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2 Kings Chapter 10
Jehu Slaughters Ahab's Descendants
- 2Kings 10:1 And Ahab
had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and sent to
Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to them
that brought up Ahab's children, saying,
- 2 Now as soon as
this letter cometh to you, seeing your master's sons are with
you, and there are with you chariots and horses, a fenced city
also, and armour;
- 3 Look even out the
best and meetest of your master's sons, and set him on his
father's throne, and fight for your master's house.
- 4 But they were
exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, two kings stood not before
him: how then shall we stand?
- 5 And he that was
over the house, and he that was over the city, the elders also,
and the bringers up of the children, sent to Jehu, saying, We
are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us; we
will not make any king: do thou that which is good in thine
eyes.
The rulers of Samaria had the care of
Ahab's children. They were not little kids by this time. Some of
these could have been set up as kings. Jehu told them to go ahead
and make one of the king, send the men of war out and face the
battle to come. Jehu's reputation went before him though, and they
feared him so that made haste and replied that they would do as he
asked. Already two kings were destroyed by Jehu.
We must remind ourselves when we read
this; that the fulfillment of prophecy Elijah gave years previously
was going to be fulfilled. My speculation is that it took years
perhaps because God gives space for repentance. I'm assuming there
was no repentance or change in the hearts of Ahab's children. Ahab's
household was guilty of killing the prophets of God and their
children, including Naboth and his children. They also were deep
into idolatry, and much evil. If God
winked at this and did not bring judgment, it would continue. That
is why God sent the flood in Noah's day.
Evil has to be stopped or suffering,
disease and misery would never come to an end. In the meantime, God
sends prophets and then His own Son to die in our place to pay for
our sins and then open the door to a powerful change within those
the receive Him (Jesus). Without this power within us, we would
continue in sin and be lost forever in the long run. Sin has to stop
eventually or the innocent would continue to suffer and the guilty
would not change but continue on in their sin. That too is why the
average age of mankind had to be reduced after the flood of Noah.
Notice they use to live over 700 years.
- 2Kings 10:6 Then he
wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be mine,
and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the
men your master's sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to morrow
this time. Now the king's sons, being seventy persons, were with
the great men of the city, which brought them up.
- 7 And it came to
pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's
sons, and slew seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets,
and sent him them to Jezreel.
- 8 And there came a
messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of
the king's sons. And he said, Lay ye them in two heaps at the
entering in of the gate until the morning.
- 9 And it came to
pass in the morning, that he went out, and stood, and said to
all the people, Ye be righteous: behold, I conspired against my
master, and slew him: but who slew all these?
- 10 Know now that
there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the LORD,
which the LORD spake concerning the house of Ahab: for the LORD
hath done that which he spake by his servant Elijah.
- 11 So Jehu slew all
that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great
men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he left him none
remaining.
All that previously had part in the
idolatry, sin, murder and evil of Ahab and Jezebel had come to an
end as the prophet Elijah said. This prophecy was not immediate but
it took years to fulfill.
Sometimes we think a person is a false
prophet if what he or she prophesies does not happen at once. It
doesn't work that way most of the time. There are prophecies in the
Old Testament that are yet to be fulfilled. The 1st coming of Jesus
has already taken place. This was prophesied in Isaiah 53. That one
took many years after the death of Isaiah as did many of the
prophesies concerning the coming Messiah. The second coming of Jesus
is yet future also as I write this, May 12, 2025. It will come to
pass just as the bible says.
- 2Kings 10:12 And he
arose and departed, and came to Samaria. And as he was at the
shearing house in the way,
- 13 Jehu met with the
brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are ye? And
they answered, We are the brethren of Ahaziah; and we go down to
salute the children of the king and the children of the queen.
- 14 And he said, Take
them alive. And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit
of the shearing house, even two and forty men; neither left he
any of them.
These were from the king of Judah but
they were also related to the house of Ahab by their grandmother's
side. Jehu left none alive.
-
2Kings 10:15 And when he
was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab
coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said to him, Is
thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab
answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him
his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot.
This man was a descendant of the father
in law of Moses. Jehu somehow knew this person was righteous.
- 2Kings 10:16 And he
said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD. So they made
him ride in his chariot.
- 17 And when he came
to Samaria, he slew all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till
he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the LORD, which
he spake to Elijah.
The prophecy of Elijah concerning the
household of Ahab is fulfilled.
Jehu Strikes Down the Prophets of Baal
- 2Kings 10:18 And
Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, Ahab
served Baal a little; but Jehu shall serve him much.
- 19 Now therefore
call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all
his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice
to do to Baal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live.
But Jehu did it in subtilty, to the intent that he might destroy
the worshippers of Baal.
- 20 And Jehu said,
Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed it.
- 21 And Jehu sent
through all Israel: and all the worshippers of Baal came, so
that there was not a man left that came not. And they came into
the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was full from one end
to another.
- 22 And he said unto
him that was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the
worshippers of Baal. And he brought them forth vestments.
- 23 And Jehu went,
and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal, and
said unto the worshippers of Baal, Search, and look that there
be here with you none of the servants of the LORD, but the
worshippers of Baal only.
- 24 And when they
went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu appointed
fourscore men without, and said, If any of the men whom I have
brought into your hands escape, he that letteth him go, his life
shall be for the life of him.
- 25 And it came to
pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt
offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go
in, and slay them; let none come forth. And they smote them with
the edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them
out, and went to the city of the house of Baal.
- 26 And they brought
forth the images out of the house of Baal, and burned them.
- 27 And they brake
down the image of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and
made it a draught house unto this day.
This may have been a sneaky way of
doing things but it wiped out Baal worship from among them. We shall
see though that when we leave back just a part of our old lives, it
can become a snare to us. When they first went into the land God
promised them, the tribes of Rueben, Gad and the half tribe of
Manasseh were tired and wanted to stay on the east side of Jordan
instead of going on across to the land God promised them. Even
though they still agreed to help the rest of the tribes conquer the
land on the west side, they wanted to stay there. It sort of
represented the desire to keep some of their old life and not
completely change. This happened to Jehu later.
God offers us so much when we come to
Christ. We are cleansed from sin and given the presence of the Holy
Spirit in our lives. It is good but we do see some turn back and
compromise with the world instead of going on by being filled and
baptized with the Holy Spirit then walking daily with the Lord. It
becomes a snare and a weakness to us when we don't pursue and keep
seeking God the rest of our lives. Sort of like getting ourselves
safe for where we spend eternity but we still are fruitless and are
hiding our lights. We don't share the gospel, and we are content not
to move any further. Whether these types are really saved or not, we
don't know but if we are going to live for the Lord, it is better to
give ourselves completely and walk with Him with all our hearts.
Jehu Reigns in Israel
- 2Kings 10:28 Thus
Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.
- 29 Howbeit from the
sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu
departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that
were in Bethel, and that were in Dan.
- 30 And the LORD said
unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which
is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab
according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the
fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.
God did honor Jehu for getting rid of
the prophets of Baal and fulfilling Elijah's prophecy concerning the
house of Ahab but sadly, he held back from what would have been a
perfect reign of a king that feared the Lord.
This opens the door to what happens
afterward.
- 2Kings 10:32 In
those days the LORD began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote
them in all the coasts of Israel;
- 33 From Jordan
eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the
Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the
river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.
- 34 Now the rest of
the acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his might, are
they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of
Israel?
- 35 And Jehu slept
with his fathers: and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz
his son reigned in his stead.
- 36 And the time that
Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty and eight years.
So Israel loses the lands east of the Jordan
because of calf worship. They served God but wanted the idols too.
Compromise opened the door to Hazael the king of Syria smiting all
the coasts of Israel.
Help us Lord to be faithful to you in all
things, holding back nothing. It will be worth it in the end. DC
2 Kings Chapter 11
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