ན for a garden of herbs, offering, either to purchase it for its value, or to give him a better vineyard for it. It would seem, at first sight, that Naboth would have acted both prudently and loyally if he had complied with his sovereign's wishes; but it must be recollected that Jehovah himself had commanded every Israelite, “The land shall not be sold for ever;"* and Naboth, therefore, who by this very act shews himself to have lived in the fear of God, exclaimed with just abhorrence, "The Lord forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee."+ Ahab returned to his house heavy and displeased, and laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread; nor does he appear to have contemplated any act of violence or persecution against Naboth. But as soon as Jezebel perceived the cause of his melancholy, after first taunting him for not having the spirit to gratify his wishes by playing the tyrant, she took upon herself the task of obtaining the vineyard for him; without the slightest remorse, therefore, and by the suborning of two false witnesses, she procured a sentence of death against Naboth, for blasphemy against God and the king; and he was stoned to death. It is not said whether Ahab was acquainted with the proceedings till after Naboth was slain; but, however that may be, as soon as Jezebel informed him of it and at her invitation, he came and took possession of the vineyard.§ It rarely happens that God permits property which has been unjustly acquired to be quietly enjoyed, and it was not likely that such a flagrant atrocity as this would be allowed to pass unnoticed. Accordingly, Elijah was immediately sent by God to Ahab, who immediately anticipated the object of the visit and said, Hast thou found me, O mine • Lev. xxv. 23. 1 Kings, xxi. 4. +1 Kings. xxi. 3. The prophet having thus fulfilled the object of his mission, was now permitted, by the wisdom of God, to retire again into obscurity; and in order to avoid the vengeance of Jezebel, he fled for his life to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and he left his servant there; but for greater security, himself went a day's journey into the wilderness.' Agitated and fatigued, Elijah rested under a juniper tree, and requested that he might die, and in that repining state of mind fell asleep; when, behold, an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat, and drink, and laid him down again. And the angel of Jehovah came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for thee. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat, forty days and forty nights, unto Horeb,† the mount of God. And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of Jehovah came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for Jehovah, the God of Hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away. And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before Jehovah. And, behold, Jehovah passed by, and a great and strong wind rent * 1 Kings, xix. 3, 4. Beersheba was the most southern extremity of the promised land. Jehovah intended that Elijah should visit Horeb, where Moses had fasted forty days and nights, (Exod. xxiv. 18.) that in him the miracle might be repeated; because as Moses was the lawgiver, so Elijah was in some respects the chief of the prophets. Matt xvii. 3. Scott in 1 Kings, xix. S. So also did Christ fast, who is himself the end of prophecy. Matt. iv. 2. the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before Jehovah; but Jehovah was not in the wind: and after the wind, an earthquake; but Jehovah was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but Jehovah was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said; What doest thou here, Elijah? And he said, I have been very jealous for Jehovah, the God of Hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away. And Jehovah said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus : and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria and Jehu, the son of Nimshi, shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha, the son of Shaphat, of Abel-mohelab, shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael, shall Jehu slay, and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not "And behold the Lord was revealed-before him was a host of the angels of the wind, tearing the mountains, and breaking the rocks before the Lord; but the majesty (Shechinah) of the Lord was not in the host of the angels of the wind. And after the host of the angels of the wind, there was a host of the angels of commotion; but the majesty of the Lord was not in the host of the angels of commotion. And after the host of the angels of commotion, a fire; but the majesty of the Lord was not in the host of the angels of fire. And after the host of the angels of fire, a voice singing in silence," &c, that is, a sound with which no other sound was mingled.”— bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed* him.t Having left Horeb Elijah met with Elisha, who was plough ing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth; and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him. And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again, for what have I done to thee? And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.‡ Benhadad, king of Syria, whose covetousness had probably been excited by the treasures he had received from Asa, king of Judah, and the success of whose joint expedition|| against Baasha, king of Israel, might lead him to expect that Ahab and his kingdom would become an easy prey to him; now gathered all his host together, and with thirty-two kings under his command, went up and laid siege to Samaria, and sent messengers into the city to Ahab, saying, Thus saith! Benhadad, thy silver and thy gold is mine, thy wives also, and thy children, even the goodliest are mine. To this insolent message the intimidated king of Israel replied, My lord. * Given a kiss to him, either by applying the mouth to the ide the image itself, or by kissing the hand to it, as said by Pliny, la adorando dextram ad osculum referimus, totum corpus circumagimes. when we worship we kiss our right hand and turn about our whore body.-Bp. Patrick apud Anselm Bayley in loco. Cicero mentions a statue of Hercules, the chin and lips of which were considerably worn, by the frequent kissing of his worshippers. In Verrem. § 1 Kings, xv. 18. 2 Chron. xvi. 2. See p. 185. 1 Kings, xv. 21. 1 Kings, xvi. 5. O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have ;* meaning, most probably, that he was willing to become tributary to him. The king of Syria disappointed at this submissive answer, which did not afford him any pretext for acts of violence, sent the messengers again, saying; Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children; yet I will send my servants unto thee to-morrow about this time, and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be that whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away.† With this demand, absolutely to surrender up all his property and subjects, Ahab was not disposed to comply; and having consulted his elders, they encouraged him to resist the tyrannical requirement. He couched, however, his refusal in temperate language; but when the Syrian monarch sent a third message, saying, The gods do so unto me and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me; Ahab firmly replied, Tell him, let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off. Incensed alike at the refusal and the message, Benhadad pressed forward the siege; when God, although Ahab had neglected to solicit his aid, in mercy to his people, and to punish the unhallowed boasting of the Syrian, sent a prophet to Ahab with this encouraging declaration. Hast thou seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah. And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith Jehovah, Even by the young men of the princes of the provinces. 1 Kings, xx. 2, 3, 4. +1 Kings, xx. 5, 6. |