A Complete History and Mystery of the Old and New Testament, Volume 3 · Commentary on 1 and 2 Kings · Chapter 15
2 Kings CHAP. XV.
THIS 2 Kings Chapter the 15th, treats both of the Affairs of Judah and of Iſrael too, but the 2 Chron. 26. Chap. of Judah only: The firſt part in both thoſe Books and Chapters concerns the Kingdom of Judah, namely of Ʋzziah Succeſſor to Amaziah.
Remarks upon him, are, Firſt, This King had two Names of much Affinity (ſaith Vatablus) he is call'd Azariah, Chap 14.21. and 15.1. and Uzziah, ver. 13, 30. 2 Chron. 26.1. both names ſignifying the ſame thing for ſubſtance, Azariah, God's help; and Ʋzziah, God's ſtrength: Upon his Father Amaziah's Murder, all the people of Judah took this Ʋzziah his Son, when but ſixteen years old, and made him King, Chap. 14.21. which they did either in oppoſition to the Conſpirators, or to ſhew their Affection to the Houſe of David, and that their quarrel was only perſonal againſt Amaziah, whom they look'd upon as the Author of all their late Calamities.
Remark the Second; The Character of this King, ver. 3. He did right as his Father had done; this was no very laudable Character (as Tilinus obſerves) for as the Father began his Reign fairly, but ended it foully, ſo did the Son in the ſame manner, without ſincerity, and only for a ſeaſon; neither of them did ſo well at laſt, as at firſt; whereas their laſt Works ſhould have have been better than their firſt, had they been of that golden Temper of Thratira, Revel. 2.19. but both of them waxed worſe and worſe, 2 Tim. 3.13. They both baſely Apoſtatiz'd, Ʋzziah's unſoundneſs is deſcribed, 2 Chron 26.5. he ſought God while he took for his Tutor that holy Seer Zachariah (whom Hierome calls the Son of Zachariah the Son of Jehoiada whom Joaſh ſtoned.) As long as Uzziah ſought the Lord, God made him to proſper, ver. 6, 7. to ver. 16. But when he was ſtrong, God marvelouſly helping him until he was mounted up to the very Pinacle of Power by his Victories abroad, ver. 7, 8. and by his Grandure at home with his Mathematical Engines, &c. ver. 9, 10, 15. his Pride now budded to his Downfal.
Remark the Third; When God had handed this Ʋzziah thus high, then began he to fall, and to ſerve God (as we ſay) a ſlippery Trick: Ambition and Avarice (ſaith Gattaker) became the accompanying peſts of his power: Hitherto this Hypocrite had only God's Perſon in admiration (as 'tis ſaid, Jude ver. 16.) for his own advantage; when he had what he would, then ſtarts he aſide like a broken bow, Hoſ. 7.16. as Rehoboam had done before him, 2 Chron. 12.1. then began Ʋzziah to abuſe his great power, in Acts of Pride and Preſumption; his Proſperity had intoxicated him, Prov. 1.32. he profanely invades the Prieſts ſacred Office, ver. 16. as if he aſpir'd to be Jack of all Trades; for 'tis ſaid, he was a Warrior, a Sheep-maſter, and a lover of Husbandry, &c. ver. 10. and now the King will play the Priest alſo.
Remark the Fourth; Ʋzziah is rebuked for his Arrogancy and Impudency, in taking the golden Cenſure, in order to burn Incenſe, ver. 17, 18, 19, &c.
Mark 1. God's High-Prieſt rebukes him, telling him, That Kings ought not to uſurp an Office that appertains not to them. N. B. This teaches, Miniſters muſt be Men of Courage, to withſtand the Torrent of Vices, and not ſpare the greateſt, if need; as Nathan did not ſpare David, and John Baptiſt, Herod, &c.
Mark 2. Ʋzziah was wroth with the Prieſts, as Aſa had been with the Prophet, 2 Chron. 16.10. both looking upon it as too ſawcy an Affront, for Subjects to withſtand their Sovereigns, though modeſtly managed, and not by force.
Mark 3. Ʋzziah's wrath againſt the Prieſts, did the more incenſe God's wrath againſt him; God ſmote him with Leproſie (taking his Servants part againſt him) as Num. 12.10.
Mark 4. When God had thus ſpit in his Face, he needed no thruſting out by Violence, but haſtens out of his own voluntary will, for fear of a farther miſchief, ſaith Grotius: And no wonder if he were affrighted out, ſeeing (as Joſephus, &c. ſay) that terrible Earthquake, &c. Amos 1.1. Zech. 14.5. fell out at that very time.
Remark the Fifth; The following puniſhment of his preſumptuous Uſurpation was two-fold; Firſt in his Life, and Second at his Death.
Mark 1. God's Law ſaith, [A ſtranger that approaches the Prieſt's Office ſhall be put to Death] Numb. 3.10. and 18.7. Now is Leprous Uzziah little better than dead, for he was not only excluded from all Temple-ſervice, but alſo from all humane Society, ver. 21.
Mark 2. God would have this Leproſie to be incurable, that he might live and die ſo. Oſiander obſerves excellently from hence, That Ʋzziah by coveting and compaſſing the Honour of the Prieſthood, doth loſe his Royal Dignity, yea the Privilege of every private Perſon, that were not Lepers, who might be admitted into the Temple to God's Worſhip, from which he had wilfully excluded himſelf, ver. 20, 21.
Mark 3. Nor was this all the Puniſhment he had pull'd upon his own Head, by his Preſumption in his life-time; for by preſſing farther into God's Houſe than he ſhould, He deprived himſelf of that Liberty which before He had; nor may He live in the City, but only in the Suburbs; and when He died, He muſt not have that honourable Funeral as the Kings His Fore-Fathers had, for they ſaid, He is a Leper, ver. 23.
N. B. Here, 1. the Note of a learned Commentator, ſaying, Let Day-preachers look to it, and learn Wiſdom from this juſt Judgment of God upon Ʋzziah, for Uſurping what belong'd not to him. N. B. His Leproſie is ſaid to ariſe as a Vapour out of the ſtirred Aſhes of the Incenſe-Altar, ver. 19. Thus God wrote his Sin upon his Puniſhment. N. B. And though ſuch preſumptuous Perſons be not preſently puniſh'd (ſome mens Sins go before to Judgment, and ſome follow after, 1 Tim. 5.24.) yet know, God will maintain his own Order (ordained by himſelf) both in Church and State, and ſooner or later will take an Order with ſuch as violate his Ordination. Alterius perditio tua fit cantio. Ʋzziah here is Recorded for our Caution, not for our Imitation.
N. B. 2. Learn hence a cogent Argument againſt the Arminian Notion of a true Believer's total and final Fall; here is an exemplification: As Ʋzziah, while he lived thus excluded from Church and State by his Leproſie, had indeed loſt his jus Aptitudinale, his Right of Capacity for his Crown and Kingdom, but he did not loſe his Jus Haereditarium, or Hereditary Right, for his Son Jotham was only his Vice-Roy, managing all State-Matters in his Father's Name until his Death; So a Believer, by falling into an Act of Sin, loſeth his preſent fitneſs for Heaven, but ſtill his Hereditary Right is not loſt thereby; as David by his foul ſin, had not ſin'd away his Right to Salvation, he had only loſt the preſent Joy of Salvation. which he ſo earneſtly begs of God to reſtore to him, Pſal. 51.12. But mark more of this in my Antidote againſt Arminianiſm in their five grand Points.
Remark the Sixth; There had been Prophets before this time continually, but none left their Prophecies in writing behind them, yet now ariſeth a company of Prophets that do ſo▪ For Ʋzziah Reigned 52 Years, in which long Reign we read of, Firſt, Iſaiah, the Prophet's writing the Acts of Uzziah, 2 Chron. 26.22. which, Junius ſaith, he did partly in the Book of Kings, and partly in his own Prophecy, as Iſa. 6.1, &c. where he ſaw the Glory of Chriſt in the Temple, John 12.41. and filling the Temple with ſmoak, to betoken the burning of it, becauſe the Jews began more and more at that time to fall into a ſtate of Obduration, whereof Iſaiah treats in his five firſt Chapters, eſpecially Iſa. 1.10. and 5.1, 2, 3. &c. and again, Iſa. 14.29. the Prophet ſaith [Out of the Serpent's Root ſhall come forth a Cockatrice, and his Fruit ſhall be a fiery flying Serpent;] the Sence is, The Philiſtims rejoiced at Ʋzziah's Death, becauſe he had ſorely ſmote them, 2 Chron. 26.6, 7. but now was become a broken Rod, yet the Prophet Propheſies that Hezekiah ſhould ariſe out of that Root, and be as a Serpent to ſting them worſe than ever his Grandfather had done.
The Second Prophet in the days of Ʋzziah, was Hoſea Chap. 1.1. timed as Iſa. 1.1. whoſe expreſſion was [Blood touches blood,] Hoſ. 4.2. which relates to the Murder of Zocharias the Son of Jehoiada, whereby they made their meaſure of Sin full, for our Lord quotes that wicked Act, as highly conducing to the Cataſtrophe of their Kingdom, Matth. 23.32, 35, 36, 37. N. B. The Firſt, Second, Third and Fourth Chapters of Hoſea, all ſpeak the fore-tokens of their Captivity.
The Third Prophet in that time was Amos, Chap. 1.1. his whole Prophecy concerns Iſrael's Rejection, but more expreſly in Chapters 7.10, 11, 12, &c. he tells us, Jeroboam the Second was then alive (Contemporary with Ʋzziah) and that Amaziah the Prieſt of Bethel's Calf inform'd againſt him as a Traytor to that King.
The Fourth Prophet in this time was Jonah as is aforeſaid, upon 2 Kings 14.25. which Text doth certifie he was Contemporary with the former Prophets, who had all foretold the Rejection of the Jews, and therefore is this Jonah ſeaſonably ſent forth to fetch in the Gentiles by preaching to Ninive, &c. and though at the firſt he declined his Meſſage out of love to his own Countrymen (knowing, that the coming in of the Gentiles would be the caſting off of the Jews yet was he forced thither, when caſt a Shore out of a Whale's Belly, wherein he was a Type of our Lord's Burial and Reſurrection, Matth. 12.39, 40. juſt before the Call of the Gentiles, by the Preaching of the Goſpel.