Annotations Upon the Historical Books Part 2, 1 Kings · Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII.
Verſ. 1. ANd behold, there came a man of God out of Judah, by the word of the Lord, &c.] That is, by the command of the Lord. And thus the Lord did betimes give Jeroboam warning, and called him to repentance, as he did alſo often afterward by Ahijah, Chap. 14.7, 8. and by Iddo the prophet, 2 Chron. 9.29. In the book of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the viſions of Iddo the Seer, againſt Jeroboam the ſonne of Nebat. Indeed the moſt Expoſitours from Joſephus hold, that Iddo was this man of God here ſpoken of; but that cannot be, for this man of God was immediately after ſlain by a lion, in the very beginning of Jeroboams reigne, whereas Iddo lived to write the acts of Rehoboam, firſt and laſt, 2 Chron. 12, 15. and 13.22.
Verſ. 2. And he cryed againſt the altar in the word of the Lord, &c.] That is, in Gods name, or with the word or meſſage which God had given him in charge, to wit, that which follows in the next words, O altar, altar, thus ſaith the Lord, Behold, a child ſhall be born unto the houſe of David, Joſiah by name, &c. wherein he directed his ſpeech to the altar, thereby covertly to imply, that it was in vain to ſpeak to Jeroboam, and repeated the word altar twice, O altar, altar, to ſignifie the obſervableneſſe of what he had to ſay, and the zeal and fervencie of his ſpirit, in the obſervableneſſe of what rivall altar, ſet up, as it were, in defiance againſt the altar of God.
And upon thee ſhall he offer the prieſts of the high places, and burn incenſe upon thee, &c.] That is, the dead bones of the prieſts, that do now, and ſhall hereafter burn incenſe upon thee: for ſo the accompliſhment of this prophecy is related in the ſtory of Joſiah, about three hundred years after it was foretold by this man of God, 2 King. 23.16. and indeed therefore is the next clauſe added here, by way of explaining this, and mens bones ſhall be burnt upon thee: but howſoever this he calls an offering of the prieſts upon the altar: firſt, as in ſcorn of their idolatrous altar, which ſhould one day have ſuch a goodly ſacrifice burnt upon it, even a ſacrifice of dead mens bones: ſecondly, by way of deriding their prieſts, that ſhould one day be themſelves burnt as a ſacrifice upon their altar, as they had turned their Creator into a beaſt, a calf; ſo their bones, as the bones of ſo many beaſts and calves, ſhould be burnt as an offering upon their altar: and thirdly, to intimate, that the defiling and polluting of this their idolatrous altar, ſhould be indeed as a ſacrifice moſt acceptable unto God.
Verſ. 3. Behold, the altar ſhall be rent, &c.] And thereby was ſignified the future demoliſhing of that altar; and rooting out that ſuperſtitious worſhip which Jeroboam had now eſtabliſhed, at the command of Joſiah.
Verſ. 4. He put forth his hand from the altar, ſaying, Lay hold on him, &c.] His ſtretching forth his hand, was as a ſigne of that which he ſpake; namely, that he would have had the people lay hold upon the Prophet: and ſo likewiſe the Lords cauſing his hand to be ſo ſuddenly dried up, was not onelyonly to diſable him from hurting the Prophet, but alſo that all the people might be ſcared from aiding their king in what he required.
Verſ. 5. The altar alſo was rent, &c.] Firſt Jeroboams hand was withered, and then afterwards his altar was rent; and thus the Lord was pleaſed to ſhew how tender he was of the ſafety of his ſervant, in that he would firſt revenge the violence intended to him, ere he revenged the diſhonour that was done to himſelf in that their idolatrous altar.
Verſ. 9. Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the ſame way that thou cameſt.] One reaſon why the Lord would not have the Prophet eat nor drink in that place, might be, that the Prophet might not, by receiving any kindneſſe or curteſie there, ſeem to mind himſelf, or his own benefit: and ſo alſo the reaſon why he was forbidden to return the way he came, might be, (as ſome conceive) that he might not ſeem to come back, as afraid, or aſhamed to do what he was enjoyned, according to that, 2. Kings 19.33. By the way that he came, by the ſame ſhall he return. But indeed the chief ground of this whole charge, I rather conceive was to ſignifie how the Lord deteſted both the place and the people, becauſe of their idolatry, that he would not ſuffer his Prophet to eat or drink amongſt them, nor return the way he came, but go thence ſome other way; as abhorring the very way that had brought him to the ſight of ſuch abominations.
Verſ. 11. Now there dwelt an old Prophet in Beth-el, &c.] There he dwelt at preſent, having formerly removed from Samaria thither, whence it is that he is called the Prophet that came out of Samaria, 2. Kings 23.18. It is very queſtionable what this old Prophet was, the rather becauſe it ſeems that his ſonnes were preſent at Jeroboams idolatrous worſhip, for here it is ſaid, that his ſonnes came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Beth-el, and the words which he had ſpoken unto the king, them they told alſo; to wit, thoſe verſ. 8, 9, 10. that if the king would give him half his houſe he would neither eat nor drink in that place; and that becauſe the Lord had given him an expreſſe charge to the contrary: all which muſt needs imply, that either they joyned with the reſt in that idolatrous worſhip, or were at leaſt faulty, in that they could pleaſe themſelves with ſeeing the ſolemnitie of a ſervice ſo diſhonourable to the Lord; and indeed Gods diſpleaſure againſt them for this was diſcovered, in that their preſence there proved the occaſion of ſuch a grievous ſinne to their father; ſome Expoſitours conceive that this old man was no Prophet of the Lords, but a falſe prophet, and an upholder of the idolatry of Beth-el, and that fearing leſt Jeroboam ſhould henceforth diſregard him, and be ſcared by that which had happened from this their new erected religion, he laid that plot which is here afterwards related to deceive the Prophet, hoping that (as it fell out) upon his diſobeying Gods command, ſome judgement would fall upon him, and that then both Jeroboam and the people would ſleight his predictions, and be rather confirmed in their idolatrous courſes: again, others conceive that he was indeed a Prophet of the Lords, but a vicious wicked man, and that becauſe he framed ſo groſſe a lie, verſ. 18. to deceive the man of God that came from Judah: and others that he was both a true Prophet, and a good man; and that onelyonly at this time, being left of God, he was ſhamefully overcome by the devils temptations, and the corruptions of his own heart: for hearing what had paſſed in the kings chappell at Beth-el, and finding himſelf touched in that particular, that the Lord would not ſuffer the Prophet to eat or drink in Beth-el, wherein he lived conſtantly with his children and familie; he had above all a deſire to try him in this, whether God had indeed given him ſuch a charge or no: and ſo through the ſubtilty of Sathan, was drawn to pretend that God had appeared unto him, and appointed him to fetch him back, verſ. 18. and indeed this to me ſeems moſt probable; firſt, becauſe he is expreſſely called an old Prophet: ſecondly, becauſe the Lord by him, did afterward denounce the puniſhment that ſhould fall upon the deceived Prophet, verſ. 21.22. thirdly, becauſe of the great reſpect he afforded the Prophet, both dead and living; and becauſe he aſſured his ſonnes, that what he had propheſied againſt the altar at Beth-el, ſhould ſurely come to paſſe, verſ. 31.32.
Verſ. 14. And found him ſitting under an oak, and he ſaid unto him, Art thou the man of God? &c.] The Prophets ſitting under an oak, was doubtleſſe from wearineſſe and faintneſſe; the rather, becauſe he had been reſtrained from eating and drinking in Beth-el: nor need it ſeem ſtrange, that the old Prophet having never before ſeen him, ſhould ſo preſently gueſſe him to be the man he looked after: for beſides the deſcription his ſonnes might give of him, even by ſome mantle or other attire, peculiar to the Prophets in thoſe times, he might know him to be a man of God.
Verſ. 19. So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his houſe, and drank water, &c.] And thus by that he, which the old Prophet did tell him, he was wonne to do, what no perſwaſions of the king could winne him to do. Indeed he ſhould not have credited the uncertain report of a Prophet, ſo directly contrary to that which he was ſure God had already given him in charge; but, firſt, the ſpecious name of a Prophet deceived him: ſecondly, the thing which the old Prophet deſired of him, was like to be a charge and trouble to him, but could be no way any advantage to him, and why (might he think) ſhould an old Prophet lie, when he could not hope to any thing by it: and thirdly, it was not altogether improbable, but that God might have countermanded what he had formerly enjoyned him: to encline him to judge ſo, he might remember how the Lord countermanded what he had formerly enjoyned Abraham, concerning the ſacrificing of his ſonne; and might think that now the Lord had proved him, and found him faithfull, he was willing to take off this charge, as pitying his faintneſſe for want of food; and that though God would not ſuffer him to eat of the kings meat, yet he would permit him to refreſh himſelf in a Prophets houſe. Theſe and other conſiderations, mighth move him to believe what the old Prophet had ſaid, the rather, becauſe his deſire of ſome refreſhing, after ſuch a time of abſtinence and travell, muſt needs make him the readier to hearken to him.
Verſ. 20. The word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back.] To wit, by ſome intemall inſpiration, or prophetick extaſie, whereby he was, as it were, conſtrained to denounce againſt his ſeduced gueſt, even whileſt he ſate at his table, the judgement that ſhould fall upon him for his eating and drinking with him; and ſo conſequently, to condemn himſelf for that groſſe lie wherewith he had deceived him.
Verſ. 22. Thy carcaſe ſhall not come unto the ſepulchre of thy fathers.] And herein was implyed, that he ſhould die in his return, before he gat home to his own land; a gracious warning, that he might repent of his ſinne before his death.
Verſ. 23. He ſadled for him the aſſe. That is, for the Prophet whom he had brought back he ſadled his own aſſe: for we read not, but that hitherto the man of God that came from Judah had gone on foot; and doubtleſſe the more officious and kind he was, becauſe he conſidered the miſchief he had done him, and was troubled for it; yet withall, obſervable it is, that he did not accompany him homeward; which might well be for ſcare of being involved with him in the judgement that was to come upon him.
Verſ. 24. A lion met him by the way, and ſlew him.] And thus, firſt, the Lord chaſtiſed his ſervant for his ſinne: ſecondly, he confirmed the certainty of what this man of God had formerly ſpoken in his name: he told the king that God had charged him not to eat in that place: ſo that, when ſuch a hand of God was upon him, for not perſevering to obey this command, every one might hereby be aſſured, that he was indeed a prophet of God: and that all the reſt that he had ſpoken concerning Jeroboams altar ſhould in its ſeaſon come to paſſe too, as the old Prophet did afterward from hence conclude, verſ. 32. and thirdly, he ſhewed how he abhorred that place, in that he ſlew his own Prophet for eating and drinking amongſt them.
And the aſſe ſtood by it, the lion alſo ſtood by the carcaſe.] That the aſſe ſhould not ſly from the lion, and that the lion ſhould neither prey upon the living aſſe, not the Prophets dead body; but ſhould rather ſtand as a guard to preſerve the dead body from being torn by other creatures, and as it were to force the aſſe not to ſtir thence, but to ſtay there in a readineſſe to carry back his maſters body to be buried in Beth-el, I ſay both theſe are miraculous paſſages; and were as ſignes to manifeſt unto all men, firſt, that it was not hunger that had provoked the beaſt to this violence, but the over-ruling command and providence of God: and ſecondly, that God loved his Prophet dead, and would miraculouſly preſerve him for buriall, though he had teſtified his diſpleaſure againſt his ſinne, (for the example of others) even by taking away his life.
Verſ. 29. And the prophet took up the carcaſe of the man of God, &c.] Either therefore the lion went away as ſoon as the old Prophet came, as having now done what he ſtayed for; or elſe the Prophet was by the evident proofes he ſaw of Gods over-ruling hand in this buſineſſe, heartened againſt the fear of that beaſt, and ſo took and carried away his body to be buried.
Verſ. 30. And he laid his carcaſe in his own grave, &c.] And ſo that was performed which God had ſaid, verſ. 22. Thy carcaſe ſhall not come to the ſepulchre of thy fathers. As for that which followeth, and they mourned over him, ſaying, Alas my brother: this was according to the uſuall manner of bewailing their dead friends in thoſe times, Jer. 22.18. Therefore thus ſaith the Lord, concerning Jehoiakim the ſonne of Joſiah king of Judah: they ſhall not lament for him, ſaying, Ah my brother, or Ah Siſter, they ſhall not lament for him, ſaying, Ah Lord, or Ah his glory.
Verſ. 31. Bury me in the ſepulchre wherein the man of God is buried, lay my bones beſide his bones.] To wit, that his bones might be ſuffered to lie at reſt, and might not be digged up and burnt by Joſiah, to which end it ſeems alſo, he took order to have a ſuperſcription engraven on the ſepulchre, whereby it might be known, who it was that was buried there, and indeed herein he had his deſire, 2 King. 23.17.18.
Verſ. 32. The cities of Samaria.] That is, the cities of the kingdome of Iſrael, which was afterwards called the kingdome of Samaria, from a city ſo called, built by Omrie, and which was in his dayes the chief citie of that Kingdome, Chap. 16.24.
Verſ. 33. After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, &c.] That is, though the Lord uſed ſuch a ſingular means to reclaim him from his idolatry, yet he ſtill continued therein; one would have thought, that his hand being ſo miraculouſly ſtrucken dead, and then as miraculouſly healed again, upon the prayers of the prophet, he ſhould preſently with that hand have pulled down his Calves and his altars; but neither the withering nor the healing of his hand, nor the cleaving of his altar aſunder, nor this ſtrange death that befell the prophet, whereby the truth of what he had ſpoken was ſingularly confirmed, could do any good to withdraw him from that idolatry, whereby he ſought to aſſure his kingdome to himſelf and his poſteritie: yea indeed, it is like enough, that from this violent death that befell the prophet, he took occaſion to harden himſelf in his evil wayes.