1 Kings 13

AND behold, there came a man of God An Holy Prophet. out of Judah by the word of the LORD By Divine Inspiration and Command. unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.

And he cried against the altar And consequently, against all that Worship; which is oft signified by the name of the altar. See Isa. 19. 19. 1 Cor. 9. 13. Heb. 7. 13. and 13. 10. in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar He directs his Speech to the Altar; partly, because the following signs were wrought upon it; and partly to signifie, That Ieroboam would no more regard his words, than the Altar did; and yet they should take effect., thus says the LORD, Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name Which being done above 300 years after this Prophecy; plainly shows the absolute certainty of God's Providence, and Fore-knowledge, even in the most contingent things. For this was in it self uncertain, and wholly depended upon Man's Will, both as to the having of a Child, and as to the giving it this Name. Therefore God can certainly, and effectually over-rule Man's Will which way he pleaseth; or else it was possible, that this Prediction should have been false; which is Blasphemous to imagine., and upon thee shall he offer the priests Synecdochically, the Bones of the Priests, 2 King. 23. 15, 16. whereby the Altar should be defiled. of the highplaces that burn incense upon thee, and mens bones shall be burnt upon thee.

And he gave a sign the same day i. e. He then wrought a Miracle, to assure them of the Truth of his Prophecy., saying, This is the sign which the LORD has spoken: Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it poured out.

And it came to pass when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cryed against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand To point out the Man whom he would have the People lay hands on, and to stir them up to do so. from the altar Where it was imployed, in offering something upon it., saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand which he put forth against him, dried up Or, withered, the Muscles and Sinews, the instruments of Motion, were shrunk up. This God did, partly to chastise Ieroboam for offering violence to the Lord's Prophet: partly, to secure the Prophet against further Violence: and partly, that in this Example God might show, how highly he resents the injuries done to his Ministers, in, and for the faithful discharge of their Office., so that he could not pull it in again to him.

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.

And the king answered i. e. Spoke; as that Word is oft used in both Testaments., and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God Who by his Zeal for thee, has manifested himself to be thy God and Friend, in a singular manner; and therefore will hear thy Prayers for me, though he will not regard mine, because I have forsaken him and his Worship., and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD To assure Ieroboam, that what he had said, was not from ill-will to him, and that he heartily desired his Reformation, not his Ruine., and the kings hand was restored again Partly to assure him, that the stroke was from God: partly, because he Repented of that Violence which he intended against the Prophet, for which God inflicted it: and partly, that this goodness of God to him, might have led him to Repentance; or, if he continued Impenitent, leave him without all excuse., and became as it was before.

And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thy self, and I will give thee a reward Horrid Stupidity! He desires to requite the Instrument, but takes no notice of the chief Cause and Author of this great and wonderful Mercy, which was God..

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:

For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD My refusal of thy favour, is not from any contempt, or hatred of thy Person; but in obedience to the just Command of my God, who has forbidden me all further Converse or Communication with thee., saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water To wit, in that place, or with that People. Whereby God declares, how detestable they were in Gods Eyes; not because their Idolatry was so bad as that of the Heathens, but because they were vile Apostates from the True God, and embraced this Idol-worship, against the light of their own Consciences, merely to comply with the Kings humour and command: and because their vicinity and Relation to the Tribe of Iudah, made this more dangerous, as to their infection by it., nor turn again by the same way that thou camest That by thy avoiding the way that led thee to Bethel as execrable, although thou wentest by my special Command, thou mightest teach all others, how much they should abhor that way, and all thoughts of going to that place, or to such people, upon any trivial and unnecessary occasion..

So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.

¶ Now there dwelt an old prophet A Prophet of the Lord; one to whom, and by whom, God did sometimes impart his mind; as is manifest from ver. 20, 21. and one that had a respect to the Lords holy Prophets, and gave credit to their Predictions: all which the following Relation shows: but whether he was an holy and good Man, may justly be doubted, seeing all those qualifications might meet in a vicious man, to, and by whom he may Reveal some part of his Mind, as he did to Balaam, Numb. 23. &c. and in such, his other qualities are sometimes found; and we find him in a downright and premeditated Lye, and that without any great temptation to it, ver. 18. And albeit, an holy Prophet might possibly have continued in the Kingdom of Israel, he would never have gone from his own habitation, to dwell at Bethel, the chief Seat of Idolatry, unless with design to Preach against it: which it is evident he did not; his Sons seem to have been present at, and to have joyned with others in that Idolatrous worship, v. 11. and that not without their Fathers connivence. in Bethel For thither he came to dwell, probably expecting some great advantages from Ieroboam; but he came out of Samaria, 2 King. 23. 18. where he either was born, and had lived before. Or, his usual dwelling was at Bethel, but had lately been at Samaria, and was now returned to Bethel., and his sons Who probably were eye and ear-witnesses of what had passed. came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.

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.

And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they sadled him the ass, and he rode thereon:

And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak Being faint and weary with his journey, and possibly with the heat, which makes him choose this shady place; and especially with hunger and thirst, ver. 9. And he might easily guess that this was the old Prophet, by his age and carriage, and, it may be, by his Prophetical Mantle, and by the Character which his Sons had given him.: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am.

Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.

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 i. e. In Bethel, where thou desirest me to do it..

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.

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 Not with evil design against him, but out of curiosity, to know all the truth and circumstances from his own mouth, and to express his kindness to him, and to relieve his pressing hunger; whereby possibly he thought to please God, and to compensate for his miscarriages. But his sin was great; for he did not only tell a premeditated lye, but also made God a lyar, and to contradict himself, and all this without any pretence of necessity, or benefit to himself..

So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.

¶ And it came to pass, as they sat at the table There the Prophet meets with a severe Judgment, where he was pleasing himself with this seasonable refreshment., that the word of the LORD came By secret instinct into his mind; as sometimes God spake to Moses and other Prophets when they were in company, with others. unto the prophet that brought him back So he makes this Prophet publickly to call himself lyar, and to pronounce a terrible Sentence against him, to whom he professed so much kindness. Indeed the Hebrew words are ambiguous, and by others rendred thus, to the Prophet whom he had brought back; which agrees very well with the Hebrew Phrase; and may seem to be the best Translation, by comparing v. 23. where the very same Phrase i... so rendred; and ver. 26. where this message is said to be spoken to him. But these Arguments are not cogent; not that from v. 23. because it is a common thing for the same Phrase in divers Verses, and sometimes in one and the same Verse, to be diversly used: nor that from v. 27. for that may be rendred concerning him. And Therefore our Translation is better, as is manifest from v. 21.:

And he cried With a loud Voice, the effect of his passion, both for his own guilt and shame, and for the Prophets approaching... sery, and his unhappy influence both in procuring and i... denouncing of it. unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus says the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth i. e. The word of command coming out of his mouth. A Metonymy of the Cause for the Effect. of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee,

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 i. e. Thou shalt not die a natural, but a violent death; and that in this journey, before thou returnest to thy native habitatition; and thy Carkass shall not be buried in the proper Sepulchre; which was esteemed a kind of Curse, and a note of Infamy; as the contrary was reckoned an honour and blessing. See chap. 14. 13. Isa. 14. 19, 20. Ier. 22. 19. and 26. 24..

¶ And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he sadled for him the ass That he might sooner come to his home, and, if possible, escape the Judgment threatned. But, it is observable, he does not accompany him; his guilty Conscience making him to expect and fear to be involved in the same Judgment with him., to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back.

And when he was gone, a lion met him For there were many Lions in Iudea, and this was brought hither by Gods special Providence. by the way, and slew him Why does God punish a good man so severely for so small an offence? Ans. First, His sin was not small, for it was a gross disobedience to a positive command. Obj. But he supposed, and was told by another Prophet, that God had repealed his command, and so was deceived. Ans. He had no sufficient discharge from the former command; for he neither was assured that the old man was a Prophet, nor that the message he delivered was from God; but had reason to suspect the contrary, or at least to enquire the mind of God in this doubtful point, which he grosly neglected to do, and willingly believed the message, because it suited with his own inclination and necessity. Add to this, that he being a Prophet was obliged to the greater exactness in obedience to all Gods Precepts; and therefore this sin was much greater in him than in another, because hereby God was dishonoured, and the Authority and Success of his message blasted, and Ieroboam and the Idolatrous Israelites hardened in their wicked courses; for the prevention whereof it was necessary that God should exercise severity towards him. Ans. Secondly, As his sin was not so small, so his punishment was not so great, as may be imagined. For as to his outward man, his Bodily death (which was a Debt that he owed to God and Nature) in this way was not so painful and terrible as many other kinds of death; and as to his Soul, God, by giving him a Gracious admonition both of his sin and danger, ver. 21, 22. awakened him to true Repentance, which doubtless he practised, and so was prepared for his death, and by this sudden death freed from all the miseries of an evil time and world, and speedily let in to Eternal Glory. Ans. Thirdly, As the world and all men in it were made for Gods Glory, and all their Lives and Deaths ought to be laid out in his Service; so it cannot seem strange nor harsh if God should bring his deserved Death upon him in this manner, for the accomplishment of his own Glorious Designs, as to vindicate his own Honour and Justice from the imputation of partiality; to assure the Truth of his Predictions, and thereby provoke Ieroboam and his Idolatrous followers to Repentance; to justify himself in all his Dreadful Judgments which he intended to inflict upon Ieroboam's House, and the whole Kingdom of Israel, for their Cursed Apostacy; and to warn all succeeding sinners not rashly to venture upon small sins, and especially to take heed of greater sins, for which they might expect far sorer punishments.: and his carcase was cast in the way His Life and Soul being gone, his Dead Body falls to the ground, and lies there., and the ass stood by it: the lion also stood by the carcase See on v. 28..

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.

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 has delivered him unto the lion, which has torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake unto him Or rather, concerning him: for so the Particle Lamed is oft used, as Gen. 20. 13. Psal. 3. 2. and 91. 11. compare with Matth. 4. 6. See the Notes on v. 20..

And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass Being secure as to himself, because so many others had been there without any harm; and because he perceived the Prophet's Death was a Judgment of God, and that for special reasons.. And they saddled him.

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 Here was a concurrence of Miracles; That the Ass did not run away from the Lion, according to his nature and custom, but boldly stood still, as reserving himself for the carrying of the Prophet to his Burial; that the Lion did not devour its prey, as the manner is; nor yet go away when he had done his work which he was sent for, but stood still, partly, to preserve the Carkass of the Prophet from other wild Beasts or Fowls, which would quickly have eaten it; partly, as an evidence that the Prophet's Death was not casual, nor the effect of a Lions hungry and ravenous disposition, but of Gods singular and just Judgment; and consequently, that his Prediction was Divine, and should be infallibly accomplished in its proper time; and partly, as a token of Gods favour to the deceased Prophet, of whose very Carkass he took such special care: thereby signifying, that although for Wise and Just reasons he thought fit to take away his life, yet his remains were precious to him, and his Soul did live in his sight..

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.

And he laid his carcase in his own grave So that threatning, v. 22. was fulfilled; and withal, the memory of his Prophecy was revived and preserved among them, and his very Carkass resting there, might be a witness of their madness and desperate wickedness, in continuing in their abominable Idolatry, after such an assurance of the dreadful effects of it., and they The old Prophet and his Sons, and others, whom common humanity taught to lament the untimely death of so worthy a Person. mourned over him, saying, Alas my brother Which was an usual form of expression in Funeral-lamentations. See Ier. 22. 18..

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 That I may be secured from that Judgment threatned ver. 2..

For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD, against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places, which are in the cities of Samaria i. e. Of the Kingdom of Samaria; as it was called, though not when this Fact was done, yet before these Books were written. Samaria was properly the name of one City, 1 King: 20. 1. but from hence the whole Kingdom of Israel was so called, Ier. 31 5. Hos: 7. 1. and 8. 5. and Amos 3. 9. and the King of Israel is called the King of Samaria, 2 King. 1. 3. Hos. 10. 7. and (as here) we read of the cities of Samaria, Ezra 4. 10., shall surely come to pass.

¶ After this thing, i. e. After all these things: the Singular Number put for the Plural; after so many, and evident, and successive Miracles. Which is noted to aggravate his Infidelity and Apostacy. Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests He abated not so much as a circumstance in his Idolatrous Worship. of the high places: whosoever would Without any respect to Tribe, or Family, or integrity of Body, or Mind, or Life; all which were to be regarded in the Priesthood., he consecrated him Heb. he filled his hand. Of which Phrase see Exod. 28. 41. and 29. 9, 33., and he became one of the priests of the high places.

And this thing became sin Either, an occasion of sin, and means of hardening all his Posterity in their Idolatry: or, a punishment, for so the word sin is oft used. This his obstinate continuance in his Idolatry, after such warnings, was the utter ruin of all his Family. unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.