Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

When we left the Israelites, they were at war. Israel and Judah had started fighting the Syrians at Ramoth Gilead. The king of Israel had been wounded and he fled to Jezreel to recover. His nephew Ahaziah, king of Judah, was on the way to visit him. He had left his commanders in charge of the war and they were still going at it there.

Elisha got one of the student prophets to take some oil and go to Ramoth Gilead. His instructions were to anoint Jehu king over Israel in private and then skedaddle. Rabbinic tradition says that this young prophet was Jonah, but the Word gives to name to him. He was faithful though. He did everything he was told to. He went to the camp. Got Jehu into an inner room, poured oil over him, and told him God had anointed him king and he was to destroy Ahab’s house because God wanted to avenge the blood of the prophets and all the servants of the Lord at the hands of Jezebel. All the males of Ahab’s house will be cut off (they’re going to die). Dogs would eat Jezebel and the house of Ahab would be desolate. Then he left.

Jehu came out of the room and under pressure, admitted what had happened. They immediately supported Jehu, blew trumpets, and declared him king. Jehu got a chariot and headed to Jezreel. He and his men were spotted, but it wasn’t clear what was happening. A messenger was sent out, but he joined Jehu. Another one went out, and HE joined Jehu. Figuring it was probably serious, Jehoram got on a chariot and went out to meet Jehu. His nephew Ahaziah went with him in another chariot. And they all met at the spot which was once Naboth’s vineyard (1 Kings 21:1-16). Jehoram asked if all was well and Jehu responded asking how things could be well when Jezebel was still whoring with idols? Jehoram turned to flee, but Jehu shot him with arrows. Ahaziah tried to flee and Jehu ordered him killed too. He was shot with arrows, but managed to get away – at least to Megiddo, where he died. He was taken to Jerusalem by his servants and buried with his fathers in the City of David.

Jehu continued to Jezreel. Jezebel heard he was coming and got herself all dolled up and sat in an open window looking seductive. She MUST have been a beautiful woman, because she was a grandmother at this point. She called out to him when he entered the city, but he called out who was on the same side that he was – implication? Jehu wasn’t out for Jehu, but for the Lord and he wanted to know if anyone else was on the side of the Lord. A couple eunuchs looked out at him, indicating themselves. Jehu told them to throw her out. They did. Then Jehu continued on into the city, running her over with his chariot, and sat down to eat. But in the course of the meal he felt a little guilty since she WAS the daughter of a king. He asked his people to go bury her. But she had been eaten by dogs, leaving behind only her palms and her skull. She did NOT get that burial and no one ever knew her final resting spot.

“But they were very afraid, and they said, “Look, two kings could not stand before him; how can we stand?”” (2 Kings 10:4)

Neither Jehoram or Ahaziah had sons to take the throne. In Israel, that meant any of the other sons of Ahab had a chance. Although Ahab is only recorded as having one wife – Jezebel – he seems to have had a few concubines because he has seventy sons. They were living in Samaria, under the charge of the elders of Israel. Jehu sent a letter to them telling them to pick one, make him king, gather their soldiers, and fight him – because he was coming whether they were ready or not. The elders were terrified. Jehu had defeated two kings already, how could they have a chance against him? They sent a letter back telling Jehu not to fight them, they weren’t going to make anyone a king.

He wrote a second letter. He told them if they were going to be on his side and listen to his voice, then they were to behead the sons of Ahab and bring them to him at Jezeel within 24hrs. They did. He left them piled on either side of the gate of the city. Jehu killed all the house of Ahab. All Ahab’s great men, close acquaintances, and priests. There were none left when he was done. He left to go to Samaria. On the way, he came across a group of men. They were all Ahaziah’s brothers – grandsons of Ahab through their mother Athaliah. Jehu seized them all and had them executed. He continued on his way.

When he got to Samaria he killed everyone else who was related or connected to Ahab’s house. And then he called all the people together and told them Ahab had only been a so-so follower of idols. That he, Jehu, was going to be a HUGE supporter. He called a big feast and celebration in the idol temple. When everyone was inside, he surrounded it with his men and told them to let none out alive on pain of death. Inside, he got the special robes of the idol worshippers and made everyone put them on – which no true worshipper of Yahweh would do. Then he told them to make SURE that there were no Yahweh worshippers there. You’d think they would have clued in by now, but sin is STUPID, not smart and they were blind. Then he let them make a BIG sacrifice to their idol. And then he killed them all. Killed them, took the idols, destroyed the sacred pillars, destroyed the temple itself, and turned it into a dung heap. Jehu wiped out idol worship in Israel EXCEPT for the golden calves they worshipped as manifestations of Yahweh (which was SIN – 1 Kings 12:26-30; Exodus 20:4-5).

In spite of not being perfect, Jehu WAS zealous for God and was ironically against idol worship (except the calves that he refused to see as idols). God promised him that because of his devoted service, four generations of his children would sit the throne. But he was NOT pure in his heart. During his reign, Israel started to loose territory. Hazael, king of Syria, conquered pieces of it – all the territory from the Jordan eastward. Jehu reigned a total of twenty-eight years. They buried him in Samaria and his son Jehoahaz took the throne.

Summary

Key Players: God, Elisha, Jehoram, Ahaziah, Jehu, Jezebel, Hazael

Key Themes: Prophetic Fulfillment, Judgment, Mercy

Key Verse(s): 2 Kings 9:1-3, 14-16, 30-37; 10:6-8, 13-14, 25-27, 30-31