Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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1 Kings
Book: 1 Kings
Chapter: 16
Overview:
The reigns of
Baasha and
Elah in
Israel.
(1-14) Reigns of
Zimri and
Omri in
Israel.
(15-28) Ahab's wickedness,
Hiel
rebuilds
Jericho.
(29-34)
1-14 This
Chapter relates wholly to the
Kingdom of Israel, and
the revolutions of that kingdom.
God calls
Israel his people
still, though wretchedly corrupted.
Jehu foretells the same
Destruction to come upon
Baasha's family, which that
King had
been employed to bring upon the family of
Jeroboam. Those who
resemble others in their sins, may expect to resemble them in
the plagues they suffer, especially those who seem zealous
against such sins in others as they allow in themselves.
Baasha
himself dies in peace, and is buried with honour. Herein plainly
appears that there are punishments after
Death, which are most
to be dreaded. Let
Elah be a warning to drunkards, who know not
but
Death may surprise them.
Death easily comes upon men when
they are
Drunk. Besides the diseases which men bring themselves
into
By drinking, when in that state, men are easily overcome
By
an enemy, and liable to bad accidents.
Death comes terribly upon
men in such a state, finding them in the act of
Sin, and
unfitted for any act of devotion; that
Day comes upon them
unawares. The
Word of God was fulfilled, and the sins of
Baasha
and
Elah were reckoned for, with which they provoked
God. Their
idols are called their vanities, for idols cannot profit nor
help; miserable are those whose gods are vanities.
15-28 When men forsake
God, they will be left to
Plague one
another. Proud aspiring men ruin one another.
Omri struggled
with
Tibni some years. Though we do not always understand the
rules
By which
God governs nations and individuals in his
Providence, we may learn useful lessons from the history before
us. When tyrants succeed each other, and massacres,
conspiracies, and civil wars, we may be sure the
Lord has a
controversy with the people for their sins; they are loudly
called to repent and reform.
Omri made himself infamous
By his
wickedness. Many wicked men have been men of might and renown;
have built cities, and their names are found in history; but
they have
No name in the
Book of
Life.
29-34 Ahab did evil above all that reigned before him, and did
it with a particular
Enmity both against
Jehovah and
Israel. He
was not satisfied with breaking the second commandment
By
image-
Worship, he broke the first
By worshipping other gods:
making
Light of lesser sins makes way for greater. Marriages
with daring offenders also embolden in wickedness, and hurry men
On to the greatest excesses. One of
Ahab's subjects, following
the
Example of his presumption, ventured to build
Jericho. Like
Achan, he meddled with the accursed thing; turned that to his
own use, which was devoted to
God's honour: he began to build,
in defiance of the
Curse Well known in
Israel; but none
ever hardened his
Heart against
God, and prospered. Let the
reading of this
Chapter cause us to
Mark the dreadful
End of all
the workers of iniquity. And what does the history of all
ungodly men furnish, what ever rank or situation they move in,
but sad examples of the same?