A Story of God and All of Us - By Roma Downey Page 0,67

all too familiar by now: a distraught mother, the cry of an infant about to be put to death, the chanting of the priests, the drums beating a dull and hollow rhythm, the chanting of the crowd so eager to see blood.

Baruch smells the incense and the wood smoke from the sacrificial fires. He stands to stretch his legs. Long hours of writing make his shoulders tight and make him feel a little dull in the head. A few minutes of walking around gets the blood flowing again, and helps him gather his thoughts. As Baruch stands to ease his mind, he finds himself pacing anxiously. He presses his eyes closed and lapses into a frustrated prayer. Sometimes he understands God, or at least he thinks he does. But at times like this, God's absence makes no sense. Where is His power? Where is His enduring love? "God,"

Baruch whispers, "I know You see all. Not just our actions, but also our hearts. I know that we defile Your name and Your love and Your laws. We do. And for that, there is no excuse. But I beg You, please... help us. Help those who are still true."

Baruch opens his eyes and peers out his window at the sacrifice. He's stunned to see that King Zedekiah has noticed him, and is glaring curiously in his direction. Baruch hastily sits down and unrolls a fresh scroll. Baruch is a timid man, terrified of the world beyond scrolls and scribes.

Suddenly, Jeremiah's loud and annoyed voice pierces the tumult.

"Sacrilege!" yells the man. "Faithless people! Have you forgotten the Lord your God?"

Baruch is back on his feet to see, as are all the court officials, the old man Jeremiah fearlessly wading through the crowd to stop the killing of the newborn whose body is laid across the altar on the hil side. Baruch wishes he had Jeremiah's courage, his fearlessness. Jeremiah seems almost eager to risk his life in the name of God. "You feed human life to a lifeless idol,"

rails Jeremiah. The elderly prophet is bearded, dressed in

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shabby clothes, and wears a perpetual scowl. For all his faith in the glories of God, Baruch can't remember a single time that he's seen Jeremiah smile.

"You turn your backs on the one who gives you life," continues Jeremiah.

"Repent. Return to God."

The palace guards hurl him to the ground and pummel him with fists and clubs as the crowd cheers them on. Despite all his passion and

righteousness, Jeremiah is a man without power. Most people of Jerusalem fear King Zedekiah far more than they fear God. Good men and women--like Baruch the scribe--do nothing. So evil triumphs. The battle for the soul of Israel is being lost. The chance for the Israelites to avoid God's judgment is slipping away. They have forgotten about Noah and the flood. They have forgotten what became of Sodom. They have certainly forgotten the many years their people were enslaved.

But the words of Jeremiah threaten the men who hold power, who fear that the people of Jerusalem might actually start listening to Jeremiah. So later that night, long after the sacrificial fires have burned to coals, and as Jeremiah struggles to sleep standing up in the palace stocks, Jerusalem's high priests and court officials order that his writings be seized. They read the scrolls by torchlight in the palace. King Zedekiah sits on a nearby throne.

This is not the first time that Jeremiah has riled the king.

"Return, faithless Israel," reads one priest in a voice that mocks Jeremiah's writings. "I will not look on you in anger. Admit your guilt--"

"What guilt?" screeches Zedekiah, reaching for his wine. "Angry about what?"

"That you rebelled against the Lord your God and that you have not obeyed His voice," explains the priest. "He's saying that God will let us live in peace if we change our ways."

"Change what ways?"

"By not shedding innocent blood or worshipping other gods."

It never occurs to Zedekiah to heed Jeremiah's words. As king, he believes

that his power is supreme. The notion that following Jeremiah's instruction will save the Israelites from a cruel fate has never crossed his mind.

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"I don't want to hear from this lunatic again," Zedekiah says. With a wave of his hand, he dismisses the issue forever. The priests know what to do next, and immediately set fire to Jeremiah's writings.

Smoke drifts across the palace courtyard. This was once the home to great kings like Solomon and David, so it is appropriate that a true man of God stands here.