The Story of Elijah: Jehu
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Many versions of Jesus in today culture
We serve the Jesus that we have created in our own image
Meek and Mild Jesus - never hurt a butterfly, never speak out of turn, he was never rude, or offensive. He is the Jesus we often tell our kids they should be like when they get rowdy.
The Inclusive Jesus - He loves everyone, and accepts everyone for who they are. He would never say your wrong, nor would he tell you to change, he only wants you to know you are loved and accepted just the way you are.
The social justice Jesus - The one who came to abolish injustice, he is a revolutionary and always on the side of the victim.
Jesus the Rabbi - he comes with great teaching that we should follow
Jesus the republican
Jesus the democrate
Jesus the concervitive
Jesus the liberal
And many many more...
With all these versions of Jesus how do we know which one is the correct?
Each of these groups go to the bible and pull verses out to support their own version of Jesus.
Well, we know the gospels give us an account of Jesus’ life, but if we read carefully, we also see that the gospels tell us how we are to understand Jesus.
Jesus says that he only speaks the words given to him by the father
We also see that Jesus is one with the father
So we learn about Jesus by learning about God in the OT.
When God told Elijah that he was going to raise up three swords to judge Israel, we learn about who Jesus is, for he is God.
When God sends fire down from heaven to burn of the 50 men, we learn something about Jesus.
The whole bible paints us a picture of the manifold witness of who Jesus is. This is why Jesus says that the whole OT spoke about him.
So as we look at the story of Jehu, likewise we get a picture of Jesus, not the meek and mild Jesus, but the warrior King Jesus.
So turn with me to
We are finishing the series of Elijah with the story of Jehu because Jehu is the one who finally gets ride of the chief villain of the story, Ahab’s wife, Jezebel.
Jehu Anointed King
Elisha sends one of the sons of the prophets to anoint Jehu as King
1 Then Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Tie up your garments, and take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead.
2 And when you arrive, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi. And go in and have him rise from among his fellows, and lead him to an inner chamber.
3 Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, ‘Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and flee; do not linger.”
4 So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead.
5 And when he came, behold, the commanders of the army were in council. And he said, “I have a word for you, O commander.” And Jehu said, “To which of us all?” And he said, “To you, O commander.”
6 So he arose and went into the house. And the young man poured the oil on his head, saying to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, I anoint you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel.
7 And you shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord.
8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel.
9 And 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.
10 And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.” Then he opened the door and fled.
11 When Jehu came out to the servants of his master, they said to him, “Is all well? Why did this mad fellow come to you?” And he said to them, “You know the fellow and his talk.”
12 And they said, “That is not true; tell us now.” And he said, “Thus and so he spoke to me, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel.’ ”
13 Then in haste every man of them took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps, and they blew the trumpet and proclaimed, “Jehu is king.”
He arrives at the camp where Jehu was the commander and tells him that they need to talk
Jehu is anointed King 9.4-10
If the prophets says your king, your king
They go into the inner chamber of the tent and the young prophet tell Jehu that YHWH is anointing him as king.
The prophetic
So he pours oil on his head as a sign of the anointment and then give him his instructions as king.
Jehu proclaimed King the people
6 So he arose and went into the house. And the young man poured the oil on his head, saying to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, I anoint you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel.
7 And you shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord.
8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel.
9 And 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.
10 And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.” Then he opened the door and fled.
2 k 9
Jehu comes out of the tent and his fellow soldiers asked him what this madman wanted.
Jehu played it off, like, you know how these prophets are...
But his soldiers didn’t believe him… Look at
12 And they said, “That is not true; tell us now.” And he said, “Thus and so he spoke to me, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel.’ ”
13 Then in haste every man of them took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps, and they blew the trumpet and proclaimed, “Jehu is king.”
2 k 9 12
So he told them that YHWH through the prophets
There is only one other story of an anointed king walking over the garments of his followers as he prepares to enter his kingdom.
There is only one other story of an anointed king walking over the garments of his followers as he prepares to enter his kingdom.
7 And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it, and he sat on it. 8 And many spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. 9 And those who went before and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest!”
And when Jesus enters his kingdom the first thing he does is to begin a cleansing process.
He brings a curse upon Israel by cursing the fig tree
He then goes into the temple and cleanses its evil practices
As king Jesus begins to destroy all that is in opposition to his authority
He tells his disciples how the whole temple is going to be destoryed, not one stone will be left on another
He then goes to the cross to bring judgement to the whole world
31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die.
31-
Upon the cross Jesus judges the whole world, and casts out the ruler of this world.
And in doing so, Jesus will draw all people to himself.
Jesus’ mission to judge the world, to cast out its ruler, to draw people to himself, and to build his kingdom is a retelling of the story of Jehu.
So we have seen that Jehu, like Jesus, walks across the garments of his people as he becomes king, and now, like Jesus will begin to cleanse the house of Israel of evil. And judge Israel for their wickedness
Jehu Cleanses the House
Jehu Cleanses the House
As we have seen, Ahab’s house is judged because of his Baal worship, wickedness, and not following God.
Jehu will not leave one person left in Ahab’s line, there will not be one stone left upon another.
So as soon as the people proclaim Jehu is king, he begins to plan his attack, he begins to plot out his path, and he conspires against Joram, the king of Israel.
Jehu decides to ride toward Jezreel to destroy Joram and Jezebel.
16 Then Jehu mounted his chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to visit Joram.
2k
Joram and Ahaziah
1. Joram and Ahaziah (involves deception)
Joram king of Israel
Joram is Ahab and Jezebel’s second born son
Ahaziah king of Judah (the southern kingdom)
2. Ahaziah
Not the son of Ahab and Jezebel
a lookout see’s a company of men approaching Jezreel and tells Joram.
a lookout see’s a company of men approaching Jezreel and tells Joram.
Joram tells them to send out a messenger and to have the messenger ask, “is it peace?”
so the messenger rides out to meet Jehu and his army and brings the question, “is it peace?”
Jehu did not come to bring peace, but a sword.
Look how Jehu responds to this question of the messenger.
18 So a man on horseback went to meet him and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’ ” And Jehu said, “What do you have to do with peace? Turn around and ride behind me.” And the watchman reported, saying, “The messenger reached them, but he is not coming back.”
2k 9
This messenger does not turn back to bring word to the evil kings. Rather he is a convert to the army of Jehu, the rightful king. (Like Jesus, Jehu is drawing men to himself)
By riding with Jehu this messenger has chosen to follow a new king, a king that actually knows where peace is found.
Jehu knows that true peace is only found in a covenant relationship with God.
One cannot have peace if they are living in rebellion to God.
EXAMPLE on peace
We live in a world that offers peace as a product that can be purchased or obtained
Peace of mind -
Orginization brings peace
Friendships bring peace
Financial security brings peace - Financial Peace University
Physical health brings peace
But what we find in the bible is that there is no peace outside of Christ.
Apart from Christ there is only chaos and dispare
Cheap trinkets that masquerade as bringers of peace
Paul says, that Jesus himself is our peace.
There is only one true peace, a gospel of peace, a peace that passes all understanding, and that peace is found in Christ.
This peace is found among the people of God, in the word of God, in the spirit of God.
So when we are offered peace by the world, we should respond like Jehu,
“What do you have to do with peace?”
The messenger joins Jehu, thus joining God, and thus finding peace.
So Jehu continues to ride toward Jezreel
Joram still does not know who this man is leading an army toward his location.
Joram still does not know who this man is leading an army toward his location.
so he sends out another messenger with the same message
And the result is the same, another messenger repents and follows the rightful king.
the true king of Israel is riding toward the gates of Jezreel, and he is building his army as he rides.
The watchman sees that the second messenger has likewise joined this army coming toward the kingdom.
And the watchmen looks closer, and he see’s who is leading the charge, and in a panic he runs to the king to give him the report.
20 Again the watchman reported, “He reached them, but he is not coming back. And the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously.”
2k 9
Jehu had the reputation of pushing the limits what a chariot can do.
Jehu is the guy who is known for drag racing back in 9th century BC
He’s the guys that takes his chariot off roading
he’s the guy that puts superchargers and boosters in his chariot.
The watchmen knew who it was because he saw the way he was driving , for he drives furiously!
literally this word means that he drives like a madman!
The watchman runs to tell both King Joram and Ahaziah that its Jehu who’s coming, and he has recruited another messenger.
When he brings
When Joram heard this he tells his servants to get his chariot ready, And while their at it, get Ahaziah’s chariot ready too.
So the two kings, Joram and Ahaziah, ride to meet Jehu.
When they reach Jehu and his army, Joram asks the same question, Is it peace?
Now, You want to know the best way to enrage a king? Insult his mother...
2 k 9
What w
22 And when Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” He answered, “What peace can there be, so long as the whorings and the sorceries of your mother Jezebel are so many?”
2 k 9
Now, thats not very nice… That not like the sensitive Jesus who would never say such a mean thing. - Accept he did. many times.
Jehu’s answer is not one that is typically accepted in our view of moral christianity.
And in part, this is why the church has lost its spine.
When the culture needs to be spoken too, Christians have become more concerned with not offending than speaking truth.
Jehu is not concerned with hurting Jorem’s feeling, he is telling him that there can be no peace as long as his mother continues her whoring and sorceries.
Jorem responds like you’d expect any son to respond
23 Then Joram reined about and fled, saying to Ahaziah, “Treachery, O Ahaziah!”
He hears these words about his mother and as he turns his chariot around, screams “treachery, O Ahaziah!”
He turn around to ride back to his mommy in Jezreel
24 And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength, and shot Joram between the shoulders, so that the arrow pierced his heart, and he sank in his chariot.
When Ahaziah saw this he tried to escape as well
27 When Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled in the direction of Beth-haggan. And Jehu pursued him and said, “Shoot him also.” And they shot him in the chariot at the ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo and died there.
2k 9 27
You know there is a proverb,...
20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.
Ahaziah king of Judah partnered with and became a companion of the house of Ahab, and the sins of Ahab and Jezebel not only spread to their children, but to those who would affirm and support them as well.
This is the harsh reality of sin, when we become accepting and supporting of sin, we join ourselves to their consequences.
The blast radius of sin is far greater than we think.
So very quickly Jehu has assassinated both the kings of Israel and Judah, but he is not done… He continues to ride toward Jezreel
Jehu Meets Jezebel
Jehu Meets Jezebel
Jehu is about to come face to face with the most evil women in all the bible!
This women who was directly responsible for bringing Baal worship into Israel in its fullest form
This Jezebel who killed the prophets of YHWH
This women who turned the world upside down looking for Elijah
This women who threatened to kill Elijah
This women who killed Naboth in order to take his vinyard
Jezebel becomes a title for those who deceive, lie, seduce and practice sexual immorality.
So now her end is near, Jehu has been sent by God to bring an end to Ahab’s house is now about to meet this wicked women.
23 And of Jezebel the Lord also said, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the walls of Jezreel.’
1k 21
So now her end is near, Jehu has been sent by God to bring an end to Ahab’s house is now about to meet this wicked women.
30 When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. And she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out of the window. 31 And as Jehu entered the gate, she said, “Is it peace, you Zimri, murderer of your master?”
For the fourth time Jehu is asked, “is it peace”
2k 9 30-31
But Jezebel knows it not, so she goes on to mock him and to question his loyalty in front of all who are there
She calls him “Zimri”
Zimri was a joke of a king who ruled Israel for 7 days before killing himself.
So when Jezebel calls him Zimri, she is saying, you’re pathetic, and this little rebellion you’re after is nothing more than a flash in the pan.
Jehu hears her insults and then responds
32 And he lifted up his face to the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked out at him. 33 He said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down. And some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled on her.
2 k 9 32
And just like that, Jezebel was dead.
The judgement of God had finally fell upon this great prostitute, who corrupted the earth with her immorality.
Finally, God’s vengeance has come to pass on this women who killed the prophets, the servants of God.
And what does Jehu doe right after her death?
He feasted!
34 Then he went in and ate and drank. And he said, “See now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king’s daughter.”
2 k 9
he celebrated the fact that the cursed women was gone. And he feasted with those whom he had just redeemed from her tyrannical oppression!
I could see Jehu and his men singing songs of praise to God when Jezebel fell to her death
Singing, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgements are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality and he has avenged on her the blood of his prophets!”
I could see them calling all the people of Jezreel together, both small and great to sing this song with them that Jezebel with all of her whorings and sorceries is dead!
When we read stories like this, graphic stories that rub up against our sensibilities, we often don’t know what to think.
should we really be happy about this?
should we think, Jezebel and the two kings were real people, and now their dead. surely God is not celebrating in heaven because of this cruel action.
One of the glorious tasks of the Christian life is being conformed into the image of Christ.
We are to think God’s thoughts after him
This means, when something happens in life, we are to seek to have the mind of Christ, and think about life the way God thinks about life.
How should we think about church? the way God thinks about church
how should we think about marriage or friendships? the way God thinks about marriage and friendships
How should we think about alcohol? the way God thinks about alcohol.
So when we read a gruesome passage about Jezebel, this great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality and killed the prophets of God, we should think the way God thinks about her.
And we serve a faithful God who has revealed himself in Scripture, and has shown us how we are think about this particular story.
Turn with me to
1 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
2 for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”
3 Once more they cried out, “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.”
4 And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who was seated on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”
5 And from the throne came a voice saying, “Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.”
1
When God defeats evil, his people are to rejoice.
We will one day we will join the hosts of heaven to sing the songs the the true warrior king who who has conquered all in order to redeem his bride from the heavy hand of sin.
And as Jehu went in to feast after the death of Jezebel, so after the victory of the great prostitute in revelation the people of God join the king in the greatest feast, the marriage supper of the lamb.
So Jehu feasts with his people, and then goes out to bury Jezebel’s body.
and what they find is not only the fulfillment of prophecy, but is also a picture of the legacy of sin.
35 But when they went to bury her, they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. 36 When they came back and told him, he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite: ‘In the territory of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel, 37 and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as dung on the face of the field in the territory of Jezreel, so that no one can say, This is Jezebel.’ ”
2 k 9 35-
The Legacy of Sin
The Legacy of Sin
We see here that God mocks the idea of Jezebel having any sort of legacy.
Jehu and his men go out to bury Jezebel because she was the daughter of a king, yet when they come out they see she is not worthy of being honored by a burial.
For what they find is nothing more than her skull, her feet, and the palms of her hands.
For the dogs devoured her her body.
Thus the legacy of Jezebel is to be that of dog feces spread out over the land of Jezreel.
This gives us a good picture of the legacy of sin.
Jezebel lived a life that mocked God -
She had servants, and she had the prophets of baal who waited on her
She mocked God in her worship
She received anything she wanted
She thought her good looks would give her a pass
She mocked God in her actions
She thought she would go down in the history books as this great queen
When Jehu arrived, Jezebel got her self all dolled up with makeup to go meet him.
She mocked God with her speech and with her affections
But we serve a God that will not be mocked!
7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
-8
Jezebel thought she would have a legacy of fame and glory, but rather her legacy is that of sin
The legacy of sin is corruption, its as glorious as dog feces spread over the land
And so often we find ourselves at the center of our legacy
What will we accomplish
What mark will we leave on this earth
What will people think of me when I’m gone.
However, when we understand who we are in Christ, there is only one legacy we should be concerned with - The Legacy of Christ in Us
For everything else will be cut off and thrown into the fire
Every selfish ambition will result in a legacy like that of Jezebel - Its worth nothing more than dog droppings
However, Godly ambition will lead to a legacy of glory, of one that points people to Christ, one that causes people to look through you and see the power of God.
The Apostle Paul understood this truth when he writes in
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
For Paul, every part of self was to be put to death, so that Christ might be the one who lives.
That the legacy of Paul is a dead man who was brought to life by Jesus.
And this is what the power of the gospel does in God’s people, it puts them to death.
Without death there is no resurrection.
For every evil impulse that stands opposed to Christ’s kingship must be put to death so that we can truly live in Christ.
The story of Jehu continues
We see Jehu continue his onslaught to wipe out the whole house of Ahab and Jezebel
He goes on to kill the seventy sons of Ahab
He then killed the forty-two relatives that considered Jezebel their queen mother
He then set his sights on the prophets of Baal and those who worshiped Baal
He gathered them all together in the temple of baal and had them slaughtered
he then destoryed the temple of Baal and turned its ruins into public toilets
This is another picture of the legacy of Sin, not only dog droppings, but public restrooms
God called Jehu as King to completely wipe out all those who were connected to Ahab, Jezebel, and Baal.
The story of might sound barbaric, somewhat overkill, maybe you say, this is the God of the OT, but Jesus is different.
But as we have seen, Jehu point us to Jesus, and Jehu’s conquest likewise foreshadows Jesus’ conquest.
We Are Called to Wage War on Sin
We Are Called to Wage War on Sin
When Jesus walked across those garments as he entered Jerusalem he began his journey to the cross.
On the cross Jesus began his conquest in bringing complete destruction to sin.
As we read in John, The cross was the judgement of the world.
And now through the Spirit of Christ continues this onslaught to put to death every sinful action that would stand against his kingship and glory.
Jesus has not called us to play nice with sin, he has not allowed us to let some sins stay alive while other sins we put to death.
He crushed the head of the serpent, and was victorious over evil.
No! Jesus has called his people to wage war against sin, and by the spirit he tells us to put to death the deeds of the flesh.
If Jehu allowed one of Ahab’s 70 sons to live, he would have been in rebellion against God
Jehu’s mission was to pour out the wrath of God upon evil, and to judge those who stood opposed to
And if we let one of our secret sins go on living, we are likewise in rebellion against God.
Church, for far to long we have played nice with sin,
we have pampered sin,
we have allowed it to be comfortable,
we have even served sin as if it were our master.
We must learn that there is a mean-streak in the Christian life.
We are not entertainers, we are soldiers. we are not servers, we are executioners.
Every man women and child must learn the scriptures, which is the sword of the spirit, the offensive weapon that the spirit uses to wage war against sin in our lives.
Let us be like Jehu, let us be like Christ, let us be good soldiers of Christ who fight sin until our dying breath.
And by doing so, we will not have a legacy of sin, like Jezebel, but we will have a legacy of glory in Christ.
3. Jezebel (peace, queen mother)
1 & 2 Kings 2 Kings 9:1–10:36
1. Joram (involves deception)
2. Ahaziah
3. Jezebel (peace, queen mother)
4. seventy sons of Ahab (involves deception)
5. forty-two brothers of Ahaziah (peace, queen mother)
6. all remaining loyalists in Samaria
7. temple and worshipers of Baal (involves deception)
4. seventy sons of Ahab (involves deception)
5. forty-two brothers of Ahaziah (peace, queen mother)
6. all remaining loyalists in Samaria
7. temple and worshipers of Baal (involves deception)