Jehoiada: The Faithful Priest

2 Kings 11

 

You may have noticed that this sermon is not about one of the kings to rule over Israel, but is instead concerning one of Israel’s priests.

 

The fact is, at this time, Judah has no king.

 

The previous king was named Ahaziah, and since he was Ahab’s grandson, and Joram’s friend, Jehu shot him, hunted him down and killed him.

 

The throne is seemingly open.

 

As you will see, one will quickly rise to usurp authority.

Her name is Athaliah.

 

She is Jezebel’s daughter, she will seize the throne,

And because of her actions, not only does Judah

Become dangerously close to ruin,

But the Messianic line nearly gets wiped out.

 

But that sets the stage for the rise of a true hero.

 

If we did a survey this morning,

I wonder how many in here ever heard of Jehoiada?

 

Yet he truly is one of the bright spots in Israel’s dark history.

This man rose from obscurity

To save the nation of Judah and the Messianic kingly line.

 

As you know, God had made a promise:

2 Samuel 7:12-13 “When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.”

 

Psalms 132:11-12 “The LORD has sworn to David A truth from which He will not turn back: “Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne. “If your sons will keep My covenant And My testimony which I will teach them, Their sons also shall sit upon your throne forever.”

 

And at the present time, that promise is dangerously close to failing.

 

Until God raises up this faithful priest to stand in the gap

And save the promise of a Messiah.

 

There are four divisions to our text this morning.

#1 HIS COURAGE SAVED A LINEAGE

2 Kings 11:1-3

 

Of course you already noticed that Athaliah

Proved to be a chip right off the old block.

 

She is Jezebel all over again.

The easiest way to maintain control is to kill all who oppose you,

And that is precisely what she attempted.

 

“When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she rose and destroyed all the royal offspring.”

 

Don’t misunderstand.

This is not an act of revenge over her deep despair over losing a son.

 

Any woman who would kill all her grandchildren

Certainly had no qualms about killing a son.

(Most likely she would have killed him too)

 

What this is about is a woman seeing a real opportunity to seize the throne,

And she chose to take it.

 

But before she could take the throne unchallenged,

She first had to eliminate any and all competition,

So she starts killing “the royal offspring.”

 

(2-3) “But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and placed him and his nurse in the bedroom. So they hid him from Athaliah, and he was not put to death. So he was hidden with her in the house of the LORD six years, while Athaliah was reigning over the land.”

 

So you will see, we have here an act of bravery, by a significant woman.

 

“Jehosheba” rescues one of the children.

 

She was able to get access to the children

Because she was related to the royal family.

 

She was the daughter of “King Joram, sister of Ahaziah”.

 

This means she was at the very least a step-daughter of Athaliah,

And possibly even her biological daughter.

 

And she saves the day by hiding this child in the temple for six years.

 

WELL WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH JEHOIADA?

 

2 Chronicles 22:11-12 “But Jehoshabeath the king’s daughter took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and placed him and his nurse in the bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah so that she would not put him to death. He was hidden with them in the house of God six years while Athaliah reigned over the land.”

 

So not only was she Ahaziah’s sister, but she was also Jehoiada’s wife.

 

No doubt he was in on the scheme and according to Chronicles

Was also one of the ones who hid the boy.

 

It was courageous on both their parts,

Certainly an act inviting a death sentence,

But a risk they gladly took.

 

And their courage actually saved a lineage.

HOW?

 

Allow me to refresh your memory on the state of this lineage.

 

Start with Jehoshaphat.

 

Jehoshaphat had seven sons,

Any one of them had a blood right to the throne of Israel.

 

However:

2 Chronicles 21:3-4 “Their father gave them many gifts of silver, gold and precious things, with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn. Now when Jehoram had taken over the kingdom of his father and made himself secure, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and some of the rulers of Israel also.”

 

So now there is only Jehoram

And any possible sons that survived as offspring of his brothers.

 

Jehoram also had sons.

2 Chronicles 22:1 “Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, for the band of men who came with the Arabs to the camp had slain all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign.”

 

And so at this point,

• Ahaziah is alive,

• Ahaziah’s cousins are alive (Jehoshaphat’s surviving grandsons)

• Ahaziah’s nephews are alive (the surviving children of Ahaziah’s brothers)

 

But something else occurred.

2 Chronicles 22:8 “It came about when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers ministering to Ahaziah, and slew them.”

 

Jehu slew all of Ahaziah’s cousins and nephews.

 

And then:

2 Chronicles 22:9 “He also sought Ahaziah, and they caught him while he was hiding in Samaria; they brought him to Jehu, put him to death and buried him. For they said, “He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart.” So there was no one of the house of Ahaziah to retain the power of the kingdom.”

 

SO NOW IF YOU ARE KEEPING TRACK.

• All of Jehoshaphat’s boys are dead.

• All of Jehoshaphat’s grandsons are dead.

 

The only remaining heirs to the throne of David

Are the sons of Ahaziah.

 

The Arameans and Jehu have killed everyone else.

 

And now, Athaliah has declared war on the sons of Ahaziah.

 

If Jehoiada and his wife had not rescued this one boy,

David’s line would have been completely extinct.

 

That is how close Satan came to completely extinguishing the Davidic line,

And ruining the coming of the Messiah.

 

If Satan succeeds then there is no kingly line of David.

Furthermore there is no Joseph and Jesus has no link to the throne.

 

What Jehoiada did was huge.

He saved the kingly lineage of David by protecting

The only living heir to the throne of the house of David.

 

His courage saved a lineage

#2 HIS COUNSEL FORGED A KING

2 Kings 11:4-12 (4-8)

 

Now you instantly notice that Jehoiada also has a plan for not only sparing this boy’s life but for also seating him upon the throne.

 

His plan is wordy, but simple.

 

Around the temple, there were two different groups of guards.

They exchanged duties on the Sabbath.

 

Some came in on the Sabbath (vs. 5)

Some went out on the Sabbath (vs. 7)

 

Jehoiada’s plan was this.

 

Those of you coming in, come in as usual.

Those of you going out, instead go and surround the king.

Verses 9-11 reveal that this is exactly what they did.

 

And so in one swift tactical move,

Jehoiada has brought in enormous protection for this young king.

 

And then comes the coronation.

(12) “Then he brought the king’s son out and put the crown on him and gave him the testimony; and they made him king and anointed him, and they clapped their hands and said, “Long live the king!”

 

And so we see why Jehoiada put the entire defense together.

 

He planned on taking a huge risk and a giant step of faith

To stand right in the face of Athaliah

And put David’s king back on the throne.

 

In fact Chronicles reveals that as his motive.

2 Chronicles 23:3 “Then all the assembly made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And Jehoiada said to them, “Behold, the king’s son shall reign, as the LORD has spoken concerning the sons of David.”

 

This man had a conviction, and he would see it done.

 

But his motive was more than just to crown the rightful king.

He also insisted upon it being done correctly.

 

Not only has he raised this boy in the temple for 6 years.

(In fact Chronicles later refers to Jehoiada as a father to Jehoash)

 

But notice that Jehoiada gives him more than just a crown.

He also gave him “the testimony”

 

Deuteronomy 17:18-20 “Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. “It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes, that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel.”

 

Moses foresaw a day when Israel would have a king,

And the most important thing for that king to do would be

To familiarize himself with the word of God.

 

There was no substitute for obedience to God’s word

And the king above all people should know it.

 

While it’s obvious that God’s word has been ignored

Here is one man who refused to let it go away.

 

Jehoiada started this boy out right.

• He didn’t need lessons on etiquette…

• He didn’t need fencing lessons…

• He didn’t need military or war strategy lessons…

• He didn’t need economic study…

 

HE NEEDED TO SATURATE HIMSELF IN THE WORD OF GOD

 

And as a quick side note let me add, that is what we all need as well.

There is no substitute for Bible reading.

 

You have to put His word in your mind and in your heart.

 

Psalms 119:11 “Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.”

 

2 Peter 3:17-18 “You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”

 

We have to get into the word of God.

 

(That’s why I’m excited about the new Sunday School literature)

 

There is no substitute for submerging yourself in Scripture.

 

Jehoiada knew that, and he made sure that with a crown,

Jehoash received the word of God.

 

He was not only saving a lineage, he was forging a king.

 

#3 HIS COMMAND REMOVED A TYRANT

2 Kings 11:13-16

 

The kingdom is obviously excited.

They finally had a king, and not some wicked queen.

 

And during the celebration Athaliah hears it and searches it out.

(14) “She looked and behold, the king was standing by the pillar, according to the custom, with the captains and the trumpeters beside the king; and all the people of the land rejoiced and blew trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and cried, “Treason! Treason!”

 

Now you and I know she had no right to the throne, but do understand.

• She had been queen for 6 years.

• Previously her son had been king.

• Before that, her husband had been king.

• It was Jehoshaphat who chose her as a bride for his son.

 

This woman has been around a long time.

 

So when she cries treason, it could have been a real tense moment.

You could really see people freeze in confusion.

 

Certainly the newly crowned 7 year old king didn’t know what to do.

 

WHAT DO YOU DO?

 

There again, the man of the hour steps forward.

He knew what to do, and he knew what had to be done,

And furthermore he did not mind giving the command.

 

VERSES 15-16

 

This was a wicked woman of the house of Ahab,

She was a usurper to the throne and an idol worshiper

And there was but one fate suitable.

 

Jehoiada was man enough to see it done.

 

His courage saved a lineage His crowning forged a king His command removed a tyrant

#4 HIS COVENANT REVIVED A NATION

2 Kings 11:17-21

 

And what a great covenant!

(17) He “made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people, that they would be the LORD’S people…”

 

If you will remember, this is what Elijah had wanted many years earlier.

 

1 Kings 18:21 “Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word.”

 

Elijah was sickened by the growing pluralistic attitude in Israel.

Those people were riding the fence.

 

But now, what Elijah longed for is coming to pass.

It is time for Israel to be “the LORD’S people.”

 

And isn’t that a great distinction.

 

Leviticus 26:12 “I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.”

 

It speaks of a people wholly devoted to God.

A people who love Him with all their heart and soul.

A people who live for Him and through Him.

A people whose very identity is bound to Him.

They are not just anybody, they are God’s people.

 

And over and over throughout the pages of the Old Testament,

Israel is called “My people”

 

When Moses went to Pharaoh, he said, “Let My people go”

 

And when the Messiah came, it was clear why:

Matthew 1:21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

 

Even the Messiah came to bring atonement for the people of God!

 

The beauty for us is that when Israel rejected,

We then were also grafted in as the people of God.

 

Romans 9:23-26 “And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles. As He says also in Hosea, “I WILL CALL THOSE WHO WERE NOT MY PEOPLE, ‘MY PEOPLE,’ AND HER WHO WAS NOT BELOVED, ‘BELOVED.'” “AND IT SHALL BE THAT IN THE PLACE WHERE IT WAS SAID TO THEM, ‘YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE,’ THERE THEY SHALL BE CALLED SONS OF THE LIVING GOD.”

 

1 Peter 2:9-10 “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.”

 

We are now those who are known by our allegiance to our God.

• We are not now primarily known as Texans or even Americans for our citizenship is in heaven.

 

• We are not white people or Hispanic people or black people for in Christ Jesus there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female.

 

• We are not rich people or poor people, for our treasure is not stored up on earth but is stored in heaven.

 

We go by no other name than Christian, for we are the people of God.

It is our banner, it is our nametag, it is who we are.

 

And thanks to Jehoiada it was also who Judah became.

 

And not just in title, they were God’s people by action.

(18) “All the people of the land went to the house of Baal, and tore it down; his altars and his images they broke in pieces thoroughly, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the LORD.”

 

Just as Jehu eradicated Baal out of Israel,

Now Jehoiada has eradicated Baal out of Judah.

 

Let me also add, that if we are going to wear the banner of

“The People of God” then we also must take the title seriously.

 

• There must be no foreign gods in our lives…

• Our hearts must house no idols…

• Nor can we be those who condone sin and associate with it…

 

We must be different if we are to be the people of God.

 

Exodus 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.”

 

Not just a command to not say bad words.

That is a much larger, much more serious command than that.

 

When the Scripture speaks of taking God’s name,

It speaks of putting His name upon you as a banner.

Similar to the way in which a bride takes the name of her husband.

 

AND GOD DEMANDS WE HONOR HIS NAME.

Leviticus 19:11-12 “You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another. ‘You shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the LORD.”

 

Numbers 15:30 “But the person who does anything defiantly, whether he is native or an alien, that one is blaspheming the LORD; and that person shall be cut off from among his people.”

 

And the warning here is for all who call themselves one of God’s people

And take His name and then live in such a way as to do dishonor to it.

 

It is to walk in hypocrisy, it is to slander in the worst way,

It is to become a traitor, an apostate, and the worst of all sinners.

 

Those who commit such a sin do far more harm to the cause of Christ

Than any carnal pagan ever did.

 

And to them God makes a promise.

“the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.”

 

Zechariah 5:1-4 “Then I lifted up my eyes again and looked, and behold, there was a flying scroll. And he said to me, “What do you see?” And I answered, “I see a flying scroll; its length is twenty cubits and its width ten cubits.” Then he said to me, “This is the curse that is going forth over the face of the whole land; surely everyone who steals will be purged away according to the writing on one side, and everyone who swears will be purged away according to the writing on the other side. “I will make it go forth,” declares the LORD of hosts, “and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of the one who swears falsely by My name; and it will spend the night within that house and consume it with its timber and stones.”

You can even see Jesus taking special interest in such hypocrisy.

Luke 6:46 “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?”

 

It is a serious thing when we claim to be the people of God.

“If your gonna talk the talk, then you better walk the walk.”

 

For God will not leave him unpunished who fails to do so.

 

And that is what is so wonderful about the covenant here.

 

Not only did the people claim to be God’s people,

But they also tore down the house of Baal to solidify it.

(Is there something that must be torn down in your life?)

 

Then according to verse 19, the new king was taken to his throne,

And I want you to see the results of the day.

 

(20) “So all the people of the land rejoiced and the city was quiet. For they had put Athaliah to death with the sword at the king’s house.”

 

• When the true God is worshiped…

• When the rightful king is on the throne…

• When the usurper is done away with…

• When God’s people live like God’s people…

The result is peace and joy

 

This morning you and I can rejoice in the fact that

God promised a Messiah from the line of David,

And no one could thwart that promise.

 

Isaiah 9:6-7 “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.”

 

God promised a Savior, and that Savior came.

His name is Jesus.

 

God supernaturally protected His line

So that you and I could have a way of salvation.

 

And this morning I invite you to embrace God’s king,

God’s Savior – Jesus Christ.

 

Acts 4:12 “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”

 

“Jehu: The Inconsistent King”

2 Kings 10:28-36

 

And this morning we come to the summary of Jehu.

 

• We read promises concerning his sword a long time ago,

• We have recently seen him rise to power,

• We have seen in detail the judgment that he so thoroughly executed.

 

He was prophetically chosen by God as one of the weapons

He would use to completely remove Ahab and Baal from Israel.

 

• He first killed Jehoram (The son of Ahab and king of Israel)

• He then killed Ahaziah (The grandson of Ahab and king of Judah)

• He then killed Jezebel (The widow of Ahab and wicked influence)

• He then killed Ahab’s heirs (His seventy sons that fled to Samaria)

• He then killed all who belonged to Ahab at Jezreel

• He then killed Ahab’s allies (the friends of Ahaziah’s sons)

• He then killed all who belonged to Ahab at Samaria

• He then gathered all the Baal worshipers together and killed them too

 

AHAB IS NO MORE.

And now, after 3 generations of the house of Omri,

It is time for the house of Jehu to begin to reign.

 

And this morning we take a brief look at the overall summation

Of Jehu’s reign as king of Israel.

 

After all that we have seen,

One might expect that Jehu was a devoted follower of God.

For indeed he began the race well.

 

But what we will find of Jehu is that he proved to be

Extremely inconsistent in his life and therefore

His reign left some to be expected.

 

And as we study his reign, there are three points that the text makes about Jehu.

#1 HE WAS INCOMPLETE IN HIS MISSION

2 Kings 10:28-29

 

The text begins were we left off last week,

And that is “Thus Jehu eradicated Baal out of Israel.”

 

Certainly that was true.

 

Jehu pretended obedience to Baal, and called for a sacred sacrifice.

 

• He gathered the followers…

• He killed the followers…

• He smashed the sacred pillars…

• He tore down the house of Baal…

• He turned it into the village bathroom…

 

“Thus Jehu eradicated Baal out of Israel.”

 

Jehu did well.

Baal worship was a slap in the face to God,

And Jehu completely removed him from the northern kingdom.

 

But then we see a huge word in the text: “However”

 

While Jehu was extremely thorough in removing Ahab,

Part of his mission was left undone.

 

(29) “However, as for the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin, from these Jehu did not depart, even the golden calves that were at Bethel and that were at Dan.”

 

And of course you remember Jeroboam.

• Servant of Solomon

• When the kingdom was ripped from Rehoboam, it was given to him

• He had a political problem (temple was in Jerusalem)

 

1 Kings 12:26-27 “Jeroboam said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. “If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.”

 

Jeroboam was afraid that if they obeyed God’s law to the letter

That he would lose his kingdom.

 

So he came up with a plan.

1 Kings 12:28-33 “So the king consulted, and made two golden calves, and he said to them, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt.” He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. And he made houses on high places, and made priests from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi. Jeroboam instituted a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast which is in Judah, and he went up to the altar; thus he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. Then he went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised in his own heart; and he instituted a feast for the sons of Israel and went up to the altar to burn incense.”

 

• Jeroboam changed the corporate worship site…

• Jeroboam rewrote the calendar for feasts and sacrifices…

• Jeroboam disregarded the Levitical priesthood…

For that God eventually ripped the kingdom from Jeroboam’s line.

 

IT IS APPARENT THAT JEHU DID NOT LEARN A THING.

 

For while he was faithful to fully remove the immorality of Ahab,

He was content to leave the immorality of Jeroboam.

 

WHY?

 

In a political sense,

It was beneficial to remove Ahab (that would secure his kingdom)

It was not beneficial to remove the worship sites.

 

On one hand the people might return to Judah,

And on the other hand, those worship sites were a landmark.

 

Consider this:

Jeroboam became king in 931 B.C.

Jehu reigned from 841 B.C. to 814 B.C.

 

That means that Israel had experienced

100 years of those golden calves.

 

We currently know a little something

About having a worship spot for 100 years.

 

Imagine if it were revealed to us that God did not approve of our worship site, would we be willing to just up and move?

 

But God, we’ve been here for 100 years…

But God, I’ve always gone to that church…

But God, we just remodeled…

 

And so you get the picture.

 

Jehu was also up against 100 years of tradition, and he folded.

“from these Jehu did not depart”

 

Listen to me.

 

There are some traditions that are good,

And Biblical, and absolutely necessary.

 

In fact Paul said:

1 Corinthians 11:2 “Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you.”

 

2 Thessalonians 2:15 “So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.”

But, there are some traditions that people tend to hold sacred

That have nothing to do with obedience to God’s word,

And these are very dangerous.

 

Isaiah 29:13 “Then the Lord said, “Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote,”

 

It was that verse that Jesus quoted to the Pharisees:

Matthew 15:1-9 “Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do Your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? “For God said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,’ and, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH.’ “But you say, ‘Whoever says to his father or mother, “Whatever I have that would help you has been given to God,” he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And by this you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: ‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.'”

 

The Pharisees were masters at inventing traditions

And then enforcing them as though they were the word of God.

 

I don’t intend to go on some sort of WITCH HUNT this morning seeking to list bad traditions, but I do hope you understand my point.

 

They can be fine and well,

But you had better make sure it is Biblical,

Because you might just be clinging to Jeroboam’s golden calves.

 

It seemed like worship to all the people…

It seemed like worship to Jehu…

BUT IT WASN’T ACCEPTABLE TO GOD

 

You cannot honor tradition above the word of God.

 

Jehu caved in, and he was incomplete in his mission.

#2 HE WAS INCONSISTENT IN HIS WORSHIP

2 Kings 10:30-31

 

Here we find another interesting appraisal of Jehu.

 

It begins with a commendation from God.

 

(30) “Because you have done well in executing what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in My heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.”

 

Based on Jehu’s removal of Ahab,

God was pleased and therefore God gave Jehu a reward.

 

His descendants to the fourth generation would sit upon the throne.

 

This would be the longest tenure of any king in Israel

Since the kingdom was divided.

(Omri’s line made it three generations, but Jehu was promised four.)

 

JEHU STARTED OUT WELL

“BUT”

 

(31) “But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel sin.”

 

And there is a very revealing statement.

“Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the LORD”

 

I have told you many times before that faithfulness to God

Is not something that will automatically happen in your life.

 

There are many who assume that they can go through life

Without any real focus or try

And that they will somehow, someday end up in heaven.

 

That is not true.

No one in heaven will be surprised to be there.

There will however be scores in hell who are surprised to be there.

 

Becoming a Christian is a conscious decision.

Luke 13:24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”

 

BUT THE SAME IS ALSO TRUE

FOR LIVING A FAITHFUL CHRISTIAN LIFE

 

Ephesians 5:15-17 “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

 

Faithfulness to God is not automatic,

Nor is it a person’s natural tendency.

 

The natural tendency of mankind is to drift away from God,

To exalt self, to gratify the flesh, and to fall into temptation

And ultimately disobedience.

 

If you are to remain faithful to God, you have to consistently and purposely determine not to sin, but to remain faithful.

 

And that is why the Bible frequently uses that word “careful”

In regard to obedience and the word of God.

 

Deuteronomy 6:3 “O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the LORD, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.”

 

Deuteronomy 6:24-25 “So the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God for our good always and for our survival, as it is today. “It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this commandment before the LORD our God, just as He commanded us.”

 

Deuteronomy 8:1 “All the commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD swore to give to your forefathers.”

 

Deuteronomy 11:22-23 “For if you are careful to keep all this commandment which I am commanding you to do, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and hold fast to Him, then the LORD will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess nations greater and mightier than you.”

 

Deuteronomy 12:28 “Be careful to listen to all these words which I command you, so that it may be well with you and your sons after you forever, for you will be doing what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God.”

 

Deuteronomy 12:32 “Whatever I command you, you shall be careful to do; you shall not add to nor take away from it.”

 

Later when Joshua would rule:

Joshua 22:5 “Only be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments and hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

 

Even years later when David was dying, notice the advice he gave Solomon:

1 Kings 2:3-4 “Keep the charge of the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances, and His testimonies, according to what is written in the Law of Moses, that you may succeed in all that you do and wherever you turn, so that the LORD may carry out His promise which He spoke concerning me, saying, ‘ If your sons are careful of their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’”

 

And I hope you get the idea.

Obedience to God is not our natural inclination,

We have to focus on it, we have to strive for it,

We have to be devoted and dedicated.

 

• You won’t just naturally love others more than yourself…

• You won’t just naturally choose holiness over sin…

• You won’t just naturally bear witness of the Lord Jesus…

 

But Jehu was not.

“But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the LORD, the God of Israel with all his heart;”

 

And that really opens to us the root of the problem.

HIS HEART WASN’T IN IT

 

Friend, it is extremely difficult to obey God if your heart isn’t in it.

In fact, it is impossible.

 

That is the reason that the greatest command

Is the greatest command.

 

Matthew 22:37 “And He said to him, “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’”

If you don’t love God with all your heart,

Then you won’t obey Him with all your life.

 

To put it another way, Jesus said:

John 14:15 “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”

 

Jehu’s heart was not right and so neither was his walk.

 

He didn’t obey right because he didn’t love right.

 

He obeyed for a little while, but then he stopped.

That is inconsistency, and it is unacceptable to God.

 

You and I have to first love God with all heart,

And then be careful to walk in all His ways.

 

Listen to what Jesus said:

Matthew 5:17-19 “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. “Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

 

The issue there isn’t salvation, for both enter the kingdom,

But if you want to be great in the kingdom,

You have to be careful to obey all of God’s commands,

Not just the ones that come easy.

 

Jehu did well, God even commended him,

But he could have done better if he had been careful

To follow all of God’s commands.

 

He was Incomplete in his mission He was Inconsistent in his worship

#3 HE WAS INCORRIGIBLE IN HIS CORRECTION

2 Kings 10:32-36

 

Here we find that because of Jehu’s disobedience,

God began to try and get his attention.

 

(32-33) “In those days the LORD began to cut off portions from Israel; and Hazael defeated them throughout the territory of Israel: from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites and the Reubenites and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the valley of Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.”

 

If there was one lesson that all of Israel should have known

It is that peace in the land was a sign of God’s favor.

 

When the people strayed from God, God raised up adversaries…

When the people trusted God, He overthrew them…

 

But Jehu refused to listen to the displeasure of the LORD.

He just didn’t want to learn from the punishment at hand.

 

And we see some like him other places in Scripture.

(some lost, and some saved)

 

Isaiah spoke of them:

Isaiah 30:15 “For thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, “In repentance and rest you will be saved, In quietness and trust is your strength.” But you were not willing,”

 

Jesus spoke of them:

Matthew 23:37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.”

 

We saw some a few weeks ago in the Corinthian church:

1 Corinthians 11:29-31 “For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we would not be judged.”

 

The book of Revelation speaks frequently of them.

Revelation 2:20-22 “But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. ‘I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. ‘Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds.”

 

Perhaps you remember those locusts we spoke of recently.

Apparently even they will not be enough.

Revelation 9:20-21 “The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.”

 

Scripture is full of those who persist in sin even in the midst of judgment.

Some are non-believers who will not be saved.

Some are believers who refuse to become more faithful.

 

Jehu was like them.

He would not learn from the judgments around him.

 

Although he did a good thing in fulfilling God’s judgment on Ahab:

He was Incomplete in his Mission

He was Inconsistent in his Worship

He was Incorrigible in his Correction

 

Jehu started strong,

But his poor attention to detail and inconsistent faithfulness

Caused his reign to be much less than it could have been.

 

We should learn from his mistakes.

 

You may have served well in the past, but it is gone,

And God is looking for faithfulness from you today.

 

None of us desire to be known as “the least in the kingdom of heaven”.

 

None of us want to be there,

And be the most unrewarded there is.

 

Paul warned about this.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 “According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it. For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”

 

IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT?

To be saved, “yet so as through fire”?

To be saved by the skin of your teeth?

 

Do you want to be the poorest in heaven?

 

Then we cannot sit back on our past accomplishments

Or our past faithfulness.

Faithfulness is always measured in present tense.

 

Don’t let your history be written like Jehu’s:

“Well one time they did this, but they didn’t finish their mission, and they weren’t careful to fully obey, and even though God tried to correct them, they wouldn’t listen.”

 

I’m reminded of that famous church in the Revelation.

 

Revelation 3:1-3 “To the angel of the church in Sardis write: He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says this: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. ‘Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die; for I have not found your deeds completed in the sight of My God. ‘So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.”

 

They had a great history and pathetic ministry.

 

We are about to celebrate 100 years here in this church.

There is a lot of good that can be said

About the past 100 years, and that is fine.

 

But our faithfulness is not judged

By what we did in 1967, or in 1932.

 

Our faithfulness is judged by August 23, 2009.

That is what God is looking at.

 

• Let us be found as those who complete our mission…

• Let us be found as those who are consistent in our worship…

• Let us be found as those who are willing to accept the correction of God…

 

So that we will not be saved so as through fire.

 

 

 

Jehu was the inconsistent king.

He could have been so much more

If he had only been careful to be obedient.

 

 

 

How about you?

 

The Sword of Jehu – Pt. 2

2 Kings 10:1-28 (1-11)

 

By this point, we are well aware that the rise of Jehu

Was a direct fulfillment of God’s prophecy to Elijah.

 

God had told Elijah that He would use the sword

To undo the wickedness of Ahab in Israel.

 

Those that Elisha failed to get, Hazael would,

Those that Hazael failed to get, Jehu would.

 

And last week we saw the rise of Jehu

As he began to bring the fulfillment of God’s promised judgment.

 

But aside from that promise to Elijah,

There was another prophecy made concerning the house of Ahab.

 

After Ahab murdered Naboth and stole his vineyard,

Elijah found him, and this is what he had to say.

 

1 Kings 21:20-24 “Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” And he answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD. “Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, both bond and free in Israel; and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and because you have made Israel sin. “Of Jezebel also has the LORD spoken, saying, ‘The dogs will eat Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.’ “The one belonging to Ahab, who dies in the city, the dogs will eat, and the one who dies in the field the birds of heaven will eat.”

 

It is obvious that God is making good on His word.

 

Last week we saw the death of Joram (Ahab’s 2nd son to become king) as Jehu shot him through and threw his body to rot in Naboth’s vineyard.

 

We also saw the death of Ahaziah (the son of Ahab’s daughter) as Jehu hunted him down and killed him with the sword.

 

And we saw the death of Jezebel, throne from a window, trampled underfoot, and eaten by the dogs.

 

God was indeed using Jehu to fulfill His promised judgment.

 

This morning we see the conclusion of that fulfillment.

 

Ahab has lost a son, a grandson, and his wife,

But God promised a clean sweep of his entire line.

 

Jehu indeed has more work to do.

And as we study this text,

I want you to particularly notice how thorough God is,

Not only in the fulfillment of His word,

But also in the judgment of the wicked.

 

God is not one who allows a single word to fail,

Nor is He one to allow a single sinner to escape.

 

This we will see as we continue looking at the sword of Jehu.

 

4 divisions to our text this morning.

#1 REMOVING AHAB’S HEIRS

2 Kings 10:1-11

 

In verse 1, we see an informative statement.

 

“Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria…”

 

In your margin you could write something like

“The Seed of Ahab”.

 

Sure Ahab himself is dead, but it is apparent

His reign has plenty of opportunity to continue.

 

• We already had his son reigning in Israel and his grandson in Judah.

• We are about to see his daughter (Athaliah) take the throne in Judah,

• We see here that there is no shortage of heirs to the throne in Israel.

 

Like a bad batch of seed, Ahab’s lineage is growing,

And set to spread wickedness even further

Throughout the nation of Israel and even into Judah.

 

And these grab our particular interest,

Because these are potential candidates for the throne.

 

These are sons and most likely grandsons.

“And Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, the elders, and to the guardians of the children of Ahab…”

 

It is apparent that Ahab’s children

Have been placed in protective custody.

 

The city managers of Jezreel, along with the individual guardians

Of Ahab’s children are now in hiding in Samaria.

 

But as you can see Jehu has found them.

And he sent a letter to those who are protecting them.

 

(2-3) “Now, when this letter comes to you, since your master’s sons are with you, as well as the chariots and horses and a fortified city and the weapons, select the best and fittest of your master’s sons, and set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.”

 

Jehu has been around the block long enough to know

That in each of these 70 sons is a budding seed of hatred and revenge,

 

And instead of watching his back forever,

He would rather do his fighting now.

 

But as you will see, there is no fight in store.

VERSES 4-5

Ahab’s seed are now being betrayed by those supposed to care for them.

 

Apparently they fear Jehu more than Ahab’s sons

And so they quickly swap their allegiance.

 

VERSES 6-7

And there Ahab’s heirs are complete annihilated.

They are beheaded and their heads are sent to Jehu at Jezreel.

 

VERSE 8

You noticed that Jehu piled up their heads

As a visual reminder of the judgment on Ahab’s house.

 

It was a public notice that the lineage of Omri and Ahab is no more.

The reign of that royal family is over.

 

And then Jehu has a message for the people.

 

(9) “Now in the morning he went out and stood and said to all the people, “You are innocent; behold, I conspired against my master and killed him, but who killed all these?”

 

No doubt the people were horrified at the sight

And Jehu assures them that NO GUILT would fall on them for this.

 

WHY?

Because this act was bigger than just Jehu.

 

Jehu killed Joram, but who killed all of Ahab’s sons?

 

It wasn’t because Jehu didn’t know,

Rather Jehu was revealing that this slaughter

Was more than one man’s vendetta,

This was the work of holy God.

God was removing Ahab’s heirs and therefore because God was doing it, the people would incur no guilt.

 

And then Jehu delivers the sermon of the day.

(10) “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 spoke through His servant Elijah.”

 

In reference to the prophecy made by Elijah to Ahab

Which we read to open the sermon,

Jehu now proclaims God’s word fulfilled.

 

We learn that absolute faithfulness of God concerning His word.

God promised this, and it came to pass.

 

“the LORD has done what He spoke”

 

Isaiah 55:11 “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

 

• God’s word never fails…

• God never boasts beyond His ability…

• God never writes checks He can’t cash…

 

When God promises it, it happens,

Even when His promise involves the judgment of the wicked.

 

THAT MEANS WE CAN TAKE GOD’S WORD TO THE BANK.

WHEN HE WARNS US, WE SHOULD LISTEN!

 

This is actually one of the blessings of God’s word.

He doesn’t just blind-side us, He is a God who warns.

 

Psalms 19 is a great Psalm about the commandments of God.

 

Psalms 19:11 “Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.”

 

God’s word is a tremendous warning to us.

 

TURN TO: 2 PETER 3:8-18

 

Here Peter is essentially telling us to head the warning

And walk in the holiness God desires.

 

You can hear Peter telling you that God will keep His promise of judgment

And you had better head the warning.

 

Ahab did not heed God’s warning,

 

And so here we see Jehu standing at the mountain of heads

Proclaiming that “the LORD has done what He spoke”.

 

How many someday will be shocked to be cast into the fiery hell

To be tormented day and night,

And as they enter the flame will hear again the words of Jehu,

“the LORD has done what He spoke”.

 

We must take God’s word and His warnings serious,

For He is not playing around.

 

(11) “So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his acquaintances and his priests, until he left him without a survivor.”

 

Jehu unleashed the sword on Ahab and his friends.

(The fact that he killed his friends will invite the judgment of God,

but we will see that next week.)

 

So first, The Removing of Ahab’s Heirs

#2 REMOVING AHAB’S ALLIES

2 Kings 10:12-14

 

So now after killing the heirs, Jehu is on the way to Samaria,

But while on the journey, he happens upon some Ahab sympathizers.

 

We know them as “the relatives of Ahaziah”

 

And notice their alliances.

“we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.”

 

We all know who this queen mother is.

It is Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab,

The one who influenced Jehoshaphat’s boy Jehoram

And Jehoram’s boy Ahaziah into wickedness.

 

And these are friends of hers, coming to declare allegiance.

 

(14) “He said, “Take them alive.” So they took them alive and killed them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.”

 

These of course would have been Ahab’s allies.

 

One can only imagine the conspiracy that was to begin

If they were to actually make contact with Athaliah.

No doubt new schemes and plots would have been made

And Jehu was not about to allow it to happen.

 

Not only were Ahab’s heirs killed, but so also were his allies.

 

We have seen his heirs removed

We have seen his allies removed

#3 REMOVING AHAB’S INFLUENCE

2 Kings 10:15-17

 

Now we don’t have time to do a full run down on Jehonadab the son of Rechab, so let me give you a quick description.

 

– Neither priest nor prophet, yet widely regarded as a holy man

– A man who kept a lifelong Nazarite vow (example of holiness)

– A man who greatly influenced his offspring (Jeremiah 35)

 

And when Jehu sees him, he seeks to impress him.

(Another fault of Jehu we will discuss next week)

 

But what I want you to see here is

The next step in the sword of Jehu.

 

(17) “When he came to Samaria, he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria until he had destroyed him, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke to Elijah.”

 

These of course were not the heirs, they had already been dealt with.

This is the remainder of Ahab’s family.

 

We have already seen how influential

The women in Ahab’s family could be.

 

His wife was the most wicked woman to ever live,

And his daughter is causing enormous problem in Judah.

 

Ahab’s total influence had to removed.

 

There could be no chance of one of his daughters marrying a king

And spreading Ahab’s poison all over again.

 

This man’s influence had to be completely removed.

And so Jehu killed them all.

 

He killed all in Jezreel, now he kills them all in Samaria.

 

“according to the word of the LORD which He spoke to Elijah.”

 

God is seriously removing the cancer of Ahab from Israel.

 

He removed his HEIRS

He removed his ALLIES

He removed his INFLUENCE

#4 REMOVING AHAB’S RELIGION

2 Kings 10:18-28

 

Ahab was gone, and now it is time to get rid of his religion.

 

Baal worship had flourished under Ahab.

• Sure Balaam had led Israel astray after the Baals at Baal Peor..

• Yes Israel dabbled with the Baals during the time of the judges…

 

But it was Ahab who turned Baal worship

Into a national religion.

 

1 Kings 16:29-33 “Now Ahab the son of Omri became king over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD more than all who were before him. It came about, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went to serve Baal and worshiped him. So he erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal which he built in Samaria. Ahab also made the Asherah. Thus Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel than all the kings of Israel who were before him.”

 

Ahab had completely led Israel away from the LORD after Baal,

Now that Ahab was gone, it was time to wage war on his religion.

 

Jehu pretended allegiance to Baal

And called for a great feast and a solemn assembly.

 

After discerning that all of Baal’s worshipers were present

And none of the followers of the LORD were present,

Jehu called for their slaughter.

 

• He then burned the sacred pillars of the house

• He then broke down the sacred pillar of Baal

• And He completely broke down the temple.

 

“and made it a latrine to this day.”

 

Literally “a place of dung”

 

Jehu turned Baal’s house into the local restroom,

This was to ensure that it was never rebuilt.

 

(28) “Thus Jehu eradicated Baal out of Israel.”

 

And all of a sudden God’s promise to Elijah was fulfilled.

• I will remove Ahab…

• I will remove Baal…

• I will do it through the sword of judgment…

 

AND GOD DID

 

Revival is not the only way God can purify a people.

Judgment has always proven to be an effective purifier.

 

WHAT WE SHOULD LEARN:

Not only is God FAITHFUL in executing His promises of judgment.

God is also THOROUGH in executing His promises of judgment.

 

Listen to John the Baptist

Matthew 3:7-12 “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘ We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. “His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

 

Remember the parable of the wheat and the tares?

Matthew 13:41 “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness,”

 

Remember the parable of the dragnet?

Matthew 13:47-49 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet cast into the sea, and gathering fish of every kind; and when it was filled, they drew it up on the beach; and they sat down and gathered the good fish into containers, but the bad they threw away. “So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous,”

 

God is thorough in His judgment.

 

Listen to Paul:

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.”

 

Galatians 5:19-21 “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

 

For further proof,

We only have to listen as John the apostle describes heaven.

 

Revelation 21:7-8 “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

 

Revelation 21:27 “and nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

 

Revelation 22:14-15 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.”

 

There is no chance whatsoever of one person who is in sin

Ever slipping past the security of God.

 

TURN TO: MATTHEW 22:1-14

 

I hope you notice why the man was not able to sneak in.

BECAUSE THE KING HIMSELF EXAMINED THE GUESTS.

 

John the Baptist said that He will “thoroughly clear the threshing floor”

 

And that is what He does here.

He knows every guest by name.

 

– Those He does not know, He spots and removes.

– Those who try to enter by their own goodness, He spots and removes.

– Those who try to live in their sin, He spots and removes.

 

GOD IS THOROUGH WITH HIS JUDGMENT OF THE WICKED

 

You need to know that God will not let sin slide.

You need to know that God will not let sinners go undetected.

 

He finds them all, regardless of where they hide.

Revelation 20:13 “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.”

 

The only way to slip past the judgment of God is to be holy.

The only way to be holy

Is to be clothed in the righteousness of God’s only Son.

 

 

 

In that parable in Matthew 22, you may notice who attended.

 

(10) “Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered together all they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests.”

 

The evil were welcome, so long as they clothed themselves

In the righteousness of the Son.

 

It was the one who refused to clothe himself in Christ’s righteousness that was removed.

 

We learn from Jehu and Ahab that God’s judgment is not a joke.

His warnings are not idle threats.

 

You and I are intended to head the warning

And seek out His salvation.

 

That salvation is found in Jesus Christ.

The sinless Son of God who gave His life on the cross

To pay the penalty of sin, and appease God’s wrath on sinners.

 

To escape God’s wrath, we must submit our lives to Him.

 

 

On the day of Pentecost, men were terrified at God’s judgment.

Here is what Peter said to them:

Acts 2:37-40 “Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ” Brethren, what shall we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!”

 

This world is headed for the destruction of intense heat.

Be saved by repenting and trusting Jesus.

 

The Sword of Jehu – Pt. 1

2 Kings 8:25 – 9:37 (19:1-10)

 

Obviously you noticed that we are going to cover

A large portion of Scripture this morning.

 

There will be a lot of historical information come your way,

But hopefully in looking at this large sum,

We will also be able to see the point that is being made

About the seriousness of God’s judgment.

 

And as we have said in a couple of sermons,

This story doesn’t really start here.

 

This is now the 3rd and final piece of God’s prophetic puzzle.

Which He revealed to Elijah.

 

1 Kings 19:15-18 “The LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus, and when you have arrived, you shall anoint Hazael king over Aram; and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. “It shall come about, the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall put to death. “Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

 

God revealed that the fires of revival would not change Israel

Instead, God would use the sword of judgment.

 

The sword would come in the hands of, Elisha, Hazael, and Jehu.

 

This morning we study the final piece of the puzzle,

And that is the man we call Jehu.

 

FIRST WE NEED TO SET THE SCENE

(8:25-27) “In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign. Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri king of Israel. He walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did evil in the sight of the LORD, like the house of Ahab had done, because he was a son-in-law of the house of Ahab.”

 

Here we see yet another king rise to power.

This is the second king by this name.

 

Ahab was succeeded in Israel by Ahaziah and then Joram.

Jehoshaphat was succeeded in Judah by Joram and then Ahaziah

 

Two different kings, but they share the same name.

The problem was this king had the same problem as his father.

He was too heavily influenced by the household of Ahab.

 

2 Chronicles 22:1-4 “Then the inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah, his youngest son, king in his place, for the band of men who came with the Arabs to the camp had slain all the older sons. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reign. Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri. He also walked in the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother was his counselor to do wickedly. He did evil in the sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab, for they were his counselors after the death of his father, to his destruction.”

 

And so you see that the influence of Ahab has been far reaching.

It is bad enough that he completely corrupted the entire northern kingdom,

He is now corrupting the southern kingdom as well.

 

It is time for God to put a stop to the evil leaven of Ahab.

 

(8:28-29) “Then he went with Joram the son of Ahab to war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead, and the Arameans wounded Joram. So King Joram returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Arameans had inflicted on him at Ramah when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. Then Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel because he was sick.”

 

Here we see that Ahaziah and Joram were real close,

For when Joram gets sick, Ahaziah goes to visit him.

 

What we don’t see recorded here is that this was all part of God’s plan

To bring both men together at the same time for destruction.

 

2 Chronicles 22:5-7 “He also walked according to their counsel, and went with Jehoram the son of Ahab king of Israel to wage war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth-gilead. But the Arameans wounded Joram. So he returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which they had inflicted on him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Aram. And Ahaziah, the son of Jehoram king of Judah, went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick. Now the destruction of Ahaziah was from God, in that he went to Joram. For when he came, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.

 

God is doing this on purpose to completely remove

Ahab’s influence from the midst of Israel.

 

And that is the setting of the rise of Jehu.

 

God has gathered together these two kings who are very much of the school of Ahab, and now it is time for God to move.

 

Now, let’s see the rise and reign of Jehu.

2 main divisions to our text.

#1 THE SELECTION OF JEHU

2 Kings 9:1-13

 

• Elisha sends a prophet to Jehu

• Instructs him to find Jehu, take him into an inner room, anoint him, and run

 

THAT IS WHAT THE YOUNG PROPHET DOES.

 

AND NOTICE WHAT HE SAYS TO JEHU

It is Jehu’s destiny

 

(6-10) “He arose and went into the house, and he poured the oil on his head and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘I have anointed you king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel. ‘You shall strike the house of Ahab your 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 every male person both bond and free in Israel. ‘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. ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.'” Then he opened the door and fled.”

 

We notice that Jehu will be king over “the people of the LORD”.

 

It is a great reminder to kings that his subjects are God’s people.

It is a great reminder to preacher that his congregation is God’s flock.

 

Jehu would be a steward and one that must be found faithful.

This is not his kingdom, it is God’s kingdom.

These are not his people, they are God’s people.

 

He must do right, for God is the one who evaluates him.

 

FURTHERMORE WE SEE WHY GOD HAS RAISED JEHU UP.

It is to completely and thoroughly remove Ahab’s lineage from Israel.

 

And so the prophet anoints him, charges him,

And flees, just as Elisha told him to.

 

• Jehu then comes out, and all the captains are a little curious as to what happened.

 

• Jehu thought they had recognized him as a prophet and thought surely they knew, but they did not.

 

• And so Jehu told them, he said, “I have anointed you king over Israel.”

And at once the other captains instantly submitted themselves to Jehu

By proclaiming him as their king.

 

And we are reminded of just how smoothly God can make things work.

 

This whole thing could have failed at several levels.

Maybe the prophet refused to go…

Maybe Jehu refused to hear him out…

Maybe the other captains refuse to submit to Jehu…

 

But that wasn’t God’s plan.

 

God’s plan was that Jehu would be king, and it happened just that simple.

 

The Selection of Jehu

#2 THE SWORD OF JEHU

2 Kings 9:14-37 (14-16)

 

• Jehu wanted his information kept secret

• The army consents

• Jehu is on his way

 

READ (17-20)

 

The watchman sees Jehu coming and they want to know why.

 

They send a messenger who says, “Is it peace?”

 

They were not asking if he comes in peace,

That was taken for granted since he was commander of the army.

 

They wanted to know if he and the army had been victorious

In holding off the Arameans at Ramoth Gilead.

 

• Instead of sending the messenger back, Jehu enlists him

• Joram tries again, Jehu enlists him again

• The watchmen reports that is Jehu

 

READ (21-23)

 

And when Joram finds Jehu he asks the same question,

Only this time Jehu reveals the problem.

 

“Is it peace, Jehu?” – Did we get victory?

 

“What peace, so long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel an her witchcrafts are so many?”

 

Jehu reveals that Joram is after the wrong kind of peace.

Aram isn’t your enemy, God is.

And there is no way you could possibly have peace with God

So long as you live in the wickedness began by your mother.

 

And all of a sudden Joram gets the message.

 

• He turns his chariot and screams, “There is treachery, O Ahaziah!”

 

AND THEN THE SWORD OF JEHU COMES OUT.

 

READ (24-26)

 

Jehu shot Joram with an arrow and it killed Jehu almost instantly,

And notice what Jehu did with his dead body.

 

(25) “Take him and cast him into the property of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite”

 

Jehu wasn’t buried, Jehu did not die in honor.

His body was thrown on the ground to rot and decay,

And be eaten by the birds of heaven

In the field that was taken by force by his father and mother.

 

JORAM DIED IN HUMILIATION

No funeral…

No glorious tomb…

No fancy burial garb…

 

In death he had the worth of a donkey.

There was no need to bury him, he wasn’t worth it.

 

Joram died in humiliation.

But Jehu wasn’t finished.

 

READ (27-29)

 

Now comes the death of Ahaziah, in which Jehu said, “Shoot him too, in the chariot.”

So they did, only he didn’t die there.

Scripture says he died in Megiddo and was brought home for burial.

 

The writer of Chronicles gives a little more information.

2 Chronicles 22:8-10 “It came about when Jehu was executing judgment on the house of Ahab, he found the princes of Judah and the sons of Ahaziah’s brothers ministering to Ahaziah, and slew them. He also sought Ahaziah, and they caught him while he was hiding in Samaria; they brought him to Jehu, put him to death and buried him. For they said, “He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart.” So there was no one of the house of Ahaziah to retain the power of the kingdom. Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she rose and destroyed all the royal offspring of the house of Judah.”

Apparently it was not the arrow shot that killed Ahaziah.

Jehu hunted him down along with those who ministered to him.

 

AHAZIAH DIED IN HIDING

 

He was not allowed to rest in his wickedness,

He had to remain on the run.

There was NO PEACE for him, NO COMFORT or security.

 

It is true that there is no peace for the wicked.

 

So Joram died in Humiliation

Ahaziah died in Hiding

But Jehu still isn’t finished

 

READ (30-37)

 

• When Jehu enters Jezreel, you would expect that Jezebel would also go into hiding, but she is much too arrogant for that.

 

• Instead she paints herself up to look like a Queen and boldly and confidently challenges Jehu.

 

(31) “Is it well, Zimri, your master’s murderer?”

 

DO YOU REMEMBER ZIMRI?

• He was the commander of Israel’s army who conspired against King Elah (son of Baasha) and killed him.

• But the army never supported him, instead they supported Omri (Ahab’s dad)

• Zimri reigned one week, and eventually burned his house down on top of himself.

 

Zimri was not anointed by the LORD, he took the honor and role of assassin upon himself, and it did not work well for him.

 

Jezebel now supposes that the same is true for Jehu.

She doesn’t expect him to last, and therefore she calls him Zimri.

 

But on this day, it is Jezebel who is mistaken.

 

Jehu asks if there are any up there with her on his side,

And when he finds some who are, he says, (33) “Throw her down”.

 

“So they threw her down, and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall and on the horses and he trampled her under foot.”

 

So Jezebel (the queen who lasted through the reign of 3 kings) was thrown down, and if that didn’t kill her, Jehu’s army of horses trampling her did.

 

Jehu then goes in to get a bite to eat and determines

That although she is wicked she still deserves a burial, but it is too late.

 

(35) “They went to bury her, but they found nothing more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands.”

 

Joram died in humiliation

Ahaziaih died in hiding

JEZEBEL DIED IN HORROR

 

It was a horrific way to die and sheer horror

To see her body ripped up and carried off by the dogs.

 

God is using Jehu to remove wickedness for Israel and Judah.

 

1 Kings 21:20-26 “Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” And he answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD. “Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, both bond and free in Israel; and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and because you have made Israel sin. “Of Jezebel also has the LORD spoken, saying, ‘ The dogs will eat Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.’ “The one belonging to Ahab, who dies in the city, the dogs will eat, and the one who dies in the field the birds of heaven will eat.” Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, because Jezebel his wife incited him. He acted very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the LORD cast out before the sons of Israel.”

 

And from that you and I should learn

That God does not make empty threats when it comes to judgment

 

When He promises judgment, He means it.

It is not a possibility, His judgment on the wicked is a certainty.

 

Ahab and his lineage should have believed Him.

 

But aside from simply focusing on the certainty of judgment,

It would also do us great benefit

To see why God was judging Ahab so severely.

 

In case you forgot, our text this morning reminds us.

 

There are three reasons.

1) THE REJECTION OF HIS WORD

 

(9:7) ‘You shall strike the house of Ahab your 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.”

 

Yes there is the murder issue, which we will also deal with in a moment, but the emphasis there is not on murder, but who they murdered.

 

These men were killed because they spoke the word of God.

They were hated for preaching God’s truth.

 

And listen:

You don’t reject God’s word and expect Him to forget about it.

 

In Scripture God’s Word is often referred to as rain falling from heaven meant to water the earth.

 

Isaiah 55:10-11 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.”

 

The writer of Hebrews takes that imagery and reveals

The judgment on those who reject the rain of God’s word.

 

Hebrews 6:7-8 “For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.”

 

You don’t just reject God’s word and get away with it.

 

TURN TO: ISAIAH 30:8-17

 

Ahab was judged for the rejection of God’s Word

2) THE SPREAD OF IDOLATRY

 

(9:22) “When Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” And he answered, “What peace, so long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?”

 

In case you have forgotten, God is pretty passionate

About being the most important part of your life.

 

Exodus 20:1-6 “Then God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before Me. “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.”

 

That certainly rang true here.

Ahab’s lineage was cursed because of his influence in their lives.

God demands and deserves to be #1 in your life.

 

Isaiah 42:8 “I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.”

 

God does not hope you will let Him be Lord of your life…

God does not hope you will love Him more than anything…

God does not hope you seek Him above all else…

HE DEMANDS IT

 

He is God and He demands first place in everything,

Anything less is inviting judgment just as Ahab did.

 

Ahab was judged for the rejection of God’s Word

Ahab was judged for the spread of Idolatry

3) THE CRY OF INNOCENT BLOOD

 

(926) “Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons,’ says the LORD, ‘and I will repay you in this property,’ says the LORD. Now then, take and cast him into the property, according to the word of the LORD.”

 

O yes, innocent blood does cry out to God.

Genesis 4:9-10 “Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground.”

 

We even here the cry in Revelation.

Revelation 6:9-10 “When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, ” How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

 

And allow me to show you just how serious this offense is to God.

 

Numbers 35:30-34 “If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death at the evidence of witnesses, but no person shall be put to death on the testimony of one witness. ‘Moreover, you shall not take ransom for the life of a murderer who is guilty of death, but he shall surely be put to death. ‘You shall not take ransom for him who has fled to his city of refuge, that he may return to live in the land before the death of the priest. ‘So you shall not pollute the land in which you are; for blood pollutes the land and no expiation can be made for the land for the blood that is shed on it, except by the blood of him who shed it. ‘You shall not defile the land in which you live, in the midst of which I dwell; for I the LORD am dwelling in the midst of the sons of Israel.'”

 

The shedding of innocent blood is a big deal,

So big that the only way to atone for it

Is the blood of him who shed the blood.

 

Let me prove that to you.

In a little while we will study a king named Manasseh.

2 Kings 24:3-4 “Surely at the command of the LORD it came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, and also for the innocent blood which he shed, for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood; and the LORD would not forgive.”

 

A few years later Jeremiah would come on the scene,

Here is what he had to say about Judah’s judgment.

 

Jeremiah 15:1-4 “Then the LORD said to me, “Even though Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not be with this people; send them away from My presence and let them go! “And it shall be that when they say to you, ‘Where should we go?’ then you are to tell them, ‘Thus says the LORD: “Those destined for death, to death; And those destined for the sword, to the sword; And those destined for famine, to famine; And those destined for captivity, to captivity.”‘ “I will appoint over them four kinds of doom,” declares the LORD: “the sword to slay, the dogs to drag off, and the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. “I will make them an object of horror among all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, for what he did in Jerusalem.”

 

This is a serious deal to God.

 

And no matter if you do it directly, or indirectly, God will judge it

TURN TO: MATTHEW 23:29-38

 

Approval of those who shed innocent blood

Causes you to share in the blood they spill.

 

These are the things that infuriated God with Ahab,

And these are things that brought about the sword of Jehu.

 

THE POINT

Sin is a serious issue, and one that brings certain wrath.

 

The good news is that God has paved a way for forgiveness

Through the shed blood of the sinless Son of God.

 

All week at VBS the kids learned an amazing verse.

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 

That means if you find yourself on the wrong side of God’s judgment

Through dishonoring His Word,

Through loving something else more than Him,

Through directly or indirectly shedding innocent blood…

 

You can be forgiven through the sacrifice

Of One who shed His blood on your behalf.

 

RUN TO JESUS

 

“Jehoram: The King Who Chose Poorly”

2 Kings 8:16-24

 

Having ended the section that focused on the ministry of Elisha,

We now return to our systematic study of the Kings of Israel and Judah.

 

This morning it can be a little confusing

For we come to our second king named Jehoram.

 

The first Jehoram we saw was Ahab’s son, and he reigned as king over Israel.

This is a different Jehoram. This is Jehoshaphat’s son and he will reign as king over Judah.

 

But it is very interesting that as we end the section on Elisha,

This is the first king we deal with.

 

For you should remember that the main point of the section on Elisha

Was to clearly portray the difference between

The blessed life and the cursed life.

 

TO PUT IT CLEARLY THERE WERE TWO OPTIONS FOR MANKIND.

Even Moses made this clear.

 

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the LORD your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

 

Moses clearly spelled out two options that Israel would have.

They could choose to love, seek, and obey God which would result in the life of blessing, also referred to as “life”.

 

Or they could choose to reject and disobey God and serve foreign gods which would result in the life of the curse, also referred to as “death”.

 

They had a choice.

 

And time and time again as we studied the ministry of Elisha

We saw the choices of people ring true.

 

Well this morning we see it again.

We see Jehoram: The King who Chose Poorly

 

And this morning I want you to see yet again

The dangers of failing to choose God.

 

Now, all that being said,

I do wish to give some balance to this sermon this morning

By saying that I wholeheartedly believe in the sovereignty of God.

I also fully believe in God’s sovereign election.

 

That means that ultimately it is God who is responsible for our salvation

And not we ourselves.

 

I believe ultimately the choice is God’s and not ours.

 

You can see this with Israel:

Deuteronomy 7:6-8 “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth. “The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”

 

You can see this with the disciples:

John 15:16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.”

 

You can see this with the church:

Ephesians 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.”

 

And there are many other passages we could turn to

If our desire this morning was to prove the sovereign election of God.

 

But I merely remind you of that this morning because this morning

We are going to examine the other side of the coin,

WHICH IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MAN,

And I do not want you to develop a lop sided theology.

 

Mostly I want you to remember that salvation is the work of God,

And it is far more than just a choice of mankind.

 

However, in a way that cannot be fathomed in the human mind,

The sovereign God who has chosen His elect

Somehow leaves a choice open to mankind.

 

We call this “Man’s Responsibility”.

 

And the point to that is this.

That while God is sovereign, and He chooses and predestines

And foreordains His elect for salvation and glory,

That in this divine mystery, those who are saved have also in their life had to come to the place where they also chose Him.

This is the basis for all invitations in Scripture.

 

It is on this basis that Jesus would say, “Come to Me all you that are weary and heavy laden…”

 

It is on this basis that Jesus would say, “Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and the door shall be opened unto you.”

 

It is on this basis that Peter would say at Pentecost, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

 

It is on this basis that Paul would tell the Corinthians, “…we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”

 

And so while it is true that God is the author and the offerer of salvation,

And that no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws them,

 

There also seems to be a balance in Scripture

In which at that point, mankind must make a conscious choice

To leave sin and embrace Christ.

 

And at that moment is really the conflict of salvation.

 

It is that moment where we choose who we will serve,

And the consequences of that choice are nothing short of eternal.

 

If you choose God, you inherit life and blessing.

If you choose sin, you inherit death and the curse.

 

And every man must choose.

That is why after Moses turned the reigns over to Joshua

He also exhorted the people.

 

Joshua 24:15 “If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

 

It is the choice you also are faced with.

 

The tragedy is that most people make the wrong choice.

 

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

 

The reality is that most people choose the easy life

Apart from obedience to God and therefore inherit judgment.

Most people make the wrong choice.

 

Luke 13:23-24 “And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.”

 

Even as I speak this sermon, there are some in this room

Who have never made a choice to follow Christ.

 

And the emphasis this morning is to beg you

To rethink that choice, and to choose Christ.

 

For this morning I am about to show you a man

Who chose the wrong path and paid dearly for it.

 

This morning, let’s look at Jehoram.

4 divisions to our text.

 

#1 HE LIVED IN DECEPTION

2 Kings 8:16-18

 

Here we see the beginning of Jehoram.

While Joram was king in Israel in the north,

Jehoram became king in Judah in the south.

 

“He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem.”

 

So he had a relatively short tenure as king in Judah.

 

And then the appraisal of this man.

 

(18) “He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab became his wife; and he did evil in the sight of the LORD.”

This king was no good.

 

2 Chronicles 21:1-6 “Then Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David, and Jehoram his son became king in his place. He had brothers, the sons of Jehoshaphat: Azariah, Jehiel, Zechariah, Azaryahu, Michael and Shephatiah. All these were the sons of Jehoshaphat king of Israel. Their father gave them many gifts of silver, gold and precious things, with fortified cities in Judah, but he gave the kingdom to Jehoram because he was the firstborn. Now when Jehoram had taken over the kingdom of his father and made himself secure, he killed all his brothers with the sword, and some of the rulers of Israel also. Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. He walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab did (for Ahab’s daughter was his wife), and he did evil in the sight of the LORD.”

 

So here we have an extremely wicked man.

Not chosen because of his worth, but chosen because of his age.

 

And a man who chose the wrong path for himself.

Instead of choosing to walk in the shoes of his father and grandfather, (Jehoshaphat and Asa)

Men who for the most part loved and honored God.

 

He chose to walk in the footsteps of Ahab, who was the most wicked man Israel had ever seen.

 

Jehoram chose to be a murdering, idolatrous, tyrant, just like Ahab.

 

And we even see why he did this.

(18) “for the daughter of Ahab became his wife;”

 

We do cut him a little slack her initially, for he did not choose her as his wife. This marriage was arranged by Jehoshaphat to ally himself with Ahab.

 

But we do fault Jehoram for listening to her.

 

We have just studied the past three weeks on Sunday nights

The role of men and women, and it is extremely clear what Paul said.

 

1 Corinthians 11:3 “But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.”

 

God has called men to be men, to walk in authority, and to be strong.

It is obvious, that like Ahab, Jehoram did not.

 

He allowed his wife to influence him…

He allowed his wife to manipulate him…

He allowed his wife to lead him…

 

And it caused him to end up on the wrong path.

 

His life is characterized as a man who made the wrong choice,

And began walking down the wrong path.

 

He lived in deception

#2 HE EXISTED IN DENIAL

2 Kings 8:19

 

I chose to take a moment and look at this verse

For it speaks volumes about our great God,

But also gives insight into the reign of Jehoram.

 

Despite his wickedness, and despite God’s anger towards him,

God did not immediately destroy him, or wipe out his lineage.

The reason is because God is faithful,

And God had made promises to David.

 

But in regard to Jehoram, this reveals that he lived in denial.

 

Surely he thought that he maintained his throne by his own ability.

Certainly he assumed that his reign was secure because of his own worth.

 

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

 

The only reason he was king was because

He was living on the blessings of his ancestor David.

 

And this is crucial to understand in regard to the choices we make.

 

There are many in this world today who have chosen not to accept Christ,

And have chosen not to take up His cross,

And have chosen to walk their own path.

 

And today, because they are still alive,

And because they have a job, and because they have a family,

They suppose that the decision they made was fine.

 

But if they make that estimation they are living in denial

Of why they are doing ok and where they are headed.

 

Jonathon Edwards preached about such vain denial by men.

“All wicked men’s pains and contrivance which they use to escape hell, while they continue to reject Christ, and so remain wicked men, do not secure them from hell one moment. Almost every natural man that hears of hell, flatters himself that he shall escape it; he depends upon himself for his own security; he flatters himself in what he has done, in what he is now doing, or what he intends to do. Every one lays out matters in his own mind how he shall avoid damnation, and flatters himself that he contrives well for himself, and that his schemes will not fail. They hear indeed that there are but few saved, and that the greater part of men that have died heretofore are gone to hell; but each one imagines that he lays out matters better for his own escape than others have done. He does not intend to come to that place of torment; he says within himself, that he intends to take effectual care, and to order matters so for himself as not to fail. But the foolish children of men miserably delude themselves in their own schemes, and in confidence in their own strength and wisdom; they trust to nothing but a shadow. The greater part of those who heretofore have lived under the same means of grace, and are now dead, are undoubtedly gone to hell; and it was not because they were not as wise as those who are now alive: it was not because they did not lay out matters as well for themselves to secure their own escape. If we could speak with them, and inquire of them, one by one, whether they expected, when alive, and when they used to hear about hell, ever to be the subjects of misery: we doubtless, should hear one and another reply, “No, I never intended to come here: I had laid out matters otherwise in my mind; I thought I should contrive well for myself — I thought my scheme good. I intended to take effectual care; but it came upon me unexpected; I did not look for it at that time, and in that manner; it came as a thief — Death outwitted me: God’s wrath was too quick for me. Oh, my cursed foolishness! I was flattering myself, and pleasing myself with vain dreams of what I would do hereafter; and when I was saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction came upon me.”

 

As he noted, men do not exist in comfort and ease

Because they have somehow outwitted God

And carved a life of comfort in spite of His promise against it.

 

They live in ease for some other reason.

For Jehoram it was because God regarded David.

 

And for the countless lost today it is because of another reason.

 

2 Peter 3:9-10 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”

 

Men who choose wrong and think they are safe

Are living in denial of the truth,

 

And there are countless examples of such people in Scripture.

 

The biggest that come to mind are the Pharisees.

 

Matthew 3:7-10 “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance; and do not suppose that you can say to yourselves, ‘ We have Abraham for our father’; for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

 

They thought themselves to be safe, but it was an unwarranted thought.

In reality they were a tree unaware of the axe man

Who was about to topple it.

 

So many today are in such a predicament.

They have chosen death by rejecting Jesus,

And do not even see the axe about to chop them down.

 

They suppose they live in peace and safety

When in reality they are in great danger.

 

So it was for Jehoram.

 

Lived in Deception

Existed in Denial

#3 REIGNED IN DEFEAT

2 Kings 8:20-22

Here we learn that because of his rejection of the LORD,

Things did not go great with him.

 

It is bad enough that he was an immoral king,

But he wasn’t even a good king.

 

Some men in the past have been immoral, yet suitable in matters of national defense, or national economy.

 

Jehoram wasn’t even suitable in those areas.

 

We initially read that Edom revolted under his watch.

 

Edom had been subject to Israel since the days of David,

And now they have had enough.

 

While he did go and win a battle against them,

He was still unable to bring them back into subjection.

 

Furthermore he lost Libnah.

 

WHO WAS LIBNAH?

Joshua 21:13 “So to the sons of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron, the city of refuge for the manslayer, with its pasture lands, and Libnah with its pasture lands,”

 

Libnah was a city in Judah that was designated as a priestly city.

And this city basically succeeded from the union.

 

Obviously this city full of priests could not stomach

The blatant idolatry of Jehoram and so they revolted.

 

So now, not only has Jehoram lost a foreign slave,

But even his own country is unraveling before his very eyes.

 

The writer of Chronicles gets more specific as to the problem.

2 Chronicles 21:8-11 “In his days Edom revolted against the rule of Judah and set up a king over themselves. Then Jehoram crossed over with his commanders and all his chariots with him. And he arose by night and struck down the Edomites who were surrounding him and the commanders of the chariots. So Edom revolted against Judah to this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time against his rule, because he had forsaken the LORD God of his fathers. Moreover, he made high places in the mountains of Judah, and caused the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot and led Judah astray.”

 

The writer of Chronicles reveals that his trouble was a direct consequence of having forsaken God and for engaging in idolatry.

 

He was allowed the throne because of David,

But he had no blessing upon his life.

 

He Lived in Deception He Existed in Denial He Reigned in Defeat

#4 HE DIED IN DISGRACE

2 Kings 8:23-24

 

Now in those two verses we don’t get much insight into his death.

However this writer did not have to include that info

Because it is readily available somewhere else.

 

He said, “The rest of the acts of Joram and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Judah?”

 

So let’s see the rest.

2 Chronicles 21:12-20 “Then a letter came to him from Elijah the prophet saying, “Thus says the LORD God of your father David, ‘Because you have not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat your father and the ways of Asa king of Judah, but have walked in the way of the kings of Israel, and have caused Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to play the harlot as the house of Ahab played the harlot, and you have also killed your brothers, your own family, who were better than you, behold, the LORD is going to strike your people, your sons, your wives and all your possessions with a great calamity; and you will suffer severe sickness, a disease of your bowels, until your bowels come out because of the sickness, day by day.'” Then the LORD stirred up against Jehoram the spirit of the Philistines and the Arabs who bordered the Ethiopians; and they came against Judah and invaded it, and carried away all the possessions found in the king’s house together with his sons and his wives, so that no son was left to him except Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons. So after all this the LORD smote him in his bowels with an incurable sickness. Now it came about in the course of time, at the end of two years, that his bowels came out because of his sickness and he died in great pain. And his people made no fire for him like the fire for his fathers. He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years; and he departed with no one’s regret, and they buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.”

 

And what we find is that Jehoram died in great pain and in disgrace.

There is nothing favorable in his life.

There is nothing worthy of honor.

 

He chose the wrong path and it led him to destruction.

 

And let me assure you that the same awaits

For all those who choose the wrong path.

 

TURN TO: PROVERBS 1:20-33

 

And we could continue.

Take the Rich Young Ruler who chose the wrong path.

Take the Rich man in Hades who chose the wrong path.

Take Zaccheus who chose the right path.

 

And throughout Scripture it immerges time and time again.

 

That while God is most certainly sovereign over salvation,

There will come a day when you must choose who you will serve.

And let me assure you.

It is not a decision to take lightly.

Nor is it an insignificant decision.

 

It is a decision to completely and totally forsake this life

For the sake of the next.

 

That is why Jesus always told people to count the cost.

 

Luke 9:57-62 “As they were going along the road, someone said to Him, “I will follow You wherever You go.” And Jesus said to him, “The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.” But He said to him, “Allow the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.” Another also said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first permit me to say good-bye to those at home.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

 

TURN TO: LUKE 14:25-35

 

And my point is this.

This is a decision that all men must make,

But do not assume you can cheat the system

By making some sort of half-way decision.

 

You are either all in or all out for Jesus.

You have either died to self or you haven’t.

You have either taken up the cross or you haven’t.

You have left a life of sin or you haven’t.

 

Salvation is all the work of God.

It is He who is the Savior.

It is Jesus who died and paid the penalty for sin.

And it is He who must offer it.

 

But when that offer comes your way, according to Scripture,

You must choose the path you will walk.

 

This morning I am asking you to choose to follow Christ.

I am asking you to die to self and to take up the cross and live for Jesus.

 

His way is the HARD way, it is the NARROW way,

It is the UNPOPULAR way, but it is THE way to life.

 

Matthew 7:13-14 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”