A Complete History and Mystery of the Old and New Testament, Volume 3 · Commentary on 1 and 2 Kings · Chapter 13
2 Kings CHAP. XIII.
THIS Chapter contains the Lives of two Kings of Iſrael; Firſt, the Hiſtory of King Jehoahaz the Son of Jehu, from ver. 1, to ver. 9. and Secondly, of Jehoaſh his Son, ver. 10. to the End.
Remarks upon the firſt Part: The Hiſtory of Jehoaaz, are, Firſt, Jehu had Reigned over Iſrael, called the Kingdom of Samaria, about twenty-eight Years, and then died in the twenty-third Year of Joaſh King of Judah, who Reigned forty Years, Chap. 12.1. So that this Jehoaaz the Son of Jehu, was Contemporary with that Joaſh of Judah, all the ſeventeen Years of his Reign, as here ver. 1. and the Death of this Jehoaaz fell out about that time wherein Joaſh was murder'd in his Bed, as he lay diſeaſed thereon, by his two Servants deſcended from Moab and Ammon, Chap. 12.21. and 2 Chron. 24.26.
Remark the Second; As Joaſh did wickedly in Judah after the Death of Jehoia…a, ſo this Jehoaaz did wickedly in Iſrael, ver. 2. whereby the Anger of the Lord was kindled, (as Fire is) ſo as to deliver up Iſrael into the hands of Hazael King of Syria, as he had done Judah before, for the Sins of Joaſh, ver. 3. this Hazael had invaded and deſtroyed Iſrael beyond Jordan before, exerciſing thoſe barbarous Cruelties which Eliſha had foretold of him, Threſhing Gilead with threſhing Inſtruments of Iron, as Amos 1.3. and now he comes on this ſide Jordan and falls upon Iſrael, oft ſmiting them, Chap. 8.12, 13, 15. and 10.32. and he took Gath from them, which David had recovered from the Philiſtines, and annexed it to the Crown of Iſrael, 1 Chron. 18.1. and 2 Chron. 11.8. but now 'tis loſt, Chap. 12.17. 2 Chron. 24.23. and now comes he here to play his old Pranks again.
Remark the Third; This extream Oppreſſion of Iſrael by Hazael preſſes Idolatrous Jehoaaz to pray unto Jehovah, when his Idols helped him not, ver. 4. N. B. A wicked Ahab will humble himſelf in extream Neceſſity, 1 Kings 21.27. bad Coals muſt be quickned and kindled with violent blowing; Affliction is the Bellows to blow up Devotion. Jehoaaz was now brought very low by Hazael's threſhing Iſrael to duſt, ver. 7. otherwiſe God had not been thought on, or ſought to.
Remark the Fourth; So gracious was God, that he who had accepted of wicked Ahab's Humiliation, 1 Kings 21.29. accepted alſo of this ſorry Repentance of Jehoaaz; not ſo much for his ſake, as for the ſake of his ſore oppreſſed Iſrael, towards whom he could not but ſhew Compaſſion, Exod. 3.7. and he ſaw likewiſe the blaſphemous Inſolencies of their Enemies, Deut. 32.27. Pſalm 12.4. and 140.8. therefore the Lord gave Iſrael a Saviour, ver. 5. an Angel, ſay ſome, the Prophet Eliſha, ſay others, or rather King Jehoaſh, Jehu's Grand-ſon, ver. 25. who was encouraged by Eliſha to obtain a threefold Victory over the Syrians, and to him may be added Jeroboam his valiant Succeſſor, Chap. 14.28. of Kings.
Remark the Fifth; Though thoſe two Kings (degenerate Joaſh of Judah, and valorous Jehoaaz of Iſrael) were both ſeverely ſcourged by Hazael, the Rod of God's Anger, yet neither of them were whipped home to an angry God by true Repentance and due Reformation! for, 1. Joaſh of Judah, though he was ſhamefully over-thrown by a ſmall Company of the Syrian Rovers, (which Hazael obſerving how timorous Joaſh had been at his firſt Invaſion in hiring him off with ſo vaſt a preſent, 2 Kings 12.18.) ſent therefore but a ſmall Army againſt Joaſh's Multitudes: Yet, becauſe he would not be reclaimed from his Baal-worſhip, by his Deliverance from Hazael's firſt Invaſion, the Lord delivered his great Hoſt into the hands of an handful of Syrians, 2 Chron. 24.24. N. B. But ſuch was the Patience of God to this wretched King, that he cauſed the Enemy to depart from him, ver. 25. and only to diſeaſe him by Wounds, but not to deſtroy him out-right, that he might have ſtill a breathing time, and an opportunity to repent; but when he ſtill perſiſted in his obſtinate Impenitency, then God ſuffered his own Servants to conſpire his Death, as Joaſh had ſuffered his own Servants to conſpire and Stone good Jehoiada's Son: And, 2. Jehoaaz of Iſrael, who (notwithſtanding God's favour in eaſing him of Hazael, when he beſought the Lord, ver. 4, 5. here, yet could not be reclaimed from Jeroboam's Calves, and from the Groves of Baal, ver. 6. though Hazael had ſo weakned and diminiſhed his forces (leaving him only fifty Horſemen and ten Chariots, and ten thouſand Footmen, a contemptible Company for a King and Kingdom) ver. 7. and though himſelf was a Man of Valour, ver. 8. yet God in Juſtice made the Valour of ſo wicked a Man to be in vain: He did what he could againſt the Syrians, but 'twas to no purpoſe, becauſe God was againſt him, as againſt Goliah, whoſe might could not ſave him, 1 Sam. 17.50.
The ſecond Part concerns Jehoaſh who ſucceeded this Jehoaaz in the Kingdom of Iſrael, as Amaziah did Joaſh in the Kingdom of Judah.
Remark the Firſt; This Jehoaſh King of Iſrael was the ſecond of Jehu's four Generations promiſed to him by a Prophet, Chap. 10.30. and he Reigned ſixteen Years, two or three of which were in the laſt end of the Reign of Joaſh King of Judah, and the reſt in the Days of Amaziah, Joaſh's Son and Succeſſor, Chap. 14.1. and 2 Chron. 25.1, &c. This Jehoaſh follows in the ſame evil Road with his Father Jehoaaz in Jeroboam's Sins, &c. ver. 10, 11, 12, 13. The Life and Death of this Jehoaſh is briefly paſſed over here, becauſe his moſt memorable Acts were acted by vertue of Eliſha's Prophecy, ver. 15, &c. in the Hiſtory of Amaziah, therefore are they referred thither, Chap. 14. and 2 Chron. 25.
Remark the Second; In the time of this Jehoaſh's Reign did Eliſha fall ſick and die, ver. 14, &c. In which famous Hiſtory the Antecedents, Concomitants and Conſequents be very remarkable: 1. The Antecedents, Eliſha falls ſick of his laſt Sickneſs whereof he died, being (as 'tis computed) above an Hundred Years old: Here he lays for ſome long time languiſhing upon a Bed of ſickneſs, where this King came to viſit him, and wept over him, though he was a wicked Man; not for any real reſpect to God's Prophet did he do thus, for then would he have followed his Counſel in forſaking the Calves, &c. but for the ineſtimable loſs in him, both to himſelf and to the whole Kingdom (now greatly Diſtreſſed,) hoping, that as Eliſha was well known to have done great things for Iſrael in former times, ſo he might yet give it one lift more out of Miſery before his departure by Death. N. B. Hereupon he cried to him, [Oh my Father, my Father, &c.] Theſe very words this ſame Eliſha had cried to Elijah, when he was taken up, &c. 2 Kings 2.12. and now he heareth as much cried to himſelf by this King, who aſcribeth no leſs to the Servant of Elijah, than he had done to his Maſter, intimating (ſaith Vatablus) that Eliſha had helped Iſrael more with his Prayers, than all their Chariots and Horſemen could do: This was a juſt remuneration of Eliſha's Veneration to his Maſter Elijah.
Remark the Third; Eliſha, to ſhew himſelf a Father (as he is here ſtiled twice over) both to King and Kingdom at his laſt farewel, bids Jehoaſh bring Bow and Arrows; &c: ver. 15, 16, 17. This was the firſt ſign portending Deliverance by Victory, ſaith Sanctius.
Mark 1. The King brings the Bow, &c. at the Prophet's bidding, becauſe he expected ſome Comfort from Eliſha, therefore he readily obeys him.
Mark 2. The King at the Prophet's Command, puts his hand upon the Bow, that is, his left hand upon the Bow, and his right hand (ſaith Menochius) upon the String and Arrows, which ſignified, that Jehoaſh muſt yet War againſt the Syrians with Succeſs.
Mark 3. Eliſha puts his hands upon the King's hands; the Prophet (ſaith Piſcator) was in God's ſtead, whereby he ſignified, that God would be with him, and fight for him, and that his good ſucceſs muſt come from God.
Mark 4. Eliſha bid [open the Window Eaſtward] not only toward Syria, but alſo toward the Iſraelites beyond Jordan, which now the Syrians had ſubdued.
Mark 5. Eliſha ſaid, [Shoot the Arrow of the Lord's Deliverance] which the Prophet helped him in God's place to ſhoot, ſignifying, that the Arms of his Hands ſhould be made ſtrong by the Hands of the mighty God of Jacob, Gen. 49.24. for the recovering (ſaith Menochius) the Reubenites, Gadites, &c. from the Syrians.
Mark 6. The Prophet promiſeth ſuch ſucceſs as Iſrael had at Aphek, 1 Kings 20.26, where they ſlew an Hundred thouſand Syrians, &c. ver. 28, 29, 30. and thus Jehoaſh ſhould have deſtroyed the Syrian Armies upon Condition, had not his Unbelief hinder'd it.
Remark the Fourth; Eliſha's ſecond Sign was to declare the number of his Victories foretold by the firſt Sign (ſaith Sanctius) ver. 18, 19. The Prophet commands him to ſmite the Ground with the Arrows, not diſtinctly directing him (as he did in all the other Acts) how oft he ſhould ſmite, but leaves him to his Liberty therein, the Prophet himſelf not knowing the number of his Victories (ſaith Piſcator) but God had told him he ſhould learn that by the number of his ſtrokes, therefore Eliſha was angry at the King's Negligence, that he had not ſmitten the Ground with all the ſix Arrows in the Quiver (ſaith Junius) but only with three of them, for his Idolatry made him ſoon weary with work well begun.
The Prophet was angry with the King for his Remiſneſs (ſaith Menochius) becauſe he might eaſily have underſtood by the former ſign, and by Eliſha's comment upon it, that this likewiſe was deſigned as a ſecond ſign of his ſucceſs againſt the Syrians, therefore he ought to have done it oftner and earneſter.
Remark the Fifth, is, The ſecond Circumſtance of Jehoaſh's Misfortune in the Concomitants of it, namely, the Death and Burial of Eliſha, ver. 20. which ſheweth, that, N.B. 1. The beſt of Men are but Men at the beſt, being ſubject to both Sickneſs and Death: 2. Some Servants of God, after a due preparation, paſs through the Gates of Death ere they be aware, ſome fiery Chariot of a ſhort acute Fever, or ſome ſudden ſtroke tranſlates them to Heaven as was Elijah; others lay long and lingring upon a Bed of Languiſhing, beholding the Gates of Death afar off, wiſely improving their Sickneſs, to be better prepared for their expected Departure, as did Eliſha here. 3. Though Godly Ministers may be but lightly eſteemed in their life-times, yet their deaths and departures are uſually bewailed, yea ſometimes even by bad men, as by this King here, who had now loſt his Chariots and Horſemen.
Remark the Sixth; The Conſequents hereof; A marvelous Miracle was wrought by Eliſha when dead and buried, ver. 20, 21.
Mark 1. This was a ſtrange addition to his many even twenty Miracles, which he wrought while he was living: This Miracle God vouchſafed to ſhew how dear his Saints are to him, even when dead.
Mark 2. The occaſion of it; A Band of Moabites invaded the Land, now when Baal was ſet up, which they durſt not do before, Hoſ. 13.1. before (ſaith an Expoſitor) none durſt budge againſt the Name of Ephraim, but after Baal came in, every paltry Adverſary durſt venture to trample upon Ephraim, as if a dead man, &c.
Mark 3. Theſe Moabites ſo affrighted thoſe Men that were carrying a Corps to the Grave, they durſt not bear him end-ways to the Grave prepared for him, but in a great fright caſt the Corps into Eliſha's Grave which lay in their way, and no ſooner had it touch'd the Bones of Eliſha, but immediately the Man reviv'd, &c.
Mark 4. This Miracle was to ſtrengthen Jehoaſh's Faith in Eliſha's Prophecies; ſome ſay, this revived Man went to the King to encourage him in his Expedition againſt the Syrians, telling him, God would raiſe up the dead ſtate of Iſrael, Iſa. 26.19. himſelf was a ſign. N. B. May we but touch a Crucified Chriſt by Faith, this will quicken us more.
Remark the Seventh; The Accompliſhment of Eliſha's Prophecy, in reviving the half ruin'd Iſrael by the hands of Hazael, ver. 22, 23, 24, 25. God was ſo tender of his Covenant wherein he had made himſelf a voluntatry Debtor, and would not as yet caſt out his People; and tho' Hazael made havock of Iſrael all Jehoaaz's days, yet God ſmote him with Death now, and Benhadad his Son is conquer'd three times by this Jehoaſh, as Eliſha had foretold, to recompence him for his kind viſit of ſick Eliſha (as Wolphius, that ſucceeded Peter Martyr, noteth) and to ſtir up all men to be kind to God's Miniſters.