The Sword of Jehu – part 1 (2 Kings 8:25 – 9:27)
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
