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 481
forthwith by the visitation of God. What equivalent of i;)V.. Ashes cannot be put a lesson was this to king o.nd conntry-:-for on the eyes, and even on the head would be no donbt the incident would be brwted but a poor disguise. This bandage was at o.broo.d, o.nd the very stra~geness of ~be the same time in keeping …
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prophets who were known to him. The who promised Divine aid might at any rat, fa,ce alone would hardly have proclaimed have been asked-as prophets constantl,t him a prophet. Aud the prophet's dress were in that age (eh. xxii. 6, 8)-what WIM3 would of course ho.ve been laid aside when the "word of the Lord" concerning I…
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none but temporal sanctions. A" judgment to com,e" formed no part of its system. It dealt with men as if there were no hereafter. It taught them to expect an exact and proportionate and immediate recompense ; an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. It preached an ever-present Deity, the true King of the country, vi…
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advance, possibly during the retreat, of that unwieldy and rapacious host, certainly during the occupation of the country 'l "Before them the garden of Eden, behind them a desolate wilderness" (Joel ii. 3). Fire, rapine, famine, these three fell sisters marched in their train. The invasions, then, though repelled, w…
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mosi important o.rm of their service (vers. 1, 25) to the disobedience of the Lord's anointed. The two-and-thirty subject princes had once been the vassals of Solo- mon {eh. iv. 21). We now turn to-- II. THE DEFEATS. If this prodigious host was really called together to chastise the idolatries of Israel, it seems stra…
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the circumstances of their defeat. It was to their eternal disgrace the.t n handful of men, of boys rather, unused to war, foemen quite unworthy of their steel, hu.d routed and dispersed them; that their innumere.ble e.rmy had melted e.way before " two little flocks of kids.'' What a contrast to the proud boasting of v…
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ibis violent cho.rge." " It is not for the overpowered to capitulate." Besides, who knew ·what the " soft answer" might effect? If smooth words could do no good, rough ones would certainly do much h!U'm. The meek always have the best of it, and so inherit the earth. Ver. 9.- 11 This thing I may not do." "Better die t…
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Ver. 20.-" They slew every one 1,,i, man." It is thus the world must be wo11 for Christ.. Molmmmed had two fixed ideas : first, to m11.ke converts ; second, to make his converts soldiers. And every Christian is a soldier of the Cross, enlisted at his baptism into the Church militant. By personal, individnal effort a…
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1-11.-The Spirit of War. In human histories so much is made of brilliant uniforms, scienti.fio discipline, skilful mancauvres, exploits, surprises, and successes, that readers are carried away with "the pomp ancl circumstance" of so- called "glorious war." In the text we have the oth…
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it has no place I The Syrian king was more outspoken than many modern war- makers. (2) Mercy is quite out of the question. Yet in modern times wars against savages have been trumpeted as benignities, because of the civilization which, it is presumed, will follow in their wake I (8) Ben-he.dad did not live in these …
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event by Hself, but one of a series of such events ; therefore it could not have been an accident. It was preceded by three years of drought which began and ended according to the " word" of Elijah, with the miracle on Carmel. 2. By so ,hawing His h(J/Tl,d He evinced that He is ever working. (1) When events. a.re ordi…
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Israel the Syrians would not have been routed. In all our spiritual confliots let us fight under the banner of Jehovah. (2) It has its lessons of ea;perience. (a) Ben- hadad's counsellors lay emphasis here-" And do this thing, Take the kings away, e.ery man out of his place.'' 'Why remove the kings ? Because in the …
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righteousness dooms the incorrigil,le to death. (1) "The wages of sin.'' The incorrigible will certainly find this in the " damnation of hell " (Pae.. ix. 17). (2) Their time also in this life is shortened either by the sword of the magistrate or by the judgment of God. They get sufficient space for repentance; but the…
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failed to fulfil their pledge God might treat them 118 the sacrifice had been treated, 8. Ahab in consequence was doomed to die. (l) This was signified to him by another prophet. He is by the Jews supposed to have been Micaia.h, and with some reason perhaps (compare eh. x.x.ii 8). (2) This prophet, u.fter the example o…
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had delivered him already, and was able to deliver him again. We are warned of dangers that we may strengthen ourselves in God. There is love in the warning, and vaster love in the offered strength. 2. When the danger comes he is assured of success (ver. 28). The most needful preparation had been neglected; Ahab had no…
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Ahab, bnt between the heathen and the living God who had been blasphemously challenged. Describe Ben-he.dad's successful appeal to Ahab after the defeat. Why was it not commendable (as it was, for example, after the siege of Calais) to spo.re the vanquished? Because the motive was not pity, but policy; o.nd the crim…
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CHAPTER XXI.-1-29. weakness, he was certainly a prince of some enterprize. Cb. x.xii. 39 speaks of the THE STORY OF NA.BOTH. THE DOOM OF "cities " which be built. And the palace of AHAB'S HOUSE. His PENITENCE.-Ver. I.- Jezreel would seem to have been erected by And it ea.me to pass after these things him. This vineya…
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41, and elsewhere. But "his bed" seems pose of authentice.tion, is of great antiquity. rather to point to his private chamber ; see Some of the Egyptian signets are more the.n on ver. 5], a.nd turned away his face [The 4,000 years old. Their use in the e.ge of the Vulgate adds ad parieteni. Cf. 2 Kings xx. 2 ; patriarc…
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monest idioms of the East, throws some light strictly, yesternight, Stanley snggests that on the expression " sons of the prophets " the trial took place by night. But the word is (see eh, xx. 35, note; cf. Deut. xiii.13; Matt. often used in the wider sense of "yesterda.y " xxvi. 60)], before him [confronting him], (Ge…
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me.rgin of which J ezreel stands, is at e. much serves, " How thoughtless our author mus• lower level than Samaria, which is in the have been if in two consecutive chapters- mountain distriot of Ephraim "] to the i.e., on the same leaf, as it were-he h11d rineya.rd of Na.both the Jezreelite, to take inadvertently in…
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bound to e.coomplish his will. Whether fications, and especially of the dit,;h or " the practice of men selling themselves mon.t before them. Cf. 2 Sam. xx. 15. Tho into ale.very " (Rawlinson) existed in the.t LXX. render by 1rpor£iX'"JUI or 1repin,xoc;, age me.y perhaps be doubted. We he.ve the the Vulgate by antem…
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DC'ut. ni. 1-5, &c.], whom the Lord cast while it lasted, sincere. Tho Searcher of out before the children of Israel [Deut. ii. hearts saw in it II genuine self-abasement. 34; iii. 8, &c.] And " He will not break the bruised reed Ver. 27.-And it came to paSB, when nor quench the smoking flax; " Isa. xlii. S; Ahab hear…
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hee.r bis pitiful, o.lmost childish, cowple.int, tho.t he ce.nnot he.ve the vineyard he so much covets, e.nd we stre.ightway see a look of something like scorn upon her face. We hear her almost contemptuous rejoinder, "Art thou, then, so helpless, so utterly without resources, as to lie here and grieve like 11, spoi…
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diabolical result. We shall thus see how Ne.both, who wns murdered in the name of law and religion, was a m:1rtyr to law and religion. And let us considcr- 1. The piety of Nahoth. For it was his religion brought this doom upon his head. He had but to comply with the request of the king-and what loynl snbject would …
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readiness with which he reaped the fruits of her crime makes him a partaker in her ein. It is e. oom.mon saying that the '' receiver is as bad as the thief." And he must have known that" Jezebel could not give this vineyard with dry hands." 3. The depra'IJit1J of Jezebel. Great e.s Ahab's guilt was, it was altogethe…
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Iernel who will by no means clear the guilty. And so Elijah, the great restorer of the law, stands forth to avenge the death of No.both, the law-keeper, at the bands of law-brAakers. "Arise, tnke possession of the vineyard of Ne.both, which he refused to give thee for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead.'' Did th…
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perceive thnt somet~ing unto~ard ha~ happened. The news of Elijah'e reappeai·- :rnce spreatls like w1ld.fu·e ; his i;c11thmg wor~s are passed from lip to lip ; every town and hamlet soon knows that Naboth 1s avenged; it knows that with what measure king and queen meted to him it shall be measured to them n.gain. Th…
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requite thee" (2 Kings ix. 26). Perho.ps he flattered himself that that sin lay a.t J ezebel's door. If so, he is soon undeceived. Such was Ahab's sevenfold sin. Consider- II. lTs AGGRAVATIONS. It enho.nced hie guilt that- 1. He was the Lord's anointed. He was the heo.d of the Jewish Church. Fidei Defensor- this was…
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 1--4.-0ovetousness. Amongst the arguments used by Samuel to dis- courage the people of Israel from desiring a king, he said, " He will take your fields, nnd your vineyards, and your olive-yards, even the best of them." We have in the verses before us a notable example of the truth…
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(3) She will accomplish this by an act of cruel and treacherous despotism eco.rcely to be paralleled in history (vers. 8-10). She makes her pliant husband her accom- plice, using, with his consent, his seal of state, as probably she had done before when she destroyed the prophets of the Lord (eh. xvili. 4), to give …
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I. Goo 18 AN OMNISOiENT OBSERVER, 1. He inspects all human actions. (1) He was present in the palace looking upon the king of Isro.el as he sulked and sickened upon his bed. His eye also was full upon Jezebel as sho proposed her ready cnre for the monarch's cha.grin. "Thou God seest me.'' (2) He was present in that cou…
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Vers. 25-29.-Ahab's Repentance. After the terrible sentence pronounced by Elijah upon Ahab for his enormities follows this account of his repentance. The record teaches- !. THAT THERE 1s REPENTANCE FOR THE VILEST. 1. Ahab answered this descrip- tion. (1) He "wrought wickedness." So have we all. But his was evil of no …
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into sin, And it o.dmonishes us not to presume upon any dogma of infallible final persevero.nce, but, by the help of God, to " work out our own salvation with fear and trembling." II. THAT THERE IB MERCY FOR THE PENITENT. 1. God observed the repentance of Ahab. (1) He observed it before man had. He saw its first motio…
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II. CovETOUSNESS LEADING TO DISCONTENT. "He laid himself down upon his bed, n.nd turned away his face, and would eat no bread." Disappointed of that which he coYeted he couM find no pleasure in that which he already possessed. Show how easily a discontented habit of mind may be formed, aud how it embitters e,erything.…
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sorrow of this world worketh death." Not only must evil be expelled, but good must enter; for if the heart is left II empty, swept, and garnished" by self-reforma- tion, the evil spirits will return. Good must supersede evil; Christ must supplant sin; the Holy Spirit must conquer the evil spirit. (Compare Acts xi. 17, …
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III. TaE EVIL wnouonT BY TIME-SERVERS (vers. 11-15). There is nothing to relieve the bo.seness of the elders and nobles of J ezreel. They were not impelled by misguided o.ffection to avenge a fancied wrong. They coulcl not even plead ignorance. They were behind the scenes and arranged for the trial. It was murder of t…
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forth to meet Ahab so soon as he begins to tnrn to Him. That sorrow, sho.llow though it was, God ho.d mo.rked and accepted. " Seest thou how Ahab? 11 &o. God is not a stern, relentless Judge. Fathe1Js heart has never yearned over ohild as God's o-rer us.-U. Ver. 20.-Naboth's Vineyard. The robbery and murder of Naboth …
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EXPOSITION. CHAPTER XXII. 1-53. tion at this time must have been great, and, indeed, complete (2 Chron. xvii. 10-19). THE EXPEDITION OJI' A.lu.n AND JEHOSlli• It is in favour of this view that Ahab enter- PHAT AGAINST RurnTH-Gn.EAD. THE DEATH tained him and his la.rge retinue with such OJI' .!RAD. THE BEIGNS OJI' JE…
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trenched, wa.s bnt forty miles distant from Baal bore the same name (oh. xvili. 19, 22, Jerusalem. Bahr holds that horses a.re &c.), and appo.rently pretended to similar specially mentioned " beoause they formed powers. "No e.noient people considered e.n esseutial part of the military power" any cultus complete witho…
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oh. :ui. 42] ; for he doth not prophesy good sition ; ei.mply MJ:lf which would be more concerning me, but ev1L [The chronicler correctly rendered " at the entrance." The adds ,1~~-,f; i.e., persistently, through- town gate we.a the great place of concourse (2 Kings Ti.i. 1). Here, too, justice was dis- out his whole …
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Go up t~ Ramoth-Gllead, a.nd prosper we.s insincere; that he did not c1u-e to know [:i H~brmsm for " thou wilt prosper." the will of the Lord, and wanted prophets !3-esemus. _Gram. § 127. 2, cites parallels who would speo.k to him smooth things e.nd m Gen. xlu. 18; Prov. xx. IS; Ps:i. xxinii. prophesy deceits (Isa. …
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now o.ppeo.ls to them ae e. proof of the Ver. 21.-And there came forth a. spirit latter's me.lice.] [Heb. the spirit. By some, especially of Ver. 19.-And he said, Bea.r thou [in the earlier commentators, understood of 2 Chron. xviii. 18, Hear ye] therefore [The the evil spirit. But the view now gene- LXX. has ovx ovrw…
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gree.t suspense e.nd fee.r, until Zedekiah tempt, e.nd it would be difficult for him to delibere.tely smote him, in order to show swim alone against the current. It is prob- that he we.s powerless to e.venge e.n injury a.a able, too, that he discounted the portentous the me.n of God did (eh. xiii. 4), e.nd therefore wo…
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meaning of the verb p;;i,, adhaesit, leads 8?me have been led, though without suffi- ue to conclude that "the hanging skirt of cient warrant, to conclude that Ahab left p11~·.111lel. m~tal pllltes-hence the pluro.l " - the field, had his wo~d bound up, and (Bahr) 1e mtended. The coat of mo.il only then returned to take…
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almost the look of e.n emendation] e.nd ivory was e.noientl:, e.pplied, not only to was brought [Heb. ca11u. The A. V. is furniture, but to the doors nnd walls of against the grammar. As "came" would houses], a.nd all the cities that he built be a stre.uge word to use of a dead man, [Probably Jezrecl wns one, but we…
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seventy years, from the date of their sepa- reviving the commerce of his people with ration to the time of Asa's death, gave way the Eo.st] : but they went not [Heb. it went to peace and even alliance. Judah now not] : for the ships were broken [Probably recognized the division of the kingdom as they were de.shed by a …
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HOMILETICS. ".ers. 1-40.~ Tluf Death of Ahab and the Defeat of Israel. This chapter is almost entirely occupied with an account of the death of Ahab, and of the circumstances wl;-ich preceded an~ attended it. The earlier portion of the chapter, which con- tarns the prophesy~gs of t~e false prophets and th~ vision o…
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largest share in all the_ four, and there_fore they received, as w~ shall see presently, by far the severer p11IDshment. But Just as the people worshipped at the shrines which the king supported, just as they practised the abominations which he bad introduced, so bad they approved his policy towards Ben-hadad-see the w…
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for the vox Dei, but probably the working of their minds was this: "The king wishes it. Jehoshaphat assents to it. The people are set upon it, Wo should be going against common sense and our own interests to resist it." And so the king was a second time paid in his own coin. Those martial pr!!• phecies hn,d been mi…
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reason was the godleeeneee of Ahab. But three years ago Syria lay at hie mercy • its power was completely broken. But Ahab, so far from learning that the Lord was God (eh. x.x. 18, 28), had ignored the Lord, and acted as if hie own might had gotten him the victory. How fitting that these same Syrians should be the inst…
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of bis share in tba.t sin (eh. xvi. 31, 32). The idolatry which had desolated the church was avenged by a horde of idolaters ravaging the land and slaying the arch-idolater in bat.tie. There is a rough lex talionis here. (Cf. J er. v. 19.) If they would have idolatry they should taste the tender mercies of idolaters. O…
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Isrnel." In the third year of this peace J eboshaphat visited Ahab ; and from this visit arose serious events, which are admonitory to us that we should avoid the company of the wicked. I. BAD COMPANY COMPROMISES CHARACTER. 1. It injwres morals. (1) The earlier cn.reer of Jehoshaphat was faultless. He is highly commen…
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oLnous justice of the cause, Jehoshnphat responded," I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses." This was too strong a compliment to Ahab and bis people, and the response was too ready. We may not champion every just cause. It may be wrong to champion a good cause in wicked oompo.ny. (3) Bethin…
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Oh11;1"ch, which is _pract~cally understoo~ to be the clergy in co:nncil, has authority to bmd the consc10nce m matters of faith. The arguments relied upon to sustain this view are generally based upon claims of profession, numbers, and agreement. (2) On the other hand, the definition of the Church is questioned, and t…
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"it" is supplied. Is it Ramoth-Gilead or something else that is to be delivered into the hand of the king (of Israel) ? or is it the king of Israel or somethin" else to be delivered into the baud of the king (of Syria)? What kind of prophecy is°this? (3) The utterance of these prophets resembles those of the heathen…
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Vere. 24-29.-The Argument of Wickedness. The Bible is a. book of texts because it is a. book of types. It does not profess to give full histories, but refers to public records for thesa (see Josh. x. 13; 2 Sam. i. 18; 1 Kings xi. 41; 1 Chron. ix. 1). Inspiration selects from histories typical or representative incident…
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hundred were, therefore" the king of Israel said, Take Mica.ia.h, carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to J oash the king's son, and say, Thus saith the kiug, put this fellow iu prison, and feed him with bread of affliction, and with water of a.ffliction, until I come in peace." (3) But truth is not v…
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2 Kings ix. 25, 26; x. 10, 11, 16, 17). Those who are "looking for," are thereby "hastening the coming of the cla.y of God" (see 2 Peter iii. 12). II. THAT NEVERTHELESS THE BAND OF Goo IS IN IT. 1. This Wa8 evident in the caae of .Ahab. The purpose of Ben-he.dad, should Ahab he.vl!I fallen into his hands, is not recor…
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man is so.id to "live in his heirs." He is never legally dead while he has an heir. There is a good reason for this. Ahaziah would never have mounted the throne of Israel unless his father had been there before him. He reigned in the posthumous influence of Ahab. His representative. (2) When a man is what is called…
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prophets and good men. They are made to serve as a dark background to show up to admiration virtuous qualities, and to be made themselves odious in the contrast. The principles of the wicked should only be studied to be shunned. So God brings good out of evil. (3) The sacred records have survived the secular. "The book…
812 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical Pulpit Commentary. Source page identifies the volume as Public Domain; text extracted from its historical PDF.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.