PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings
Joseph Hammond [1839-1912] · 502,085 words · 545 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 361
HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vera. 25-34.-The Seed of Evil-doers. 1. The subject before us furnishes illustration of the following propositions, viz.: I. WICKED ARE THE SEED OF THE WICKED. 1. There is a sense in which this is generally true. (1) Jeroboam" made Israel to sin." Na.dab "did evil in the sight of the L…
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of an angry Providence. They that take the sword take the blade with the haft, The wars of these ever-changing dynasties left little room for repose. (3) How difficult for men to learn that worldly ambition and vexation are sisters; that abiding happiness is found only in the ways of God I III. THE END OF THE WICKED I…
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"walkecl in the way of Jeroboam," &c. He may have condemned Jeroboo.m's sin in rega.rcl to the calves, &c. ; but when begirt with the same state exigencies he ('Ontinued the course he himself had punished with death. It is eo.sy to condemn the sins of others. God has nobler work for us: it is, when sunounded by their t…
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eistent with the records of history, which bring Jehu upon the scene again in the days of J ehoehapho.t. II. HE UTTERS THE JUDGMENTS OF THE Loan. 1. The posterity of Baaaha waa to be taken away. (1) Hie own. He was to have no male representative. (2) That of hie house. His femo.le o.s well as male issue wa.s to be des…
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magisterial bench, in the factory, in the shop, in the mani;ion, in the oollege. (2) Zimri had also a desperate resolution to bend circumstances to his object. Hie rank as a cavalry officer, commanding hnlf the chariots of Elnh, gave him access to the palnce. There, finding his lord helplessly drunk, he sacrificed g…
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the heart. (2) To encourage this is man's highest wisdom. Godliness has promise of this life-of that to come. 2. False religion ia supreme folly. (1) It is in some respects even worse than no religion. It is more than a. negation in respect to truth; it is pertinacious a.ntagonism to truth. (2) It is folly in relati…
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before him almost without a struggle. 2. Against Tibni. Israel was eque.lly divided, yet his life was preserved and the kingdom given to him. Men pass up to place and mesns and influence through e. pathwny which, if it is only looked be.ok upon nnd considered, is full of power to touch the heart and bow it under th…
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EXPOSITION. CHAPTER XVI. 29-34. this was one of the veritable turning-points of Jewish history. One of tho reo.l "decisive TKE RmmN OP Alwl.-With the acces- battles of the world "-tho.t between the sion of Ahab a new main section of our Lord and Be.o.1-was then fought out. No history begins-the section which has its…
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2 Sam. x. 5 that it ha.d not been entirely the whole, it seems to be implied that Hiel uninhabited. Dnt the Are.b village we.a now knew of the threatening of Joshua, and converted into o. town with go.tee and bars] treated it with defiance. It has been sug- Jericho [We learn from Josh. xvili. 21 that gested that the re…
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Vera. 30-33.-Moral Ruin t"ht-ough Moral Weakness. This was the taming- point in the history of the kingdom of Israel. Till now the people ho.d professedly worshipped Jehovah under the symbol of the calf. Now idolatry of a grosser kind was avowedly set up o.s the no.tional religion, on a scale of greo.t magnificence. Th…
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bution to his heart. God is our Judge, as well as our King. For the impenitent there will be no escape. In vain will they " call on mountains and rocks to fa.11 on them, and hide them from the wrath of God." Now in this day of mercy, God calls on all to repent, and :find pardon and hope in Him, who ho.s come " to se…
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Tbe.t influence was therefore also given to discourage the pure worship of the God of Israel. 2. To .Ashere. (1) This word is construed "grove" in the text e.s else- where. But e. little reflection will tee.eh us that groves do not spring up in e. day. Beside, it is not here said that Ahab planted (l,tt:ll), but that h…
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CHAPTER XVII. 1-24. for which this is not the place, two remarks may be hazarded here. First, that the ELI.JAJI AND TEE GREAT DBOUO:ET.-The narrative is so sober, so circumstantial, so picturo which the historian he.a just drawn full of touches which ho.ve every appear- of the shameless idolatry and the gross de- anc…
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now to be frustrated ; i1 the one lamp phetarum fe.oile princepe; et si e. Mose disces- which cast e. re.y on the world's thick dark- seris, nulli secundus," is the testimony of e.n ness was not to be utterly extinguished, illustrious Jew (Abmve.nel), "The grandest Uien, e.s fa.r e.s we ce.n see, God must send e.nd …
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It is clear, then, that the was borne hither and thither by the Spirit of usual interpretation is by no means to be God (eh. xviii. 12), and men of a later time lightly set aside. It is certainly preferable caught this as one of his prominent charac- to the rendering, 11 Elijah the stranger," &c., teristics (Ecclus. xl…
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of this miracle, both as a. sign a.nd a.s a. fact th~t the torrents of the East a.re for the punishment, see" Homil. Qua.rt." v.100, 101. most pa.rt d~ied up during the greater pa.rt "To Eastern and Southern nation~ where of the year,_1ts common mea.ning is to1Te-nt- life a.nd water go always together,' where bed, or r…
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2 Kings ii. 24; Dan. vi. 22 ; 2 Ptter ii. 16), cant that elsewhere in this narrative, whioh though never, it must be Raid, in so rational is chnracterized by the profoundest sobriety and methodical a way. Nor can it rightly nnrl reticence, there is what we may almost be contended that the words "I have com- call 11. st…
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viii. 1). bnt in e.ny oe.se, e.t no gTeat dist&noe [the Vat. LXX. h9.S" bread in tho morning from Dctbe.be.ra (John i. 28/. Now Beth- and flesh in the evening." It has been nbaro. has been identified, a most to a cer- objected that this verse is fato.l to the view ad- tainty (Conder, "Tent-work," pp. 229-232) ve.nce…
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visible from a spot a quarter of an hour that the water supply of Phoenicia had not distant. "The dependence of SBrepta on entirely failed. " The fresh streams of Bidon is indicated in the inscriptions of Lebanon would retain their life-giving Benno.ohorib, where it is mentioned as be- power long after the scantier spr…
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the LXX. iy•·p••i/>lat. We g,ither from this to ono who wae denying the God of Isrnel] pitiful disrlosuro that the famine hnd The barrel of meal shall not waste, nelther already extrnded to Phoenicie., ae it shall the cruae or 011 fall, untll the day naturally wonld do, considering how de- that the Lord sendeth [Hob…
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e11y, 11 11nd he died,'' we mudt conclude that the mode of building in Elijah's timo and it did not mea.1;1 to s11y H. (3) Verses 18, 20 the custom of giving the 'alliyeh to the do not neceaa1tnte the belief that he we.e guest were the s11I11e e.e now ; also til at this dee.~ (ace below). (4) Josephus, who we.a not po…
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coven&nt "-he might have added, "and en mrittre i\ oeux qui dorment d'nn sommell in the new; " cf. Mark xiv. 39, 41; 2 Cor. eterncl, et l'on sent bien qu'il est le Dieu xii. 8-" was 11. threefold not : " Pse.. Iv. 17 ; des morts comme des vivants, jamais plus De.n. vi. 10, 13 ; Nnm. vi. 24-26 ; Ise.. vi. 8 tranquill…
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long-ha.ired eheykh, who eingle-ha.nded faced the hiera.rchy of Baal, and knew no fear, hie were the a.sperities, the privations, the scant fare, the primitive, semi- noma.dio life of a, Gilea.dite. The sweet uses of adversity had moulded this mn,n for the orisis. Our great cha.ncellors, it he.a been ee.id, come to ua …
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men who practice.Uy denied the living God should bo practically 1·eminde:' of their 1lP.pendence on Him. It was well that those who held Bo.Al to be lord ofno.tw·e, eltould 1,e left to discover his impotence (cf. Judg. x. 14; Jer. xiv. 22). "Are there any of the vanities of the heathen that can give re.in ? " And it…
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who speuke of clergymen who "out the throe.ta of their sermons by their livee ; " but there are me.ny who, without doing this, inve.lide.te their worde by their o.ctione. It is well for ne to remember that persona.I che.ro.cter is the best preparation for the. pulpit. " Facta, non verba; " this is, and will be increasi…
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"There are two books," says Sir Thomas Browne, "from whence I collect my divinity. Besides that written one of God, another of bis servant nature, that universal o.nd public manuscript that lies expansed unto the eyes of all.'' A.nd is not every tree, every leaf, in its way a mute witness for God and purity ? It is rem…
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from some l,illden source, 6tlcb ae the snows of Hermon, or springing from the roots of the hills of Gilea.d, and the prophet must seek it, n,nd take np his abode nen,r it. V{hn(. do we learn from this but thn.t G6d "will have our endeavours concur to our preservn.tion,'' n, truth somewhat roughly, but strikingly, p…
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1. He had to leave hu; hiiling place. For months he had dwelt safely in the deep, sequestered, peaceful wady. That he must hide there, and hide so long, showed how great wns the danger to which he was exposed. But now he is com- manded to quit his asylum, to go forth into the world, to run the risk of recognition, …
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also," &c.); as if the widow by whom he bad been housed, and who had hidden him at the risk of her life, was to be requited with cruel punishment for her good deed. But let us now see in Zarepbath II. A FURNAOE OF TRIAL FOR THE WIDOW. It was this in two ways- 1. A stranger demands a share of her last meal. Or, rather…
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Ver. 1.-Elijalb. In this sudden manner the Tishbite is introduced., upon which Bishop Hall remarks, " He comes in with a tempest who went out with a whirl- wind." And Lamartine says, "RecaUing his life and his terrible vengeance, it seems as if this man had the thunder of ·the Lord for …
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restmin both dew and rain, and so make the gods to worship him. (See Deut. xi. 16, 17; J er. xiv. 22.) (2) " There shall be neither dew nor rain these years.'' Dew and rain, according to the course of nature, may be withholden for days, for weeks, even, in rare cases, for months; but not for years. When therefore for "…
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(See Psa. xln. 4; John iv. 14; vii. 37-39; Rev. xxii. 17.) 2. Their b1·cad shall be given. "I have commanded ravens to feed thee there. (1) What an unlikely thing! Ravens were unclean creatures (Levit. xi. 15). They are insect-feeding, ca1Ti~1_1-eating birds, ~~emselves fed by specinl pro-yidence of <:3-od. (See Job x…
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tion? A poor widow, so poor that she has no servant and no fuel in her house ! A widow with her son, both at the point of death I A stranger, and a stranger of Zidon too-the land of Baal-and the land of the wicked Jezebel I Note: Goel'~ ways are not as our ways. He brings unlikely things to pa.Eis. How little clo we…
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faithful servnnt guided to Rebecca (Gen. xxiv.) 2. He found, her at the gate of the city. (1) She was there on an errand of her own, viz., to gather a few dry sticks to kindle a fire to cook her last meal iu this world. (2) She was there also, though unknovm to herself, on an errand from God. She was commanded to s…
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sojourn by slaying her son?" He calls it "evil," yet attributes it to God. Moral evil God cannot perpetrate, but evil which comes iu the form of afiliction or punish- ment is a very different thing. (See Job ii. 10; Isa. xlv. 7; Amos iii. 6; John ix. 1-8.) (2) He entreated God to restore the child's life. " He cried…
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our consideration-I. A mes1tmg6'1' from a/Msaken Goel,, and II., A message /<>'I' an apostate people. I. A MESSENGER FROM A FORSAKEN Goo. Ahab was congratulating himself on the success of bis policy. It had been greater than he could have expected. The old faith and fervour of the veople had died out so completely …
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will. The mystery of prayer is revee,led (1 John v. 14, 16). 2. This was a 1·esponsi, to the challenge of Baal-worship. The productive powers of nnture were adored under the idole,trous symbol. Here they were shown to he dependent on the unseen God. All natural laws are. They are the expressions of the Divine will. …
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likely to bring food twice daily, when a store might he.ve been conveyed with only one risk. The supernatural is always startling, but to those who reject materialism it is not incredible. If God notices a. sparrow fall, and if diseases obey Him, as soldiers obey their general (Matt. viii. 8-10), this feeding by the ra…
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diligently and earnestly to do whatsoever our hands find to do, feeling certain that "they who seek the Lord shall not want any good thing." The Israelites followed the cloud, though it led them into the wilderness, with the conviction that God was leading them ; and when it was necessary He provided manna in propor…
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threatened (ver. 12), is contrasted with her agony when trouble actually comes (ver. 18). She believed in Jehovah though in a heathen kingdom; yet there was a blend- ing of superstition with her faith. She supposed that God might have overlooked her sin, had it not been that He was present with His prophet in her honae…
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ask God. for it. Nor can we arouse to new life by preaching, though Goil oo.n do so through preaching. Our words a.re only the media through which the Holy Spirit works. The Atlantic cable is useless except as the message is flashed forth by mys- terious unseen power. This distinguishes the miracles of our Lord Jesus f…
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had its foreshadowings of the grace that should hereafter be bestowed on the Gentiles. The lessons of the narrative lie upon the surface. I. Goo's SURE GUARDIANSHIP OVER Hxs SERVANTS. Elijah is perfectly so.fa nnder the shield of Divine protection, as safe in the region of Sidon as he was by the brook Cherith. He who…
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"Give us this da.y our da.ily bread." Tread faithfully the path of duty, and "He that ministereth seed to the sower will both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness" (2 Cor. ix. 10).-W. Vers. 17-24.-Li/e from the Dead. The miracles wrought by Elijah or …
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since has caught its highest inspiration from the constraint of His love and the force of His example. 2. It is prophetic of the future glorioua resurrection. We see here one of the many witnesses that gleam out amid the obsourity of the olden times to the truth that God would surely one day " bring life and immortali…
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Vere. 7-16.-Divine Care. I. THE ENDLESSNESS OF GoD's RESOURCES. 1. The brool, failed; and one essential of life could no more be had there. But it was only that this wondrous provision might give place to greater marvels. When means are threatened, the heart sinks; but He who has provided these for a season knows of th…
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mission, which was to overthrow idolatry n.nd vindicate the worship of the true God. This work of preparation was divided into two great periods. 1. The prepnrn.t.ion of the desert. 2. The lonely life of the prophet in the house of the widow of Sarepta. The Desert was, from the time of Moses to the days of John the …
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EXPOSITION. CHAPTER XVIII. l-4B. ings which the animated description of the 1 prophet Joel (eh. i.) enables us to realize- ELI.J!JI S BETUBN AND THE ORDEAL OJI' were doing their work. The heart of the MooNT OARHEL.-The preceding chapter people was being slowly turned backward, having been exclusively occupied with …
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clauses" (Keil).] Obadiah [This no.me is of limestone formation, abounds in cn.verns. almost as remnrkablo as Elijuh's, or would See Stanley, S. and P. pp.161, 62. From the bo, if it were not more common. It means earliest times we find men-outlo.ws and the "servant o.f Jehovah." Compare the modern like-taking up their…
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went one way by himself [Heb. alone. lord, Behold, Elijah 1s he?,'- [Heb. Behold, Rawlinson says, "Thie does not mean Elijah. Obe.dia.h echorn th~ words of ver. 8.J that either Ahab or Obadio.h wo.s un- Ver. 12.-And it shall come to pass, accompanied by o. retinue," but it may very as soon as I am gone rrom thee, th…
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exhibiting the habit of the me.n. He wns ably to the various images or statues of this the ready n.nd patient slave of Jehovah. god set up in the land (Gesenius). "This The ni~:i~ is apparently introduced not so boldness, this high tone, this absence of the much to' ;, ele~e.t~ the solemnity of the slightest indication…
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view of the great plain in front" (Stanley). xxxvi. 24, 26; Deut. xxv, 3, &c.)" But when In fa.et, it was in its way jnst as well it is remembered that Baal's prophets were adapted for the solemn vindication of the 460, and the prophets of eh. xxii, 6 were law which took place there as Jebel Sufsafeh about 400 men, the…
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hence concludes that the "hundred pro- and put no fire under [and fire I will not 11hets" of whom we read in vers. 4, 13 had set to]: been discovered in their hiding place and Ver. 24.-And ca.11 ye on the name of had been put to death. But this by no means your gods [As Elijah is still addressing the follows from E…
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leo.d. "He is o.nxious tho.t their inability frantic cries of the Greek Easter (see Porter ehall be fully manifested before he shows i. 168: Conder, 176-178) in Jerusalem, th~ )lis own power" (Rawlinson). Whether the prayers of the pilgrims for the descent of 1dc11 was nlso present in hie mind that the holy fire, ma…
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a "prophesying, " and the word, conse- of profound significance. It showed him quently, m!\y merely mean "they pursued as the restorer of the law and the true their calling," "they cried and prayed," religion.] &c.] until the time of the o.ll'ertng [Keil Ver. 31.-And El!Jah took twelve etonea and Rawlinson would tr…
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trenoh, as Bii.hr observes, by the ground [Heb. Repeat, and they repeated.] And he which it covers, but by its depth. He said, Do it tbe third time. And they did it would follow Gesenius in understanding the third time. [See note on eh. xvii. 21.) that the trench was so deep as to hold two Ver. 35.-And the water ran ro…
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Israel [according to ver. 24, "the God that Take the prophets of Baal ; let not one of \lnswereth by fire, &c.J, and that I a.m thy them escape. [Elije.h's promptitude is ex- servant, and that I have done all these tremely striking. The people had hardly thiilgs according to thy word. [LXX. o,d recovered from their te1…
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instigation that the queen " cut off the for him to cut off the men-some of them prophets of the Lord;" and, secondly, that reneg11.des from the faith of Israel, some of it is not clear that she succeeded in her them foreign emissaries introduced into the so.nguino.ry pnrpose, or tho.t me,ny lives land-who had corrupte…
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much as of prayer. When Rawlinson says storm" [over " the dark slate-coloured ridge that "the fe.ithfulness and patience shown of Carmel," witnessed by Conder in 1872) [by the servant] in executing this order "burst suddenly, the rain descending with without a murmur, imply devotedness of violence, hissing on the grou…
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HOMILETICS. Vers. 3, 4.-The Governor of Ahab's House. There are few things in these books of Scriptw·e more surprising- and suggestive than the position of Obadiah in the palace of Ahab. Consider- !. TnE AGE. We have seen that during this reign (eh. xvi. 30, 33 ; xxi. 25), and especially in the capitol city of Sam…
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to us altogether out of the quesLion. "What communion,'' we should ask, "hath licrht with darkness? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel ? " " IV. H1s PIETY. Yet we find that Obadiah, the inten,lant of the palace of Sa,maria the trusted and faithful minister of Ahab, the "third ruler in the kingclom," 1…
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.