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<TITLE>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible [First Kings, Chapter XX].</TITLE>
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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1>
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1708)
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<!-- (Begin Body) -->
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<CENTER>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>F I R S T K I N G S</B></FONT>
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<BR>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. XX.</FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
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<FONT SIZE=-1>
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<P>
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This chapter is the history of a war between Ben-hadad king of Syria
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and Ahab king of Israel, in which Ahab was, once and again, victorious.
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We read nothing of Elijah or Elishain all this story; Jezebel's rage,
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it is probable, had abated, and the persecution of the prophets began
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to cool, which gleam of peace Elijah improved. He appeared not at
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court, but, being told how many thousands of good people there were in
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Israel more than he thought of, employed himself, as we may suppose, in
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founding religious houses, schools, or colleges of prophets, in several
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parts of the country, to be nurseries of religion, that they might help
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to reform the nation when the throne and court would not be reformed.
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While he was thus busied, God favoured the nation with the successes we
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here read of, which were the more remarkable because obtained against
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Ben-hadad king of Syria, whose successor, Hazael, was ordained to be a
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scourge to Israel. They must shortly suffer by the Syrians, and yet now
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triumphed over them, that, if possible, they might be led to repentance
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by the goodness of God. Here is,
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I. Ben-hadad's descent upon Israel, and his insolent demand,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:1-11">ver. 1-11</A>.
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II. The defeat Ahab gave him, encouraged and directed by a prophet,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:12-21">ver. 12-21</A>.
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III. The Syrians rallying again, and the second defeat Ahab gave them,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:22-30">ver. 22-30</A>.
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IV. The covenant of peace Ahab made with Ben-hadad, when he had him at
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his mercy
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:31-34">ver. 31-34</A>),
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for which he is reproved and threatened by a prophet,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:35-43">ver. 35-43</A>.</P>
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</FONT>
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<A NAME="1Ki20_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="1Ki20_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="1Ki20_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="1Ki20_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="1Ki20_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="1Ki20_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="1Ki20_7"> </A>
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<A NAME="1Ki20_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="1Ki20_9"> </A>
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<A NAME="1Ki20_10"> </A>
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<A NAME="1Ki20_11"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Ben-hadad's Insolent Demand.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 900.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 And Benhadad the king of Syria gathered all his host
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together: and <I>there were</I> thirty and two kings with him, and
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horses, and chariots: and he went up and besieged Samaria, and
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warred against it.
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2 And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city,
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and said unto him, Thus saith Benhadad,
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3 Thy silver and thy gold <I>is</I> mine; thy wives also and thy
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children, <I>even</I> the goodliest, <I>are</I> mine.
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4 And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king,
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according to thy saying, I <I>am</I> thine, and all that I have.
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5 And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaketh
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Benhadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou
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shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy
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children;
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6 Yet I will send my servants unto thee to morrow about this
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time, and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy
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servants; and it shall be, <I>that</I> whatsoever is pleasant in thine
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eyes, they shall put <I>it</I> in their hand, and take <I>it</I> away.
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7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land,
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and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this <I>man</I> seeketh
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mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children,
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and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.
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8 And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken
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not <I>unto him,</I> nor consent.
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9 Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Benhadad, Tell my
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lord the king, All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the
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first I will do: but this thing I may not do. And the messengers
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departed, and brought him word again.
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10 And Benhadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto
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me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for
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handfuls for all the people that follow me.
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11 And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell <I>him,</I> Let
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not him that girdeth on <I>his harness</I> boast himself as he that
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putteth it off.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Here is,
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I. The threatening descent which Ben-hadad made upon Ahab's kingdom,
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and the siege he laid to Samaria, his royal city,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:1"><I>v.</I> 1</A>.
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What the ground of the quarrel was we are not told; covetousness and
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ambition were the principle, which would never want some pretence or
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other. David in his time had quite subdued the Syrians and made them
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tributaries to Israel, but Israel's apostasy from God makes them
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formidable again. Asa had tempted the Syrians to invade Israel once
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+15:18-20"><I>ch.</I> xv. 18-20</A>),
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and now they did it of their own accord. It is dangerous bringing a
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foreign force into the country: posterity may pay dearly for it.
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Ben-hadad had with him thirty-two kings, who were either tributaries to
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him, and bound in duty to attend him, or confederates with him, and
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bound in interest to assist him. How little did the title of king look
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when all these poor petty governors pretended to it!</P>
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<P>
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II. The treaty between these two kings. Surely Israel's defence had
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departed from them, or else the Syrians could not have marched so
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readily, and with so little opposition, to Samaria, the head and heart
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of the country, a city lately built, and therefore, we may suppose, not
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well fortified, but likely to fall quickly into the hands of the
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invaders; both sides are aware of this, and therefore,</P>
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<P>
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1. Ben-hadad's proud spirit sends Ahab a very insolent demand,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:2,3"><I>v.</I> 2, 3</A>.
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A parley is sounded, and a trumpeter (we may suppose) is sent into the
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city, to let Ahab know that he will raise the siege upon condition that
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Ahab become his vassal (Nay, his <I>villain</I>), and not only pay him
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a tribute out of what he has, but make over his title to Ben-hadad, and
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hold all at his will, even his wives and children, the godliest of
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them. The manner of expression is designed to gall them; "All shall be
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mine, without exception."</P>
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<P>
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2. Ahab's poor spirit sends Ben-hadad a very disgraceful submission. It
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is general indeed (he cannot mention particulars in his surrender with
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so much pleasure as Ben-hadad did in his demand), but it is effectual:
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<I>I am thine, and all that I have,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>.
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See the effect of sin.
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(1.) If he had not by sin provoked God to depart from him, Ben-hadad
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could not have made such a demand. Sin brings men into such straits, by
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putting them out of divine protection. If God may not rule us, our
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enemies shall. A rebel to God is a slave to all besides. Ahab had
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prepared his silver and gold for Baal,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ho+2:8">Hos. ii. 8</A>.
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Justly therefore is it taken from him; such an alienating amounts to a
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forfeiture.
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(2.) If he had not by sin wronged his own conscience, and set that
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against him, he could not have made such a mean surrender. Guilt
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dispirits men, and makes them cowards. He knew Baal could not help, and
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had no reason to think that God would, and therefore was content to buy
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his life upon any terms. Skin for skin, and all that is dear to him, he
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will give for it; he will rather live a beggar than not die a
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prince.</P>
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<P>
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3. Ben-hadad's proud spirit rises upon his submission, and becomes yet
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more insolent and imperious,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:5,6"><I>v.</I> 5, 6</A>.
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Ahab had laid his all at his feet, at his mercy, expecting that one
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king would use another generously, that this acknowledgment of
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Ben-hadad's sovereignty would content him, the honour was sufficient
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for the present, and he might hereafter make use of it if he saw cause
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(<I>Satis est prostrasse leoni</I>--<I>It suffices the lion to have
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laid his victim prostrate</I>); but this will not serve.
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(1.) Ben-hadad is as covetous as he is proud, and cannot go away unless
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he have the possession as well as the dominion. He thinks it not enough
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to call it his, unless he have it in his hands. He will not so much as
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lend Ahab the use of his own goods above a day longer.
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(2.) He is as spiteful as he is haughty. Had he come himself to select
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what he had a mind for, it would have shown some respect to a crowned
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head; but he will send his servants to insult the prince, and hector
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over him, to rifle the palace, and strip it of all its ornaments; nay,
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to give Ahab the more vexation, they shall be ordered, not only to take
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what they please, but, if they can learn which are the persons or
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things that Ahab is in a particular manner fond of, to take those:
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<I>Whatsoever is pleasant in thy eyes they shall take away.</I> We are
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often crossed in that which we most dote upon; and that proves least
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safe which is most dear.
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(3.) He is as unreasonable as he is unjust, and will construe the
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surrender Ahab made for himself as made for all his subjects too, and
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will have them also to lie at his mercy: "They shall search, not only
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thy house, but <I>the houses of thy servants</I> too, and plunder them
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at discretion." Blessed be God for peace and property, and that what we
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have we can call our own.</P>
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<P>
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4. Ahab's poor spirit begins to rise too, upon this growing insolence;
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and, if it becomes not bold, yet it becomes desperate, and he will
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rather hazard his life than give up all thus.
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(1.) How he takes advice of his privy-council, who encourage him to
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stand it out. He speaks but poorly
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>),
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appeals to them whether Ben-hadad be not an unreasonable enemy, and do
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not seek mischief. What else could he expect from one who, without any
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provocation given him, had invaded his country and besieged his capital
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city? He owns to them how he had truckled to him before, and will have
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them advise him what he should do in this strait; and they speak
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bravely (<I>Hearken not to him, nor consent,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>),
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promising no doubt to stand by him in the refusal.
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(2.) Yet he expresses himself very modestly in his denial,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:9"><I>v.</I> 9</A>.
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He owns Ben-hadad's dominion over him: "<I>Tell my lord the king</I> I
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have no design to affront him, nor to receded from the surrender I have
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already made; what I offered at first I will stand to, <I>but this
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thing I may not do;</I> I must not give what is none of my own." It was
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a mortification to Ben-hadad that even such an abject spirit as Ahab's
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durst deny him; yet it should seem, by his manner of expressing
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himself, that he durst not have done it if his people had not animated
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him.</P>
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<P>
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5. Ben-hadad proudly swears the ruin of Samaria. The threatening waves
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of his wrath, meeting with this check, rage and foam, and make a noise.
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In his fury, he imprecates the impotent revenge of his gods, <I>if the
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dust of Samaria serve for handfuls for his army</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:10"><I>v.</I> 10</A>),
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so numerous, so resolute, an army will be bring into the field against
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Samaria, and so confident is he of their success; it will be done as
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easily as the taking up of a handful of dust; all shall be carried
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away, even the ground on which the city stands. Thus confident is his
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pride, thus cruel is his malice; this prepares him to be ruined, though
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such a prince and such a people are unworthy of the satisfaction of
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seeing him ruined.</P>
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<P>
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6. Ahab sends him a decent rebuke to his assurance, dares not defy his
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menaces, only reminds him of the uncertain turns of war
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:11"><I>v.</I> 11</A>):
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"Let not him that begins a war, and is girding on his sword, his
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armour, his harness, boast of victory, or think himself sure of it,
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<I>as if he had put it off,</I> and had come home a conqueror." This
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was one of the wisest words that ever Ahab spoke, and is a good item or
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momento to us all; it is folly to boast beforehand of any day, since we
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know not what it may bring forth
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+27:1">Prov. xxvii. 1</A>),
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but especially to boast of a day of battle, which may prove as much
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against us as we promise ourselves it will be for us. It is impolitic
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to despise an enemy, and to be too sure of victory is the way to be
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beaten. Apply it to our spiritual conflicts. Peter fell by his
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confidence. While we are here we are but girding on the harness, and
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therefore must never boast as though we had put it off. <I>Happy is the
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man that feareth always,</I> and is never off his watch.</P>
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<A NAME="1Ki20_12"> </A>
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<A NAME="1Ki20_13"> </A>
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<A NAME="1Ki20_14"> </A>
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<A NAME="1Ki20_15"> </A>
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<A NAME="1Ki20_16"> </A>
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<A NAME="1Ki20_17"> </A>
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<A NAME="1Ki20_18"> </A>
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<A NAME="1Ki20_19"> </A>
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<A NAME="1Ki20_20"> </A>
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<A NAME="1Ki20_21"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Ben-hadad's Defeat.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 900.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>12 And it came to pass, when <I>Benhadad</I> heard this message, as
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he <I>was</I> drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, that he
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said unto his servants, Set <I>yourselves in array.</I> And they set
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<I>themselves in array</I> against the city.
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13 And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel,
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saying, Thus saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, Hast thou seen all this great
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multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day;
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and thou shalt know that I <I>am</I> the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>.
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14 And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>,
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<I>Even</I> by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he
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said, Who shall order the battle? And he answered, Thou.
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15 Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the
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provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty two: and after
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them he numbered all the people, <I>even</I> all the children of
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Israel, <I>being</I> seven thousand.
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16 And they went out at noon. But Benhadad <I>was</I> drinking
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himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and
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two kings that helped him.
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17 And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out
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first; and Benhadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There
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are men come out of Samaria.
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18 And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them
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alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive.
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19 So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out
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of the city, and the army which followed them.
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20 And they slew every one his man: and the Syrians fled; and
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Israel pursued them: and Benhadad the king of Syria escaped on an
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horse with the horsemen.
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21 And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and
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chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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The treaty between the besiegers and the besieged being broken off
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abruptly, we have here an account of the battle that ensued
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immediately.</P>
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<P>
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I. The Syrians, the besiegers, had their directions from a drunken
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king, who gave orders over his cups, as he was <I>drinking</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:12"><I>v.</I> 12</A>),
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<I>drinking himself drunk</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:16"><I>v.</I> 16</A>)
|
|
|
|
<I>with the kings in the pavilions,</I> and this at noon. Drunkenness
|
|
is a sin which armies and their officers have of old been addicted to.
|
|
Say not thou then that the former days were, in this respect, better
|
|
than these, though these are bad enough. Had he not been very secure he
|
|
would not have sat to drink; and, had he not been intoxicated, he would
|
|
not have been so very secure. Security and sensuality went together in
|
|
the old world, and Sodom,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Lu+17:26-29">Luke xvii. 26</A>,
|
|
|
|
&c. Ben-hadad's drunkenness was the forerunner of his
|
|
fall, as Belshazzar's was,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Da+5:1-31">Dan v</A>.
|
|
|
|
How could he prosper that preferred his pleasure before his business,
|
|
and kept his kings to drink with him when they should have been at
|
|
their respective posts to fight for him? In his drink,
|
|
|
|
1. He orders the town to be invested, the engines fixed, and every
|
|
thing got ready for the making of a general attack
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:12"><I>v.</I> 12</A>),
|
|
|
|
but stirs not from his drunken club to see it done. <I>Woe unto thee, O
|
|
land! when thy king is</I> such <I>a child.</I>
|
|
|
|
2. When the besieged made a sally (and, by that time, he was far gone)
|
|
he gave orders to take them alive
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:18"><I>v.</I> 18</A>),
|
|
|
|
not to kill them, which might have been done more easily and safely,
|
|
but to seize them, which gave them an opportunity of killing the
|
|
aggressors; so imprudent was he in the orders he gave, as well as
|
|
unjust, in ordering them to be taken prisoners though they came for
|
|
peace and to renew the treaty. Thus, as is usual, he drinks, and
|
|
forgets the law, both the policies and the justice of war.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
II. The Israelites, the besieged, had their directions from an inspired
|
|
prophet, one of the prophets of the Lord, whom Ahab had hated and
|
|
persecuted: <I>And behold a prophet, even one, drew near to the king of
|
|
Israel;</I> so it may be read,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:13"><I>v.</I> 13</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
1. Behold, and wonder, that God should send a prophet with a kind and
|
|
gracious message to so wicked a prince as Ahab was; but he did it,
|
|
|
|
(1.) For his people Israel's sake, who, though wickedly degenerated,
|
|
were the seed of Abraham his friend and Jacob his chosen, the children
|
|
of the covenant, and not yet cast off.
|
|
|
|
(2.) That he might magnify his mercy, in doing good to one so evil and
|
|
unthankful, might either bring him to repentance or leave him the more
|
|
inexcusable.
|
|
|
|
(3.) That he might mortify the pride of Ben-hadad and check his
|
|
insolence. Ahab's idolatry shall be punished hereafter, but Ben-hadad's
|
|
haughtiness shall be chastised now; for God resists the proud, and is
|
|
pleased to say that <I>he fears the wrath of the enemy,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=De+32:26,27">Deut. xxxii. 26, 27</A>.
|
|
|
|
There was but one prophet perhaps to be had in Samaria, and he drew
|
|
near with this message, intimating that he had been forced to keep at a
|
|
distance. Ahab, in his prosperity, would not have borne the sight of
|
|
him, but now he bids him welcome, when none of the prophets of the
|
|
groves can give him any assistance. He enquired not for a prophet of
|
|
the Lord, but God sent one to him unasked, for he waits to be
|
|
gracious.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
2. Two things the prophet does:--
|
|
|
|
(1.) He animates Ahab with an assurance of victory, which was more than
|
|
all the elders of Israel could give him
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>),
|
|
|
|
though they promised to stand by him. This prophet, who is not named
|
|
(for he <I>spoke in God's name</I>), tells him from God that this very
|
|
day the siege shall be raised, and the army of the Syrians routed,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:13"><I>v.</I> 13</A>.
|
|
|
|
When the prophet said, <I>Thus saith the Lord,</I> we may suppose Ahab
|
|
began to tremble, expecting a message of wrath; but he is revived when
|
|
it proves a gracious one. He is informed what use he ought to make of
|
|
this blessed turn of affairs: "<I>Thou shalt know that I am
|
|
Jehovah,</I> the sovereign Lord of all." God's foretelling a thing that
|
|
was so very unlikely proved that it was his own doing.
|
|
|
|
(2.) He instructs him what to do for the gaining of this victory.
|
|
|
|
[1.] He must not stay till the enemy attacked him, but must sally out
|
|
upon them and surprise them in their trenches.
|
|
|
|
[2.] The persons employed must be the <I>young men of the princes of
|
|
the provinces,</I> the pages, the footmen, who were few in number, only
|
|
232, utterly unacquainted with war, and the unlikeliest men that could
|
|
be thought of for such a bold attempt; yet these must do it, these weak
|
|
and foolish things must be instruments of confounding the wise and
|
|
strong, that, while Ben-hadad's boasting is punished, Ahab's may be
|
|
prevented and precluded, and the <I>excellency of the power may appear
|
|
to be of God.</I>
|
|
|
|
[3.] Ahab must himself so far testify his confidence in the word of God
|
|
as to command in person, though, in the eye of reason, he exposed
|
|
himself to the utmost danger by it. But it is fit that those who have
|
|
the benefit of God's promises should enter upon them. Yet,
|
|
|
|
[4.] He is allowed to make use of what other forces he has at hand, to
|
|
follow the blow, when these young men have broken the ice. All he had
|
|
in Samaria, or within call, were but 7000 men,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:15"><I>v.</I> 15</A>.
|
|
|
|
It is observable that it is the same number with theirs that he not
|
|
<I>bowed the knee to Baal</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+19:18"><I>ch.</I> xix. 18</A>),
|
|
|
|
though, it is likely, not the same men.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
III. The issue was accordingly. The proud Syrians were beaten, and the
|
|
poor despised Israelites were more than conquerors. The young men gave
|
|
an alarm to the Syrians just at noon, at high dinner-time, supported by
|
|
what little force they had,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:16"><I>v.</I> 16</A>.
|
|
|
|
Ben-hadad despised them at first
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:18"><I>v.</I> 18</A>),
|
|
|
|
but when they had, with unparalleled bravery and dexterity, <I>slain
|
|
every one his man,</I> and so put the army into disorder, that proud
|
|
man durst not face them, but mounted immediately, drunk as he was, and
|
|
made the best of his way,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:20"><I>v.</I> 20</A>.
|
|
|
|
See how God <I>takes away the spirit of princes,</I> and makes himself
|
|
<I>terrible to the kings of the earth.</I> Now where are the silver and
|
|
gold he demanded of Ahab? Where are the handfuls of Samaria's dust?
|
|
Those that are most secure are commonly least courageous. Ahab failed
|
|
not to improve this advantage, but <I>slew the Syrians with a great
|
|
slaughter,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:21"><I>v.</I> 21</A>.
|
|
|
|
Note, God oftentimes makes one wicked man a scourge to another.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="1Ki20_22"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="1Ki20_23"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="1Ki20_24"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="1Ki20_25"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="1Ki20_26"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="1Ki20_27"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="1Ki20_28"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="1Ki20_29"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="1Ki20_30"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Sec3"> </A>
|
|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
|
|
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Ahab's Folly Reproved.</I></FONT></TD>
|
|
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 900.</TD></TR>
|
|
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
|
|
</TABLE>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>22 And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto
|
|
him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest:
|
|
for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up
|
|
against thee.
|
|
23 And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their
|
|
gods <I>are</I> gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than
|
|
we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we
|
|
shall be stronger than they.
|
|
24 And do this thing, Take the kings away, every man out of his
|
|
place, and put captains in their rooms:
|
|
25 And number thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost,
|
|
horse for horse, and chariot for chariot: and we will fight
|
|
against them in the plain, <I>and</I> surely we shall be stronger than
|
|
they. And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so.
|
|
26 And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Benhadad
|
|
numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against
|
|
Israel.
|
|
27 And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all
|
|
present, and went against them: and the children of Israel
|
|
pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the
|
|
Syrians filled the country.
|
|
28 And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of
|
|
Israel, and said, Thus saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, Because the Syrians have
|
|
said, The L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> <I>is</I> God of the hills, but he <I>is</I> not God of the
|
|
valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into
|
|
thine hand, and ye shall know that I <I>am</I> the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>.
|
|
29 And they pitched one over against the other seven days. And
|
|
<I>so</I> it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined: and
|
|
the children of Israel slew of the Syrians a hundred thousand
|
|
footmen in one day.
|
|
30 But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and <I>there</I> a
|
|
wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand of the men <I>that were</I>
|
|
left. And Benhadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner
|
|
chamber.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
We have here an account of another successful campaign which Ahab, by
|
|
divine aid, made against the Syrians, in which he gave them a greater
|
|
defeat than in the former. Strange! Ahab idolatrous and yet victorious,
|
|
a persecutor and yet a conqueror! God has wise and holy ends in
|
|
suffering wicked men to prosper, and glorifies his own name
|
|
thereby.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
I. Ahab is admonished by a prophet to prepare for another war,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:22"><I>v.</I> 22</A>.
|
|
|
|
It should seem, he was now secure, and looked but a little way before
|
|
him. Those that are careless of their souls are often as careless of
|
|
their outwards affairs; but the prophet (to whom God made known the
|
|
following counsels of the Syrians) told him they would renew their
|
|
attempt at the return of the year, hoping to retrieve the honour they
|
|
had lost and be avenged for the blow they had received. He therefore
|
|
bade him strengthen himself, put himself into a posture of defence, and
|
|
be ready to give them a warm reception. God had decreed the end, but
|
|
Ahab must use the means, else he tempts God: "Help thyself, strengthen
|
|
thyself, and God will help and strengthen thee." The enemies of God's
|
|
Israel are restless in their malice, and, though they may take some
|
|
breathing-time for themselves, yet they are still <I>breathing out
|
|
threatenings and slaughter</I> against the church. It concerns us
|
|
always to expect assaults from our spiritual enemies, and therefore to
|
|
mark and see what we do.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
II. Ben-hadad is advised by those about him concerning the operations
|
|
of the next campaign.
|
|
|
|
1. They advised him to <I>change his ground,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:23"><I>v.</I> 23</A>.
|
|
|
|
They took it for granted that it was not Israel, but Israel's gods,
|
|
that beat them (so great a regard was then universally had to invisible
|
|
powers); but they speak very ignorantly of Jehovah--that he was
|
|
<I>many,</I> whereas he is one and his name one,--that he was
|
|
<I>their</I> God only, a local deity, peculiar to that nation, whereas
|
|
he is the Creator and ruler of all the world,--and that he was a God
|
|
<I>of the hills</I> only, because David their great prophet had said,
|
|
<I>I will lift up my eyes to the hills whence cometh my help</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+121:1">Ps. cxxi. 1</A>),
|
|
|
|
and that <I>his foundation was in the holy mountain</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+87:1,Ps+78:54">Ps. lxxxvii. 1; lxxviii. 54</A>),
|
|
|
|
and much was said of his <I>holy hill</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+15:1,24:3">Ps. xv. 1; xxiv. 3</A>);
|
|
|
|
supposing him altogether such a one as their imaginary deities, they
|
|
fancied he was confined to his hills, and could not or would not come
|
|
down from them, and therefore an army in the valley would be below his
|
|
cognizance and from under his protection. Thus vain were the
|
|
<I>Gentiles in their imaginations</I> concerning God, so wretchedly
|
|
were <I>their foolish hearts darkened,</I> and, <I>professing
|
|
themselves to be wise, they became fools.</I>
|
|
|
|
2. They advised him to change his officers
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:24,25"><I>v.</I> 24, 25</A>),
|
|
|
|
not to employ the kings, who were commanders by birth, but captains
|
|
rather, who were commanders by merit, who were inured to war, would not
|
|
affect to make a show like the kings, but would go through with
|
|
business. Let every man be employed in that which he is brought up to
|
|
and used to, and preferred to that which he is fit for. Syria, it
|
|
seems, was rich and populous, when it could furnish recruits
|
|
sufficient, after so great a defeat, <I>horse for horse, chariot for
|
|
chariot.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
III. Both armies take the field. Ben-hadad, with his Syrians, encamps
|
|
near Aphek, in the tribe of Asher. It is probable that Asher was a city
|
|
in his own possession, one of those which his father had won
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:34"><I>v.</I> 34</A>),
|
|
|
|
and the country about it was flat and level, and fit for his purpose,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:26"><I>v.</I> 26</A>.
|
|
|
|
Ahab, with his forces, posted himself at some distance over against
|
|
them,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:27"><I>v.</I> 27</A>.
|
|
|
|
The disproportion of numbers was very remarkable. <I>The children of
|
|
Israel,</I> who were cantoned in two battalions, looked like <I>two
|
|
little flocks of kids,</I> their numbers small, their equipage mean,
|
|
and the figure they made contemptible; <I>but the Syrians filled the
|
|
country</I> with their numbers, their noise, their chariots, their
|
|
carriages, and their baggage.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
IV. Ahab is encouraged to fight the Syrians, notwithstanding their
|
|
advantages and confidence. A man of God is sent to him, to tell him
|
|
that this numerous army shall <I>all be delivered into his hand</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:28"><I>v.</I> 28</A>),
|
|
|
|
but not for his sake; be it known to him, he is utterly unworthy for
|
|
whom God will do this. God would not do it because Ahab had praised God
|
|
or prayed to him (we do not read that he did either), but because the
|
|
Syrians had blasphemed God, and had said, He is <I>the God of the hills
|
|
and not of the valleys;</I> therefore God will do it in his own
|
|
vindication, and to preserve the honour of his own name. If the Syrians
|
|
had said, "Ahab and his people have forgotten their God, and so put
|
|
themselves out of his protection, and therefore we may venture to
|
|
attack them," God would probably have delivered Israel into their
|
|
hands; but when they go upon a presumption so very injurious to the
|
|
divine omnipotence, and the honour of him who is Lord of all hosts, not
|
|
only in hills and valleys, but in heaven and earth, which they are
|
|
willingly ignorant of, they shall be undeceived, at the expense of that
|
|
vast army which is so much their pride and confidence.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
V. After the armies had faced one another seven days (the Syrians, it
|
|
is likely, boasting, and the Israelites trembling), they engaged, and
|
|
the Syrians were totally routed, 100,000 men slain by the sword of
|
|
Israel in the field of battle
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:29"><I>v.</I> 29</A>),
|
|
|
|
and 27,000 men, that thought themselves safe <I>under the walls of
|
|
Aphek,</I> a fortified city (from the walls of which the shooters might
|
|
annoy the enemy if they pursued them,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Sa+11:24">2 Sam. xi. 24</A>),
|
|
|
|
found their bane where they hoped for protection: the wall fell upon
|
|
them, probably overthrown by an earthquake, and, the cities of Canaan
|
|
being walled up to heaven, it reached a great way, and they were all
|
|
killed, or hurt, or overwhelmed with dismay. Ben-hadad, who thought his
|
|
city Aphek would hold out against the conquerors, finding it thus
|
|
unwalled, and the remnant of his forces dispirited and dispersed, had
|
|
nothing but secresy to rely upon for safety, and therefore hid himself
|
|
in <I>a chamber within a chamber,</I> lest the pursuers should seize
|
|
him. See how the greatest confidence often ends in the greatest
|
|
cowardice. "Now is the God of Israel the <I>God of the valleys</I> or
|
|
no?" He shall know now that he is forced <I>into an inner chamber to
|
|
hide himself,</I> see
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+22:25"><I>ch.</I> xxii. 25</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="1Ki20_31"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="1Ki20_32"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="1Ki20_33"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="1Ki20_34"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="1Ki20_35"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="1Ki20_36"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="1Ki20_37"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="1Ki20_38"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="1Ki20_39"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="1Ki20_40"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="1Ki20_41"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="1Ki20_42"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="1Ki20_43"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>31 And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard
|
|
that the kings of the house of Israel <I>are</I> merciful kings: let
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us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our
|
|
heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he will
|
|
save thy life.
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|
32 So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and <I>put</I> ropes on
|
|
their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Thy
|
|
servant Benhadad saith, I pray thee, let me live. And he said,
|
|
<I>Is</I> he yet alive? he <I>is</I> my brother.
|
|
33 Now the men did diligently observe whether <I>any thing would
|
|
come</I> from him, and did hastily catch <I>it:</I> and they said, Thy
|
|
brother Benhadad. Then he said, Go ye, bring him. Then Benhadad
|
|
came forth to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot.
|
|
34 And <I>Benhadad</I> said unto him, The cities, which my father
|
|
took from thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt make streets
|
|
for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. Then <I>said
|
|
Ahab,</I> I will send thee away with this covenant. So he made a
|
|
covenant with him, and sent him away.
|
|
35 And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his
|
|
neighbour in the word of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, Smite me, I pray thee. And the
|
|
man refused to smite him.
|
|
36 Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the
|
|
voice of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me,
|
|
a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him,
|
|
a lion found him, and slew him.
|
|
37 Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee.
|
|
And the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded <I>him.</I>
|
|
38 So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way,
|
|
and disguised himself with ashes upon his face.
|
|
39 And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he
|
|
said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and,
|
|
behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said,
|
|
Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life
|
|
be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
|
|
40 And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And
|
|
the king of Israel said unto him, So <I>shall</I> thy judgment <I>be;</I>
|
|
thyself hast decided <I>it.</I>
|
|
41 And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; and
|
|
the king of Israel discerned him that he <I>was</I> of the prophets.
|
|
42 And he said unto him, Thus saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, Because thou hast
|
|
let go out of <I>thy</I> hand a man whom I appointed to utter
|
|
destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy
|
|
people for his people.
|
|
43 And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and
|
|
displeased, and came to Samaria.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
Here is an account of what followed upon the victory which Israel
|
|
obtained over the Syrians.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
I. Ben-hadad's tame and mean submission. Even in his inner chamber he
|
|
feared, and would, if he could, flee further, though none pursued. His
|
|
servants, seeing him and themselves reduced to the last extremity,
|
|
advised that they should surrender at discretion, and make themselves
|
|
prisoners and petitioners to Ahab for their lives,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:31"><I>v.</I> 31</A>.
|
|
|
|
The servants will put their lives in their hands, and venture first,
|
|
and their master will act according as they speed. Their inducement to
|
|
take this course is the great reputation the kings of Israel had for
|
|
clemency above any of their neighbours: "We have heard that they are
|
|
merciful kings, not oppressive to their subjects that are under their
|
|
power" (as governments then went, that of Israel was one of the most
|
|
easy and gentle), "and therefore not cruel to their enemies when they
|
|
lie at their mercy." Perhaps they had this notion of the kings of
|
|
Israel because they had heard that the God of Israel proclaimed his
|
|
name <I>gracious and merciful,</I> and they concluded their kings would
|
|
make their God their pattern. It was an honour to the kings of Israel
|
|
to be thus represented, as indeed every Israelite is then dressed as
|
|
becomes him when he <I>puts on bowels of mercies.</I> "They are
|
|
merciful kings, therefore we may hope to find mercy upon our
|
|
submission." This encouragement poor sinners have to repent and humble
|
|
themselves before God. "Have we not heard that the God of Israel is a
|
|
merciful God? Have we not found him so? Let us therefore rend our
|
|
hearts and return to him."
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Joe+2:13">Joel ii. 13</A>.
|
|
|
|
That is evangelical repentance which flows from an apprehension of the
|
|
mercy of God in Christ; <I>there is forgiveness with him.</I> Two
|
|
things Ben-hadad's servants undertake to represent to Ahab:--
|
|
|
|
1. Their master a penitent; for they <I>girded sackcloth on their
|
|
loins,</I> as mourners, and <I>put ropes on their heads,</I> as
|
|
condemned criminals going to execution, pretending to be sorry that
|
|
they had invaded his country and disturbed his repose, and owning that
|
|
they deserved to be hanged for it. Here they are ready to do penance
|
|
for it, and throw themselves at the feet of him whom they had injured.
|
|
Many pretend to repent of their wrong-doing, when it does not succeed,
|
|
who, if they had prospered in it, would have justified it and gloried
|
|
in it.
|
|
|
|
2. Their master a beggar, a beggar for his life: <I>Thy servant
|
|
Ben-hadad saith, "I pray thee, let me live,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:32"><I>v.</I> 32</A>.
|
|
|
|
Though I live a perpetual exile from my own country, and captive in
|
|
this, yet, upon any terms, <I>let me live.</I>" What a great change is
|
|
here,
|
|
|
|
(1.) In his condition! How has he fallen from the height of power and
|
|
prosperity to the depths of disgrace and distress, and all the miseries
|
|
of poverty and slavery! See the uncertainty of human affairs; such
|
|
turns are they subject to that the spoke which was uppermost may soon
|
|
come to be undermost.
|
|
|
|
(2.) In his temper--in the beginning of the chapter hectoring,
|
|
swearing, and threatening, and none more high in his demands, but here
|
|
crouching and whining and none more low in his requests! How meanly
|
|
does he beg hi life at the hand of him upon whom he had there been
|
|
trampling! The most haughty in prosperity are commonly most abject in
|
|
adversity: an even spirit will be the same in both conditions. See how
|
|
God glorified himself when he <I>looks upon proud men and abases them,
|
|
and hides them in the dust together,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Job+40:11-13">Job xl. 11-13</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
II. Ahab's foolish acceptance of his submission, and the league he
|
|
suddenly made with him upon it. He was proud to be thus courted by him
|
|
whom he had feared, and enquired for him with great tenderness: <I>Is
|
|
he yet alive? He is my brother,</I> brother-king, though not
|
|
brother-Israelite: and Ahab valued himself more upon his royalty than
|
|
on his religion, and others accordingly. "<I>Is he thy brother,
|
|
Ahab?</I> Did he use thee like a brother when he sent thee that
|
|
barbarous message?
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:5,6"><I>v.</I> 5, 6</A>.
|
|
|
|
Would he have called thee brother if he had been the conqueror? Would
|
|
he now have called himself <I>thy servant</I> if he had not been
|
|
reduced to the utmost strait? Canst thou suffer thyself to be thus
|
|
imposed upon by a forced and counterfeit submission?" This word
|
|
<I>brother</I> they caught at
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:33"><I>v.</I> 33</A>),
|
|
|
|
and were thereby encouraged to go and fetch him to the king. He that
|
|
calls him <I>brother</I> will let him live. Let poor penitents hear
|
|
God, in his word, calling them <I>children</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+31:20">Jer. xxxi. 20</A>),
|
|
|
|
catch at it, echo to it, and call him <I>Father.</I> Ben-hadad, upon
|
|
his submission, shall not only be honourably conveyed (he <I>took him
|
|
up into the chariot</I>), but treated with as an ally
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:34"><I>v.</I> 34</A>):
|
|
|
|
he <I>made a covenant with him,</I> not consulting God's prophets, or
|
|
the elders of the land, or himself, concerning what was fit to be
|
|
insisted on, but, as if Ben-hadad had been conqueror, he shall make his
|
|
own terms. He might now have demanded some of Ben-hadad's cities, when
|
|
all of them lay at the mercy of his victorious army; but was content
|
|
with the restitution of his own. He might now have demanded the stores,
|
|
and treasures, and magazines of Damascus, to augment the wealth and
|
|
strength of his own kingdom, but was content with a poor liberty, at
|
|
his own expense, to build streets there, a point of honour and no
|
|
advantage, or no more than what the kings of Syria had had in Samaria,
|
|
though they had never had so much power as he had now to support the
|
|
demand of it. With this covenant he sent him away, without so much as
|
|
reproving him for his blasphemous reflections upon the God of Israel,
|
|
for whose honour Ahab had no concern. Note, There are those on whom
|
|
success is ill bestowed; they know not how to serve God, or their
|
|
generation, or even their own true interests, with their prosperity.
|
|
<I>Let favour be shown to the wicked, yet will he not learn
|
|
righteousness.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
III. The reproof given to Ahab for his clemency to Ben-hadad and his
|
|
covenant with him. It was given him by a prophet, in the name of the
|
|
Lord, the Jews say by Micaiah, and not unlikely, for Ahab complains of
|
|
him
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+22:8"><I>ch.</I> xxii. 8</A>)
|
|
|
|
that he used to <I>prophesy evil concerning him.</I> This prophet
|
|
designed to reprove Ahab by a parable, that he might oblige him to
|
|
condemn himself, as Nathan and the woman of Tekoa did David. To make
|
|
his parable the more plausible, he finds it necessary to put himself
|
|
into the posture of a wounded soldier.
|
|
|
|
1. With some difficulty he gets himself wounded, for he would not wound
|
|
himself with his own hands. He commanded one of his brother prophets,
|
|
his <I>neighbour,</I> or <I>companion</I> (for so the word signifies),
|
|
to smite him, and this in God's name
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:35"><I>v.</I> 35</A>),
|
|
|
|
but finds him not so willing to give the blow as he is to receive it;
|
|
he refused to smite him: others, he thought, were forward enough to
|
|
smite prophets, they need not smite one another. We cannot but think it
|
|
was from a good principle he declined it. "If it must be done, let
|
|
another do it, not I; I cannot find it in my heart to strike my
|
|
friend." Good men can much more easily receive a wrongful blow than
|
|
give one; yet because he disobeyed an express command of God (which was
|
|
so much the worse if he was himself a prophet), like that other
|
|
disobedient prophet
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+13:24"><I>ch.</I> xiii. 24</A>),
|
|
|
|
he was presently <I>slain by a lion,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:36"><I>v.</I> 36</A>.
|
|
|
|
This was intended, not only to show, in general, how provoking
|
|
disobedience is
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Col+3:6">Col. iii. 6</A>),
|
|
|
|
but to intimate to Ahab (who no doubt was told the story) that if a
|
|
good prophet were thus punished for sparing his friend and God's, when
|
|
God said, <I>Smite,</I> of much sorer punishment should a wicked king
|
|
be thought worthy, who spared his enemy and God's, when God said,
|
|
<I>Smite. Shall mortal man</I> pretend to <I>be more just than God,
|
|
more pure</I> or more compassionate <I>than his Maker?</I> We must be
|
|
merciful as he is merciful, and not otherwise. The next he met with
|
|
made no difficulty of smiting him (<I>Volentinon fit injuria</I>--<I>He
|
|
that asks for an injury is not wronged by it</I>) and did it so that he
|
|
<I>wounded him,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:37"><I>v.</I> 37</A>.
|
|
|
|
He fetched blood with the blow, probably in his face.
|
|
|
|
2. Wounded as he was, and disguised with ashes that he might not be
|
|
known to be a prophet, he made his application to the king in a story
|
|
wherein he charged himself with such a crime as the king was now guilty
|
|
of in sparing Ben-hadad, and waited for the king's judgment upon it.
|
|
The case in short is this--A prisoner taken in the battle was committed
|
|
to his custody by a man (we may suppose one that had authority over him
|
|
as his superior officer) with this charge, <I>If he be missing, thy
|
|
life shall be for his life,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:39"><I>v.</I> 39</A>.
|
|
|
|
The prisoner has made his escape through his carelessness. Can the
|
|
chancery in the king's breast relieve him against his captain, who
|
|
demands his life in lieu of the prisoner's? "By no means," says the
|
|
king, "thou shouldst either not have undertaken the trust or been more
|
|
careful and faithful to it; there is no remedy (<I>Currat
|
|
lex</I>--<I>Let the law take its course</I>), thou hast forfeited thy
|
|
bond, and execution must go out upon it: <I>So shall thy doom be, thou
|
|
thyself hast decided it.</I>" Now the prophet has what he would have,
|
|
puts off his disguise, and is known by Ahab himself to be a prophet
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:41"><I>v.</I> 41</A>)
|
|
|
|
and plainly tells him, "<I>Thou art the man.</I> Is it <I>my</I> doom?
|
|
No, it is <I>thine; thou thyself hast decided it.</I> Out of thy own
|
|
mouth art thou judged. God, thy superior and commander-in-chief,
|
|
delivered into thy hands one plainly marked for destruction both by his
|
|
own pride and God's providence, and thou hast not carelessly lost him,
|
|
but wittingly and willingly dismissed him, and so hast been false to
|
|
thy trust, and lost the end of thy victory; expect therefore no other
|
|
than that <I>thy life shall go for his life,</I> which thou hast
|
|
spared" (and so it did,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+22:35"><I>ch.</I> xxii. 35</A>),
|
|
|
|
"and thy <I>people for his people,</I> whom likewise thou hast spared,"
|
|
and so they did afterwards,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+10:32,33">2 Kings x. 32, 33</A>.
|
|
|
|
When their other sins brought them low, this came into the account.
|
|
There is a time when <I>keeping back the sword from blood</I> is
|
|
<I>doing the work of the Lord deceitfully,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Jer+48:10">Jer. xlviii. 10</A>.
|
|
|
|
Foolish pity spoils the city.
|
|
|
|
3. We are told how Ahab resented this reproof. He <I>went to his house
|
|
heavy and displeased</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+20:43"><I>v.</I> 43</A>),
|
|
|
|
not truly penitent, or seeking to undo what he had done amiss, but
|
|
enraged at the prophet, exasperated against God (as if he had been too
|
|
severe in the sentence passed upon him), and yet vexed at himself,
|
|
every way out of humour, notwithstanding his victory. He who by his
|
|
providence had mortified the pride of one king, by his word cast a damp
|
|
upon the triumphs of another. <I>Be wise therefore, O you kings! and be
|
|
instructed to serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+2:10,11">Ps. ii. 10, 11</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
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