And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease.
a lattice The flat roofs of the eastern houses are generally surrounded by a parapet wall breast high; but instead of this, some terraces are guarded with balustrades only, or latticed work. Of the same kind, probably, was the lattice, or net, as the term {shevaca} seems to import, through which Ahaziah fell into the court. This incident proves the necessity of the law for the formation of battlements for roof, (De
But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?
And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.
an hairy man That is, he wore a {rough garment}, either made of camel's hair as that of John Baptist, or of a skin, dressed with the {hair on}. Sir J. Chardin informs us, in a MS. note on this place, cited by Mr. Harmer, that the eastern dervishes and fakers are clothed just as Elijah was, with a {hairy} garment, girded with a leathern girdle.
Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down.
And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
let fire. Or, rather, as the original literally imports, and the LXX render () fire shall come down; Elijah's words being simply declarative, and not imprecatory.
Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly.
And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight.
Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight.
And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
on which thou are gone up In the East there is usually at the end of each chamber a little gallery, raised three or four feet above the floor, with a balustrade in front, to which they go up a few steps: here they place their beds; an allusion to which situation is involved in this declaration of Elijah's, and frequently referred to in the Sacred Scriptures
So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son.
2Ki 1:2. Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber- Through the lattice into his upper chamber, Houbigant; who thinks that as he was walking on the top of the house the wooden lattice gave way, and he fell through. See Calmet's Dissertation upon the buildings of the ancient Hebrews.
Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron- Baal-zebub is generally interpreted the god of flies; but why he was so called, there is no substantial reason given. Mr. Roque, in his 10th Dissertation, has treated at large upon this subject, and to him we refer. Mr. Jurieu is of opinion, that the Baal-zebub of Scripture was the same with the Pluto of the ancients. As זב zab signifies to flow, Parkhurst says, that זבוב zebub, signifies the flower, the Baal, lord or power (generally supposed to be the sun) which, always flowing forth himself, is the first mover and causer of all fluidity. See his Lexicon. It is plain enough from all antiquity, but from the hymns of Orpheus especially, that the ancient idolaters deified and worshipped nature in all her constituent and operating parts. Ekron was a city and government of the Philistines, which fell by lot to the tribe of Judah, Jos 15:45 but was afterwards given to the tribe of Dan, though it does not appear that the Jews ever had a quiet and peaceable possession of it.
2Ki 1:4. Thou shalt not come down from that bed, &c.- At one end of each chamber in the eastern buildings there is a little gallery raised three, four, or five feet above the floor, having a ballustrade in the front, with a few steps likewise leading up to it. There they placed their beds; a situation frequently alluded to in the Scriptures. See Shaw's Travels, p. 211, &c.
2Ki 1:5. When the messengers turned back unto him, &c.- It may seem something strange, that Ahaziah's messengers should stop their journey to Ekron at Elijah's command. But he was a man of such a venerable presence, and spake to them with such authority in the name of the Lord, that they were over-awed thereby to obey him rather than the king.
2Ki 1:8. He was an hairy man- Elijah being a hairy man may either denote his wearing long hair on his head and his beard, according to the manner of the ancient Greek philosophers, or it may denote his habit, which was made of skins, rough, and with the hair on; as the ancient heroes were clothed with the skins of tygers, lions, and bears; as the evangelist represents the Baptist, in a raiment of camel's hair; or as the apostle describes the prophets, wandering about in sheep-skins and goat-skins.
Note; 1. It is a vain curiosity to enquire when we shall die; but it is our best wisdom to be always ready. 2. If once we offer worship to any object below the glorious, self-existent Jehovah, a fly is as worthy a god as any other subordinate created being. The difference is inconsiderable between an Arian and an Ekronite. 3. They who will not sue to God for mercy, may expect to hear from him in judgment. 4. Neglect of God, or setting the affections on any thing upon earth more than on him, is practical atheism.
2Ki 1:10-12. If I be a man of God, then let fire come down, &c.- We have before observed, that many of these prophetical denunciations might be rendered with equal propriety in the future; by which means they would no longer retain the appearance of revengeful imprecations, but be seen in their true light of prophetical denunciations. Many have been the objections made to this part of the sacred history. To set it in its true light, we must consider that the wickedness of Ahaziah and his people was extremely great. He was not moved by the untimely death of his father; but followed his pernicious example, still seducing the people, and provoking the God of Israel by his abominable idolatries. The author of the book of Chronicles informs us, that his impiety was so provoking, that God had abandoned him, and would not prosper the naval expedition of Jehoshaphat, because he joined the fleet of this vicious prince. And the wickedness of Ahab, so great in itself, was highly aggravated by his making the people to sin. By his evil example and authority, he corrupted their worship, and justly drew upon himself the guilt of their transgressions. Ahaziah and his people could not but know what judgments this prophet had denounced against his family on account of their idolatries. How great then must their guilt be, in persisting in them, notwithstanding these warnings? The king himself was certainly an incorrigible sinner; for, when he was dangerously ill from his fall through the lattice, he did not repent, but sent to inquire of Baal-zebub, the idol of the Ekronites. This fresh instance of his impiety so offended the true God, that he decreed he should not recover, and sent Elijah to foretel his death to the messengers. But even this message, instead of touching him with remorse, excited in him the wicked resolution of murdering the prophet. No one can doubt that he designed to take away his life, who reflects on the implacable hatred which his family bore this holy man for reproving their wickedness, the resolution his mother Jezebel had formed of cutting him off, and the obstinacy with which the king himself persisted in his sins. The manner of sending for him confirms this to have been his design. Why did he not send the same messengers as he did to Ekron? How came he to send a company of soldiers, if he had not the same design against him as the king of Syria had against Elisha? chap. 2Ki 6:13. The captains commanded him to come down, but in a haughty manner, because they thought he must surrender himself; and had he refused to go with them, would undoubtedly have compelled him by force: and Josephus positively asserts, that the captain threatened as much. If the king himself was so obdurately wicked, though his life was endangered by the fall, we may justly presume that they who were employed on this occasion were not much better; for they must have been either idolaters, or the worshippers of the true God. If they were idolaters, their sin must have received no shall aggravation from their engaging in this attempt; and they could not but know that Elijah did not deserve death for predicting as a prophet the consequences of their master's indisposition. If they worshipped the true God, it was a great crime in them to go against the prophet of that God in whom they believed, and attempt his life, contrary to the dictates of their own conscience. Yet were they either, they could not be excusable; and, supposing them to have been idolaters, we may conclude that they executed this commission with pleasure. And if they who went first upon this design were culpable, what daring sinners must they be who made the second attempt, though such signal vengeance had overtaken those who preceded them! That it was the will of God to destroy these men, may be inferred from the presence of the angel who guarded this prophet. This is still farther evident from the nature of the punishment inflicted upon them. Though Elijah had been ever so much enraged, he could not bring down the devouring flames against them. Nor, had he prayed for this interposition, would his prayers have been heard, if he had desired what was unbefitting the conduct of infinite wisdom. The prophet appealed to this event for the truth of his mission, 2Ki 1:10; 2Ki 1:12. If I be a man of God, &c. which seems to imply that they had styled him a man of God by way of derision; but to convince them of the reality of this claim, he assured them that God himself would vindicate his character by sending down fire from heaven. What he foretold happened, to the cost of those who called down this punishment upon themselves by persisting in their infidelity. Should it be asked, Why these men were singled out to suffer divine punishment, when the whole nation was plunged in the same idolatrous practices and immoralities? it is easy to reply, that these men suffered in the case before us because there was not the same reason why others should suffer, nor could the death of any others so well answer the ends of infinite wisdom. If this catastrophe was intended for the punishment of evildoers, who so fit to be made examples as those who were actually engaged in the wicked enterprize? It was done for the security of a righteous man, whose life was in almost inextricable danger. It would have been impossible for him to escape when beset by a whole company of soldiers; and if he surrendered, he lay at Ahaziah's mercy, who was his inveterate and implacable enemy. In this distress, God mercifully rescued him by destroying these wicked agents, and thus reserved him for future usefulness. This end was accomplished; for the third captain came with another view, and spake in a different manner, as appears from 2Ki 1:13 which plainly implies their danger in going before, and that the king himself was so impressed and so softened by the destruction of the first and second company, that there was no ground for the prophet to fear. This punishment was intended to confirm Elijah's mission, and vindicate the honour of the only God. The fire coming from heaven upon Elijah's denouncing it, manifestly proved that Elijah was inspired by the Creator of all the earth; and as it recalled to their minds the contest that he lately had with the priests of Baal, wherein the descent of fire had been used as a test of the supreme power of the God of gods, this occurrence could not but operate upon their minds with double weight, and convince them of the wickedness of their enterprize; and since they were convinced by the former manifestation of the divine power, the destruction of these men by a second and a third descent of fire from heaven, was sufficient to arouse them out of this lethargy. As these men were the king's servants, their punishment might more sensibly convince him of his wickedness in seducing the people, and the people of their sin in following his example. Had as great a number of idolaters been destroyed in another place, it could not have had so good an effect; but their being struck dead in their attempt upon the prophet's life, was proper to convince both the king and his subjects that he was really commissioned by God, and that the punishments he had denounced against their idolatries would certainly be inflicted. These few, therefore, were not only taken away to preserve the prophet, but also to reclaim the people, and to prevent the ruin of the whole nation. When the general depravity of the kingdom is duly weighed, the number of those who perished will appear very small. If it should be asked, why this severity was twice inflicted, the reply is easy; because the prince was so wicked, and his servants so daring, as to make a second attempt. Hardened as they were, when the same punishment was inflicted a second time, they began to relent, as appears from the address of the third captain, 2Ki 1:13 who speaks not in the imperious language of the two first, but in the style of a suppliant, who was convinced that Elijah was really a prophet of the true God. If we consider this judgment as an act of God, there is nothing in it unworthy of his perfections. That it was an instance of his power will not be contested, because it was what no man nor any superior being could inflict without his permission. His holiness and justice are conspicuously seen, because this catastrophe was intended as a punishment against enormous crimes, and the persons who suffered were engaged in a wicked attempt upon the life of his prophet. It could not be inconsistent with his goodness and clemency, because the death of these few was designed for the reformation of all the nation. His wisdom appears herein, inasmuch as by these means the prophet's life was preserved; and it was well adapted to the state of the kingdom, which called for some striking and alarming dispensation.
2Ki 1:15. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king- This is a great instance of Elijah's faith and obedience to God, in whom he trusted, that he would deliver him from the wrath of the king, and the malice of Jezebel. He had ordered, not long before, all the prophets of Baal to be slain; had sent a very unwelcome message to the king, and made a very terrible execution upon two of his captains and their companies: so that he had all the reason in the world to apprehend the utmost expressions of the king's displeasure; and yet, when God commands him, he makes no manner of hesitation, but goes boldly to Ahaziah, and confirms with his own mouth the unpleasant truth which he had declared to his messengers.
2Ki 1:17. And Jehoram reigned in his stead, in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat- His brother Jehoram reigned in his stead, because he had no son. To avoid confusion, the reader should take notice, that in the course of this history there is mention made of two Jehorams; one, the second son of Ahab, who succeeded Ahaziah, and wasking of Israel; the other, son and heir to Jehoshaphat, who reigned in Judah. By comparing chap. 2Ki 3:1 and chap. 2Ki 8:16 a great difference in the reading of the dates will appear. We should just remark, however, that it is commonly supposed, that Jehoshaphat declared his son Jehoram king while himself was alive, and reigned in conjunction with him for the space of seven years; a supposition which, if allowed, will in some degree clear up the difficulty. See Archbishop Usher's Annals, sub A.M. 3106.
The story of Ahaziah’s reign in the last chapter of 1 Kings and the first verse of this lesson is a close link between the two books. It indicates that the death of Ahab and the accession of his son gave occasion to the Moabites for this uprising, the first since their conquest by David (1Sa 8:2).
“Baalzebub” (2Ki 1:2), “the lord of the fly,” was the name under which the sun-god Baal was worshipped at Ekron, the city of the Philistines lying nearest to Ahaziah’s capitol, Samaria. Probably the name comes from the supposition that he produced the flies and was consequently able to protect against them as a pest. The name is not to be confounded with “Beelzebub” of Matthew 10, although there may be a relation between the two. Observe the phrase at the beginning of 2Ki 1:3, and recall what we have learnt about the Christophanies of the Old Testament.
In 2Ki 1:9-12 Elijah, as the representative of God, is speaking in judgment against malefactors, for such the soldiers and the king behind them must be regarded. Had Elijah been apprehended of them it would have meant his death and a victory of the kingdom of darkness over the kingdom of light. How the fire came down and consumed the soldiers is not stated.
HIS LAST JOURNEY (2Ki 2:1-11)
The localities in the first five verses (Gilgal, Bethel, Jericho) were doubtless where schools of the prophets had been established, as far back as Samuel’s time (1Sa 7:15-17). These schools were for the training of godly youth in the law of God and the experience of a holy life. Elisha seems to have been among them while Elijah was their head at this period (2Ki 2:3). The awesome event about to transpire seems to have been revealed to them to some extent, explaining their communications to Elisha as well as his determination not to separate from Elijah till the end. Elijah’s indisposition to have himself accompanied is difficult to explain, some attributing it to his purpose of testing the fidelity of Elisha as qualifying him for his succession.
Of what earlier events does verse 8 remind you? How would you interpret Elisha’s request in 2Ki 2:9? Shall we say that it refers to Deu 21:17, where the law of the firstborn is recorded? Elisha would have Elijah regard him as a firstborn son, and give him, as compared with the other sons of the prophets, a richer measure of his prophetic spirit. He did not ask twice as much of the Holy Spirit as Elijah had which even on natural grounds Elijah could not have granted him. It is as a prophet that Elijah replies in 2Ki 2:10. The translation in 2Ki 2:11 suggests that of Enoch, that of Christ Himself, and that of the Church yet to occur (Gen 5:24; Heb 11:5; Act 1:9; 1Th 4:17).
HIS LAST TOKEN (2Ki 2:12-18)
Elisha’s expression (2Ki 2:12) means that Elijah had been the true defense of Israel rather than its military strength in chariots and horsemen. That defense was seen in his combating of idolatry which was Israel’s real and only enemy. How otherwise does Elisha express his grief in this verse?
Compare the reference to Elijah’s mantle (2Ki 2:13) 1Ki 19:19, and observe that its possession by Elisha is a token that his petition is answered and he has been endued for the prophetic office.
Is his question (2Ki 2:14) an expression of doubt or a prayer of faith? What does the result show (2Ki 2:15)?
The desire of the sons of the prophets (2Ki 2:16) is difficult to explain on the supposition that they had any clear idea that Elijah had gone into heaven. “Into heaven,” might be rendered “toward heaven,” and it may be questioned whether the prophet really went into heaven. “In My Father’s house are many mansions,” and Elijah, for the time being, may have been located at some other happy stopping place.
HIS SUCCESSOR’S INAUGURAL (2Ki 2:19-25)
The concluding verses furnish two other tokens of Elisha’s official character and power which may be considered in this lesson.
Of course it was neither the new bowl nor the salt that healed the water and made it usable (2Ki 2:19-21), but the power of God. They were symbols. The new bowl was necessary because every vessel used for a religious act in the service of Jehovah must be as yet unused, i.e. uncontaminated. The salt symbolized the purifying, restoring power God would put in the spring.
The second evidence of Elisha’s power (2Ki 2:23-24), has its difficulties. “Little children” in the margin of the Revised Version is “young lads,” and there is good authority for so considering it.
Lange suggests that the young people recognized him as a prophet and opponent of the popular idolatrous worship centered at Bethel. Therefore they called to him in mockery, “What dost thou want here among us?”
The epithet “bald head” was a standing insult for old or reverend people whether they were bald or not. It was not so much scorn of Elisha as of Jehovah Himself (compare Exo 16:8, Act 5:4, etc.).
She-bears are ravenous, but how two could tear forty-two young people must remain a mystery for the present.
QUESTIONS
1. What is the meaning of “Baalzebub?”
2. Who commissioned Elijah in this case?
3. How many illustrations of swift judgment on sin does this lesson contain?
4. What may be understood by “the schools of the prophets?”
5. How has Elijah’s desire to be alone been interpreted?
6. How do you understand Elisha’s request of Elijah?
7. Of how many “translations” does the Bible speak?
8. What is the meaning of the “chariots of Israel and the horsemen thereof”?
9. Why did Elisha use means in healing the waters?
10. How would you try to explain the cursing of the children?
