The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 373

CHAPTER XVII. 1-24. for which this is not the place, two remarks may be hazarded here. First, that the ELI.JAJI AND TEE GREAT DBOUO:ET.-The narrative is so sober, so circumstantial, so picturo which the historian he.a just drawn full of touches which ho.ve every appear- of the shameless idolatry and the gross de- ance of having been painted from the life, generacy of the earlier po.rt of Ahab's reign that were it not for its supernatural element, forms a fit prelude to an account of the the most destructive critic would never he.ve ministry of the great prophet Elijah, whioh thought of questioning its veracity. Secondly, occupies this and several succeeding chap- that if miracles are ever allowable or con- ters ; for the two sLe.nd together in the ceive.ble, il there ever he.ve been occasions closest connexion. It was only the unpre- in the history of our race when we might cedented corruption of the.t age which concede io the Necessary Being the liberty neoessito.ted such e. mission, e.nd e. mission which we ourselves possess, of varying the armed with such credentials as his. It will so-called order of nature, or of impressing be obvious to the most oursory reader that a visiLle purpose upon its forces, then the narratives comprised in the remaining assuredly the time at which we have now portion of this book and the earlier part of arrived, the beginning of Ah111J's reign, was 2 Kings nre of a very different che.re.cter such an occasion. It is quite true tho.t no from those which h11ve so far been before us. new revelation was then given to the world. The ministry of Elijah e.nd Elisha nlike is Neither Elijah nor Elisha., as Ewald has little more than II series of mire.cles. Of observed, "originated anything essentially their words comparatively few are recorded ; new," but the te.sk assigned them was one we heo.r of little hut the signs and wonders which needed supernatuml snpport and that they wrought. And on this ground- 11ttestation, no less the.n the promulgation beco.use it is miraculous-this portion of of a new law or gospel. It was their work, our history is summarily disoarded by many at the very da.rkest hour in the spiritual recent writers, not as wholly unhistorical, history of Israel, when a determined effort but 11s mythice.l ; as contwning, indeed, was being m11de to ste.mp out the faith of many germs of truth, and as having a ho.sis God's elect, when the ne.tion chosen of God of fact, which, however, has been distorted to be the depositary of His truth was fast into its present legendary sbo.pe by the lapsing into heathenism, and more, into un- credulity e.nd fancy of B later age, or by utterable abominations, it was their work to the ho.If-unconscious exaggeration of some witness for God and truth and purity. If poetico-prophetio writer. But without enter- God's purposes of grace to our world, which mg upon the question of miracles generally, had been ripening from age to age, were nol  880 't'HE FIRST BOO:lr OF KINGS, [on, xvu. 1-24.