Vers. 29~~--Half-h«irte.dness punis11ed by God CJ3 severely CJ3 actual apostasy f1'0m tr!1e religion. The temper of the Laodiceans is no uncommon one. Men may even _th_mk that they have a "zeal for the Lord" (ver. 16), and yet show by their acts that 1t 1s a verY: half-hearted zeal-a zeal that goes a certain length, and then stops sud- denly •. '.)'here 1s no reason to doubt that Jehu honestly disliked, nay, perhaps detested, the religion ?f B~l. It was.an effeminate, sensual, weakening, debasing system, which a rough soldier might well View with abhorrence. Jehu was honest and earnest in his opposition to it, as he showed by the measures which he took to put it down. They were no half-measures-they stamped out the religion, for the time at any rate (\"er._ 28). But with this destructive process his zeal terminated. He did not go on to consider what he could do to reintroduce and stimulate the true worship of Jehovah. Had his thoughts moved in this direction, he would have been brou<>ht 0 face to face wi~h the calf-\vorship,_ and would ~ave had to consider seriously the question of its m~mtenance or aboht10n. But this question probably never presented itself to his Irn:n~. He _was not possessed by any real love of God, or. desire to worship him in spmt and 1n truth. Had he_ bee~, he would have called in the advice and help of Elisha, and taken counsel with him as to what was best to be done. But this is exactly what he docs not do. He comes into no contact with Elisha. After delivering his one great attack upon Baalism, he rests upon his oars, and is "neither cold nor hot" (Rev. iii. 15). Consequently, punishment falls upon him. Hazael "smites him in all his coasts." While the apostate Ahab and his dynasty had maintained the kingdom, on the whole, without serious loss or diminution of power, J ehu loses province after province to Syria., is deprived of all his trans-Jordanic territories, anrl induced to submit to the indigcity of paying tribute to Assyria. God punishes his lukewarmness as severely-may we not say more severely than Ahab's open rebellion?
HOMILIES BY VA.RIOUS AUTHORS. Vers.1-11.-.Ahab's sons put to death. Jehu's commission is to cut off utterly the whole house of Ahab. Like a moral plague was the iniquity of Ahab's house. Every member of it, by heredity, by example, by association, shared the guilt of Ahab and Jezebel There is a good moral reason for the extermination of such a nest of evil- doers. But Jehu was not troubled with many scruples or difficulties. He had got a certain work to do, and he did it. We have here- L FAITHLESS SEBVANTS. The general corruption and demoralization were manifest in the way in which Ahab's sons were treated by the elders of Samaria, and those that brought up Ahab's children. It was no zeal for what was right, no particular hatred of what was wrong, that caused them to yield so complaisantly to Jehu's real wish. Jehu, indeed, satirized them to their face. He made it appea.r as if he really wanted them to defend their master's children and fight for their master's house. It would not have been unnatural to expect this from them. But they were sore afraid. Not only were they willing, in their craven cowardice, to surrender Ahab's children to Jehu, to let him work his own will on them, but they actually slew them with their own hands, and sent their heads to J ehu. Wnere there is unfaithfulness toward God, there will be wnfaithfulness in the relations between man and man. Fickleness is a charac- teristic of the world's friendships. Deception is a characteristic of the world's business. But the Christian will be faithful to duty, to conscience, to God. "He sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not" (Ps. xv. 4). II. THE Uh"FAILING wonD. "There shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spake concerning the house of Ahab: for the Lord bath done that which he spake by his servant Elijah." Every judgment of God which was threatened upon Ahab's house was fulfilled. God's judgrnents upon Israel-how literally and fully have they been fulfilled I Every judgment pronounced against sin is sure of certain and complete fulfilment. So also God's promises will be fulfilled. No~ a Bingle promise of God was ever broken. Why, then, should_ any of us doul>t hia Ott, ~. 1-86.] TllE SECOND BOOK OF THl!l KINGS. 219