(Sinai), he went, and there in a cave waited for some explanation of this seeming defeat, some word of reassurance from Jehovah, whom he had so nobly served. Standing upon the mountain side he was shaken by a storm which broke the rocks with its fury. Again an earthquake rent the side of the mountain, and fire followed in its wake, but it was no longer a message of the power of Jehovah over Nature which Elijah sought. Finally the revelation came.

And Elijah went out, and stood in the entrance 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; for the children of Israel have forsaken 5 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, thou shalt anoint 10 Hazael1 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 Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room."

In the assurance that Jehovah holds sway over men as well as over nature Elijah finds his satisfaction, and bides his time.

Elijah, the Defender of the Rights of the People. Fundamental in the essence of the Hebrew religion was the doctrine of individual rights. Ideals of justice between man and man had taken the shape of crude laws very early in Israel's history. Custom had increased the strength and the adaptability of these laws. The kings, reigning by virtue of ability rather than blood succession, were of their own or the people's creation, and rebellion against tyranny meant sooner or later vengeance upon the reigning dynasty. Once more we find Elijah and Jezebel arrayed against each other in connection with the stern refusal of Naboth to sell his ancestral estate to King Ahab for a royal garden near the summer palace at Jezreel.

1 Hazael, Jehu, Elisha: the first promising a weakening in the Syrian kingdom, the second, the restoration of the royal favor toward the prophets in Israel, the third, a continuation of the work of the prophets in a worthy representative.

2 See Exod., chaps. 20-23, the oldest of the formal codes which have come down

to us.

The Story of Naboth and His Vineyard1 ́

2

And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, "Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, 5 because it is near unto my house; and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it: or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money." And Naboth said to Ahab, "Jehovah forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee." And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased 10 because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to

him; for he had said, "I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers." And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.

But Jezebel his wife came to him and said unto him, "Why is 15 thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread ?" And he said unto her, "Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard." And Jezebel his wife said unto him, 20 "Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thy heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite." So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, and that dwelt with 25 Naboth. And she wrote in the letters, saying, "Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: and set two men, base fellows, before him, and let them bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst curse God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him to death."

30

And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who dwelt in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, according as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them. They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. And the two men, the base fellows, came in and sat before him; and 35 the base fellows bare witness against him, even against Naboth, in

II Kings 21:1-21, 23, 24, 27-29 (Am. Standard Rev. Ver., by permission).

2 * In connection with the story of Naboth note his pride in the ancestral estate, the picture of the method of trying a case, the false witnesses, the death penalty, immediately executed according to custom in cases of blasphemy and treason.

the presence of the people, saying, "Naboth did curse God and the king." Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him to death with stones. Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, "Naboth is stoned, and is dead.” And it came to pass, when 40 Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, "Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead." And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vine45 yard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

And the word of Jehovah came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, "Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who dwelleth in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to take possession of it. And thou shalt speak unto 50 him, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine." And Ahab said to Elijah, “Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?" And he answered, "I have 55 found thee, because thou hast sold thyself to do that which is evil in the sight of Jehovah. Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will utterly sweep thee away and will cut off from Ahab every man-child. And of Jezebel also spake Jehovah, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the rampart of Jezreel. Him that dieth of 60 Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the birds of the heavens eat." "I

And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly. And the word of Jehovah came 65 to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, "Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days; but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house."

1 Jezebel: Jezebel was the daughter of the priest-king of Tyre. Her religious fanaticism alone, therefore, and the extremes to which she resorted in defense of her religion would not have condemned her in the eyes of posterity. Her heartless treatment of Naboth, however, reveals a character treacherous and cruel, and well deserving of her fate.

2 *Note the usual signs of mourning, the rending of the garments, the wearing of sackcloth, a coarse cloth rough and painful to the skin. The expression "went softly" graphically expresses the quietness and timidity of Ahab's later days, shadowed by the curse of Elijah and the fear of Jehovah's vengeance.

True and False Prophets. The curse of Elijah mitigated by the repentance of Ahab finds its first fulfilment in the mind of the prophetic writer in the story of the death of Ahab. The interest of the story for us is in the light which it throws upon prophecy as a profession, in the sense in which the ministry is today a profession. In it we see that many prophets, speaking in all sincerity, had neither the statesman-like vision which enabled them to anticipate political events truly, nor the spiritual insight to interpret the character and will of Jehovah. Neither had they the courage and persistence to enable them to brave personal dangers, even risking life, if need be, in speaking the fateful messages of Jehovah to the monarchs of their time. It was not a difference in profession, but in intellect and character, which distinguished the so-called false prophet from the true one.

ΙΟ

Micaiah and the False Prophets1

And they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel. And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down3 to Ahab the king of Israel. And the king of Israel said unto his servants, "Know ye that 5 Ramoth-gilead4 is ours, and we are still, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria?" And he said unto Jehoshaphat, "Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramoth-gilead?" And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses."

And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, "Inquire first, I pray thee, for the word of Jehovah." Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, "Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear?" And they said, "Go up; for the Lord will deliver it into

1 I Kings 22:1-37 (Am. Standard Rev. Ver., by permission).

2 *Three years without war: so unusual as to demand comment.

3 *Came down: the biblical writers always speak of coming down from and going up to Jerusalem, possibly because of its location on the highest land in the Southern Kingdom.

4*Ramoth Gilead: one of the Israelitish cities which had been taken by Syria. 5*Prophets: of Jehovah, not Baal, showing the restoration to favor of a large body of prophets of Jehovah.

15 the hand of the king." But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah besides, that we may inquire of him?" And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, "There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Jehovah, Micaiah the son of Imlah: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.” 20 And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say so." Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, "Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah." Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, in an open place1 at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the 25 prophets were prophesying before them. And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron,2 and said, “Thus saith Jehovah, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until they be consumed." And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper; for Jehovah will deliver it into the 30 hand of the king."

And the messenger that went to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, "Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak thou good." And Micaiah said,“ As Jeho35 vah liveth, what Jehovah saith unto me, that will I speak." And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we forbear?" And he answered him, "Go up and prosper; and Jehovah will deliver it into the hand of the king." And the king said unto him, "How 40 many times shall I adjure thee that thou speak unto me nothing but the truth in the name of Jehovah?" And he said, "I saw all Israel scattered upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd: and Jehovah said, These have no master; let them return every man to his house in peace." And the king of Israel said to 45 Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?" And Micaiah said, "Therefore hear thou the word of Jehovah: I saw Jehovah sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. And Jehovah said, Who shall entice Ahab, that he may go 50 up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one said on this manner;

1*An open place: an interesting picture of the ancient custom of transacting business at the city-gate.

2 *Horns of iron: An object-lesson with which to impress his message.