Sermon Tone Analysis

Last week we ended class by introducing Jehu as the latest king of Israel.

You will remember that Jehu was different from the kings that came before him because?

He was anointed king.

Jehu’s first act was to kill Joram, Ahaziah, and Jezebel.

Now Ahab had 70 sons.

Do you remember what God’s judgment against Ahab was?

That he would not have a long line of descendants on the throne.

These sons were each assigned to a court official to act as tutor~/mentor.

Jehu sent each official a letter saying…

2 Kings 10 2 “As soon as this letter reaches you, since your master’s sons are with you and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city and weapons, 3 choose the best and most worthy of your master’s sons and set him on his father’s throne.

Then fight for your master’s house.”

In other words, “you decide which son is to become king, and then meet me on the battlefield.”

Instead of picking up the challenge, the officials decided to side with Jehu.

So Jehu sent them a second letter.

6 Then Jehu wrote them a second letter, saying, “If you are on my side and will obey me, take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me in Jezreel by this time tomorrow.”

*7*** When the letter arrived, these men took the princes and slaughtered all seventy of them.

They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu in Jezreel.

8 When the messenger arrived, he told Jehu, “They have brought the heads of the princes.”

Then Jehu ordered, “Put them in two piles at the entrance of the city gate until morning.”

9 The next morning Jehu went out.

He stood before all the people and said, “You are innocent.

It was I who conspired against my master and killed him, but who killed all these?

10 Know then, that not a word the Lord has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail.

The Lord has done what he promised through his servant Elijah.”

Look what happened next, 

11 So Jehu killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his chief men, his close friends and his priests, leaving him no survivor.

I need to point out that he did this on his own.

He went beyond God’s directions.

You will remember that our main purpose in studying kings is to glean warnings.

What we need to glean here is that although someone may be God’s anointed, he or she is still human – and therefore capable of becoming over zealous in doing their job.

In the next few verses we see that Jehu go caught up in this killing spree.

In v. 14 he captures the cousins and nephews of Ahaziah only to slaughter them in v. 17.

On his way to Samaria

*15* After he left there, he came upon Jehonadab son of Recab, who was on his way to meet him.

Jehu greeted him and said, “Are you in accord with me, as I am with you?”

“I am,” Jehonadab answered.

“If so,” said Jehu, “give me your hand.”

So he did, and Jehu helped him up into the chariot.

16 Jehu said, “Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.”

Then he had him ride along in his chariot.

Jehonadab was a holy man.

Recabites were an early version of Nazarites.

They didn’t plant vineyards or drink wine.

They lived a very austere life.

When he got to Samaria

*18* Then Jehu brought all the people together and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much.

19 Now summon all the prophets of Baal, all his ministers and all his priests.

See that no one is missing, because I am going to hold a great sacrifice for Baal.

Anyone who fails to come will no longer live.”

But Jehu was acting deceptively in order to destroy the ministers of Baal.

20 Jehu said, “Call an assembly in honor of Baal.”

So they proclaimed it.

21 Then he sent word throughout Israel, and all the ministers of Baal came; not one stayed away.

They crowded into the temple of Baal until it was full from one end to the other.



22 And Jehu said to the keeper of the wardrobe, “Bring robes for all the ministers of Baal.”

So he brought out robes for them.

23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Recab went into the temple of Baal.

Jehu said to the ministers of Baal, “Look around and see that no servants of the Lord are here with you—only ministers of Baal.” 24 So they went in to make sacrifices and burnt offerings.

Now Jehu had posted eighty men outside with this warning: “If one of you lets any of the men I am placing in your hands escape, it will be your life for his life.”

25 As soon as Jehu had finished making the burnt offering, he ordered the guards and officers: “Go in and kill them; let no one escape.”

So they cut them down with the sword.

The guards and officers threw the bodies out and then entered the inner shrine of the temple of Baal.

26 They brought the sacred stone out of the temple of Baal and burned it.

27 They demolished the sacred stone of Baal and tore down the temple of Baal, and people have used it for a latrine to this day.

28 So Jehu destroyed Baal worship in Israel.

29 However, he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit—the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.

30 The Lord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in accomplishing what is right in my eyes and have done to the house of Ahab all I had in mind to do, your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.”

Despite that

*31*** Yet Jehu was not careful to keep the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart.

He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, which he had caused Israel to commit.



32 In those days the Lord began to reduce the size of Israel.

Hazael [King of Aram or Syria] overpowered the Israelites throughout their territory 33 east of the Jordan in all the land of Gilead (the region of Gad, Reuben and Manasseh), from Aroer by the Arnon Gorge through Gilead to Bashan.

*35*** Jehu rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria.

And Jehoahaz his son succeeded him as king.

36 The time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.

Over to Judah

*11* When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family.



Why do we have a queen? 2 Chronicles 21:17 tells us that the Philistines killed all of Ahaziah’s brothers in battle, and we just heard that Jehu had slaughtered all Ahaziah’s cousins & nephews on the road to Samaria.

Here we see that (11:1) Athaliah killed any remaining male family member who was left in Judah.

2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to be murdered.

She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah; so he was not killed.

3 He remained hidden with his nurse at the temple of the Lord for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.

God always preserves a remnant.

Remember this is the line of David.

4 In the seventh year Jehoiada [the priest] sent for the commanders of units of a hundred, the Carites and the guards and had them brought to him at the temple of the Lord.

Carites are the king’s body guards.

He made a covenant with them and put them under oath at the temple of the Lord.

Then he showed them the king’s son.

5 He commanded them, saying, “This is what you are to do: You who are in the three companies that are going on duty on the Sabbath—a third of you guarding the royal palace, 6 a third at the Sur Gate, and a third at the gate behind the guard, who take turns guarding the temple— 7 and you who are in the other two companies that normally go off Sabbath duty are all to guard the temple for the king.

8 Station yourselves around the king, each man with his weapon in his hand.

Anyone who approaches your ranks must be put to death.

Stay close to the king wherever he goes.”

So they did this.

Then…

*12*** Jehoiada brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him; he presented him with a copy of the covenant and proclaimed him king.

They anointed him, and the people clapped their hands and shouted, “Long live the king!”

13 When Athaliah heard the noise made by the guards and the people, she went to the people at the temple of the Lord.

14 She looked and there was the king, standing by the pillar, as the custom was.

The officers and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets.

Then Athaliah tore her robes and called out, “Treason!