20 SUNDAY-SCHOOL JOURNAL. rusalem, even every great man's house." They destroyed all the houses that were of any importance. Brake down the walls. The reason for this destruction was partly to revenge upon the Jews their rebellion, partly to make safe and sure the frontier of the empire toward Egypt, by leaving no strongholds to be held by enemies. 11. The rest of the people. All except the poorest and meanest, who were not considered worth carrying into captivity. The fugitives that fell away. There was a party among the Jews who favored the Chaldeans, seeing that opposition was useless. These and others HOME READINGS. M. Captivity of Judah. 2 Kings 25. 1-12. S. The desolation of Jerusalem. Psa. 79. 1-13. GOLDEN TEXT. By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. Psa. 137. 1. LESSON HYMN. 7. Depth of mercy! can there be TIME.-587 B. C. End of kingdom of Judah. In PLACE.-Same as in Lesson II, also Riblah. DOCTRINAL SUGGESTION.-The wages of sin. QUESTIONS FOR SENIOR STUDENTS. What is meant by the phrase. "A besieged city?" 2. A Captured King, v. 4–7. Did Zedekiah the king surrender? had deserted to Nebuchadnezzar during th esc 12. Left the poor. There was still a large How long did this captivity last? Practical Teachings. Israel and Judah are types of human life- 2. Often warned by God's word. 3. Tenderly loved even in sin. 4. Freely forgiven whenever repentan 5. Terribly punished if persistent in s How is your life going? QUESTIONS FOR INTERMEDIATE SCH Who besieged Jerusalem ! With what was the city surrounded? What calamity fell upon the people? 2. A Captured King, v. 4-7. How did the siege end? What did the defenders of the city do? Before whom was he taken? What punishment was inflicted upon him? To what place was he finally taken? What prophet predicted Zedekiah's fate? 3. A Destroyed City, v. 8-10. Who was sent to the captured city? What did his army destroy? What spoil was carried away? 2 Chron. 36 Teachings of the Lesson. QUESTIONS FOR YOUNGER SCHO What was Zedekiah and his soldiers obl Who pursued them? Nebuchadnezza What befell Zedekiah? He was taken p What was the fate of his sons? They w before his eyes. What was Nebuchadnezzar's command for What does his escape show as to the completeness of That his eyes be put out and he be th the environment? How was his capture effected? What changes have the years since then brought in the treatment of captives? Were any other kings of Judah ever made captives? How much of Jerusalem was destroyed? Did any other destruction ever come upon this city? What prophecy was fulfilled by this captivity? How long before had the prophecy of captivity first prison. What was done to Jerusalem? The h and all the walls and houses were burne Why did they do this? So as to entire the city. What became of the people? Many wer What of those who were spared? Near corried as slaves to heathen lands. GOLDEN EXT.) Why did the people of Judah have such sorrow? Because they left the Lord of th and bowed down to idols. Did their idols give them help? No; t power to do so. Could God have helped them? Yes, i trusted in him. What does God always give his people over their enemies.¡ in Judah would have changed places with the blinded captive Zedekiah? 5. Even the darkest cloud has a silver lining. The captivity was after all the means of Israel's new life and new faithfulness. Out of those captives God called forth a new nation. English Teacher's Notes. THERE is a story told of two rabbis in the Holy Land of whom one was weeping, the other laughing. "Why do you weep?" said the second rabbi to the first. "I weep," replied he, "because of the hill of Zion, which is desolate, and foxes walk over it (Lam. 5. 18). But tell me, how is it possible for you to laugh?" "I laugh," rejoined the other, "because I see that the threatenings of God have been fulfilled to the very letter in the state of our city and country. Is not his promise of restoration equally sure of fulfillment?" I have placed this story at the commencement of my "notes," because I think it indicates the best line to pursue in teaching the passage for to-day. The sad story of the fall of Jerusalem and the captivity of Judah is a striking instance of the faithfulness of God's word, of the sure and certain fulfillment of all that word foretells. Two Sundays ago we read the solemn warning of Jeremiah, spoken, by divine direction, to the multitudes who assembled at the gate of the temple, proud of their position and privileges, and confident in their strength. To-day we are shown, in the Golden Text, a sad contrast-a company of exiles, mourning over the loss of all wherein they had gloried, weeping by the "waters of Babylon," for that which was now nothing but a fond memory"we wept. when we remembered Zion." And in the passage for reading we have a short but terrible picture of the accomplishments of the judgments which had been predicted by the prophet. One only of the evils threatened is not included here, its fulfillment having taken place earlier, namely, the drought (Judges 10-12) of which we get a description in Jer. 14. 1-6. The passage gives us, 1. The siege-predicted in Jer. 8. 14-16. The Chaldeans have at last encompassed Jerusalem. They have encamped round about the city so that no fugitives can escape, and no supplies can enter from without. And the siege is not simply a blockade. It is actively carried on. There are "forts" or "siege towers" built round about ithuge erections on which engines could be placed for throwing destructive missiles into the city, or perhaps movable towers, from which the besiegers attempted to reach the top of the walls. For eighteen months the siege lasts, and after a time the supply of food grows short, and then comes, 2. The famine-predicted in Jer. 9. 15 (see also Jer. 32, 26), and bringing in its train the pestilence. Jer. 9. 21. This forms one of the chief horrors of a long siege. At the siege of Haarlem, in the Low Countries (1573), the inhabitants were reduced to eat the hides of horses and oxen, and even boiled shoe-leather, consuming also the nettles and grass from the church-yards. At Leyden men and women quarreled with dogs for scraps of food to be found in the gutter, and the pestilence there carried off six or seven thousand people. A description of the famine at Jerusalem is given in Lum. 2. 11, 12, 19; 4. 4, etc.; 5. 10. At 3. The flight-predicted Ezek. 12. 1-12. last the city can hold out no longer, and the enemy pours in. The gate "by the king's garden" (supposed to be at the south-eastern corner of the Tyropoon valley) is perhaps less watched in the moment of victory, and king and soldiers try to save themselves this way. But in vain. There follows, 4. The sword-predicted Jer. 9. 16; Ezek. 5. 12. First, the sons of Zedekiah, later on the principal men of the city, fall by the hands of the Chaldeans, besides further slaughter at a still later period. See Jer. 41. 42. 5. The carrying away captive-predicted Jer. 9. 16. The city they loved and the temple on which they prided themselves have been destroyed by the flames. And now the old familiar scenes must be left, the inheritance of their fathers given up, and they who had been a separate people, distinct from and unlike the nations round about, go into captivity in a strange land. The fall of Jerusalem, the ruin of the kingdom of Judah, is complete. Thus the word of God in its threatenings of judgment was fulfilled. Was that the end of Judah and Jerusalem? No. At the very time that these things began to come to pass the promise of future restoration was given. Jer. 32. 36, 37, etc. After seventy years had passed this word was also fulfilled, as we shall read later on. But where are the Jews now? Scatteredfar more widely than during that first captivity, in some countries even now treated with contempt and cruelty, while their city and country are in the hands of strangers. Again in their case the threatenings of God's word have been fulfilled. The Jew is a living, universal witness to the faithfulness of that word. Dare we trifle with such a word-a word that tells us plainly that the "wages of sin is death," and that "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap ? But as surely as those seventy years of captivity passed away, so shall also the centuries of dispersion and suffering for the Jews have an end. The word of the Lord is pledged to restore them. Isa. 43. 5, 6. The Bible tells of a glorious future for then. And yet more glorious are the promises to the Church of Christ, "where there is neither Greek nor Jew." Col. 3. 4, 11. Read the last two chapters of Revelation, and say, would you not like to make these promises your own? Berean Methods. Hints for the Teachers' Meeting and the Class. In connection with this lesson, it might be well to review the names of all the twenty kings of Judah. Write their initials, and have them repeated, if there is time for a preliminary lesson-R., A., A., J., J., A., Qu., A.. J., A., U., J., A., H., M., J., J., J., J., Z.... Draw a map; locate Babylon, Riblah, Jerusalem; show the route of Nebuchadnezzar's march, and that of the captives to Babylon... Show the immediate crimes of Zedekiah leading to his dethronement and captivity: 1.) Ambition; 2.) Following evil counsel; 3.) Falsehood; 4.) Distrust of God.... Show the results of sin in this life, from the Analytical and Biblical Outline....Do not fail to notice that the innocent children of Zedekiah suffered for his crimes, and illustrate the same principle now....The judgment of Zedekiah a type of another judgment to come.... How God brought good out of the evil of the captivity.... Tell about another Jerusalem, the city of God, which shall never be destroyed, and of which we may all be citizens. References. FREEMAN'S HAND-BOOK. Verse 1: The "fort," 565. Ver. 4: Fortifications, 366. Ver. 7: Prisoners blinded, 360; Fetters, 360. Ver. 8: The captain of the guard, 71. Ver. 11: Deportation, 352. Songs from the Epworth Hymnal. 133. How firm a foundation. 109. Depth of mercy. 180. He leadeth me. 163. My Jesus, as thou wilt. This blackboard sketch is intended to illustrate the loss of power, strength, and glory of the kingdom of Judah. Their sun has gone down; darkness and desolation is over the land. Captivity is the condition of the people. Jerusalem is destroyed. Will the sun rise again? SUGGESTION. Make the sketch before the session of the school, and, if you use colored chalk, make the word Judah in brown or blue, and the other words in stronger, brighter colors. JERUSALEM DESTROYED, 468 years after David's reign began. Lesson Word-Pictures. O sad, sad day! Stand on Jerusalem's walls and look off. On every side is an armed host! Toward the Great Sea, along the roads to Damascus, Jericho, Hebron, all around the deep, rugged ravines, wherever any important position is to be covered, there is the grim Chaldean. See the "forts that stubborn and defiant have been "built against" the city "round about." And hark! With what a crashing sound the huge bat. tering-rams are driven against the walls! How the people down in the streets, at the sound, start and tremble and try to run! The people down in the streets? They don't look strong enough to bear a violent tremble, and as for running, it is very brief Such pale, hungry, weak creatures! It is Famine gaunt and hollow eyed that mocks the children crying for bread, and mocks the fathers who do not cry, but, faint and disheartened, go to the walls and try to fight the Chaldean. That enemy daily crowds nearer. The rents in the poor old walls gape bigger and bigger as the crash and thunder of the battering-rams grow heavier and heavier. "It is useless to hold out longer," cries Jerusalem. And listen! One night, there is a hurried, heavy trampling down in the city's streets. "The men of war are fleeing!" The battered, tumbling gates are forced back, and out they go! The king too is there. He goes by "the way toward the plain." Hark, Zedekiah! The Chaldean chariots are rumbling behind you, for your flight is known. Now, hurry, hurry! Drive faster, faster, O king! Hungry, trembling fugitive, though a crown is on his head: Alas! he is overtaken. He is snatched away and borne to Babylon's king. Zedekiah's sight is continued long enough to witness the slaughter of his sons, and then, after this cruel service, their light is extinguished forever. In brazen fetters, sightless and friendless, he is carried to Babylon. Another day of shame for Jerusalem. Babylon's king has sent a captain to complete the destruction already begun. Look down into the streets and you will see men every-where running with torches. There flames toward the sky the house of a noble, and here smokes and crackles the beautiful home of the king. And see! From the temple itself shoot up the angry flames! All over the city ravages the angry, roaring fire, till Jerusalem is only a blackened cinder. Now, the Chaldeans have gone to the walls. Is there any goodly tower and strong "bulwark" still in place? Down, down in confusion, the heavy stones are rolled, and Zion's head bowed in shame still lower. When a long, tearful captive-line files off toward Babylon, and turns to see dear Jerusalem once more, only a blackened stone heap is there. Night comes, and in the white moonlight the jackal undisturbed roves through the forsaken, fire-ravaged streets, and hungryeyed prowls in the very Holy Place of the temple. Primary and Intermediate. LESSON THOUGHT. Sin Works Ruin. Ask what the great sin of the Jews was, and show that idolatry is just not wanting God, and putting something or some body in his place. Tell what some of the idols are that children worship-play, nice clothes, good food, their own way, etc., and teach that Jesus is the only cure for idolatry. God's Punishment for Sin. Ask what Jeremiah had foretold about Jerusalem. Tell something about the beauty and glory of the holy city and the love the Jews had for it. Tell that it was its outward beauty that they loved. and not the beauty that God wants us to love. Tell how the army of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, came against Jerusalem, and made forts around it from which they shot darts and arrows at the Jews who were on the walls or towers of the city, so that no one could go in or out of the gates. Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the city, and the king, Zedekiah, wanted him to pray that the city might be saved. Jeremiah told the king that if he would not fight any more the city should not be burned and he would not be put to death. But Zedekiah would not obey the Lord. When there was no more food left in the city, the king fled with his army. out of the city, but the Chaldeans followed him and brought him back to Nebuchadnezzar, and he had his eyes put out and was kept in prison until he died. Tell that this was because he disobeyed God. Then tell how the city was burned-the temple, the king's palace, and all the beautiful houses in the city, and all the walls around the city were broken down. This was God's punishment of the Jews for not obeying him. Call for Golden Text, and teach that when it was too late, the people wept for their beautiful city which had been destroyed for their own sin. Teach that some day we too shall have to weep if we do not mind God. Practical Truth for Us. Make a heart on the board, and teach that God wants each little heart for his temple. Make something to represent forts around the heart, and tell that enemies are in these forts, waiting to destroy the temple. Let children help to name the enemies in the forts, such as pride, self-will, etc., and show that they are watching their chance to get in and destroy the place which God wants kept for himself. What can protect the heart? If Zedekiah had listened to God and obeyed him, he and his city would have been saved; but he chose his own way, and so sin worked ruin. Let us choose God's way. DANIEL IN BABYLON. Don. 1. S-21. [Commit to memory verses 20, 21.] 8 But Dan'iel purposed in his FIRM AS A heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's ROCK meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. DANIEL 9 Now God had brought Dan'iel into favor and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs. 10 And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Dan'iel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king. 11 Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Dan'iel, Han'a-ni'ah, Mish'a-el, and Az'a-ri'ah, 12 Prove thy servants. I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. (Jan. 31. 13 Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. 14 So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days. 15 And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat. 16 Thus Mel'zar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse. 17 As for these four children, God gave them know!edge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Dan'iel had understanding in all visions and dreams. 18 Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Neb'u chad-nez'zar. 19 And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Dan'iel, Han'a-ni'ah, 24 SUNDAY-SCHOOL JOURNAL. Mish'a-el, and Az'a-ri'ah: therefore stood they before the king. 20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were 21 And Daniel continued even unto the first year of General Statement. We are now taken across plains and deserts from Jerusalem to Babylon. Around the great Arabian desert, in the route of the captives, it is a journey of twelve hundred miles. We follow the valleys of Lebanon northward to the Euphrates, and then travel down its stream until at last we come to Babylon, the mistress of the East, and the lady of kingdoms. In the days of Nebuchadnezzar it was a vast city, with strong walls and lofty buildings; now it lies in ruin, without even an Arabian tent upon its site. In the company of the first captives, who were taken from Jerusalem in the reign of Jehoiakim, B. C. 607, there were a number of young princes, chosen for their beauty and intelligence, to dwell in the conqueror's palace. Four of these princes formed a little group, who, in exile from the and of their fathers, among idol-worshipers, sur Explanatory and Verse S. Daniel. One of the noblest personages in Bible history, eminent for his exalted rank, his pure character, and his high inspiration. He belonged to a noble family, perhaps related to the king, and was one of the young princes carried captive to Babylon in the reign of Jehoiakim, B. C. 607, probably as hostages for the loyalty of the government. At the court of Nebuchadnezzar, his talents and character, aided by the favor of God, brought him into notice and honor. He interpreted the visions of the great king, and was advanced to high position, which he retained through all the changes of the throne, until the reign of Cyrus. He lived to witness the return of his people from captivity, B. C. 536, but, on account of his extreme age, remained in Chaldea until his death, the date of which is unknown. Purposed in his heart. It was a solemn, deliberate resolution, springing from the conscience, and fixed in the will. (1) Noble deeds are inspired by noble determinations. (2) Notice how one young man's will influenced others. Would not defile himself. 1.) Because the Jewish law was very strict in reference to food, and the royal tables contained meats ceremo2.) At every banquet an oblation of nially "unclean." food and drink was offered to the gods, thus making the partakers worship idols. 3.) The food was often a part of the idol sacrifices, hence to eat it would indirectly 4.) The rich food of the palace sanction idolatry. tended to excess and corruption of morals, and the luxury of Babylon was the great cause of its ruin. 5.) The purpose of the king may have been to make these young Jews satisfied with the palace and forgetful of their own land. 6.) Perhaps Daniel deemed feasting unsuitable in captives who were mourning for Zion. The king's meat. Such refusal to partake of food is common in the East, where caste in some form Drunkenness led to Babyis universal. The wine. lon's overthrow, for it was captured by Cyrus while the guards were intoxicated by feasting. Daniel's resolution would be wise for the young men of our time; for in America seventy thousand people die every year through strong drink. He requested. Notice throughout this lesson the courtesy and gentleness which accompanied Daniel's strong purpose. The prince of The officer in charge of the young the eunuchs. princes, named Ashpenaz. (3) A gentle manner helps a firm purpose. 9. God had brought. (4) Whatever honor and regard 10. I fear my lord the king. The king, having In rounded by all the enticements and pleasures of a pal- Practical Notes. 11. Melzar. Not a proper name, but an official title, steward." and so translated in Rev. Ver. meaning Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Daniel's three companions, whose names had been changed by the king "messenger of the king," Meshach, to Shadrach, "servant of the god Sheshach," and Abed-nego, "servant of the god Nego." 12. Prove thy servants. Put the matter to the Water A general term for whatever is grown test. Pulse. from seeds, here referring to vegetable food. to drink. A wise choice, in preference to the brainconsuming liquors of the king's table. If our land would try the same test, it would save each year thirtyfive million dollars, the cost of supporting half a million of paupers. (6) Let us all be members of Daniel's temperance society. A fair trial, 13, 14. Then let our countenances. to place these young abstainers beside the feasters at (7) No the royal banquets, and see which company presented the more healthy and vigorous appearance. total abstainer need dread comparison with those who indulge in worldly dissipation. Said a man at Francis Murphy's meeting, "It has cost me ten thousand dollars to bring my nose to its present state of perfection!" He consented. A courteous request obtained favor, where a peremptory demand might have been refused. Proved them. They lost the delights of the banquets, the company of the revelers, the toothsome viands, the delicious wines. They gained vigor of body, freshness of complexion, strength of mind. Their consciences (8) Remember the were kept in peace, their God was honored, and their companions held them in respect. old proverb, "Loaden stomachs make leaden brains." Rev. Ver., "Their 15, 16. Their countenances. countenances appeared fairer, and they were fatter in flesh." The face is often the mirror of the soul. The glutton, the drunkard, and the debauchee carry the stamp of their deeds upon their features. A depraved character corrupts the flesh that covers it. The fair faces and strong frames of these young men came from their simple diet, their pure life, and, above all, the blessing of God. (9) "A crust of God's carving is better than a banquet of our own providing."—Beadle. 17. These four children. Rev. Ver., "These four youths." God gave them knowledge. Knowledge and brain-power come from application and thought, yet all the same are they the gift of God. Learning and wisdom. One word means information, the other skill in the use of it. Not every learned man is a wise man. Understanding in all visions. Oneiromancy. or the interpretation of dreams, was a subject of study among the Chaldean sages, who had reduced it to a science. By divine power the young Hebrew captive obtained a knowledge surpassing the masters of the art. Dreams. At this time dreams rarely possess any significance, being generally the vagaries of the mind But in the ancient days, before the during sleep. Scriptures were written, or the Spirit of God was so abundantly bestowed, God gave to men the flickering gleam of instruction through these instrumentalities. (10) How high our privilege, to walk in the light of the Word! |