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 361
oords of the Pe.st,' vol. vii. p. 40; vol. ix. tho valuable balsam oil, which was obtainod p. 13, etc.). Ye.Jdn, however, me.y he.ve from the royRl gardens, is intended. And all been his grandfather, e.s Nimshi was the the house of hia armour; or, of hiR 1Jessels ; grandfather of Jehu, and Dalade.n (Bel- but arms and a…
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or concer1lment. He relldily acknowledges which was only accompliBhed by the appear- that he hae shown the ambassadors e'llerv- ance on the scene of a. new power, Media, tliing. which hitherto had been regarded as of the Ver. 16.-And Isaiah ae.id unto Hezekiah, very slightest account. Nothing ahe.ll be Eee.r the word …
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HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-3.-Aspects of death. We may look on death from three points of view- that of the natural man, unenlightened by Divine revelation; that of the Israelite under the Law ; and that of the Christian. The contemplation will be wholesome, for we are all too apt to turn our thoughts away from any considera…
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Vers. 12-18.-The sunshine of prosperity a greater danger than the storms of adversity. When Sennacherib threatens, when bis messengers blaspheme, when the huge battalions of the most powerful kingdom in the world have entered his territory and are about to march upon bis capital, the Jewish monarch remains firm; his…
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to stand before God. 3. It is a message which may be truly spoken to every one. " 'fhou ehalt die, and not live." 'fhere is an hour of death in store for every one of us. Somewhere in the unknown future there waits for us- " The shadow feared of man." We know not what a day may bring forth. "In such an hour aa ye thin…
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foolish Hezeki11.h's pride was, when we remember his recent sickness. It was not so long since Hezekiah, now so vain a.nd boastful, turned his face to the wall, and wept sore. The memory of that should have humbled him. Not only so, bnt when he was recovered of his sickness, he made special promises of praise to God…
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• much to do in this life. The "house" is out of order. (2) Unless the work is done here, H will not be done yonder. "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might," etc. 3. How he felt in the consciousness of its approach. "Then he turned his face to the wall." (1) He seems to have) been overwhelmingly distr…
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of fifteen years to man's brief existence in this life is a consi<lerable item, and the more Fo when that fifteen years is added at a period when the man has fully reached middle life, and pas_sed through the chief trl\ining experiences. He who can add fifteen years to a man's life can add eternity. "Our times are in h…
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and ble~Ring to those who acted thus. A good conRcience ls a great encouragement in p_rayer t.o Goo, thou~h, _with the dee~r views of sin which the gospel gives, there is 11gh_tly R greater shrmkmg from pleadmg anything that might seem like one's own ment (see Perowne's 'Introduction to the Book of Psalms,' eh. iii.…
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"'!~illy. Hezekiah seems to have been completely imposed on by the fair words of his v1s1tors. Ho felt flattered at being singled out for notice by this king of "a far country," and spared no pains to impress the ambassadors with ideas of his own greatnes~. He showed them all his treasures, all the resources of his kin…
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EXPOSITION. CHAPTER XXI. (Isa.. lxii. 4). It he.a been conjectured that, e.s queen-mother, Hephziba.h we.a regent Vers. 1-26.-THE REIGNS OF MA.NASSER during her son's minority. But there is no AND A.lilON. trace of her regency either in Kings or Vers. 1-18.-THE REIGN oF MANASSEH, Chronicles. Ver. 2.-And he did tha…
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81; xxii. 53; eh. viii. 1B, 27, etc.), whioh nature of the sacrifice, see the cor.,ment on Atho.lio.h had been the first to introduce this latter passage). And observed times. Into Judo.b (oh. xi. 1B), which Joo.eh had put Ir this translo.tion is right, the reference o.wo.y (oh. xi. 1B), but which Aho.z (2 Ohron. would…
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on the opposite hills, as Solomon had done Ver. 10.-And the Lord apake by hia ■er• (I Kings xi. 7), or in a rival temple within V&llta the prophet■, &aJllllr. It is uncertain the walls, as had been done by Athaliah who were the prophets of Manseseh's time. (eh. xi. 18), bnt within God's holy tronple Probably Isaiah …
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both of them. And I will wipe rerusalem upper cle.eseB (Zeph. iii. 1-3); the prophets a■ e. mo.n wipeth a di&h, wiping it, and were "light and treacherous persona; " the turning it upside down. J erne11lem will priests " polluted the sanctuary, e.nd did be emptied, ns n mo.n empties hiB dish of violence to the Law" (Ze…
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the same kind whioh were the resnlt of hie about the year e.o. tl80 ( see ' E~onym Oanon,' inllnenoo on the people. Some culminating p. 139, line IS). Other" auts ' of Manasseh horror is required, something not touched were the fortiflcl\tion of Jerusalem "on the upon before, and something speoi11.lly attach- west s…
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had upheld during the earlier portion of his of the land. And served the idols that hia reign; and (2) hie untimely deo.th, in con- father served-as Baal, A.shtoroth, Moloch, eequenoe of a conspiracy which was formed the Asherah, and others-and worshipped ngninet him nmong the officers of his court. them. Ver. 22.-And…
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HOMILETICS. Yers. 1-18.-The lesson of Manasseh's life, that it is far easier to do than to undo et•il. Manasseh, carried away by the impetuosity of youth, and under the advice of evil counsellors, threw himself into a movement the direct opposite of that instituted by bis father, and in a short time completely chan…
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stated that he shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem with blood from one end to the other (ver. 16). Let us beware of the beginnings of evil. 3. We see also the power of sin to harden men's hearts. We read in 2 Chronicles that "God spake to Manasseh and hie people; but they would not hearken." How…
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'the high places which Hezekiah bad destroyed erected altars for Ila.al and Asherah, like Aha_b of ~srael.'" There are two great mistakes prevalent amongst ~en-one is an over-est1mat10n of the secular; the other, a depreciation of the spiritual. Mauy theo- retically bold, and more practically indicate, that man shou…
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10 manifest, alas( in all times and laads, is not destitute of many grave and start.ling B 1g\(1·stione. 1. It shows the moral disorganizatim of the human world. This state of things oan never be according to the original plan of the creation. Can it be accordant with the original purpose of the Creator that wickedness…
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bustle of commercial life says, "Were I in a more retired situation, in some rural region away from the eternal din of business-away in quiet fields and undtr clear skies, amidst the music of birds and brooks, I would servo my Mak:er." Whilst on t~e contrary, a~d with greater reason, the tenant of these quiet scenes…
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Ver&, 19-26.-Amon. "Amon was twenty and two years olrl when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerasalem." This is a short account of the brief and wicked reign of Amon the son of Manasseh. I. His REIGN WAS VERY SHORT. "He reign•ed two years," etc. The wonder is that such a man should have been perm\tt~d t…
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upper hand, and secured the countenance of the king, it was sure to prevail, The earnest followers of Jehovah shrank down into a.n inconsiderable minority. II. Hrs EXCESSES IN IDOLATRY. The account given of Manasseh'e doings shows to what lengths he went in undoing the arrangements of his father. He seems, in fact, to…
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very place of which Jehovah had en.id, "Jn Jerusalem will I put my Na.me there;" "In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my Na.ma for ever; "-even there, in the very dwelling-place of the holy God among men, this impure symbol was erected. The Asherah-image in the t…
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~nd if our light is not improveo. it will be more tolerable for hel\then nntione than for us (Me.tt. _x_i. 21_-24; xii. 41, 42). 2. He was guilty of apostasy; they ~·e not. If the Amorit1es did these abominations, and served these idols it could e.t least be ee.id that they hlld never Ii ved under any other system. …
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that juclgoth in the earth" (Ps. !viii. 11), and we are warned lest we provoke his "wrath to the uttermost" (1 Thess. ii. 16) by our own impenitence. III. MANABBEH's DEATH. The reign of more than half a century came at length to a close, and, though the Inst years of it were marked by repentance, it left indelible tra…
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like the oompC1sition of t.he; perfume tlmt such cases that an exact account should be is made by the Rrt of the apothecary: it is kept and rendered. Whioh the keepen of sweet RS honey in all mouths, and 118 music the door-literally, of thd thre,hold-have at a b1mquet of wine. He behaved himself g11.thered of the peo…
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rend 11, portion to the king. Horeupon the the ark "-which may well havo been lost king "rent his clothes," e.nd required the.t in the time of Manasseh or Amon, a.nd 1pecie.l inquiry should be me.de of the Lord which was now happily "fonnd." And concerning the words of the book, a.nd Rilkiah ge.ve the book to She.phan,…
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'I' .•rnor of ,T udlll& on Nebuchadnezzar's final were Jeremiah, whose m1ss1on had oom- eonquest (Jer. xxxix. H; xl. 7). "Shaphan," menccdin Josiah's thirteenth yeo.r (Jer. i. 2). his father, is no doubt" Sbapban the scribe." and Zephanie.h, the son of Cushi, who,ie And Aohbor the son of Miohaiah. The paral- prophe…
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su.yt, "In the first p1ut Huldah has only the 1 Ver. 19.-Because thine heart was tender snbjecL-matter iu mind, while in ver. 18, in --0r,faint, timirl (comp. Deut. x.x. 3; lea. the quieter flow of her words, she takes vii. 4)-and thou hast humbled thyself before notice of the state of mind of the particular the Lord. …
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HOMILETICS. Vers.1-13.-.A righteous branch from a wicked 1·oot. Josiah ls the most astonishing instance that is contained in Scripture of goodness springing up, and attaining high perfection under the most extraordinarily unfavourable circumstances. Josiah was- I. THE SON OF AN EXTRAORDINARILY WICKED FATHER. Amon, …
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he was free from the trammels which confined a Jewish prince during his minority, be courageously set himself to undo the ill that his father and grandfather had done, to abolish the strange rites, to drive out the foul idolatries, and to restore the worship of Jehovah. An<l he earned the praise that "Like unto him was…
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HOMILIES BY V .ARIOUS .AUTHORS. Ver. 1-ch. xxm. 30.-The reign of King Josiah. The last days of Judah 89 an independent kingdom are fast hastening to a close. The people, in spite of all God's merciful dealings with them, in spite of all the judgm.ents and warnings which he had sent to their fathers, in spite of the …
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you ml\y be thrown by your business among ungodly companions and surroundings;- no matter! God expects you to be faithful unto him. Young men, Josiah's early devotion is a bright example for you to follow. Never 11uffer yourselves to be led astray by the notion that religion is an unmanly thing. The truly religiou3 man…
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in all his work. Such an example is full of instruction for our modern life. Never be a consenting party, even by your silence, to what your conscience tells you is wrong. Never consent, even by your silence, to anything dishonouring to God or not in accord- ance with his will. Never be a consenting party to anythin…
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Bhaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again. , •. And Bhaphllon the scribe showed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest bath delivered me a book. AD<l Shaphan read it before the king. And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the Law, that he rent his clothes," What b…
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in the eighth yenr or his reign, while he was 9tiJ\ young, he began to seek after the God of David his rather" (2 Chron. xxxiv. 3). From this period his career seems to have been a singularly straightforward and consistent one: "He walked in all the way of Dnvicl his father, and turned not aside to the right hand or to…
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even the outer fabric of ecclesiastical buildings in e. decent condition of repair. 2 . .Al,·eady roUected for. The means for executing the repairs on the Lord's house had been obtained by voluntary collections at the door of the temple. It is by the kina's or<l~r, sent through Shaphan the scribe to Hilkiah the high…
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"the book of the Law of Moses" (eh. xiv. 6)--had undergone etrange viciseitudoR. We see it : 1. Sinfully lost. What treasure, one would think, so preciollB 88 the words which God had spoken to this nation through their great law-giver Mosee--the statutes and judgments and commandments he had ordered them to keep, and w…
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ascertain from it the whole counsel of God. We must not dwell on the promise to the exclusion of the thrt?atening, or think that any part is without its use" for doctrine, for reproof, for correction," etc. (2 Tim iii. 16). 3. Conviction by the Word. "'l'he Spirit of God,'' say the Westminster Divines, "maketh the r…
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EXPOSITION. the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of CHAPTER xxm. leruaalem with him. Not only the "elders," Vere. 1--37.-JosliB's RENEWAL OIi' THE who had been snmmoned, but of the people, COVENANT, HIS REll'OIWB AND DEATH, as many as chose to attend, besitks. The REIGN OJI' JBBOAllAZ. AOOESBION OJI' JE- gather…
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tries of M1mnsseh and Amon. He renewed gates (see 1 Chron. :nvf. 19-18). Their this oovc>u1mt " before the Lord," i.e. from importance at this time appenrs agnin in eh. his plRtform in the court, directly opposite xxv. 18. To bring forth out of the temple the entranoe to the temple, through which of the Lord all the ve…
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had ordained to bum ino1mse in the high aeeraled ones. (See the comment on 1 Kinge . places in the oitiea of Judah, and in the plaoea xiv. 24; and note that the male proatitutea, round about Jerusalem. 'fhis practice had or Galli, who consecrated themselves r.o the not been mentioned previously, and can Dea. Byra., f…
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ftourlsh!'d ae beforo. Josinh conceived the Ary1m root, taph, or tap, "to burn," whence ide& thRt, if the high ple.ees were "defiled,'' Greek 6cl1rn1v, Tl,Ppa, Latiu ,Jpidl.lB, 11:lod. it would be impossible to renew the worship Persinn ta/tan, Sanskrit tap, etc., e.nd reg1nd e.t them. From Gebe. to Beerahebe.. GebR…
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ohamberlain, whioh was in the suburbs. lishecl on it. The "right hand" of the There were many "chnmbers" attached to n_iountain would, according to Jewish no- the temple, which were sometimes u!ed as tions, be the more southern part. Which store-rooms for different materials (1 Cbron. Solomon the King· of Israel-rat…
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By eetting up an altar at Bethel, Jero- groand, whloh are very conepiououe (eee boam constituted Bethel a "high plaoe." Renr.n's • Mission de 'Ph~nicie,' pls. xi., eC Which Jeroboam the 10n of Nebat, who aeqq. ). And proolaimed theae things that thou made Israel to Bin, had made (oomp. 1 hast done against the altar …
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taxes In Bo.me.ria as freely as in J ud,:ea 1:2 J'udah. Buch a Passover, oue eo numerously Ohron. xuiii. 9). He reformed on the sarne attended (2 Chron. xxxv. 18), a.nd so exactly mode the religions of both countries. kept according to every or<lina.nce of the Whe•. flno.lly he bad to fight for bis throne, Le.w of Mose…
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In the land of J'ndah and in J'erusalem. of the covenAnt (ver. 3), l\nd rovivo.1 of dis- Not, apparently, in the cities of SRmaria, used ceremonies (vers. 21-23) I Jeremiah where such a rigid inquisition wonld per- senrched in vain through the streets of haps have provoked a stubborn resistance. Jerusalem to find a …
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-106), which is alluded to by Jeremiah inheritor of the Assyrian empire, a.s indeed (vi. 1-5), Ezekiel (xxxviii., xxxix.), e.nd they regarded tl ,e Persian monarchs also perho.ps by Zepho.uia.h (ii. 6), probably (Ezra. vi. 22), a.nd therefore ge.ve him the title of " King of Assyria.." To the river belongs to it; e.e …
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aft.er bis arrival. And brought him to 1eru- c,omp. Josephus, 'Ant. Jud ..' x. tl. § 2). Je- nlem, imd buried him in hia own aepulohre hoahaz obeyed the summons; and Neohob, (comp. eh. xxi. 18 and 26). The writer of having obta.ined possession of his person, Chronicles says, " in the sepulchre of hie fathers," appa…
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rogard the setting up of any king at Jem- of subjection (comp. Gen. xii. 45; Ezra v. ealem without his sanction as an act of 14; Dan. i. 7; and also eh. xxiv. 17), but contumacy on the part of a nation which left the choice of th(J name to himself. He had been practically conquered by the made the change as slight as p…
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HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-3.-Standing to the covtmant. With a heart stirred up to intense zeal for God by the word,; which he had heard read out of the newly found book-the precious "book of the Law," thrust into temporary oblivion by his wicked grandfather and father-Josiah felt that a great act of national repentance a…
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we keep to it. Performance must follow upon promise. The people were bound, not merely to "stand to the covenant," in the way of profe88ioa, just once in their lives, but to stand to it, in the way of actbn, thenceforward perpetually. It was here that they failed; and it is here that men most commonly fail. To resolve …
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Ver. 31--ch. xxiv. 7.-Two royal 'brothers: the reigns of Jehoah<J8 and Jehoia'ldm. I. THEY WERE BROTHERS IN WIOKEDNEss. Of each of them it is said, "He did evil in the sight of the Lord." What the particular sins of Jehoahaz were we are not told. But the sins of Jehoiakim are fully and …
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what an ignominious fate was his I Jeremiah had foretold it when he said, "They shall not lament for him, saying, Ah my brother I or, Ah sister I ... He shall be buried with the burial of an ass, clrawn and cast forth beyond the gates of Jerusalem" (Jer. xxii. 18, 19). It was Jeboiakim who cut with bis penknife the rol…
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argument, suasion, and mo!'al influence, but by brute fort:$ and violence (vers. 4--28). "All the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove" (ver. 4), that is all the apparatus for idol-worship, these he ol'dered to be burnt outside Jerusalem ' 11 in the fields of Kidron." He "stamped it small to powder, and c…
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against the King of Assyria to the river Euphrates: and King Josiah went against him; and he slew him at Megiddo, when be had seen him. And his servants carried him in II chariot clend from Megiddo." No doubt Josiah was inspired with patriotic and religious purposes in '.going forth against Pharaoh-Nechoh, and in seeki…
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Vera. 1-14.-Josiah's great reformation. The narrative of Josiah's reforms con- tained in this chapter incorporates several particulars which, if the Book of Chronicles is to be regarded as giving the true chronology, belong to an earlier period. It is next to incredible that, after Jehovah's worship had been regularly …
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now broken down. 3. A cleansing away of the traces of swn--worship. To the worship of the sun and of the host of heaven belonged the sacred horses and chariots (ver. 11), probably ere this removed, and the chariots burned; and the altars on the top of the upper chamber of Ahaz, which successive kings had set up. 'l'hes…
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or tendenciea, we discover in ourselves. Let high thougb ts be mercilessly brought low, and proud imaginations abased (2 Cor. x. 5). Wherever sin is dEtected let it be judged. Thus it was with the Corinthians, "For behold this sclfsaino thi~g, that ye sorrowed after a godly B?rt! wh3:t ca.refulness it wrought in you…
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.