1 Kings 20

Death can do no more hurt to a virtuous heaven-born soul, than David did to Saul, when he cut off the lap of his garment: The soul is safe, being hid in the promises; hid in the wounds of Christ; hid in God's decree: The soul is the pearl, and heaven is the cabinet where God wil…

2. If we trust in the arm of flesh, we make it a God (Jeremiah 17:5): Cursed be man that trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm. The Syrians trusted in their army, which was so numerous that it filled the country (1 Kings 20:27), but this arm of flesh withered (verse 29). What w…

2. God has entrusted you with the souls of your children, you have a charge of souls. God says, as (1 Kings 20:39), Keep this man, if he be missing your life shall go for his life. So says God, If the soul of your child miscarry by your negligence, his blood will I require at yo…

2. The second means for pardon of sin is, see yourselves guilty. Come to God as condemned men (1 Kings 20:32). They put ropes upon their heads, and came to the king of Israel: let us come to God in profound humility.

To these we may add a fifth sense: for all those that are confederate, or otherwise joined together, by the bond of nature, humanity, society, or friendship. Thus Ahab calls Benhadad his brother, that is, his friend (1 Kings 20:32-33); thus Simeon and Levi are called brethren in…

This distribution notes a resolvedness to curse it; and lest he should miss the time of the day, he curses both the divisions of time, in every day. As Benhadad in his charge for the taking of those young men, that came out of Samaria, to show how fully he was resolved to have t…

Non aeque glorietur accinctus, ac discinctus. Let not him that girds on his harness, boast himself, as he that puts it off (1 Kings 20:11). When a field is won, then they will rejoice: but a believer, when he goes to fight, is sure to have the best of it beforehand, in Bello, th…

4. We must beg: 1. The application of these to me also. We have heard that the kings of Israel are merciful kings (1 Kings 20:31). Now we would feel it.

Sin shall not obstruct our mercies, and therefore must not keep the penitent supplicant back from confidence to be heard in his prayer, when he would be directed in the ready way to happiness. You would fain be reduced to a good life after all your straying, humbly lay yourselve…

1. That it is not enough to hear of somewhat of God's saving mercies, but we should beg that it may come to us, be effectually and sensibly communicated to us, that we may have experience of them in our own souls — the hearsay will do us little good without experience. The hears…

The only charge that is laid upon us by the Almighty — we are not charged to be rich or honorable, to gain the profits and pleasures of this world, there is not such a [illegible] to be seen in the whole Bible; you only live to discharge your duty, if you forget that, you forget…

Prayer is good; but when a man prays only to show his parts, this is to bring forth fruit to himself. Some pride themselves in their humbling confessions — which is as if Benhadad's servants had been proud when they came before the king with ropes upon their heads (1 Kings 20:31…

2. Donation. God makes himself over to us by a deed of gift, and gives away himself to us: he says to the believer, as the king of Israel said to the king of Syria (1 Kings 20:4), I am yours, and all that I have: this is alvearium divini mellis, a hive full of divine comfort: al…

The Lord might have left us in the dark, to have gathered out his mind and will towards us, from obscure expressions: and knowing of what value his kindness is, it might justly be expected that we should do so. Men in misery, are glad to lay hold of the least word, that drops fr…

It is but a poor thing to be skillful in keeping all these and to bungle at keeping the heart, which stands most need of best keeping. It was a word that Ahab sometimes spoke against himself (1 Kings 20:39): "A man brought a man to me and said, Keep this man; if he be missing, y…

And though the Apostle did most earnestly desire to be with Christ, yet he did in the same desire decline the common road there through the dark passages of death (2 Corinthians 5:4). Unlawful indeed it is for any man to pray universally against death, because that were to withs…