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Chosen no: R-4857 a, from: 1911 Year. |
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Destroying God's Word
--AUGUST
13.--JEREMIAH 36.--
"The Word of our God shall stand forever."--Isa. 40:8.
THE PROPHET JEREMIAH was shut up in prison. The
disaster upon the kingdom had, to some extent, awakened the people to a slight
repentance, in which the king joined, yet it was a repentance from fear rather
than heart repentance. The king had enmity against Jeremiah because the Divine
Message came through him. He seems to have hoped to restrain the Prophet from
further proclamation of the coming trouble through fear. However, the Lord directed
the Prophet to write out all of his prophecies on a scroll, after the ancient
style, in columns. Jeremiah dictated and Baruch served him as amanuensis.
By the Lord's direction this book of Jeremiah
was to be read to all the people at the temple on the occasion of a general
gathering for worship and repentance. Since the Prophet himself could not go,
he directed Baruch, who took the scroll and read it in the hearing of the
people. Its prophecies of dire disaster made a deep impression. One of the princes
of the people was present and heard the reading and reported to others of the
king's counselors. They sent for Baruch and had him read it before them all.
They, also, were deeply impressed and concluded that it should be brought
before the king. But, meantime, Baruch and Jeremiah were hidden, the
probability of the king's displeasure being great.
Hearing of the manuscript the king was anxious
to have it read before him by a scribe. During the reading, as two or three
columns of the manuscript were read, the king cut them off with a pen-knife and
threw them into the fire, until the entire manuscript was read and destroyed.
By the Lord's direction Jeremiah dictated his prophecies afresh, Baruch again
acting as amanuensis, and this edition was made still more complete than the
former. Amongst other things it included the Divine edict that none of
Jehoiakim's posterity should ever sit upon the throne of David.
GOD'S WORD INDESTRUCTIBLE
Thomas Paine, Voltaire and Ingersoll imagined
that they had made the Word of God to appear so ridiculous that it would never
more have influence amongst men. Robert Ingersoll is quoted as having said:
"In ten years the Bible will not be read." How little the poor man
knew on the subject!
The frontispiece of a well-known Wyckliffe Bible
pictures Satan and others, religious and irreligious, blowing with all their
might to put out a light. In proportion as they exhausted their energy the
light burned the more brightly.
The story is told respecting the Tyndale Bible
which illustrates the point we are making, namely the impossibility of
extinguishing God's Word. Tyndale, while at the University of Cambridge,
England, devoted much of his life energy to the translation of the Bible. He
remarked to an opponent: "If God spare my life, ere many years I shall
cause a boy that driveth the plow to know more of the Scriptures than thou
dost."
Tyndale's project of publishing the Bible in the
English language was so seriously opposed in England that he removed to German
cities, and in the year 1525 A.D. his translation of the New Testament was
issued. Copies of it poured into England. The Bishop of London was
so opposed that he collected and burned as many copies as he could at St. Paul's Cross in London.
Yet more copies came. He could not destroy them. The Bishop collected monies
wherewith to buy up the whole edition. The purchase was entrusted to a merchant
named Parkington, who went to Germany
and purchased the books.
Addressing Tyndale he said: "William, I
know thou art a poor man and hast an heap of New Testaments and books by thee,
and I have now gotten a merchant which with ready money will buy all thou
hast." Tyndale inquired, "Who is this merchant?" Mr. Parkington
answered, "The Bishop of London." "Oh!" said Tyndale,
"that is because he will burn them." "Yes, he will," said [R4857 : page 222] Parkington. Tyndale was
glad, because thus he could get out of debt, and he said: "The world will
cry out against the burning of God's Word." The money from the same
enabled Tyndale to get out a new edition with errors corrected and much better
than the one that was burned.
BETTER
INTERPRETATIONS OPPOSED
Although we have passed the day when any would
attempt to destroy the Bible, we have not passed the day of opposition to the
Truth. Satan would fain have the people of God worship the Book rather than
study and appreciate its contents. In consequence, not a few are opposing the
light that is now shining from the Word of God, disclosing to us the fact that
much that came down to us from the Dark Ages is as contrary to the Bible as to
reason. Many of the professed teachers of the Church [R4858
: page 222] are heartily opposed to Bible study, although their
opposition is advanced as cautiously as possible "for fear of the
people"--for "fear of the Jews."
The Scriptures from first to last give us to
understand that God's Word is to shine more and more brightly down to the very
end of this Gospel Age. St. Peter declares it to be the "more sure Word of
prophecy to which we do well that we take heed as to a light shining in a dark
place until the day dawn."--2 Peter 1:19.
The Bishop of England opposed the Tyndale
translation because the practices of the time were not in harmony with the
Scriptures. Similarly today there are doctrines, traditions, creeds from the
Dark Ages, still reverenced, and which a better understanding of the Bible
would correct and put to shame. Hence the opposition to the better
understanding of God's Word. Nevertheless, the Word of God shall stand forever,
and the spirit of the Truth shall make free indeed all the children of the
Truth.
"Truth, crushed to earth, shall rise again;
The eternal years of God are hers."
W.T. R-4857a page 221 - 1911r