§ 4. Ahaziah in the Kingdom of Israel
Ahaziah ascended the throne in the beginning of the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat, and reigned until the end of the eighteenth. He closely resembled his father. Soon after the death of the latter, the Moabites, who had been subject from the time of David, fell away from the kingdom of Israel, to which they had been annexed on the separation of the kingdom; comp. 2 Kings 1:1. In all probability this happened on the occasion of their union with the Arab tribes, which belongs to the very same period. For, according to Chronicles, it happened after the death of Ahab, and before the common building of the fleet. Thus there is no single event more fully narrated in Chronicles to which there are not references in the books of the Kings. In the second year of his reign the king met with a dangerous accident. He was leaning on the lattice-work of the gallery on his flat roof, when it gave way and he fell down; but this misfortune failed to make any impression on him. He sent to the Philistine idol Baal-zebub to ask whether he would recover from his illness. It is generally supposed that this god is honoured as having possessed the power of protection against flies, which gave rise to his name. It has been argued that even the Greeks have their Ζεὺς ἀπόμνιος, their Herculeslocustorius, their Ἀπόλλων μυόμνιος. But these examples would only be analogous, if it could be proved that a god was worshipped by a whole city or a whole district with sole reference to benefits so comparatively small. The correct idea is rather that Baal-zebub is a contemptuous transformation of the true name of the idol. Of this falsification of names not a few examples might be quoted; comp. the compilations in part ii. of the Beiträge, p. 26. The proper name of the idol was Baal-zebul, under which name it also appears in the New Testament, dominus hahitationis. זבול, habitatio, stands for heaven, God’s throne and habitation, so that Baal-zebul is synonymous with the Phenician Baal, Baalsamen, dominus coelorum. By the change of one letter the Israelites altered the alleged king of heaven into what he really was,—a fly-king, a king with no real authority. Elijah was commissioned to reprove the king for his wickedness. He suddenly stepped forth from his concealment to meet the messengers of the king, and commanded them not to continue their journey to Ekron, but to return to the king and to tell him that his death was irrevocably decreed. The king at once conjectured from whom the message came, and his conjecture was changed to certainty when the messengers described the outward appearance of the prophet, dressed in a hairy garment with a leathern girdle about his loins. But his designs of revenge were frustrated in the manner fully narrated in the source. The outward habitus of Elijah, as described on this occasion, had a symbolical meaning,—it was a sermo propheticus realis. The hairy garment is always the garb of repentance. The preacher of repentance appeared as repentance personified. In that which he did he set an example to the nation; comp. 1 Kings 21:27, where Ahab imitates the repentance which the prophet exemplifies: “And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted.” John the Baptist afterwards borrowed this habitus from Elijah, as an indication of the idea which he possessed in common with him. Ahaziah, like Ahab, believes that Elijah, as his personal enemy, not only foretells, but also effects the threatened misfortune. He wishes to bring him into his power, for the purpose of either compelling him to avert the misfortune, or, if unable to do this, at least to revenge himself on him. With this object he sends out a captain, as ungodly as himself, with his troop, to seize the prophet. This captain, fearing lest the prophet should escape while he was ascending the mountain, sought by stratagem to induce him to give himself up voluntarily. The most certain means to accomplish this end seemed to be to gain his favour by a feigned recognition of his prophetic dignity. Hence he addresses him: “Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down.” But Elijah sees into his unbelieving heart. Thou shalt soon learn that I am in reality what thou termest me in thy hypocrisy. A flash of lightning slew the captain and his host. Ahaziah, after the usual manner of scepticism, attributed the misfortune to accident. He sent a second captain, who was no better than his predecessor, and failed to take warning from his example. He too was overtaken by righteous judgment. The king then sent a third captain with his troop. It seems, however, that the second misfortune had softened him in some measure, so that he no longer thought of laying hands on the prophet, but only wished to speak with him, that by gentleness he might perhaps induce him to alter his determination, and designedly chose a pious captain, hoping through him to attain his object more easily. The justice of Elijah’s former conduct, which the Lord in Luke 9:55 does not blame, but only characterizes as inappropriate to the new covenant, is plainly shown in the whole manner of his behaviour towards this captain. He goes back with him to the king, and simply repeats what he had said to his messengers. His sentence was speedily fulfilled. The king died, and because he had no son, his brother Jehoram succeeded to the throne. The statement in 2 Kings 1:17, that this happened in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, presupposes that Jehoshaphat had taken his son Jehoram as co-regent in the seventeenth year of his reign; for, according to 2 Kings 3:1, Jehoram began to reign over Israel in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat. Soon after the death of Ahaziah, Elijah was miraculously taken away from this life,—an event which was destined to seal his whole life of activity, to impart strength of faith to his successor Elisha, and to the whole remaining ἐκλογή in Israel, who had gathered about him as their head. The narrative of this event in the books of the Kings has verbal reference to Genesis 5:24, and in this way draws attention to the fact that the miracle with respect to Enoch was repeated in Elijah. In general most of the miracles of Elijah and Elisha are prefigured in the Mosaic history,—for example, the fire from heaven which kindles the offering and consumes those who are refractory; the dividing of the water of the Jordan; the healing of the bitter spring, etc. The object of this conformity is to point to the fact that the God of Israel is still the same, the ancient God still living; that Elijah and Elisha stand towards Him in the same relation as His anointed servants of former time; that the cause which they served was equally the cause of the Lord; that the community which they represented was the continuation of the original community of the Lord. Just as the miracles of Elijah and Elisha are connected with those in the Mosaic history, so to these are attached the miracles of the New Testament, where the object is to show the connection between this and the Old Testament, to represent the New not as being in antithesis to the Old, but as its fulfilment. This connection between the miracles of Scripture must be postulated if we take the Scripture standpoint, and is far from throwing doubt on its historical truth. We are the less justified in coming to such a conclusion, since the dependence is everywhere associated with independence, the later miracles never appearing as simple reproduction. Elijah knew by a divine revelation what would befall him; it was also made known to Elisha, but without the knowledge of Elijah. The latter made several attempts to free himself from Elisha, his companion. His extreme modesty would fain have dispensed with all witnesses to his glorification. But Elisha steadily refused; he would enjoy his beloved master to the last moment of his sojourn upon the earth. Elijah repaired beforehand to the place where his activity had borne the most joyous fruits, the seat of the prophetic schools of Bethel and Jericho. It seems that in the former place Elijah had established a seminary of the Holy Spirit, in order by powerful measures to check the corruption which had gone out from this city over all Israel, viz. the false worship of God, and to influence the numbers who made pilgrimages thither. Elijah wished to make a few final arrangements in these places, and to exhort the prophetic schools as his spiritual sons. He thought that they would know nothing of that which was impending; but the Lord had revealed it to some among them, or to their heads. If the event were to have its intended effect, it must be known to many of the faithful with unerring certainty. Elijah’s ascension happened not for his own sake, but for the sake of those who were left behind. So far as he alone was concerned, we see no reason why he should not have gone the way of all flesh. The prophetic disciples told Elisha what they knew, and he exhorted them to silence. He was too well acquainted with the mind of his master not to know his strong aversion to all display. From Jericho Elijah and Elisha took their way towards the Jordan. Fifty disciples of the prophets accompanied them part of the way. While these remained standing at a short distance from the Jordan, Elijah parted the waters of the Jordan by the power of the Lord, so that he and his companion passed over dry-shod. When they had reached the farther shore, Elijah permitted Elisha to make a last request, persuaded that the Lord would grant it at his petition. “I pray thee,” Elisha asks, “let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.” Many have understood this request as if Elisha had demanded a double measure of the spirit possessed by Elijah. But the words themselves do not admit of this interpretation. The ברוחך, “of thy spirit,” shows that Elisha only asked for a portion of the spirit which rested upon Elijah; otherwise the request would have been too bold, and its fulfilment, though promised by Elijah, could not be historically proved. Elisha appears throughout as subordinate to Elijah, only carrying on his work, and standing towards him in the same relation as Isaac to Abraham, Joshua to Moses, Timothy to Paul, Bugenhagen and Jonas to Luther. Elijah, and not he, appears in the transfiguration with Moses the head, as the second representative of the old covenant, as the coryphaeus of the whole prophethood. It is more correct to suppose that Elisha requests Elijah to grant him a double portion of his spirit, that he would appoint him his spiritual heir, with an allusion to the law, according to which a double portion of the inheritance fell to the lot of the first-born, Deuteronomy 21:17. The very request that he would leave him his spirit points to a spiritual relation of dependence on the part of Elisha towards Elijah, and proves that the former was far from laying claim to a higher position than his master’s. This narrative also throws light upon the former, where a task is given to Elijah which is only accomplished by Elisha; perhaps also upon a later narrative, in which, after the death of Elijah, mention is made of a scriptural prophecy respecting it. Elijah associated the granting of the request with a visible sign: if he should be a witness of his ascension. He did this in order to help the weakness of Elisha. In the troubles incident to his divine calling, he could comfort himself with this assurance: As certainly as I saw my master ascend to heaven, so certainly am I divinely called to be his successor. Even if I fail to perceive in myself the requisite gifts, yet I must possess them. The ascension took place with accompanying phenomena which presented to Elisha the appearance of fiery horses and chariot. The connection of these phenomena with the cherubim is based on an utterly false view of the latter. When Elisha sees his master disappear, he cries out, “My father, my father! the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.” Elijah had been the pillar of the Israelitish nation, its support in temporal and spiritual need. Chariot and riders typified the greatest power of the states then in existence: with chariots and riders Aram had prevailed against Israel. In token of his sorrow, Elisha rent his garments. He then set out to return to the country on this side of the Jordan, to enter upon his calling. Having reached the Jordan, he commanded its waters to divide, saying, “Where is the Lord God of Elijah, He Himself?” The words אףהוא have here given much difficulty to expositors, and have been subjected to false interpretation from the earliest times. The simplest explanation is this: and He, equivalent to He Himself. Elisha expresses his firm confidence that the God of Elijah, the same who had proved Himself so powerful through him and in him, He Himself, and no other deity less powerful and gracious, would also hear his request as Elijah’s successor. From the fact that this request was granted, it is evident that it was not a tempting of God, but rather a suggestion of the Holy Spirit Himself. The object of the granting of the request was not only to assure Elisha himself of his calling and to strengthen his faith, but still more to attest his appointment as the successor of Elijah to the prophetic schools, and indirectly to the nation. This appears from the explicit observation of the author, 2 Kings 2:15 : “And when the sons of the prophets saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.” The whole contents of 2 Kings 1-2 show that by the efficacy of Elijah the prophets in the kingdom of Israel had received a certain organization, and that a certain distinction of rank obtained among them, proportionate to the difference in the divine gift,—not, however, as among the priests, an external distinction resting upon carnal birth, but an internal one resting upon spiritual birth. After Elisha had now by a doubly remarkable event been legitimized by God as the successor of Elijah, he was recognised as the head of the whole institute. The second miracle performed by Elisha, the healing of the water at Jericho, must be looked at from the same point of view. This place, situated in a region like Paradise, was deficient in wholesome drinking water. Among other evils, the waters gave rise to premature births,—a property which still characterizes many of the mineral springs in Germany. Mineral water abounds in the vicinity of the Dead Sea, and for this reason cannot be drunk by those who are pregnant. Elisha sent for salt in a new dish, and shook it into the waters. Of course the salt could not of itself produce the effect which was intended, and which was actually realized. The act was symbolical. Salt was in olden times the symbol of purification and healing. Just as salt seasons what has no taste, so the power of God would have a salutary effect on the water. The use of the new dish also belonged to the symbol. The power of spiritual salt is weakened when mixed with impurities. The prophetic disciples at Jericho, though not doubting that Elijah had been taken away by the Lord,—for they themselves had been witnesses,—were yet unable to reconcile themselves to the belief that his body had been taken away from the earth for ever. They thought it probable that the Lord had taken his soul to Himself in heaven, but that after this had happened, his body must have fallen again somewhere upon the earth; they wished, therefore, to search for it to pay it the last honours. Elisha tried to dissuade them from their purpose, but finally yielded to their request, that they might be convinced of the futility of the attempt. Fifty men now set out in all directions to seek the corpse. The fruitlessness of this zealous searching served to confirm the truth of the ascension of Elijah in its whole extent, and to exclude all possibility of doubt. This is the object of the author in narrating the event. From Jericho Elisha turned to Bethel. Here also, in the place of the illegal worship, it was necessary that his divine mission should be ratified. The boys who mocked him there were the ungodly children of ungodly parents, who scoffed at the prophet as such, and in him therefore scoffed at God. The baldness of the prophet, the result not of age, but of excessive intellectual labour, was only a vehicle, and not the actual ground of their mockery. The punishment which befell them was not the satisfaction of a carnal desire for revenge on the part of the prophet, but a righteous divine judgment, intended to serve as a warning to others who were like-minded, and was especially necessary in this place. It was a settlement of the dispute between the adherents of the calf-worship and those who worshipped the God of Israel according to His word. For the mockery of the boys is only to be regarded as an isolated expression of the bitter feeling of the former towards the latter.
