And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him, Gird up thy loins, and take this vial of oil in thy hand, and go to Ramoth-Gilead.
Israel's throne is about to change hands. The order comes not from a palace but from Elisha. He hands a flask of oil to an unnamed young man and sends him to an army camp. Three questions follow. Why now? Why send a messenger instead of going himself? And why Ramoth-gilead?
Elisha is not starting something new. He is passing on an order that has waited years.
Elijah had been told to anoint Jehu king of Israel (1 Kings 19:16), but had not done it. Now, later, Elisha sends one of the sons of the prophets to anoint Jehu. He tells him he will find Jehu at Ramoth-gilead (v.1). Elisha gives him clear instructions: anoint Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, taking him into an inner room to do it. Jehu was an officer in the army of Joram, son of Ahab.
So why the long delay?
Years before, God had told Elijah to anoint Jehu king of Israel. But when Ahab humbled himself before Him, God in His patience put off carrying out His judgment against Ahab. Now the time had come.
The young man is sent to an army at war. Even the names in the verse carry meaning.
The army of Joram, King of Israel, besieged Ramoth-gilead and Jehu was the captain of the forces. Joram was recovering from his wounds in Jezreel. ... Jehu means "Jehovah is He"; Jehoshaphat, "Jehovah judges"; Nimshi, "Jehovah reveals." Significant names!
Elisha does not go himself. One writer finds the reason in Elisha's own heart.
Instead of anointing Jehu himself, he entrusts this mission to one of the sons of the prophets. This young man must not remain for an instant with Jehu, but he must flee as soon as he has done the deed. Everything is done in secret and in haste, because when it is a matter of judgment, Elisha's soul neither rests nor stays there. Judgment must take place, for God has spoken, but God finds His delight in grace and approves His servant's manner of acting.
The order to run as soon as the oil is poured says the same thing.
The young man is to carry out his commission in a way that will clearly show Elisha has nothing in common with Jehu; for, having delivered his message, he is to "open the door, and flee, and tarry not."
Put this anointing beside David's, and the difference is sharp.
Here this son of the prophets must call Jehu up "from among his brothers," lead him far from every eye into "an inner room," and anoint him in haste and in secret, with no one watching. Samuel, by contrast, anoints David, the king of grace, "among his brothers"... Jehu is God's rod against Israel and Judah, and God cannot have communion with an instrument of judgment, however necessary it may be.
Not every king of Israel was anointed. So why Jehu?
The anointing of the king over Israel was not an established custom, or rule. It happened when the circumstances were unusual, or when someone might question the king's right to the crown... With Jehu, the kingdom of Israel passed out of the rightful line of Ahab's family into another family. That family had no legal right to the throne. It had only God's appointment. So Jehu had to be anointed, both to give him a title and to put him in actual possession of the kingdom (Burder).
The sons of the prophets usually appear as a group. This errand stands apart.
The sons of the prophets come up often in Elisha's history. But when they acted as a group, they did nothing (so far as the record goes) that showed God was leading them. Once we read of one of the sons of the prophets carrying a message from God. Elisha told him to take a flask of oil and anoint Jehu king over Israel, giving him a message from God at the same time. The son of the prophet did this alone (2 Kings 9:1-10). This was work done for God, for the young man acted by faith, without help from others.
- Delayed — God told Elijah to anoint Jehu years earlier. The gap was His patience, not forgetfulness.
- Delegated — Elisha hands the flask to another; his soul does not rest in judgment.
- Distanced — the order to flee at once keeps Elisha apart from the man he anoints. God uses an instrument of judgment without communion with him.
- Different — no public feast as at David's anointing; a closed door, an inner room, oil poured without witnesses.
- Dispatched alone — the young man goes by faith, without the group. That one errand is the only work of the sons of the prophets the record marks as done for God.
And when thou art come thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him rise up from among his brethren, and bring him to an inner chamber;
Elisha sends a young man from the prophets' company to Ramoth-gilead, to call an army officer named Jehu away from his fellow captains and into a private room. Every detail carries meaning: the three names, the private room, the haste.
Elisha's work had been full of kindness. The nation answered it with more sin. God now appoints two men to end that patience: Hazael in Syria, and Jehu in Israel.
Elisha's ministry of grace was practically fruitless. Israel sinned more and more. The time had come therefore for the sword to be unsheathed. So we have the ministers of wrath appointed — Hazael, in 2 Kings 8:7-15; and Jehu, in 2 Kings 9:1-10.
The judgment was slow in coming, and one man's blood had waited a long time for it.
At last, after more than fifteen years' delay, the blood of Naboth, crying, like Abel's, for vengeance from the ground, was about to be repaid. God, when judging men, is never in haste.
Elisha keeps his distance from this errand.
Instead of anointing Jehu himself, he entrusts this mission to one of the sons of the prophets. This young man must not remain for an instant with Jehu, but he must flee as soon as his deed is done. All is done secretly and in haste. When it is a matter of judgment, Elisha's soul neither rests nor stays there. Judgment must take place, for God has spoken. But God finds His delight in grace, and He approves His servant's way of acting.
The contrast with the day Samuel anointed David is sharp. The writer's translation says "brothers" where the ESV says "fellows".
Here this son of the prophets must make Jehu rise up "from among his brothers." He must lead him far away from all eyes into "an inner chamber," and anoint him there without witnesses, in haste and in secret. Samuel, on the contrary, anoints David king of grace "in the midst of his brothers"… Jehu is God's rod against Israel and Judah. God cannot have communion with an instrument of judgment, however necessary it may be. Later He will approve (2 Kings 10:30) the way Jehu carried out his task, but without communion with him.
Another writer sees a second reason for a private anointing.
The private anointing tells us of God's working behind the scenes to show whom He desires to rule. At first only the household of David's father saw this choice of God. In the same way, today only the household of faith recognises that Jesus is God's chosen King. At the end of the tribulation Judah will be the first to recognise Him, then the rest of Israel, and Christ will be publicly acclaimed.
The oil marks a break in the royal line.
Twenty years before, Elijah had probably anointed Jehu already, just as Samuel anointed David long before the people did. The anointing of the king over Israel was not an established custom or rule. It was done when the circumstances were out of the ordinary, or when there might be some question about his title to the crown… "With Jehu, the kingdom of Israel would pass out of the direct line of Ahab's family into another family. That family had no legal right to the kingdom — only the appointment of God. His anointing was necessary. It gave him a title and put him in actual possession of the kingdom."
The verse identifies the man by his father and grandfather. Read together, the names spell out the errand.
God named the instrument of judgment on Ahab's house long ago to Elijah, and now he appears. The young man was to look out for Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, and anoint him King over Israel. Then he was not to wait, but to flee. Jehu means "Jehovah is He"; Jehoshaphat, "Jehovah judges"; Nimshi, "Jehovah reveals." Significant names!
- Grace first. Elisha's ministry was one of kindness. Israel answered it by sinning more and more, so the time came for the sword.
- Patience, not slowness. Naboth's blood waited more than fifteen years — God, when judging men, is never in haste.
- Distance kept. Jehu is called away from his fellows and anointed unseen. God uses His instrument of judgment, but has no communion with him.
- Title given. The oil was not routine — it moved the crown out of Ahab's line into a family whose only right was God's appointment.
- Hidden then acclaimed. A private anointing shows God settling His King behind the scenes. Only the household of faith knows Him now. One day Christ will be publicly acclaimed.
then take the vial of oil, and pour it on his head and say, Thus saith Jehovah I have anointed thee king over Israel; and open the door, and flee, and tarry not.
Elisha sends a young prophet with a flask of oil to crown Jehu, the man who will strike down the house of Ahab. The orders are odd — pour the oil, say one sentence from God, then run — and that oddness holds most of the meaning of this verse.
Why pour oil on Jehu's head at all?
The anointing of the king over Israel was not an established custom or rule. It was done when the circumstances were out of the ordinary, or when there might be some question about his title to the crown. With Jehu, the succession to the kingdom of Israel was to pass out of the rightful line of Ahab's family into another family. That family had no legal right to the kingdom — only the appointment of God. So his anointing was necessary both to give him a title and to put him in actual possession of the kingdom.
Elisha does not go himself. He supplies only the sentence that makes Jehu king.
If the prophet Elisha had wept before Hazael, what would he have done before Jehu? He also gives as brief a commission as possible: "Thus says the LORD, I anoint you king over Israel." He is a prophet himself, yet he does not dictate the words. He leaves to this son of the prophets the care of what he will have to add by the Spirit.
Set this anointing beside David's, and the contrast is sharp.
Here this son of the prophets must make Jehu rise up "from among his brothers." He must lead him far away from all eyes into "an inner chamber." He must anoint him without witnesses, in haste and in secret. Samuel, by contrast, anoints David king of grace "in the midst of his brothers." They do not sit down at the table until he arrives, and this family feast brings them together for a common meal. After that, Samuel gets up in peace and goes to Ramah (1 Sam. 16:11-13). These scenes of communion are an absolute contrast to the one unfolding here. Jehu is God's rod against Israel and Judah. God cannot have communion with an instrument of judgment, however necessary it may be.
Why must the messenger run the moment the oil is poured?
He told his messenger to pour the oil on Jehu's head, then open the door and flee at once. It was as though he were to have no communion with Jehu. He had business to do with Jehu, weighty business; but that was all. And in this Elisha shares the feelings of God Himself.
Refusing fellowship did not mean refusing the job.
There was to be no show of fellowship where it could not be real. Jehu was a vessel in which God could have no delight; nor could His servant. Yet God put Jehu under the responsibility of specific instructions, and gave him the power to carry them out. But power does not of itself set us in communion with God, or keep us in His presence.
The oil authorised Jehu's work. It said nothing about his heart.
God's employment of a man is by no means the seal of God's approval of his person. We see it in the case before us. Jehu was a man in whom God had no complacency, nor could He have. For there is one feature that belongs to the family of faith, without which there is no communion with God. It shows itself from the very beginning of life in the soul: repentance toward God. And Jehu had not this.
God's command and Jehu's ambition pointed the same way.
To reach the throne was entirely in accord with the ambitions of Jehu. To smite the house of Ahab would appear to Jehu a sound policy to establish himself as king. So he carries out the directions of the Lord with the greatest possible energy and zeal. However, God's motives were not Jehu's. God was dealing with evil, avenging the blood of His servants, and maintaining His own glory. Jehu was getting rid of all those who could oppose his ambitions.
- Word. One sentence, poured out with the oil, does the whole work. It gives Jehu a title his family had no right to, resting on nothing but God's appointment.
- Haste. The anointing happens behind a shut door and ends in flight. David's ended in a shared meal. Judgment is not celebrated.
- Distance. The order to flee blocks any show of fellowship that could not be real. There was weighty business with Jehu, and nothing more.
- Power. God gave Jehu instructions and the power to carry them out. But power is not communion. Jehu had the one without the other.
- Verdict. God using a man is not God approving him. Jehu obeyed with all his energy because obedience served his own ambition.
And the young man, the young prophet, went to Ramoth-Gilead.
Elisha does not anoint Jehu himself; he gives a young man a flask of oil and sends him to the army camp at Ramoth-gilead. This short verse is the hinge: the messenger takes the road, and judgment on Ahab's house begins to move.
Elisha had the word and the oil, but he sent another man to carry them.
Instead of anointing Jehu himself, he entrusts this mission to one of the sons of the prophets. The young man must not stay with Jehu for a moment; he must flee as soon as he has finished his task. Everything happens in secret and in haste. When it is a matter of judgment, Elisha's soul neither rests nor settles there. Judgment must take place, for God has spoken. But God finds His delight in grace, and He approves His servant's way of acting.
Kings in Israel were not always anointed. The flask in the young man's hand says something about Jehu's claim to the throne.
Twenty years before, Elijah had probably anointed Jehu already. The anointing of a king over Israel was not a fixed custom or rule. It happened when the circumstances were out of the ordinary, or when there might be some question about his right to the crown… "With Jehu, the kingdom of Israel was to pass out of the direct line of Ahab's family into another family. That family had no legal right to the kingdom; it had only God's appointment. So his anointing was necessary, both to give him a title and to put him in actual possession of the kingdom" (Burder).
The sons of the prophets appear often around Elisha, usually as a group. This errand stands out because one man went alone.
The sons of the prophets come up often in Elisha's history. But as a group they did nothing, so far as the record goes, that showed God was leading them. Only once do we read of one of the sons of the prophets carrying a message from God. Elisha told him to take a flask of oil and anoint Jehu to be king over Israel, giving him a message from God at the same time. The son of the prophet did so alone. This was work done for God, because the young man acted by faith, without help from others.
The words the young man would speak were not all handed to him.
Elisha is a prophet himself, yet he does not dictate the words. He leaves it to this son of the prophets to add what he must add by the Spirit.
Firm orders and personal discernment went together here.
The prophet does not act in person. He does not appear in the business, but he gives the young man strict orders about how to behave in the matter. It may be that in this there is a lesson for us. Spiritual discernment was the great thing in Elisha's ministry. It matters no less today, when the Spirit of Christ is here on earth and in the church. A mechanical service will not suit Him.
The address matters. Joram had been wounded and had withdrawn to Jezreel, leaving his officers holding the post — and the young man walks straight into that room.
We see here how God has the upper hand in all events and over all men when the moment to accomplish His decrees has arrived. Jehu had barely received the anointing oil when — with no advance arrangements, for they do not know what the prophet whom they call a fool had just done — all the captains acclaimed Jehu as king. Were they the wise men themselves, these men who without understanding, without reasoning it out, without any choice in the matter, sound the trumpet and say, "Jehu is king," while the one who despite his youth had just announced God's mind, fully aware of the reason for it, was called a fool by them?
The anointing happened in private. That privacy carries a warning: a throne is not a sign that God approves the man who sits on it.
The private anointing of Jehu reminds us that God always works behind the scenes to set up rulers among the nations. As we are told, "For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God" (Rom. 13:1). In David's case God could publicly approve of him, because he is a type of Christ. In Jehu's case, though God gave him the place of king, God would not show His approval of the man personally.
- Sent — Elisha keeps the word but sends someone else to carry it, staying clear of the man he must anoint.
- Sealed — the oil is not a ceremony but a title deed. A family with no legal claim gets the kingdom by God's appointment alone.
- Spirit-led — Elisha dictates one line and leaves the rest to the messenger. God wants discernment in His errands, not mechanical service.
- Solitary — the son of the prophets who went alone is the one who acted by faith. As a group they achieved nothing.
- Secret — the anointing was private and the messenger fled at once. God gave a man the throne without approving the man, and He repaid Naboth's blood in His own time, never in haste.