Okay, you can turn in your Bibles to 2 Kings 9. 2 Kings 9, I'll begin reading in verse 1. And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, get yourself ready, take this flask of oil in your hand and go to Ramoth Gilead. Now when you arrive at that place, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, and go in and make him rise up from among his associates and take him to an inner room. Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, Thus says the Lord, I have anointed you king over Israel.
Then open the door and flee and do not delay. So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead. And when he arrived, there were the captains of the army sitting. And he said, I have a message for you, commander.
Jehu said, for which one of us? And he said, for you, commander. Then he arose and went into the house, and he poured the oil on his head, and said to him, Thus says the Lord God of Israel, I have anointed you king over the people of the Lord over Israel. You shall strike down the house of Ahab, your master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants, the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord at the hand of Jezebel.
For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab all the males in Israel, both bond and free. So I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and like the house of Basha, the son of Ahijah. The dogs shall eat Jezebel on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her.' And he opened the door and fled. Then Jehu came out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, Is all well?
Why did this madman come to you? And he said to them, You know the man and his babble. And they said, A lie. Tell us now.
So he said, Thus and thus he spoke to me, saying, Thus says the Lord, I have anointed you king over Israel. Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps, and they blew trumpets, saying, Jehu is king. So Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. Now, Joram had been defending Ramoth Gilead, he and all Israel, against Hazael, king of Syria.
But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which the Syrians had inflicted on him when he fought with Hazael, king of Syria. And Jehu said, if you are so minded, let no one leave or escape from the city to go and tell it in Jezreel. So Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram was laid up there, and Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to see Joram. Now a watchman stood on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu as he came.
And he said, I see a company of men. And Joram said, get a horseman and send him to meet them, and let him say, is it peace? So the horseman went to meet him and said, thus says the king, is it peace? And Jehu said, what have you to do with peace?
Turn around and follow me. So the watchman reported saying, the messenger went to them, but is not coming back. Then he sent out a second horseman who came to them and said, Thus says the king, Is it peace? And Jehu answered, What have you to do with peace?
Turn around and follow me. So the watchman reported, saying, He went up to them and is not coming back, and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously. Then Joram said, Make ready. And his chariot was made ready.
Then Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot. And they went out to meet Jehu, and met him on the property of Naboth the Jezreelite. Now it happened when Joram saw Jehu that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? So he answered, What peace, as long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcraft are so many?
Then Joram turned around and fled, and said to Ahaziah, Treachery, Ahaziah! Then Jehu drew his bow with full strength, and shot Jehoram between his arms. And the arrow came out at his heart, and he sank down in his chariot. Then Jehu said to Bidkar, his captain, Pick him up and throw him into the tract of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite.
For remember, when you and I were riding together behind Ahab his father, that the Lord laid this burden upon him. Surely I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons, says the Lord. And I will repay you in this plot, says the Lord. Therefore, take and throw him on the plot of ground according to the word of the Lord.
But when Ahaziah, king of Judah, saw this, he fled by the road to Beth Hagin. So Jehu pursued him and said, shoot him also in the chariot. And they shot him at the ascent of Ger, which is by Iblim. Then he fled to Megiddo and died there.
And his servants carried him in the chariot to Jerusalem and buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the city of David. In the 11th year of Joram, the son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king over Judah. And when Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it, and she put paint on her eyes, and adorned her head, and looked through a window. Then, as Jehu entered at the gate, she said, Is it peace Zimri, murderer of your master?
And he looked up at the window and said, who is on my side? Who? So two or three eunuchs looked out at him. Then he said, throw her down.
So they threw her down. And some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses. And he trampled her underfoot. And when he had gone in, he ate and drank.
Then he said, go now. See to this accursed woman and bury her, for she was a king's daughter. So they went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. Therefore they came back and told him, and he said, This is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, On the plot of ground at Jezreel, dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel.
And the corpse of Jezebel shall be as refuse on the surface of the field in the plot at Jezreel, so that they shall not say, here lies Jezebel. Amen.
Introduction and Chapter Overview
Well, the chapter breaks down into two sections. First, we see the instrument of God's judgment, and that's in verses 1 to 13, the anointing of Jehu. And then secondly, the execution of God's judgment in verses 14 to 37. Now, there's a lot of background material that is necessary for a proper understanding of this particular chapter.
So let's look back, first of all, at 1 Kings chapter 16. Just looking at some background to this particular chapter and the next, where we see the house of Ahab brought under the judgment of God. In the first place,
Background: Wickedness of Ahab
we ought to consider the wickedness of Ahab in 1 Kings 16 at verse 29. In the 38th year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel and Samaria 22 years. Now Ahab, the son of Omri, did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him. Now that is a pretty big statement because there were wicked persons before him.
In fact, Omri was no saint himself. It goes on to develop or expound the sorts of wickedness that Ahab engaged in. Verse 31, it says, "...it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians, and he went and served Baal and worshipped him." So Jeroboam institutionalized idolatry in Israel, vis-Ã -vis calf worship. Ahab respected that practice, but he added Baal worship.
Here, specifically, he went and he served Baal and worshiped him in the land of the Sidonians. But in verse 32, it goes on to tell us, he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab made a wooden image. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.
So he not only engages in the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, but he also institutionalizes Baal worship in the confines of Israel. Now turn over to 1 Kings 19. Again, just looking at some background to 2 Kings 9 and 10. In 1 Kings chapter 19,
Background: God's Promise to Elijah
remember the prophet Elijah is despondent. He's depressed. It's not a psychoanalytical moment. He's not having a crisis of faith.
He is not sort of upset because his father didn't hug him when he was a child. He's upset, according to verses 4 and 10, because of the covenantal unfaithfulness that was rampant in Israel. It grieved him. It vexed his spirit when he saw the nation of Israel, the people, that were to serve the living and the true God, following and serving the Lord.
I'm sorry, it's not verse 4, it's verse 10 for sure, and then in verse 14. And so we see that his concern is for Israel and the purity of her worship. So then God gives him a promise, a prediction, a prophecy concerning the future, specifically at verse 15. Then the Lord said to him, Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria.
Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill. And whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill. So God promises Elijah that there will be judgment upon Ahab and upon his household.
Ian Proven says, of the players mentioned in 1 Kings 19, the passage I just read, we await only Jehu. Right on cue, he now makes his entrance. Israel will be purged at last of Ahab's house and the worship of Baal it introduced. Judah too will be cleansed.
Even the Davidic line will seem under threat. God's quiet ways are for the moment at an end. Earthquake is the order of the day. And Davis adds, Elisha has begun his work in 1 Kings 19.
Hazael begins his work in 2 Kings 8. So now there is no reason to be surprised that Jehu begins his in chapter 9. And then
Background: Naboth's Murder and Elijah's Prophecy
one other passage by way of background is in 1 Kings 21. Now this takes place over the death of Naboth. Naboth was a man who lived in Jezreel who owned a piece of property and Ahab wanted that piece of property and Jezebel instigated him or told him that he would get that property and the way that she orchestrated that was by having false witnesses say that Naboth had indeed blasphemed Yahweh. So he was summarily executed for the crime of blasphemy.
And so this property was seized by the crown via an act of murder. It was cold-blooded. Now keep Jezreel in your mind and the reference to Naboth's property when we get back to 2 Kings 9. That's not an accident.
It's not a happy mistake. It is of God that these men are executed or this man Jehoram dies in Jezreel. Notice specifically the language of Elijah the prophet beginning in chapter 21 at verse 17. The word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Arise, go down and meet Ahab, king of Israel, who lives in Samaria.
There he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it. You shall speak to him, saying, Thus says the Lord. Have you murdered and also taken possession? And you shall speak to him, saying, Thus says the Lord, In the place where dogs lick the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood, even yours.
So Ahab said to Elijah, Have you found me, O my enemy? And he answered, I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord. Behold, I will bring calamity on you, I will take away your posterity, I will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel, both bond and free. I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and like the house of Basha, the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked me to anger and made Israel sin.
And concerning Jezebel, the Lord also spoke, saying, The dog shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. The dog shall eat whoever belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field. So the judgment of God is pronounced upon Ahab and upon his sons. Now it stayed for a generation.
Ahab dies on the field of battle, but it takes a while until the whole household of Ahab is obliterated. Enter Jehu. We have a purge of Israel through this man Jehu that we find here in 2 Kings 9. And remember last week we noted how God had orchestrated that both Jehoram of the north and Ahaziah of the south would be in Jezreel.
They were gathered there at the end of chapter 8 so that Jehu could find them and execute them as judgment of God. So all of that background. Now
Instrument of God's Judgment: Anointing of Jehu
let's look specifically at chapter 9 and the instructions from Elisha in verses 1 to 5. He tells a son of the prophet to go to take this flask of oil to find Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, This Jehoshaphat is not the king of Judah. It's another Jehoshaphat, but he is to identify Jehu. He's a military commander.
He is to take the flask of oil, pour it on his head, and say, thus says the Lord, I have anointed you king over Israel, then open the door and flee, and do not delay. Notice that God governs and controls history. By me, king's reign according to Christ speaking in Proverbs chapter 8 as well in Romans 13 there is no authority except from God and we see that very directly here specifically thus says the Lord I have anointed you king over Israel. So this young man complies with Elijah.
Some speculate Elisha was too old to make the journey at this particular point in time. So he sends this designee, he sends this son of the prophet to go and do this. I find it somewhat amusing at the end of verse three, he says, then open the door and flee and do not delay. In other words, get out of Dodge.
You don't want to be around when Jehu is anointed and Jehu is given his marching orders. Because when Jehu's in action, it's best for you to just depart and not be caught anywhere near there. I don't know if that is the particulars of Elisha's instruction, but he does say, flee, do not delay. In other words, come back.
You don't want to be anywhere around the carnage that is going to take place around that man who rides his chariot furiously and is an ace marksman with the bow and arrow. Now
Jehu's Mission and Coronation
note the anointing of Jehu in verses 6 to 13. He's anointed in verse 6. He poured the oil on his head and said to him, thus says the Lord God of Israel, I have anointed you king over the people of the Lord over Israel. Now he states his mission.
And you'll notice that this son of the prophet expands on what Elisha says. If you go back, Elisha simply says, to take the flask, pour it on his head, and say, thus says Yahweh, I have anointed you king over Israel. Some suggest the son of the prophet here is taking some liberty, expanding the particular mission involved. No, it's just a matter of narrative technique.
Not every detail is repeated every single time a particular incident is mentioned. It would be somewhat heavy-laden if it continued to play out, verses 7 to 10, three times. Notice in verse 12, the way that Jehu summarizes what has been told to him. Notice in verse 12, so he said, thus and thus he spoke to me saying.
Now we don't actually think Jehu said to them, thus and thus he spoke to me. It's a technique, it's a literary technique so that we're not bogged down in the same details of repetition. So what Elisha said certainly included what this son of the prophet specifies in terms of Jehu's specific mission. And that specific mission is given to us here very clearly.
Notice the instrumentality of Jehu in verse 7, but the absolute sovereignty and the activity and responsibility of God. Verse 7, you shall strike. But notice in verse 7, that I may avenge. Notice in verse 8, and I will cut off.
And then again in verse 9, I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. God is in control. God is sovereign. God is accomplishing His will.
God is fulfilling His purpose and His plan. through the instrumentality of this servant Jehu. Now note the specific details, the vengeance of God for the murder of the prophets. Verse 7, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the servants of the Lord at the hand of Jezebel. We have seen in our studies in 1st and 2nd Kings, that Jezebel was no friend to Yahweh's prophets.
She did kill them. She did murder them. She did exterminate them, and God is now going to bring vengeance upon her. In fact, go back to chapter 19 in 1st Kings.
Chapter 19, 1 Kings chapter 19. I read 15 to 17, but back up for just a moment to verse 14. And he said, I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts because the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, torn down your altars and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left and they seek to take my life.
Davis says that Yahweh remembers every last one of his servants who was done to death by this godless Saul. And I think Davis is absolutely right. God knows each and every one of the prophets that this godless Saul had executed in the name of her God, Baal. Matthew Henry makes this observation.
Nothing fills the measure of the iniquity of any prince or people as this does, nor brings a surer or a sorer ruin. This was the sin that brought on Jerusalem its first destruction." 2 Chronicles 36, 16. and its final one, Matthew 23, 37 to 38. In other words, it was God's vengeance on those who had, in fact, murdered His prophets. Notice in terms of specific details going on in verse 8.
For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab all the males, and the king James, those who pisseth against the wall, all the males in Israel, both bond and free. This language is used with reference to the house of Jeroboam in 1 Kings 14. It's used with reference to the house of Basha in 1 Kings 16, and then with reference to the house of Ahab, 1 Kings 21, and then it's carried out in 2nd Kings chapter 10. He says through the prophet to Jehu the minister or instrument of his judgment upon the house of Ahab that all the males will be decimated.
In other words, this particular dynasty will come to an end. It will not survive. The sin of Ahab is such that liquidation of the entirety of his house is what is needful. And then it goes on to specify Jezebel's fate.
Notice in verse 10, the dog shall eat Jezebel on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door and fled. So the son of the prophet took Elisha, the prophet's word, and he ran, went back to wherever he came from, visited Elisha, told him that he had delivered the message. Now notice the coronation of Jehu.
Verse 11, he comes out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, is all well. Why did this madman come to you? Now it wasn't uncommon for them to be viewed as madmen. There were times when they went into sort of an ecstatic frenzy, when they ministered the word of truth.
They used musical instruments, and we have no reason to believe that these particular men were God-fearing Israelites. So God-fearing prophets would appear to them to be madmen. And so Jehu simply tries to evade this. He says, you know the man and his babble.
And they said, a lie, tell us now. They knew he was lying, most likely because they saw the oil dripping off of his head. I mean, it wasn't the case that he went and had a quick shower and got everything fixed up. And then he was standing back in front of these guys.
They knew that something had happened. They knew that something had transpired. Again, most likely the oil is dripping down his head. So they say, a lie, tell us now.
So he said, thus and thus he spoke to me saying, thus says the Lord, I have anointed you king over Israel. These men gladly accept him as a leader. And this is an interesting thing. By way of a sideline observation, a decisive man, a man that's going to get the job done is a man that people want to follow.
I mean, it's pretty obvious. Probably Jehoram and his bad military endeavors. I mean, he got injured on the field of battle. That doesn't instill confidence in the men that you were leading.
Jehoram didn't display or distinguish himself as a man of military savvy and ability. So perhaps these servants of the master were already ripe for this sort of a coup or this sort of a takeover. But it is intriguing that every step of the way, everybody follows Jehu. I know God's sovereign, I know it's His providence, I know He's unfolding this plan so that He can bring this judgment to bear upon Ahab, but people are looking for a leader that they can follow, and these men willingly do this.
They take the garment, they put it under him on the top of the steps. They are exalting him, they are elevating him, they are putting him in a position of esteem and prestige, and they blew trumpets saying, Jehu is king. When he comes to Jezreel, the two messengers that are sent out to sort of vet him and see what he's about actually join with him. When he's gazing at Jezebel, when she's all made up in her eyeliner, and her rosy cheeks, and her mascara, and her lipstick, and her hair is done, and she's all gussied up, What does Jehu say?
Is there anybody up there for me? Well, the eunuchs toss her right off of the top of the place there. I mean, Jehu was a man that people wanted to follow because he was a man of decisive leadership. He was a man that had mad chariot skills, as we learned from verse 20.
He rides furiously. He's a fearless man. That's the kind of leaders that people are looking for, men that are going to get the job done for the God who enlists them into His particular service. It's a beautiful thing.
Now
Execution of God's Judgment
notice the execution of God's judgment, verses 14 to 37. We see the plan initiated. in verses 14 to 20, and then the execution of the plan in verses 21 to 37. Verse 14, we see that he conspires. The son, or Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram.
Now we, the reader, know that he's operating according to the plan and purpose of God. He is fulfilling prophecy. So this idea of conspiracy here ought not to be taken in some negative sense. It ought not to be a YouTube sort of a documentary on just how wicked and bad Jehu is.
We've already seen the background information. Judgment is coming upon the house of Ahab. Jehu is God's selected instrument. and Jehu is going to bring the edge of the sword upon them. So there is this conspiracy.
And then verses 15 essentially reminds us of the providence of God. Notice in verse 14 and 15. Now Joram, this is Joram of the north, had been defending Ramoth Gilead, he and all Israel, against Hazael, king of Syria. But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which the Syrians had inflicted on him when he fought with Hazael, king of Syria." See, I think our author is doing something here because he knows the sluggishness of our hearts.
He knows the hardness of our heads. He knows that providence and God's absolute sovereignty and God's absolute sovereign governance over the universe sometimes escapes us. And so we need these constant and frequent reminders. We've already had it in chapter 8.
Chapter 8 specifically at verse 29 puts Joram of the north and puts Ahaziah of the south in Jezreel. And so the author here is reminding us. God is moving the pieces, the players, all into their specific places to execute the judgment that had been long ago prophesied, specifically promised by God in 1 Kings 19, prophesied by Elijah in 1 Kings 21, and the stage was set in 2 Kings 8, and now it's coming to pass. We, the reader, are not to neglect the sovereignty of God.
We're not to neglect the providence of God. We're never to operate as if this is a godless universe and things just happen randomly or haphazardly. The author won't let us do that. He puts this before us conspicuously.
Now, notice that he gets the participation of others. At the end of verse 15, Jehu said, if you are soul-minded, let no one leave or escape from the city to go and tell it in Jezreel. I believe he is involving or securing their involvement, and the secrecy of the mission is maintained. He didn't want anybody to escape from Ramoth-Gilead and go to Jezreel and sort of alert them as to what was going to happen.
Hey, by the way, Jehu's coming. He's a crack shot with a bow and arrow, so make sure you're hiding behind a wall when that happens. Keep everybody here in Ramoth Gilead. I don't want anybody to go ahead to Jezreel and alert them as to what is happening.
You see, this conspiracy is moving forward. This revolution is moving forward and Jehu is God's chosen instrument to bring judgment to bear upon the wicked house of Israel. Now note his journey to Jezreel. The reminder of Jehoram and Ahaziah's presence in Jezreel once again.
Verse 16, Jehu rode in a chariot, went to Jezreel, for Joram was laid up there. Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to see Joram. Repeats 8.29. Again, we need 829 repeated because we get to passages and we forget that there's a contextual bearing.
We forget that there is a connection. We forget that it goes all the way back to 1 Kings chapter 16 when we see how wicked Ahab is. and 1 Kings 19, when we see that God comforts Elijah with a promise of the downfall of Ahab, and when we get to 1 Kings chapter 21. I think in many respects that connection is one of the beautiful things in this chapter. Naboth was brutalized by the crown.
Naboth was treated like a piece of human garbage. And some watching from the sidelines might have thought, well, Naboth didn't get justice. Naboth was never avenged. And Naboth was never taken care of.
In fact, it's this narrative which tells us specifically that it was also the sons of Naboth. Notice in verse 26. Surely I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons. 1 Kings 21 doesn't tell us about his sons, but it makes sense. Because if Ahab is trying to seize the field and he's trying to take the property away from Naboth, he's got to eliminate all rightful inheritors.
He's got to get rid of all the sons because they would be entitled to that piece of land. And so what we find in this particular chapter is God's vindication of his elect. This is a Luke 18 moment. In many respects, as we've moved our way through 2 Kings, especially that block of narrative dealing with the miracles of Elisha, we've seen New Testament themes in Old Testament context.
The reality that God does exceedingly and abundantly above all that we could ask or think when He supplies the widow. with the oil to tend to her two sons. When God raises that Shunammite woman's son from the dead, he goes above and beyond. When the food that the prophet has is multiplied to feed the other prophets, there's a bunch of leftovers. God goes exceedingly and abundantly above all that we can ask or think.
Well, this is a shall not God avenge his own elect moment. Those who cry to him day or night, We ought never to forget this is a moral universe governed by a sovereign God who is just, who is holy, and who is righteous. And if somebody takes out Naboth, God is going to take out him. It's just the way God operates, it's the way God functions, it's the way God has demonstrated himself throughout scripture.
So Jehu arrives at Jezreel in verses 17 to 20. Now the question, thus says the king from the messenger, is it peace? Maybe something like, is everything okay? Is everything all right in Ramoth Gilead?
You see, Jehoram is laid up with an injury in Jezreel, and now Jehu, one of his commanders, comes to the city gate. I'm not sure at this particular point Jehoram has any fear that Jehu is there to slaughter Jehoram. And so when he says he's at peace via the messengers, and I'll submit later, when he says it himself, that Jehu is at peace, it's probably something like, is everything okay? Is everything all right in the battle at Ramoth Gilead?
Is everything going according to plan? So messenger number one asks him that, and Jehu says, you need to follow me. I mean, I don't know if he's a Christ-like figure, but he certainly has this going for him. When Jesus says to Matthew, follow me, Matthew follows him.
When Jehu says to these messengers, follow me, they follow him. Now, it might have been his military entourage, it might have been his massive guns, it might have been his bow and arrow, it might have been a whole number of things, but these two messengers follow him, and then we see the watchman's report in verse 20. The watchman reported saying, he went up to them and is not coming back. Messengers number 1 and 2.
And the driving is like the driving of Jehu, the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously. He was identified in this particular way. He had sort of distinguished himself as a charioteer. He was one who drove furiously.
Now that brings us into the execution of the plan.
The Two Kings Meet Jehu
Note this meeting with Jehu, with Joram. and Ahaziah. Verse 21, Joram said, Make ready, and his chariot was ready. Now, just before we move on, let's consider the posture of Joram. There's quite a contrast here.
We've got Jehu riding furiously, and no doubt at this point, Joram's wandering curiously. He's probably anxious with what is happening. Your messengers haven't returned. Jehu's at the gates and he looks like he's on a mission.
Jehoram, we think you need to probably go out and talk to him. Paul House says, Joram waits anxiously as Jehu drives furiously. Another man says, the reader knows of Jehu's resolve. naturally infers hostile intent, and thus reads these signals, the riders who do not return, and the wild rush of a man like Jehu, far less ambiguously. In other words, we don't have any question about what's happening.
Jehoram does. Jehoram really does. He has no clue what's happening at this particular time. Jehoram faces a gathering epiphany of judgment.
He has no idea what's waiting for him when he meets Jehu at this particular point. And then note,
Joram's Death at Naboth's Field
the two kings meet Jehu on the property of Naboth the Jezreelite, a very fitting place for Joram, a son of Ahab, to meet his aunt. Notice in verse 21, Then Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu, and met him on the property of Naboth the Jezreelite. Now it happened when Joram saw Jehu that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? Now we really know that Jehu means business.
I mean, look at what he says here. I'm going to quote it from the King James because it's just a whole lot better. What peace, verse 22b, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many. Talk about saying a mean thing to a guy.
Somebody came up to you and said, your mother's engaged in whoredoms and witchcraft. Would you say, thank you. I appreciate your kindness and your love and your encouragement. Jehu's throwing down.
He is not messing around. The reference is no doubt spiritual harlotry. I mean, the scripture oftentimes uses whoredoms or harlotry or adultery to sort of metaphorically depict idolatry. In other words, when somebody goes after Baal, they go a-whoring after Baal, because they've left Yahweh, they have left their husband, and they have gone to another.
But remember that within Baalism, a means by which Baal was worshipped was through sexual immorality. So while it is probably a metaphor for spiritual idolatry, there's probably a hint that the physical reality also took place. Baal was worshipped through the glands. Baal was worshipped through copulation.
Baal was worshipped through all forms of sexual immorality. So it would not be an outlandish suggestion that Jezebel had engaged not only in spiritual whoredoms, in turning away from Yahweh to the Baals, she had always been with Baal, but as well to engage in the physical act of infidelity in the physical sphere. Again, House says, the reference to adulteries repeats the standard biblical metaphor for abandoning Yahweh to take up the ways of foreign gods. Baalism's sexual content makes this metaphor an apt one.
And witchcraft refers to false cults or to idolatrous cults and their use of evil arts. You see these things all throughout the Old Testament. So this particular charge that he levels here is accurate with reference to Jezebel. He's not just engaged in name-calling, he is actually legit.
I mean, if somebody said that to you or me, they would be, you know, out to lunch. But if you said this to Jehoram of the north, you are barking up the right tree. I mean, his mom was Jezebel. She is paradigmatic for wicked women in the Bible.
I mean, it's used today even outside of the church. Oh, she's a wicked Jezebel. I mean, that's just shorthand for a godless, terrible sow of a woman. I mean, it's a bad thing.
So Jehu essentially tells him that his mother is a whore and she practices witchcraft. So perhaps at this point Jehoram realizes, well he does, that things are not going in a manner in which he would wish. I mean here's this, you know, one of his commanders, he's rogue furiously to meet with them. He doesn't know what the meeting's about.
He asks him, What peace, as long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcraft are so many? Now Joram knows what's happening. He turns around, he flees, and he says to Ahaziah, Treachery, Ahaziah. In other words, Jehu's not here on a mission of peace.
Jehu's not here to encourage us with good news about what's happening in Ramoth Gilead. Jehu is here with treachery. Jehu is here with big problems. So Jehu draws his bow with full strength and shot Jehoram between his arms and the arrow came out at his heart and he sank down in his chariot.
Now in just a brief place, it really is quite descriptive. I mean, that's a very descriptive scene of how Jehoram meets his end. Jehu draws his bow with full strength and shoots Jehoram between his arms. The arrow came out in his heart and he sank down in his chariot.
There's no doubt whatsoever what has transpired in this particular place. Now Jehu's instruction to Bidkar indicates that Jehu is well aware of the prophetic fulfillment involved in what is transpiring in this execution of Jehoram. Verse 25, Then Jehu said to Bidkar his captain, Pick him up, throw him into the tract of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. For remember, when you and I were riding together behind Ahab his father, that the Lord laid this burden on him.
So Robert Alter says, this is a piece of delayed exposition that sharpens our sense of Jehu's animus toward Jehoram. He and Bidkar were actually present when Ahab expropriated the field of Naboth after his judicial murder. So, you see, Jehu was involved. I mean, not, you know, the one that pulled the cord and let the arrow fly into Naboth, but he was familiar with what had transpired in Naboth's field.
And here now he has leveled Jehoram. Jehoram is dead in his chariot, and he tells Bidkar to throw him into the tract of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. For remember when you and I were riding together behind Ahab his father, that the Lord laid this burden upon him. Now note the beautiful sentiment related in verse 26.
Surely, this is God's word, I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons, says the Lord. It sort of harkens back to the book of Exodus. What does God see when He sees Israel in their distress? He sees that.
He sees that they're in distress. He sees that they're in sorrow. He sees that they are needy. He sees that they are tried.
He sees that they are suffering. The Lord God doesn't turn a blind eye to the sufferings of His people. The New Testament everywhere sort of flashes this out. And I think that, as I've mentioned many times, we jip ourselves if we're not running through Old Testament narrative to see these lessons fleshed out in real life history.
Again, what the New Testament offers us is glowing, wonderful, propositional truth. But more often than not, it's not located in the lives of the common folk where we find that very thing. Naboth is murdered so someone can increase his property holdings. God saw this.
I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his son, says the Lord, and I will repay you in this plot, says the Lord. Now, therefore, take and throw him on the plot of ground according to the word of the Lord. Good thing that Jehu's a literalist. He doesn't mess around with the fulfillment of God's word.
Now,
Death of Ahaziah
the death of Ahaziah, the southern king, Ahaziah from the south, the Judah. The reason for his death, it's not amplified. It just says, when Ahaziah, king of Judah, saw this, he fled by the road to Beth Hagin. So Jehu pursued him and said, shoot him also in the chariot.
And they shot him at the ascent of Ger, which is by Iblim. Then he fled to Megiddo and died there. and his servants carried him in the chariot to Jerusalem and buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the city of David. So Ahaziah meets his end as well. So while the text doesn't specify, it's most likely because he's an ally of Jehoram and he is connected to the house of Ahab.
So what we find here is God's judgment not only upon Jehoram but Ahaziah. Now I should say that the parallel in 2 Chronicles 22 verse 9 reads a bit differently than what we have here in 2 Kings chapter 9. I'm going to just quote Dale Ralph Davis here. He says, there are no direct contradictions between the two reports, but I am not smart enough to reconcile them satisfactorily.
If Davis is not smart enough, I am certainly not smart enough, but there are commentators that give explanations. 2 Chronicles 22, verse 9, with reference to the disposition of this Ahaziah, the Judean king, it does differ in terms of the way it's reported than what we have here in 2 Kings 9. I would suggest John Gill, he always does a champion job at reconciling otherwise difficult passages. I didn't see a lot of detail there in 2 Kings 9, so I would imagine that when you get to 2 Chronicles 22 in John Gill, he would deal with it. A couple of the commentators that I read today did explain it, but I'm not smart enough to satisfactorily explain it.
Now
Death of Jezebel
let's look finally at the death of Everybody's favorite girl, Jezebel. Verses 30 to 37. Note her actions. She knows Jehu is coming.
She knows Jehu is coming. Verse 30. Now, when Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. And she gussies herself up.
She put paint on her eyes and adorned her head and looked through a window. Now, it's most likely defiance, not seduction. Some suggest that she gussies up so that she can seduce Jehu and broker a deal with him and sort of get him into her pocket and they can rule the kingdom together. But I don't think the text bears that out.
I mean, verse 31, her words when she says, Is it peace, Zimri? That's an insult. That probably wouldn't make Jehu physically attracted to her. Typically men aren't attracted to women that insult them in such nasty ways.
So she is not trying to seduce him. She is defying him. Notice, as I said, she insults him. Verse 31, as Jehu entered at the gate, she said, Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your master?
Now, devotees who have been here at our Wednesday night studies will remember the name Zimri. He lasted for a week. How did he claim the crown? It was by usurpation.
He killed Ela, the king, prior to him. So this is a real dig at Jehu. I mean, it's a real stab at him in terms of insult. There's no, you know, when you're reading through this, you're going to say, I thought his name was Jehu, not Zimri.
Oh, no, she knows exactly what she's saying. And it is calculated to try and make him feel bad. But that just doesn't work with Jehu. He doesn't need a safe space.
He doesn't have triggers. He's not going to go home and cry and say, somebody call me Zimri. No, he's going to tell the eunuchs to throw her down and let her blood splatter all over the earth. House explains.
He says Jezebel will be killed next. But she will not die quietly. She puts on makeup, fixes her hair, and waits for Jehu by her window. This is no attempt to seduce Jehu.
Rather, she does these things to look like and die like a queen. When Jehu arrives, she sarcastically asks if he is come in peace. She knows he hasn't come in peace. She knows things are not well with Jehu.
She's heard the reports. He goes on to say, she then insults him by calling him Zimri, the ineffectual, short-lived usurper of Elah's throne. Just by way of an aside, the wicked can go out with a bang, but they go out to judgment just like everybody else. I mean, she gussied up, but there is a great contrast between her gussying up and what the dogs did to her.
And that's not a mistake. We've had times to comment many times. The author here is wonderful. I mean, the way that he writes is quite Quite amazing.
One commentator says, the narrative is at pains to exhibit the humiliation of Jezebel in an instant transformed from a narcissistic queen to a piece of rubbish in the street. Again, this is not a happy accident. It just worked out that way. No.
I mean, she gussies herself up and in the next scene the dogs have left nothing of her. She's just about all gone. So all of your gussying up and all of your preparation to die well and all of your external preparation, it does not avail you at all. The importance is the soul of a man.
What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but he loses his soul? What shall it profit a man if he gussies himself up for his funeral, if he's not ready to meet his maker? I mean, that's the emphasis throughout scripture. It's not what your hair looks like.
It's not how you applied your makeup. It's not what color, you know, blush you've got on that particular day. You may go out with a flare, as did Jezebel, but when you go out, Then comes judgment. That's the important thing that persons need to be aware of.
So then Jehu looks up at the window and said, who is on my side? Who? So two or three eunuchs looked out at him. Then he said, throw her down.
So they threw her down. Now, I'm just going to share this because I think Provan makes a good point. She meets her end, fittingly enough, at the hands of those least able to benefit from the cult she has introduced. Right?
I mean, if this is a fertility cult, if that's the draw with reference to Baalism, eunuchs are the least interested in that sort of thing. Again, it's no accident that these two or three eunuchs happen to be standing up there and Jehu says, who's with me? We are. And they just toss her.
There's no deliberation. There's no banding about. They don't say to Jezebel, will you make us an offer that we can't refuse? There is none whatsoever.
Then he said, throw her down. So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and he trampled her underfoot. Now, what does a man like this do after he dispatches Joram and Ahaziah and Jezebel? Well, he gets a sandwich.
That's what he does. That's what verse 34 says. I mean, isn't this why we're drawn to characters like Jehu? They're real guys.
They're real men. You know, killing pagans and idolaters is hard work. Verse 34, when he had gone in, he ate and he drank. Then he said, I mean, I thought of that scene in 1 Kings 21.
After Jezebel makes the deal that Naboth is going to pay with his life for the crime of blasphemy, which by the way, he had never done. How does Jezebel comfort Ahab? Go eat and drink. You just go eat and drink, and mama will take care of everything.
I wonder if this is sort of the juxtaposition here. And when he had gone in, he ate and drank. There was eating and drinking after that killing as well, but it was by a man who was doing the will of God. Then he said, go now, see to this accursed woman and bury her, for she was a king's daughter.
This was in contrast to 910. In 910, he was told specifically, the dog shall eat Jezebel on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. He wasn't to give the order to bury. Now, we realize there's nothing going to be to bury, but notice he refers to her as the king's daughter.
She was the king of the daughter of Sidon. She was married to Ahab, but it's almost as if he doesn't dignify King Ahab. It's almost as if he doesn't want to say the king's wife. He shows respect for her, not in any other quantifiable way that we should bury her because she was a king's daughter.
I mean, I don't know what kind of respect that was after he trampled her underfoot with his chariot. But there was a modicum of respect here. He says, go now, see to this accursed woman and bury her, for she was a king's daughter. And this after he called her a whore and accused her of witchcraft.
So I guess the respect wasn't too high in terms of Jehu with reference to Jezebel, nor should it have been. But there was a modicum. Go ahead and bury her. So they went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands.
Therefore they came back and told him, and he said, This is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, On the plot of ground at Jezreel, dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel, and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as refuse on the surface of the field in the plot at Jezreel, so that they shall not say, Here lies Jezebel. So the one that was all gussied up is now basically all gone because the dogs had eaten whatever the chariot hadn't completely obliterated. So that's the end of Jehoram or Joram of the north, Ahaziah of the south, and then Jezebel, the wife of Ahab. House summarizes, Jehu recognizes that Elijah's predictions about Ahab and Jezebel have finally all come true.
Naboth's death has been avenged. The only remaining prediction of Elijah regards the fate of Ahab's descendants. And that's what chapter 10 will take up. All those who pisseth against the wall are going to meet their end.
All of them are going to fall prey to Jehu's sword. They're all going to die as God had promised. Now,
Application and Lessons
in conclusion, just a few quick lessons. In the first place, we ought to appreciate the ministry of Elisha. He basically vanishes after the anointing of Jehu. He'll come back in chapter 13, but it's to die.
House, again, says, for now Elisha fades from the scene. He will emerge again later, but the bulk of his work the author chooses to describe is over. Elisha has protected the company of the prophets, the widow and her family, and even the nation itself. He has modeled the Lord's grace by healing Naaman and has convinced Naaman that there are no other gods.
Elisha has demonstrated the Lord's sovereignty over political affairs in Judah, Israel, and Syria. I mean, again, God is comprehensively sovereign. It's not just the northern and the southern kingdoms of Israel. He's also responsible for Hazael in Syria.
Howe says he has concluded the ministry of his mentor Elijah. Without question, he has proved a more than worthy successor to his master. I think we would all agree with that. that block of narrative, dealing with his miracles. I mean, the guy was incredible.
He went about doing good. Many respects. He was typological of our Lord Jesus Christ. He showed the grace of God.
He showed the mercy of God. He showed the kindness of God. He healed. He fed.
He helped. He ministered. He raised from the dead. All these things at the hand of Elisha.
And I think House is right. He showed himself as a more than worthy successor to his master. So Elijah and Elisha, in the books of 1st and 2nd Kings, are two towering prophets of biblical history that deserve and demand our respect. These are the kinds of guys we want to encourage our sons to have as heroes.
I mean, if they say, this hockey player, or that football player, or that policeman, or that, you know, policeman better than those other guys, but their heroes ought to be men like Elijah and Elisha. Their heroes ought to be men like those who fear and serve the living and true God. I know they'll never be able to go out and duplicate the miracles of an Elisha. They'll probably never have the opportunity of an Elijah on Mount Carmel to call down the fire of God upon a sacrifice.
But to be those kinds of men, faithful to Yahweh, those are the heroes we ought to promote with reference to our children.
The Sovereignty of God
Secondly, we ought to appreciate the sovereignty of God. As I pointed out, the author conspicuously sets it before us over and over again in terms of the providence of God. Sovereign providence in bringing Jehoram and Ahaziah to Ramoth-Gilead and then to Jezreel. Every step of the way, brethren, and that's why I spent a little time in the background.
Do you see how it's all put together just consistently and tightly and cogently? This isn't a random throw together of a bunch of things and a bunch of random thoughts that some guys put together and bound together and, you know, fools 2,000 years later said, hey, this is the Word of God. No, it demonstrates its consistency. It demonstrates a consent of all the parts.
It demonstrates a consistent testimony to the one true and living God. We see the promises of God in terms of His sovereignty fleshed out in 2 Kings 9 and Jehu recognizes that and Jehu won't let us forget it either. This is what the Lord said. This is a fulfillment of His promise to Elijah.
This is a time of rejoicing in Israel's history because God has made good on His promises to bring judgment, and then the political authority of God under the heading of His sovereignty. God is sovereign over who rules and over who reigns.
The Vengeance and Justice of God
Thirdly, the vengeance of God. There's two things that we ought to see here. First, as Davis says, sometimes it seems that throughout their blood-red history, God's worshipers have been bludgeoned into oblivion. I mean, there are times and seasons, brethren, where it looks like it's all bad in the life of the Church.
In fact, the 20th century was one of the bloodiest, I think the bloodiest. Take all the 19th centuries prior. The 20th century, in terms of Christian martyrdom, exceeded it. Because not everything's like in America and Canada.
We don't have a whole lot of persecution here. We get upset if somebody says, I can't believe you're a Christian. You know, that just offends us. Me?
You talking to me? We get triggered. We get, you know, we need safe space. Brothers and sisters are dying for the cause of Jesus.
Davis goes on, but the text says that there is an eye that sees and a judge who takes note. Verse 26, surely I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his son, says the Lord, and I will repay you in this plot, says the Lord. And then with reference to the vengeance of God, the righteous ought to rejoice in it. The righteous ought to rejoice in it.
I doubt that the faithful in Israel go, oh no, Jezebel's dead. What a shame. No, ding dong, the witch is dead. They were rejoicing on that day when that brazen whore was gone.
They were rejoicing to see that the house of Ahab is collapsed. I'm talking about the faithful. I'm not talking about the unfaithful. Remember in 1 Kings 19 verse 18, didn't read that, where God says, there will be 7,000 knees that will not bow the knee to Baal.
Narcissim on the mouth. God had his faithful remnant, and when Jehoram meets his end, there's rejoicing. When Jezebel meets her end, there's rejoicing. The wicked or the righteous ought to rejoice.
In fact, look at Proverbs 11 for just a moment. This is a theme that I think Christians miss. I remember when a notorious bad guy got killed. It might have been Osama bin Laden.
I forget which guy it was in the last several years, but it was a notorious bad guy. And you saw some Facebook discussion. Some people said, praise God, he's dead. And other Christians said, well, how can you say that?
You know, I had one person in the church call, and, is it okay to rejoice in the death of the wicked? I said, absolutely. Proverbs 11.10, and I realized that would go over like a, you know, lead balloon in some other evangelical context. But brethren, this is not an isolated theme in Scripture.
Proverbs 11.10, when it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices. And when the wicked perish, there is misery? No, there's jubilation. It's a good thing when Jezebel meets her end.
It's a good thing when Jezebel's splattered, and the chariot runs her over, and then the dogs eat what's left. I mean, that is a cause for rejoicing. Now, some will say, well, that's the Old Testament. Turn to Revelation 19, and there are several texts in the New Testament we could go to, but I'll just take Revelation 19 as a sort of a typical or specimen passage.
It's after the destruction of Babylon, And in 19.1, after these things I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven saying, Alleluia, salvation and glory and honor and power belong to the Lord our God. For true and righteous are his judgments, because he has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication. And notice, he has avenged on her the blood of his servants shed by her. Not precisely what the prophet said was the mission of Jehu.
Because she was responsible for the death of the prophets, I will avenge them on her. And that's this fourfold Alleluia in heaven. If the spirits of just men made perfect in heaven celebrate the destruction of the wicked, then I think it's okay to say that the not-as-perfect spirits of just men on earth, just in Christ, can celebrate as well. Again, I don't think we need to be unkind or untoward or in a mocking sort of way, but a rejoicing.
I just want to end with a quote from Davis. He says, the demise of the wicked should be the joy of the righteous. Now, this will probably offend some of you. If it does, you can email Pastor Porter later and complain to him.
But I think what Davis says is true. I alluded to this recently. Modern hymnody, and even the hymnody that we sing in our hymn book, really doesn't give us this clear demarcation between the righteous and the wicked. It does, but there's no imprecatory hymns.
You know, there's no Psalm 94 in, you know, CCM, which is not going to sing, you know, with a guitar and a harmonica about God's vengeance shining forth. It's just not going to happen. So if you're going to be offended, as I said, email Pastor Cam. Or you can email Dr.
Davis, I can give you his email address. He says, the demise of the wicked should be the joy of the righteous. It may sound crude to put it that way, but that's only because the church has stopped living in, for example, Psalms 83 and 94, and has been sucking up the bland milk of tolerance from the breasts of an anemic culture for far too long. And this is the cutting statement.
You say, well, that wasn't it? There is no biblical spine in our theology. He's right. There's no Revelation 19 in our theology.
I'm speaking, you know, generally. I'm not saying you guys are all messed up. I'm saying that the church in many respects is anemic because we won't sing Psalm 94, because we get uncomfortable thinking about Psalm 11. We get uncomfortable when it comes to those imprecations.
We don't have a biblical understanding of the clear demarcation between the good and the wicked, and the fact that the wicked deserve the judgment of Almighty God. Well, let us close in a word of prayer.
Closing Prayer
Our Father, we thank you for your word, we thank you for your just judgments. God, they are horrifying and terrifying on the one hand, and how we praise you and thank you on the other hand, that you have sent your Son, the Lord Jesus, who lived, who died, who was raised the third day, so that all who look to him in faith will have everlasting life. We thank you for that protection. We thank you for that sure refuge.
We thank you for that safe haven in and through his blood. I ask that you would go with us now, that you would watch over us and help us to be a faithful people who serve you, who love you, who fear you, and who honor you. And we ask these things through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.