Annotations Upon the Historical Books Part 2, 1 Kings · Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII.
Verſ. 1. THe word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third yeare.] Elijah was ſent to Ahab, not long before the Lord ſent rain again upon the earth; ſo that from the firſt begining of the drought unto this time, when the Prophet was ſent to Ahab, it was well nigh three yeares and ſix moneths complete; for ſo long rain was with-held, Luk. 4.25. either therefore, the third yeare here ſpoken of muſt be the third yeare from his firſt hiding of himſelf, chap. 17.3. or the third yeare ſince he went to ſojourne with the widdow of Zarephath, chap. 17.6. or elſe the third complete yeare ſince the time they began to want rain, the ſix odd moneths not being reckoned, as indeed it is uſuall in the Scripture, in noting times to ſet down onelyonly the full complete yeares, and not to mention the odd moneths or dayes.
Go ſhew thy ſelf unto Ahab, and I will ſend rain upon the earth.] Though the Iſraelites continued in their idolatry ſtill, yet the Lord determined to take off that judgement of want of rain, that now for three years and a half had been upon them: and this he did, partly for his righteous ſervants ſake, that were ſtill in the land who could not but ſuffer much in this common calamitie; and partly, becauſe the Lord intended by Elijah, to bring Baals prophets to be ſlain by the people; and ſo thereupon, to remove the judgement he had brought upon the kingdome: and ſo now Elijah was ſent to give notice they ſhould have rain, and ſo that which he ſaid to Ahab might be made good; to wit, that there ſhould be no rain but according to his word; yea, and withall doubtleſſe, God gave him now in charge, (though it be not here expreſt) what he afterwards did, concerning the challenge he made to Baals prophets, as is evident by that which he ſaith, verſ. 36. Lord God of Abraham, Iſaac, and Iſrael, let it be known this day, that thou art God in Iſrael, and that I am thy ſervant, and that I have done all theſe things at thy word.
Verſ. 3. Obadiah feared the Lord greatly.] But how could this be, if he went not up to Jeruſalem to ſacrifice? I anſwer, ſo long as he did ſincerely feare God, and yielded him that ſpirituall ſervice, which was required of him, and kept himſelf pure from the idolatry of the place and times wherein he lived, and could not be ſuffered to go to Jeruſalem, without the loſſe of his life, God was pleaſed to diſpence with the omiſſion of that legall ceremoniall ſervice: or at leaſt to beare with his children that did truly feare him and daily ſerve him in ſpirit and truth, though they did not hazard both libertie and lives for the legall ceremonies: the like may be ſaid of thoſe other faithfull ſervants of God, that lived at this time in the kingdome of Iſrael, chap. 19.18.
Verſ. 4, Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.] By this may be meant any neceſſary food; but indeed in this time of famine, it was much to provide them even bread and water.
Verſ. 5. Peradventure we may find graſſe to ſave the horſes, &c.] Hereby it is evident; that their chiefeſt want was of paſtures and water for their cattell: ſome ſmall pittance of food for themſelves, the neighbouring countreys might afford for money; but graſſe for the cattell could not be had but in their own land.
Verſ. 10. There is no nation or kingdome whither my lord hath not ſent to ſeek thee, &c.] Some Expoſitours, by the ſeverall nations and kingdomes whither Ahab had ſent to ſearch for Elijah, underſtand the ſeverall tribes of Iſrael, that were under his government; of which, (ſay they) he ſpeaks, as of divers kingdomes and nations, becauſe of old, that land was the ſeat of divers kings and people: But rather, I conceive it to be an hyperbolicall ſpeech, as when we uſe to tell thoſe whom with great diligence we have ſought for in many ſeverall places, that we have looked for them all the world over: and that the drift of this expreſſion was to imply, that Ahab had ſought for him not onelyonly in the land of Iſrael, but alſo in all the neighbouring countreys, and amongſt all the nations that were in league with him; for though it follows, that upon deniall, that they knew not where he was, he took an oath of the kingdome and nation, that they found thee not: the meaning of that may be, that he preſſed them ſo farre, that he reſted not, till by an oath they confirmed it, that they knew nothing of him: his own people he might conſtrain to ſwear, others that were not his ſubjects he could not; yet by importuning them to deale truly with him, he might draw them to it; and therefore ſpeaking of both joyntly together, he uſeth the ſame phraſe of both, he took an oath, &c. and indeed for the neighbouring nations where there was no rain, that might make them as earneſt againſt Elijah as Ahab was: how he could be concealed in Zarephath when ſo ſtrict a courſe was taken, we need not queſtion; conſidering, that being informed of his danger, the widow might uſe many wayes to hide him.
Verſ. 12. The ſpirit of the Lord ſhall carry thee whither I know not.] That is, ſome Angel, or wind from the Lord ſhall take thee up and carry thee to ſome other place, and then the king will ſlay me, either, becauſe I did not apprehend thee when I ſaw thee; or, becauſe I ſhall ſeem to have deluded him, by telling him that which he ſhall not find to be true: uſually it ſeems in thoſe times Elijah was thus miraculouſly caught up, (and ſo perhaps other prophets too) and carried from one place to an other; whence it was, that when Elijah was at laſt taken up into heaven, the young prophets would needs ſend out to ſeek him, 2. Kings 2.16. and the like we read alſo concerning Philip, when he had baptized the Ethiopian Eunuch, Act. 8.39. Now this is ſtill ſaid to have been done by the ſpirit of the Lord; either, becauſe it was done by the miniſtery of the Angels, or by ſome mighty extraordinary wind (as indeed concerning Elijahs laſt rapture, it is ſaid, 2. King. 2.11. That Elijah went up by a whirle-wind into heaven; or, rather, becauſe what was done by any ſecret ſupernaturall working of God, they uſed to ſay it was done by the ſpirit of the Lord.
Verſ, 15. As the Lord of hoſts liveth, before whom I ſtand, &c.] See the note chap. 17.1.
Verſ. 17. Art thou he that troubles Iſrael?] This Ahab ſaid to Elijah, partly, becauſe he had alwayes oppoſed that way of religion and worſhip which he had eſtabliſhed in the land, and diſſwaded the people from ſubmitting to it; but principally, becauſe by his meanes he conceived the drought and famine was ſent, which had ſorely diſtreſſed the land.
Verſ. 19. Now therefore ſend, and gather to me all Iſrael unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal, &c.] There is no likelyhood that Elijah immediately upon that reproofe, in the former verſe, enjoyned Ahab to gather the prophets of Baal together never acquainting him to what end and purpoſe they ſhould be aſſembled, and that the king without any more words did preſently what Elijah required: and therefore doubtleſſe (though it be not here expreſſed, becauſe it may be eaſily gathered from the following relation of that which was afterward done) after ſome vehement concertations betwixt the prophet and the king, concerning the idolatry of Baal, the king defending what he had done; Elijah did now propound to him that way of tryall, to find out the truth which afterward again he propounded to the people, verſ. 22, 23, 24. which the king approving, accepted the challenge; and aſſembled both the prophets of Baal, and the people alſo: that is, the heads of the people, to ſee what was done, as Elijah had required. The foure hundred and fifty prophets of Baal here mentioned were, it ſeems, ſuch as were diſperſed over the villages and towns of Iſrael; the foure hundred diſtinguiſhed from the other by this title, the prophets of the groves, were ſuch as attended the court, and performed their idolatrous ſervice in the groves planted by Ahab, near Baals temple in Samaria, chap. 16.32, 33. and are therefore ſaid to have been ſuch as did eat at Jezebels table: why Carmel was choſe to be the place where this great triall was to be made, we cannot ſay; onelyonly it is like, he purpoſely declined Samaria, that Jezebel might not hinder the work: for as for that conceit of the papiſts, that in Carmel Elijah uſed to live a retired monaſticall life, whence an order of their Friers are called Carmelites, it is a mere phancie and groundleſſe conceit.
Verſ. 20. So Ahab ſent unto all the children of Iſrael, and gathered the prophets together, &c.] We need not wonder that Ahab ſhould herein do as Elijah had required, if we conſider, firſt, That doubtleſſe Elijah had deſired that triall might be made, whether the ſacrifice of the Baalites, or his ſacrifice, ſhould be conſumed with fire from heaven; to diſcover thereby whether Baal were a god or no; and to ſee this tried by ſuch a miraculous work, the very naturall deſire that is in men to ſee ſtrange things, might winne him; beſide the confidence he had in Baal: and ſecondly, That being curbed with the judgement of God, (the drought) that now lay upon the whole land, the hope of being relieved herein, muſt needs make him the more flexible to yield to the prophets deſire; and beſides, God might at this time powerfully over-awe his ſpirit: indeed we find not in the ſequele of the ſtory, that the prophets of the groves were preſent, (whom Elijah had alſo deſired him to call thither) but onelyonly the foure hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, verſ. 22. I, even I, onelyonly remain a prophet of the Lord, but Baals prophets are foure hundred and fifty men; and therefore many Expoſitours hold, that Jezebel would not ſuffer them to be there.
Verſ. 21. How long halt ye between two opinions?] They are ſaid to halt in the profeſſion of their religion, that do not walk uprightly and exactly, according to the rules of that religion, which they muſt needs do, that in ſome things follow one religion, and in ſome things another; ſuch men can be exact in neither, and are therefore ſaid to halt betwixt two opinions; ſometimes inclining to one, ſometimes to another; as the body of him that halts doth bend ſometimes to the right hand and ſometimes to the left: and ſo it was now with the Iſraelites, who would be ſtill counted the people of God, and were circumciſed, and in the worſhip of the golden calves pretended the worſhip of the true God; and ſo in ſome things lived according to the laws of Iſrael, and yet at the ſame time worſhiped Baal the god of the Zidonians, and are therefore charged by Elijah to halt between two opinions.
And the people anſwered him not a word.] This might be either from guilt of conſcience or diſtraction of mind; fearing on the one ſide the wrath of God, if they ſhould provoke him to diſpleaſure, and on the other ſide the wrath of the king.
Verſ. 22. I, even I onelyonly remain a prophet of the Lord.] The meaning of this is, that there was not a Prophet of the Lords beſides himſelf, that did openly ſhew himſelf for the true God and his worſhip againſt their idolatry; at leaſt that there was none but he preſent there at that time.
Verſ. 25. Chooſe you one bullock for your ſelves, &c.] That they might not afterward pretend that their God refuſed to anſwer them, becauſe the God of Elijah had been preferred before him, he gives them the priviledge and advantage (if any it were) both of offering firſt, to wit, the morning ſacrifice, and of chooſing which of the bullocks they liked beſt.
Verſ. 26. And they took the bullock which was given them, &c.] To wit, which Ahab had given them, or which Elijah had given them libertie to chooſe, verſ. 25.
And they leaped upon the altar which was made.] This may be alſo rendered as it is in the margin of our Bibles, and they leapt up and down at the altar, &c. ſo that the meaning may be, either that they danced and skipped about the altar; which it ſeems they did cuſtomarily in the worſhip of Baal; as deſiring perhaps to make ſhew of ſuch propheticall extaſies, as were uſuall with thoſe that were poſſeſſed with a divine ſpirit; or elſe, that in a kind of frantick manner they leapt upon the altar, to expreſſe thereby their vehement deſire, that Baal would heare them; as if they would have clambered up to fetch down fire from heaven, if it had been poſſible; or were ready even to ſacrifice themſelves, that they might prevail in their ſuit: ſome indeed conceive that this is ſpoken of Elijahs altar, upon which the Baalitiſh prophets leapt, as in a kind of divine fury, to throw it down; but the firſt expoſition doth farre better agree with the order of the ſtory.
Verſ. 27. And it came to paſſe at noon, that Elijah mocked them, &c.] to wit, when the time limited for their ſacrifice was fully ended, or well nigh at an end: before this he would not do it, becauſe it might firſt be apparent by their loſt labour ſo long together, that they deſerved to be mocked, and becauſe they might not afterwards ſay, that he had interrupted them.
Verſ. 28. And they cried aloud, and cut themſelves after their manner with knives, &c.] As the heathens uſed to do in their ſorrows, Deut. 14.1. And the more to move their God to take compaſſion on them, and not to deny them, that were content thus to torture themſelves, and as it were to ſacrifice their own bloud upon his altar, that they might obtain what would be for his glory as well as theirs.
Verſ. 29. And they propheſied untill the time of the offering of the evening ſacrifice.] That is, they prayed and called upon Baal, and with many ſtrange geſtures (as men inſpired) ſung the praiſes of their idol-god; ſo labouring by all means to prevail with him to ſend fire to conſume their ſacrifices. See the notes, 1. Sam. 10.5. and 18.10.
Verſ. 30. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down.] Not the altar whereon Baals prieſts laid their ſacrifices, which afterward they brake down, and that by leaping upon it, verſ. 26. as ſome conceive: for it is not probable that Elijah would make uſe of their altar: rather it may ſeem that Elijah brake down their altar, and having purged the place, built another in the room; or that this mount Carmel, having been one of the high places whereon they uſed to ſacrifice in former times, there was the ruins of an altar there, which the idolatrous Iſraelites had broken down; according to that complaint of Elijah, chap. 19.14. the children of Iſrael have forſaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and ſlain thy prophets with the ſword: and that this the Prophet did now repair: a reall ſigne of his great deſigne, which was, to reſtore again the true worſhip of God in the land.
Verſ. 31. And Elijah took twelve ſtones, according to the number of the tribes, &c.] Though the greateſt part of ten of the twelve tribes were at this time corrupted with the idolatry of Baal, yet Elijah would build his altar with twelve ſtones, according to the number of the tribes of Iſrael: Firſt, thereby to ſignifie, that it was built for the worſhip of that God, whom the patriarchs had formerly worſhiped: Secondly, to put the people in mind, that they ought all to be united in the worſhip of this God of their fathers; or elſe it would be in vain to reckon themſelves amongſt Gods Iſrael: And thirdly, to put God in mind as it were of the covenant which he had made formerly with their fathers.
Verſ. 33. Fill foure barrels with water, and poure it on the burnt ſacrifice, &c.] Mount Carmel ſtood cloſe upon the ſea; whence they might even in this drought have water enough: Now the reaſon why the Prophet appointed ſo much water to be poured upon the ſacrifice, and the wood whereon it was laid, was partly, to make it the more evident that there was no fraud uſed in hiding any fire ſecretly under the wood; and partly, that the burning of the ſacrifice with fire from heaven, might be the more wonderfull in the eyes of all that beheld it: why there were three times foure barrels of water poured upon the altar, which was twelve barrels, we may judge by that which is ſaid in the foregoing notes, concerning the twelve ſtones where of the altar was built.
Verſ. 37. Heare me, that this people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that thou haſt turned their heart back again.] That is, that by thy appointment theſe things have been done, to the end their hearts might be turned from their idols to thee.
Verſ. 40. And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kiſhon, and ſlew them there.] That is, he cauſed the people to bring them down, and to ſlay them there: ſo wonderfully were the people affected at preſent, with ſeeing fire come down from heaven to conſume Elijahs ſacrifice, and ſuch a dread it brought upon them, of the infinite power of that God, who by this miracle did teſtifie againſt their idolatry; that without any feare of the king, they were ready to do what ever Elijah would adviſe them to: and therefore when he, apprehending the opportunity of their preſent condition, appointed them to put all the prophets to death; they yielded ſtreight; and the carrying them away to the brook Kiſhon, that execution might be done upon them there, was either to teſtifie, that it was becauſe of their idolatry that the brooks and rivers were in a great part even dryed up, or that the place where they had ſacrificed to the Lord, might not be defiled with their blood.
Verſ. 41. And Elijah ſaid unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink, for there is a ſound of aboundance of rain.] Becauſe he had ſpent all that day faſting, in an eager expectation of the event of this great buſineſſe, and to ſhew how acceptable a ſacrifice the ſlaying of Baals prophets was unto the Lord, he adviſeth him to eat and drink for the refreſhing of himſelf, aſſuring him, that they ſhould now have rain: and to expreſſe how certain that was which he foretold, he ſpeaks as if already he heard the very ſound of the thunder and pouring rain that was now coming; for there is, ſaith he, a ſound of aboundance of rain.
Verſ. 42. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel, &c. He went up to the top of Carmel, that there he might pray for rain, and ſtand as it were upon a watch tower, waiting and looking for the riſing of thoſe clouds, that ſhould bring thoſe glad ſhowres that he prayed for; and whereas it follows, that he caſt himſelf down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, thereby is meant, that he kneeled down upon the ground, and then bowed his face down to his knees, by this humble poſture, to expreſſe his awfull reſpect to the majeſtie of that God, whoſe aid he implored; and withall, ſo to hide his eyes from all diſtracting objects, that he might the more wholly attend the work which he went about; to wit, the opening of the heavens, by praying to the Lord for rain, for though God had aſſured him there ſhould be rain, verſ. 1. I will ſend rain upon the earth, and thereupon he did aſſure Ahab that it ſhould be ſo; yet he knew withall, that prayer muſt accompliſh that which God had promiſed.
Verſ. 43. And ſaid to his ſervant, Go up now, look toward the ſea, &c.] Elijah deſired to have notice of the firſt riſing of the clouds, that he might preſently go to the king and haſt him away, that ſo ſtill it might be the more manifeſt, that he had procured the rain from God; but becauſe he would not himſelf be taken off from his prayers, whileſt he was praying, he ſent his ſervant to obſerve the riſing of the cloud…, and appointed him to look toward the ſea, becauſe thence the vapours do uſually ariſe which breed clouds and rain; and becauſe there he might have the faireſt proſpect, to diſcover the firſt riſing of a cloud in the skie, and ſeven ſeverall times he did this, purpoſely to teach us, that we muſt not be diſcouraged, but with patience muſt be content to wait upon God, though we have not preſently that which we pray for.
Verſ. 46. And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah, and he girded up his loines, and ran before Ahab, &c.] The reaſons, why Elijah did thus as a lacquey run before Ahabs chariot, to the very entrance of Jezreel; may be, firſt, to manifeſt the Prophets humilitie, and how farre he was from being puffed up with that wonderfull work that he had done: Secondly, to ſhew the king how ready both God and his prophets would be to honour him, if he would proceed on to remove idolatry out of the land, the work that was now ſo happily begun by the ſlaughter made of the prophets of Baal: Thirdly, to ſignifie hereby, that it was he that brought them this rain, that did now begin to poure down from the clouds upon them: Fourthly, to avow hereby, what he had done in the ſlaughter of the Baalites; and, as it were, to triumph in the victory of their idolatrous prophets, whom he had left dead behind him: Fifthly, that being in the eye of the king all the way he returned home, this might make him the more ſeriouſly to ponder in his mind, the great things the Prophet had done; that ſo they might make the deeper impreſſion upon him: It may ſeem ſtrange indeed, that the king ſhould not take up the Prophet into his chariot; but therefore it is ſaid, that the hand of the Lord was upon Elijah, and he girded up his loines; that is, he was extraordinarily moved of God, and enabled by God, thus to run before the chariot of Ahab.