11 And now thou ſayelt, Go tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah #s here.
12 And it ſhall come to paſs, as ſoon as I am gone from thee, that the ſpirit of the LORD » ſhall carry thee whither I know not /; and ſo when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he will ſlay me 5: but I thy ſervant fear thze LORD from my youth «.
r The Ho'y Ghoſt, to whom the Inſpiration and Condu® of the Prophets is commonly aſcribed in Holy Scripture,as 1/a. 48-16.and 61:1, Matthe 4. 1. At:16:6,7. who might do this either immediate« ly by his own Power,or by an Angel,or by a ſtrong Wind. [Such tranſportations of the Prophets having doubtleſs been uſual before this time, as they were after it. Sec 2 Kings 2.16-Ezek.3.12,14. Mat: 4. 1. As 8.39. t Either as a curſed Impoſtor that hath deluded him with vain Hopes : or rather,becauſe I did not forthwith ſeize upon thee, and bring thee to him to receive puniſhment, « He ſpeaks not theſe, nor the following Words,in way of vain boaſting ; bur only for his own neceſſary vindication and preſervation, that he might move the Prophet to pity and ſpare him, and not put him upon that hazardous aftion ; which yet he was reſolved to do, if the Prophet peremptorily required it»
. I2 Was it not told my lord, what I did when Jeze- bel flew the prophets of the LORD? how I hid an hun- dred men of the LORDS prophets by Þ fifty in a cave, + 16k and fed them with bread and water ? fitrnflin
14 And now thou faycſt, Go tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah zs here: and he ſhall ſlay me. |
15 And Eljjah ſaid, As the LORD of hoſts x liveth, before whom I ſtand, I will ſurely ſhew my ſelf unte
him to day. x The Lord of all the Creatures, which are called Gods Hofs, Gen; 2; 1+ Deut: 4:19. Pſal. 103.21. and 148. 2, and are all ſubje& ro his Command. He mentions this Title as his Shield,under the ProteCi- on whereof he did,and durſt venture to come into Ahad's Preſence- 16 SO Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told hinus and Ahab went to meet Elijah. 17 4 And ir came to paſs when Ahab ſaw Elijah, that Ahab ſaid unto him, Art thou he * that troubleth * Act.16
Iſrael y ? 20. y Havel at laſt met with thee, O thou great Diſturber of my Kingdom, the Author of this Famine,and of all our Diſquiets and Calamities ; 18 And he anſwered,T have not troubled Iſrael, but ' thou and thy fathers houſe z, in that ye have forſaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou haſt fol.
lowed Baalim.
z Theſe Calamities are not to be imputed to my Paſſions, bus thine & thy FathersW ickedneſs, which God puniſheth by this means. He anſwered him thus boldly,becauſe he ſpoke and acted in God's Name, and for his Honour and Service, whoſe Vaſlal 4hab was.
19 Now therefore fend a, and gather to me all Iſrael 6 unto mount Carmel e, and the prophets of Baal d four hundred and fiftry,and the prophets of the grove
e four hundred, which eat at Jezebels table, | s To wit, Meflengers, that this Controverfie between thee and
me may be decided ,the true Cauſe of theſe heavyJudgments diſcover-
ed and removed, That fo this Plague may be removed. 6 By their
Depuries,or Heads,or repreſentatives,that they may be witnetiles of
all our Tranſactions. c Not that Carmel in Judah, 1 Saf: 15:12. but
another in /ſachar by the Mid-land Sea, Jof: 19; 26. Jer.56:18. which
he choſe as a very convenient place, being nor far from the Center
of his Kingdom,to- which all the Tribes nught conveniently reſort,
at ſome good diſtance from Samaria, that Jezebel might not hinder
his Deſign : and a very high mountain, Amo: 9.3.and that upon the |
Sea,whence he might have the opportunity ro diſcover the Rain as
irs firſt approach, which he did,ver:42,%c. « Which' were difperſed
—
Chap. XVill, .
in all the parts of the Kingdom, e Which attended upon thoſe
gaols or Idols which wers worſhipped in the Grayes, which were neaz |
Cl
Y th
t:16
wt. AS
F chap XVII. I.
| Or, thougst5.
"See Jolh. 24. 15.
| Or,God,
tHeb.The word 15
good,
| Or, Go!
|| Or, AO PF
| Or, beard
|| Or, leated.
u and down at th
*ve alt ar,
near the Royal City,and much valued and frequented by the King and rhe Queen, r Kings 15: 13: and 16: 33. 2 Kmgs 13; 6, and there- fore were maintained at the Queens Charges
20 So Ahab f ſent unto all the children of Ifrael,and cathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.
f He complied with Ejav's motion ; partly,becauſe it was fo fair and roaſonabic.that ic could not refuſe it with Honour,nor without theDifcontent of all his People, this being propoſed in order to their Deliverance from this terrible Famane ; partly, becaute the Urgency f the preſent Diitreſs made him willing to try all meas ro remove ic ; partly from a Curiotiry of ſeeing tome extraordinary Events; and principally, becauſe God inclined his Heart to cloſe with 1t-
21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and faid, How long halc ye between two || opinions g ? It the LORD be God bh, follow him z : but if Baai &, * rhen follow him: And the people anſwered him not a word /.
g Why do you not make ſtraight Paths with your Fect, as the Phraſe is.Heb:12:13 2? Why do you walk ſo lamely & unevenly, being ſo unſteddy in your Opinions and pracrices,and doubting whether itis better to Worſhip God or Baal? þ Whom you pretend to Wor- ſip in the Calves, 2 Kings10:16, 31 compare Exod:32:4. # Worſhip him,and him only and thar in ſuck place & manner as he hath com- mazided you,and nit by the Calves. & If Baal can prove himſcif to be the True God: / Being convinced of the reaſonableneſs of his Propoſition ; taugit by Experience,that Johovah had ſent this Judg- ment, and that Baa! could not remove it, which had ſraygered them in their Opinion abour Baal; yet not daring to diſown Baal, for f-ar of the Ditplcafure of the King, then preſent. |
22 Then ſaid Eiijah unto the people, I, even 1 only remain m2 a prophet of the LORD ; bur Baals prophets ar2 four hundred and fifty men.
m T» wit,here preſenr, publickly to own and plead the Cauſe of God ; for he oppoteth himſelf only to Baals 450 Prophets, becauſe they only were preſent; rhe Prophers of rhe Groves,being.it ſeems, not permitted by 7-z-vel (chrough her Pride,or Obſtinacy, or Care, and Kindneſs to them ) ro go rhither. Sce Chap, 22. 6. As for the
orher Prophets 'f the Lord, many of them were flain by 4hab or
cz, bel, or baniſhed, or hid in Caves. gen