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2 Kings 10King James Version
10 And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to them that brought up Ahab's children, saying,
2 Now as soon as this letter cometh to you, seeing your master's sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, a fenced city also, and armour;
3 Look even out the best and meetest of your master's sons, and set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house.
JEHU IS SAYING, I AM JUST WRITING TO LET YOU KNOW, I AM COMING AND KNOW I AM COMING TO KILL. I AM GIVING YOU A CHANCE TO FIGHT ME BACK. PREPARE FOR WAR!
4 But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, two kings stood not before him: how then shall we stand?
5 And he that was over the house, and he that was over the city, the elders also, and the bringers up of the children, sent to Jehu, saying, We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us; we will not make any king: do thou that which is good in thine eyes.
THE PEOPLE RESPONDED BY SENDING A RESPONSE BACK TO JEHU. NO FIGHT NECESSARY. TELL US WHAT YOU WANT AND WE WILL DO IT.
6 Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be mine, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the men your master's sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to morrow this time. Now the king's sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, which brought them up.
JEHU SAID, OK. MEET ME TOMMOW WITH KING AHAB'S SONS. MEET ME IN JEZREEL TOMORROW. THE KING HAS 70 SONS BRING EVERYONE OF THEM.
7 And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons, and slew seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent him them to Jezreel.
THE PEOPLE BROUGHT 70 HEADS IN A BASKET TO THE MEETING JEHU CALLED. KING AHAB MADE BAD CHOICES AND BAD DECISIONS. AHAB IS DECEASED. BUT HE TAUGHT HIS CHILDREN TO CARRY ON WITH HIS EVIL WAYS. WHEN WE DO AS HE DID, WE SET OUR CHILDREN UP FOR FAILURE. IF WE DO WHAT IS RIGHT, WE SET THEM UP FOR SUCCESS.
8 And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Lay ye them in two heaps at the entering in of the gate until the morning.
THE WORD WAS TOLD TO JEHU THAT WHAT HE ASKED WAS CARRIED OUT. HE SAID REMOVE THEIR HEADS FROM THE BASKET AND PILED THEM UP AND LATE THEM AT THE COURTHOUSE UNTIL MORNING.
9 And it came to pass in the morning, that he went out, and stood, and said to all the people, Ye be righteous: behold, I conspired against my master, and slew him: but who slew all these?
Although I may be known for destroying my master the king, I am not alone. I admit that I killed the king, but you must own your own display of taking lives. In other words, don't look down at me and don't look up at yourselves. You did what you had to do and so did I. It is tough at times, to stand up for what is right. But someone has to do it.
10 Know now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spake concerning the house of Ahab: for the Lord hath done that which he spake by his servant Elijah.
11 So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he left him none remaining.
Jehu did what God wanted done. Jehu saw wrong as wrong and did what others were glad he did. At this point we find that Jehu excuted what was good not only in his eyes, but all those who wanted a relief of Ahab's leadership or Ahab's son's leadership. We all have a sense of what needs to be correcte; even if it means someone else other than me has to be the one who takes the critisism of standing against what we know is wrong.
12 And he arose and departed, and came to Samaria. And as he was at the shearing house in the way,
13 Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are ye? And they answered, We are the brethren of Ahaziah; and we go down to salute the children of the king and the children of the queen.
14 And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of the shearing house, even two and forty men; neither left he any of them.
42 men were on their way to honor the house of Ahab. Jehu said, I think not. If you are not against Ahab's standards you are equally guilty. Some said Jehu went to far. I am not totally conveinced that he went to far. If I (Brenda) am right, why do some honor those that stand for evil? Because I am not sure of God's heart concerning the death of these 42 men, I will will state my disclaimer at this time by saying, time will tell where God's heart is concerning Jehu's intent as we read further.
15 And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot.
16 And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord. So they made him ride in his chariot.
Jehu saw that everyone was not againt him. He asked Jehonadab to ride with him. Jeonadab did not fully follow God's command. Jehonadab was a man who showed Israel that he would rather be known as an extremest than to compromise what he knew God hated. In our day, Jehonadab would be a person who showed a disdain of material wealth. The people who followed him made an outward show as in how they dressed, ate, lived and thier faithfulness in God in so much people around them had respect for their outward discipline. They hated Ahab's way of life, but did not carry the heart that David carried.
17 And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the Lord, which he spake to Elijah.
Jehu did not compromise in executing the house of Ahab. With Jehonadab riding him continued to carry what God had given instructions throuh Elijah. He totally was in the process of getting rid of anyone conncected to the house of Ahab.
18 And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu shall serve him much.
19 Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtilty, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal.
20 And Jehu said, Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed it.
21 And Jehu sent through all Israel: and all the worshippers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that came not. And they came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was full from one end to another.
22 And he said unto him that was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the worshippers of Baal. And he brought them forth vestments.
23 And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal, and said unto the worshippers of Baal, Search, and look that there be here with you none of the servants of the Lord, but the worshippers of Baal only.
24 And when they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu appointed fourscore men without, and said, If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escape, he that letteth him go, his life shall be for the life of him.
25 And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, and slay them; let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal.
26 And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal, and burned them.
27 And they brake down the image of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day.
28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.
Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel. Verses 18 -28 of this chapter, concludes nobody in Israel lived that was connected to assisting Ahab. From the son to the priest and all connected; to the blood or any connections to Ahab's sins. God hates sin. God is love. Ahab turned the heart of so many people from the heart of God. People by nature (Adam) do not want to please God or we don't want the discipline of God.
When a leader demonstrates a crack in the wall, people's conscience feel a sense of support when they or (we) do wrong.
Some say "Well the law supports my behavior so, I am ok with my sin". We know better, that is why we work so hard to defend what we know is wrong.
We make noise to drown the word of God. But when no one else is around we cry. Why? Because inside we know there is God.
29 Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Bethel, and that were in Dan.
30 And the Lord said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.
When God saw the steps taken by Jehu, he addressed it and promised to bless his seed for a limited amont of time. You carried out what I wanted done to what Ahab had done wrong. Jehu was as a judge and made a call to irradicate the scent of Ahab. He destested or abhor the foolishness of Ahab's leadshilp. Today, we have many people who display God as a God of luxury. If you don't fit in our way of life, then you are not of God, because God proves his consent in you by the rich blessings of Abraham.
Having stuff does not prove God is.
31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin.
Jehu reminds me of Nicodemus. He did a lot of things that justified he had standards; but, he never made a confession that he was born again.
Lord, as I read about Jehu, I don't want to see him and not see myself. Help me to live today as an expression of obedience. I do not want to work so hard and boldly disobey your law in my actions that are not on display.
Help me live on stage and behind the scenes of life that pleases you. I declare I want to live as you direct. I will not hold my head down when I know I have the right to look up. I declare I need you. And thank you being there to help me.
Help me to not argue with the right spirit that is in me.
32 In those days the Lord began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel;
33 From Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.
God brings corrections.
The tribes of Gad, Rueben and Manasseh (Read the story of Gad, Rueben and Manasseh before the children of Israel took posession of the promise land) were tribes who started out asking for less than God purposed. God allowed it.
Here we see about 600 years later what they ask for did not work in good favor. They were the first to lose what they were the first to gain. They wanted the first part of the land outside of God's plan for Israel. If we settle for what we want and God allows us to have it, we will get the results of our choices. We may not see immediate consequences of our childish desire, but if it takes 600 years to see it, it will show up.
34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
35 And Jehu slept with his fathers: and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son reigned in his stead.
36 And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty and eight years.
Jehu dies.
Jehu, as a student of the word, you deomonstrated at first a willingness to do what I hoped to have done. I walked day by day in getting to know you. I did not allow the knowledge of different commentators to deter me from what I saw you do step by step.
When I saw how you ended your quest in life, I cried. I think I cried because as I saw your zeal, I saw myself.
I guess if I could talk to you, I would thank you for what you did that pleased the Father. I would also have to thank you for letting me see what my Father does not approve of by your actions in the end. As I continue reading God's Word, I know he will steer me away from ending the way you chose.
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