In
the close of the foregoing chapter we left Jeroboam attending his altar at
Beth-el, and there we find him in the beginning of this, when he received a
testimony from God against his idolatry and apostasy. This was sent to him
by a prophet, a man of God that lived in Judah, who is the principal subject
of the story of this chapter, where we are told, I. What passed between him
and the new king. 1. The prophet threatened Jeroboam's altar (ver. 1, 2),
and gave him a sign (ver. 3), which immediately came to pass, ver. 5. 2. The
king threatened the prophet, and was himself made another sign, by the
withering of his hand (ver. 4), and the restoring of it upon his submission
and the prophet's intercession, ver. 6. 3. The prophet refused the kindness
offered him thereupon, ver. 7-10. II. What passed between him and the old
prophet. 1. The old prophet fetched him back by a lie, and gave him
entertainment, ver. 11-19. 2. He, for accepting it, in disobedience to the
divine command, is threatened with death, ver. 20-22. And, 3. The
threatening is executed, for he is slain by a lion (ver. 23, 24), and buried
at Beth-el, ver. 25-32. 4. Jeroboam is hardened in his idolatry, ver. 33,
34. "Thy judgments, Lord, are a great deep."
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A
Prophet Sent to Jeroboam; the Withering of Jeroboam's Hand.
B. C. 974.
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1 And, behold, there came a man of God out of
Judah by the word of the LORD
unto Beth-el: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. 2
And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD,
and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD;
Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and
upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense
upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee. 3 And he
gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the
altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured
out. 4 And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying
of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Beth-el, that he put
forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which
he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to
him. 5 The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from
the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word
of the LORD.
6 And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face
of the LORD
thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man
of God besought the LORD,
and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as it was
before. 7 And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with
me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward. 8 And
the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I
will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this
place: 9 For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD,
saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that
thou camest. 10 So he went another way, and returned not by the
way that he came to Beth-el.
Here is, I. A messenger sent to Jeroboam, to signify to him God's
displeasure against his idolatry, v. 1. The army of Judah that aimed
to ruin him was countermanded, and might not draw a sword against him (ch.
xii. 24); but a prophet of Judah is, instead thereof, sent to reclaim him
from his evil way, and is sent in time, while he is but dedicating his
altar, before his heart is hardened by the deceitfulness of his sin; for God
delights not in the death of sinners, but would rather they would turn and
live. How bold was the messenger that durst attack the king in his pride and
interrupt the solemnity he was proud of! Those that go on God's errand must
not fear the face of man; they know who will bear them out. How kind was he
that sent him to warn Jeroboam of the wrath of God revealed from heaven
against his ungodliness and unrighteousness!
II. The message delivered in God's name, not whispered, but cried with a
loud voice, denoting both the prophet's courage, that he was neither afraid
nor ashamed to own it, and his earnestness, that he desired to be heard and
heeded by all that were present, who were not a few, on this great occasion.
It was directed, not to Jeroboam nor to the people, but to the altar, the
stones of which would sooner hear and yield than those who were mad upon
their idols and deaf to divine calls. Yet, in threatening the altar, God
threatened the founder and worshippers, to whom it was as dear as their own
souls, and who might conclude, "If God's wrath fasten upon the lifeless
guiltless altar, how shall we escape?" That which was foretold
concerning the altar (v. 2) was that, in process of time, a prince of
the house of David, Josiah by name, should pollute this altar by sacrificing
the idolatrous priests themselves upon it, and burning the bones of dead
men. Let Jeroboam know and be sure, 1. That the altar he now consecrated
should be desecrated. Idolatrous worship will not continue, but the word of
the Lord will endure for ever. 2. That the priests of the high places
he now made should themselves be made sacrifices to the justice of God, and
the first and only sacrifices upon this altar that would be pleasing to him.
If the offering be such as is an abomination to God, it will follow, of
course, that the offerers must themselves fall under his wrath, which will
abide upon them, since it is not otherwise transmitted. 3. That this should
be done by a branch of the house of David. That family which he and
his kingdom had despised and treacherously deserted should recover so much
power as to demolish that altar which he thought to establish; so that right
and truth should at length prevail, both in civil and sacred matters,
notwithstanding the present triumphs of those that were given to change the
fear both of God and the king. It was about 356 years ere this
prediction was fulfilled, yet it was spoken of as sure and nigh at hand, for
a thousand years with God are but as one day. Nothing more contingent and
arbitrary than the giving of names to persons, yet Josiah was here named
above 300 years before he was born. Nothing future is hidden from God. There
are names in the book of the divine prescience (Phil. iv. 3), names written
in heaven.
III. A sign is given for the confirming of the truth of this prediction,
that the altar should be shaken to pieces by an invisible power and the
ashes of the sacrifice scattered (v. 3), which came to pass
immediately, v. 5. This was, 1. A proof that the prophet was sent of
God, who confirmed the word with this sign following, Mark xvi. 20.
2. A present indication of God's displeasure against these idolatrous
sacrifices. How could the gift be acceptable when the altar that should
sanctify it was an abomination? 3. It was a reproach to the people, whose
hearts were harder than these stones and rent not under the word of the
Lord. 4. It was a specimen of what should be done to it in the
accomplishment of this prophecy by Josiah; it was now rent, in token of its
being then ruined.
IV. Jeroboam's hand withered, which he stretched out to seize or smite the
man of God, v. 4. Instead of trembling at the message, as he might
well have done, he assaulted him that brought it, in defiance of the wrath
of which he was warned and contempt of that grace which sent him the
warning. Rebuke a sinner and he will hate thee, and do thee a
mischief if he can; yet God's prophets must rather expose themselves than
betray their trust: he that employs them will protect them, and restrain the
wrath of man, as he did Jeroboam's here by withering his hand, so that he
could neither hurt the prophet nor draw it in to help himself. When his hand
was stretched out to burn incense to his calves it was not withered; but,
when it is stretched out against a prophet, he shall have no use of it till
he humble himself. Of all the wickedness of the wicked there is none more
provoking to God than their malicious attempts against his prophets, of whom
he has said, Touch them not, do them no harm. As this was a
punishment of Jeroboam, and answering to the sin, so it was the deliverance
of the prophet. God has many ways of disabling the enemies of his church
from executing their mischievous purposes. Jeroboam's inability to pull in
his hand made him a spectacle to all about him, that they might see and
fear. If God, in justice, harden the hearts of sinners, so that the hand
they have stretched out in sin they cannot pull in again by repentance, that
is a spiritual judgment, represented by this, and much more dreadful.
V. The sudden healing of the hand that was suddenly dried up, upon his
submission, v. 6. That word of God which should have touched his
conscience humbled him not, but this which touched his bone and his flesh
brings down his proud spirit. He looks for help now, 1. Not from his calves,
but from God only, from his power and his favour. He wounded, and no hand
but his can make whole. 2. Not by his own sacrifice or incense, but by the
prayer and intercession of the prophet, whom he had just now threatened and
aimed to destroy. The time may come when those that hate the preaching would
be glad of the prayers of faithful ministers. "Pray to the Lord thy
God," says Jeroboam; "thou hast an interest in him; improve it for
me." But observe, He did not desire the prophet to pray that his sin
might be pardoned, and his heart changed, only that his hand might be
restored; thus Pharaoh would have Moses to pray that God would take
away this death only (Exod. x. 17), not this sin. The prophet, as
became a man of God, renders good for evil, upbraids not Jeroboam with his
impotent malice, nor triumphs in his submission, but immediately addresses
himself to God for him. Those only are entitled to the blessing Christ
pronounced on the persecuted that learn of him to pray for their
persecutors, Matt. v. 10, 44. When the prophet thus honoured God, by showing
himself of a forgiving spirit, God put this further honour upon him, that at
his word he recalled the judgment and by another miracle healed the withered
hand, that by the goodness of God Jeroboam might be led to repentance, and,
if he were not broken by the judgment, yet might be melted by the mercy.
With both he seemed affected for the present, but the impressions wore off.
VI. The prophet's refusal of Jeroboam's kind invitation, in which observe,
1. That God forbade his messenger to eat or drink in Beth-el (v. 9),
to show his detestation of their execrable idolatry and apostasy from God,
and to teach us not to have fellowship with the works of darkness, lest we
have infection from them or give encouragement to them. He must not turn
back the same way, but deliver his message, as it were, in transitu--as
he passes along. He shall not seem to be sent on purpose (they were
unworthy such a favour), but as if he only called by the way, his spirit
being stirred, like Paul's at Athens, as he passed and saw their
devotions. God would, by this command, try his prophet, as he did
Ezekiel, whether he would not be rebellious, like that rebellious house,
Ezek. ii. 8. 2. That Jeroboam was so affected with the cure of his hand that
though we read not of his thanksgivings to God for the mercy, or of his
sending an offering to the altar at Jerusalem in acknowledgment of it, yet
he was willing to express his gratitude to the prophet and pay him for his
prayers, v. 7. Favours to the body will make even graceless men seem
grateful to good ministers. 3. That the prophet, though hungry and weary,
and perhaps poor, in obedience to the divine command refused both the
entertainment and the reward proffered him. He might have supposed his
acceptance of it would give him an opportunity of discoursing further with
the king, in order to his effectual reformation, now that he was convinced;
yet he will not think himself wiser than God, but, like a faithful careful
messenger, hastens home when he has done his errand. Those have little
learned the lessons of self-denial that cannot forbear one forbidden meal.
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The
Prophet Deceived.
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B.
C. 974.
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11 Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el;
and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done
that day in Beth-el: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they
told also to their father. 12 And their father said unto them,
What way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which
came from Judah. 13 And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the
ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon, 14 And
went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said
unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he
said, I am. 15 Then he said unto him, Come home with me,
and eat bread. 16 And he said, I may not return with thee, nor
go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this
place: 17 For it was said to me by the word of the LORD,
Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the
way that thou camest. 18 He said unto him, I am a prophet
also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD,
saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and
drink water. But he lied unto him. 19 So he went back
with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water. 20
And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD
came unto the prophet that brought him back: 21 And he cried
unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD,
Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD,
and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD
thy God commanded thee, 22 But camest back, and hast eaten bread
and drunk water in the place, of the which the LORD did say to thee,
Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the
sepulchre of thy fathers.
The man of God had honestly and resolutely refused the king's invitation,
though he promised him a reward; yet he was over-persuaded by an old prophet
to come back with him, and dine in Beth-el, contrary to the command given
him. Here we find how dearly his dinner cost him. Observe with wonder,
I. The old prophet's wickedness. I cannot but call him a false prophet and a
bad man, it being much easier to believe that from one of such a bad
character should be extorted a confirmation of what the man of God said (as
we find, v. 32) than that a true prophet, and a good man, should tell
such a deliberate lie as he did, and father it upon God. A good tree
could never bring forth such corrupt fruit. Perhaps he was trained up
among the sons of the prophets, in one of Samuel's colleges not far off,
whence he retained the name of a prophet, but, growing worldly and profane,
the spirit of prophecy had departed from him. If he had been a good prophet
he would have reproved Jeroboam's idolatry, and not have suffered his sons
to attend his altars, as, it should seem, they did. Now, 1. Whether he had
any good design in fetching back the man of God is not certain. One may hope
that he did it in compassion to him, concluding he wanted refreshment, and
out of a desire to be better acquainted with him and more fully to
understand his errand than he could from the report of his sons; yet his
sons having told him all that passed, and particularly that the prophet was
forbidden to eat or drink there, which he had openly told Jeroboam, I
suppose it was done with a bad design, to draw him into a snare, and so to
expose him; for false prophets have ever been the worst enemies to the true
prophets, usually aiming to destroy them, but sometimes, as here, to debauch
them and draw them from their duty. Thus they gave the Nazarites wine to
drink (Amos ii. 12), that they might glory in their fall. But, 2. It is
certain that he took a very bad method to bring him back. When the man of
God had told him, "I may not, and therefore I will not, return to eat
bread with thee" (his resolutions concurring with the divine command, v.
16, 17), he wickedly pretended that he had an order from heaven to fetch him
back. He imposed upon him by asserting his quondam character as a prophet: I
am a prophet also as thou art; he pretended he had a vision of an angel
that sent him on this errand. But it was all a lie; it was a banter upon
prophecy, and profane in the highest degree. When this old prophet is spoken
of (2 Kings xxiii. 18) he is called the prophet that came out of Samaria,
whereas there was no such place as Samaria till long after, ch. xvi.
24. Therefore I take it he is so called there, though he was of Beth-el,
because he was like those who were afterwards the prophets of Samaria,
who caused God's people Israel to err, Jer. xxiii. 13.
II. The good prophet's weakness, in suffering himself to be thus imposed
upon: He went back with him, v. 19. He that had resolution
enough to refuse the invitation of the king, who promised him a reward,
could not resist the insinuations of one that pretended to be a prophet.
God's people are more in danger of being drawn from their duty by the
plausible pretences of divinity and sanctity than by external inducements;
we have therefore need to beware of false prophets, and not believe
every spirit.
III. The proceedings of divine justice hereupon; and here we may well wonder
that the wicked prophet, who told the lie and did the mischief, went
unpunished, while the holy man of God, that was drawn by him into sin, was
suddenly and severely punished for it. What shall we make of this! The
judgments of God are unfathomable. The deceived and the deceiver are his,
and he giveth not account of any of his matters. Certainly there must
be a judgment to come, when these things will be called over again, and when
those that sinned most and suffered least, in this world, will receive
according to their works. 1. The message delivered to the man of God was
strange. His crime is recited, v. 21, 22. It was, in one word,
disobedience to an express command. Judgment is given upon it: Thy
carcase shall not come to the sepulchre of thy fathers, that is,
"Thou shalt never reach thy own house, but shalt be a carcase quickly,
nor shall thy dead body be brought to the place of thy fathers'
sepulchres, to be interred." 2. Yet it was more strange that the
old prophet himself should be the messenger. Of this we can give no account
but that God would have it so, as he spoke to Balaam by his ass and read
Saul his doom by the devil in Samuel's likeness. We may think God designed
hereby, (1.) To startle the lying prophet, and make him sensible of his sin.
The message could not but affect him the more when he himself had the
delivering of it, and had so strong an impression made upon his spirit by it
that he cried out, as one in an agony, v. 21. He had reason to think,
if he must die for his disobedience in a small matter who sinned by
surprise, of how much sorer punishment he should be thought worthy who had
belied an angel of God and cheated a man of God by a deliberate forgery. If
this were done to the green tree, what shall be done to the dry? Perhaps
it had a good effect upon him. Those who preach God's wrath to others have
hard hearts indeed if they fear it not themselves. (2.) To put the greater
mortification upon the prophet that was deceived, and to show what those
must expect who hearken to the great deceiver. Those that yield to him as a
tempter will be terrified by him as a tormentor; whom he now fawns upon he
will afterwards fly upon, and whom he now draws into sin he will do what he
can to drive to despair.
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The
Deceived Prophet Slain.
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B.
C. 974.
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23 And it came to pass, after he had eaten
bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit,
for the prophet whom he had brought back. 24 And when he was
gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in
the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase.
25 And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the
lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told it in the city
where the old prophet dwelt. 26 And when the prophet that
brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is
the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD:
therefore the LORD
hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him,
according to the word of the LORD,
which he spake unto him. 27 And he spake to his sons, saying,
Saddle me the ass. And they saddled him. 28 And he went
and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by
the carcase: the lion had not eaten the carcase, nor torn the ass.
29 And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God, and laid it upon
the ass, and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn
and to bury him. 30 And he laid his carcase in his own grave;
and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother! 31
And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons,
saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God
is buried; lay my bones beside his bones: 32 For the
saying which he cried by the word of the LORD
against the altar in Beth-el, and against all the houses of the high places
which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.
33 After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again
of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he
consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high
places. 34 And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam,
even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the
earth.
Here is, I. The death of the deceived disobedient prophet. The old prophet
that had deluded him, as if he would make him some amends for the wrong he
had done him or help to prevent the mischief threatened him, furnished him
with an ass to ride home on; but by the way a lion set upon him, and killed
him, v. 23, 24. He did but return back to refresh himself when he was
hungry, and behold he must die for it; see 1 Sam. xiv. 43. But we must
consider, 1. That his offence was great, and it would by no means justify
him that he was drawn into it by a lie; he could not be so certain of the
countermand sent by another as he was of the command given to himself, nor
had he any ground to think that the command would be recalled, when the
reason of it remained in force, which was that he might testify his
detestation of the wickedness of that place. He had great reason to suspect
the honesty of this old prophet, who did not himself bear his testimony, nor
did God think fit to make use of him as a witness against the idolatry of
the city he lived in. However, he should have taken time to beg direction
from God, and not have complied so soon. Did he think this old prophet's
house safer to eat in than other houses at Beth-el, when God had forbidden
him to eat in any? That was to refine upon the command, and make himself
wiser than God. Did he think to excuse himself that he was hungry? Had he
never read that man lives not by bread alone? 2. That his death was
for the glory of God; for by this it appeared, (1.) That nothing is more
provoking to him than disobedience to an express command, though in a small
matter, which makes his proceedings against our first parents, for eating
the forbidden fruit, the easier to be accounted for. (2.) That God is
displeased at the sins of his own people, and no man shall be protected in
disobedience by the sanctity of his profession, the dignity of his office,
his nearness to God, or any good services he has done for him. Perhaps God
by this intended, in a way of righteous judgment, to harden Jeroboam's
heart, since he was not reformed by the withering of his hand; for he would
be apt to make a bad use of it, and to say that the prophet was well enough
served for meddling with his altar, he had better have staid at home; any,
he would say that Providence had punished him for his insolence, and the
lion had done that which his withered hand might not do. However, by this
God intended to warn all those whom he employs strictly to observe their
orders, at their peril.
II. The wonderful preservation of his dead body, which was a token of God's
mercy remembered in the midst of wrath. The lion that gently strangled him,
or tore him, did not devour his dead body, nor so much as tear the ass, v.
24, 25, 26. Nay, what was more, he did not set upon the travellers that
passed by and saw it, nor upon the old prophet (who had reason enough to
fear it) when he came to take up the corpse. His commission was to kill the
prophet; hitherto he should go, but no further. Thus God showed that, though
he was angry with him, his anger was turned away, and the punishment went no
further than death.
III. The care which the old prophet took of his burial. When he heard of
this unusual accident, he concluded it was the man of God, who was
disobedient to his Master (and whose fault was that?), therefore the
Lord has delivered him to the lion, v. 26. It would well have
become him to ask why the lion was not sent against him and his house,
rather than against the good man whom he had cheated. He took up the
corpse, v. 29. If there by any truth in the vulgar opinion,
surely the corpse bled afresh when he touched it, for he was in effect the
murderer, and it was but a poor reparation for the injury to inter the dead
body. Perhaps when he cheated him into his ruin he intended to laugh at him;
yet now his conscience so far relents that he weeps over him, and, like Joab
at Abner's funeral, is compelled to be a mourner for him whom he had been
the death of. They said, Alas! my brother, v. 30. The case was
indeed very lamentable that so good a man, a prophet so faithful, and so
bold in God's cause, should, for one offence, die as a criminal, while an
old lying prophet lives at ease and an idolatrous prince in pomp and power. Thy
way, O God! is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters. We cannot
judge of men by their sufferings, nor of sins by their present punishments;
with some the flesh is destroyed that the spirit may be saved, while with
others the flesh is pampered that the soul may ripen for hell.
IV. The charge which the old prophet gave his sons concerning his own
burial, that they should be sure to bury him in the same grave where the man
of God was buried (v. 31): "Lay my bones beside his bones,
close by them, as near as may be, so that my dust may mingle with his."
Though he was a lying prophet, yet he desired to die the death of a
true prophet. "Gather not my soul with the sinners of Beth-el, but with
the man of God." The reason he gives is because what he cried
against the altar of Beth-el, that men's bones should be burnt upon it, shall
surely come to pass, v. 32. Thus, 1. He ratifies the prediction,
that out of the mouth of two witnesses (and one of them such a one as
St. Paul quotes, Titus i. 12, one of themselves, even a prophet of their
own) the word might be established, if possible to convince and
reclaim Jeroboam. 2. He does honour to the deceased prophet, as one whose word
would not fall to the ground, though he did. Ministers die, die
prematurely it may be; but the word of the Lord endures for ever, and does
not die with them. 3. He consults his own interest. It was foretold that
men's bones should be burnt upon Jeroboam's altar: "Lay mine (says he)
close to his, and then they will not be disturbed;" and it was,
accordingly, their security, as we find, 2 Kings xxiii. 18. Sleeping and
waking, living and dying, it is safe being in good company. No mention is
made here of the inscription on the prophet's tomb; but it is spoken of 2
Kings xxiii. 17, where Josiah asks, What title is that? and is told, It
is the sepulchre of the man of God that came from Judah, who proclaimed
these things which thou hast done; so that the epitaph upon the
prophet's grave preserved the remembrance of his prophecy, and was a
standing testimony against the idolatries of Beth-el, which it would not
have been so remarkably if he had died and been buried elsewhere. The cities
of
Israel
are here called cities of
Samaria
, though that name was not yet known; for, however the old prophet
spoke, the inspired historian wrote in the language of his own time.
V. The obstinacy of Jeroboam in his idolatry (v. 33): He returned
not from his evil way; some hand was found that durst repair the altar
God had rent, and then Jeroboam offered sacrifice on it again, and the more
boldly because the prophet who disturbed him before was in his grave (Rev.
xi. 10) and because the prophecy was for a great while to come. Various
methods had been used to reclaim him, but neither threats nor signs, neither
judgments nor mercies, wrought upon him, so strangely was he wedded to his
calves. He did not reform, no, not his priesthood, but whoever would, he
filled his hand, and made him priest, though ever so illiterate or immoral,
and of what tribe soever; and this became sin, that is, a snare
first, and then a ruin, to Jeroboam's house, to cut if off, v.
34. Note, The diminution, disquiet, and desolation of families, are the
fruit of sin; he promised himself that the calves would secure the crown to
his family, but it proved they lost it, and sunk his family. Those betray
themselves that think by any sin to support themselves.
