The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 98

one mo.n in their midst who hoil often before proved a wise counsellor and friend. They had Elisha, the man of God, in their city-the man who, by counselling them to make the vo.lley full of ditches, had delivered the Moabites into their hands; the man, too, who had revealed Benhadad's secrets, and smitten the Syrian army with blindness. But they had forgoUen all that. Inst~ad of looking to Elisha for guidance or help, they blame him for all their troubles. How often does it happen that, when people get into difficulties, they throw the blame upon others I When troubles and difficulties come upon us, our first business should be to search our own hearts and lives, and sec whether tho trouble may not be of our own causing. II. A PROPHET IN DANGER. The king was a partaker in the wickedness of the people. He encouraged the prevailing idolatry. Now he shares their suffering. But he never thinks of looking to God for deliverance. He never thinks of humbling himself before God, and confessing bis sins. On the contrary, he shows a disposition to cast the blame both on God and on his prophet. When the poor woman in her hunger and distress called to him for help, he answered, "If the Lord do not help thee, whence shall I help .thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress?" Though he wore sackcloth, the outward sign of mourning or penitence, there was no sign of inward penitence or humility in his heart. How hlind and infatuated he is in his anger and defiance! He threatens to take away the prophet's life. Jezebel bad once said to Elijah, "So let the gods do to me and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them [the prophets whom she had slain] by to-morrow about this time." So here Jehoram says, " God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Sbaphat shall stand on him this day." Even Jezebel's threat had apparently more reason for it than Jehoram's. Elijah bad undoubtedly slain the pr0phets of Baal. But in this case Elisha was innocent of any charge. Jehoram quite gratuitously holds him responsible for the famine in Samaria, and threatens to take away his life. But man proposes and God disposes. Although Elisha is in danger, he is never in dismay. When the king's messenger came to take off his head, Elisha bade the elders to hold the mes- senger fast at the door till the king himself, who was close behind, should arrive. Elisha had bad dealings with Jehoram before. He would hear his sentence from the king himself, if at all. Well for those who, like Elisha, live near to God. "Serve the Lord in fear," said John Knox on his death-bed," and the flesh will not fear death." Dangers do not distress them; death brings no dismay. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."-C. H. I. Vers. 1-7.-A Church-extension enterprise. "And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us," etc. If there were e. Church in "Israel at all, the schools of the prophets undoubtedly con- stituted a part of that Church. '!'hey were a communion of godly men. The brief narrative, therefore, may fairly be regarded as a record of a Church-extension enterprise, and as such four things are observable-things that all who contemplate such enter- prises should ponder and imitate. I. This Church-e:i:tension enterprise was STIMULATED BY THE PRINCIPLE OF GROWTH. The old sphere had become too narrow for them, they had outgrown it. " And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too strait for us." The numbers who came to listen to Elisha and the increase of students required greater accommodation than the whole place could afford. This is a principle on which all Church-extension, shoul<l proceed; but in these modern times it is sometimes not only ignored, but outraged. Although statistics show that the churches and chapels in England fall miserably short of the accommodation necessary for the whole population, it is threo times greater than is required for the number of attendants. On all sides empty churches and chapels abound, millions of money contributed for religious purposes lie as the "one talent," wrapped in a napkin, unused. And yet still, almost every religious denomination seoms to feel that the building of new churches is its grand mission. The fact is th,1t church-building has, in mauy cases, become a business speculation. One church should grow out of another; the grain of mustard seed will create its own organism, multiply its own branches, and propagate its vitality. II. This Church-extension enterprise was CONDUCTED IN A MANLY MANNER. 1. The  136 THE SECOND BoOK OF 'l'HE KIN0-8. [OB. Vt. 1-:JII.