Men’s Study & Coffee | March 13, 2018 | 2 Kings, Week Nine (*notes from “Be Distinct” by Warren Wiersbe) 2 Kings 9 & 2 Chronicles 22:1-9 | Reaping the Harvest of Sin The suddenness of opportunity. (2 Kings 9:1–13) The scene now shifts to Ramoth Gilead where Israel and Judah had combined their forces to recover the city from the Syrians. One of the key commanders of the Israeli army was Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, but not the Jehoshaphat who was king of Judah and the father of Jehoram. Unknown to Jehu, the Prophet Elisha had dispatched one of the young sons of the prophets to anoint him king of Israel. This was the third assignment God gave Elijah (1 Kings 19:15–16). Instead of going to the battlefield himself, Elisha wisely gave the young man the authority to anoint Jehu privately. Elisha advised the student to flee the scene as fast as he could, for obviously there was going to be serious conflict. Jehu was having a staff meeting in the courtyard when the young man approached and asked for a private audience with the commander. They went into a private room in the house and there the young man anointed Jehu to be the new king of Israel. It’s interesting that the young prophet called the people of Israel “the people of the Lord” (9:6). Even though Israel and Judah were separate kingdoms and not obedient to the covenant, the people were still the chosen ones of the Lord and Abraham’s descendants. God’s covenants with Abraham (Gen. 12:1–3) and with David (2 Sam. 7) would still stand. The people had turned away from the Lord, but He had not forsaken them. The young man didn’t end his work with the anointing but went on to explain to Jehu the work God wanted him to do. His main task was to wipe out the family of Ahab in Israel and execute God’s judgment upon them because of the innocent people they had killed. He specifically mentioned Jezebel’s crimes and her judgment, referring to the words Elijah spoke when he confronted Ahab (1 Kings 21:21–24). That prophecy may have been forgotten by Ahab’s descendants, but God remembered it, and the time had come to fulfill it. Just as God had wiped out the descendants of Jeroboam and Baasha (1 Kings 15:25–16:7), He would use Jehu to destroy the house of Ahab. The officers in the courtyard must have wondered who the young man was and why his message to Jehu was so confidential. Did he come from the front? Would there be a change in the battle plan? When the young man ran out of the house and fled, the officers were sure he was out of his mind. More than one servant of God has been accused of madness, including Paul (Acts 26:24; 2 Cor. 5:13) and Jesus (Mark 3:20–21, 31–35; John 10:20). Actually, it’s the lost world that is mad and God’s people who are the sane ones. Was it a mark of humility in Jehu that he didn’t immediately announce that he was king? The officers had to pull the truth out of him, but once they knew, they accepted their commander’s promotion and openly acknowledged it. As far as the biblical record is concerned, Jehu is the only king of Israel who was anointed by an appointed servant of the Lord. Jehu’s opportunity came suddenly, but he accepted it by faith and immediately began to serve the Lord. A Chinese proverb says, “Opportunity has a forelock but not a pigtail. Once it is past, you cannot grasp it.” As the tenth king of Israel, Jehu started a new dynasty and reigned for twenty-eight years (10:36). The swiftness of God’s judgment. (2 Kings 9:14–37; 2 Chron. 22:1–9) Here is the situation as Jehu began his crusade. Ahaziah was reigning in Judah and following the counsel of his wicked mother, Athaliah, and the leaders in the house of Ahab in Israel. Baal was his god and he had no interest in the law of the Lord. Ahaziah had gone to Jezreel to visit King Joram, who was recovering from wounds received at Ramoth Gilead and did not know that God had given Israel a new king. Jehu wanted to catch his enemies by surprise, so he ordered his officers not to spread the word that he was king. The death of Joram (vv. 16–26). It was about forty-five miles from Ramoth Gilead to Jezreel, but Jehu was a fast and daring charioteer and his men were accustomed to traveling at speeds that were alarming in those days. The word “peace” (shalom) is repeated eight times in this section (vv. 17–19, 22, 31), but the event was actually a declaration of war. Without slowing his pace, Jehu received Joram’s two messengers and commanded them to ride with his company, and they obeyed. However, when his two messengers failed to return to Jezreel, Joram became suspicious and ordered his own chariot to be readied for an escape. In a move that made Jehu’s work much easier, Joram and Ahaziah each mounted his royal chariot and rode out to meet the man who had now been identified as Jehu. Perhaps the two kings were hoping that Jehu was bringing good news from the front. Joram’s question “Have you come in peace?” might have meant “Has the battle at Ramoth ended in our favor?” or “Is your mission one of peace?” If it was the latter, it suggests that Jehu might have been somewhat of a “loose cannon” in Joram’s army, and perhaps Joram suspected he had designs on the throne. Jehu’s reply instantly told the king that danger was in the air, and he tried to get away. Joram warned his nephew Ahaziah, who did escape but was later caught, but one well-directed arrow ended the life of Joram. As a patient recuperating from wounds, Joram wouldn’t be wearing his armor. Providentially, he died on the property of Naboth that Ahab and Jezebel had taken after killing Naboth and his sons. Thus the Lord fulfilled the prophecy He gave to Elijah (1 Kings 21:18–24). Jehu not only executed the king of Israel, but he also killed all the royal princes (2 Chron. 22:8). The death of Ahaziah (vv. 27–29; 2 Chron. 22:1–9). The reports of Ahaziah’s death in 2 Kings 9:27–29 and 2 Chronicles 22:7–9 aren’t easy to harmonize, but we suggest a scenario. Ahaziah was wounded as he fled from Jezreel (v. 27). He made it to Beth-haggan and then turned northwest at the Ascent of Gur and headed for Megiddo where he tried to hide from Jehu. But Jehu’s men tracked him down and killed him at Megiddo. Ahaziah’s servants carried his body from Megiddo to Jerusalem where he was buried with the kings, for he was a descendant of David. Had he not compromised with Joram, worshiped Baal, and followed his mother, Athaliah’s, counsel, he would have been spared all this shame and defeat. The death of Jezebel (vv. 30–37). It didn’t take long for Jezebel and the palace residents to hear that Jehu was in Jezreel, that he was king, and that he had killed her son Joram. She put on her makeup, “attired her head,” and watched at an upper window, waited for him to show up. When she saw him come through the gate, she called, “Is it well, Zimri, your master’s murderer?” (v. 31, NASB). About fifty years before, Zimri had killed King Elah and made himself king and then had proceeded to exterminate the family of Baasha (1 Kings 16:8–20). Since Zimri ruled for only seven days and then died a suicide, Jezebel was obviously trying to warn Jehu that his authority was weak and his days were numbered. She might even have been suggesting that Jehu form an alliance with her and strengthen his throne. But Jehu knew his mandate from the Lord. When he called for evidence of loyalty from the palace personnel, two or three servants responded, and they threw Jezebel out the window to the courtyard below. Jehu rode his horse over her body until he was sure she was dead. Since he was now king, Jehu went into the palace and called for something to eat. As he was dining, he remembered that, evil as she was, Jezebel was a princess, the daughter of Ethbaal, the Sidonian ruler (1 Kings 16:29–31); so he ordered the servants to bury her body. But it was too late. Smelling human blood, the wild dogs showed up and ate her body, leaving only her skull, feet and the palms of her hands. It was a gruesome scene, but it was what Elijah had predicted would happen (1 Kings 21:21–24). God’s Word never fails but accomplishes His purposes on the earth (Isa. 55:10–11).

2 Kings 9 | Study Questions: 1. What did Elisha’s servant say that Jehu must do?

2. After killing Joram, what did Jehu do that he was not told by God to do?

3. What was the prophecy about Jezebel that was fulfilled at her death?

Discussion Questions: 1. What is the most important thing, the Big Idea?

2. What is a central truth I need to know?

3. Why do I need to know it?

4. What do I need to do?

5. Why do I need to do it?

6. How can I remember it?