2 Chronicles 18:33 And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness… Now I would have you notice particularly the words: "A certain man drew a bow at a venture." We take it that this was no distinguished warrior among the army of the Syrians, but simply one of the ordinary archers. He little thought that to him was the task committed of slaying the enemy of God and the king of His own nation. "At a venture" he drew his bow, or, in the words of the Revised Version, as given in the margin, "In his simplicity" — that is, never supposing at whom he was aiming the dart. We may be for year after year fighting the Lord's battles, and seeking after some offender above other offenders, some Ahab in disguise; but our efforts shall in the end be rewarded with success — we may have mistaken some conspicuous fault as manifest as were the gorgeous robes of Jehoshaphat for the sin that doth so easily beset, bringing a host of others in its train; but at length God's Spirit shall guide our words to the weak place in that soul's armour. Some word spoken with no special purpose, perhaps in season, perhaps out of season, shall open the wound that means death to that besetting sin. But if what we have said applies to the case of those individual souls, the same rule holds good also as regards our pulpit ministrations. When we preach the Word we do not know who may be present before us; probably many faces are familiar to us, but we cannot see the inmost soul; we know not what has passed in the life of any single person since last we spoke. Therefore, to a great extent, our bow must be ever drawn at a venture. (J. Nepleton.) Parallel Verses KJV: And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: therefore he said to his chariot man, Turn thine hand, that thou mayest carry me out of the host; for I am wounded. |
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