2 Kings Chapters 8-10
The Sword of the Lord
Sometimes the writers of the
OT narrative books adopt a style that we sometimes in Movies
A) THE FLASHBACK – The Flashback is meant to fill in
some of the blanks or details we have missed
B) It is also meant to catch us up to where we need to
be in the Story.
C) Example 1 Kings ends with
the death of King Ahab and Jehoshaphat
D) 1 Kings ended with a summary of the reigns of Ahab and Jehoshaphat – Contemporaries
1) They were
linked by Marriage – Jehoshaphat’s son was also named Jehoram married Ahab’s
daughter
2) Her name was Ath/al/liah
E) Ahab’s Son Ahaziah becomes King in
2) Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram king in
But when 2 Kings starts we
find that Ahaziah dies and his son Jehoram is king in
A) But Jehoshaphat – is still alive –
B) We are given some details concerning some events
that took place in his life –
1) We learn that his reign carried over into the
reigns of Ahab’s son Ahaziah & Ahab’s grandson
Jehoram
C) Ch.3 we studied the
account of how Jehoshaphat went into battle with Jehoram – against
D) Later we will see how his alliance with this
ungodly family of Ahab will hurt his nation
1) And affect his heirs
The first 7 chapters of 2
Kings pause in the story of the Kings to focus on the ministry of Elisha
A)
B) And his influence upon
the kings of
C) Ch.8 is meant to catch us up!
Ahab is dead – his grandson
Jehoram is reigning in his place in
A) Jehoshaphat is now dead and his son also named
Jehoram is reigning in
B) Writer will call the Jehoram in
RD V.1-6
Now it seems odd that Gehazi
– who we saw in Ch. 5 was stricken with Leprosy would be advising the King
A)
B) So Chances are that this
event actually took place before
C) I think the fact that Jehoram acted kindly toward
this woman who was Elisha’s friend also supports and earlier account
1) Because Later Jehoram wasn’t a big fan of Elisha
D) So this woman is given back her land
RDv.7-9
Now the name Hazel should spark your memory if you
were w/ us in 1 Kings Study:
Turn to Ch.19: Rd v.15-17
Elijah was told to anoint
Hazel King over
A) The anointing of Elisha is the only one that occurs
B) So here in the ministry of Elisha these other two
scenarios are about to unfold
1) God’s Judgments are not always swift but they are
certain! {Back to
C) Ben Hadad recovered but
was killed by Hazael
1) Who Elisha said would be an even more wicked King
toward
D) Elisha is given a glimpse into the soul of Hazael
1) Able to see what this man is going to become
Hazael is offended! I am not a dog!
On a few occasions I have
been given insight into something that God was going to do in a life
A) Greg O- Budapest / Other times a Marriage
B) But there have also been a few times where the Lord
has given me insight into a fall.
1) Warning – Hey this is
where you are headed
2) Sad to watch a life fall apart
C) We will see later in 2 Kings that what Elisha’s
see’s here – unfolds
Now in the rest of
A) He walked in the way of the Kings of
B) So this little compromise on Jehoshaphat’s part to
allow his son to marry into this ungodly family
1) Ends up being a blight on the nation of
C) V.20-22 we are also
told that during this time
D) V.23-26 Jehoram
dies His son Ahaziah reigns in
{RD v28-29
So Ch.8 ends with Joram and Ahaziah both
in Jezreel – Then comes JEHU – Rd v. 1-3
Conditions in
A) Jehu would be that surgeon – a man with a unique
story – Great Zeal [God raises him up -
a) He founded the longest lived royal dynasty in
B) He would become God’s instrument but unfortunately never God’s Servant.
1) Men to be a Surgeon – end up being a Butcher
C) So Elisha sends one of the Prophets to anoint Jehu
the general King –
1) Anoint him and Run! {RD V.4-15
So Jehu says if you are really w/ me- Keep quiet until
I deal with Ahab’s house RD V.16-20
I like this he is an
offensive Driver - Great when the guy on the wall recognizes you for how you
drive
A) My truck I am an offensive Driver –
B) Jeff Dorman – Most expensive car – blinker
RD V.21
AMAZING
This is interesting that they
would stop here because back in
A) Jezebel had orchestrated
the murder of Naboath and the stealing of his land.
RD V.22
Interesting Question: Is
there Peace
A) Jehu illustrates for us that Peace is not a
cessation of Problems that we create thru compromise
B) Nor is it the cessation
of conflicts –
C) The Bible declares there is no peace for the wicked
See the Peace of God is
always accompanied with righteousness – being right w/ God – right place
A) Right mind
B) See God’s peace always has an objective – It has an
aim
1) It has to do with the well
being of man
C) It has to do with God’s
will and God’s end for a human life
1) Being in that Perfect will of God
D) There can be problems / hostility / battles – but
there is peace
1) Peace that surpasses all understanding!
RD V. 23-24
So this first Struggle has to
do with getting rid of the wrong King!
A) That is always something that we need to do – there
are always other influence vying for the throne in our lives
B) Always a
battle for the throne – Who will reign
C) Again:
Reminded the wheels of God’s judgment grind turn
slowly, but the grind thoroughly.
1) The
arrows of God may tarry but they always hit their mark
D) Don’t misinterpret God’s delay for his approval
1) He waits
hoping we repent – His arrows will hit their mark
Joram
survived the battle w/ Hazeal of
RD V.25-34
So Jehu begins has God’s
Surgeon his instrument to extract the cancer from
A) In the first scene he gets rid of the wrong King
B) 2nd Scene he gets rid of the wrong
influence
C) Although Jehoram was King – it was the influences of his grandmother – her harlots and
witchcraft that polluted
B) After we have gotten rid
of the wrong king – 1st step we also need to get rid of the wrong
influences
C) So after dealing with all this Jehu says I am
starved and sits down to eat. RD v.35-37
NowAs we move
into Ch.10 we find that Ahab had 70 sons living in
1) Summarize V.1-14
A) Jehu calls to the elders of the city and says pick
one of the sons to be King – Lets Rumble
1) They say- He has already killed 2 Kings and the
Queen mother – do we stand a Chance.
B) So the elders send him a message – we are on your
side –
1) Jehu responds by saying
Prove it by delivering to me the 70 heads of the sons of Ahab
C) So the next day – they delivered
D) But Jehu didn’t stop there – the next thing we are
told is that he went to
E) Priest – supporter – confidant servant
1) This is where he turns to Butcher exceeding the
mandate of the Lord.
Pick up the
Story in V.15-17
We will come across JEHONADAB again in the
Book of Jeremiah
He is an
incredibly wonderful man of God. He was a
Man who
sacrificed EVERYTHING to serve the
Lord.
Lived in
tents - Bedouin to this day {Homes sheep
He told his
sons to live in tents and told them to never drink wine, lest their minds by
clouded by it
In the Book of Jeremiah, 300 years later (Jer. 35), Jeremiah is told by the Lord
to go to the sons of Jehonadab and say to them: “Come into the house of the Lord and drink
wine”, and they looked at Jeremiah and said: “NO”
The Lord used that as a monument to
OBEDIENCE and COMMITMENT in contrast with the people that Jeremiah was
preaching to.
This man was
so influential that his life made an
impact on
his family for 300 years.... That is
older than our country.
NOTE: Dad’s, here is a challenge for us. that our ideals will
carry on for many generations
Jehu knew
that Jehonadab was a spiritual giant.
He knew that
everyone knew that he was a spiritual giant
That is why he wanted to be seen with
Jehonadab in his chariot so that it would strengthen his position as the new
king!
Come
see my Zeal for the Lord he says:
A) We find
at the end of all this he doesn’t really have a zeal for the Lord
B) What he
has is a commission that he has stepped fully into – He killed Joram / Ahazaiah
/ Jezebel
1) All the
sons all the followers
C) The thing that was Jehu’s biggest achievement
happens next – Exterminates the Baal worshippers
RD V. 18-28
So Jehu had completed what
Elijah had begun – he removed the worshippers of Baal –
A) He took care of the wicked family of Ahab and God
was going to reward him for doing so
B) BUT - The
next verse is tragic RD V.29
He
wiped out ba-al worship, but he allowed “calf-worship” to be in the nation
He felt that
it was a political necessity to permit calf-worship to consolidate his
influence.
REMEMBER: Calf-worship was
instituted by Jereboam in order to divide the
A) It was meant to provide worship as a matter of
convenience.
B) He set up altars in Dan and
C) Most scholars believe that Jehu did NOT involve
himself in that practice, but he felt it politically expedient
RD
VERSES 30-32
Because you have
done well in doing what is right in My sight:
A) Clearly, there was much good in the
reign of Jehu.
B) He was absolutely committed to
fulfilling God’s judgment against the house of Ahab and in driving the worship
of Baal out of
C) For this, he would be rewarded with a
dynasty that would last four generations.
D) This was clear praise of Jehu’s
actions; yet
For
in a little while I will avenge the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu,
and bring an end to the kingdom of the house of
We
can see that both
A)
Jehu carried out God’s will, but he went too far and executed more people than
God intended.
B)
Jehu carried out God’s will, but he did it for personal glory and out of pride.
C) Jehu carried out God’s will, but he
only did it partially.
1) He stopped the idolatry of Baal, but he continued the sinful
idolatry of Jeroboam.
D) He had a
chance to bring about TRUE revival, but he was a politically minded man, and
did not walk in the ways of the Lord, the nation began to diminish.
D) It is the
beginning of an irreversible trend that will
end in their destruction at the hands of the Assyrians
By
not taking heed to walk in the law of the Lord God, Jehu showed that he did not live a life of fellowship
with God. No real Zeal for the Lord
. “How terrible a
warning is the story of this man – that it is possible to be an instrument in
the hand of God and yet never be in fellowship with Him.” (Morgan)
RD VERSES 35-36