II
K I N G S
CHAP. VII.
Relief
is here brought to
Samaria and her king, when the case is, in a manner,
desperate, and the king despairing. I. It is foretold by Elisha, and an
unbelieving lord shut out from the benefit of it, ver. 1, 2. II. It is brought
about, 1. By an unaccountable fright into which God put the Syrians (ver. 6),
which caused them to retire precipitately, ver. 7. 2. By the seasonable
discovery which four lepers made of this (ver. 3-5), and the account which
they gave of it to the court, ver. 8-11. 3. By the cautious trial which the
king made of the truth of it, ver. 12-15. III. The event answered the
prediction both in the sudden plenty (ver. 16), and the death of the
unbelieving lord (ver. 17-20); for no word of God shall fall to the ground.
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Elisha
Foretells the Relief of Samaria.
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B.
C. 891.
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1 Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD,
To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold
for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of
Samaria. 2 Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the
man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD
would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou
shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.
Here, I. Elisha foretels that, notwithstanding the great straits to which the
city of Samaria is reduced, yet within twenty-four hours they shall have
plenty, v. 1. The king of Israel despaired of it and grew weary of
waiting: then Elisha foretold it, when things were at the worst. Man's
extremity is God's opportunity of magnifying his own power; his time to appear
for his people is when their strength is gone, Deut. xxxii. 36. When
they had given over expecting help it came. When the son of man comes shall
he find faith on the earth? Luke xviii. 8. The king said, What shall I
wait for the Lord any longer? And perhaps some of the elders were ready to
say the same: "Well," said Elisha, "you hear what these say; now
hear you the word of the Lord, hear what he says, hear it and heed it and
believe it: to-morrow corn shall be sold at the usual rate in the gate of
Samaria;" that is, the siege shall be raised, for the gate of the city
shall be opened, and the market shall be held there as formerly. The return of
peace is thus expressed (Judg. v. 11), Then shall the people of the Lord go
down to the gates, to buy and sell there. 2. The consequence of that shall
be great plenty. This would, in time, follow of course, but that corn should
be thus cheap in so short a time was quite beyond what could be thought of.
Though the king of Israel had just now threatened Elisha's life, God promises
to save his life and the life of his people; for where sin abounded grace
doth much more abound.
II. A peer of Israel that happened to be present openly declared his disbelief
of this prediction, v. 2. He was a courtier whom the king had an
affection for, as the man of his right hand, on whom he leaned, that is, on
whose prudence he much relied, and in whom he reposed much confidence. He
thought it impossible, unless God should rain corn out of the clouds, as once
he did manna; no less than the repetition of Moses's miracle will serve him,
though that of Elijah might have served to answer this intention, the
increasing of the meal in the barrel.
III. The just doom passed upon him for his infidelity, that he should see this
great plenty for this conviction, and yet not eat of it to his comfort. Note,
Unbelief is a sin by which men greatly dishonour and displease God, and
deprive themselves of the favours he designed for them. The murmuring
Israelites saw Canaan, but could not enter in because of unbelief. Such (says
bishop Patrick) will be the portion of those that believe not the promise of
eternal life; they shall see it at a distance--Abraham afar off, but shall
never taste of it; for they forfeit the benefit of the promise if they cannot
find in their heart to take God's word.
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The
Siege of Samaria Raised.
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B.
C. 891.
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3 And there were four leprous men at the
entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until
we die? 4 If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is
in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also.
Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save
us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die. 5
And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when
they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there
was no man there. 6 For the Lord had made the host of the
Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the
noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel
hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the
Egyptians, to come upon us. 7 Wherefore they arose and fled in the
twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the
camp as it was, and fled for their life. 8 And when these
lepers came to the uttermost part of the camp, they went into one tent, and
did eat and drink, and carried thence silver, and gold, and raiment, and went
and hid it; and came again, and entered into another tent, and carried
thence also, and went and hid it. 9 Then they said
one to another, We do not well: this day is a day of good tidings, and
we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, some mischief will come
upon us: now therefore come, that we may go and tell the king's
household. 10 So they came and called unto the porter of the city:
and they told them, saying, We came to the camp of the Syrians, and, behold, there
was no man there, neither voice of man, but horses tied, and asses tied,
and the tents as they were. 11 And he called the porters;
and they told it to the king's house within.
We are here told,
I. How the siege of Samaria was raised in the evening, at the edge of night (v.
6, 7), not by might or power, but by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts, striking
terror upon the spirits of the besiegers. Here was not a sword drawn against
them, not a drop of blood shed, it was not by thunder or hailstones that they
were discomfited, nor were they slain, as Sennacherib's army before Jerusalem,
by a destroying angel; but, 1. The Lord made them to hear a noise of
chariots and horses. The Syrians that besieged Dothan had their sight
imposed upon, ch. vi. 18. These had their hearing imposed upon.
For God knows how to work upon every sense, pursuant to his own counsels as he
makes the hearing ear and the seeing eye, so he makes the deaf and the
blind, Exod. iv. 11. Whether the noise was really made in the air by the
ministry of angels, or whether it was only a sound in their ears, is not
certain; which soever it was, it was from God, who both brings the wind out
of his treasures, and forms the spirit of man within him. The sight
of horses and chariots had encouraged the prophet's servant, ch. vi.
17. The noise of horses and chariots terrified the hosts of Syria. For notices
from the invisible world are either very comfortable or very dreadful,
according as men are at peace with God or at war with him. 2. Hearing this
noise, they concluded the king of Israel had certainly procured assistance
from some foreign power: He has hired against us the kings of the Hittites
and the kings of the Egyptians. There was, for aught we know but one king
of Egypt, and what kings there were of the Hittites nobody can imagine; but,
as they were imposed upon by that dreadful sound in their ears, so they
imposed upon themselves by the interpretation they made of it. Had they
supposed the king of Judah to have come with his forces, there would have been
more of probability in their apprehensions than to dream of the kings of
the Hittites and the Egyptians. If the fancies of any of them raised this
spectre, yet their reasons might soon have laid it: how could the king of
Israel, who was closely besieged, hold intelligence with those distant
princes? What had he to hire them with? It was impossible but some notice
would come, before, of the motions of so great a host; but there were they
in great fear where no fear was. 3. Hereupon they all fled with incredible
precipitation, as for their lives, left their camp as it was: even their
horses, that might have hastened their flight, they could not stay to take
with them, v. 7. None of them had so much sense as to send out scouts
to discover the supposed enemy, much less courage enough to face the enemy,
though fatigued with a long march. The wicked flee when none pursues.
God can, when he pleases, dispirit the boldest and most brave, and make the
stoutest heart to tremble. Those that will not fear God he can make to fear at
the shaking of a leaf.
II. How the Syrians' flight was discovered by four leprous men. Samaria was
delivered, and did not know it. The watchmen on the walls were not aware of
the retreat of the enemy, so silently did they steal away. But Providence
employed four lepers to be the intelligencers, who had their lodging without
the gate, being excluded from the city, as ceremonially unclean: the Jews say
they were Gehazi and his three sons; perhaps Gehazi might be one of them,
which might cause him to be taken notice of afterwards by the king, ch.
viii. 4. See here, 1. How these lepers reasoned themselves into a resolution
to make a visit in the night to the camp of the Syrians, v. 3, 4. They
were ready to perish for hunger; none passed through the gate to relieve them.
Should they go into the city, there was nothing to be had there, they mist die
in the streets; should they sit still, they must pine to death in their
cottage. They therefore determine to go over to the enemy, and throw
themselves upon their mercy: if they killed them, better die by the sword than
by famine, one death than a thousand; but perhaps they would save them alive,
as objects of compassion. Common prudence will put us upon that method which
may better our condition, but cannot make it worse. The prodigal son resolves
to return to his father, whose displeasure he had reason to fear, rather than
perish with hunger in the far country. These lepers conclude, "If they
kill us, we shall but die;" and happy they who, in another sense, can
thus speak of dying. "We shall but die, that is the worst of it, not die
and be damned, not be hurt of the second death." According to this
resolution, they went, in the beginning of the night, to the camp of the
Syrians, and, to their great surprise, found it wholly deserted, not a man to
be seen or heard in it, v. 5. Providence ordered it, that these lepers
came as soon as ever the Syrians had fled, for they fled in the twilight, the
evening twilight (v. 7), and in the twilight the lepers came (v.
5), and so no time was lost. 2. How they reasoned themselves into a resolution
to bring tidings of this to the city. They feasted in the first tent they came
to (v. 8) and then began to think of enriching themselves with the
plunder; but they corrected themselves (v. 9): "We do not well
to conceal these good tidings from the community we are members of, under
colour of being avenged upon them for excluding us from their society; it was
the law that did it, not they, and therefore let us bring them the news.
Though it awake them from sleep, it will be life from the dead to
them." Their own consciences told them that some mischief would befal
them if they acted separately, and sought themselves only. Selfish
narrow-spirited people cannot expect to prosper; the most comfortable
advantage is that which our brethren share with us in. According to this
resolution, they returned to the gate, and acquainted the sentinel with what
they had discovered (v. 10), who straightway brought the intelligence
to court (v. 11), and it was not the less acceptable for being first
brought by lepers.
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Samaria
Plentifully Supplied.
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B.
C. 891.
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12 And the king arose in the night, and said
unto his servants, I will now show you what the Syrians have done to us. They
know that we be hungry; therefore are they gone out of the camp to hide
themselves in the field, saying, When they come out of the city, we shall
catch them alive, and get into the city. 13 And one of his
servants answered and said, Let some take, I pray thee, five of the
horses that remain, which are left in the city, (behold, they are as
all the multitude of Israel that are left in it: behold, I say, they are
even as all the multitude of the Israelites that are consumed:) and let us
send and see. 14 They took therefore two chariot horses; and the
king sent after the host of the Syrians, saying, Go and see. 15
And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of
garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the
messengers returned, and told the king. 16 And the people went
out, and spoiled the tents of the Syrians. So a measure of fine flour was sold
for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, according to the word
of the LORD.
17 And the king appointed the lord on whose hand he leaned to have the charge
of the gate: and the people trode upon him in the gate, and he died, as the
man of God had said, who spake when the king came down to him. 18
And it came to pass as the man of God had spoken to the king, saying, Two
measures of barley for a shekel, and a measure of fine flour for a shekel,
shall be to morrow about this time in the gate of Samaria: 19 And
that lord answered the man of God, and said, Now, behold, if the LORD should make windows in heaven, might such a thing be? And he said,
Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.
20 And so it fell out unto him: for the people trode upon him in the gate, and
he died.
Here we have,
I. The king's jealousy of a stratagem in the Syrian's retreat, v. 12.
He feared that they had withdrawn into an ambush, to draw out the besieged,
that they might fall on them with more advantage. He knew he had no reason to
expect that God should appear thus wonderfully for him, having forfeited his
favour by his unbelief and impatience. He knew no reason the Syrians had to
fly, for it does not appear that he or any of this attendants heard the noise
of the chariots which the Syrians were frightened at. Let not those who, like
him, are unstable in all their ways, think to receive any thing from God;
nay, a guilty conscience fears the worst and makes men suspicious.
II. The course they took for their satisfaction, and to prevent their falling
into a snare. They sent out spies to see what had become of the Syrians, and
found they had all fled indeed, commanders as well a common soldiers. They
could track them by the garments which they threw off, and left by the way,
for their greater expedition, v. 15. He that gave this advice seems to
have been very sensible of the deplorable condition the people were in (v.
13); for speaking of the horses, many of which were dead and the rest ready to
perish for hunger, he says, and repeats it, "They are as all the
multitude of Israel. Israel used to glory in their multitude, but now they
are diminished and brought low." He advised to send five horsemen, but,
it should seem, there were only two horses fit to be sent, and those
chariot-horses, v. 14. Now the Lord repented himself concerning his
servants, when he saw that their strength was gone, Deut. xxxii. 36.
III. The plenty that was in Samaria, from the plunder of the camp of the
Syrians, v. 16. Had the Syrians been governed by the modern policies of
war, when they could not take their baggage and their tents with them they
would rather have burnt them (as it is common to do with the forage of a
country) than let them fall into their enemies' hands; but God determined that
the besieging of Samaria, which was intended for its ruin, should turn to its
advantage, and that Israel should now be enriched with the spoil of the
Syrians as of old with that of the Egyptians. Here see, 1. The wealth of
the sinner laid up for the just (Job xxvii. 16, 17) and the spoilers
spoiled, Isa. xxxiii. 1. 2. The wants of Israel supplied in a way that they
little thought of, which should encourage us to depend upon the power and
goodness of God in our greatest straits. 3. The word of Elisha fulfilled to a
tittle: A measure of fine flour was sold for a shekel; those that
spoiled the camp had not only enough to supply themselves with, but an
overplus to sell at an easy rate for the benefit of others, and so even those
that tarried at home did divide the spoil, Ps. lxviii. 12; Isa. xxxiii.
23. God's promise may be safely relied on, for no word of his shall fall to
the ground.
IV. The death of the unbelieving courtier, that questioned the truth of
Elisha's word. Divine threatenings will as surely be accomplished as divine
promises. He that believeth not shall be damned stands as firm as He
that believeth shall be saved. This lord, 1. Was preferred by the king to
the charge of the gate (v. 17), to keep the peace, and to see
that there was no tumult or disorder in dividing and disposing of the spoil.
So much trust did the king repose in him, in his prudence and gravity, and so
much did he delight to honour him. He that will be great, let him serve the
public. 2. Was trodden to death by the people in the gate, either by accident,
the crowd being exceedingly great, and he in the thickest of it, or perhaps
designedly, because he abused his power, and was imperious in restraining the
people from satisfying their hunger. However it was, God's justice was
glorified, and the word of Elisha was fulfilled. He saw the plenty, for the
silencing and shaming of his unbelief, corn cheap without opening windows
in heaven, and therein saw his own folly in prescribing to God; but he did
not eat of the plenty he saw. When he was about to fill his belly God cast
the fury of his wrath upon him (Job xx. 23) and it came between the cup
and the lip. Justly are those thus tantalized with the world's promises that
think themselves tantalized with the promises of God. If believing shall not
be seeing, seeing shall not be enjoying. This matter is repeated, and the
event very particularly compared with the prediction (v. 18-20), that
we might take special notice of it, and might learn, (1.) How deeply God
resents out distrust of him, of his power, providence, and promise. When
Israel said, Can God furnish a table? the Lord heard it and was wroth.
Infinite wisdom will not be limited by our folly. God never promises the end
without knowing where to provide the means. (2.) How uncertain life and the
enjoyments of it are. Honour and power cannot secure men from sudden and
inglorious deaths. He whom the king leaned upon the people trod upon; he who
fancied himself the stay and support of the government was trampled under foot
as the mire in the streets. Thus hath the pride of men's glory been often
stained. (3.) How certain God's threatenings are, and how sure to alight on
the guilty and obnoxious heads. Let all men fear before the great God, who treads
upon princes as mortar and is terrible to the kings of the earth.
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