hands on,and to ſtir them up to do ſo. #5 Where it was employed, in offering ſomething upon it. k Or, withered, the Muſcles and Si. news,the Inſtruments of Motion,were ſhrunk up. This God did, partly to chaſtiſe Jeroboam from. offering Violence to the Lord's Pro. phet : partly, to ſecure the Propher againſt further Violence ; and partly,that in this Example God might ſhew,how highly he reſents the Injuries done to his Miniſters, in,and for the faithful diſcharge of their office.
5 The altar was rent,and the aſhes poured out from the altar, according to the fign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.
6 And the king anſwered 1, and ſaid unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God »», and pray for me, that my hand may be reftored me again, And the man of God beſought + the LORD », and the kings hand was reſtored again o, and became as it was betore.
li. e. Spoke; as that word is oft uſed in both Teſtaments.m Who by his Zeal for thee, hach manifefted himſelf ro be thy God and Friend,in a fingular manner ; and therefore wilt hear thy Prayers for me, though he will not regard mine, becauſe I have forſaken him and his Worſhip. = To aflure Jeroboum, that what he had ſaid, was not from ill-will to him,and that he heartily deſired his Refor- mation, not his Ruine. 0 Partly to affure him, that the ſtroke was from God : partly, becauſe he repented of that Violence which he intended againit.the Propher,for which God inflited ir : and part- ly, that this Goodnefs of God to him, might have led him to Re. pentance ; or, if he continued Impenitent, leave him without all ExCules |
7 And the king faid unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refreſh thy ſelf, and I will give thee a reward p.
Þ Horrid Stupidity ! He deſires to require the Inſtrument, bur takes no notice of the chief Cauſe and Author of this great and wonderful Mercy, which was Gode
Ss And the man of God faid unto the king *, If thou wilt give me half thine houſe, I will not go in with
thee, neither will I eat bread, nor drink water in this place.
9 For ſo was it charged me by the word of the LORD g, ſaying, Eat no bread, nor drink water r, nor turn again by the ſame way that thou cameſt 5.
q My refuſal of thy favour,is not from any contempt,or hatred of thy Perſon ; bur in obedience to the juit Command of my God. who hath forbidden me all furtherConverſe arCommunication with thee.” » To wit, in that place, or with that People. Whereby God declares, how deteſtable they were in Gods Eyes ; not be- caule their Idolatry was fo bad as thar of the Heathens, but becauſe they were vile Apoſtates from the True God, and embraced this Ido]-worſhip, againſt the Lighr of their own Confciences, meerly ro comply with the King's Humour and command ; and becauſe their Vicinity and relation to the Tribe of Judah, made this more dangerous, as to their infe&ion by it. 5s That by thy avoiding the way that led thee to Bethel as execrable, although rhou wenteſt by my t1pecial Command,thou mightelt teach all others,how much they lhould abhor that way,and «ll thoughts of going to that place,or ro ſuch Pcople, upon any trivial and unneceflary occaſion.
Io 50 he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel. |
11 C Now there dwelt an old prophet 7 in Bethel «, and his + ſons x eame and told him all the works that 4ye/m che man of God had done that day in Bethel : the words
which he had ſpoken unto the king, them they told alſo co their father.
t A Prophet of the Lord ; one to whom,and by whom,God did ſometimes impart his Mind as is manifeſt from wer. 20. 21. and one that had a ReſpeC&ro the Lord's Holy Prophets, and gave Cre- dit to their PrediCtions :all which the following Relation thews: but whether he wasan holy and good Man, may juſtly be doubted,ſc- ing all thoſe Qualifications might meet in a vicious Man,to,and by whom he may reveal ſome part of his Mind, as he did to Balaam Numb. 23, &c. and in ſuch,his other Qualities are ſometimes found; and we find him in a downright and premeditated Lye, and that withour any great temptation to it, ver. :8. And albeir an holy Propher might poſſibly have continued in the Kingdom of 1ſ-2el,he would never have gone from his own Habitation,to dwell at Berhel, the chief Seat of Idolatry, unleſs with deſign to preach againſt it: which it 1s evident he did not ; his Sons ſeem ro have been pre- ſent ar,and to have joyned with others in that Idolatrous worlhip, ver.11. and that not withour their Fathers connivence. « For thither he came to dwell probably expeQting ſome great advantages from Jeroboam ; but he came out of Samaris, 2 King. 23. 18- where he either was born,and had lived before. Or, his uſual dwelling was at Berhke!, bur had lately been at Samaria, and was now returned to Bethel. x Who probably were eye and car-witneſſes ef what had paſſed.
12 And their father ſaid unto them, What way went he ? for his ſons had ſeen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah,
13 And he ſaid unto his ſons, Saddle me the afs. So they ſaddled him the afs, and he rode thereon:
14 And went after the man of God, and found him ſitttng under an oak y : and he faid unto him, Ar: thou the man of God that cameſt from Judah ? And he ſaid, I am.
3 Being faint and weary with his Journey,and poſlibly with the hear,which makes him chuſe this ſhady place ; and eſpecially wittt bunger and thirſt,ver. g. And he might eaſily gueſs that this was the old Prcophet,by his Age and Carriage, and,it may be,by his Prophe-
f ? | eb: tle face of $ ke LORD,
* $0 Nur, 22: 18; & 24; 13;
' Chap. Xt T
4 To point out the Man whom he would haye the People lay |
tical Mantle;and by the Character which his Sons had given hum. 15 Then
Ch 20. 3
<<
jo,
Fchep. X11l.
+ Heb. canor « , Peut.
10, 21.
+ Heb. 4
4d WAS»
p Ch aPs 29. 36.
|
15 Then he faid unto him, Come home with me. and eat bread. ;
16 And he ſaid, I. may not return with thee, nor goin with thee : neither will I eat bzcad, nor drink water with thee in this place z.
2 7, e. In Bethel, where thou defireſt me to do it.
17 Fort it was faid to me by the word of the LORD, Thou ſhalt eat no bread, nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou cameſt.
18 He faid unto him, I am a prophet alſo as thou art, and an angel ſpake unto me by the word of the LORD, faying, Bring him back with thee into thine houſe, that he may cat bread, and drink water. But he lyed unto him 2.