Higher and higher ran the excitement of the banquet-room. Loud peals of
laughter broke from the merry throng. Musical instruments poured forth
rich strains of melody. Jehoiakim was complimented on every hand, but
the law of God was ridiculed.
Jehoiakim sat on a magnificent throne, gilded over with pure gold. A
large number of war officers sat near him. A royal herald passed
through the throng, crying, “Listen to the oration of Sherakim! Listen
to the oration of Sherakim!” Soon silence was obtained, and Sherakim
the Orator stood before the vast concourse, and began:
“Princes and Nobles of Judah! With merry hearts, we assemble from
different parts of the kingdom to hail this festal day—the eleventh
anniversary of the reign of our illustrious sovereign. Ye will not
think it strange, nor consider it affectation, when I assure you that I
tremble beneath the weight of honor conferred upon me at this time.
“The death of King Josiah, as ye well know, threw a partial gloom over
Judah. Not because all of us considered his measures expedient and
prudent, but because he was our king, and undoubtedly honest in his
intentions, amid all his imperfections. Let the infirmities and
mistakes of past monarchs be buried in their graves. We are not here to
mourn over the past, but rather to rejoice in the present. We are here
assembled to congratulate one another on the unprecedented happiness
that flows to the nation from the reign of the truly illustrious
sovereign that now adorns the throne of Judah. The faults and
deficiencies of other-day kings are more than made up to the nation in
the bright reign of the most excellent Jehoiakim. We do not expect that
even the superior administration of our matchless monarch will suit the
tastes and desires of weak-minded and superstitious men. The King of
Judah, with all his superior powers, is not capable of satisfying the
unreasonable demands of those deluded creatures who are yet too
numerous in our midst. What good can result to anyone from spending
half his time in yonder Temple, and there going through a long list of
senseless ceremonies, with sad and melancholy looks?
“Princes and Nobles of Judah! We rejoice together under the happy reign
of a king who looks at those things with calm disdain, and smiles at
the foolishness and darkness of other ages. Let us, therefore, banish
gloom and enjoy life. Let deluded visionaries bow their heads,
disfigure their countenances, and utter their plaintive moans; but let
_men_ stand erect, with joyful countenances and merry hearts! They tell
us that Jerusalem is in danger; and they dwell with solemn emphasis on
what they please to call ‘forgetfulness of God.’ They tell us that the
Chaldeans are about to besiege the city, and take it! This old story
will answer well to terrify shallow brains and young children; but,
with men of sense, it will receive that silent contempt which it
deserves. Let the citizens of Judah give themselves no uneasiness on
account of the silly harangues of a wild and deluded fanatic who is a
more fit subject to be confined with unruly lunatics than to be heeded
as a teller of future events. However, I would not advise severity
towards the followers of old Jeremiah. They are rather to be pitied
than blamed. As long as they keep their delusion within their own
circles, we shall let them alone; but let them be careful that they
step not too far and disturb the happiness and enjoyment of others.
Among themselves, let them talk about the ‘Law of their God,’ to their
hearts’ content; but as for us, we know of no _higher law_ than the law
of our king—the edicts of our grand sovereign. To him, and him alone,
we pledge our undivided fidelity. Trusting in the King of Judah, we
cheerfully go forward, and bid defiance to every foe. In conclusion, I
have only to say, Long live Jehoiakim on the throne of Judah!”
“Long live Jehoiakim!” echoed throughout the assembly. The king bowed
and smiled, and Sherakim the Orator’s countenance gave evidence that he
considered his efforts as crowned with success. All was again hilarity
and mirth. The wine passed freely around. Shouts of laughter rang
through the spacious hall. A strange person entered the apartment, at
that end opposite to the spot where the king sat on his golden throne.
His singular appearance arrested the attention of all present. The
stranger had passed the meridian of life. His figure was tall, his
countenance striking. Deep solemnity rested on his visage, which
presented a very strange contrast to the countenances that surrounded
him. With a slow but firm step, he walked through the long passage and
stood in the presence of Jehoiakim.
The vast assembly was soon hushed to silence, and spellbound from
curiosity. Sherakim the Orator gazed on the king. The king, with an
angry brow, gazed on the stranger. The stranger, in return, cast a
withering glance on the king, and stood in his presence with form erect
and fearless. He lifted his hand on high, and thus addressed the
monarch:
“Hear the word of the Lord, O King of Judah, that sittest upon the
throne of David. Woe unto him that buildeth his house by
unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbor’s
service without wages, and giveth him not for his work. Did not thy
father eat and drink and do justice, and was it not well with him? He
judged the cause of the poor, and then it was well with him. ‘Was not
this to know me?’ saith the Lord. But thine eyes and thine heart are
not but for thy covetousness, for to shed innocent blood, and for
oppression and for violence. Therefore, thus saith the Lord concerning
Jehoiakim, ‘He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, drawn and
cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem.’”
The stranger turned his back on Jehoiakim, and with the same slow, firm
step, he marched through; and although the king in a rage gave orders
for his arrest, there was none to lift a finger against the man of God.
He was gone! and the assembly was left gazing in mute astonishment at
one another. Such was the unearthly aspect of that mysterious stranger,
that even the great flow of spirit was not proof against its effects.
The deep tones of his mournful predictions reached their ears and even
their hearts. In spite of their abominations and infidelity, they felt
that there was a divinity in that awful voice of warning, and for a
short period, at least, their hearts throbbed with guilty emotions of
fear. Many a proud daughter of Judah trembled and turned pale, as she
gazed on the solemn visage of the uninvited stranger, and as she
listened to the deeptoned eloquence that fell from his lips. Others
there were who felt a strange throbbing of heart, but each one vied
with his fellow to hide his real feelings; and soon, by a show of
bravado, the concourse fell back to the usual hilarity, marked by more
than an ordinary degree of unholy wit, and blasphemous sarcasm.