The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 20

assistance. But a great many commentators and preachers, who would not go the length of saying that Christ condemned Elijah, seem to suggest t.hat he condemned hi.s spirit, as unsuited to gospel, times. Even for this suggestion I do not think there is any warrant.. Our Saviour condemned the disciples for a spirit of vindictiveness and revenge, which probably was intensified by the feeling of prejudice and animosity which existed against the Samaritans. He also stated that he was not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. His work, then, was one of salvation. But those who rejected his salvation were certaiuly to perish. More than once Christ in the clearest manner teaches this. "Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." He foretells the doom of Jerusalem. He foretells the terrible agony of lost souls, who shall go away into everlasting fire; "there shall be the wailing and the l!:Ilashing of teeth." The action of retributive justice, therefore, is perfectly consistent with mercy toward the sinner. The consuming fire may be part of a merciful e.nd loving purpose toward the world at large. In the particular case before us, we see that mercy was exhibited as weU as }ustice. The third captain, who showed a humble spirit, and apparently some regret at the work he had to do, was mercifully spa.red the fate which had fallen upon the other two. While we speak of the consuming fire of God's justice, we would speak also of mercy for the penitent, of forgiveness, full and free, for every anxious soul, for every returning wanderer. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved."-C. H. L Vers. 1-8.-Worldly royalty am,d persO'TUJ,l gotlliness. "'Then Moab rebelled against Israel," etc. The two Books of Kings, which form but one in the most correct and ancient edition of the Hebrews, whilst they constitute a very strange and significant history, are fraught with much moral and practice.I suggestion. These verses bring under our notice two subjects of thought-worldly royalty in a humiliating condition, and personal godliness truly majestic. I. WORLDLY ROYALTY m A HUMILIATING CONDITION. 1. Here is a king in mortal rujfering. "And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick." Nature has no more respect for kings than for beggars; her laws treat them as ordinary mortals. 2. Here is a king in mental distress. On his bed of suffering the king's mind was most painfully exercised as to what would be the issue of his bodily suffering. He sends messengers to the idols in order to ask whether "I shall recover of this disease." No doubt the fear of death distressed him, as indeed it distresses most. 3. Here is a king in superstitious darkness. He had no knowledge of the true God, no enlightened religious feeling, and he sent his messengers to an idol-the god of fiies--to know whether he should recover or not. What a humiliating condition for royalty to be in I And yet it is a condition in which kings and princes ara often fonnd. The other subject of thought here is- II. PERSONAL GODLTh'ESS TRULY MAJESTIC. Elijah is an example.of personal godli- ness, though, in a worldly sense, he was very poor, and his costume seemed to be almost the meanest of the mean. "He was a hairy man, and girt with a gird le of leather a.bout his loins." But see the majesty of this man in two things. 1. In ,-eceiving communicmum from heaven. "But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tish bite." A truly godly man is ever in correspondence with Heaven; his" conversation is in heaven." 2. In reproving the Icing. "Is it not because there is not e. God in Israel, that thou sendest to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron?" The thing oa.lled religion in many countries is just strong enough to reprov~ the poor, but too wea~ to thunder reproof into the ear of the corrupt and pleasure-seekmg monarchs. In hie reproof he pronounces on him the Divine judgment, "Thou she.It not come down off the.t bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die." CoNCLUl:IION. Which is the better, do you think-a throne or a godly character? Fools only prefer the former; the man of sense, thoughtfulness, and reflection woulQ aay the latter.-D. T. Vera. 9-18.-Man in three aspect,. "Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty," etc. In this paragraph we have man in three aspects. I. MAN RUINED THROUGH THE COJ>'DUCT OF OTHEBS. 'l'he messengers which the king sent to EliJah-fifty each time on three different occasions-were all, except the last  Oil, I, 1-18,] THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. 13