Wesley Corpus

And behold, &c. - God, though forsaken and neglected by Ahab, prevents him with his gracious promise of help: that Ahab and the idolatrous Israelites, might hereby be fully convinced, or left without excuse, that Ben - hadad's intolerable pride, and contempt of God, and of his people, might be punished: and that the remnant of his prophets and people who were involved in the same calamity with the rest of the Israelites, might be preserved and delivered. I am the Lord - And not Baal, because I will deliver thee, which he cannot do. He said, &c. - Not by old and experienced soldiers, but by those young men; either the sons of the princes, and great men of the land, who were fled thither for safety; or their pages, or servants that used to attend them: who are bred up delicately, and seem unfit for the business. Thou - Partly to encourage the young men to fight courageously, as being the presence of their prince: and partly, that it might appear, that the victory was wholly due to God's gracious providence, and not to the valour or worthiness of the instruments. All Israel - All that were fit to go out to war; all, except those whom their age, or the same infirmity excused. Take them - He bids them not fight, for he thought they needed not to strike one stroke; and that the Israelites could not stand the first brunt. His man - Him who came to seize upon him, as Ben - hadad had commanded. Fled - Being amazed at the unexpected and undaunted courage of the Israelites, and struck with a divine terror. The king went - Proceeded further in his march. Smote the chariots - The men that fought from them. Mark, and see - Consider what is necessary for thee to do by way of preparation. The enemies of the children of God, are restless in their malice and tho' they may take some breathing time for themselves, they are still breathing out slaughter against the church. It therefore concerns us always to expect our spiritual enemies, and to mark and see what we do.