Jehu and the Rechabites, 2 Kings 9 - 10

Theme

Because God desires the affections of our heart, He is more interested in our motives than our deeds. Secondly, our handling of God’s Word is a serious matter.

Time: About 841 BC

Background

A previous study examined the decadent descendants of Jehoshaphat and Ahab. This study describes God’s judgement of Jehoshaphat’s ill advised alliance with Baal-worshipping Israel, foretold through His prophets. God’s thoroughness in eradicating Ahab’s stain was most important from the perspective of the Messianic line of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jehoshaphat allied the House of David with Israel by marrying his son and heir, Jehoram, to Athaliah, daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. Both Jezebel and Athaliah were fierce Baal worshippers who spread their pagan cause throughout Israel and Judah by deceit, corruption, and murder (including infantcide). God’s thorough cleansing of Baalism stands in contrast with His people’s incomplete elimination of Caananite religion which He had commanded.

Secular historical events also played a part in regional politics. Israel’s foreign policy was faced with Moab’s revolt and successive wars with Syria, including the delivery of besieged Samaria by four lepers. Ahab lost his life in another of these wars. Syria was prevented from overrunning Israel by Assyria, whose growing empire in the upper Euphrates valley claimed great military attention. Later, after Assyria settled internal strife and conflicts with the waning Hittite empire of southeastern Turkey, their power dominated the Middle East. God ordained these pressures upon Syria to check its military designs upon Israel, but also to remind His people of His sovereign grace.

Jehu's account begins with Jehoshaphat’s grandson Ahaziah joining Ahab’s son Jehoram in a successful campaign for Ramoth Gilead against Syria. Ahaziah accompanied his uncle Jehoram, but the level of Judah's military support is not known. Jehoram was wounded in this battle and retired to his palace at Jezreel beside Naboth’s vineyard, leaving his general Jehu in charge of fending off Syrian counter-attacks. Ahaziah accompanied his uncle to Jezreel.

Personalities

Jehu: An Israelite general. God commanded Elijah to have Jehu anointed King of Israel (1 Kings 19:16) on Mt. Horeb to destroy the House of Ahab, avenging the death His prophets

Ahaziah (or Jehoahaz): King of Judah, grandson of Jehoshaphat and son of Jehoram and Athaliah; also grandson of Ahab and Jezebel

Jezebel: Wife of Ahab and daughter of Ethbaal of Sidon. Ethbaal was a pagan priest who usurped the Sidonian throne by regicide

Jehoram (ben Ahab): King of Israel, younger son of Ahab and Jezebel who took the throne on his brother’s death.

Jehonadab: A descendant of Rechab the Kenite and ruler of his tribe

God commissions Jehu 

2 Kings 9:1-10

And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramothgilead: And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber; Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not. So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramothgilead. And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of all us? And he said, To thee, O captain. And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel. And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel: And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah: And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.

Elisha gave a young man specific instructions for anointing Jehu, which were originally contained in the prophecy that God had given to Elijah on Mt. Horeb (1 Kings 19:16 - 17). This passage also restates the prophecy of Elijah against Ahab and his house regarding the matter of Naboth and his vineyard (1 Kings 21:21 - 25).

Scripture recounts this young man’s faithfulness in following God’s Word, which was crucially important. 1 Peter 1:10-16 depicts the Old Testament prophets, who studied God’s Word to determine the nature and times of Christ’s sufferings and glory: "Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow." It is vitally important that meaning be derived from Scripture, rather than adding meaning to it. Calvin says of the Old Testament prophets described in 1 Peter 1:10-11:

“It is more worthy of observation, that he does not say that the prophets searched according to their own understanding as to the time when Christ’s kingdom would come, but that they applied their minds to the revelation of the Spirit. Thus they have taught us by their example a sobriety in learning, for they did not go beyond what the Spirit taught them. And doubtless there will be no limits to man’s curiosity, except the Spirit of God presides over their minds, so that they may not desire anything else than to speak from him. And further, the spiritual kingdom is a higher subject than what the human mind can succeed in investigating, except the Spirit be the guide. May we also therefore submit to his guidance.”
It is a worthy goal to emulate these men of God and this young man in particular, and handle the whole Word of God with care and respect.
God’s judgements appear harsh, but Jehu carried them out precisely and completely. How many times had God warned Israel and Ahab of the consequences of their actions? How many times had God called for Israel’s return to Him through Elijah’s and Elisha’s prophecies, through the prophecies of others, and through Moses’s Law? Recall God’s miraculous deliverances from drought, military invasion, and starvation. Recall how God repeatedly displayed His sovereign control of events to Israel’s benefit. God’s grace toward Israel is plain in light of Ahab’s and Jezebel’s complete refusal to consider the consequences of their actions and turn from Baal.

God’s love and care toward His saints and His jealousy for them are also seen in these events. Jezebel’s sin of slaying God’s prophets and servants is specifically cited in this passage. This grossest form of unbelief is also caused the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians (2 Chronicles 36:16-17) and a second destruction by the Romans (Matthew 23:37-38). Scripture teaches that God is very solicitous the welfare of His people. The world trifles with His saints at its peril.

Jehu takes action

Jehu is acclaimed King of Israel

2 Kings 9:11-14

Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the man, and his communication. And they said, It is false; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus spake he to me, saying, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king. So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram had kept Ramothgilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria.

The world has always considered God’s people to be mad, including the Lord Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, and the Apostle Paul. Peter says that believers are considered strange for not engaging in evil worldy ways (1 Peter 4:4). Men’s interest in God, however, is stimulated when they perceive personal benefit. Jehu’s lieutenants forgot their earlier appraisal of the young man when his message opened to them the possibility of power.

Israel sinned by worshipping golden calves at Dan and Bethel, but the national spirit was offended by Jezebel’s introduction of a foreign cult. Many powerful and influential people in Israel were comfortable with calf worship. They considered Baal worship to be foreign and heathen, while calf worship was patriotic and proper. Jehu and his lieutenants quickly saw the possibility of using God’s Word delivered by the young man for their own aims. Their fleshly motives gained them a fleshly reward, but no lasting spiritual one.

These leaders scorned the young man at first, but were still curious to know what he said to Jehu. As important military and political leaders, they were too sophisticated to believe in messages of confession, repentance, and faith, just as men are today. But, the Great King used their “sophistication” and personal ambitions to fulfill His Divine will and purpose. Who can deny that God is the one who sets up Kings and brings them down? (Daniel 2:21)

Jehu slays Jehoram, King of Israel

2 Kings 9:15-26

But king Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If it be your minds, then let none go forth nor escape out of the city to go to tell it in Jezreel. So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come down to see Joram. And there stood a watchman on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take an horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace? So there went one on horseback to meet him, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, The messenger came to them, but he cometh not again. Then he sent out a second on horseback, which came to them, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu answered, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, He came even unto them, and cometh not again: and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously. And Joram said, Make ready. And his chariot was made ready. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out against Jehu, and met him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite. And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many? And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah. And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot. Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the LORD laid this burden upon him; Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the LORD; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the LORD. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the LORD.

Jehu planned and executed his coup swiftly, but each step was carefully calculated for maximum advantage to his own cause. God used a cunning, thorough, and violent man to judge the House of Ahab, eliminate Baal worship from Israel, and serve notice on His people that His promises of blessing and curse in Deuteronomy 28 remained in force.

Jehu announced that Jezebel’s Baal influence was finished, but his policy was based on rebellion against the House of David and calf worship instead of true worship of God. Elimination of Ahab’s house and its foreign Baal cult was politically expedient for his new regime. God calls for forsaking all sin, whether that sin results in loss or gain, regardless of whether that sin is loathsome or respectable. Jehu’s application of God’s Word to his deeds was false, since God’s Word calls everyone to hate all sin, not just that of others. (Psalm 199:104, Romans 7:15)

Jehu ensured that witnesses remembered Ahab’s judgement from God in the matter of Naboth’s vineyard to justify his coup, but his concern for the LORD was revealed by his calf worship. Jehu sought his own will rather than God’s, so he received fleshly reward of the throne, but also eternal judgement (2 Kings 10:29-32). Even though Jehu used God’s Word as a mandate to carry out his own will, God had ordained Jehu to carry out His judgements. Jehu’s arrow that began God’s judgement of Ahab’s house was guided as surely as the arrow that ended Ahab’s reign.

Jehu slays Ahaziah, King of Judah

2 Kings 9:27-29

But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there. And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the city of David. And in the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab began Ahaziah to reign over Judah.

Contrast godless Jehu carrying out God’s will with godly Jehoshaphat, who despite having a heart for God like David, insisted upon intermarriage with the Baalite House of Ahab. God began to dismantle Jehoshaphat’s fleshly works in verse 27 because they threatened the Messianic line of David. Our finite minds are not able to comprehend His grand plan, but this account gives some insight as to the complexity and thoroughness of God’s dealings with men.

Jehu has Jezebel killed

2 Kings 9:30-37

And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window. And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master? And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs. And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot. And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king’s daughter. And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.

Jehu called Jezebel a cursed woman in verse 34. She was the instigator of Ahab’s evil designs (1 Kings 21:25) and the example for wicked Athaliah, wife of Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram. Jezebel remained fiercely unrepentant to the end of her life. Like the woman of Thyatira in Revelation 2:20, she was given a long time to repent and a gruesome end, along with her offspring.

Jezebel’s heart was so hardened against God that no example of judgement caused her to repent. After hearing of her son’s slaying by Jehu and knowing what her fate must be at his hands, she arrayed and asserted herself as queen. No stranger to the use of murder to gain even her whims, such as in the matter of Naboth, she ignored God’s judgement and haughtily challenged Jehu.

Jezebel recalled that Elah, King of Israel, was slain by Zimri, who in turn was slain by Ahab’s father Omri. Her inference was that Jehu would have no peace after his coup. Obeying God’s will violates man's wisdom and custom and in some cases, results in serious consequences. Jehu was rewarded in the flesh for his fleshly obedience. True believers will experience a spiritual reward for spiritual obedience to God (Luke 18:29-30, James 1:12).

Jehu did not bother to answer Jezebel and was not put off by her brazen threats. Her power and position were ended and her life was snuffed out in disgrace. Jezebel’s stunning judgement was quickly effected and her earthly remains were cast like filth into city gutters, a fact which the Scriptural account takes special note of in verse 37.

In the end, none of Jezebel’s power, pomp, or privilege proved to be lasting. The demise of modern evil tyrants, including ones who possessed great power such as Hitler and Stalin were pathetic and final like Jezebel’s, though for a day they held great power. The comparison of Scriptural events with those of today reminds us that God still orders the affairs of men.

Jehu forces Israel’s leaders to slay Ahab’s house in Israel

2 Kings 10:1-11

And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to them that brought up Ahab’s children, saying, Now as soon as this letter cometh to you, seeing your master’s sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, a fenced city also, and armour; Look even out the best and meetest of your master’s sons, and set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house. But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, two kings stood not before him: how then shall we stand? And he that was over the house, and he that was over the city, the elders also, and the bringers up of the children, sent to Jehu, saying, We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us; we will not make any king: do thou that which is good in thine eyes. Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be mine, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the men your master’s sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to morrow this time. Now the king’s sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, which brought them up. And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons, and slew seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent him them to Jezreel. And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king’s sons. And he said, Lay ye them in two heaps at the entering in of the gate until the morning. And it came to pass in the morning, that he went out, and stood, and said to all the people, Ye be righteous: behold, I conspired against my master, and slew him: but who slew all these? Know now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the LORD, which the LORD spake concerning the house of Ahab: for the LORD hath done that which he spake by his servant Elijah. So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he left him none remaining.

Jehu’s next act was to eliminate all possible candidates for Israel’s throne that might challenge him. This was a common oriental practice, but Jehu conducted his purge so that Ahab’s administration would bear public guilt while Jehu remained untarnished.

Jehu challenged the elders of Samaria to raise up a king from Ahab’s descendants. His tactic forced the elders to surrender control of the city and its garrison, or else identify themselves as his opponents. Jehu had ample opportunity observe the ethics of the nation’s leaders when Naboth was murdered. He knew their unethical self interest would choose to execute the children and grandchildren entrusted to them, even though their treachery would be public.

Finally, Jehu slew the royal court that had been at Jezreel with Jehoram and Jezebel. Only Ahab’s Judean descendants and the adherents of the Baal cult were left for Jehu’s attention.

Jehu slays the Judean descendants of Ahab

2 Kings 10:12-14

And he arose and departed, and came to Samaria. And as he was at the shearing house in the way, Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are ye? And they answered, We are the brethren of Ahaziah; and we go down to salute the children of the king and the children of the queen. And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of the shearing house, even two and forty men; neither left he any of them.

Ahaziah of Judah’s brothers were slain by Philistines and Arabians (2 Chronicles 21:16-17), but other members of the royal family had survived. These people may have been sons of his father’s concubines, therefore, half-brothers. Ahaziah’s dead brothers may have had children, and his uncles who were slain by Athaliah and Jehoram, Ahaziah’s parents, may have had offspring. Scripture simply tells us that they were related to Ahaziah and they were slain by Jehu. Not knowing recent events, they were journeying to visit Jezebel and their relatives in Israel when they were slain. The remaining descendants of Ahab in Judah were slain by Athaliah when she heard the news of her son’s death, except for a single infant. By 2 Kings 11, the only person of Ahab’s House yet to receive God’s justice was Athaliah herself.

Jehonadab the Rechabite

2 Kings 10:15-16

And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot. And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD. So they made him ride in his chariot.

Kenites are first mentioned in Genesis 15:19 as people whose lands will comprise the Promised Land. In Numbers 24:22, Baalam pronounced a prophecy of God against them. Saul warned them to flee from his extermination of the Amalekites in 1 Samuel 15:6, because they had showed kindness to the Israelites in the wilderness (in contrast with the Amalekites). Judges 1:6 describes the Kenites as descendants of Moses’s father in law, who entered the Promised Land with the Israelites and settled in the wilderness of Judah. During the time of Deborah the Judge, Heber’s family had separated from the main tribe of Kenites and lived as nomads in northern Israel. 1 Chronicles 2:55 has Kenites dwelling in Jabez of Judah, and as being part of the ancestry of Rechab and his house.

Jehonadab the Rechabite was an influential man in Israel who descended from the Kenites, the tribe associated with Moses’s father in law (Judges 1:6). Rechab appears to have been a Kenite in Judah who gave his name to a Kenite clan, that of “Rechabites”. Jehonadab laid down strict rules of life for the Rechabites that the prophet Jeremiah referred to in Jeremiah 35. A summary of these rules is:

Jeremiah does not commend or condemn Jehonadab’s rules for living. His purpose was to upbraid God’s people by pointing out that the Rechabites still followed laws given by a man faithfully 250 years after they were given, but the Jews would not follow God’s word sent by His prophets. God would therefore send Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians to judge them.

The point to be noticed in connection with the Scriptural account of Jehu is the comparison between Jehu and Jehonadab, which is a comparison between a man who performs works in accordance with God’s Word, but is not godly, and a man who is truly zealous for God in his heart.

Jehu was sure to follow God’s Word when it made him king and ensured his rule, but when God called for worship of Him at Jerusalem, Jehu sacrificed his people’s spiritual well being by promoting calf worship for his own political ends. Jehonadab, in contrast, encouraged his people to eschew the worldly benefits and pleasures of property ownership, alcohol, and a reliable food supply to serve God. Jehu encouraged his people to posses an earthly inheritance and worship a patriotic totem with no spiritual reality. Jehonadab served the king, opposed false religion, and encouraged his people to consider themselves sojourners on earth in order to be servants of God.

Jehu slays the Baal religion’s leaders

2 Kings 10:17-28

And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the LORD, which he spake to Elijah. And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu shall serve him much. Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtilty, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal. And Jehu said, Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed it. And Jehu sent through all Israel: and all the worshippers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that came not. And they came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was full from one end to another. And he said unto him that was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the worshippers of Baal. And he brought them forth vestments. And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal, and said unto the worshippers of Baal, Search, and look that there be here with you none of the servants of the LORD, but the worshippers of Baal only. And when they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu appointed fourscore men without, and said, If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escape, he that letteth him go, his life shall be for the life of him. And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, and slay them; let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal. And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal, and burned them. And they brake down the image of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day. Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.

The only party left to oppose Jehu and receive God’s judgement in Israel were the worshippers of Baal. Jehu thoroughly destroyed this group by the ruse of professing to serve Baal. Baal worship did not have the same degree of royal sanction under Jehoram as it did under Ahab (2 Kings 3:2), but here Scripture shows that a large and powerful group remained. God forbade the worship of false gods, including Baal, for which the penalty was death (Exodus 22:20, Deuteronomy 13:6-11). But, God is not glorified by the use of lies, guile, and mental reservation. This is another evidence that although Jehu was carrying out God’s will, his heart was not motivated by devotion to God. Regarding this aspect of Jehu’s behavior, we too, are sometimes called to make the choice of serving God openly or being deceptive. God does not approve of dishonesty.

All followers of Baal were to assemble for a great feast wearing special attire. The assembly was screened to ensure that no worshippers of the LORD were present. Under threat of capital punishment, those loyal to Jehu slew the Baalists completely and destroyed their pagan temple, which was turned it into a public latrine.

This completed Jehu’s work of executing the LORD’s judgement,. Let us examine how he executed his other obligations of rule.

Conclusion

2 Kings 10:29-31

Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Bethel, and that were in Dan. And the LORD said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel. But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin.

Jehu executed God’s judgement on Jezebel, Jehoram, Ahaziah, 70 sons of Ahab, and 42 brethren of Ahaziah, members of Ahab’s government, and a large group of Baal worshippers. For toppling a government and killing its rulers, and intolerance of the Baal religion, God commended and rewarded Jehu.

Jehu the statesman restored the national religion and customs, and for compromise and political expediency, was judged, and his dynasty cut off. Putting and end to evil is not enough for our God - to be a man after David’s own heart requires seeking Him whom David sought.

Resources

Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, 2 Kings 9 - 10, Matthew Henry

Commentary on the Old Testament, Keil and Delitzsch, 2 Kings 9 - 10, C. F. Keil

Bible History, Old Testament, Book 6, chapters 16 - 17, Alfred Edersheim

Antiquities of the Jews, Book 9, chapter 6, Josephus

Articles: “Jehu”, “Jehonadab”, “Rechab, Rechabites”, “Jezebel”, The
Zondervon Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, ed. by Merrill Tenney

Chronological Charts of the Old Testament, John H. Walton

The Catholic Epistles, 1 Peter 1:10-11, John Calvin

“Heedlessness in Religion” Charles Spurgeon sermon #685

Spurgeon’s Devotional Bible, 2 Kings 9:1-7, 14, 21-26, 30-37; Charles Spurgeon


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