way only, in a Matter of Trade and Commerce. And yet God ſharply reproves and punifheth him for it. v 37. to ſhew his grear Giſl:ke and dercfiation of all friendly and famiiiar Converſation of | his Servants and People with Idolaters and profefled Eremies of Ged and of Religion, as Ahaziah was, who is therefore thus ſtigmarized in the yixt words, who did very wickedly. I Or who did induftrizuſly and mal. ciouſly and conſtantly work wickedneſs, as the Hebrew phrale Im- plies, giving himſelf ep to Idolatry ad all wickedneſs.
26 And he joyned himſelf with him to make ſhips to g0 to Tarſhiſh mz: and they made the ſhips in Ezi- oN- geber ».
m Of which ſee on 1 Kings lo. 22. & 22. & 48. n Of which ſee on 1 Kings 9. 26.
37 Then Eliezer the ſon of Dodavah of Mareſbah, prophecied ayainft Jehoſhaphar, ſaying, Becauſe thou haft joyned thy ſelf with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken thy works. And the (bips were broken that they were not able to go to Tarſhi(b,
CHAF. MAL Jehoram is made King and /layerh bis Brethren, 1——= 4. His wicked Reign, 5m —7. Edom and Libnah revolt, 8--- =13. The Prophecy of Elijah againſt f.m in writing, 12— —— 15. Phil:ſtines and Arabians oppreſs tim . hit incurable dijeaſe, death and bruial, 16—--20,
\ | Ow * Jehoſhaphar ſlept wich his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David :
ahd Jchoram his ſon reigned in his ſtead.
2 And he had brethren the ſons of Jeheſhaphar, Azariah @, and Jehiel, and Zechariah, and Azariah a, and Michael, and Shephatiah : all theſe were the ſons of jehothaphar king of Iſrael 4,
| raiſed up ſo many Enemies againit him, both from abroad 3nd ax
dominion of Judah, and made themſelves a king. 7 2 * . . . | 1:19$ 9 Then Jehoram * went forth with his princes, and ;,. .s. - all his chartoes with him : and he roſe up by night, and 2 Kings {mote the Edomices which compaſled him in, and the = I captains of the chariots. * "+7 2b: LO As 4 . | 4 IT, Occ» 19 So the Edomites revolted from under the hand + jeb. of Judah unto this day. The ſame 2im2e alfa did Lib- bend. nah revolt from under his hand ; becauſe he had for- * 2 Kings {aken the LORD God of his fathers 5. 6. ;. To wit, publickly and avowedly, {ctring him at Defiance, as the next Verſe ſhews. And this is mentioned, either r. As the - Reaſon why the Prieſts, whoſe Ciry Libnah was, forſook him, be- cauſe he had forſaken God ; Or rather, 2. As the Reaſon why God:
home. |
11 Moreover, he made high places & in the moun- tains of Judah, and cauſed the inhabirants of Jeru- : ſalem ro commit fornication /, and compelled Judah thereto.
+ Not to the Lord, whoſe ſworn Enemy he was, but to Baals or Falſe Gods. 1 Not only by his Counſel and Example, bur as it fol- lows, by Force, by Threats and penalti-s.
12 And there came a writing to him fromElijak the prophet ww, ſaying, Thus ſairh the LORD God of. David thy father », Becauſe thou haſt not walked in the ways of Jehoſhaphat thy fathero, nor in the ways | of Aſa king of Judah ; =
m Qu. How: could this be, when E!{jah was wrapt up. to ven un Fehoſhaphajs time, 2 Kings a 3. il. ſy, E\fhcr I,
3 5
Heo2. k This
ap. XXI. I CHRO
; ſome other Prophet called E/;ah, becauſe he aQed in os = 5 be Power of Zlijeb, for which cauſe John the Baprilt alſo 3s ſo called. Or rather, 2+ This was rea ly written by Elijah, who by che Spirit did clearly foreſee and forerell the Reign of fehoram, (as others did of Joſiah, « Kings 13 2. and 1/4iah of Cyrus, < 45. 3- long before they were born) and in conſideration thereof left this Prophecy with Eſha, to be delivered in due time by him, or ſome beer perſon in his Name, and as from his Mouti. » Whoſe Name he mentions either to upbraid him with his degeneration from ſo worthy a parent: Or totake off his preſumption and confis dence, which was grounded upon his being the Son and Succeſlor
_ of David, in whoſe poſterity the Crown was ſettled for ever by Gods ſpecial Appointment, and by the Approbation of the people. o hoſe wiſe Counſel and good Example thou haſt deſpiſed,
13 But haſt walkedin the way of the ings of Iſrael,
- and haſt made Judzh and the inhabitants of Jerufalem | to g0 a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the houle | of Ahab, and alſo haſt flain thy brethren of thy fa-
thers houſe, which were better than thy ſelfp: More Innocent, and Righteous, and Pious
_ Behold, with # a great plague will the LORD ſmite thy people q, and thy children, and thy waves 7, and all thy goods.
' 9g Qs. Why the People for his Sin? Anſw. 1. Becauſe the Gene-
eb. a
t ſiroke
——— _
” R—_-
had flain all the * eldeſt. So Ahatiah the ſon of Jecho- * Chap.z1; ;ram king of Judah reigned. I7.
; mily, who o:herwiſe, rhey expe&2d, would recover ſtrength, and
NICLES. CHAP XXIL | Ahatiah is made King, reigneth wickedly 1-— = 4+ In his conf. deracy with Foram the ſon of Abab he is ſla'n by Jehuz 5 m—--= 9. Athol a; d:ſtroyeth all the Seed Royal, ſave Joaſh who was kia, and uſu peth the Kingaom, 10-—=— 2. - Nd the inhabitants of Jeruſalem made * Ahazjah , * Kings
his youngeſt ſon, king in his ttead : for the bai,d of men that came with the Arabians a to the camp,
_ Chap. xy,
4 Either, 1. « crue! fort of Men who came along with the Ara. bians, and therefore ſlew thoſe whom the Aratans had ſpared, and only carried into captivity Or, 2. Tae Piyliſtins, who did ac- company the Arabians 1n this Exp diticn, c/, 21 16. who lived near the Kingdom of Judah, and tner<fore thought ro make as ſure work as they could in deſtroying all the Branches of che Royal Fa-
revenge themſelves upon them.
2 Forty and two years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign b, and he reigned one year in Jeruſa- lem : his mothers name alſo was * Athaliah the daug-
ter of Omri c. b Obje# He was then only 22 years old, as is affirmed, 2 Kings 8.
F Ch. 22.2
raliry of them ſinned in complying with his Wicked and Idolatrous Commands through Fear. wv. 11. 2. Becauſe he ſuffered in his peoples ; | Deſtruction :; F:r as the Honour, and Safe y, and Strength of a + © King lies in the Multirude and preſp-riry of his People, Prov. 14. | .28. So when they are diminiſhed and deſtroyed, the King is very much weakned and endangered by ir. » Whoſe Lives ſhall go for the Lives of thy Brethren, v. 4. 15 And thou ſh:lt have great ſickneſs by diſeaſe of
thy bowels, untill thy bowels fall out, by reaſon ofthe ſickneſs day by day s. _