Chaldeans (ch. xxxvii.). In the insolence begotten of their fancied deliverance, they thought they might do anything to God's servant. They therefore dragged him before the princes, procured his condemnation, smote him, and then cast him into deep dungeons, vrhere, had he lingered long, death must soon have put an end to his misery. But the King Zedekiah, whose mind was ill at ease, and who could not help believing Jeremiah, whilst allowing himself to be overawed by the violence of those around him, sent for the prophet and caused him to be placed in less severe custody. But he was not to stay there long. His former enemies came round the king, and brought such accusations against him that the king, weakly yielding as his manner was, gave him up to their will ; like as Pilate delivered Jesus. Speedily they flung him into a dungeon, which appears to have been a disused well, the bottom of which was still deep in mire. There they leave him miserably to perish. But again he is delivered. An eunuch of the court intercedes for him, and he is drawn up tenderly and carefully, as his half-dying state probably required, from the horrible pit into which he had been cast, and brought back again into that milder captivity which is indicated by " the court of the prison," and where we find him when this chapter (xxzii.) opens. Now, if we try and realize the prophet's condition, we can easily see how a despondency like to that of John the Baptist when he sent two, of his disciples to Jesus to ask him, " Art thou he that should come," etc. ? — we can see how a like despondency might well have fallen upon the prophet's mind. He was no robust, stern Stoic, to whom rough treatment and the scorn and hate of his fellow-men were as nothing. His piteous pleading for his life (ch. zxxvii. 20), his ready yielding to the king's suggested subterfuge (ch. xxxviii. 27), his reiterated confessions of his distress, 'he long wail of his lamentations, all reveal a man who, though in the strength of Uod's grace he would not flinch in delivering the message God had entrusted to him, whatever it was, whoever might oppose, nevertheless felt keenly the perils- of his posi- tion and the misery of his lot. Again and a^ain had he been seemingly given over unto death, and even now there was nought but tlie poor protection of the word of the weakest of monarchs to save him from the rage that was ready to destroy him the first oppor- tunity that should be given. His whole horizon was dark, unillumined by any cheer^ ing ray of hope. If the besieging armies did their worst — and it seemed certain that the obstinacy of the people would provoke them to do so— what prospect of deliverance and restoration could there be then ? For himself and for his country the outlook was all dark. II. But, next, see how God met his need. He did this in a threefold manner. 1. He led Mm to commit himself openly to the/aith of the restoration of Israel. He had proclaimed this re::toration many tiuies before. He was now by a public significant act to avow again bis confidence in what God had promised. - This is the meaning of the. purchase of the land told of in vers. 6 — 15. In the most explicit formal manner he was to do this which his own predictions of the Babylonian conquest seemed to render absurd. It seemed like throwing money away. Why the vendor wanted to sell the ground we do not know. The conviction that all was lost for Judah may have led to it. But when the ofl^er was made, as God told Jeremiah it would be, he saw that it was from the Lord, and that he was, by purchasing it, to testify to his faith that the land should be restored to them again. Heace he did all in the most formal manner : paid for it, took receipt, registered the purchase, and had duplicate made out, handed over the documents to Baruch in presence of many witnesses. Now, had Jeremiah refused to buy this property, it would be tantamount to his apostasy from laith, to his renoun- cing all his trust in God. His despondency would bid him do so. But the thought of throwing up all faith, renouncing it, and denjing God, the very thought seems to have provoked a blessed reaction, and to have made him resolve that ho would make it yet more difBcult tor himself to go back from his faith by committing himself to it in this open, deliberate, and formal way. Thus Qod made him use what faith he had in order to his winning more. " To him that hath," and uses what he has, " shall be given." It is ever so. Have you little of the spirit of prayer ? Pray, and more will be yours. Little love to God ? Do something especially and avowedly for him, and your love will deepen. As with the body and the mind, in trade and all departments of life, the use of what strength we have gains more. 2. By leading him to lay all his difficultie* lefore Ood. This is the meaning of the prayer in vers. 17 — 25. After the prophet had committed himself by this purchase of the land, a purchase so irrational and
58 THE BOOK OF THB PBUPHET JEREMIAH, [oh. xxjui. 1—44:.