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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>S E C O N D K I N G S</B></FONT>
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<BR>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. XIV.</FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
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</CENTER>
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<FONT SIZE=-1>
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<P>
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This chapter continues the history of the succession in the kingdoms
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both of Judah and Israel.
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I. In the kingdom of Judah here is,
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1. The entire history (as much as is recorded in this book) of
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Amaziah's reign
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(1.) His good character,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:1-4">ver. 1-4</A>.
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(2.) The justice he executed on the murderers of his father,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:5,6">ver. 5, 6</A>.
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(3.) His victory over the Edomites,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:7">ver. 7</A>.
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(4.) His war with Joash, and his defeat in that war,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:8-14">ver. 8-14</A>.
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(5.) His fall, as last, by a conspiracy against him,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:17-20">ver. 17-20</A>.
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2. The beginning of the history of Azariah,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:21,22">ver. 21, 22</A>.
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II. In the kingdom of Israel, the conclusion of the reign of Joash
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:15,16">ver. 15, 16</A>),
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and the entire history of Jeroboam his son, the second of that name,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:23-29">ver. 23-29</A>.
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How many great men are made to stand in a little compass in God's
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book!</P>
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</FONT>
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<A NAME="2Ki14_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki14_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki14_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki14_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki14_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki14_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki14_7"> </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>The Reign of Amaziah.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 828.</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 In the second year of Joash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel
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reigned Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah.
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2 He was twenty and five years old when he began to reign, and
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reigned twenty and nine years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name
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<I>was</I> Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.
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3 And he did <I>that which was</I> right in the sight of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>,
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yet not like David his father: he did according to all things as
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Joash his father did.
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4 Howbeit the high places were not taken away: as yet the
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people did sacrifice and burnt incense on the high places.
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5 And it came to pass, as soon as the kingdom was confirmed in
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his hand, that he slew his servants which had slain the king his
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father.
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6 But the children of the murderers he slew not: according unto
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that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, wherein
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the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> commanded, saying, The fathers shall not be put to death
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for the children, nor the children be put to death for the
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fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
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7 He slew of Edom in the valley of salt ten thousand, and took
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Selah by war, and called the name of it Joktheel unto this day.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Amaziah, the son and successor of Joash, is the king whom here we have
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an account of. Let us take a view of him,</P>
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<P>
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I. In the temple; and there he acted, in some measure, well, like
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Joash, but not like David,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:3"><I>v.</I> 3</A>.
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He began well, but did not persevere: He <I>did that which was right in
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the sight of the Lord,</I> kept up his attendance on God's altars and
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his attention to God's word, yet not like David. It is not enough to do
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that which our pious predecessors did, merely to keep up the usage, but
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we must do it <I>as</I> they did it, from the same principle of faith
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and devotion and with the same sincerity and resolution. It is here
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taken notice of, as before, that <I>the high places were not taken
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away,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>.
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It is hard to get clear of those corruptions which, by long usage, have
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gained both prescription and a favourable opinion.</P>
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<P>
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II. On the bench; and there we have him doing justice on the traitors
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that murdered his father, not as soon as ever he came to the crown,
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lest it should occasion some disturbance, but he prudently deferred it
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till <I>the kingdom was confirmed in his hand,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>.
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To weaken a factious party gradually, when it is not safe to provoke,
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often proves the way to ruin it effectually. Justice strikes surely by
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striking slowly, and is often executed most prudently when it is not
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executed presently. Wisdom here is profitable to direct. Amaziah did
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thus,
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1. According to the rule of the law, that ancient rule, that <I>he
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that sheds man's blood by man shall his blood be shed.</I> Never let
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traitors or murderers expect to come to their graves like other men.
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<I>Let them flee to the pit, and let no man stay them.</I>
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2. Under the limitation of the law: <I>The children of the murderers he
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slew not,</I> because the law of Moses had expressly provided that
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<I>the children should not be put to death for the fathers,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:6"><I>v.</I> 6</A>.
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It is probable that this is taken notice of because there were those
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about him that advised him to that rigour, both in revenge (because the
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crime was extraordinary--the murder of a king) and in policy, that the
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children might not plot against him, in revenge of their father's
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death. But against these insinuations he opposed the express law of God
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=De+24:16">Deut. xxiv. 16</A>),
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which he was to judge by, and which he resolved to adhere to and trust
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God with the issue. God visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the
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children, because every man is guilty before him and owes him a death;
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so that, if he require the life for the father's sin, he does not
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wrong, the sinner having forfeited it already by his own. But he does
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not allow earthly princes to do thus: the children, before them, are
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innocent, and therefore must not suffer as guilty.</P>
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<P>
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III. In the field; and there we find him triumphing over the Edomites,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>.
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Edom had <I>revolted from under the hand of Judah</I> in Joram's time,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+8:22"><I>ch.</I> viii. 22</A>.
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Now he makes war upon them to bring them back to their allegiance,
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kills 10,000 and takes the chief city of Arabia the stony (called
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<I>Selah</I>--<I>a rock</I>), and gave it a new name. We shall find a
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larger account of this expedition,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+25:5-13">2 Chron. xxv. 5</A>,
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&c.</P>
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<A NAME="2Ki14_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki14_9"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki14_10"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki14_11"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki14_12"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki14_13"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki14_14"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>8 Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz
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son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, Come, let us look one
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another in the face.
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9 And Jehoash the king of Israel sent to Amaziah king of Judah,
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saying, The thistle that <I>was</I> in Lebanon sent to the cedar that
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<I>was</I> in Lebanon, saying, Give thy daughter to my son to wife:
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and there passed by a wild beast that <I>was</I> in Lebanon, and trode
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down the thistle.
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10 Thou hast indeed smitten Edom, and thine heart hath lifted
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thee up: glory <I>of this,</I> and tarry at home: for why shouldest
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thou meddle to <I>thy</I> hurt, that thou shouldest fall, <I>even</I> thou,
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and Judah with thee?
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11 But Amaziah would not hear. Therefore Jehoash king of Israel
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went up; and he and Amaziah king of Judah looked one another in
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the face at Beth-shemesh, which <I>belongeth</I> to Judah.
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12 And Judah was put to the worse before Israel; and they fled
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every man to their tents.
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13 And Jehoash king of Israel took Amaziah king of Judah, the
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son of Jehoash the son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and came to
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Jerusalem, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem from the gate of
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Ephraim unto the corner gate, four hundred cubits.
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14 And he took all the gold and silver, and all the vessels
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that were found in the house of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, and in the treasures of
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the king's house, and hostages, and returned to Samaria.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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For several successions after the division of the kingdoms that of
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Judah suffered much by the <I>enmity</I> of Israel. After Asa's time,
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for several successions, it suffered more by the <I>friendship</I> of
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Israel, and by the alliance and affinity made with them. But now we
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meet with hostility between them again, which had not been for some
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ages before.</P>
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<P>
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I. Amaziah, upon no provocation, and without showing any cause of
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quarrel, challenged Joash into the field
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>):
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"<I>Come, let us look one another in the face;</I> let us try our
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strength in battle." Had he challenged him to a personal duel only, the
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error would have remained with himself, but each must bring all their
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forces into the field, and thousands of lives on both sides must be
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sacrificed to his capricious humour. Hereby he showed himself proud,
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presumptuous, and prodigal of blood. Some think that he intended to
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avenge the injury which the dismissed disgusted Israelites had lately
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done to his country, in their return
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+25:13">2 Chron. xxv. 13</A>),
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and that he had also the vanity to think of subduing the kingdom of
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Israel, and reuniting it to Judah. A <I>fool's lips thus enter into
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contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes.</I> Those that challenge
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are chargeable with that beginning of strife, which is as the letting
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forth of water. He that is eager either to fight or to go to law may
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perhaps have enough of it quickly, and be the first that repents
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it.</P>
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<P>
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II. Joash sent him a grave rebuke for his challenge, with advice to
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withdraw it,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:9,10"><I>v.</I> 9, 10</A>.
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1. He mortifies his pride, by comparing himself to a cedar, a stately
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tree, and Amaziah to a thistle, a sorry weed, telling him he was so far
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from fearing him that he despised him, and scorned as much to have any
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thing to do with him, or make any alliance with him, as the cedar would
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to match his daughter to a thistle. The ancient house of David he
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thinks not worthy to be named the same day with the house of Jehu,
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though an upstart. How may a humble man smile to hear two proud and
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scornful men set their wits on work to vilify and undervalue one
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another!
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2. He foretels his fall: <I>A wild beast trode down the thistle,</I>
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and so put an end to his treaty with the cedar; so easily does Joash
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think his forces can crush Amaziah, and so unable does he think him to
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make any resistance.
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3. He shows him the folly of his challenge: "<I>Thou hast indeed
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smitten Edom,</I> a weak, unarmed, undisciplined body of men, and
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therefore thinkest thou canst carry all before thee and subdue the
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regular forces of Israel with as much ease. <I>Thy heart has lifted
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thee up.</I>" See where the root of all sin lies; it is in the heart,
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thence it flows, and that must bear the blame. It is not Providence,
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the event, the occasion (whatever it is), that makes men proud, or
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secure, or discontented, or the like, but it is their own heart that
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does it. "Thou art proud of the blow thou hast given to Edom, as if
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that had made thee formidable to all mankind." Those wretchedly deceive
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themselves that magnify their own performances, and, because they have
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been blessed with some little success and reputation, conclude
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themselves fit for any thing and no less sure of it.
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4. He counsels him to be content with the honour he has won, and not to
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hazard that, by grasping at more that was out of his reach: <I>Why
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shouldst thou meddle to thy hurt,</I> as fools often do, that will be
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meddling?
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Pr+20:3">Prov. xx. 3</A>.
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Many would have had wealth and honour enough if they had but known when
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they had enough. He warns him of the consequence, that it would be
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fatal not to himself only, but to his kingdom, which he ought to
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protect.</P>
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<P>
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III. Amaziah persisted in his resolution, and the issue was bad; he had
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better have tarried at home, for Joash gave him such a look in the face
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as put him to confusion. Challengers commonly prove to be on the losing
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side.
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1. His army was routed and dispersed,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:12"><I>v.</I> 12</A>.
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Josephus says, When they were to engage they were struck with such
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terror that they did not strike a stroke, but every one made the best
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of his way.
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2. He himself was taken prisoner by the king of Israel, and then had
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enough of <I>looking him in the face.</I> Amaziah's pedigree comes in
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here somewhat abruptly (<I>the son of Joash, the son of Ahaziah</I>),
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because perhaps he had gloried in the dignity of his ancestors, or
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because he now smarted for their iniquity.
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3. The conqueror entered Jerusalem, which tamely opened to him, and yet
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he broke down their wall (and, as Josephus says, drove his chariot in
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triumph through the breach), in reproach to them, and that he might,
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when he pleased, take possession of the royal city.
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4. He plundered Jerusalem, took away all that was valuable, and
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returned to Samaria, laden with spoils,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:14"><I>v.</I> 14</A>.
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It was said of Joash that he did that which was <I>evil in the sight of
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the Lord,</I> and of Amaziah that he did <I>that which was right;</I>
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and yet Joash triumphs thus over Amaziah, and why so? Because God would
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show, in Amaziah's fate, that he resists the proud, or because,
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whatever they were otherwise, Joash had lately been respectful to one
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of God's prophets
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+13:14"><I>ch.</I> xiii. 14</A>),
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but Amaziah had been abusive to another
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+25:16">2 Chron. xxv. 16</A>),
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and God will honour those who honour him in his prophets, but those who
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despise them, and him in them, shall be lightly esteemed.</P>
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<A NAME="2Ki14_15"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki14_16"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki14_17"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki14_18"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki14_19"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki14_20"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki14_21"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki14_22"> </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>Reign of Jeroboam, King of Israel.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 825.</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>15 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his
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might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, <I>are</I> they
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not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
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16 And Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was buried in
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Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son reigned in
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his stead.
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17 And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the
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death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years.
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18 And the rest of the acts of Amaziah, <I>are</I> they not written
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in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
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19 Now they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusalem: and he
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fled to Lachish; but they sent after him to Lachish, and slew him
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there.
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20 And they brought him on horses: and he was buried at
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Jerusalem with his fathers in the city of David.
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21 And all the people of Judah took Azariah, which <I>was</I>
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|
sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father
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Amaziah.
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22 He built Elath, and restored it to Judah, after that the
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king slept with his fathers.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Here are three kings brought to their graves in these few verses:--
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1. Joash king of Israel,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:15,16"><I>v.</I> 15, 16</A>.
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We attended his funeral once before,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+13:12,13"><I>ch.</I> xiii. 12, 13</A>.
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But, because the historian had occasion to give a further account of
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his life and actions, he again mentions his death and burial.
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2. Amaziah king of Judah. Fifteen years he survived his conqueror the
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king of Israel,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:17"><I>v.</I> 17</A>.
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A man may live a great while after he has been shamed, may be
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thoroughly mortified (as Amaziah no doubt was) and yet not dead. His
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acts are said to be found written in his annals
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:18"><I>v.</I> 18</A>),
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but not his might; for his cruelty when he was a conqueror over the
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Edomites, and his insolence when he challenged the king of Israel,
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showed him void of true courage. He was slain by his own subjects, who
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|
hated him for his maladministration
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:19"><I>v.</I> 19</A>)
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and made Jerusalem too hot for him, the ignominious breach made in
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their walls being occasioned by his folly and presumption. He fled to
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Lachish. How long he continued concealed or sheltered there we are not
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|
told, but, at last, he was there murdered,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:19"><I>v.</I> 19</A>.
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No further did the rage of the rebels extend, for they brought him in a
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chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him there among his ancestors.
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3. Azariah succeeded Amaziah, but not till twelve years after his
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father's death, for Amaziah died in the fifteenth year of Jeroboam (as
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|
appears by comparing
|
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:23,2Ki+13:2"><I>v.</I> 23 with <I>v.</I> 2</A>),
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but Azariah did not begin his reign till the twenty-seventh of Jeroboam
|
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+15:1"><I>ch.</I> xv. 1</A>),
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for he was but four years old at the death of his father, so that, for
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twelve years, till he came to be sixteen, the government was in the
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hands of protectors. He reigned very long
|
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+15:2"><I>ch.</I> xv. 2</A>)
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and yet the account of his reign is here industriously huddled up, and
|
|
broken off abruptly
|
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:22"><I>v.</I> 22</A>):
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<I>He built Elath</I> (which had belonged to the Edomites, but, it is
|
|
probable, was recovered by his father,
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|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>),
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<I>after that the king slept with his fathers,</I> as if that had been
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all he did that was worth mentioning, or rather it is meant of king
|
|
Amaziah: he built it soon after Amaziah died.</P>
|
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|
<A NAME="2Ki14_23"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki14_24"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki14_25"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki14_26"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki14_27"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki14_28"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki14_29"> </A>
|
|
|
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<P>
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|
<FONT SIZE=+1>23 In the fifteenth year of Amaziah the son of Joash king of
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Judah Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel began to reign in
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Samaria, <I>and reigned</I> forty and one years.
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24 And he did <I>that which was</I> evil in the sight of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>:
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|
he departed not from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat,
|
|
who made Israel to sin.
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|
25 He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath
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|
unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> God
|
|
of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the
|
|
son of Amittai, the prophet, which <I>was</I> of Gath-hepher.
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26 For the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> saw the affliction of Israel, <I>that it was</I>
|
|
very bitter: for <I>there was</I> not any shut up, nor any left, nor
|
|
any helper for Israel.
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|
27 And the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> said not that he would blot out the name of
|
|
Israel from under heaven: but he saved them by the hand of
|
|
Jeroboam the son of Joash.
|
|
28 Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did,
|
|
and his might, how he warred, and how he recovered Damascus, and
|
|
Hamath, <I>which belonged</I> to Judah, for Israel, are they not
|
|
written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
|
|
29 And Jeroboam slept with his fathers, <I>even</I> with the kings
|
|
of Israel; and Zachariah his son reigned in his stead.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
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|
<P>
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|
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|
Here is an account of the reign of Jeroboam the second. I doubt it is
|
|
an indication of the affection and adherence of the house of Jehu to
|
|
the sins of <I>Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin,</I>
|
|
that they called an heir-apparent to the crown by his name, thinking
|
|
that an honourable name which in the book of God is infamous and
|
|
stigmatized as much as any.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
I. His reign was long, the longest of all the reigns of the kings of
|
|
Israel: <I>He reigned forty-one years;</I> yet his contemporary
|
|
Azariah, the king of Judah, reigned longer, even fifty-two years. This
|
|
Jeroboam reigned just as long as Asa had done
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+15:10">1 Kings xv. 10</A>),
|
|
|
|
yet one did that which was good and the other that which was evil. We
|
|
cannot measure men's characters by the length of their lives or by
|
|
their outward prosperity. <I>There is one event to the righteous and to
|
|
the wicked.</I></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
II. His character was the same with that of the rest of those kings:
|
|
<I>He did that which was evil</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:24"><I>v.</I> 24</A>),
|
|
|
|
for <I>he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam;</I> he kept up the
|
|
worship of the calves, and never left that, thinking there was no harm
|
|
in it, because it had been the way of all his ancestors and
|
|
predecessors. But a sin is never the less evil in God's sight, whatever
|
|
it is in ours, for its being an ancient usage; and a frivolous plea it
|
|
will be against doing good, that we have been accustomed to do
|
|
evil.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
III. Yet he prospered more than most of them, for though, in that one
|
|
thing, he did evil in the sight of the Lord, yet it is likely, in other
|
|
respects, there was some good found in him and therefore God owned him,
|
|
|
|
1. By prophecy. He raised up Jonah the son of Amittai, a Galilean (so
|
|
much were those mistaken that said, <I>Out of Galilee ariseth no
|
|
prophet,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Joh+7:52">John vii. 52</A>),
|
|
|
|
and by him intimated the purposes of his favour to Israel,
|
|
notwithstanding their provocations, encouraged him and his kingdom to
|
|
take up arms for the recovery of their ancient possessions, and (which
|
|
would contribute not a little to their success) assured them of
|
|
victory. It is a sign that God has not cast off his people if he
|
|
continue faithful ministers among them; when Elisha, who strengthened
|
|
the hands of Joash, was removed, Jonah was sent to encourage his son.
|
|
Happy is the land that has a succession of prophets running parallel
|
|
with a succession of princes, that the word of the Lord may endure for
|
|
ever. Of this Jonah we read much in that little book of scripture that
|
|
bears his name. It is probable that it was when he was a young man, and
|
|
fit for such an expedition, that God sent him to Nineveh, and that it
|
|
was when he had yet been but a little conversant with the visions of
|
|
God that he flew off and fretted as he did; and, if so, this is an
|
|
undoubted evidence of the forgiveness of his faults and follies, that
|
|
he was afterwards employed as a messenger of mercy to Israel. A
|
|
commission amounts to a pardon, and he that had himself found mercy,
|
|
notwithstanding his provocations, could the better encourage them with
|
|
the hope of mercy notwithstanding theirs. Some that have been foolish
|
|
and passionate, and have gone about their work very awkwardly at first,
|
|
yet afterwards have proved useful and eminent. Men must not be thrown
|
|
away for every fault.
|
|
|
|
2. By providence. The event was <I>according to the word of the
|
|
Lord:</I> his arms were successful; he <I>restored the coast of
|
|
Israel,</I> recovered those frontier-towns and countries that lay from
|
|
Hamath in the north to the sea of the plain, (that is, the sea of
|
|
Sodom) in the south, all which the Syrians had possessed themselves of,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:25"><I>v.</I> 25</A>.
|
|
|
|
Two reasons are here given why God blessed them with those victories:--
|
|
|
|
(1.) Because their distress was very great, which made them the objects
|
|
of his compassion,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:26"><I>v.</I> 26</A>.
|
|
|
|
Though he saw not any signs of their repentance and formation, yet
|
|
<I>he saw their affliction, that it was very bitter.</I> Those that
|
|
lived in those countries which the enemies were masters of were
|
|
miserably oppressed and enslaved, and could call nothing their own; the
|
|
rest, we may suppose, were much impoverished by the frequent incursions
|
|
the enemy made upon them to plunder them, and continually terrified by
|
|
their threatenings, so that <I>there was none shut up or left,</I> both
|
|
towns and countries were laid waste and stripped of their wealth, and
|
|
no helper appeared. To this extremity were they reduced, in many parts
|
|
of the country, in the beginning of Jeroboam's reign, when God, in mere
|
|
pity to them, heard the cry of their affliction (for no mention is made
|
|
here of the cry of their prayers), and wrought this deliverance for
|
|
them by the hand of Jeroboam. Let those whose case is pitiable take
|
|
comfort from the divine pity; we read of God's bowels of mercy
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+63:15,Jer+31:20">Isa. lxiii. 15; Jer. xxxi. 20</A>)
|
|
|
|
and that he is full of compassion,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+86:15">Ps. lxxxvi. 15</A>.
|
|
|
|
(2.) Because the decree had not yet gone forth for their utter
|
|
destruction; he had not as yet said <I>he would blot out the name of
|
|
Israel</I>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:27"><I>v.</I> 27</A>),
|
|
|
|
and because he had not said it he would not do it. If this be
|
|
understood of the dispersion of the ten tribes, he did say it and do
|
|
it, for that name still remains under heaven in the <I>gospel
|
|
Israel,</I> and will to the end of time; and because they, at present,
|
|
bore that name which was to have this lasting honour, he showed them
|
|
this favour, as well as for the sake of the ancient honour of that
|
|
name,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+13:23"><I>ch.</I> xiii. 23</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
IV. Here is the conclusion of Jeroboam's reign. We read
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:28"><I>v.</I> 28</A>)
|
|
|
|
of his might, and how he warred, but
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+14:29"><I>v.</I> 29</A>)
|
|
|
|
he <I>slept with his fathers;</I> for the mightiest must yield to
|
|
death, and there is no discharge in that war. Many prophets there had
|
|
been in Israel, a constant succession of them in every age, but none of
|
|
the prophets had left any of their prophecies in writing till those of
|
|
this age began to do it, and their prophecies are part of the canon of
|
|
scripture. It was in the reign of this Jeroboam that <I>Hosea</I> (who
|
|
continued very long a prophet) began to prophesy, and he was the first
|
|
that wrote his prophecies; therefore the word of the Lord by him is
|
|
called <I>the beginning of the word of the Lord,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ho+1:2">Hos. i. 2</A>.
|
|
|
|
Then <I>that part of the word of the Lord</I> began to be written. At
|
|
the same time <I>Amos</I> prophesied, and wrote his prophecy, soon
|
|
afterwards <I>Micah,</I> and then <I>Isaiah,</I> in the days of Ahaz
|
|
and Hezekiah. Thus God never left himself without witness, but, in the
|
|
darkest and most degenerate ages of the church, raised up some to be
|
|
burning and shining lights in it to their own age by their preaching
|
|
and living, and a few by their writings to reflect light upon us on
|
|
whom the ends of the world have come.</P>
|
|
|
|
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