CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.—
2 Kings 13:25. Three times did Joash beat him—i.e., Benhadad, the son of Hazael; according to the number of arrows he shot (2 Kings 13:19).—W. H. J.
HOMILETICS OF 2 Kings 13:22-25
THE UNCHANGEABLENESS OF THE DIVINE MERCY
I. Seen in commiserating the sufferings of His people.—“Hazael oppressed Israel; and the Lord was gracious unto them and had compassion” (2 Kings 13:22-23). The Divine heart is moved with the sight of suffering and woe. It is impossible for Him to be callous and indifferent to the afflictions of His people; the more they suffer, the more they are endeared to Him. The tenderness of the Divine mercy is unspeakably exquisite. How great is our sin to treat that mercy with coldness and persistent unbelief! Suffering is often the first thing that opens our eyes to the enormity of our sin and the marvellous condescension of the Divine mercy.
II. Seen in His reluctance to inflict the extreme penalty of disobedience.—“The Lord would not destroy them, neither cast He them from His presence as yet” (2 Kings 13:23). The sins of the Israelites cried for chastisement. The greatest chastisement would be to be abandoned by Jehovah to the fury of their enemies, as was ultimately done (2 Kings 17:18; 2 Kings 17:20). But, though their iniquities deserved it, this extreme punishment was delayed by the Divine mercy. That mercy was reinforced by the Divine faithfulness. The Lord remembered “His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” The exercise of mercy is always in harmony with every attribute of the Divine nature. If God be slow to punish because of His mercy, His justice ensures the certainty of punishment.
III. Seen in His faithful fulfilment of the promise of deliverance (2 Kings 13:25). The dying Elisha, as the mouth-piece of Jehovah, had promised Israel three victories over Syria, and the resuscitation of the corpse when it touched the bones of the buried prophet would tend to strengthen faith in the fulfilment of the promise. In this verse the fact of that fulfilment is recorded—another indication that the history was written, not to set forth the valour and prowess of the Hebrews, and the external glory of the kingdom, but to illustrate the dealings of God with them, and trace the true causes of their decline and extinction as a nation. Every page of the history bears testimony to both the mercy and faithfulness of God. Mercy rejoices in providing means of deliverance, and faithfulness in carrying them out.
LESSONS:—The Divine mercy.—
1. Is tender and long-suffering.
2. Gives no licence to wrong-doing.
3. Provides an opportunity for repentance and reform.
GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES
2 Kings 13:22-23.—National suffering. I. A chastisement for national sin. II. Awakens the Divine compassion. III. Is alleviated by the Divine mercy.
2 Kings 13:23.—When God turns Himself from us, then we are given over to wretchedness: when he turns back to us again, then we find salvation. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had been dead for a thousand years, and yet their blessing was efficacious. God does not take pleasure in our ruin, but remembers, even in the midst of His anger, His promised grace and the covenant He has made.—Lange.
2 Kings 13:25.—Property wrongfully acquired. I. Has no security in its possession. II. Acquired by violence, may be restored by violence. III. Is not worth the trouble it costs to acquire and keep.
—Tyrants are rods by means of which God chastises His people; but finally the tyrants themselves are chastised by God and cast into the fire.
—These cities were unjustly obtained and quickly lost. Unrighteous wealth rarely comes to the third generation.—Lange.