The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Kings — Section 288

Th<> prophets continue.Uy Addrelll!ed them in that which be hae forbiddon. When tbev the Name of God, B&ying, Turn ye from your rejected God's statutes, the Israelites adopted evil ways, and keep my oommandmenta and "the statutes of the heCLthen " (ver. 8), and my statutes, aooording to &11 the Law whioh "walked in them." Oonoerning whom the I oomm1mded your fathers, and whioh I sent Lord had ehe.rged them, that they should to yon by my servants the prophets. This not do like them (see CLbove, ver. 12, and WILB the general bmden of the prophetical oompCLro the comment on var. 8). tea.ching, both in Ismel and in Judah, both Vers. 16, 17.-The main sins of Israel l\re before the captivity of Israel and afterwards now specified, that they themselves me.y (see Hos. xii. 6; xiv. 2; Joel ii. 12, 18; ete.ud self-convicted, and that others may Amos v. 4-15; Isa. i. 16-20; xxxi. 6; be Wl\rned against doing the like. ]first, Jer. iii. 7, H; Ezek. xiv. 6; xviii. 30, etc.). generally. Ver. H.-Notwithst&ndingtheywould not Ver. 16.-They left all the oommandments he&r ; rather, and they would not hear. The ot the Lord their God; i.e. neglected them, oonstruction still runs on without e.ny change rendered them no obedience, offered none (see tue comment on vers. 7 and 12). :But of the stated BCLcrifices, attended none of the hardened their necks. (On the origin of the appointed feasts, broke the more.I le.w (Hos. phrnsc, see • Homiletic Commentary• on iv. 1, 2, 11; vii. 1, eto.) by swearing, and Exod. xxxii. 9.) The obstinate perv0l'Sity of lying, and stealing, and committing CLdul- the Israelites, which the phre.ee e:r:presses, tery, by drunkenness, e.nd lewdness, and is noted through the entire history (see bloodshed. And me.de them molten images, Exod. xu:iii. 3, 5; xxxiv. 9; Dent. ix. 6, even two oalves. These at least were un- 13; Ps. lxxv. 5; 2 Chron. m. 8; xxxvi. deniable - there they were at Dan and 18; Nch. ix. 16, 17, 29; Jer. vii. 26; :uii. Bethel, nntil the Captivity co.me (Hos. viii. 23; Arts vii. 51, etc.). Like to the neok of 5; x. 5, 6; xiii. 2; Amos viii. 14), wor- their fathers, that did not believe in the shipped, sworn by (Amos viii. H), viewed Lord their God. The reference is especially e.s living gods (Amoe viii. 14), offered to, to the many passages iu the Penta.tench trusted in. Every king he.d upheld them, where !he Israelites &re called "e. stiff- so that Bethel we.s regarded e.s " the king's necked people" (see, besides those already court," e.nd "the king's chapel" (Amos vii. quoted, Dent. mi. 27). 13); all the people were devoted to them, Ver. 15.-A..nd they rejeoted his ate.tu.tea, and "brought their sacrifices to Bethel and his oovenant that he made with their every morning" (Amos iv. 4), "and their fathers. TIie covenant me.de at Sinai, first by tithes after three years." And me.de 11 the people generally (Exod. xix. 5-8), e.nd grove. The" grove" (asherah) which Ahab then by tueir forme.l representatives (Exod. set up at Samuria (1 Kings xvi. 38), e.nd :u:iv. 3-8), was, on their pa.rt, a solemn which remained there certainly to the time promise that "e.ll which the Lord com- of Jehoahe.z (see the comment on eh. xiii. manded them they would do." Rejecting 6). And worshipped all the host of heaven. the ••statutes" of God we.s thns rejecting Th.is worsuip he.d not been mentioned before; the " covenant." And his testimonies which and it is nowhere else ascribed to the Ia- he te&ti1ied age.inst them. The "testi- ra.elites of the northern kingdom. Manas- monies" of God a.re his commandments, seh seems to have introduced it into Judah considered as witnessing of him and setting (eh. xxi. 3; xxiii. 5, 11). Such knowledge forth hie nature. The nee of the term is as we have of the Western Asia.lie religions common in Deuteronomy and in the Psalms, seems to indicate that astrai worship, but otherwise re.re. And they followed strict! y so called, we.a a peculiarity of the vanity, and became vain. False gods a.re Aseyro-Be.bylonian e.nd Arabian systems "vanity ; " false religions are "vanity; " only, and did not belong to the SyriCLn, or there is nothing firm or substantial about the Phcenicie.n, or the Cane.anite. It me.y them; they belong to the realm of futility be SW!pected that the present pe.esoge is and nothingness. And the followers of somewhat rhetorical, and assigns to the Is- sncu religious derive wee.knees from them raelites the "worship of the host of heaven," -they "become vain "--i.e. weak, futile, simply because e.n astral character attached impotent. Their energies are wasted; they to Baal e.nd Ashtoreth, who were associated effect nothing of that which they wish to in the religion of the Phcenicie.ns with the effect; they are completely powerlt:Ss for sun e.nd moon. On the other hand, it is good, at any rate; and they a.re not really just possible that the Assyro-Be.bylonian powerful for evil Their ple.us, for the star-worship he.d been introduced into Israel most pa.rt, miscarry; e.nd "their end is under Mena.hem, Pekah, or Hoehea. And destruction." And went after the heathen ■erved :Ba.aL The Baal-worship, introduced that were round a.bout them. Upon a neg- by Ahab (1 Kings xvi. 31), wu.s n~t fiue.lly lect to keep God's commandments follows abolished by Jehu (oh. :x.. 28). Like other aetive revolt from him, and the doing of popular religions, it he.d CL revival. Hosea, on. xvn. 1-41.] THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. 33!5