HIS GOSPEL MUST BE PREACHED.
IT is the desire of the Lord that His people should preach His Gospel, preach it indeed as well as in word, in life as well as in precept. He bestowed upon Israel all that He did—"the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises" (Rom. 9:4)—in order that they might "make known His doings among the peoples," that they might "show forth His salvation from day to day," and "declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples." 1 Chron. 16:8, 23, 24. And many other scriptures teach the same blessed duty and great privilege. The world needed the Gospel; God entrusted it to the people best fitted to give it to the world, and placed them in the great highway of nations for this very purpose. He chose the least of the nations, that man might see that it was God that wrought instead of the human. From this it will be seen that if His people failed to do this work, one of two things must inevitably take place: Either the Gospel must be lost to the world, or God must use other means, raise up other people, to carry it forward. And this He has always done. If His own people will not witness for His truth in prosperity, they must in adversity. If they turn from Him utterly, He will use even the heathen to spread abroad the glories of His name. The first seven verses of the first chapter of Daniel involve in their story all these principles before mentioned. Why was Jehoiakim taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar? Why was Jerusalem destroyed? Why were God's chosen people carried to a strange land? Here is the answer in brief: About one hundred years before our story opens, Hezekiah, one of Judah's great kings, was upon the throne. God had wrought mightily for him in overthrowing the enemies of the truth. He had healed the king from a sore sickness unto death, and prolonged his life fifteen years. The healing of the king offered a glorious opportunity to preach the Gospel. Mighty powers sent their ambassadors from afar to congratulate the king, among which was Babylon. It was Hezekiah's duty, as it was a blessed privilege, to "show forth His salvation from day to day," to "declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous works among all the peoples. For great is Jehovah, and greatly to be praised; . . . for all the gods of the peoples are things of naught. But Jehovah made the heavens." But did Hezekiah meet God's purpose? Let the following answer:— "At that time Merodach-baladan the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah; for he heard that he had been sick, and was recovered. And Hezekiah was glad of them, and showed them the house of his precious things, the silver, and the gold, and the spices, and the precious oil, and all the house of his armor, and all that was found in his treasures; there was nothing in his house, nor in all his dominion, that Hezekiah showed them not." Isa. 39:1, 2. But not one thing of all the riches of God's grace and goodness did the king tell. He aroused the cupidity of Babylon instead of satisfying its need. And because of this, as the narrative implies, that treasure-house at Jerusalem was coveted as a prize by Babylon till the day that Jerusalem fell, and the treasure was carried to Babylon, along with certain of the royal seed, among whom were Daniel and his three companions. Royalty would not witness for God in peace and prosperity on the throne; it must witness for God in strife, adversity, and captivity. The very captivity of the Jews in Babylon was a proof of the truth of God's Word, which predicted the result of transgression. All this had its effect upon the sincere and honest-hearted. They must learn in adversity what they might have learned under other circumstances. Nay, more, they must teach to Babylon, under the most humiliating and trying circumstances, that which they might have taught in the sunshine of prosperity. Why is the record given?—That we may learn the lesson; that we may learn that God gives every blessing to us that we may magnify His name, tell of His goodness, talk of His power, and minister His blessings to others' need. God wants the nations to know His truth; are we giving it to them? or are we hiding our light under the bushel of self?