1-kings 13:2

He cried against the altar - He denounced the destruction of this idolatrous system.

A child shall be born - Josiah by name - This is one of the most remarkable and most singular prophecies in the Old Testament. It here most circumstantially foretells a fact which took place three hundred and forty years after the prediction; a fact which was attested by the two nations. The Jews, in whose behalf this prophecy was delivered, would guard it most sacredly; and it was the interest of the Israelites, against whom it was levelled, to impugn its authenticity and expose its falsehood, had this been possible. This prediction not only showed the knowledge of God, but his power. He gave, as it were, this warning to idolatry, that it might be on its guard, and defend itself against this Josiah whenever a person of that name should be found sitting on the throne of David; and no doubt it was on the alert, and took all prudent measures for its own defense; but all in vain, for Josiah, in the eighteenth year of his reign, literally accomplished this prophecy, as we may read, 2 Kings 23:15-20. And from this latter place we find that the prophecy had three permanent testimonials of its truth.

1. The house of Israel;

2. The house of Judah; and,

3. The tomb of the prophet who delivered this prophecy, who, being slain by a lion, was brought back and buried at Beth-el, the superscription on whose tomb remained till the day on which Josiah destroyed that altar, and burnt dead men's bones upon it. See above, 2 Kings 23:16-18.

A child shall be born ... Josiah by name - Divine predictions so seldom descend to such particularity as this, that doubts are entertained, even by orthodox theologians, with respect to the actual mention of Josiah's name by a prophet living in the time of Jeroboam. Only one other instance that can be considered parallel occurs in the whole of Scripture - the mention of Cyrus by Isaiah. Of course no one who believes in the divine foreknowledge can doubt that God could, if He chose, cause events to be foretold minutely by his prophets; but certainly the general law of his Providence is, that He does not do so. If this law is to be at any time broken through, it will not be capriciously. Here it certainly does not appear what great effect was to be produced by the mention of Josiah's name so long before his birth; and hence, a doubt arises whether we have in our present copies the true original text. The sense is complete without the words "Josiah by name;" and these words, if originally a marginal note, may easily have crept into the text by the mistake of a copyist. It is remarkable that, where this narrative is again referred to in Kings (marginal reference), there is no allusion to the fact that the man of God had prophesied of Josiah "by name."

13:2 The altar - And consequently, against all that worship.O altar - He directs his speech to the altar, because the following signswere wrought upon it. Josiah - Which being done above three hundredyears after this prophecy, plainly shews the absolute certainty of God'sprovidence; and fore - knowledge even in the most contingent things. For thiswas in itself uncertain, and wholly depended upon man's will, both as to thehaving of a child, and as to the giving it this name. Therefore God cancertainly and effectually over - rule man's will which way he pleaseth; orelse it was possible, that this prediction should have been false; which isblasphemous to imagine. The priests - The bones of the priests, 23:15 ,16, whereby the altar should be defiled. How bold wasthe man, that durst attack the king in his pride, and interrupt thesolemnity he was proud of? Whoever is sent on God's errand, must not fearthe faces of men. It was above three hundred and fifty years ere thisprophecy was fulfilled. Yet it is spoken of as sure and nigh at hand.For a thousand years are with God as one day.