PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings
George Rawlinson [1812-1902] · 432,569 words · 453 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 301
depravity, as He waves are approaching him," So far ehalt thou come, and no further." Because the father has been bad, there is no just reason why the child should be bad also. Because all the generations that have gone have been bad, there is no reason why this generation should bo wicked, We are not like logs of wood…
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land, and the highe~t epiritue.l tee.ching. He had given them: 1. Political freedom. For ages they had been in politico.I bonda.ge, the mero sla.ves of despots; but here we Bre told that God had " brought them out of the land of Egypt, from under the ha.nd of Pharaoh King of Egypt" ( ver. 7). When they crossed the R…
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stated! "They made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal" (ver. 16). Error on this earth is more act~ve than truth, wrong is more industrious than right, the spirit of evil knows no rest, it goes to and fro on the face of the earth. Here, then, is …
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Sn.m&ria in~ foreign regions. Had the exchange tAken plllce with the mutual consent ?f both parties, there would h!lve been no outrago on the rights of man, but it might, mdeed, have conduced to the mterests of both parties concerned. Men are constantly ~hanging their countries, especially in this age, when faciliti…
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Assyria. commanded, A11ying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thonce; and let. them go e.nd dwell thllre, e.nd let him teach them the manner of the God of the le.nd." 'l'he priest whom the king sent to them seems to have been one of the exiled priests who had formerly had his head-quarters at Bethe…
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Vers. 1-6.-The end of the ldngdom of Israel. We learn from the inscriptions that Hoshea, the m~rderer of P~kah, only secured his throne by acknowledging the supre- lD:ac! of the King of A~syn&. It was not long, however, before he conspired to achieve his moependence. This led to the final o,·erthrow of the kingdom. …
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Vera. 7-23.-Review of tlie history of Israel. The Bible does not simply relate, but draws aside the veil and shows us the innermost springs of God's providence, and how they work. It teaches us to understand the deepest causes of the rise and fall of nations. The causes it insists on are not economical, or political, o…
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th<'m also of the consequences of disobedience (ver. 23). Thus it was shown that God has no pleasure in the death of him that dieth (Ezek. xviii. 32). The faot of warnin" being giv~n is R great aggravation of guilt if sin is persisted in. It leaves the trans~ gressor without exc1;1se.. In our own land warnings aloun…
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before their eyes; yet they go on heedless and blinded. It is not a question of reason, but of evil inclination, and wrong bent of will. Sin is truly named folly-it is the absolute unwisdom. 8, The origin of the mischief. A2;ain, the source of all these evils which came on Israel is traced to Jeroboam's fatal step in s…
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The high places formerly used by the Israelites stood temptingly ready to receive the new idols. Whatever may bave been the character of the priest's instructions, they h<id no influence in checking the multiplication of strange gods. In the mixture of peoples, each nationality adhered t.o its own deity. The Babylon…
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be nny doubt of this eynchronism, which is in from Jerusalem, first into the cities of Juda!; olose nocordnnce with the dntes in vers. 9 10 11nd Benjamin, and then into several of the of this chnpter, nud agrees well with the c~ties of Israel, and "brake the images in Assyrian inscriptions. Hezeki11h's ncceesion pie…
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or "it wu mlled" (oomp. Oen. :u:v. 26; Ohron. xv. 2). And he pro1pered whithll'- mnii. 29, 80). Nehusht.an is not from i,·nl eoever he went forth ; rather, in all hu " serpent," but from nl!'ni, "braes," and goings-in cunotis ad qUBJ procedebat (Vnl• means "the li~lle brass \hing," J being a gate). Hezekiah's prospe…
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party. He did not seek conqneets in Philietia but died during the siege, the capture fall- for himself. Even unto Gaze.. Gaza seems ing into the first yeo.r of Sargon (see the to ho.ve remained faithful to Assyria from its 'Eponym Canon,' pp. 65, 66). Even in cnpture in n.o. 720. And the borders thereof, the sixth year…
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cords, which a.re very e.mplP, rmd of which promised deliverance if trust were placed we have the sotae.J originRls, twenty years in God (Isit. viii. 9-15; x. 24-26; xiv. intervened between the capturo of Same.rie. 24, 25). When the siege commenced, all and the e.tteck of Senne,cberib on Heze- was dismay within the …
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like Bolomon'e (1 Kings vi. 20-22, 28, 30, onmstances, Sennacherib marle his second 82). To make up the " thirt:, talente of expedition, probably in B.o. 699. Regarding golrl" he wee now obliged to unclo hie own Egypt as hie main enemy, and Jndma RB of work, and etrip the doors and pillare bare. small account, he led h…
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OYer in eilenoo the ot.her two. Speak ye seem, "halted between two opinions.'' He now to Hesekiah. It was a rude, almost hoped for aid from Egypt; but, if it foiled, an ineulting commencement, to give Heze- then he hoped for the Divine help promised kiRh no title-neither " the king," nor by Isaiah. Now on whom dost …
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years in the destruction of this very God's in the name of Jehovah, by Jewish propheta, high places and oltars? Surely the God will which threa.tened the Ja.nd witb desola.tion not favour one who has been pulling down at the hand of the Assyrians (e.g. Isa. vii. hie ploces of worship I Putting out of sight 17-24; x. 5-…
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between the governors e.nd the governed, If at one time he had trusted in Egypt, that e.nd endeavour to stir up discontent nmong trust was now quite or well-nigh gone. the lntkr. Yet this is what Rnbshakehdid, The tone of his exhortations wae thnt re- and boasted of doing. Well might Iso.iah corded in Chronicles (-.…
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meaning is, "Have they delivered their prob11,ble, sin ea auch e.n outrageous course &I several cities, or hRB the god of Samaria the.t which Rabshakeh had pursued oan deli'l"ered his oity out of my hand?" No sORrcely have been expeoted, god hRd hit.herto delivered any oity which Ver. 37.-Then oame Eliakim the aon of t…
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a~meed to ~dole.tro~s us~e e.t the. time wh~n he destroyed them. He did not spy aroond him, scentmg peril of idolatry in every image or other representation of natural forme that_ had com~ ?own to him from fo~mer age~, even when they were employed in the eerv1ce of relig10n. He was on the side of e. nch and gorgeous an…
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nations" (2 Chron. xxxii. 23). It may be said that nll this was abnormal, and belonged lo "the agti of miracles;" but the principles of God's action do not change, and if we examine human life at the present day dispassionately, we shall find that still, as a general rule, if men cleave to the Lord, and keep his comman…
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vere. 1-8.-The secret of a successful life; or, trust in God, and its results. What a refreshiag contrast to some of the lives we have been considering, is this description of the life of Ilezekiah I How pleasant it is to read of such a life as bis, after we have read of so many kings of J…
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Lord commanded Moses" (ver. 6). Such is tr'!Ul ,·eligim. Religion is the dedlce.tion of th~ he11rt and life to God .. A man may differ from me in creed, and in the way he wor- sh11?s the same ~ ; but 1f he loves the Lord Jesus Christ, and serves God in sincerity, be 1s a truly rehg1ous man. "In every nation be that …
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this work. The whole country was given over to idolatry. He might have dre:uleJ 8 rebellion. In somo parts of the country he got little sympathy in hi~ efforts to restore the ancient religion. When the messengers inviting the people to the Pa8sover passed tht·ough the country of Ephraim and Manasseh and Zebulon, the pe…
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JI. THE EVIL RESULTS OF WA.NT OF FAITH. Hezekia.b's faith in God failed him. Vi'"hen that went, he was helpless. Sennacherib, seeing his craven spirit, appointed him a tribute of" three hnndred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold" (ver. 14). Heze- kiah was .in a difficulty. He had no money to meet this demand.…
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II. Rm MAKES LIGHT OJI' TRUST IN GoD. But soon the cloven foot appearH. The tempter soon begins to wean the soul from that religion of whose interests he pro- fesses to be. so jealous. See here the in~o~sietency of Ra.hshakeh's speech. He firn of all made 1t appear that he was comm1ss1oned by God, and tlmt therefore …
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we would now fasten our attention, is that mentioned in ver. 4, "He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehusbtan." His method for extirp…
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worst kind. He invnded and rnvaged the lan,l of Israel, tl,rew Hoshea into prison, laid siege to S1,m11ria, carried the Israelites into Assyria, and located in their homes strangers from various parts of the Assyrian dominions. Thus he utterly destroyed the kingdom of Israel, The other despot is Sennacherib (vers. 13-1…
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Veni. I-f3.-H-kiah tM good. It is with a sense of relief that we emerge from the dnrk and oppressive atmosphere of the time of Ahaz into the "clear shining" (2 Sam. xxiii. 4) of a reign like that of Hezekiah. Once more Divine mercy gave Judah e. king in whom the best tradiLions of the theocracy were revived. I. RIG…
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a.nd fastens on nothing more readily than on the objects which call forth a natural reverence. Of. the story of Ghleon's ephod (Ju<lg. viii. 24--27). 'l'hus from the vene- ration of martyrs in the Christian Church there grew the worship of relics. So with all other aids to devotion, conceptions that fitly invest religi…
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cit.i!'s of Judah. His own annn.ls mention forty-six strona cities, and lesser cities without number. He claims t-0 have taken also 200,150 pris~ners. This was a fearful ~low to t~e _prosrerity and resources of the kingdom. (2) At this stage, moreover, Sennac~enb invested _Jerusalem. The text speaks only of Hezekiah…
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vain it was for him to hope to carry on the war. 1. Hezekiah's wnflden~ in E!]ypt. Rabshakeh answers his own question by declaring, first, that Hezekiah's confidence was placed in Egypt. This WRS true; and it was also true that, RB the speaker next went on to say, this confidence was in a "bruised reed." The policy …
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should be consulted with. The envoy, howeTer, insoJ04tJy broke through all customary bounds, and declared that i~ :was the common people he wished .ro address, 'l'aking up, therefore, a yet ~tte~ pos1hon, he now spoke directly, and m louder tones, to the peopl~, who by this time may be eupptlSed to have crowded the …
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and mistaken reading of the whole facts of history and of human life. The view which history presents to one who denies the postulates of revelation will differ entirely from the view which it presents to a Christian believer. Belief in God is the right centre for understanuing everything. III. THE ANSWER OF SILEN0E…
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Rny of them were nooeBBible exoept lMiah. between the "living" God, nnd the dead He had been AhRz's oounsollor (Ts1t. vii. 4- idols whom Rebshakeh has placed OH a p11r 16), And was now certainly among the regular with him. And will reprove the words counsellors of Hezekiah. Moreover, be was which the Lord thy God ba…
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he ahall hear a rumour; lltere.lly, he ,hall Judooan monarch in some way. He aends hear 11 11wrsay; i.e. he shnll be told some- n. letter, therefore, as more weighty antl thing, whioh shall determine him on a he.sty impre,sive than a mere message. He warns retre.1t. It is best, I think, to understand, not news or Til'h…
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Ver. 11.-Behold, thou hast heard what probnbly shared the fate of Ilu-bld. And the lringll of AIIB}'ria have done to all lands, the King of the oity of Bephe.rvaim, of Rena, by destroying them utterly (see the comment and Ivsh 1 It is probably not meant that on oh. xvi ii. 33). The fact was indisputable tbese threo …
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hear. "Bow down thine eo.r" is a Hebrew indicated by a line, the face coloured red, or idiom for "give eo.r," "attend "(see Pe. xxxi. white, or gilt. It was only later that ivory 2; lxxi. 2; lxxxvi. l; Prov. xxii.17, etc.). It and golrl plates were commonly la.id over is bnsed upon the fa.et that, when men wish the …
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the natione of the earth-that it may be Shiehak (l Kings xiv. 26), e.nd by Joash known far and wide that Jehovah ie a God (ob. xiv. 13); but Zion, if it be ta.ken who oan help, the real Ruler of the world, as the namo of the ea.stern city (Dishop 11gainet whom earthly kings and earthly Patrick, ad loo.), ine.y have …
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I am oome up to the height of the moun- waters; rather, perh3ps, I dig, and drink tains. "The height of the mounte.ins" is . . . and dry up-the preterite he.ving again hero the high ground which an nrmy would a present sense. Senne.cherih means that have to tmveree in po.Being from the Urele- this is what he is wont to…
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in thdr hnnd is mine indignation. I will fills violent men with fury nncl rage. Sen- ecnd him ngainst an hypocriti<'e.l nation, nacherib's nnger wns priru1Lrily &gainst I-kze• 11nd ngainst the people of my wrath will I kiah, but when once he was convinced th&t give !Jim a charge, to take the spoil, e.nd to Hezekiah …
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things as grow of themselves. The Aaeyrle.n omitting "of hosts;" and this is probably invasion, coming e1i.rly in the spring, e.e was the rigU reading. The meaning is that ueuo.l, ho.d prevented the Iara.elites from God's 2.ee.lous love and care for his people ■owing their le.ode. But they would soon will effect their …
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Vera. 85----S7.-DE.STRuCTioN OF SENNA• etonn with thunder and lightning, whioh OBBRJB'B HOS'r, AND ms OWN VIOLEN'r. DEATH have never been known to aooomplish such ,.T NINEVEH. The sequel is told in a few a destruction. Pestilence is no doubt words. That night destruction came down possible, but a pestilence of a etr…
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implies that he dwelt there for some con• meleoh and Bharezer his sons. Adram• siderable time a.fter hie return, as he melech is called "Adrammeles" by Aby- appears to h11ve done by his annals. The denus, "Ardnmnzanes" by Polyhistor. Eponym Canon makes his last yenr B.o. Neither form resembles any known As- 682. sy…
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"Let not thy God . . . deceive thee" (ver. 10). As though God ever deceived, aa though he were not the Truth itself. Sennacherib represents him as either a poor braggart who could not do what he had promised, or a malevolent being intentionally beguiling men to their ruin. "Jehovah," he says, "has sent him against J…
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character does not command your respect. Choose the company, seek the counsel, of good men. II. CB.AilAOTEB GIVES POWEB IN PRAYER, "The effectual fervent prayer of !I righteous man availeth much." The man who expects an answer to his prayers is the man who habitually lives near to God. Mary Queen of Scots said she fea…
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no~ un~ Hezekiah, when he persuadeth you, sayiug, The Lord_ will deliver us." It is easy to 1mRgme_ t~e efl'.ect of such statements upon a people fow m ?umber compared with the Assyrian s m1gh_ty host.. The_ horrors of a protracte~ siege were in prospect. The longer they contmued their resistance, the more desolation a…
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he grew older he became wiser. A short time before, when Sennacherib was capturing his cities, nnd had advanced upon JerufJalem, Hezekiah sent a message to him, saying, "I ho.ve offended; return from rr.e: that which thou puttest on me will I bear." Sennacherib appointed him the exorbitant tribute of three hundred tale…
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fell on prepared ground, and he eaid that whenever he did not do ao, he did not get at all so much benefit from the eervice. "What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins e.nd grief~ to bear I What a privilege to carrv Everything to God iu •prnyer I Oh, what peace we often forfeit, Oh, whe.t needless pa.in we be…
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of Sennacherib. "Thus eha.11 ye spea.k to Hezekia.h King of Juda.h, saying, Let not thy God in whom thou trueteet deceive thee, ea.ying, Jerusalem aha.II not be delivered into the hand of the King of Assyria.. Behold, thou hast heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all lands, by destroying them utterly : and …
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is the true counsellor of men who gets bis wisdom from rtbove. Whence do tho ad \·isers of soYerPigns get their instructions? From hoary precedents or the fallible oonclusions of their own feeble minds; and not directly from above. Hence the incessant blunders of cabinets, and the scandal in these days of one political…
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Vera. 1-7,-Hezelcia.h and Isaiah, The messengers whom Hezekiah had sent having returned and reported to him the words of Re.bshal,eh (eh. xviii. 37), the king was plunged in unspeakable distress. We have now to observe his behaviour in bis trouble, I. HEZEKIAH'B GRIEF. 1. He assumed the ,igns of deepelft mourning. The…
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Vers. 8-19.-Sennacherib's letter. While the foregoing events were taking place, Tiabshakeh had returned to his royal master. The siege of Lachish had been con- cluded-adding another to the score of victories-and Sennacherib was now at Libna.h, Here the news came that Tirhaka.h was on his march against him, and natur…
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God had revealed himself to Israel, and dwelt in glory above the mercy-seat whereon stood the cherubim, that Hezekiah had come to the temple to offer up this supplication. Communion with God rests on God's revelation of himself to man. Only as God has revealed his Being to us, and dwells among us in mercy, are we ab…
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person whose faith had remained unshaken through all this crisis. But it is not merely Isaiah's confidence which speaks in this composition. He brought to the king a direct " word of God." His oracle is one of surpassing beauty, grand and sustained in eLyle, e.nd expressing the greatest truths. I. ~10N's DERISION O…
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instrument in Gotfs hands/OT' the execution of his pwrposes. "Hast thou not heard how I hflve done it long ago, and formed it of ancient times? Now have I brought it to pass that thou shouldest bo to lay waste," etc. Sennacherib was defying Jehovah, but it was this God who from everlasting had decreed the events that w…
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Vcrs. 35-37.-Thc mighty deliverance. God's word ,ms not long in being ful6lled. That very night the nngel of the Lord smote a hundred and eighty-five thous1md of the host of the Assyrians. In few words-for the end is as good as reaohed with Isaiah's oracle-the sacred narrator sums up the facts of the catastrophe. L…
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pedition, in the reign of Sargon over Assyria, in middle life to feel, with St. P11ul, th11t and in the first reign of Merodach-Bafodan "it is better for him to depart and to be over Babylon. It belongs, at any rate, to with Christ." The Hebrew of Hezekia.h's the middle p,ut of Hezokia.h's reign, while time had far mor…
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fe.ther-HeEekia.h obtains meroy, both aa royal attendants obtained o. lump of figs, David's son and as David's imitator (see and applied it to the inllBmed boil or cnr• eh. xviii. 8)-I have heard thy prayer, I buncle, as Isaiah had suggested. It is have seen thy teani (comp. Exod. ii. 24'; impossible to say what exa…
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nlruady descending the etepe, to o.ccelero.te Vere. 12-19.-Tke embassy of -3ferodach- its paoe and ro.pidly descend fifteen degrees Baladan. Soon after his recovery, Heze- insteo.d of slowly tro.versing them ; and kiah received an embassy from a new therefore acoepts Isaiah's other offer. No.y, but let the aho.dow retu…
940 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.