f Which Attion is here aſcribed to the People,becauſe they would not farry till God, by his Providence, had inveſted Jeroboam with the Kingdom which he had promiſed him; bur raſhly,and unthankfully, and revellioufly,roſe up againſt the Houſe of Dawid,to which they had ſuch great Obligations ;and ſet him upon the Throne without Gods leave or advice. g He not only difſwaded,but kept them by force from Gods Worſhip at Jersſalem,the only place appointed for It. þ So the Worſhip of the Calves is called,to meet with thar idle Conceit of the Ifraelites,who eſteemed it a ſmall ſin,eſpecially when they were forced to it by ſevere Penalties ; which yet he ſhews
Chap. XVI
*1 Kings Is 11,31,
ro And they fer them up T images and * groves in
Arno ' every © high hill, and under every green tree : "Exo0d:34 11
| 23. Deut: ac Jjd the heathen » whom the LORD carried away |
16 before thems zand wrought wicked chings to provoke 12.2 the LORD to anger p.. Tn 7 | ' » Not only to the Lord, which was praiſed and tolerated, ſome- | ic ze ſins; by whoſe Example they ſhould have
—_— petun: In def! ebe and ene of God, and his | Authority and Command, as the NEXT Verſe thews.
14Fx01:20. 12 For they ſerved idols ”, whereof the LORD had
3.4.Deur: faid unto them, * Ye ſhall nor do chis thing, |
5: 7, 8. 12 Yet the LORD teſtified againſt Hrael q, and *
Deut» 5xjnit Jidah: + by all the prophets, and by all * the
© i by = r, ſaying, * Turn ye from your evil ways, and
the baut keep my commandments, and my ſtatutes,according to
of al. all the law which I commanded your fathers s, and
*+ Sam. yyhich I ſent to you by my ſervants the prophets,
q Diſowned, and gave Teſtimony againſt their falſe Worſhip, which they would faiten upon him, and againſt all their Impieties. » To whom he declared his Mind, by extraordinary Revelations aad Viſions,and by whom he publithed it to you bearing Warneſs from Heaven to their Do&rine,by eminent and glorious Miracles. s Whereby he accuſeth them of Partiality. that they obſcrved only thoſe Laws of God which they might ſately keep.and hved in the
9: 9-
e Jer: 18: $1:&25:57 & 35:15.
conſtant Breach of others,which theirKings torbad them to obſerve. |
14 Notwithſtanding,they wouid nor hear, but * har- dened their necks like to the neck of their fathers,that did not believe in the LORD their God.
t i.e. Refuſed to ſubmit their Neck to the Yoke of Gods Precepts. A Mctaphor from ſtubborn Oxen, that make their Necks hard, or ſtiff, and will not bow to the Yoke ; ſee on Dzzr: 31; 27.
15 And they rejected his ſtarutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers,& his teſtimonies which he teſtified againſt them,aad they followed vanity «,8 became vain x, and went after the heathen that were
round about them, concerning whom the LORD had cbarged thein, that they ſhouid not do like them.
« i, e. Idols ; oft ſo called, becauſe of their nothingneſs, impo-
tency, and unprofitableneſs ; and to ſhew the folly and madneſs
of ITdolaters. x By the long Worthip of Idols, they were made like them, vain, ſortiſh, and ſenſeleſs Creatures.
16 And they left all the commandments ofthe LORD * Exod, 7 their God, and * made them molten images,even two
* Deur. 31; 27.
32:8. calves, and made a *grove,and worſhipped all the hoſt 1 _— of heaven z, and ferved * Baal. 12: 20.
Sn 3 They grew worſe and worſe ; from a partial Diſobedience to 1RINg5 qgme of God's Laws,they fell by degrees to a total Apoſtacy from 14*+15»235 all of them. z The Stars, as Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, &c, See
oc I 6: 33® De:t -] ». Kines © © - : 16: 31 17 And they * cauled their ſons and their daughters |
& 22.53» to paſs through the fire, and uſed divination, and in- Ch.11:18 chantments, and fold themſelves to do evil 2 in the ſight oy hg: of the LORD, to provoke him to anger, Ch: 26: $0 Of which Phraſe, ſee on 1 Kings 21: 21. : : 18 Therefore the LORD was very angry with Iſrael, and removed them out of his tight b: there was none
*: Kings left * bur the tribe of Judah only c. Ute 13. b 1, e. Our of Canaan, the only place of Gods ſolemn Worſhip,
did not excuſe it from being a fin, and a great fin too.
22 For the children of 1ſrael walked in all the ſins of
And there they burnt incenſe in all the high places, - Jeroboam which he did,they departed noc from them 3:
z; But willingly, and refolutely followed the wicked Examples
_ Commands of their Kings, though contrary to God's expreſs
ommands.
23 Until the LORD removed Iſrael out of his ſight,
Me in the Kingdom of Judah; bur alſo ro the Idols or Baals of the t as he had laid by all his lervants the prophets. So Was lcael carried away out of their own land to Afffyria, unto this day. |
k& They continued to the laſt, obſtinate and incorrigible under all rhe InſtruQtions and CorreQions which God ſent to them ; and therefore were moſt juſtly given up by God into this dreadful
Capriviry;which all this foregoingDiſcourſe was deſigned toprove.
24 4 And che king of Ailyria | brought men fromBa- | | bylon mz, and from Cuthah, and from Ana, and from | Hamath,and from Sepharvaim »,and placed them: in the ' cities of Samaria, Inſtead of the children of Iſrael ; and
they poſſeiſed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.