tyrant, not like a king; and thought to frighten them to obedience 15 by this blustering language. Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the LORD, that he might perform his saying, which the LORD spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat; God infatuated his counsels to answer his own purpose and fulfil his word.

16 So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither [have we] inheritance in the son of Jesse ; to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So 17 Israel departed unto their tents.* But [as for] the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned 18 over them. Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who [was] over the tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. Therefore king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem, apprehending the storm would 19 next fall upon him. So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day, and would not be governed by any of his 20 race. And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jero boam was come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel, without any express condition that appears, except a promise to ease them: there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.

21

And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again 22 to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. But the word of God came 23 unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying, Speak unto Rehoboam,

the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Ju24 dah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house, for this thing is from me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the LORD, and returned to depart, according to the word of the LORD.

25

Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, where he was chosen king, and fortified it for a royal city, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel, some other for26 tification, knowing the people were fickle. And Jeroboam said in

They here renounce their allegiance to David and his family, and call him in contempt the son of fesse; intimating, that Rehoboam, big as he talked, descended from a family as obscure as any of their's, and in a taunting way bid him take care of himself, and they would take care of themselves.

He here tries another method to recover them, but it was a very foolish one; heavy taxes were what they complained of, and he sends Adoram the collector, the most obnoxious man in the whole kingdom. Perhaps he thought they would regard a venerable old man, who was servant to David and Solomon, and now near an hundred years old; but in the height of their resentment they stoned him that he died.

When he found persuasion would not do, he tried what force could effect. The men of Judah had a strong attachment to the house of David, who was one of their tribe, and theg determined to attack them before the new king was settled.

his heart, reasoned with himself, consulted his own imaginations and carnal policies, not God's pleasure, and said, Now shall the 27 kingdom return to the house of David: If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, at the three great feasts, and other solemn occasions, the splendor of the city, the remembrance of David and Solomon, the persuasion of the priests and Levites, will conspire to lead them to unite with Judah again; and then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, [even] unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall 28 kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah. Whereupon the king took counsel, and he made two calves [of] gold, like the deities of the Egyptians, among whom he had dwelt,* and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem : behold thy gods, O Israel, a representation of the God of Israel, 29 which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in Bethel, in the south, a place noted for God's appearance to Jacob, and the other put he in Dan, in the north, famous for Micah's Teraplum; both at a great distance from Rehoboam, as 30 they chose to be secure from assaults in their worship, And this thing became a sin, it was the beginning of shameful idolatry, and made Israel to sin for the people went [to worship] before the 31 one, [even] unto Dan, with the greatest zeal. And he made an house of high places, a temple and altar like that at Jerusalem, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi; or, out of all the people without distinction, lest if they had kept it to the Levites, they should bring them again to 32 God's temple and altar at Jerusalem. And Jeroboam ordained a feast of tabenacles in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that [is] in Judah, ke kept the feast, but changed the season, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made; he not only set up calves and an altar, but offered sacrifices and burnt incense himself † and he placed in Bethel the priests of 33 the high places which he had made. So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel, the fifteenth day of the eighth month, [even] in the month which he had devised of his own heart and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel, and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.

1.

W

REFLECTIONS.

E here see that wise men sometimes leave behind them foolish children. Rehoboam was born in the first year of Solomon's reign; so that he was now forty years old. He had

These were not designed to be worshipped as God, like the Egian idols, but only as a medium of divine worship, or as an image of the true God, like An's calf; and thus he strengthened his alliance with Egypt. Though God had promised him a sure house if he did not revolt, yet thus foolishly and wickedly he broke the commands of Ged, and in this he pretended to consult the ease of the people.

+We find in a Chron. xi. 14. that because the Levites would not join with him he expel led them, and gave their possessions to his priests; upon which they went over to Rehoboam and all the devout Israelites with them, and thus strengthened the kingdom of Rehoboam.

such advantages for improvement in divine and human literature, and in all wisdom, as was very extraordinary, no prince had greater: yet he acted a mad and foolish part. Parents should take due care in the education of children, but should not raise their expectations too high, not knowing how they may prove. This, particularly, is a reason why they should not be concerned to heap up too much wealth for them; because it is only putting instruments of vice into their hands, if they are wicked, Eccies. ii. 18, 19.

2. The readiest way for young men to be ruined, is to follow the advice of their gay companions, and reject the counsel of the more wise and experienced. The former encourage them in their folly; teach them to be proud and selfwilled; to abhor and cast off the most equitable restraints. The latter exhort them to be thoughtful, serious, and soberminded. It is of the greatest importance whose counsel young men hearken to. Those are not their best friends who know how to make them merry, for that will not make them happy. If, as Mr. HENRY observes, you reckon those your best friends who feed your pride, gratify your vanity, and further you in your sinful pleasures, you are already marked for ruin.' He that walketh with wise men shall be wise, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

3. Proud, imperious, violent language, alienates men's affections, and disposes them to rebel. The old men had learned of their mas ter Solomon that a soft answer turneth away wrath; and it had been well for Rehoboam had he taken their advice. But he was headstrong and imperious, and so lost the affections of his people, and the greatest part of his kingdom. Let us learn from this, to open our mouths with gentleness and kindness. Let husbands never be bitter against their wives, nor fathers against their children, nor masters against their servants. Men love to be spoken fair to; and gentleness will do what insolence and violence will never do. Condescension and affability win men's hearts; and before honour is humility.

4. Whatever schemes and projects there are in the hearts of men, God is by them fulfilling his own work. Rehoboam intended to show his spirit and authority, Jeroboam to gain a kingdom, and the Israelites to get free of their taxes; but God was bringing about his own purposes. So will he overrule the schemes of the politicians of every age, and all the ferments of the people, to promote, one way or other, his own cause. There be many devices in the heart of man; but the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.

5. However the commands of God may cross our inclinations, or injure our present interest, it is our wisdom and duty to obey them. Thus Rehoboam and those who adhered to him did. When the prophet commanded them, they desisted, though they might probably have succeeded; at least it would be brave and honoura ble to attempt it. It is dangerous to be overtaken in any thing which is contrary to the commands or will of God; and those certainly consult their own happiness on the whole, who keep close to divine directions.

6. The conduct of the pious Israelites is highly commendable, in adhering to the Levites, when Jeroboam cast them out, 2 Chron. xi. 16. It was much to their honour that they were not carried away with the throng, did not join in Jeroboam's idolatry, but fled with their despised, persecuted ministers, to join in the pure worship of God at Jerusalem. Every pious Israelite thought himself obliged to own them, and stand by them. All who act thus, show a noble spirit; and may it continue among us and our posterity! Let us stand fast in the liberty with which Christ hath made us free..

CHAP. XIII.

We have here the message of a prophet, delivered by divine direction; the unhappy manner in which he was seduced; the sentence which was passed upon him, and the execution of it; and an account of Jeroboam's continued wickedness.

ND, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah

and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense, on a feast day : 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, whom Jeroboam hath despised and deserted, 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; he shall slay the priests, and 3 burn their bones, and thus defile the altar.* And he gave a sign the same day, as an evidence that the rest should be fulfilled in due time, 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 Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar to point him out, say. ing, 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 5 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. This probably was done by lightning, to denote God's displeasure, and as a demonstration of his supreme 6 power. And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Entreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again; beseech God to change his countenance, and look favourably upon me. And the man of God, to show that he had no ill will, and came only for his reformation, besought the LORD; and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as [it was] before.

This he did about three hundred and sixty years after this prophecy. See 2 King xxiii. 15. 16.

7 And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with 8 me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward. 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 9 nor drink water in this place: For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, have no communion with them, in detestation of their idolatry, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest; abhor even the way 10 that led thee to the sight of such abominations: So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.† 11 Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons 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 12 king, them they told also to their father. And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had seen 13 what way the man of God went, which came from Judah. And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him 14 the ass; and be rode thereon, And went after the man of God, and found him si.ting under an oak, tired with his journey and hungry, so that he would more easily hearken to the temptation: and he said unto him, [Art] thou the man of God that camest 15 from Judah? And he said, I [am.] Then he said unto him, 16 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, 17 nor drink water with thee in this place: 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, I cannot therefore camply with thy request. Then, pretending a 18 revelation to countermand the former, 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 19 lied unto him. So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water; his weariness and hunger urged the request, and inclined him to yield to such plausible reasons.}}

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 :*

• Jeroboam here discovered no change of heart. He would thank and reward the instru ment, but showed no regard to God.

+ The prophet might have urged a plausible excuse for staying, in hopes that he might have reformed Israel, and reclaimed the king while he was under the impression of this Iniricle; and that his presence and exhortations might turn to some good account: but all was given up, when the command of God was otherwise.

Josephus says this was a false prophet; he was probably educated in the schools of the prophets under Samuel, or some other tutor, but fell in with Jeroboam's idolatry. He is nog called a man of God, and it is plain his sons were at the idolatrous feast.

Some suppose that this was not done with any evil design, but out of curiosity; I rather think the contrary. lie was afraid lest a prophet from Jndah should eclipse his reputation, and therefore be endeavoured to throw a blot upon him, by leading him to act contrary to the commands of God; it is evident his sons were idolaters, and he a liar. He knew what had passed at the altar, and therefore could not act on a good or innocent principle.

God would not vouchsafe the true prophet a revelation, because he had acted contrary to that he had received. He thought fit to prophesy by this wicked man, as he did by Bala and thus obliged him to accuse himself of lying,"