Annotations Upon the Historical Books Part 2, 1 Kings · Chapter 14
CHAP. XIIII.
Verſ. 1. AT that time Abijah the ſonne of Jeroboam fell ſick.] That is, in the time of Jeroboams wicked raign, whereof there is mention made in the two laſt verſes of the former chapter: for it is evident, that this is not meant of the time when the man of God was ſlain, as is related in the former chapter, that it ſeems, was in the very beginning of Jeroboams kingdome, this, rather toward the latter end of his reigne, when Ahijah the prophet, who firſt gave him notice of being raiſed to the kingdome, was now blind with old age, verſ. 4. Jeroboam continued in his idolatry, and ſo Gods hand was again upon him in the ſickneſſe of this, perhaps his eldeſt ſonne; Rehoboam had a ſonne alſo of the ſame name who ſucceeded him both in his crown and in his vices, 2. Chron. 12, 16. But this Abijah the ſonne of Jeroboam, in whom there was ſome goodneſſe, verſ. 13. died of this ſickneſſe.
Verſ. 2. And Jeroboam ſaid to his wife, Ariſe, I pray thee, and diſguiſe thy ſelf, &.] Why he ſends his wife, and that diſguiſed, may be eaſily conceived: to wit, becauſe he was ſo loath it ſhould be known amongſt the people, that in his extremitie he was glad to ſly to the true prophets of the Lord, that he durſt not truſt any body with this ſecret, but the wife that lay in his boſome; but eſpecially becauſe he was above all unwilling the prophet ſhould know whoſe child it was, concerning whom he was enquired of, (as fearing, that out of a deteſtation of his idolatrous courſes, he would either have refuſed to anſwer them at all, or elſe have given them an anſwer, which they were not willing to heare) and this could not be avoided by ſending any but his wife onelyonly: ſhe might enquire concerning her own child, and yet (being diſguiſed) not be known; another meſſenger muſt have ſaid whoſe child it was, concerning whoſe ſickneſſe they deſired to be ſatisfied, and that Jeroboam would not endure.
Verſ. 3. And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels, &c.] This poore preſent was enjoyned as agreeable to the attire ſhe wore, that ſhe might be thought ſome poore countrymans wife, and not the wife of Jeroboam.
He ſhall tell thee what ſhall become of the child.] Hereby it is evident, that Jeroboam ſent to the prophet, onelyonly to know, what the iſſue of his ſonnes ſickneſſe would be; though the miraculous recovery of his withered hand had taught him what wonders might be done by the prayers of a prophet, yet he ſent, not to deſire the prophets prayers for his child, (his obſtinacie in that falſe worſhip he had erected might diſcourage him from hoping for ſuch a favour, either from God, or his prophet) but onelyonly to know whether his ſonne muſt live or dye.
Verſ. 6. Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam, &c.] By naming her thus before ſhe came in to him, the prophet did, as it were, deride the folly both of her husband and her, that could expect to know of him ſuch a ſecret, as was the event of their ſonnes ſickneſſe; and yet at the ſame time by a diſguiſe, think to hide from him who ſhe was, that came to enquire of him: and ſecondly, he gave her to underſtand how certainly aſſured ſhe might be of the truth of thoſe things, which he had now in charge to ſay to her.
Verſ. 7. Foraſmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Iſrael, &c.] It needs not ſeem ſtrange that God cals the Iſraelites his people, notwithſtanding the idolatry that Jeroboam had ſet up amongſt them, if we conſider: firſt, that they were not ſo bad when Jeroboam was exalted to reigne over them, and of theſe times the prophet now ſpeaks: and ſecondly, that even in theſe times, the Lord had a people amongſt them, that were not defiled with Jeroboams idolatry, as we may ſee by this prophet Ahijah, who lived now in Shilo, in the kingdome of Iſrael, and with whom there were many doubtleſſe whoſe hearts ſtill continued upright towards God.
Verſ. 8. Thou haſt not been as my ſervant David, who kept my Commandments, &c.] That is, not at all varying from the preſcript rule of Gods law, as concerning the publick worſhip of God, (which was the ſinne now charged upon Jeroboam) yea in all things ſincerely deſiring and endeavouring to do what God of him.
Verſ. 9. But hast done evil above all that were before thee.] That is, Saul, and Solomon, yea and perhaps Rehoboam, and Abijah kings of Judah may be included too: for if this were in the latter end of Jeroboams reigne, Rehoboam and Abijah were dead, and Aſa did then ſit in the throne of Judah.
And haſt caſt me behind thy back.] That is, thou haſt deſpiſed and diſregarded me; and indeed this might the better be ſaid of Jeroboam, becauſe he did not onelyonly ſet up idolatry in his kingdome, but did alſo utterly cauſe them to abandon the worſhip of the true God in the Temple at Jeruſalem. The phraſe is much like that Nehem. 9.26. Nevertheleſſe they were diſobedient, and rebelled againſt thee, and caſt thy law behind their backs.
Verſ. 10. And will cut off from Jeroboam him that piſſeth againſt the wall, and him that is ſhut up and left in Iſrael.] Concerning theſe proverbiall expreſſions, ſee the notes, 1. Sam. 25.22. Deut. 32.36.
And will take away the remnant of the houſe of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone.] That is, the Lord will utterly deſtroy the poſterity of Jeroboam, becauſe he loathes and abhorres them: for two things are implyed in this phraſe: firſt, that dung is not more loathſome to men, then the royall houſe of Jeroboam was to God: and ſecondly, that God would by his judgements make as clean a riddance of them, as men uſually do of dung when they ſweep it out of their houſes, not willing to leave the leaſt ſcrat of it behind. So the like phraſe, Eſa. 14.23. I will ſweep it with the beſome of destruction, ſaith the Lord: and Ezek. 26.4. I will alſo ſcrape her duſt from her, and make her like the top of a rock: and the accompliſhment of this we have related, chap. 15.29. And it came to paſſe, when he reigned, that he ſmote all the houſe of Jeroboam, he left not to Jeroboam any that breathed, untill he had destroyed him, &c.
Verſ. 12. When thy feet enter into the citie, the child ſhall die.] As if he ſhould have ſaid, thou ſhalt never ſee thy ſonne more alive: as ſoone as ever thou comeſt to the citie he ſhall die, and as this proves true, ſo be aſſured of the truth of all the reſt I have or ſhall ſay to thee. Some queſtion how this agrees with that verſ. 17. And when ſhe came to the threſhold of the doore, (which they underſtand of the doore of her own houſe) the child died; and for the reſolving of this doubt, they ſay, that the kings houſe, as being the place of judgement, was in the gate of the citie: but I rather conceive, that the doore mentioned verſ. 17. was the doore of the citie; or, that here onelyonly is foretold, that the child ſhould die when ſhe came to the citie.
Verſ. 14. The Lord ſhall raiſe him up a king over Iſrael, who ſhall cut off the houſe of Jeroboam that day, &c.] To wit, Baaſha; who made a conſpiracy againſt Nadab, the ſonne of Jeroboam, and ſlew him in the ſecond yeare of his reigne, and made himſelf king in his room, chap. 15.27, 28, 29. and preſently deſtroyed all the houſe of Jeroboam. As for the following clauſe, but what? even now: the meaning thereof is this, but at what time, and when ſhall this be? ſurely preſently, out of hand: or, as if he ſhould have ſaid; why do I ſpeak of this, as of a thing that ſhall hereafter come to paſſe? ſince the time is in a manner now already come, when it muſt be done: and indeed, if this were foretold in the end of Jeroboams reigne, (as is moſt probable) it was ſpeedily done: for Nadab who ſucceeded his father Jeroboam, had not ſate in the throne of Iſrael above two yeares, when he was ſlain by Baaſha, and together with him, all the houſe of Jeroboam was deſtroyed.
Verſ. 15. For the Lord ſhall ſmite Iſrael, as a reed is ſhaken in the water.] That is, the Lord ſhall continually afflict this kingdome of the ten tribes, both prince and people with unceſſant troubles and warres, both inteſtine and forraigne, ſo that they ſhall never abide long in any ſettled condition; and ſo indeed it came paſſe; even as the reeds that grow in the water are continually ſhaken, ſometimes with the blowing of the wind, alwayes with the force of the ſtream that glides along by them; ſo was the kingdome of the ten tribes continually ſhaken, partly, by the frequent transferring of the crown from one familie to another, one ſtill killing the other, and making himſelf king in his room; and partly, by the frequent invaſion of the men of Judah, or ſome other of the neighbouring nations.
And ſhall ſcatter them beyond the river.] That is, the river Euphrates, to wit, into the land of Aſſyria, Meſopotamia, and Media, which lay beyond the river, whither the ten tribes were indeed afterwards carried captives; ſome of them, firſt by Tiglath-pileſer, in the dayes of Pekah king of Iſrael, 2. Kings 15.29. but the greateſt part afterward by Salmanaſſar, in the dayes of Hoſhea king of Iſrael, 2. Kings 17.6. &c.
Verſ. 17. And Jeroboams wife aroſe, and departed, and came to Tirzath, &c.] This Tirzah was an ancient and goodly citie: for here one of the one and thirtie kings, whom Joſhua conquered, did dwell, Joſh. 12.24. and in Solomons time it was famous for the pleaſantneſſe of the ſituation, and ſtatelineſſe of the building; and therefore the Church is hereto compared, Cant. 6.4. Thou art beautifull, O my love, as Tirzah: though therefore at firſt Shechem was the royall citie of Jeroboams kingdome, yet afterwards, it ſeems, he built ſome ſtately palace for himſelf in Tirzah, and ſo both he and the other kings of Iſrael, that ſucceeded him, did uſually keep their courts there; yea, till Samaria was built, it ſeems to have been the chief of the royall cities of the kingdome of Iſrael, chap. 15.33. In the third yeare of Aſa king of Judah, began Baaſha the ſonne of Abijah to reigne over all Iſrael in Tirzah: ſo alſo chap. 16.6.8, 23, 24.
Verſ. 19. Behold, they are written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Iſrael.] Many things are ſaid to be written in the book of the Chronicles, which we find not in the Scripture Chronicles; and therefore it is commonly held, that this book of the Chronicles here, and elſewhere often mentioned, was ſome other book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah and Iſrael, wherein all the memorable acts and paſſages of thoſe times were exactly recorded; and out of which the penman of the Scripture Chronicles did afterward by the ſpeciall inſtinct and the guidance of the ſpirit of God cull forth ſuch things as are there related, and which the Lord thought requiſite for the edification of the Church in future ages.
Verſ. 20. And the dayes which Jeroboam reigned, were two and twenty years.] Jeroboam therefore out-lived Rehoboam who reigned but ſeventeen years, verſ. 21. and Abijam his ſonne who reigned in Jeruſalem but three years, chap. 15.1, 2. and died in the ſecond yeare of Aſa the ſonne of Abijam, chap. 15.25. being ſtricken by the immediate hand of God with ſome remarkable judgement, 2. Chron. 13.20. Neither did Jeroboam recover ſtrength again in the dayes of Abijah: and the Lord ſtruck him, and he died: but before this death there was a mighty battel between him and Abijam king of Judah, wherein he loſt five hundred thouſand men; a blow which he never recovered.
Verſ. 22. And Judah did evil in the ſight of the Lord.] That is, the people of Judah and Rehoboam their king. For, Three years they walked in the way of David and Solomon; doing that which was right in the ſight of the Lord, 2. Chron. 11.17. as being troubled with the loſſe of the ten tribes of Iſrael; in which time Rehoboam fortified and victualled fifteen cities in Judah and Benjamin, and many other ſtrong holds, and the prieſts and Levites, and other Rehoboam; whereby the kingdome of Judah was much ſtrengthened, 2. Chron. 11.5.17. whereupon he took eighteen wives, and ſixty concubines, 2. Chron. 11.21. and had many children, but then having thus ſtrengthened his kingdome, and, as he thought, aſſured his eſtate, he forſook the Law of the Lord, and all Iſrael with him, 2. Chron. 12.1.
Verſ. 25. Shiſhak king of Egypt came up againſt Jeruſalem. &c.] Rehoboams father married the king of Egypts daughter; yet the ſucceeding king of Egypt (invited thereto perhaps by Jeroboam, who was a while in Egypt before he was king, and now fearing the growing ſtrength of Rehoboam, might lay before Shiſhak the incountable riches of David and Solomon, which might eaſily be had becauſe ten of the twelve tribes were revolted from him) came up againſt Judah with a mighty army, twelve hundred chariots, ſixty thouſand horſemen, and footmen without number: ſome Egyptians, and ſome of other nations, as is expreſſed, 2. Chron. 12.2, 3. and having taken many of their ſtrong cities, at length he went up againſt Jeruſalem; but the king and princes humbling themſelves upon the Lords meſſage to them by Shemaiah the Prophet, the Lord would not ſuffer him to deſtroy them utterly onelyonly Judah henceforth became tributarie to Egypt, and Shiſhak carried away, as a ranſome of the citie, all the treaſures of the Temple, and of the kings houſe, 2. Chron. 12.4, 9.
Verſ. 27. And king Rehoboam made in their ſtead brazen ſhields, &c.] See the note, chap. 10.16. hereby it appears how exceedingly the kingdome of Judah was impoveriſhed by this invaſion of Shiſhak king of Egypt. The Iſraelites of the ten tribes were farre more groſſely idolatrous then thoſe of Judah, and yet the Lord ſuffered them to live in peace; but theſe of Judah had ſcarce been fallen away two years from the pure worſhip of God, when preſently the Lord did with great ſeveritie afflict them: a clear evidence of Gods more tender care over them for their welfare.
Verſ. 29. Are they not written in the book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah.] In 2. Chron. 12.15. the other acts of Rehoboam firſt and laſt, are ſaid to have been written in the book of Shemaiah the Prophet, and of Iddo the Seer, concerning genealogies.
Verſ. 31. And Abijam his ſonne reigned in his ſtead.] Or Abijah, 2. Chron. 12.