Sunday Morning Service (II Kings 9)

II Kings 9

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“Without Further Adieu” • 7.23.17 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service

Intro.

- Chapter 8 documented a growing sense of pending doom for the idolatrous nation of Israel. God's work through Elisha was being ignored and the nation's enemies were rising.

- And something that I failed to notice has become a reality: Ahab's family members are exerting control over both Israel and Judah! There can only be one outcome from here.

- Having taken a beating at the hands of Syria's new King, Hazael, Israel's King returned to Jezreel to recover.

- Judah's King, Ahab's son-in-law Ahaziah, has also come to Jezreel to check on his relative and ally. Unbeknownst to them, they have walked right into God's trap! Verse 1.

Text

• II Kings 9:1-3 : "And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him, 'Get yourself ready, take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead. Now when you arrive at that place, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, and go in and make him rise up from among his associates, and take him to an inner room. Then take the flask of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord: 'I have anointed you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and flee, and do not delay.'" : I had mentioned last week that Elijah was given the task of annointing Jehu to be King in I Kings 19:16.

- Even though the nation of Israel has distanced itself from God through idolatry, God has refused to go away. He is still commanding prophets to annoint Kings!

- Just who is Jehu? We'll find out from his own lips, that he has been a commander in Israel's armed forces, at least since the days of King Ahab.

- Elisha sends one of the sons of the prophets to annoint Jehu. There are varying reasons that have been suggested. The best theory revolves around the need for secrecy and urgency.

- Elisha was well known and his presence would have tipped the proverbial hat.

- The young prophet was to fulfill his duty quickly and run as quickly out the door!

- Elisha doesn't give him the reason, but many times, Old Testament prophets employed dramatics in order to strengthen their message. Additionally, the two Kings were in one place!

- Jehu was not going to have a better opportunity than this! Verse 4.

• II Kings 9:4-10 : "So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead. And when he arrived, there were the captains of the army sitting; and he said, 'I have a message for you, Commander.' Jehu said, 'For which one of us?' And he said, 'For you, Commander.' Then he arose and went into the house. And he poured the oil on his head, and said to him, 'Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I have anointed you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel. You shall strike down 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 all the males in Israel, both bond and free. So 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 on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her.’ And he opened the door and fled." : The servant ran to make his meeting and found the refreshing sight of humility.

- When he announced his intention, nobody knew who he was referring to! Surprise seems to be a consistent motif of the ones that God chooses to annoint.

- When the young man came through the door, Jehu didn't just stand up and proclaim, "Well, it's about time! I've been waiting for you!"

- He begins with surprise and he follows with the same attitude. When he and the messenger are in a room alone, the messenger pours out his oil and gives out his message.

- What was it like to be Jehu in this moment? The oil is flowing through his beard as he listens intently to what is said. "You will be King." That's overwhelming enough!

- "You shall strike down the house of Ahab your Master!" For a career military man, this was almost unthinkable! God is calling him to be his regent as King and his tool for vengeance!

- God has not forgotten what the house of Ahab has been responsible for! They had spilled the blood of God's prophets. You'll recall that at one time, there were only 101 left in Israel!

- There were other servants of the Lord that were brought down in blood at the hand of Jezebel. I can't help but think of Naboth, Fruitful, who was murdered for his vineyard!

- Jehu will exact divine retribution upon Ahab's house. This was not a capricious act. God has patiently endured and he has given sufficient witness, but without repentance, the time has come.

- After delivering his message, the messenger fled out as quickly as he had come in. Verse 11.

• II Kings 9:11-13 : "Then Jehu came out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, 'Is all well? Why did this madman come to you?' And he said to them, 'You know the man and his babble.' And they said, 'A lie! Tell us now.' So he said, 'Thus and thus he spoke to me, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: 'I have anointed you king over Israel.' Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps; and they blew trumpets, saying, 'Jehu is king!'" Why was Jehu so hesitant to say anything? Was he in shock? Did he think it was presumptuous to say anything? Was he afraid that his fellow soldiers would have thought him a traitor?

- Some have even suggested that he felt this to be a practical joke! We can't say for sure, but there is an element of belief that this is simply too good to be true.

- The HCSB translates his response, "You know the sort and their ranting!" This was a deflection and his fellow soldiers saw right through it. "A lie! Tell us now!"

- When he tells them what was said, there was an immediate response. Nobody objected. Nobody said, "How could that be?" or "Of all people, you!?"

- They immediately treated him as their King! In a note of irony, when a person is annointed for service, they are surprised by it, but their friends are usually not!

- They have always thought that this person was cut out for this service. They saw it well before the annointed person did! He had their immediate support! Verse 14.

• II Kings 9:14-20 : "So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now Joram had been defending Ramoth Gilead, he and all Israel, against Hazael king of Syria. But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which the Syrians had inflicted on him when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, 'If you are so minded, let no one leave or escape from the city to go and tell it in Jezreel.' So Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram was laid up there; and Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to see Joram. Now a watchman stood on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu as he came, and said, 'I see a company of men.' And Joram said, 'Get a horseman and send him to meet them, and let him say, ‘Is it peace?’ So the horseman went to meet him, and said, 'Thus says the king: ‘Is it peace?’ And Jehu said, 'What have you to do with peace? Turn around and follow me.' So the watchman reported, saying, 'The messenger went to them, but is not coming back.' Then he sent out a second horseman who came to them, and said, 'Thus says the king: ‘Is it peace?’ And Jehu answered, 'What have you to do with peace? Turn around and follow me.' So the watchman reported, saying, 'He went up to them and is not coming back; and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously!'" : Jehu has been set in the right direction and his ride is characterized by determination. He is rode furiously, with all abandonment toward his goal.

- Along the way, messengers were sent to investigate his intentions and each time, he collected a new man for the mission!

- The men inquired about peace. Was there an invading force on it's way? Jehu's response to them was "what have you to do with peace?" His question is interesting.

- He seems to be asking these men if they are truly committed to peace or if they are just worried about an attack! If they were for peace, they should follow him.

- With such a powerful vision, the men simply fell in line! Verse 21.

• II Kings 9:21-26 : "Then Joram said, 'Make ready.' And his chariot was made ready. Then Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot; and they went out to meet Jehu, and met him on the property of Naboth the Jezreelite. Now it happened, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, 'Is it peace, Jehu?' So he answered, 'What peace, as long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcraft are so many?' Then Joram turned around and fled, and said to Ahaziah, 'Treachery, Ahaziah!' Now Jehu drew his bow with full strength and shot Jehoram between his arms; and the arrow came out at his heart, and he sank down in his chariot. Then Jehu said to Bidkar his captain, 'Pick him up, and throw him into the tract of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember, when you and I were riding together behind Ahab his father, that the Lord laid this burden upon him: ‘Surely I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons,’ says the Lord, ‘and I will repay you in this plot,’ says the Lord. Now therefore, take and throw him on the plot of ground, according to the word of the Lord.'" : Joram has no idea what is coming his way. He presumes that Jehu's message contains sensitive information and the others didn't have the clearance level to receive it.

- Joram is completely blind to his own doom! God has already wounded him through Hazael, and now, he comes out to meet Jehu, who is quick to declare his purpose!

- When you call a person's Mom a "harlot and a witch," you're obviously not seeking to make friends! Joram turned to flee and found an arrow through his heart for the trouble!

- Joram's wicked reign comes to an end and in the process, we get a little peek into the psyche of Jehu in his conversation with Bidkar.

- Joram's dead body was going to lay in the vineyard of Naboth. These two were together at that time and they noted that the responsibility for Jezebel's actions would fall upon him.

- This is interesting, in that we are separated from that incident by nearly two decades.

- These two men had been sitting on this information, serving in the enemy's army, biding their time, waiting for God to bring this very judgment to pass!

- As military men, they could have amassed enough power to perform a coup, but they did not. Jehu wasn't going to force an issue that God would bring about in His time!

- Part of being a person who is submitted to God is to see a problem and then have the wisdom to ask God how He will handle it! Maturity says, "I'll wait to see how I can participate!"

- In this, Jehu is a wonderful example to us! Verse 27.

• II Kings 9:27-29 : "But when Ahaziah king of Judah saw this, he fled by the road to Beth Haggan. So Jehu pursued him, and said, 'Shoot him also in the chariot.' And they shot him at the Ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. Then he fled to Megiddo, and died there. And his servants carried him in the chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the City of David. In the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king over Judah." :

Ahaziah, Joram's nephew did his best to escape from Jehu's bow but he didn't get far before he died.

- Both of Ahab's relatives have been taken out. Now, it's time to deal with Ahab's wife, the one who exerted true control over the Kingdom. Verse 30.

• II Kings 9:30,31 : "Now when Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she put paint on her eyes and adorned her head, and looked through a window. Then, as Jehu entered at the gate, she said, 'Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your master?'" : Jezebel is ready for this moment. It's not entirely clear why she is so made up. Some have suggested that this was an attempt to seduce Jehu!

- If that's the case, she probably should have shut her mouth! Her disdain for him couldn't be more clear. She calls him Zimri, a secondary commander to King Elah, who assassinated his King.

- He had also been the instrument of God's judgment upon Baasha's household. His story is found in I Kings 16. Jezebel's reference to Zimri is a clear insult to Jehu.

- She is calling Jehu a traitor, a Judas, and is intimating that Jehu's actions will be as futile and short-lived as Zimri's were, as he lasted a mere 7 days on the throne.

- It's clear that she will survive on her own terms, if she will survive at all. On the other hand, I might mention how common this is for God's annointed servants.

- They are often accused of inferior motives or are questioned by the timing of their actions. Sadly, many are saddled with the bad decisions that their predecessors made.

- To Jehu's credit, this doesn't deter him in the slightest! He knows who he is and he knows what God wants him to do. Verse 32.

• II Kings 9:32,33 : "And he looked up at the window, and said, 'Who is on my side? Who?' So two or three eunuchs looked out at him. Then he said, 'Throw her down.' So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses; and he trampled her underfoot." : Jehu ignored her entirely and sought for a few guys that would give him a hand. The staff eunuchs were eager to help!

- If Jezebel's wicked reign was felt around the Kingdom, how bad was it in her own home!?

- These eunuchs gladly lent Jehu their hands and Jezebel fell to her death, which Jehu made sure of by trampling her with his own horse! She leaves us with some incredible lessons.

- Here is a woman who has reigned in Israel for most of Ahab's life and well beyond it. Her influence, power and beauty are all parts to her overwhelming personality in history.

- That morning, she rose as if nothing could touch her, but it was the very day that God Himself would reach out and settle His account with her!

- Why had God waited so long? Consider that against all that she had come to know in Israel.

- She had been a champion for Baal worship and for all the immorality that attended it! Yet, she saw first hand how powerless Baal was against the God of Israel.

- She watched her own husband, Ahab, momentarily repent of his sins before God, an act which garnered a reprieve from judgment.

- She lived in the shadow of Elijah and Elisha's ministries, arguably the two greatest prophets that Israel ever had and yet her she falls to her death, a committed idolator.

- When it is clear that she will die, she expresses no remorse. There is no plea for reprieve. There is no call for the mercy of God. Why did God wait to judger her?

- Certainly, her name is synonymous with wickedness but is a byword used by the Lord Himself in the book of Revelation.

- The corrupt church of Thyatira had a woman in it's midst that was given to compromising God's people. Jesus calls her "Jezebel" and speaks to an interesting connection.

• Revelation 2:21 : "And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent." : When you think about Jezebel, think about this: "Jesus gave her time to repent!" How much time does anyone have?

- What you can say is that any amount of time is a mercy that they do not deserve! God's judgment upon Jezebel was meted out after a great period of mercy.

- In all the cases of God's judgment that we have seen thus far, that longsuffering characteristic is present. God desires mercy, not judgment, especially for Jezebels!

- Notice also that it was never more or less than He had said. Jehu is about to connect the dots in that respect. Verse 34.

• II Kings 9:34-37 : "And when he had gone in, he ate and drank. Then he said, 'Go now, see to this accursed woman, and bury her, for she was a king’s daughter.' So they went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. Therefore they came back and told him. And he said, 'This is the word of the Lord, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as refuse on the surface of the field, in the plot at Jezreel, so that they shall not say, 'Here lies Jezebel.'" : Having been trampled to death by Jehu's horse, Jezebel was prime meat to a pack of dogs.

- They ate everything but her head, feet and hands. Some have suggested that each represented her full commitment to evil: The mind that conceived what the hands and feet ran to!

- Jehu realizes that Elijah had spoken this word against Jezebel back in I Kings 21 after she had engineered the transfer of Naboth's vineyard to her husband Ahab.

- An unknown amount of time has passed. Elijah is no longer on the scene. Ahab is dead. Jezebel has been exerting some form of control over the nation of Israel.

- There doesn't seem to have been any justice. I am sure that Naboth's family and those of his friends wondered with every passing year, where God's justice would lie.

- Right here, at the hand of Jehu, God allowed His word to be fulfilled! Jezebel would be what she treated Naboth like: Refuse! Trash!

Conclusion
- As you think back upon this chapter, consider it this way: God had given Jezebel every chance to acknowledge His power. Time after time, she refused to bow her knee.

- When her fate was obvious, even then she stood her ground and defied God's decree.

- Jehu, the humble commander, divinely annointed to be King was also appointed to be the instrument of wrath against Jezebel, for there is no peace when God is not on the throne of hearts!

- Do you not see the parallels? God has shown the world His love through the most enduring display in history: His own Son dying on a cross!

- The world has had 2,000 years to consider it. They have heard of His death and His resurrection. Many have responded and have been saved. Many have continued to be Jezebel!

- They refuse His kindness, spit in His face and stand on the precipice of judgment with a finger raised toward heaven!

- Someday, our humble King, our Annointed One will return on a White Horse and will trample all of God's enemies before Him. Don't believe me? Take a look at Revelation 19.

• Revelation 19:11-16 : "Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."

- Until that Day, God calls out to Jezebels and Ahabs through His church and asks them, "Are you for peace?" May He have mercy on them and may He find faithfulness in us!