Annotations Upon the Historical Books Part 2, 2 Kings · Chapter 2
CHAP. II.
Verſ. 2. ANd Elijah ſaid unto Eliſha, Tarry here, &c.] God had revealed to Elijah that he ſhould be taken up to heaven; as is manifeſt, verſ. 9. and withall had enjoyned him; firſt, to viſit thoſe ſchools of the prophets which were at Beth-el and Jericho, that he might both by his counſell and prayers leave a bleſſing amongſt them before his departure; and perhaps, that he might put into their hands that prophecy againſt Jehoram the king of Judah; which ſome yeares after was to be delivered to him, whereof mention is made, 2. Chron. 21.12. And there came a writing to him from Elijah the Prophet, &c. Elijah therefore addreſſing himſelf to this journey, immediately after which he was to be taken up into heaven, either becauſe he knew not what witneſſes God would allow to be preſent at that miraculous act, and affected not the ſpreading of his fame thereby; or becauſe he deſired to be alone, that he might the better prepare himſelf for this his ſtrange paſſage to heaven; or becauſe he deſired to trie the conſtancie of Eliſhaes love, or whether the Lord had revealed any thing to him concerning his rapture; or laſtly, to make him the more deſirous to go along with him: when he was going from Gilgal he adviſed Eliſha to ſtay there.
Verſ. 3. Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy maſter from thy head to day?] This phraſe of taking away Elijah from the head of Eliſha, is either uſed to imply that he ſhould be taken upward to heaven; or elſe rather, in relation to the manner of their ſitting in the ſchools of the Prophets; where Elijah, as the father and teacher of the Prophets, uſed to ſit in a higher place, as it were above their heads, and Eliſha and the reſt at a lower place, as it were at his feet: as it is ſaid of the Apoſtle Paul, Acts 22.3. that he was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel.
And he ſaid, Yea, I know it, hold you your peace. The Lord had revealed to Eliſha, that his maſter ſhould be that day taken up into heaven; yea, as it ſeems, he had enjoyned him to attend diligently his going away, and had perhaps promiſed him, that if he ſaw him when he was taken up from him, he ſhould have a double portion of Elijahs ſpirit, as Elijah afterwards told him, verſ. 10. So eagerly therefore did he intend the expectation of this miraculous rapture of his maſter, that he was loth to entertain the leaſt diſcourſe with the Prophets, leſt his maſter ſhould on a ſudden be taken away, and he not ſee it; and therefore he anſwers them ſo ſhortly, Yea, I know it; and enjoyns them preſently to hold their peace.
Verſ. 7. And fifty men of the ſonnes of the prophets went, and ſtood to view afarre off.] To wit, to ſee the aſſumption of Elijah into heaven; and thus by Gods providence there were many eye-witneſſes of this miracle; and ſo likewiſe had Chriſt many eye-witneſſes of his reſurrection and aſcenſion, 1. Cor. 15.5, 6. &c. and Acts 1.9.
Verſ. 9. Elijah ſaid unto Eliſha, Ask what I ſhall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee.] Thus it was alſo with Chriſt, John 16.23. Whatſoever you ſhall ask the father in my name, I will give it you: Epheſ. 4.8. When he aſcended up on high, he led captivitie captive, and gave gifts unto men.
And Eliſha ſaid, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy ſpirit be upon me.] That is, ſay ſome, the gift of propheſie to foretell future things, and the gift of working miracles; and others conceive that he asked twice as much of the gift of the ſpirit as Elijah had, out of a zealous unſatisfied deſire to promote Gods glory, and to do good to his people; and accordingly, ſay they, whereas Elijah wrought eight miracles, Eliſha wrought ſixteen; but I rather conceive, that hereby is meant onelyonly a great and eminent meaſure of the gifts of the ſpirit; double in regard of the other Prophets, as alluding to the priviledges of the firſt-born, Deut. 21.17. he was to ſucceed in the room of Elijah, 1. Kings 19.16. He was to be a father to the ſchools of the Prophets, and to be chiefly imployed in oppoſing the corruptions of the times, and therefore he craves a double portion of his ſpirit, that he might be furniſhed according to the eminencie of the place, and work he was to undertake.
Verſ. 10. And he ſaid, Thou hast asked a hard thing, &c.] That is, that which God doth very rarely afford to any man, no not to his ſervants the Prophets, ſo that to obtain this for thee from God, thou mayeſt well think it is no eaſie thing, Nevertheleſſe, ſaith Elijah, if thou ſee me when I am taken from thee, it ſhall be ſo unto thee: and this Elijah preſcribed, as the condition of his obtaining his deſire, becauſe though the ſeeing of Elijah when he was taken away could no way be an advantage in it ſelf to draw down a double portion of his ſpirit upon Eliſha, yet this would be both a triall of his faith, which, where it is in truth, makes men with much vigilancie and intention of mind, wait for the accompliſhment of Gods promiſes, and that in the uſe of the means which he hath appointed, how unlikely ſoever they ſeem to be for the procuring of the promiſed bleſſing in the eye of our reaſon; and might alſo inform him how vehement his deſire ought to be in ſeeking to obtain that great bleſſing from God which he now deſired, and as a ſigne whereby he ſhould know whether God would grant him his deſire, or no.
Verſ. 11. There appeared a chariot of fire, and horſes of fire.] And thus this zealous fiery ſpirited Prophet, after he had long and happily fought a good fight of faith, and contended for God againſt all the errours and corruptions of his times, was at laſt carried triumphantly in a chariot of fire into heaven, that is, by the holy Angels appearing in the likeneſſe of a chariot of fire, and horſes of fire, according to that of the Pſalmiſt, Pſal. 104.4. Who maketh his Angels ſpirits, his ministers a flaming fire; and ſo by this means the Lord did exceedingly honour his faithfull ſervant; and withall, as before the Law, by the taking up of Enoch into heaven, ſo now under the Law, by this rapture of Elijah; and then in the dayes of the Goſpel, by the aſcention of Chriſt, God was pleaſed to give evident and ſenſible proofs, that he hath prepared the heavens for the perpetuall abode of his Saints, and that though our bodies be laid for a time in the grave, yet they ſhall at laſt be taken up into heaven, there to live with God in everlaſting glory; onelyonly they muſt be changed, and of naturall weak corruptible bodies, they muſt be made ſpirituall glorious incorruptible bodies; and ſuch a change no doubt there was now made in the body of Elijah, that it might be fitted for heaven.
Verſ. 12. And he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Iſrael, and the horſemen thereof.] That is the ſtrength and defence both of the Church and commonwealth of Iſrael, who by his doctrine and prayers, did more for the defence of the Iſraelites; then all their forces of chariots and horſemen could do: and this Eliſha ſpake, either as bewailing the loſſe of Elijah in this regard; or elſe, to expreſſe his thoughts concerning this manner of Elijahs rapture; namely that becauſe he had been, as the chariot of Iſrael, and the horſemen thereof, for their defence and ſafetie; therefore he was now taken up with a chariot of fire, and horſes of fire, and ſo carried triumphantly into heaven.
Verſ. 13. He took up alſo the mantle of Elijah that fell from him.] When Elijah was caught up into heaven, his mantle fell from him, firſt, to ſhew that he was gone where he ſhould no more have any need of his garments or any ſuch thing: and ſecondly, that it might be left to Eliſha, as a token that God had deſigned him to ſucceed in Elijah place: out of grief for the loſſe of his maſter, he had torn his own garments, and now to comfort him again, that very mantle is as it were given him from heaven, wherewith at his firſt calling he was aſſured that he ſhould ſucceed him in his propheticall office.
Verſ. 14. And ſaid, Where is the Lord God of Elijah; &c.] Theſe were no words of diſtruſt and doubting, but of invocation and faith, as if he had ſaid, I ſhall now ſee whether the ſpirit of Elijah reſts upon me or no, by attempting to work the ſame miracle; or, O Lord who by thy ſervant Elijah didſt divide theſe waters, make it now manifeſt by the ſame miracle that thou haſt given me the ſpirit of Elijah.
Verſ. 15. And they came to meet him, and bowed themſelves to the ground before him.] As to the father of the Prophets.
Verſ. 16. Lest peradventure the ſpirit of the Lord hath taken him up, and caſt him upon ſome mountain, &c.] See the note upon the 1 Kings 18.12.
Verſ. 17. They ſent therefore fifty men, and they ſought three dayes but found him not.] Thus through their miſtake, the rapture of Elijah to heaven was confirmed.
Verſ. 19. But the water is nought, and the ground barren.] The land of Canaan was a moſt fruitfull land, and had the waters of Jericho been alwayes nought and the ground barren, it is not likely they would have built a city there; or that Hiel the Beth-elite would ſo lately have reedified it in the dayes of Ahab, if it had been then ſo annoyed; but we ſee what the Pſalmiſt ſaith, Pſal. 107.33, 34. He turneth rivers into a wilderneſſe, and the waterſprings into dry ground: A fruitfull land into barrenneſſe, for the wickedneſſe of them that dwell therein. The ſinnes of the inhabitants (and perhaps the reedifying of Jericho) had brought this curſe upon the place: which now therefore they commend to Eliſhaes conſideration, as expecting that the Lord would now by miracles confirm the calling of this new father of the Prophets.
Verſ. 20. Bring me a new cruſe, and put ſalt therein, &c.] Salt was more likely to make the waters brackiſh, then any way to heal them, and the more was Gods power magnified, who could work this alteration in the waters by ſuch contrary means; as for his appointing the ſalt to be brought in a new cruſe, that might be enjoyned, either, firſt, to make ſure that it ſhould not be any way legally unclean; or ſecondly, to ſignifie the new change that ſhould be made in the waters; or rather, thirdly, that it might not be ſuppoſed that the ſalt had virtue to cure the waters from the cruſe by reaſon of any thing that had formerly been put into it but that it was merely of God that it was effectuall for this end, according to the words of Eliſha in the following verſe, when he caſt the ſalt into the ſpring Thus ſaith the Lord, I have healed theſe waters. And indeed, it is probable, that for this very reaſon the Prophet did appoint the men of the citie to fetch a new cruſe of ſalt; namely, that they might be aſſured that there was no underhand dealing in working this miracle.
Verſ. 23. And he went up from thence unto Beth-el.] Having viſited the colledge of the Prophets at Jericho, he went thence to that alſo at Beth-el, both to inform them of Elijahs rapture, and the Lords deſigning him to ſucceed in his place, and to confirm them in the truth, both by his counſel and prayers.
And as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, &c.] Beth-el was the chief place where Jeroboams idolatry was practiſed, 1 Kings 12.28, 29. though therefore the prophets had ſeated themſelves there, becauſe there was moſt need of their preſence, where was the ſpringhead of that corruption: yet it ſeems, the inhabitants were moſt of Jeroboams religion, and no marvell then, though the little children had learnt of their idolatrous parents to ſcoff at Gods prophets, as here they did Eliſha, crying after him as he went along, Go up thou bald-head, go up thou bald-head, wherein they did not onelyonly revile him with the name of bald-head, but alſo ſcoffed at that report, which, no doubt, was ſoon ſpread abroad of Elijahs rapture into heaven; as if they ſhould have ſaid, you that report your maſter is gone up into heaven, why do not you go up after him? for indeed why they ſhould by way of deriſion call upon him to go up the hill, as commonly it is thought theſe words were ſpoken, I cannot conceive.
Verſ. 24. And he turned back, and looked on them, and curſed them in the name of the Lord, &c.] That is, by authority from God, he pronounced them accurſed of God; and indeed therefore it is expreſſed, that he looked on them before he curſed them; to intimate, that he did not do it in a ſuddain paſſion, to revenge himſelf, but by the ſpeciall inſtinct of God, and that to puniſh the wickedneſſe of the parents in the death of theſe their miſnurtured children; and to let the Iſraelites ſee, that if God would ſo ſeverely revenge the reproaching of his prophets in the mouthes of little children; much leſſe would he endure it in thoſe that were of rip…r yeares. It is ſtrange indeed, that the prophet after durſt go to Beth-el; but he went under Gods protection, who was able to defend him, as he had done his maſter Elijah againſt the fury of king Ahaziah; when he had fetched fire from heaven upon his captains and their ſouldiers.