The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 33

at all." All thiR, ,md more, eeeme to be to intense unwavering faHh-faith, some- im·olved in the woman's "'ords. And the times, in those that are the objeots of them, prnphet fully understood their meaning. almost always in those that are the workers Yer. 29.-Then he said to Gehari, Gird up of them. The present case was not to be thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, an exception to the general rule, the oiroum- and go thy we.y : if thou meet any man, stances not oalling for an exception. The salute him not; and if any salute thee, power of faith was to be shown forth onoe answer him not again. The object of all more in Elisha, as not long previously in these injunctions is hast<'!. Lose not a mo- Elijah (1 Kings xvii. 19-28); and Israel ment. Go es quickly as thou canst to tile was to be taught, by a seoond marvellous house where the child lies. Spend no time example, how muoh the effeotual fervent in greetings on the way, Slack not. Tarry prayer of a foithful and righteous man not. And lay my staff upon the fa.oe of the avails with the Most High. The lesson ohild. What effect the prophet expected would have been lost had the staff been from this aot, we are not told. Gehazi allowed to effect the resusoitation. Where- nppears to have expected that it would at fore he-i.e. Gehazi-went again to meet once C'.anse a resuscit.ation (ver. 31); but him-i.e. Elisha-and told him, saying, The there is no evidence that the prophet par- ohild is not waked. It is olear from this, t.ieip1tted in the expectation. He may have that Gehazi had expected an aw~kening: done so, for prophet.a are not infallible be- but there is nothing to show what the yond the sphere of the revelations made to prophet himself had expected. We are cer- them; hut he may only have intended to tainly not entitled to conclude, with Peter comfort and cheer the mother, and to ro.ise Mo.rtyr, that" Elisha. did wrong ine.ttempt- in her an expectation of the resuscito.tion ing to delegate his power of working which he trru;ted it would be allowed him miracles to another; " or even, with Starke, to effect. thnt "Elisha. gave the command to Gehazi Ver. 30.-And the mother of the child from ·overhaste, without having any Divine said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul incentive to it." liveth (comp. eh. ii. 2, 4, 6), I will not leave Ver. 32.-And when Elisb.A we.a oome into thee. Apparently, the woman supposed the house, behold, the ohild was dead, and that Elisha intended to do nothing more, laid upon his bed (comp. ver. 21). The but trust the child's recovery to such nrtue child remained where his mother had laid as might inhere in his staff. But her own him, resolution was long ago taken-she would Ver. 83.-He went in therefore, and shut be content with nothing less than bringing the door upon them twain-the.t ha might the prophet face to face with her dead child. not be interrupted during his efforts to Slie "will not leave" him till he consents restore the child's life (comp. ver, 4)-and to accompany her to her home. And he prayed Ullto the Lord. Probably his heart arose, and followed her ; as, no doubt, he had been lifted up in inartionle.te prayer had intcndt>d from the first. from the time that he realized the calamity Ver. 31.-And Geha.zi passed on before which had befallen the Shunammite; but them, and laid the naff on the face of the now he went down on his knees, e.nd lifted child ; but there was neither voice, nor hear- np his voice in outspoken words of prayer. ing. Gehazi did as J,e had been told, exe- Ver. 34.-And he went up, and le.y upon cuted his mission faithfully; but there was the ohild, and put his month upon his no apparent result. The child was not mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his roused by the staff being placed across his hands upon his hands ; following the fe.ce. A.11 remained still and silent as example set him by his master and prede- _before. Altliough on some occasions it cessor, Elijah (1 Kings xvii. 21). The idea nas p1eased God to allow miracles to l,e me.y in both cases have been to fit the body wrought by the instrumente.lity of lifeless for reinhabitation by the soul (see ver. 22), objects, as when Elislia's bones resuscitated through the restoration of warmth to it. a dead man (eh. xiii 21), and when virtue And he stretched himself upon the ohild; went out from the hem of our Lord's i.e. brought his fleell as close as he could to garment (Mark v. 25-34), and still more the flesh of the child, covering the body and pressing on it, to force hie own bodily remarkably, when "handkerchiefs or aprons warmth to pass into it. The word used, from the body of Paul 'l"!"ere brought unto the sick, and the diseases departed from ,,:i~:, is different from that in 1 Kings them, and the evil spirits were c:,st out of xviL 21, which is i:-1bry:, and implies a closer them" (Acts xix.12); yet the instances are, contact. And the flesh of the ohild waxed comparatively speaking, rare, and form ex- warm. Elisha's efforts he.d an effect ; the ceptioru to whe.t may be called the usual child's body was actually warmed by them. Divine tConomy of miracles. Miracles e.re, Ver. 35.-Then he returned, and walked e.e a general rule, attached in Scripture In the houae to and fro ; literally, once t,o (lH, 1\1, 1-44.) THE SECOND BOOK OF 'rHE KINGS.