'stronger than they. And he hearkened unto their voice and did 26 so. And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Benha dad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight 27 against Israel.* And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all present, all they could get together, 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 LORD, Because the Syrians, have said, the LORD [is] God of the hills, but he [is] not God of the vallies therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD, the univer29 sal Lord of all places, persons and things. And they pitched one over against the other seven days before the battle, because the Israelites were on a hill, and the Syrians waited till they came down. And [so] it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hun30 dred thousand footmen in one day. But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city, or, over, the wall of the city, to defend it; and [there] a wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand of the men [that were] left. And Benhadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber; the Hebrew signifies, into a chamber within a chamber, where he hid himself. 31 And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel [are] merciful kings; they bear that character, by the manner in which they treated their captives taken in former actions: let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, in token of sorrow, and ropes upon our heads, to denote the punishment we deserve, and that we are ready to surrender at discretion, and go out to the king of Israel: perad32 venture he will save thy life. So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and [put] 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, [Is] he yet alive? he [is] my brother; I am glad to hear he did not perish in battle; he is 33 my brother, as a king; not in religion, but in royalty. Now the men did diligently observe whether [any thing would come] from him, and did hastily catch [it ;] they watched for any word that might turn to their advantage; 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 34 chariot. And [Benhadad] said unto him, The cities, which my father took from thy father, I will restore, and thus make res Aphek was a fortified town, taken from the Israelites by Benhadad's father. Here they might secure a retreat, while they fought in the plain of Galilee, which lay near it. Here the honour of God was particularly concerned, lest he should be thought like the gods of the nations. Dr. Kennicott shows that the Hebrew word for wall may be justly rendered a burning avind. The rest fled into the city, and the burning wind fell upon twenty seven thousand of the men that were left. So, probably, Sennacherib's army was destroyed, 2 Kin, xix. 36. compared with w. 7. 1 35 titution for the damages done; and thou shalt make streets for nant with him, and sent him away; but he soon broke the cov- And a certain man of the sons of the prophets, who was train. ed up in the college or academy,* said unto his neighbour, another of the sons of the prophets, in the word of the LORD, by the divine command, Smite me, I pray thee, that I may appear like a wounded soldier. And the man thought it inhuman to do so, and refused 36 to smite him. Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he 37 was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him.t Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And 38 the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded [him.] So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face; he besmeared his 39 face with blood and dirt. 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, a commander, turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man a prisoner; if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, 40 or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver. And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So [shall] thy judgment [be ;] thyself hast decided [it,] it is no more than thou deservest for breach of orders; forgetting how he dismissed Benhadad willingly, while this 41 was done unwillingly. And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; and the king of Israel discerned him that he [was] of the prophets, either by his habit and gesture, or some of 42 his courtiers knew him. And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Because thou hast let go out of [thy] hand, a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, because he was a blasphemer of the God of Israel, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy 43 people for his people. And the king of Israel went to his house, heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria : this dreadful message from God, whose word he had found true, spoiled the joy of his victory. The Jews say it was Micaiah; and it is not unlikely, because Ahab said of him, that he only prophesied evil. †This punishment was not too severe, if we consider the manner in which he was comminded to sinite him. Being a son of the prophets, he well knew the meaning of a solemn charge, in the nine, or in the word, of the Lord. It was also an intimation to Ahab, that if a prophet was not spared for refusing to smite an innocent man at the word of the Lord, how should he escape for sparing an impious and tyrannical king. Ahab might have particular orders to put him to death; or it was intimated when God declared, v. 38, that he would deliver him into his hands. He should therefore have considered him as God's prisoner, and asked advice of the prophet how to dispose of him. 1 Three years after this Ahab was slain in battle by a Syrian, and Hazael brought heavy punisments upon the people for their continued impiety and idolatry. REFLECTIONS. 1. LET not him that putteth on the armour boast himself as he that putteth it off; let not him who is only preparing for action, triumph before the victory. This was perhaps the wisest speech Ahab ever made. It teaches us all to be humble and diffident; to watch always against our spiritual enemies; and not be confident in our own strength, but mark and see what we are to do, and how we may best secure ourselves. Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. 2. Let us reflect on the strange turns which human affairs sometimes take. See what haughty airs Benhahad gave himself; the dust of Samaria shall not suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me: but now, thy servant Benhadad saith, I pray thee let me live. Hence we should learn not to be proud when in high stations, and not to despise the weak and poor, who are our inferiors. We know not what will be on the morrow; what changes are before us. Let us therefore not provoke or insult any one; but make as few eneemies, and gain as many friends, as possible. 3. We should lament the ignorance and folly of these heathens. They had their topical gods; of different countries and different parts; gods of the trees, and vallies, and hills. While we are as tonished at it, let us lament the corruption of human nature, and the prevalence of ignorance and superstition, which was so contrary to the principles of reason; and thank God that we enjoy the light of the gospel, which gives us better notions; walk therefore as chil dren of the light and of the day. His 4. The mercy of God to others should be a motive to be reccnciled to him. Benhadad's servants pleaded that the king of Israel was a merciful king. The God of Israel is a merciful God. mercy extends to great offenders, when penitent; and still he forgives, that he may be feared. We should appear before him as penitents; with humility and submission of soul: and earnestly beg the life of our souls. Those who are ambassadors of Christ, as though God did beseech you by them, pray you in Christ's stead to be reconciled to God. CHAP. XXI. In which we have Ahab's desire of Naboth's vineyard; Jezebel's stratagem to gain it; the terrible message Elijah was sent with to Ahab; and the effect it had upon him. 1 A ND it came to pass after these things, Ahab's success in the war, and the reproof he had for sparing Benhadad, which aggravated his guilt, [that] Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which [was] in Jezreel, where Jezebel resided, hard by the 2 palace of Ahab king of Samaria. And Ahab spake unto Na both, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it [is] near unto mine house, on the hill where the palace stands, and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; [or] if it seem good to thee I will give thee 3 the worth of it in money.* And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my 4 fathers unto thee. And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he was so vexed at the disappointment, that he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread, nor see company. 5 : But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread? And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee [another] vineyard for it and he an7 swered, I will not give thee my vineyard. And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise [and] eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite; it is not becoming thy dignity, and power as a king, to lay to heart the denial of a subject. Show thyself an absolute prince, and seize upon it by force fear not, I will procure it for thee. Ahab wanted neither wit nor wickedness, but, compared with Jezebel, he was a mere novice. So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed [them] with his seal, his ring or signet, which could not be done without his consent: and this audacious woman sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that [were] in his city, dwelling with Naboth. And she wrote in the letters, saying, Pròclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people; intending to alarm their fears and raise their indignation, as if some grievous crime had been committed, and some heavy calamity was coming: and, as if it was all done with a pious design, she proclaims a fast, and orders Naboth to be set on high, that every body might see him, and hear what was alledged against him, and what defence he 10 would make: And set two men, sons of Belial before him, fellows of no conscience, who were ready to swear any thing for reward, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And [then] carry him out, and 1 stone him, that he may die. And the men of his city, [even] This was a fair proposal, had it been lawful for Naboth to have sold it; but the law of God forbade the Israelites to sell or alienate any ground, except in cases of extraordinary necessity, and then only till the year of jubilee. Lec. xxv. 23. Naboth probably thought he should never have it again if he sold it to the king, and that his successors would not part with it. + This was a false state of the case. He did not acquaint her with Naboth's reason, only intimates that he gave a short, surly answer; whereas he said, I may not do it ; it is conrary to my duty and conscience. They joined both God and the king in the accusation, that they might the better work an ail sorts of people. If he blasphemed God, he would have been put to death, but his estate would not have been forfeited: but, if God and the king, the Jews say, his house, goods, and estate were confiscated. the elders, and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, [and] as it [was] written in 12 the letters which she had sent unto them.* They proclaimed a 13 fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, [even] against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Denying the king the vineyard, was not blaspheming him; pleading the authority of God's law for the refusal, was not blaspheming God. But so obsequious were these men to Jezebel, that they made no scruple to commit this great wickedness in order to condemn him. Then they carried him forth out of the city, to testify their desire that the wickedness might be removed, and the city not polluted; and stoned him with stones that he died. In 2 Kings ix. 26. it is said that his sons also were stoned, that none 14 might be left to claim the vineyard. Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead; she heard this with a malicious pleasure. 15 And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jazreelite, which he refused to give thee for money for Naboth is not alive, but dead; thou wouldst have given him money, but I have found out a 16 way to put thee in possession without expense. And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down in great pomp (2 Kings ix. 25.) to the vineyard' of Naboth the Jezreelite to take possession of it. 17 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, say18 ing, Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which [is] in Samaria, whose throne and common residence is there, behold, [he is] in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to 19 possess it. And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where, or, (as it should be rendered,) in the manner that dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine. Elijah went boldly to deliver the message; and as soon as Ahab saw him, his conscience was awakened, and told him that he had made God, and consequently his prophet, his enemy; 20 and therefore he begins before Elijah said any thing. And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? wilt thou never suffer me to be quiet? He supposed that it was not so much God's message, as Elijah's hatred to him. And he answered, I have found [thee :] because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD; thou art a slave to thy lusts and passions, which hurry thee on to all manner of wickedness. And 21 for this, Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away It is astonishing that there was not one man of common honesty, or humanity among them. But they were desirous to ingratiate themselves with Jezebel, who probably had sent a private message, with promises of great rewards. They might also hate so conscientious man as Naboth, especially as he was a worshipper of Jehovahy and not of Baal. |