The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 340

"hand" and the "eye,'' which oe.uee men to offend, and which they must cut off or pluck out and ce.et from them (Matt. v. 29 eqq.) Hence the charge of Deut. xiii. 6 1144·; of. Matt. x. 87. And the moral effect of this aot, the public deposition of the queen-mother, can hardly be over-estimated. It showed the country that the king we.a in real earnest; that he we.a no respecter of persons ; that no idolatry could expect tolerance at his he.nde. Probably but for this he could neither have taken away the Sodomites nor removed the idols. Possibly it was because neither Rehoboam (see 2 Chron. xi. 21) nor Abijam de.red to dee.I with the idolatries of Me.achab, who would seem to have been e. woman of imperious will, that these foreign superstitions had defiled the land so long. Ase. struck e.t their root in removing her from being queen. - (2) He did not stop half-w(l;]J. He destroyed " with both hands earnestly " (Micah vii. 3). He not only cut down her idol, he burnt it in the valley of the Kedron. There was no place left her for repentance. He had burnt his ships behind him; had destroyed the nests, so that the rooks might not retnrn. This public burning, witnessed, no doubt, by crowds of spectators, spoke louder than any words or ordinances could do. When they saw the "horror'' reduced to ashes, and the ashes cast into the brook, they could have no doubt e.s to the purpose of their king. They would remember how Moses had acted before (Exod. uxii. 20). (3) He did what he could. It is no reproach to him that " the high places were not removed" (ver. 14), for the chronicler (ohs. xiv. 5 ; xv. 12, 13, 17), as well as our author, testifies that this was no fault of his. "His heart was perfect all hie days." He did what in him le.y, and his service we.s accepted accordingly (2 Cor. viii. 12). " The fleetest horse cannot escape from its tail." (4) His reformation was followed by a restitution. It was not merely de- structive, e.s too many so-called reforms have been. (1) He gave up to the sacristy of God the silver and gold he had taken from the Ethiopians. It was his happiness to restore to it some of the tree.sure of which it had been denuded in the reign of Rehoboam. (Observe : When idolatry came in, the treasures went out of the land. When idolatry was expelled, prosperity returned. Godliness has the promise of the life that now is.) His, consequently, was no cheap reform. He offered of that which cost him something (2 Sam. x.x.iv. 24). He might have converted his spoil into drinking vessels of pure gold (eh. x. 21), but he surrendered it to the service and keeping of the Most High. (2) He induced his people to dedicate themselves anew to the Lord (2 Chron. xv. 12 sqq.; cf. 2 Cor. viii 5). This we.s the crown and blossom of his reforme.tiou. "They swo.re unto the Lord with e. loud voice." And, as the fruit of this righteous policy, we find that he enjoyed, for a po.rt of his reign at least, {l) quietness (2 Chron. xiv. 1)," The Lord gave him rest'' (var. 6) -the effect of righteousness is quietness and assure.nee (Isa. xxxii 17) ; (2) prosperity (ver. 7), e.nd (3) growth, in the shape of a large accession of God-fee.ring, law-abiding subjects. "They fell to him out of Israel in abundance when they saw that the Lord his God we.s with him." Not e.11 the numerica.l superiority of Israel, not e.ll it~ fruitful territory, availed age.inst the attraction of e. realm, in one sense a riva.l kingdom, where respect for God's le.w promised security, liberty, and peuc<l. But let us now observe that these reforms and this courageous piety did not exempt him from- . II. EXTERNAL TROUBLES. The quiet only lasted ten years. His fenced cities did not save him from invasion. He had to encounter, first, the inva.sion of Zerah (2 Chron. xiv. 9), and secondly, the aggression of Be.e.sha (1 Kings XI'. 17). He may have been tempted to think when that overwhelming host of swart barbarians mo.rched against him that his piety profited him nothing. He may have argued, when he saw the fortress of Re.mah threatening his very capital-the city Goll ha.u chosen to put His name there-that God me.de no difference between the righteous and the wicked, between His faithful people and the calf-worshipping Israelites. But observe : both these troubles were really blessings in disguise. Aill.ictions and a.drnrsities may be either punitive or disciplinary. Solomon's were of the former, Ase.'a of the latter class. For (1) when Asa had learned his own weakness, e.ud learnt whither to look fo1· holJ.l (2 Oluon. xiv. ll)~lessons both of them of singula.J." blessed-  846 THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. (oH, XV, 1--24•