2 Kings 9:7–37

The mighty miracles of Elisha — the witnesses of the grace of God to a guilty nation — have all been in vain. Israel refuses to turn from idols to the living God. The prophet may weep over the sorrows coming on the nation. He may foretell their miseries. God may use him to appoint the instruments that will carry out judgment. But though he lives to a great age, we hear of miracles no more.

The time had now come for God to judge the house of Ahab. Elisha's ministry was marked above all by grace. Yet he was the vessel God chose to approve those avenging forces in Syria and in Israel, and to put His own authority behind them. They were to sweep all before them... In the many mercies Israel and Syria had known, mercy was debating with judgment. Now judgment must have its way.

The young man had two announcements to make to Jehu; first, that the Lord had anointed him to be "king over the people of the Lord, even over Israel." Second, he was to smite the house of Ahab, and thus avenge the blood of the servants, and prophets, of the Lord, shed by the wicked Jezebel.

At last, after more than fifteen years' delay, the blood of Naboth was about to be repaid. Like Abel's blood, it had been crying out from the ground for vengeance. God, when judging men, is never in haste. He allowed Jezebel to outlive, not only her husband, but his two successors.

This young man reveals to Jehu the unsparing judgment upon the house of Ahab. The motive for this judgment was the way in which this king, urged on by Jezebel, had treated the servants of the Lord and His prophets. In fact, the time always comes when the Lord remembers what was done earlier to "His brothers," whether in Israel or in the Christian assembly.

Here the young man was to faithfully represent the one who had sent him. There were reasons, as we have seen, why Elisha could not go himself. There was to be no show of fellowship where it could not be real. Jehu was a vessel in whom God could take no delight, and neither could His servant. Yet God still gave Jehu specific instructions, held him responsible for them, and gave him the power to carry them out.

Reaching the throne matched Jehu's own ambitions exactly. Striking down the house of Ahab looked to him like a sound policy for making himself king... 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. Jehu is very zealous against evil when it suits his own purpose. He is completely indifferent to evil when he decides it is more convenient to leave it alone.

God takes into account not only what men do, but why they do it. Jehu carried out the Lord's judgment on the house of Ahab and on all his guilty partners. He left none of them alive. God also used him to punish Jezebel's wickedness in Jezreel. But he carried out the Lord's just judgments with great severity, and he had selfish reasons of his own for being so harsh. That was far from acceptable. So He says through the prophet Hosea, "in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel" (Hos. 1:4).

At last, after more than fifteen years of delay, the blood of Naboth, crying like Abel's for vengeance from the ground, was about to be repaid. God, when He judges men, is never in a hurry. He allowed Jezebel to outlive not only her husband but his two successors. Clearly she had no power to keep up her old high-handed ways after Ahab's death. Part of her punishment was to live and watch his dynasty fall, and the wiping out of his house and hers begin.

Ahab wanted Naboth's vineyard. Naboth refused to give up the inheritance God had given his fathers, so Jezebel had him killed and told Ahab to take the vineyard. Elijah met him there and said that dogs would lick his blood where they had licked Naboth's blood. The dogs would also eat Jezebel, and Ahab's house would be cut off. Ahab humbled himself before God, and God delayed the full end of his house until his son's days... Later, in battle against Syria, an arrow shot at random struck Ahab between the joints of his armour, and he died. Elijah's prediction came true. Grace had lingered over this poor idolater, for he was an Israelite; but he died unrepentant, and his whole house was soon to perish.

The whole house of Ahab was to perish like Jeroboam's (1 Kings 14:10) and Baasha's (1 Kings 16:3)... And now the hour of execution had come. The day is coming when the Lord will judge this world. Then, above all, Jezebel (Rev. 2:20) will receive her judgment — Babylon the Great, the mother of prostitutes and abominations of the earth, drunk with the blood of the saints.

"Know now that nothing of the word of the Lord which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab shall fall to the earth; for the Lord has done what He spoke by His servant Elijah." So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel. He killed all his great men, his close friends, and his priests, until he left him none remaining. So the word of the Lord came true to the last detail.

To reach the throne was entirely in line with Jehu's ambitions. Wiping out the house of Ahab looked to Jehu like a sound way to make himself king. So he carries out the Lord's directions 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 everyone who could oppose his ambitions. He is very eager to deal with evil when it suits his own purpose. He is quite indifferent to evil when he decides it is wiser to leave it alone... He destroys the worship of Baal; he preserves the golden calves.

While God uses Jehu to carry out judgment on Jezreel, He still says through the prophet Hosea, "I will avenge the blood of Jezreel on the house of Jehu; and will bring to an end the kingdom of the house of Israel" (Hosea 1:4).

This judgment had to end the dynasty of Omri, to fulfil the sentence pronounced on Ahab. For the same reason the Lord had already put an end to the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat (1 Kings 15:28-30), and to that of Baasha (1 Kings 16:1-4). Each time He repeated the dreadful word: "Anyone who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat" (1 Kings 14:11; 1 Kings 16:4; 1 Kings 21:24).

So the house of Baasha, like that of Jeroboam before him, became extinct — to Jewish minds the greatest disaster that could overtake a man.

He sinned as Jeroboam did, though he had been the one who carried out God's judgment on the descendants of the wicked king. He had not heard the Lord's voice speaking in the events of the past... He followed the fate of Jeroboam and Rehoboam, and now the fate of his house would also be the fate of Baasha, who had executed the divine sentence. "I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat." Such is divine justice.

More than fifteen years had passed since the Lord, through Elijah, had announced the doom of the house of Ahab and the doom of Jezebel. And now the hour of execution had come. God will judge in the end, though He is never in a hurry to carry out His threatened judgments. The day is surely coming when the Lord will judge this world.

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 everyone who could oppose his ambitions. He was full of zeal against evil when it suited his own purpose, and quite indifferent to evil when he decided it was better to leave it alone. So he ruthlessly avenges the sins of the house of Ahab, while leaving untouched the sins of the house of Jeroboam. He destroys the worship of Baal; he preserves the golden calves.

If God has to deal in judgment, it is work that is strange to Him. If Jehu takes up dealing with evil, it is a task he enjoys. So God uses Jehu to carry out judgment at Jezreel. Yet He still says, through the prophet Hosea, "I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel" (Hosea 1:4).

"Know then that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab; for the Lord has done what He said through His servant Elijah. So Jehu struck down all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel... until he left him none remaining." So the word of the Lord came true to the last detail.

More than this, "the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her" (v.10). Certainly God knew well whom He was choosing for this solemn work, for Jehu was just the kind of man to do it.

Elisha told this young prophet to deliver his message and leave (v.3). The young man did as he was told.

The reason for this judgment was how this king, urged on by Jezebel, had treated the Lord's servants and His prophets. And the time always comes when the Lord calls to mind what was done earlier to "His brethren," whether in Israel or in the Christian assembly.

Scripture constantly refers to the dog as an unclean and low animal... They were, and still are, the scavengers of Eastern cities. People throw all their rubbish into the streets and the dogs eat it. It was the dogs who ate the body of Jezebel, and licked up the blood of Naboth and of Ahab.

"And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel" — the portion of sin, of covetousness and blood.

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 requited. God, when judging men, is never in haste. He allowed Jezebel to outlive, not only her husband, but his two successors. After Ahab's death she clearly had no power left for her old high-handed ways. Part of her punishment was to live and see his royal line overthrown, and the wiping out of his house and hers begun.

Jehu had heard that word only a short time before. He plainly meant to carry out his commission to the letter. But how little any man, good or bad, carries out the word of God. Now the old respect for one who was a queen — a king's daughter — seems to rise in his mind, and he says, "Bury her, for she is a king's daughter." But the word of God had already given its own command. And they went to bury her. Their purpose was to obey him. In vain. They found nothing of her but the skull, the feet, and the palms of her hands.

God will judge in the end, though He is never in haste to carry out the judgments He has threatened. The day is surely coming when the Lord will judge this world. Then above all Jezebel (Rev. 2:20) — Babylon the Great, the mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations, drunk with the blood of the saints — will receive her judgment.

Jehu then comes out. The captains ask in astonishment what he had to do with that "mad fellow" — a word we do well to think about. For that is how a prophet appeared! A true prophet of the LORD! This is how he looked to the eye of the men of the world: a mad fellow. The world in Israel was just the same as it was later in the days of the apostles. The apostle puts it with deep feeling: they were held up as the scum of all men.

As soon as Jehu had received the anointing oil, all the captains hailed him as king. Nothing was arranged beforehand, for they do not know what the prophet they call a fool had just done. Were they the wise men here? They had no understanding, no reasoning, no choice in the matter, yet they sound the trumpet and say: Jehu is king. And the one who had just proclaimed God's mind, young as he was, and knowing full well why, they called a fool or an imbecile.

Jehu answers, "You know the fellow and his talk." The man and his message were well known on the outside; how little they were known within! They said, "That is not true; tell us now." He tells it out plainly. Jehu was not a man to keep a secret… The very men who despised the prophet were quite willing to act on the prophecy. Such is the spirit of man. The reason is clear. It suited their ambition. It also fitted what even they could not help feeling in conscience — for man has a conscience, whatever the wickedness of his life.

So then they at once proclaim Jehu king at the word of the very one they had just branded as "that mad fellow." And Jehu begins to act against his master: he now had God's authority for it. The God who had raised up the king had every right to cast him down… Jehu needed this extraordinary act of the prophet. It let him go forward. It gave confidence to him and to the people around him.

In our own day we often see the same strange thing. The Christian knows the thoughts of God. He can announce them to people fully and in detail — the events that the world will be the stage for. Those who are wise call such Christians fools. One day their eyes will be opened — too late — and they will admit that what was announced to them was true.

The great source of deception is the effort to stand well with the world by fitting Christianity to the wisdom of this world. The servant who will stand for the truth must be content to become a fool in the eyes of the world. Then, indeed, he will have the true wisdom according to God. It was so with the apostle. The worldly Festus could say to him, "You are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind."

Jehu answers, "You know the fellow and his talk." They were well known outwardly; how little inwardly! They said, "That is not true; tell us now." He tells it plainly out. Jehu was not a man to keep a secret. "Then they hurried and each of them took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps, and they blew the trumpet and proclaimed, 'Jehu is king.'" The very men who despised the prophet were quite willing to act on the prophecy. Such is the spirit of man.

Jehu had only just received the anointing oil when all the captains hailed him as king. No one had arranged anything beforehand, for they do not know what the prophet they call a fool had just done. Were they wise men themselves? They sound the trumpet and say: Jehu is king — with no understanding, no reasoning it out, and no choice in the matter. Yet the young prophet had just announced God's mind and knew exactly why, and they called him a fool or an idiot.

So they at once proclaim Jehu king, at the word of the very man they had just branded "this mad fellow." And Jehu begins to act against his master. He now had God's authority for it. The God who had raised up the king had every right to bring him down. So Jehu was thoroughly right to act on the anointing of the prophet. One after another, many men overturned the kingdom in Israel. It is remarkable that Jehu is the only one of them who was anointed... Jehu needed this extraordinary act of the prophet. It enabled him to go forward and gave confidence to him and to the people around him. God was pleased to invest him in this way.

Reaching the throne was entirely in line with the ambitions of Jehu. Striking down the house of Ahab would look to Jehu like sound policy for making himself secure as king. So he carries out the directions of the Lord with the greatest possible energy and zeal. But 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 who could oppose his ambitions. Jehu is very zealous in dealing with evil when it suits his own purpose, but quite indifferent to evil when he decides it is better policy to leave it alone.

In our own days we can often see the same strange thing. The Christian knows the thoughts of God and can announce them to people in full and in detail. These are the events for which the world will be the stage. Those who are wise call them fools. One day their eyes will open — but too late — and they will acknowledge the truth of what was announced to them.

Exodus 20:26 uses the same word for the steps of an altar. 1 Kings 10:19 uses it of a throne, 2 Kings 9:13 of the stairs, and 2 Kings 20:9 of the degrees of a sundial. … The word it comes from means simply to go up — to ascend.

Every man took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps (an ancient custom, see Matthew 21:7).

So too in 2 Kings 9:13 we have the officers recognising Jehu as king, and in 2 Kings 11:14 and 2 Chronicles 23:13 Joash proclaimed king.

We see here how God has the upper hand in all events and over all men when the moment to carry out His decrees has come. Jehu had barely received the anointing oil when all the captains acclaimed him as king. There were no preparations of any kind. They did not even know what the prophet — the man they call a fool — had just done.

The very men who despised the prophet were quite willing to act on the prophecy. Such is the spirit of man. The reason is obvious. It suited their ambition. It also matched what even they could not help feeling in conscience — for man has a conscience, whatever the wickedness of his life. And they knew well that what was going on, in Judah and in Israel alike, was completely contrary to God.

The God who had raised up the king was perfectly entitled to cast him down. Jehu, therefore, was entirely right to act on the prophet's anointing. And it is remarkable: many men overturned the kingdom in Israel, one after another, but Jehu alone was anointed. … Jehu needed this extraordinary act of the prophet. It enabled him to go forward, and it gave confidence both to him and to the men around him.

God, in His righteous judgment, used Jehu to deal with the wicked house of Ahab. But He was not blind to the mixed motives that drove Jehu. In carrying out the vengeance of the Lord, Jehu was simply indulging his own cruel heart for his own ends. If God has to deal in judgment, it is His strange work. If Jehu undertakes to deal with evil, it is a task he enjoys. So while God uses Jehu to execute judgment on Jezreel, He says through the prophet Hosea, "I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel" (Hosea 1:4).

Jehu revealed the secret anointing as King over Israel, and under the blare of the trumpets the army hails him as King. "Jehu is King!" Oh, for that day when our Lord Jesus will be hailed as King to begin His righteous judgment over the earth.

Jehoram of Israel was wounded in battle. He had just left Ramoth-Gilead, where Hazael had held him off, and had gone to Jezreel to be healed of his wounds. Meanwhile the captains of his army stayed at Ramoth and held on to this important post, which the kings of Israel rightly claimed. Here we see how God has the upper hand over all events and all men when the moment comes to carry out His decrees.

And who has made all these circumstances work together to this result? Who made Jehoram leave Ramoth, and leave Jehu and his captains behind? Who led him to Jezreel, the scene of Ahab's sin? Who led him to Naboth's vineyard in his chariot? Who left him lying there outside the city in the very place where the blood of this righteous man had flowed? One cannot mistake it; it is the hand of the Lord.

Jehoshaphat, Ahaziah's grandfather, had made an alliance with Ahab to retake Ramoth-Gilead, which had fallen to the king of Syria. In the same way Ahaziah of Judah made an alliance with Jehoram of Israel, Ahab's son, to make war on Hazael, king of Syria, at Ramoth-Gilead, a city of refuge (Deut. 4:43)… This alliance with the kings of Israel was detestable to the Lord. Jehoram of Israel met the same fate at Ramoth as Ahab, whom the Syrians had wounded at that same place (1 Kings 22:34)… After opposing Hazael, God's rod against Israel, Ahaziah lays himself open to the blows of Jehu, God's second rod, raised against his ally.

Note that Jehu does not conspire against Jehoram until he has been proclaimed king. He then acts at once to stop any news of what had happened from reaching the king in Jezreel (v. 15)… He cleverly ties his accomplices into a shared responsibility, so that if the plan fails, the blame cannot all fall on him… But here we can also see his lack of piety and of dependence on God. We see his ambition too, using the word of the Lord to secure full power for himself.

When the prophet of the Lord tells him that the throne will soon be his, he listens. He may well have been sincere in believing that the Lord was God, and he was quite ready to honour Him when his own interest agreed with his convictions… Still, his vengeance has no fear of the Lord in it; it comes from the flesh (see Hosea 1:4).

Jehu is full of zeal against evil when it suits his own purpose. He is indifferent to evil when he decides it is smart policy to leave it alone. So he avenges the sins of the house of Ahab without mercy, while leaving the sins of the house of Jeroboam untouched. He destroys the worship of Baal; he keeps the golden calves.

When God has to deal in judgment, it is His strange work. When Jehu deals with evil, the task suits him well. So, even while God uses Jehu to carry out judgment on Jezreel, He says through the prophet Hosea, "I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel" (Hosea 1:4).

During this time the captains of his army were at Ramoth, still holding and guarding this important post, which the kings of Israel rightly claimed. We see here how God has the upper hand in all events and over all men when the time has come to carry out His decrees. Jehu had only just received the anointing oil when all the captains hailed him as king. No one had arranged anything beforehand, for they did not know what the prophet they call a fool had just done.

"Mind," in the sense of will or intention, not of the understanding: 1 Samuel 2:35, 2 Kings 9:15.

Note that Jehu does not conspire against Joram until after he has been proclaimed king. He then at once takes steps so that the king in Jezreel hears no news of what has happened. Jehu's character is worth studying closely: great impulsiveness joined with much caution, decisiveness, and an understanding of how people work… He draws his accomplices into shared responsibility with great skill, so that if the plan fails they cannot lay the whole blame on him.

He had no idea of what humility means, no spirit of self-judgment at all, but full of bold willingness to judge others, and he proceeded immediately to do such work.

And Jehu begins to act then against his master: he had now God's authority for it. The God who had raised the king up had every right to cast him down. So Jehu was entirely right to act on the prophet's anointing. It is remarkable that many men, one after another, overturned the kingdom in Israel, and Jehu is the only one of them who was anointed… Jehu needed this extraordinary act of the prophet to move forward. It gave him confidence, and it gave confidence to the people around him.

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. He allowed Jezebel to outlive not only her husband but his two successors.

Reaching the throne fitted Jehu's own ambitions exactly. Striking down the house of Ahab looked to him like a sound way to make himself secure as king. So he carries out the Lord's directions 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… He is very zealous in dealing with evil when it suits his own purpose, but quite indifferent to evil when he decides it is good policy to leave it alone. He destroys the worship of Baal; he preserves the golden calves.

God's employment of a man is by no means the seal of God's approval of his person… Whatever his zeal, and however right his action was, up to a point, according to the sovereign will of God, he had no brokenness of spirit.

And who has made all these circumstances work together to this result? Who caused Jehoram to depart from Ramoth, leaving Jehu and his captains there? Who had led him to Jizreel, the scene of Ahab's sin? Who led him to Naboth's vineyard in his chariot? Who left him lying there outside the city in the very place where the blood of this righteous man had flowed? One cannot mistake it; it is the hand of the Lord.

Joram went back to Jizreel to be healed of his wounds. There his ally Ahaziah, king of Judah, came to him to express his sympathy. By the world's standards this was an act of simple courtesy. But Ahaziah had opposed Hazael, God's rod against Israel, and now he puts himself under the blows of Jehu, the second of God's rods against his ally.

Sadly, the sinful alliance of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, with the wicked murderer Ahab, king of Israel (1 Kings 22), led to the marriage of Jehoshaphat's son to Athaliah, the wicked daughter of a wicked father. Athaliah dragged down Jehoram, Jehoshaphat's son, and she ruined her own son Ahaziah. A dreadful harvest!

At this very time, sad to say, the king of Judah was there too. Here we find a very solemn fact in God's government. If someone who ought to be on the side of righteousness turns away from it into a sinful alliance with evil, he suffers according to the character of the evil he joins, and not according to the righteousness he may once have had.

Killing the king of Judah was no part of Jehu's commission. But he was found among those doomed to destruction, so he shared their fate. And in that system of evil, where the spiritual Jezebel teaches and seduces His servants, God's call to His own is this: "Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues" (Revelation 18:4).

He was impatient to hold the kingdom in fact and in name. Without a thought of waiting on God, even for the shortest time, Jehu is off with Bidkar his captain on his thirty-five mile journey to Jezreel… He was eager to be at his work of extermination, so the newly anointed executioner-king makes all speed. He treated the solemn, fearful work of destruction given to him as an exciting pleasure, instead of a painful task of stern necessity. Painful it must have been, had he been in true fellowship with God in his work of overthrow and retributive judgment upon the house of Ahab. God has no pleasure in the death of the sinner.

He carries out judgment to make sure of benefits for himself, and he covers all this selfishness with a cloak he calls "zeal for Jehovah."

Eager to be at his work of wiping out Ahab's house, the newly anointed executioner-king makes all speed. He acts as if the solemn, fearful work of destruction God had commissioned him to do were an exciting pleasure, and not a painful task of stern necessity. It would have been such a task to him, had he been in true fellowship with God in his work of overthrow and retributive judgment on the house of Ahab. God has no pleasure in the death of the sinner.

Jehu goes to Jezreel. "Is it peace?" This is the great question raised. Judgment is at the door, and Jehoram does not yet know whether it is peace or wrath that has come to him. What use to him are his messengers and the precautions he takes? None of his servants returned to warn him and advise him to be on his guard.

When the messengers did not return, the king set out himself to meet Jehu with the anxious question in our text. "Is it peace?" Note the reply. "What peace can there be, so long as the whorings and the sorceries of your mother Jezebel are so many?" No peace was possible while so much sin in the land went unjudged.

Joram, who rode out to his death, had been a very privileged person. Jehovah had taken great pains with him. In 2 Kings 3 this king and two other kings turned to the prophet in dire distress, and God in His goodness met their need for water. In 2 Kings 5 he saw Jehovah's wonderful healing power in the healing of Naaman's leprosy. In the next chapter God warns him several times of plots against his life, and so keeps him safe. In these various ways Jehovah spoke to this man's heart and conscience, in the hope that he would turn from his evil ways and live. But with all these divine privileges, Joram perished. How often has God spoken to us? Let us ask ourselves how many privileges He has mercifully granted us.

"Jehu... drives furiously." The rumbling of thunder announces the storm to everyone except Jehoram, as deaf to the approach of the tempest as he had been to the approach of the grace so often set before him. He does nothing to ward off his fate. He comes with Ahaziah to take shelter at the foot of the tree the blow is about to fall on. Alas! Such is the lot of men. They look for peace outside the peace that God offers to all, and find nothing but agitation, anguish, and finally the judgment of God.

And who made all these circumstances work together to this result? Who caused Jehoram to leave Ramoth, leaving Jehu and his captains there? Who had led him to Jezreel, the scene of Ahab's sin? Who led him in his chariot to Naboth's vineyard? Who left him lying there outside the city, on the very ground where the blood of that righteous man had flowed? One cannot mistake it; it is the hand of the Lord.

Christ has "made peace by the blood of His cross" (Col. 1:20). Here we have the settlement of the sin question, a matter of greater importance to you personally than any political or industrial question in the world. The atoning blood has met God's claims as to sin.

"Is it peace?" This is the great question raised. Judgment is at the door, and Jehoram does not yet know whether it is peace or wrath that has come to him. What use to him are his messengers and the precautions he takes? None of his servants returned to warn him and advise him to be on his guard. Jehu's shrewdness had provided for that. "Turn around and ride behind me," he tells them — an excellent way to reach his ends without waking his king's suspicion too soon. But God is controlling all things, even those that are contrary to His character. He is a God of truth; His ways are straight and never crooked. He has said, "There is no peace … for the wicked," and His sentence must be carried out.

"Is it peace?" is the anxious question today, as in the time of Joram. The answer to men now must be along the same lines as the answer to him so long ago. Peace is impossible with sin unjudged.

The newly anointed executioner-king was eager to get to his work of destruction, and he hurried. He acted as if the solemn, fearful work God had commissioned him to do were an exciting pleasure to him. It was really a painful task of stern necessity. He would have felt that, had he been in true fellowship with God in this work of overthrow and judgment on the house of Ahab. God has no pleasure in the death of the sinner.

God, in His righteous judgment, used Jehu to deal with the wicked house of Ahab. But He did not overlook the mixed motives that drove Jehu. In carrying out the vengeance of the Lord, Jehu was simply indulging his own cruel heart for his own ends. If God has to deal in judgment, it is His strange work. If Jehu undertakes to deal with evil, it is a task he enjoys. So God uses Jehu to execute judgment on Jezreel. Yet through the prophet Hosea He still says, "I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel" (Hosea 1:4).

Joram, who rode out to his death like this, had been a very privileged person. The Lord had taken great pains with him. In 2 Kings 3 this king turned to the prophet with two other kings in dire distress, and God in His goodness gave their armies the water they needed. In 2 Kings 5 he saw the Lord's wonderful healing power in the matter of Naaman's leprosy. In the next chapter God warns him several times about plots against his life, and so keeps him safe… In these various ways the Lord spoke to this man's heart and conscience, hoping he would turn from his evil ways and live. But with all these divine privileges, Joram perished. How often has God spoken to us?

Peace! Who can measure its blessing? But "What do you have to do with peace?" said Jehu to wicked Joram's messenger… We had nothing to do with it once, for "the way of peace they have not known" (Rom. 3:17). That was no surprise while we were in unbelief, for "There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked." But God has now sent the word "preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all)" (Acts 10:36). And Christ "came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near" (Eph. 2:17). So even when everything around us is unsettled, we know peace is ours. Why? Because "He made peace by the blood of His cross."

Jehu goes to Jezreel. "Is it peace?" This is the great question raised. Judgment is at the door, and Jehoram does not yet know whether it is peace or wrath that has come to him. What use are his messengers and the precautions he takes? None of his servants returned to warn him and advise him to be on his guard. The prudence of Jehu had provided for this. "Turn behind me," he tells them — an excellent way to reach his ends without waking his king's distrust too soon. But God is controlling all things, even those that are contrary to His character. He is a God of truth; His ways are straight and never crooked. He has said: "There is no peace… for the wicked," and His sentence must be executed.

When the messengers did not return, the King set out himself to meet Jehu with the anxious question in our text. "Is it peace?" Note the reply. "What peace, so long as the immoralities and sorceries of your mother Jezebel are so many?" The meaning is that no peace could be expected with so much unjudged sin in the land.

Joram, who rode out to his death, had been a very privileged person. The Lord had taken great pains with him… In 2 Kings 5 he learned of the Lord's wonderful healing power in the matter of Naaman's leprosy. In the next chapter God warns him several times of plots against his life, and so keeps him safe… In these various ways the Lord spoke to this man's heart and conscience, in the hope that he would turn from his evil ways and live. But with all these divine privileges, Joram perished. How often has God spoken to us?

Impatient to hold the kingdom in full and acknowledged possession, and without a thought of waiting on God, Jehu is off on his thirty-five mile journey to Jezreel… The newly anointed executioner-king makes all speed, eager to stamp out the house of Ahab. He acts as if this solemn, fearful work of destruction was an exciting pleasure to him, instead of a painful task of stern necessity. It would have been painful, had he been in true fellowship with God in this work of judgment. God has no pleasure in the death of the sinner.

To reach the throne was entirely in line with the ambitions of Jehu… 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. Jehu is very zealous against evil when it suits his own purpose. He is quite indifferent to evil when he decides it suits him better to leave it alone.

Christ has "made peace by the blood of His cross" (Col. 1:20). Here we have the settlement of the sin question. For you personally, it matters more than any political or industrial question in the world. God's claims as to sin have been met by the atoning blood. So peace is preached to those who were far off and to those who were near (Eph. 2:17)… The believer in Jesus is justified by faith, and has peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1).

Jehu is impatient to hold the kingdom in fact and in name. He will not wait on God for even the briefest moment. So he is off with Bidkar his captain on his thirty-five mile journey to Jezreel… A second messenger goes out to meet the advancing column, with the same result. This time the watchman adds to his report, "the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously." He is eager to be at his work of destruction. The newly anointed executioner-king makes all speed. He acts as if the solemn, fearful work he was commissioned to do was an exciting pleasure to him. It was no painful task of stern necessity to him. Yet that is what it would have been, had he been in true fellowship with God.

Jehu goes to Jezreel. "Is it peace?" This is the great question raised. Judgment is at the door, and Jehoram does not yet know whether it is peace or wrath that has come to him. What use to him are his messengers and the precautions he takes? None of his servants returned to warn him and advise him to be on his guard. Jehu's shrewdness had provided for this. "Turn behind me," he tells them — an excellent way to reach his ends without waking the king's distrust too soon. But God is controlling all things, even those that are contrary to His character. He is a God of truth; His ways are straight and never crooked. He has said: "There is no peace… to the wicked", and His sentence must be executed.

"Jehu… drives furiously." The rumble of thunder announces the storm to everyone except Jehoram. He is as deaf to the approaching storm as he had been to the grace so often set before him. He does nothing to ward off his fate. He comes with Ahaziah to seek shelter under the tree on which the blow is about to fall. Such is the lot of men. They look for peace outside the peace God offers to all. They find nothing but agitation, anguish, and in the end the judgment of God.

The hand of this captain is used, but there is no communion between him and the Lord. He goes through his service. He carries out his commission to the full. But there is no expression whatever of a soul exercised toward God. He takes up and lays down the most solemn and important matters. He does it all in the name and at the command of the Lord. But there is no exercise of heart such as comes from being in the presence of God.

Reaching the throne fitted Jehu's ambitions exactly. Striking down the house of Ahab would look to Jehu like sound policy. It would establish him as king. So he carries out the Lord's directions with the greatest possible energy and zeal. But 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 everyone who could oppose his ambitions.

"Is it peace?" is the anxious question today, as in the time of Joram. The answer to men now must be along the same lines as the answer given to him so long ago. Peace is impossible while sin is unjudged.

Jehu goes to Jezreel. "Is it peace?" This is the great question raised. Judgment is at the door, and Jehoram does not yet know whether it is peace or wrath that has come to him. What use are his messengers and the precautions he takes? None of his servants returned to warn him and advise him to be on his guard. The prudence of Jehu had provided for this. "Turn and ride behind me," he tells them — an excellent way to reach his goal without waking his king's suspicion too soon. But God is controlling all things, even those that are contrary to His character. He is a God of truth; His ways are straight and never crooked. He has said: "There is no peace … for the wicked." His sentence must be executed.

"Jehu … drives furiously." The rumbling of thunder announces the storm to everyone except Jehoram. He is as deaf to the coming storm as he had been to the grace so often set before him. He does nothing to ward off his fate. He comes with Ahaziah to seek shelter at the foot of the tree on which the blow is about to fall. Such is the lot of men. They look for peace outside the peace that God offers to all. They find nothing but agitation, anguish, and in the end the judgment of God. "Peace, peace, to the far and to the near, says the LORD, and I will heal him. But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt."

And who made all these circumstances work together to this result? Who caused Jehoram to leave Ramoth, leaving Jehu and his captains there? Who had led him to Jezreel, the scene of Ahab's sin? Who led him in his chariot to Naboth's vineyard? Who left him lying there outside the city in the very place where the blood of this righteous man had flowed? There can be no mistake about it; it is the hand of the Lord.

So Naboth dies, but his blood was watched by the Lord, and because of it the word also comes out through Elijah. "Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel … he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. And you shall say to him, 'Thus says the LORD, "Have you killed and also taken possession?"'"

But God will remember all that has been done in Israel and in Christendom in the coming day of recompense. Innocent blood will yet be avenged.

This alliance with the kings of Israel was an abomination in the eyes of the Lord. … It was there that his ally Ahaziah, king of Judah, came to him to express his sympathy. By the world's standards this was an act of simple courtesy. But Ahaziah had opposed Hazael, God's rod against Israel. Now he exposes himself to the blows of Jehu, the second of God's rods against his ally.

Jehu could carry out the word of the Lord in judgment against others, though he knew nothing of the grace of God.

Jehu goes to Jezreel. "Is it peace?" This is the great question raised. Judgment is at the door, and Jehoram does not yet know whether it is peace or wrath that has come to him. None of his servants returned to warn him and put him on his guard. But God is controlling all things. He is a God of truth. His ways are straight and never crooked. He has said, "There is no peace … for the wicked," and His sentence must be executed.

Note the reply to the King's anxious question. "What peace can there be, so long as the whorings and the sorceries of your mother Jezebel are so many?" The meaning is that no one could expect peace with so much unjudged sin in the land.

She was the "daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians" and her father had been a priest of Astarte, and the family was famous for intense devotion to Baal. She fed 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah at her table and killed the prophets of the Lord. King Jehu says her whorings and sorceries are "so many." God used him to carry out judgment on her and on the whole house of Ahab. We are also told that she pushed her husband Ahab into all the evil he did.

And who has made all these circumstances work together to this result? Who caused Jehoram to depart from Ramoth, leaving Jehu and his captains there? Who had led him to Jezreel, the scene of Ahab's sin? Who led him to Naboth's vineyard in his chariot? Who left him lying there outside the city in the very place where the blood of this righteous man had flowed? One cannot mistake it; it is the hand of the Lord.

Joram called this treachery, but in fact his own army officers had rebelled. It was the judgment of God against the house of Ahab. So Jehu could carry out the word of the Lord in judgment against others, though he knew nothing of the grace of God.

See this King in 2 Kings 3. He and two other rulers turn to the prophet in terrible distress. Their armies had no water. God in His goodness met their need. Then we have him in 2 Kings 5 made aware of the Lord's wonderful healing power in the matter of Naaman's leprosy. In the following chapter we find God warning him several times of plots against his life, keeping him safe. In these ways the Lord spoke to this man's heart and conscience, hoping he would turn from his evil ways and live. But with all these divine privileges, Joram perished.

Christ has "made peace by the blood of his cross." Here is the settlement of the sin question. That matters more to you than any political or industrial question in the world. The atoning blood has met God's claims about sin. So the message goes out: "peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near." Empires and kingdoms may crash. Even then, the man who is right with God through the cross of Calvary can still be in perfect peace.

Joram called this treachery, but it was actually rebellion of his own army officers, and it was the judgment of God against the house of Ahab. Turning to flee, Joram received from Jehu an arrow in his back that pierced his heart.

Jehoram cries while fleeing, "Treachery, Ahaziah!" Not treachery, but judgment! The word of God to Elijah is fulfilled to the letter. "And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death" (1 Kings 19:17). Jehu himself strikes down king Jehoram. Then Jehu recalls the prophecy of Elijah to Ahab (1 Kings 21:19-24), not in the identical words, but with the same meaning. Miserable king! In what was he trusting? In his title and his royal dignity, as we see in the ride that leads to his ruin.

And who has made all these circumstances work together to this result? Who caused Jehoram to depart from Ramoth, leaving Jehu and his captains there? Who had led him to Jizreel, the scene of Ahab's sin? Who led him to Naboth's vineyard in his chariot? Who left him lying there outside the city in the very place where the blood of this righteous man had flowed? One cannot mistake it; it is the hand of the Lord.

It was only the sudden beginning of a quick end. When God calls men to account for turning away from Him and for shedding blood, He makes only "a short work" of it. ... They killed Ahaziah king of Judah too, as he was trying to escape.

When the messengers did not return, the king went out himself to meet Jehu with the anxious question in our text: "Is it peace?" Note the reply: "What peace can there be, so long as the whorings and the sorceries of your mother Jezebel are so many?" The meaning is that no one could expect peace with so much unjudged sin in the land.

Joram, who rode out to his death like this, had been a very privileged man. Jehovah had taken great pains with him... We find God warning him several times about plots against his life, and so keeping him safe... In these various ways Jehovah spoke to this man's heart and conscience, in the hope that he would turn from his evil ways and live. But with all these divine privileges, Joram perished. How often has God spoken to us?

Christ "made peace by the blood of His cross" (Col. 1:20). Here the sin question is settled, and that matters more to you than any political or industrial question in the world. The atoning blood has met God's claims about sin. So peace is preached "to you who were far off and peace to those who were near" (Eph. 2:17)... The believer in Jesus is justified by faith, and has peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:1).

Joram cries out as he flees, "Treachery, Ahaziah!" Not treachery, but judgment! God's word to Elijah comes true to the letter: "The one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death" (1 Kings 19:17). Jehu himself strikes King Joram.

And who has made all these circumstances work together to this result? Who caused Jehoram to depart from Ramoth, leaving Jehu and his captains there? Who had led him to Jezreel, the scene of Ahab's sin? Who led him to Naboth's vineyard in his chariot? Who left him lying there outside the city in the very place where the blood of this righteous man had flowed? One cannot mistake it; it is the hand of the Lord.

God sends Elijah to meet the king, and the prophet goes ahead of him into the vineyard that Ahab had gone down to take. The king's heart bows before the word of Jehovah, and God delays the judgment until the days of his son. This is fresh proof of the patience of a God who is always ready to accept and answer any movement of a man's heart towards Himself.

The arrow was only the sudden beginning of a quick end. God makes just "a short work" with men when He calls them to account for turning away from Him and for shedding blood.

Joram called this treachery, but it was a revolt by his own army officers, and it was the judgment of God against the house of Ahab. Joram turned to flee, and Jehu's arrow struck him in the back and pierced his heart (v. 24)… So Jehu could carry out the word of the Lord in judgment against others, though he knew nothing of the grace of God.

God judges righteously. He uses Jehu to deal with the wicked house of Ahab, but He does not forget the mixed motives that drove Jehu. In carrying out the vengeance of the Lord, Jehu was only indulging his own cruel heart for his own ends. If God has to deal in judgment, it is His strange work. If Jehu undertakes to deal with evil, it is a task he enjoys. So God uses Jehu to execute judgment on Jezreel, yet He says, through the prophet Hosea, "I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel."

Miserable king! What was he trusting in? In his title and his royal dignity, as we see by the ride that leads to his ruin. In the twelve long years of his reign, no doubt — and who would dream of treachery after such a long reign? In the loyalty of his subjects and of those around him. Useless supports!

Joram, who rode out to his death, had been a very privileged person. Jehovah had taken great pains with him… In these various ways Jehovah spoke to this man's heart and conscience, hoping he would turn from his evil ways and live. But with all these privileges from God, Joram perished. How often has God spoken to us? Let us ask ourselves how many privileges He has given us in mercy.

Though it was to please the king, he would not depart from the law of the Lord and sell his inheritance. He knew the decree of the God of Israel. Inheritances were not to pass from tribe to tribe. Everyone in Israel was to keep to the inheritance of his fathers. But for his righteousness' sake he is called to suffer. Jezebel schemed, worthless men carried it out, and his blood was shed in Jezreel. Ahab then seized his inheritance, the inheritance of his fathers.

At last the blood of Naboth was about to be repaid, after more than fifteen years' delay. Like Abel's blood, it had been crying out from the ground for vengeance. God, when judging men, is never in a hurry. He allowed Jezebel to outlive not only her husband but his two successors.

Then Jehu gave orders that Joram's body was to be thrown into the field that belonged to Naboth, for Jehu remembered that the Lord had told Ahab He would repay him in that plot of land. So Jehu could carry out the word of the Lord in judgment against others, though he knew nothing of the grace of God.

A time of evil may be one when God is pleased to use the rough instrument in His government. This is one principle of God's ways in government that we do well to consider. God's use of a man is in no way 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 delight, nor could He have.

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 everyone who could oppose his ambitions. Jehu is very zealous in dealing with evil when it suits his own purpose. He is quite indifferent to evil when he decides it is convenient to leave it alone.

In all this Jehu had himself in view. He pretended zeal for the Lord, but he was satisfying his own desire. Ahab had coveted the vineyard of Naboth in Jezreel, close by his palace, and for its sake he had shed the blood of a righteous man. In the same way Jehu loved power. For its sake, and not in the spirit of service to the Lord, he carried out God's judgment on the house of Ahab. And so, like Ahab, he must answer in his turn for the blood of Jezreel. The Lord says through Hosea: "I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel."

And who has made all these circumstances work together to this result? Who caused Jehoram to depart from Ramoth, leaving Jehu and his captains there? Who had led him to Jezreel, the scene of Ahab's sin? Who led him to Naboth's vineyard in his chariot? Who left him lying there outside the city in the very place where the blood of this righteous man had flowed? One cannot mistake it; it is the hand of the Lord.

At last, after more than fifteen years' delay, the blood of Naboth was about to be repaid. Like Abel's blood, it had been crying out from the ground for vengeance. God, when judging men, is never in haste.

It was only the sudden beginning of a quick end. When God calls apostasy and bloodshed to account, He makes only "a short work" with men.

Jehoram cries while he flees, "Treachery, Ahaziah!" Not treachery, but judgment! God's word to Elijah is fulfilled to the letter: "And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death" (1 Kings 19:17). Jehu himself strikes down king Jehoram. Then he recalls Elijah's prophecy to Ahab (1 Kings 21:19-24), not in the identical words, but with the same meaning.

Then Jehu ordered his men to throw Joram's body into the field that belonged to Naboth. He remembered that the Lord had told Ahab He would repay him in that plot of land. So Jehu could carry out the word of the Lord in judgment against others, though he knew nothing of the grace of God.

In all this Jehu had himself in view. He pretended to be zealous for the Lord, but he was really satisfying his own lust. Ahab had coveted Naboth's vineyard in Jezreel, right beside his palace, and he shed the blood of a righteous man to get it. In the same way Jehu loved power. For the sake of that power, and not in a spirit of service to the Lord, he carried out God's judgment on the house of Ahab. So in his turn, like Ahab, he must answer for the blood of Jezreel. The Lord says through Hosea, "I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel."

The king of Judah should have been as the lamp of God in the darkness of that night. Instead he had chosen an evil association. Sadly, the holy seed was polluted, and the royal house had now formed an alliance that promised evil. The king of Judah was in the company of the king of Israel. God allowed them to be found together when the solemn moment came for judgment. Those who had sinned together must share the judgment. So the blow was not meant for Joram only, and it did not fall on him only. It fell on the king of Judah too.

By fleeing, Ahaziah delayed his death a short time. But they shot him in his chariot. He escaped to Megiddo and died there. He was not Ahab's descendant, yet he had identified himself with Ahab's son, so he suffered the same fate as Joram... He had reigned only one year.

Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, made an unholy alliance with the wicked murderer Ahab, king of Israel (1 Kings 22). It led to the marriage of his son to Athaliah, the wicked daughter of a wicked father. She dragged down Jehoram, Jehoshaphat's son, and she became the ruin of her son Ahaziah. A dreadful harvest!

Ahaziah was the seventh from Solomon, and the first king of Judah to die a violent death. His name is the first of the royal line left out of the genealogy in Matthew 1. He died at the early age of twenty-three... Killing the king of Judah was no part of Jehu's commission. But there he was, among those doomed to destruction, so he shared their fate. In that system of wickedness the spiritual Jezebel teaches and seduces His servants. God's call to His own there is, "Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues" (Revelation 18:4). May all His own take this call to heart even now, and separate themselves from what is fast shaping itself for its final apostasy and doom!

Compare 2 Kings 9:27-29 with 2 Chronicles 22:7-9. Before he was struck down near Megiddo, Ahaziah had fled to Samaria for refuge... His brothers were wiped out first. Only then was Ahaziah brought to Jehu. At the ascent of Gur he suffered "from God" this "complete ruin". He fled to Megiddo to die there, and was then carried to Jerusalem and buried.

Divine wrath hangs over this world. To ally yourself with it, as Ahaziah did, is to expose yourself to the sudden ruin that will overtake it. And those who go to that same world only to strengthen ties of friendship, with no thought for the holiness of God, suffer a similar fate.

Ahaziah himself was the son-in-law of the house of Ahab. His grandfather Jehoshaphat had made an alliance with Ahab to retake Ramoth-Gilead... In the same way, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram of Judah made an alliance with Jehoram of Israel, son of Ahab, to make war against Hazael, the king of Syria... This alliance with the kings of Israel was an abomination in the eyes of the Lord... So after opposing Hazael, God's rod against Israel, Ahaziah puts himself under the blows of Jehu, the second of God's rods against his ally.

Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, made an unholy alliance with the wicked murderer Ahab, king of Israel (1 Kings 22). It led to the marriage of his son to Athaliah, the wicked daughter of a wicked father. She dragged down Jehoram, Jehoshaphat's son, and she became the ruin of her own son Ahaziah. A dreadful harvest!

He was the "seventh" from Solomon, and the first king of Judah to die a violent death. His name is the first of the royal line left out of the family list in Matthew 1. The first of his three names, Jehoahaz — "whom the Lord helps" — clashes sharply with his character... He died young, at the age of twenty-three... It was no part of Jehu's task to kill the king of Judah. But Jehu found him among those doomed to destruction, so he shared their fate. And God's call to His own, in that system of iniquity where the spiritual Jezebel teaches and seduces His servants, is, "Come out of her, My people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues" (Rev. 18:4).

Ahaziah meets the same fate (vv. 27-29), yet with his judgment softened, since the Lord had not yet finally rejected the house of Judah. His "coming to Joram was from God the complete ruin of Ahaziah" (2 Chr. 22:7). Even so, no one left him to the wild animals and the birds of the sky like a vile criminal. They buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the city of David.

They killed him, but because he was the grandson of Jehoshaphat they buried him.

There is no contradiction here. When he fled by way of the "garden house" (Bethzan), he escaped to Samaria, where his "brothers" and the princes of Judah were. From there Jehu chased him to the hill Gur and killed him.

Only after his brothers had been killed was Ahaziah brought to Jehu. There he suffered "from God" this "complete ruin" at the ascent of Gur. He fled to Megiddo and died there, and his servants then carried him to Jerusalem and buried him there.

Ahaziah must have reigned as his father's deputy during the last year of his father's sickness. This is clear from a comparison of 2 Kings 8:25 with 9:29. He was the youngest and only remaining son of Jehoram.

These so-called contradictions are never contradictions to the simple Christian. He has received these accounts from the hand of God. He cannot always answer the objections, for he is a limited creature who knows little. But as he waits on the Lord, the answer will come sooner or later — at the time God judges to be right. For him one fact is settled: God has spoken. God will prove true when He speaks, and every man a liar.

The record makes his connection with Ahab prominent. He did evil in the sight of the Lord. He made an alliance with Ahab's son Joram (or Jehoram), who was still king in Israel... The unholy alliance of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, with the wicked murderer Ahab, king of Israel (1 Kings 22) ended in the marriage of Jehoshaphat's son to Athaliah, the wicked daughter of a wicked father. She dragged Jehoram, Jehoshaphat's son, down with her, and she became the ruin of her son Ahaziah. A dreadful harvest!

This alliance with the kings of Israel was an abomination in the eyes of the Lord... Joram of Israel withdrew to Jezreel to heal from his wounds. It was there that his ally Ahaziah, king of Judah, came to him to express his sympathy. By the world's standards this was an act of simple courtesy. But Ahaziah had opposed Hazael, God's rod against Israel. Now he lays himself open to the blows of Jehu, the second of God's rods against his ally. These judgments on Israel neither move him nor hold him back, and now they reach his own person!

He was the first king of Judah to die a violent death, at the early age of twenty-three. One of his three names, Jehoahaz — "whom the Lord helps" — clashes sharply with his character. Perhaps that is why Scripture calls him by that name only once. His is also the first name of the royal line left out of the family line of Jesus in Matthew 1. Jehu had no orders to kill the king of Judah. But Jehu found him among those marked for destruction, and so he shared their fate. There is a system of wickedness where the spiritual Jezebel teaches and seduces His servants. God's call to His own in it is, "Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues" (Rev. 18:4).

Jezebel "painted her eyes," as 2 Kings 9:30 should read. Israel is compared to an immoral woman who painted her eyes (Ezekiel 23:40)... The eyelids and eyebrows were painted with antimony or some other pigment. This made the eyes look larger. Small bottles and the short sticks used to apply the moistened powder have been found in the tombs of Egypt.

Her innate vanity showed itself right up to the last. She probably knew her end had come. But instead of preparing her soul, she adorned her body — soon to be eaten by dogs. She darkened her brows and eyelashes with antimony, as was the Eastern custom, so that she might look queenly and beautiful even in death.

When she heard that Jehu had come to Jezreel she put paint on her eyes, adorned her head and looked through a window. Did she think she could impress Jehu this way?

She painted her face to make herself look beautiful. Did she try to attract Jehu? Hardly that, for she was an old woman, having a grandson twenty-two years old (2 Kings 8:26). It was a proud defiance — she would meet death like a queen.

Jezebel hears of it and paints her face and decks her head in savage confidence of triumph. She wants to show him that she does not fear him or his company, for she still has authority and power. From high up in the window she flings these mocking words down at him: "Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of his master?" Is it peace for you? You are worth no more than Zimri, Baasha's assassin. He managed to reign for seven days after his conspiracy; then he perished.

Jehu, now at the height of his power, relents a little toward this wicked woman Jezebel... But what had God said? The prophet had said, "The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her." Jehu had heard that word only a short time before... Now the old respect for a queen — a king's daughter — seems to rise in his mind. He says, "Bury her, for she is a king's daughter." But the word of God had already given its own command. And they went to bury her. Their purpose was to obey him. In vain.

This New Testament Jezebel matches the woman of 2 Kings 9:30 with the painted face and styled hair, who mixed heathenism with Israel's pure religion. And in her the depths of Satan were to be found!

Her natural vanity showed itself right up to the end. She probably knew her end had come; but instead of preparing her soul, she adorned her body — soon to be eaten by dogs — darkening her brows and eyelashes with antimony, as was the Eastern custom, so that she might look queenly and beautiful even in death.

As Jehu came in the gate, she insolently called him Zimri, asking him if it was peace. Zimri had killed Elah the son of Baasha while Elah was drinking himself drunk. He seized the throne of Israel. He reigned only seven days and killed himself. Jezebel called Jehu "murderer of your master," but she ignored her own guilt in murdering many people.

Jezebel hears of it and paints her face and decks her head in fierce confidence of triumph. She wants to show him that she does not fear him or his company, for she still has authority and power. From high up in the window she flings these mocking words down at him: "Is it peace, you Zimri, murderer of your master?" Is it peace for you? You are worth no more than Zimri, who assassinated Baasha's son. All this contempt echoes in these few words.

To reach the throne fitted Jehu's own ambitions exactly. To strike the house of Ahab would look to Jehu like sound policy for securing himself as king. So he carries out the Lord's instructions with the greatest possible energy and zeal. But 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 everyone who could oppose his ambitions.

Jehu would not be frightened or turned aside from the dreadful commission God had given him... Now the old respect for a queen — a king's daughter — seems to rise in his mind. He says, "Bury her, for she is a king's daughter." But the word of God had already given its own command... They went to bury her. They meant to obey him. It was no use. They found nothing left of her but the skull, the feet and the palms of her hands.

This New Testament Jezebel is the counterpart of the woman with the painted face and adorned head of 2 Kings 9:30, who mixed heathen religion with Israel's pure religion. In her the depths of Satan were to be found! This need not surprise us. At the end she changes her character somewhat. In Revelation 17 and 18 she comes forth as the woman with Babylon on her forehead, and the enormous evils in her come to the surface.

Her deep-seated vanity showed itself right to the end. She probably knew her end had come. But instead of preparing her soul, she adorned her body — soon to be eaten by dogs. She darkened her brows and eyelashes with antimony, as was the eastern custom, so that she might appear queenly and beautiful even in death. Her daring spirit, even with her last breath, taunts her killer by reminding him of Zimri's end.

Jehu called out, "Who is on my side?" (v. 32). Moses had said, "Who is on the Lord's side?" (Ex. 32:26), a much more fitting word than Jehu's. Two or three eunuchs looked out of a window, and he told them, "Throw her down" (v. 33).

Here we see how much Jehu is a stranger in his thoughts to the honour and the glory of the Lord. All the while he knows the divine decree, and he knows that he is the one carrying it out. One might have expected the words "Who is for the Lord?" to come out of his mouth. But God had little place in the thoughts of this violent and ambitious man.

He saw the folly of idolatry: energetic and ambitious, his interest lay on the other side. When the prophet of the Lord announces to him the near possession of the throne, he listens to him. He was perhaps sincere in the conviction that the Lord was God. He was quite ready to honour Him when his interest agreed with his convictions. Ahab's religion had no charm for him.

God, in His righteous judgment, uses Jehu to deal with the wicked house of Ahab. Yet He does not overlook the mixed motives that drove Jehu. In carrying out the vengeance of the Lord, Jehu was simply indulging his own cruel heart for his own ends. If God has to deal in judgment, it is His strange work. If Jehu undertakes to deal with evil, it is a task he enjoys. So while God uses Jehu to carry out judgment on Jezreel, He still says through the prophet Hosea, "I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel" (Hosea 1:4).

Here we see how far Jehu's thoughts are from the honour and the glory of the Lord. He knows the divine decree, and he knows that he is the one carrying it out. You might have expected the words "Who is for the Lord?" to come out of his mouth, but God had little place in the thoughts of this violent and ambitious man. Even what Elijah had prophesied about Jezebel — a scene he had been present at — does not come back to his memory. Later his men return, having found nothing but some wretched dog-eaten remains. Then he recalls the prophecy — but only when it agrees with his passions. If it is a matter of governing his conduct by the prophecy, he pays it no attention.

More than fifteen years had passed since the Lord, through Elijah, had announced the doom of the house of Ahab and the doom of Jezebel. And now the hour of execution had come. God will judge in the end, though He is never in a hurry to carry out the judgments He has threatened.

The will of man has very little to do with the accomplishing of the word of God. Jehu, now at the height of his power, softens a little toward this wicked woman Jezebel. But what had God said? The prophet had said, "The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her." Jehu had heard that word only a short time before, and he showed that he meant to carry out his commission exactly. But how little any man, good or bad, carries out the word of God! Now, it seems, the old feeling of respect for a queen rises in his mind. He says, "Bury her, for she is a king's daughter." But the word of God had already given its own command... They went to bury her. Their intention was to obey him. It was useless.

God used Jehu to deal with the wicked house of Ahab. But in His righteous judgment He was not unaware of the mixed motives that drove Jehu. In carrying out the Lord's vengeance, Jehu was simply indulging his own cruel heart for his own ends. If God has to deal in judgment, it is His strange work. If Jehu undertakes to deal with evil, it is a task he enjoys. So God uses Jehu to execute judgment on Jezreel. Yet He still says through the prophet Hosea, "I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel."

Revelation shows us "Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations," riding on a scarlet beast. This woman is the final development of Jezebel... She rides on the beast, and this suggests that the religious power will gain considerable influence over the governments at the time of the end. But the harlot's supremacy will be short-lived. The infuriated kings will, when the moment is right, turn on her... Ahab's Jezebel had a gruesome end. That which has reproduced her enormous evils, and practised them in the name of "the holy one, the true one," will have a terrible end also.

Not many men would feel like eating after such work. But Jehu went inside to eat and drink, leaving Jezebel's body lying on the street. Only after satisfying his own appetite did Jehu think of burying Jezebel. His reason now was that she was a king's daughter (v. 34).

The will of man has very little to do with the carrying out of the word of God. Jehu is now at the height of his power, and he softens a little towards this wicked woman Jezebel. He does say, "See now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king's daughter." But what had God said? The prophet had said, "The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her." Jehu had heard that word only a short time before... Now, it seems, the old respect for one who was a queen — a king's daughter — rises in his mind. So he says, "Bury her, for she is a king's daughter." But the word of God had already given its own command. And they went to bury her. Their purpose was to obey him. It was useless.

Here we see how far Jehu's thoughts are from the honour and glory of the Lord. He knows the divine decree. He knows that he is the one carrying it out. One might have expected the words "Who is for the Lord?" to come from his mouth, but God had little place in the thoughts of this violent and ambitious man. Even what Elijah had prophesied about Jezebel — a scene at which he had been present — does not come back to his memory. He does recall the prophecy afterwards — but only when it agrees with his passions. If it comes to governing his conduct by it, he pays it no heed.

To reach the throne was entirely in line with Jehu's ambitions. To strike down the house of Ahab would look to Jehu like sound policy for establishing himself as king. So he carries out the Lord's directions 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 everyone who could oppose his ambitions. He is very zealous against evil when it suits his own purpose, but quite indifferent to evil when he decides it is good policy to leave it alone... He destroys the worship of Baal; he preserves the golden calves.

So this wretched woman came to a miserable end. She was a foreigner in Israel. She did everything she could to make her Tyrian Baal worship the established religion of her husband's kingdom. She did not hesitate to kill anyone who dared oppose her campaign, or who got in the way of her desires and designs in any way... Her tragic death is like a shadow thrown ahead of a coming event foretold in Rev. 17:17. That event is Babylon's end, "the judgment of the great whore," whose idolatries and crimes have stained the earth.

The will of man has little to do with the accomplishment of the word of God. Jehu, now at the height of his power, softens a little towards this wicked woman Jezebel. He says, "Go, see now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king's daughter." But what had God said? ... But the word of God had already spoken its own command. And they went to bury her. Their purpose was to obey him. In vain. They found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands.

Her body had been eaten by dogs, even her bones taken away! The skull would remind us of the imaginations of her head. The feet would remind us that her feet had been swift to shed blood. The palms of her hands would remind us that her works were wicked. Who would envy a remembrance of this kind? Her end was swift and terrible, just as the Lord had predicted through Elijah.

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. He allowed Jezebel to outlive not only her husband, but his two successors.

Jehu entered the royal palace to feast and afterwards gave command to bury the cursed woman. But little was left of her. And Jehu said, "This is the word of the LORD, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite." ... God's judgments are often slow, but they are sure.

Here we see how far Jehu's thoughts are from the honour and the glory of the Lord. All the while he knows the divine decree, and knows that he is the one carrying it out. ... Even what Elijah had prophesied about Jezebel, a scene at which he had been present, does not come back to his memory. He says, "Go, see now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king's daughter." When the men return, having found nothing more than some wretched dog-eaten remains, he recalls the prophecy — but only when it agrees with his passions. If it is a matter of governing his conduct by the prophecy, he pays it no attention.

In His righteous judgment God uses Jehu to deal with the wicked house of Ahab. But He is not unmindful of the mixed motives that drove Jehu. In carrying out the vengeance of the Lord, Jehu was simply indulging his own cruel heart for his own ends. If God has to deal in judgment, it is His strange work. If Jehu undertakes to deal with evil, it is a task he enjoys. So while God uses Jehu to carry out judgment on Jezreel, He still says through the prophet Hosea, "I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel" (Hosea 1:4).

She is made, as we believe, a type of papal Rome. History does not supply a more suitable character to represent that system of idolatry, corruption and murder. Her tragic death casts a shadow forward to a coming event foretold in Revelation 17:17. That event is Babylon's end — "the judgment of the great prostitute," whose idolatries and crimes have stained the earth.

More than fifteen years had passed since the LORD spoke through Elijah. He had announced the doom of the house of Ahab and the doom of Jezebel. And now the hour of execution had come. God will judge in the end, though He is never in haste to carry out the judgments He has threatened.

The will of man has very little to do with the carrying out of the word of God. Jehu is now at the height of his power. He softens a little towards this wicked woman Jezebel. He says: "Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her, for she is a king's daughter." But the word of God had spoken its own command first. And they went to bury her. They meant to obey him. It was useless. They found no more of her than the skull, the feet and the palms of her hands. So they came back and told him. He was now convinced how mighty the word of the Lord was, and he said, "This is the word of the LORD, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite."

If God has to deal in judgment, it is His strange work. If Jehu takes on the job of dealing with evil, the task suits him. So while God uses Jehu to carry out judgment on Jezreel, He still says, through the prophet Hosea, "I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel."

When his servants went to bury her, they found only her skull, her feet and the palms of her hands. Dogs had eaten her body, and even her bones were gone. The skull would remind us of the thoughts of her head. The feet would remind us that her feet were swift to shed blood. The palms of her hands would remind us that her works were wicked. Who would want to be remembered like that? Her end was swift and terrible, exactly as the Lord had said through Elijah.

So God carried it out, and the LORD avenged the blood of Naboth most sternly. The field was bought at a heavy price, and it was taken from the family. Had Naboth been killed? Had his sons failed to inherit? In every part sin meets its punishment.

There would be no tomb to mark the place where her remains lay. So this wretched woman died a miserable death. She was a foreigner in Israel. She did all she could to make the Baal-worship she brought from Tyre the official religion of her husband's kingdom. And she did not hesitate to kill anyone who dared oppose her campaign or get in the way of her plans. Her tragic death throws a shadow ahead of a coming event foretold in Revelation 17:17 — Babylon's end.

What is remarkable is this. The will of man has very little to do with the carrying out of the word of God. Jehu, now at the height of his power, relents a little toward this wicked woman Jezebel. He says, "See now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king's daughter" — but what had God said? But the word of God had already given its own command. And they went to bury her. Their purpose was to obey him. It was in vain.

More than fifteen years had passed. Through Elijah, the Lord had announced the doom of the house of Ahab and the doom of Jezebel. And now the hour of execution had come. God will judge in the end, though He is never in a hurry to carry out the judgments He has threatened.

In those days Naboth of Jezreel stood as the righteous one in the land. Even to please the king he would not turn aside from the law of the Lord and sell his inheritance. But for his righteousness' sake he is called to suffer. Jezebel schemed, certain worthless men shed his blood in Jezreel, and Ahab seized his inheritance, the inheritance of his fathers. For this deed the Lord, through His prophet, pronounces judgment on Ahab and his house. Blow upon blow, He makes a full end of them. Blood flows in the portion of Jezreel — the blood of Ahab, the blood of Joram his son, and the blood of Jezebel.

But when his servants went to bury her, they found only her skull, her feet and the palms of her hands. Dogs had eaten her body, and even her bones were taken away. The skull reminds us of the thoughts of her head. The feet remind us that her feet were quick to shed blood. The palms of her hands remind us that her works were wicked. Who would want to be remembered like that?

She probably knew her end had come; but instead of preparing her soul, she adorned her body.

There should be no tomb to mark the resting place of her remains.

"The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot." So Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David, Daniel, Paul, Peter, John and many others are still honoured through the ages in the hearts of multitudes. Meanwhile the names of many godless opponents of the truth of God are forgotten like rotted refuse. Or if people do remember some names, such as Ahab, Jezebel, Athaliah, those names only stir up disgust and horror.

In His righteous judgment God uses Jehu to deal with the wicked house of Ahab. But He does not overlook the mixed motives that drove Jehu. In carrying out the Lord's vengeance, Jehu was indulging his own cruel heart for his own ends. If God has to deal in judgment, it is His strange work. If Jehu undertakes to deal with evil, it is a task he enjoys. So God uses Jehu to execute judgment on Jezreel. Yet He also says, through the prophet Hosea, "I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel" (Hosea 1:4).

Her tragic death is like a shadow thrown ahead of the coming event foretold in Revelation 17:17. That event is Babylon's end, "the judgment of the great prostitute," whose idolatries and crimes have stained the earth.