The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 18

sends forth n captain with a company of fifty men to lay hold upm the prophet. It was not the first time Elijah's life had been threatened by royal ·sinners, When II man is fearless in rebuking sin, he must expect the hatred of impenitent sinners. Smooth words may win a fleeting popularity, but the friendship of this world is enmity against God. Popularity is dearly bought that is obtained at the sacrifice of truth, of con- ~cience, and of duty. Ilut Elijah's life is safe in the hands of the Master whom he serves. Once before God had vindicated his own honour and Elijah's faithfulness by sending fire from heaven t-0 consume his sacrifice. In a similar manner now he defends Elijah and punishes his enemies. The incident is one which presents some difficulties. The study of it suggests many useful lessons. I. FIRE FROM HEAVEN IS AN ACT OF JUSTICE, It may appear to some that these first two captains and their fifties were hardly dealt with, Some one may say, "It was their duty to obey. They were only executing the king's orders. They were not responsible for the message which they brought from the king to Elijah. It was hard, then, that they should suffer for doing that which it was their duty to do." These are very plausible statements. Let us examine them a little more closely. Let us remember that man is not a mere machine. Every man bas an immortal soul, coming from God, going back to God, and accountable to God for its actions. '!'here is such a thing as individual personal responsibility. No external circumstances, no position in life, can ever take away that responsibility. Tliese captains and their men were hound to do their duty to their king. Yes; but not in defiance of the Law and power of God. Where the will of man or the word of man comes into conflict with the will or Word of God, then it is the duty of every human being to say, "We ought to obey God rather than men." These officers and soldiers were really encouraging Ahaziah in his guilt. They knew that he was an idolater. They knew that he was a worshipper of Tiaal. They knew that the man whom he was sending them to arrest was a servant of the most high God, and his foremost living prophet. They knew of the sentence which bad already been pronounced against Ahaziah. Yet here, at his bidding, they go forth as the instruments of his defiance against the living God. 'l'hey were sharers in his guilt--------participes criminis. They wero personally guilty before God. We can never shift our own responsibility on to the shoulders of others. It did not make Adam's guilt less that he accused Eve, or Eve's guilt less that she accused the serpent. They were intelligent beings, with the power of free choice. Our plain duty is, if we are in any position or business which requires us to violate the Law of God, at once to give it up. God says, "Them that honour me I will honour." Moreover, they had already been warned of the sin and danger of resisting God. They knew how the prophets of Baal had been slain. They knew how Elijah 's prophecy-in other words, God's sentence-auainst Ahab had come true, that where the dogs licked the blood of Na.both, there they would lick the blood of Ahab, and they knew that e. similar doom was foretold against Jezebel. Yet in spite of all these warnings they went forth against the prophet of God. So the sinner has many warnings. How often God's Word and God's messenger have called him to repentance I Perhaps by sickness and suffering he has had reminders of approaching death. By sudden bereavement he has been reminded that " in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." I~et him beware of turning a dtmf ear to the warning voice. " See that ye refuse not hllll that speaketh." Further, when we are considering the justice of this fire from_ heaven, let us remember that the life of God's most usefv,l servant was at stake. It 1s pretty certain that Ah!Lziah, when he sent for Elijah, wanteu to take bis life. It is pretty certain also that, had Elijah gone with either of_ the_ first two _captains, his life would have been in danger. It was only after the third time of senumg that ~od said to Elijah, "Be not afraid of him." It was only then, perhaps, that Ahaz1a.h realized the uselessness of fighting against God. We bold by the principle that life should not be recklessly sacrificed. But if we are disposed to speak of this incident as reckless sacrifice of life let us remember what hundreds of lives have been imperilled and sacrificed. more than ~nee even for the sake of a single DritiMh subject. No right- minded person would condem~ the sending forth of soldiers-many of them to certain death-in such a case as. that of Abyssinia, where the lives of British subjects wero in danger, or that of the attempted rescue of General Gordon. Before we can cho~ish e. suspicion of injuatice against the dealings of God, let us be sure that we hwe riglit OIJ, t. 1-18.] THE SECOND BOOK OF TEE KINGS. 11