II. But famine is an unneobssakt and unnatubal thojo. For in our Father's house there is bread enough and to spare, and none need perish with liimger. The world contains ample store; the resources of nature are in no degree exhausted, and therefore it can only be by negligence of God's laws in nature that famine can in ordinary cases occur. And why need any go away into the far country of sin, and so compel the righteous and loving Father to send such sore judgment after them in order to bring them back? " Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself! " It is not according to Gbd's will iu any case.
in. And what is tbue of the litebal is true also of the spibitual famine. 1. ft is caused hy man's disobedience. So it was at the first. Sin thrust him forth from the feather's house, the happy home where he never knew what want was. And so it is still. Had those who knew of Christ and his redemption but obeyed the word, *' Ijet
320 THE BOOK OP THE PROPHET JEREMIAH. [oH. m. 1— 34
him tlat heareth say, Come," long ere this the whole world would have been evangelized. And if the same comtnand were obeyed now, the like result would sjieedily follow. Christ has given a self-pro] agating power to his Church, which it has failed to use, and therefore spiritual famines are and will be until the Church obeys her Lord's commandg. But : 2. Such famine need not he. Christ is the " Bread of life" for all, and there is enough and to spare for all.
Conclusion. Let not thy brother hunger if thou canst give him of this bread. Think of what famine means, and let thy churity bo aroused. Take care that thou eatesi— not merely talkest — of th^ Bread of life thyself. — C.
Vers. 8 — 11. — The irony of a name. These verses tell of King Zedekiah — of the tragedy of Zedekiah, we might fay, for never was there a tragedy more terrible than that in which he bore the chief part. But think of his name — " Jehovah our Righteousness." "As the last note of Jeremiah's dirge over .lehoiachin died away, he had burst forth into one of those strains of hope, in which he had represented the future ruler of Israel as the righteousness or justice of Jehovah (cf. ch. xxiii. 5 — 7). It may be that, in allu- sion to this, the new king assumed that name Zedek-Jah on his accession to the throne. He was a mere youth, but not without noble feelings which, in a less critical moment, might have saved the state." And his very name attested the hope which was cherished concerning him. But read the history of bis career and his awful fate, and see if ever there could be sadder irony tlian in the name he bore. It was a glorious name, but how miserably belied ! Defeated, dethroned, disgraced, bereaved, tortured, blind, an exile, a slave, — so he dragged out the last weary years of his life. We know not how many they were, we can only hope they were but few.
L Such ieont of names is frequent. The degenerate bearers of noble and hallowed names are many. The cliildren of Abraham were told by our Lord that they were children of the devil. A good name should be an inspiration ; it often is ; noblesse oblige. That it may he so is often the motive wherewith it is given by parents to their children. But, as with Zedekiah, their character and their names are in sad contrast.
II. Note the cause of this bad irony in this case. It was not lack of right knowledge. For a while he was under the teaching and influence of Gk)d's prophet Jere- miah. And men rarely go wrong from lack of knowledge. Video meliora probo'jue, deteriora sequor. Nor for lack of right feeling. He had again and again good purposes and Bspirations. So with men like him. Nor were there wanting sundry endeavours to act according as God prompted him. He made one and another attempt. But the secret of his sad failure was his lach of strength, infirmity of will, weakness of resolve. And thus it perpetually is with men who turn out failures in life. There is no mori pitiful sight in this world than the spectacle of these ruined men. Jeremiah lamented bitterly over Zedekiah, as he well might.
III. Let this ill-applied name lead us to think of him whose name was NOTHnio BUT BLESSED TRUTH — Jesus. He was Called Jesus because "he should save his people from their sins." For in him is the remedy for all such as Zedekiah was. Give up our will to him, come to be in him by a living faith, and his sti'ength shall be repro- duced in ua, and oiit of weakness we shall be made strong. — C.
Verg. 1 — 3. — Zedekiah as king. I. The position of a touno man. He was twenty-one years old when he began to reign. Out of boyhood, looking round him at a time when he had become responsible for the conduct of his life. In England the age of twenty-one is full of significance to many young men, for then they become free from legal disabilities and restrictions. Any young man about the age of Zedekiah becomes thereby an object of special interest.
II. A» UNEXPECTED POSITION. At Icast wc may fairly assume this from 2 Kings xxiv. 17. Zedekiah was not in the succession. Of course it is just possible there may have been aims and intrigues by which Zedekiah gained the crown. But that does nol make less noticeable the fact that young men often do find themselves in unexpected poattions. They have been making ready for one course, when all in a moment they are turned into • new course where they have to act without much time for con- sideratioB.
TIT. A mwpONBiBLE POSITION. Ri^sponsible in any case »» that o/ a yann{ aaan ;
OH. Ln. 1—34.] THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEBEMIAH. 821
peculiarly responsible m being called to a throne. To be called to a' position of peculiar responsibility may sober a man if he is inclined to be reckless, may rouae him if inclined to be easy-going and self-indulgent. This point may be illustrated by the traditional belief in the change that came over Henry V, on his accesdon to the throne, espedallj as this view is brought out in Shakespeare.
IV. A POSITION ususnALLT DIFFICULT. A king appointed by a foreign conqueror would be regarded with dislike by many. In such circumstances the best of personal qualities were needed, decision of character combined with the utmost circumspection.
v. A POSITION IN WHICH ZeDEKIAH HAD A COMPETENT ADTISEB. Not any of his
own courtiers, though there may have been men among them marked by prudence and insight. He has a prophet of Jehovah, a man with a keen sense of right and wrong, a man with revelations fi'om on high, to help him. Moreover, it is on record that he actually sought Jeremiah out Note the many references in the course of the book to the dealings between the king aud the prophet. By the plain speaking of such a man many doubts might be cleared and many errors corrected. It is the censure on Zedekiah (2 Ohron. xxxvL 12) that " he humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord." — Y.