The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 298

HOMILETICS. Vers. 21 sqq.-Th~ Man of God and the People of God. The morning of the.t fifteenth day of the eighth month, that black day in the Hebrew Kalendar, that birthday of division, was hardly more memorable or eventful than the evening. In the morning the Bethelites saw the signs of the man of God ; in the evening they saw in him a sign, a parable, and a terrible warning. The lesson of the rent altar and the rigid band was followed by the lesson of the lion and the ass and the rigid corpse. Truly, of that day it might be truly said, "The evening and the morning were one day." For we may ~e sure, when the old prophet came back from his quest of the body, and brought with him that melancholy burden, swinging across the ass, the men of Bethel, who had already heard from wayfarers of the tragedy, would crowd the streets or lanes-for Bethel was probably _little more than a village-to meet him, and would gaze, bushed and awestruck, into the dumb and helpless face of the man whose words and deeds had that day been so full of power. There was not a, child that night but would leave his play to stare in silent wonder, or with whis- pered question, on the corpse. Of that sad funereal procession, the words which, near a thousand years later, described the entry of a living Prophet into an adjoining city, might justly be used, " All the city was moved, saying, Who is this?" (Matt. x:ri. 10.) Nor would the language which described the effect of that same Prophet's death a few days later be less applicable here, "All the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts and returned" (Luke x:xiii. 48). Let us now suppose, however, for the sake of bringing out the lessons of this nan-ative, that there were some in the crowd-as on the first feast-day there may well have been-strangers in Bethel (cf. John xii. 20 ; Acts ii. 5-11), who did not understand the things which were come to pass there that day. Let us join them, as they go, carried by the stream, to meet the body ; let us listen to their questions, and to the answers they receive. We shall not gather all the truth from the discourse we overhear, but we shall learn at all events one lesson which this tragedy had for the men of that time. Now the first question which would rise to these strangers' lips, as they came upon the body, borne by the patient ass, which was the one terrified witness of the catastrophe, would be, "Who is this?" They think, perhaps, it is some peasant who has been slain as he tilled his fields, or some itinerant chapman who has been murdered on his journey. But the bystanders speedily undeceive them. They tell them that this is " a man of God who came from J ndah." His name, it may be, is unknown to them, but not his deeds. They relate, with breathless excitement, not unmixed with fear, how a few short hours ago he was amongst them; how on the morning of that very day he had con- fronted their king as he was in the act of sacrificing, had denounced his inno- vations, had foretold the overthrow of his policy and dynasty, and had then wrought wonderful works in attestation of his mission. The strangers listen with ,;teadily increasing wonderment. Had this man been '' a murderer whom ven- geance suffered not to live," or a sinner above all men that dwelt in Bethel, they could have understood it. Such a one, however he might have met his end, would only have received the just reward of his deeds, but "a man of God,'' man who wrought miracles, a favourite of Heaven I-they cannot comprehend it, an they, as excited as their informants, hurriedly ask how he has come by his death. '' A. lion slew him," is the answer. It is true no human eye saw the deed, Lut there can be no doubt as to the manner of his death. Then they tell how way- faring men that afternoon had seen a strange sight, a corpse cast in the way- whoae corpse they knew not-and an ass and a lion standing as joint sentinels over it, &c. And then the strangers would understand that this man of God had died by the visitation of God. They would remember that the " teeth of evil beasts'' were one of the plagues denounced in the law, and they would wonder, and OH. XIII, 11-84.] THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. 801