and an
nounced their restoration to favor, describing the
tempest by which the change would be wrought.
The song then merges into a description of the
issues of restoration, the city rebuilt, and the
people gathered back to it, so that sorrow passes
away, and a new contentment with the Divine gov
ernment and administration are manifest. In that
day a new covenant will be made between Jehovah
and His people, a covenant, not external and ma
terial, but internal and spiritual, and universal in
application. The song ends with a declaration of
Jehovah in which He uses the signs in the heav
ens as the seal of His promise. The next of the
prophecies of hope is introduced by the statement
that Jeremiah is imprisoned, and the account of
the charge given to him to purchase the field in
Anathoth. This command he obeyed, and then in
perplexity inquired of Jehovah what was the value
of purchasing a field when the land was wholly
given over to judgment. The answer of Jehovah
announced the certainty of the judgment which
Jeremiah anticipated, but also declared the equal
certainty of ultimate restoration, so that the pur
chase of the field was intended as a sign of the
ultimate repossession of the land. The last of the
prophecies of hope is a song full of beauty, and
full of confidence. It celebrates that ultimate res
toration which Jehovah had promised, first as to
the gathering of the people and the building of the
city, describing a moral and consequent material
restoration. This is all to be brought about in the
days of the Branch, when the two functions of king
and priest shall be restored in the Person of one
Deliverer. The song ends with the Divine affirma
tion, in which Jehovah again uses the sign of day
and night, and declares His determination to ac
complish His purpose in spite of unbelief.
Next in order we have three prophecies delivered
while Nebuchadnezzar and his army were round
about the city. In the first the prophet foretold
the success of Nebuchadnezzar, and the consequent
fall of Jerusalem, and described the manner of
Zedekiah’s death. The next is a denunciation of
Zedekiah for having broken his covenant with the
Hebrew servants. The prophet delivered the mes
sage of Jehovah, describing the sin and pronounc
ing judgment. In the last Jeremiah told the story
of how r the Rechabites, when put to the test, were
true to their vow, and refused to drink. The pur
pose of the telling of the story was that the proph-
By G. CAMPBELL MORGAN, Westminster Chapel, London, England.
appearing Ebery Week During 1907. {Copyright American Serial “Rights Applied for by the Golden Age Publishing Co. All Rights Reserbed.)
The Golden Age for January 16, 1908.
et might put into contrast with it the sin of Ju
dah. The sons of Rechab had been true to the com
mand laid upon them by their father. Judah had
been untrue to the perpetual messages of Jehovah.
Upon Judah, therefore, evil should come, while a
gracious promise was made to the Rechabites.
Chapter xxxvi. constitutes a break in the his
toric method of the prophecy, and gives us the ac
count of how the prophecies of Jeremiah against
Judah and Jerusalem were committed to writing.
In the fourth year of Jehoiakim, Jehovah com
manded Jeremiah to write. He obeyed by 'dictat
ing to Baruch. In the following year, the fiftU of
Jehoiakim, Baruch read them in the hearing of all
the people. He next read them by special invita
tion to the princes, who in alarm advised Baruch
and Jeremiah to hide. Finally they were read by
Jehudi to the king, who in anger mutilated the
writings, and destroyed the roll. It is possible to
mutilate and burn a writing, but not to destroy
the word of Jehovah. Jeremiah again dictated, and
Baruch wrote, but this time many other words were
added.
The final movement in the section of the book de
voted to the prophecies before the fall of Jeru
salem, consists of a history of the siege. Jere
miah is first seen as free. The army of Pharaoh
had come forth out of Egypt, and the king hoped
that it might aid him against Nebuchadnezzar.
Then Jeremiah declared that there was no hope in
that quarter. For the moment events seemed to
contradict his prophecy, as the army of the Chal
deans fell away. He left the city to go to Benja
min, and was arrcsed and imprisoned on the charge
of falling away to the Chaldeans. After many
days’ imprisonment Zedekiah sent for him, and to
him he delivered the same stern message, foretell
ing the victory of the king of Babylon. The issue
of the interview was that Jeremiah was removed,
still as a prisoner, into the court of the guard,
and was there supplied with bread. He continued
his foretelling of the doom about to fall upon the
city, and as a result was cast into a loathsome
dungeon. Through the intervention of Ebed-melech
he was released from there. Sadly perplexed, and
almost distraught, Zedekiah again sent for him, and
the prophet still insisted upon the truth of his dec
laration that the city should be taken by the Chal
deans. He therefore advised Zedekiah to surren
der, and so save the city from burning, and him
self from death, warning him that if he refused
even the women of his own household would heap
reproaches upon him. The section ends with the
story of the fall of Jerusalem, which the prophet
had so long foretold. Nebuchadnezzar and his
princes forced an entrance, and Zedekiah fled. He,
however, was pursued and overtaken, his sons were
slain before his eyes, and then his own eyes were
put out, and he was bound in fetters and carried
to Babylon. This was followed by the sack of the
city. In the midst of the rout Jeremiah was pro
tected, undoubtedly as the result of the overruling
of Jehovah; and he was commissioned specially to
find Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, who had succored
him, and to declare to him that he also was under
Divine protection.
Chapters forty to forty-four tell the story of
Jeremiah, and his prophesying after the fall of
Jerusalem. The first movement in this gives an
account of the events immediately following, and
of Jeremiah’s protest against going into Egypt.
The second chronicles the prophecies in Egypt. Re
leased by Nebuzaradan, Jeremiah joined the
remnant remaining in the land under the govern
orship of Gedaliah, who soug’ht to restore order,
urging the people to avail themselves of the privi
lege granted to them to -settle in the land, he
promising to abide at Mizpah in order to stand
before the Chaldeans. In response to this invita
tion, many of them gathered from the distant places
to which they had been scattered. The governor
was warned by Johanan of the plot formed against,
his life by Ishmael, but he refused to believe the
report. Ishmael, through the basest treachery, car
ried out his design, slaying Gedaliah and others, and
leading captives away to the children of Ammon.
Johanan, who had warned Gedaliah of his dan
ger, rescued these captives, compelling Ishmael to
flee, and prepared to go into Egypt. Before going,
they sought counsel from Jeremiah, asking that he
should enquire the will of Jehovah, and promising
implicit obedience to "whatever might be revealed.
After ten days he delivered his message, telling
them distinctly that the will of God was that
they should not go into Egypt, urging them not to
be afraid of the king of Babylon, declaring that
Jehovah was with them, and that His purpose was
one of mercy, and that they should return to their
own land. With great solemnity he warned them
that if they went into Egypt the judgment of God
would fall upon them. He moreover charged them
with dishonesty in enquiring from him, and there
fore he foretold the certain judgment of God which
would fall upon them.
As Jeremiah had foreseen, his word "was not
obeyed. They charged him with having spoken
falsely under the inspiration of Baruch, and in re
bellion passed over into Egypt. It is evident that
Jeremiah accompanied them, for his next messages
were delivered there. The first of these consisted
of a prophecy of the coming victory of Babylon
over Egypt. The next was a fiery protest against
the persistent rebellion of the people of God, in
which he reminded them of the patience of God,
of how His anger had already been poured out upon
Jerusalem, and declared that the rebellious rem
nant which had found its way into Egypt should
be wholly cut off. This message the men answered
by a defiant and persistent word of rebellion, in
which they ministerpreted their own history by
declaring that all the evils that had fallen upon
them had resulted from attacks made upon idolatry,
and they deliberately declared their intention to
continue their idolatrous practices. To this attitude
Jeremiah replied by first answering their argument,
declaring that their sorrows were the result of their
idolatry rather than, as they affirmed, the result of
their turning from idols. Continuing, he declared
that the judgment of God was determined against
them, that they should be consumed, and only a
small remnant should escape ultimately from Egypt.
He ended by declaring that the sign of Jehovah to
them should be the defeat of Pharaoh Hophra, and
his handing over to those who sought his life.
The messages of Jeremiah to the chosen people
end at this point. There is inserted here a special
word to Baruch. It is evident that this faithful
ally of the prophet had become depressed. He
had manifestly hoped for great results, and was
at once rebuked and comforted. He was not to
seek great things for himself, but his own life was
to be preserved.
The third and last section of the division con
taining the prophet’s ministry is occupied with his
messages concerning the nations. The first of these
has to do with Egypt, and consists of two prophe
cies. The earlier one describes the army of Egypt
in its preparation and advance, and declares that
this is in reality the coming of the day of the ven
geance of Jehovah. In general terms he predicted
the doom of Egypt. The second distinctly fore
tells the defeat of Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar, the
king of Babylon. This visitation was that of Je
hovah, and the agent of Nebuchadnezzar. The
prophecy ends with the message of comfort to Ja
cob, who, while afflicted, is yet not to be utterly
destroyed, but corrected by judgment.
The word concerning the Philistines was a fore
telling of the coming against them of a scourge
from the north, which would utterly break their
power. In figurative language the prophet then
described the sorrow which would overtake the
proud yet broken people.
The word of the Lord concerning Moab is one
of judgment which nevertheless closes with a gleam
