191 Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done , and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword . 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah , saying , " So may the gods do to me and even more , if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time ." 3 And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba , which belongs to Judah , and left his servant there . 4 But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness , and came and sat down under a juniper tree ; and he requested for himself that he might die , and said , "It is enough ; now , O Lord , take my life , for I am not better than my fathers ." 5 He lay down and slept under a juniper tree ; and behold , there was an angel touching him, and he said to him, "Arise , eat ." 6 Then he looked and behold , there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones , and a jar of water . So he ate and drank and lay down again . 7 The angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said , "Arise , eat , because the journey is too great for you." 8 So he arose and ate and drank , and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb , the mountain of God .
9 Then he came there to a cave and lodged there ; and behold , the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here , Elijah ?" 10 He said , " I have been very zealous for the Lord , the God of hosts ; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant , torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword . And I alone am left ; and they seek my life , to take it away." 11 So He said , " Go forth and stand on the mountain before the Lord ." And behold , the Lord was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the Lord ; but the Lord was not in the wind . And after the wind an earthquake , but the Lord was not in the earthquake . 12 After the earthquake a fire , but the Lord was not in the fire ; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing . 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave . And behold , a voice came to him and said , "What are you doing here , Elijah ?" 14 Then he said , " I have been very zealous for the Lord , the God of hosts ; for the sons of Israel have forsaken Your covenant , torn down Your altars and killed Your prophets with the sword . And I alone am left ; and they seek my life , to take it away." 15 The Lord said to him, "Go , return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus , and when you have arrived , you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram ; 16 and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel ; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place . 17 "It shall come about, the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael , Jehu shall put to death , and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu , Elisha shall put to death . 18 " Yet I will leave 7,000 e in Israel , all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him."
19 So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat , while he was plowing with twelve e pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth e . And Elijah passed over to him and threw his mantle on him. 20 He left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said , "Please let me kiss my father and my mother , then I will follow e you." And he said to him, "Go back again , for what have I done to you?" 21 So he returned from following him, and took the pair of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the implements of the oxen , and gave it to the people and they ate . Then he arose and followed e Elijah and ministered to him.
201 Now Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his army , and there were thirty-two e kings with him, and horses and chariots . And he went up and besieged e Samaria and fought against it. 2 Then he sent messengers to the city to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, "Thus says Ben-hadad , 3 'Your silver and your gold are mine; your most beautiful wives and children are also mine.' " 4 The king of Israel replied , "It is according to your word , my lord , O king ; I am yours, and all that I have." 5 Then the messengers returned and said , "Thus says Ben-hadad , 'Surely , I sent to you saying , "You shall give me your silver and your gold and your wives and your children ," 6 but about this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you, and they will search your house and the houses of your servants ; and whatever is desirable in your eyes , they will take in their hand and carry away.' " 7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said , "Please observe and see how this man is looking for trouble ; for he sent to me for my wives and my children and my silver and my gold , and I did not refuse him." 8 All the elders and all the people said to him, "Do not listen or consent ." 9 So he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad , "Tell my lord the king , 'All that you sent for to your servant at the first I will do , but this thing I cannot e do .' " And the messengers departed and brought him word again . 10 Ben-hadad sent to him and said , "May the gods do so to me and more also , if the dust of Samaria will suffice for handfuls for all the people who follow me." 11 Then the king of Israel replied , "Tell him, ' Let not him who girds on his armor boast like him who takes it off .' "
12 When Ben-hadad heard this message , as he was drinking with the kings in the temporary shelters , he said to his servants , "Station yourselves." So they stationed themselves against the city . 13 Now behold , a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said , "Thus says the Lord , 'Have you seen all this great multitude ? Behold , I will deliver them into your hand today , and you shall know that I am the Lord .' " 14 Ahab said , "By whom ?" So he said , "Thus says the Lord , 'By the young men of the rulers of the provinces .' " Then he said , "Who shall begin the battle ?" And he answered , "You." 15 Then he mustered the young men of the rulers of the provinces , and there were 232 e e ; and after them he mustered all the people , even all the sons of Israel , 7,000 e . 16 They went out at noon , while Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the temporary shelters with the thirty-two e kings who helped him. 17 The young men of the rulers of the provinces went out first ; and Ben-hadad sent out and they told him, saying , "Men have come out from Samaria ." 18 Then he said , "If they have come out for peace , take them alive ; or if they have come out for war , take them alive ." 19 So these went out from the city , the young men of the rulers of the provinces , and the army which followed them. 20 They killed each his man ; and the Arameans fled and Israel pursued them, and Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen . 21 The king of Israel went out and struck the horses and chariots , and killed the Arameans with a great slaughter .
22 Then the prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, "Go , strengthen yourself and observe and see what you have to do ; for at the turn of the year the king of Aram will come up against you." 23 Now the servants of the king of Aram said to him, " Their gods are gods of the mountains , therefore e they were stronger than we; but rather let us fight against them in the plain , and surely e we will be stronger than they. 24 "Do this thing : remove the kings , each from his place , and put captains in their place , 25 and muster an army like the army that you have lost , horse for horse , and chariot for chariot . Then we will fight against them in the plain , and surely e we will be stronger than they." And he listened to their voice and did so . 26 At the turn of the year , Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel . 27 The sons of Israel were mustered and were provisioned and went to meet them; and the sons of Israel camped before them like two little flocks of goats , but the Arameans filled the country . 28 Then a man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel and said , "Thus says the Lord , 'Because e the Arameans have said , " The Lord is a god of the mountains , but He is not a god of the valleys ," therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand , and you shall know that I am the Lord .' " 29 So they camped one over against the other seven days . And on the seventh day the battle was joined , and the sons of Israel killed of the Arameans 100,000 e foot soldiers in one day . 30 But the rest fled to Aphek into the city , and the wall fell on 27,000 e e men who were left . And Ben-hadad fled and came into the city into an inner chamber .
31 His servants said to him, "Behold now , we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings , please let us put sackcloth on our loins and ropes on our heads , and go out to the king of Israel ; perhaps he will save your life ." 32 So they girded sackcloth on their loins and put ropes on their heads , and came to the king of Israel and said , " Your servant Ben-hadad says , 'Please let me live .' " And he said , "Is he still alive ? He is my brother ." 33 Now the men took this as an omen , and quickly catching his word said , "Your brother Ben-hadad ." Then he said , "Go , bring him." Then Ben-hadad came out to him, and he took him up into the chariot . 34 Ben-hadad said to him, " The cities which my father took from your father I will restore , and you shall make streets for yourself in Damascus , as my father made in Samaria ." Ahab said, "And I will let you go with this covenant ." So he made a covenant with him and let him go . 35 Now a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to another by the word of the Lord , "Please strike me." But the man refused to strike him. 36 Then he said to him, "Because e you have not listened to the voice of the Lord , behold , as soon as you have departed from me, a lion will kill you." And as soon as he had departed from him a lion found him and killed him. 37 Then he found another man and said , "Please strike me." And the man struck him, wounding e him. 38 So the prophet departed and waited for the king by the way , and disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes . 39 As the king passed by, he cried to the king and said , "Your servant went out into the midst of the battle ; and behold , a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said , 'Guard this man ; if for any reason he is missing , then your life shall be for his life , or else you shall pay a talent of silver .' 40 "While your servant was busy here and there , he was gone ." And the king of Israel said to him, "So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it." 41 Then he hastily took the bandage away from his eyes , and the king of Israel recognized him that he was of the prophets . 42 He said to him, "Thus says the Lord , 'Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction , therefore your life shall go for his life , and your people for his people .' " 43 So the king of Israel went to his house sullen and vexed , and came to Samaria .
231 Then the whole body of them got up and brought Him before Pilate . 2 And they began to accuse Him, saying , "We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar , and saying that He Himself is Christ , a King ." 3 So Pilate asked Him, saying , "Are You the King of the Jews ?" And He answered him and said , " It is as you say ." 4 Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds , " I find no guilt in this man . 5 But they kept on insisting , saying , "He stirs up the people , teaching all over Judea , starting from Galilee even as far as this place ."
6 When Pilate heard it, he asked whether the man was a Galilean . 7 And when he learned that He belonged e to Herod's jurisdiction , he sent Him to Herod , who himself also was in Jerusalem at that time . 8 Now Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus ; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time , because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him. 9 And he questioned Him at some length e ; but He answered him nothing . 10 And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently . 11 And Herod with his soldiers , after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate . 12 Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day ; for before they had been e enemies with each other .
13 Pilate summoned the chief priests and the rulers and the people , 14 and said to them, "You brought this man to me as one who incites the people to rebellion , and behold , having examined Him before you, I have found no guilt in this man regarding the charges which you make against Him 15 "No , nor has Herod , for he sent Him back to us; and behold , nothing deserving death has been done by Him. 16 "Therefore I will punish Him and release Him." 17 [Now he was obliged e to release to them at the feast one prisoner.] 18 But they cried out all together , saying , " Away with this man , and release for us Barabbas !" 19 (He was one who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection made in the city , and for murder . 20 Pilate , wanting to release Jesus , addressed them again , 21 but they kept on calling out, saying , "Crucify , crucify Him! 22 And he said to them the third time , "Why , what evil has this man done ? I have found in Him no guilt demanding death ; therefore I will punish Him and release Him." 23 But they were insistent , with loud voices asking that He be crucified . And their voices began to prevail . 24 And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand be granted . 25 And he released the man they were asking for who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder , but he delivered Jesus to their will .
(Read Luke 23:1-5)
Pilate well understood the difference between armed forces and our Lord's followers. But instead of being softened by Pilate's declaration of his innocence, and considering whether they were not bringing the guilt of innocent blood upon themselves, the Jews were the more angry. The Lord brings his designs to a glorious end, even by means of those who follow the devices of their own hearts. Thus all parties joined, so as to prove the innocence of Jesus, who was the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
(Read Luke 23:6-12)
Herod had heard many things of Jesus in Galilee, and out of curiosity longed to see him. The poorest beggar that asked a miracle for the relief of his necessity, was never denied; but this proud prince, who asked for a miracle only to gratify his curiosity, is refused. He might have seen Christ and his wondrous works in Galilee, and would not, therefore it is justly said, Now he would see them, and shall not. Herod sent Christ again to Pilate: the friendships of wicked men are often formed by union in wickedness. They agree in little, except in enmity to God, and contempt of Christ.
(Read Luke 23:13-25)
The fear of man brings many into this snare, that they will do an unjust thing, against their consciences, rather than get into trouble. Pilate declares Jesus innocent, and has a mind to release him; yet, to please the people, he would punish him as an evil-doer. If no fault be found in him, why chastise him? Pilate yielded at length; he had not courage to go against so strong a stream. He delivered Jesus to their will, to be crucified.
