A Complete History and Mystery of the Old and New Testament, Volume 3 · Commentary on 1 and 2 Kings · Chapter 1
2 Kings CHAP. the firſt.
BEfore the History hereof, ſome general Remarks muſt be made to make way for it. The firſt is, The laſt Chapter of the firſt of Kings gives a ſhort account of Jehoſaphat's Life and Death, from ver. 41, to ver. 51. but ſpeaks nothing of him in this ſecond Book of Kings, yet have we a large Relation of Jehoſaphat's Reign in the ſecond Book of the Chronicles, Chapters 17, 18, 19, 20. the ſumm of which is referred to this laſt Book of Kings.
Remark the Second in general is; Ahaziah the Son of Ahab is briefly deſcribed, 1 Kings 22.51, 52, 53. but more amply in this, 2 Kings, chap. 1. but not at all mentioned in the 2d. of Chronicles, becauſe his Reign was ſhort, and enough had been recorded already of ſo bad a King.
Remark the Th…d in general is; Ezra the Scribe (as is generally affirmed) was the holy Pen-man of theſe two Books of the Chronicles, as appears by the two laſt verſes of the laſt chapter of theſe two Books, and the three firſt verſes of the Book of Ezra, which are almoſt the ſame word for word. This is an evidence that they were written after the Captivity, and therefore that Book of Chronicles (to which the two Books of Kings do ſo frequently make a Reference) cannot be thoſe Sacred Chronicles which were written long after both the Books of Kings: As the Hebrews do call theſe Holy Chronicles [Debre-Haiamim] the words or deeds of days, becauſe they contain an Hiſtory from Adam to Ezra's Day: So the Greeks call them [foreign] which ſignifies Remainders, or gatherings up; implying, that the Books of Chronicles have gathered up, what the Books of Kings had left out, and not recorded, yet omit many paſſages that were before fully related, as the foul fall of David, and the fouler fall of Solomon, &c. we have not a word there of them.
The Fourth general Remark is; The ſecond Book of Chronicles is the ſame with thoſe two Books of Kings, ſave only, that after the ſeparation of the Ten Tribes (which was the turning point, and began the Declinings of Iſrael's Glory) that holy Pen-man gives over his Hiſtory of the Kings of Iſrael (which is ſufficiently ſupplied out of this ſecond Book of Kings) and inſiſteth only upon the Hiſtory of the Kings of Judah until their Captivity in Babylon, and where-ever He relateth the ſame Hiſtory formerly Recorded, he returns (as one phraſeth it) with Ʋſury, as is before noted. N.B. Only ſometimes ſome of the Affairs of the Kingdom of Iſrael (wherein the two Kingdoms had to do one with another) are intermingled.
The Fifth general Remark is; The cogency of this conſideration cauſeth it therefore to be unavoidably neceſſary, that as it hitherto hath been done, ſo the History both in this ſecond of Kings, and in that ſecond of Chronicles, muſt go hand in hand in conjunction, ſo far as the coincidency of matter doth conſtrain. Hereupon this Hiſtory of the ſecond of Kings, muſt be ſupplied out of that in the ſecond of Chronicles, and ſo begin this Book with the Hiſtory of Jehoſaphat, of whom we have heard a little out of the first of Kings; and tho' he be not treated on in the ſecond of Kings, yet is he largely in the ſecond of Chronicles, therefore begin we with him (omitting what is already ſaid) before we come to Ahaziah.
Remarks in particular firſt upon Jehoſaphat are, First; He was the fourth King of Judah, ſucceeding his Father Aſa, 1 Kings 15.24. 2 Chron. 17.1. in whoſe History is firſt, His care of Religion; tho' he was contemporary with wicked Ahab, and Reigning about eighteen years in Affinity with him, yet was he both Religious in his own perſon [walking in the firſt ways of David] before his fall into foul infirmities, ver. 3. he was not corrupted with that contagious Air of his neighbouring Idolatrous Iſrael, ver. 4. but his heart was lifted up in the ways of God, not with Pride, but with Zeal, ver. 6. He alſo endeavoured to make his People Religious, by ſending Teaching Princes, Prieſts and Levites, among them, to teach them the Law of God, ver. 7, 8, 9. and not Humane Traditions. For this the Lord requited him with a rich Reward; 1. When he had eſtabliſhed a Preaching Miniſtry [the fear of the Lord fell upon Kingdoms round about him] ver. 10. And 2. His growing greatneſs brought in great Tributes to him from the Philiſtines, Arabians, &c. ver. 11. And 3. God bleſſed him with a prodigious Army of eleven hundred and ſixty thouſand brave fighting Men, ver. 12, 14, 19. of this 2d of Chron. c. 17. ſo that 'tis no wonder that Ahab moleſted him not, but made a League with him.
Remark the Second; After this, Jehoſaphat joyns with Ahab, and marcheth with him to Ramoth Gilead, as is before related in 1 Kings 22. and now here again repeated, in 2 Chron. 18.1. to the laſt verſe. N.B. 'Tis uſual for this Author Ezra, to give only an Abridgment of thoſe Hiſtories he found ſo fully Recorded before; yet this Hiſtory he repeats over again almoſt word for word, which muſt needs moſt highly commend the Contents hereof, as exceeding neceſſary, uſeful and profitable, ſeeing the Holy Spirit (who was Ezra's Enditer) can do nothing in vain: But he adds 2 Chron. 19.1. (as well as that precious paſſage, [The Lord helped him] noted before,) Jehoſaphat returned to his houſe in peace, looking upon his Deliverance as no leſs than a Miracle (ſaith Vatablus) and reckoning himſelf as a brand pluck'd out of the fire, Zech. 3.3. and having ſeen Ahab ſuffer ſhipwrack before his Eyes, he reſolves to take more care of his own tackling for time to come, &c.
Remark the Third; God ſent a Reprover to him, 2 Chron. 19.2. even Jehu the Son of Hanant the Seer, who delivered his Meſſage with better ſucceſs to patient Jehoſaphat, than his Father had done to paſſionate Aſa, 2 Chron. 16.7, 10, &c. whoſe wrath with God's Prophet would have better become wicked Ahab, than godly Aſa; but a true ſenſe of God's goodneſs in good Jehoſaphat (when he ſaw his Soul had through Divine Help at his call eſcaped as a Bird out of the ſnare of the Fowler, and as a Dove out of the Talons of an Eagle) had ſo melted down his mind, that he received the Prophet's Reproof, not only without paſſion and prejudice (which had been his Father's fault) but alſo with much calmneſs, and reſolution to reform; for as he will no more be enſnared to venture unto Samaria, but continues at Jeruſalem; ſo he took a progreſs in perſon to Review that Reformation he had begun before, but was Deformed by his Abſence at Ramoth, ver. 4 5, 6, 7, 8. to the end of chap. 19.