2 Kings 8-10

Scripture Reading: 1 Kings 19:9-17

Introduction

We’re Leaving What I Believe to Be Some of the Most Interesting Chapters in the OT

We’ve Slowly Walked Through the Fascinating Stories of Elijah & Elisha

Now the Author is about to Start Picking Up the Pace Again

We’re Going to See the Fulfillment of the Text We Read for Our Scripture Reading

The Time When Elijah was Hiding from Jezebel in a Cave

Then God Told Him to Go Anoint Several People…

Who will Bring about the Downfall & Destruction…

Of the Wickedness of King Ahab & Jezebel…

And the Worship of Baal in Israel:

Anoint Elisha as the New Prophet of Israel

We’ve Already Met Him & Seen Him Do Amazing Things

Anoint Hazael as the New King of Aram

We’ll Meet Him in this Text

Anoint Jehu as the New King of Israel

We’ll Meet Him in this Text as Well

By the End of Our Text:

Ahab’s Descendants & Jezebel Herself will Be Completely Wiped Out

Baal Worship will Be Completely Eradicated in Israel

2 Kings 8-10

Our Text Begins with a Story that Seems Inconsequential to the Rest of the Story

But I Assure You, it’s Not

It Fits Right in with the Rest of Our Text

Do You Remember the Story of the Shunammite Woman…

Who was Hospitable to Elisha?

God Gave Her a Son, But He Died

Then Elisha Resurrected Her Son

Our Text Begins with Elisha Telling this Woman…

That There’s about to Be a 7-Year Famine in Israel

He Tells Her to Go Somewhere Else to Wait Out the Famine

So She & Her Family Go to the Land of the Philistines

When They Return to the Land of Israel…

They Find that Their Property has Been Taken Over By Someone Else

So She Goes to the King of Israel to Request it Be Restored to Her

Providentially, Elisha’s Servant Gehazi Telling the King about Her…

At the Moment She Arrived

After She Made Her Request to the King, We Read:

2 Kings 8:6 (NASB95)

6 When the king asked the woman, she related it to him. So the king appointed for her a certain officer, saying, “Restore all that was hers and all the produce of the field from the day that she left the land even until now.”

Everything was to Be “Restored” to Her

“Restore” = To Turn Back or Return

Here’s Why this Little Story Belongs with the Rest of Our Text:

We’re about to See Israel Restored/Turned Back/Returned…

To the State it was in Before Ahab & Jezebel…

Brought So Much Sin/Baal Worship into it

The Next Thing We Read is that Elisha Goes Up to Damascus of Aram

Ben-Hadad, the King of Aram, is Sick…

And He Wants to Know from Elisha is He’s Going to Get Better

So He Sends Hazael to Ask Elisha

This Interaction Between Hazael & Elisha is a Pretty Intense Scene

2 Kings 8:10–13 (NLT)

10 And Elisha replied, “Go and tell him, ‘You will surely recover.’ But actually the Lord has shown me that he will surely die!” 11 Elisha stared at Hazael with a fixed gaze until Hazael became uneasy. Then the man of God started weeping. 12 “What’s the matter, my lord?” Hazael asked him. Elisha replied, “I know the terrible things you will do to the people of Israel. You will burn their fortified cities, kill their young men with the sword, dash their little children to the ground, and rip open their pregnant women!” 13 Hazael responded, “How could a nobody like me ever accomplish such great things?” Elisha answered, “The Lord has shown me that you are going to be the king of Aram.”

After Hearing this from Elisha…

Hazael Goes Back to His Master, the King of Aram…

And Tells Him that He will Recover from His Sickness

But the Next Day He Took a Wet Rag…

And Covered the Kings Face with it & Killed Him

Then Hazael Became King of Aram…

Just as God had Told Elijah Back in the Cave

Next We See the Good King of Judah, Jehoshaphat…

Replaced By His Son Jehoram

That Makes Things a Little Confusing…

Because Israel’s King is Joram…

And Now Judah’s King is Jehoram

Jehoram wasn’t a Good King, Like His Father

He was More Like His Father-In-Law, Ahab

That’s Right…

The New King of Judah is Married…

To the Daughter Ahab, the Deceased King of Israel

The Sister to the Current King of Israel, Joram

During Jehoram’s Reign in Judah:

Edom & a Levitical City Called Libnah Revolt Against Judah

That’s All the Information We’re Given on Jehoram

Then His Son Ahaziah Takes His Place as King of Judah

Jehoram Reigned for 8 Years…

But His Son Ahaziah will Only reign for 1

He was an Evil King, Just Like His Father

And Like His Father was Influenced By His Wife…

The Daughter of Ahab…

Ahaziah is Influenced By the Same Woman, His Mother

King Ahaziah of Judah Joins King Joram of Israel…

In War Against King Hazael of Aram

They Battle at Ramoth-Gilead…

And King Joram of Israel Gets Wounded

So They Take Him to Jezreel to Heal Up

And King Ahaziah from Judah Comes to Visit Him

While They’re in Jezreel…

Elisha Sends a Servant to Ramoth-Gilead…

To Find a Commander of Israel’s Army Named Jehu…

And to Anoint Him as the New King Over Israel

After the Servant Anointed Jehu, He Told Him:

2 Kings 9:7–10 (NLT)

7 You are to destroy the family of Ahab, your master. In this way, I will avenge the murder of my prophets and all the Lord’s servants who were killed by Jezebel. 8 The entire family of Ahab must be wiped out. I will destroy every one of his male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel. 9 I will destroy the family of Ahab as I destroyed the families of Jeroboam son of Nebat and of Baasha son of Ahijah. 10 Dogs will eat Ahab’s wife Jezebel at the plot of land in Jezreel, and no one will bury her.” Then the young prophet opened the door and ran.

Immediately, Jehu Hops in a Chariot & Rides to Jezreel…

Where Both Kings of Israel & Judah are

As Jehu & His Troops are Riding Up to the Palace at Jezreel…

The Watchman Saw Them Coming from the Tower…

But He Couldn’t Tell Who it was

King Joram Sent Out a Messenger to See if this Person was Coming in Peace

2 Kings 9:18–20 (NLT)

18 So a horseman went out to meet Jehu and said, “The king wants to know if you are coming in peace.” Jehu replied, “What do you know about peace? Fall in behind me!” The watchman called out to the king, “The messenger has met them, but he’s not returning.” 19 So the king sent out a second horseman. He rode up to them and said, “The king wants to know if you come in peace.” Again Jehu answered, “What do you know about peace? Fall in behind me!” 20 The watchman exclaimed, “The messenger has met them, but he isn’t returning either! It must be Jehu son of Nimshi, for he’s driving like a madman.”

So King Joram & King Ahaziah Ride Out to Meet Him…

At the Property of Naboth the Jezreelite

(The Man Who Jezebel Killed So Ahab could have His Vineyard)

This Location is Not a Coincidence

2 Kings 9:22–27 (NLT)

22 King Joram demanded, “Do you come in peace, Jehu?” Jehu replied, “How can there be peace as long as the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother, Jezebel, are all around us?” 23 Then King Joram turned the horses around and fled, shouting to King Ahaziah, “Treason, Ahaziah!” 24 But Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow pierced his heart, and he sank down dead in his chariot.

25 Jehu said to Bidkar, his officer, “Throw him into the plot of land that belonged to Naboth of Jezreel. Do you remember when you and I were riding along behind his father, Ahab? The Lord pronounced this message against him: 26 ‘I solemnly swear that I will repay him here on this plot of land, says the Lord, for the murder of Naboth and his sons that I saw yesterday.’ So throw him out on Naboth’s property, just as the Lord said.”

27 When King Ahaziah of Judah saw what was happening, he fled along the road to Beth-haggan. Jehu rode after him, shouting, “Shoot him, too!” So they shot Ahaziah in his chariot at the Ascent of Gur, near Ibleam. He was able to go on as far as Megiddo, but he died there.

In a Single Moment, Jehu Assassinated Both the Kings of Israel & Judah

But He’s Also Got Another Target in Jezreel:

Jezebel

2 Kings 9:30–37 (NLT)

30 When Jezebel, the queen mother, heard that Jehu had come to Jezreel, she painted her eyelids and fixed her hair and sat at a window. 31 When Jehu entered the gate of the palace, she shouted at him, “Have you come in peace, you murderer? You’re just like Zimri, who murdered his master!”

32 Jehu looked up and saw her at the window and shouted, “Who is on my side?” And two or three eunuchs looked out at him. 33 “Throw her down!” Jehu yelled. So they threw her out the window, and her blood spattered against the wall and on the horses. And Jehu trampled her body under his horses’ hooves.

34 Then Jehu went into the palace and ate and drank. Afterward he said, “Someone go and bury this cursed woman, for she is the daughter of a king.” 35 But when they went out to bury her, they found only her skull, her feet, and her hands. 36 When they returned and told Jehu, he stated, “This fulfills the message from the Lord, which he spoke through his servant Elijah from Tishbe: ‘At the plot of land in Jezreel, dogs will eat Jezebel’s body. 37 Her remains will be scattered like dung on the plot of land in Jezreel, so that no one will be able to recognize her.’ ”

Then Jehu Sends Letters to the Leaders of Samaria…

And Warns Them that He’s Coming to Battle for the Throne

But They’re Afraid of Him, So They Surrender

Then He Tells Them to Kill All 70 of Ahab’s Remaining Sons

So They Do

And Just Like that…

Jehu Killed Everyone Even Remotely Associated with the Family of Ahab

Then, While He was on His Way to Samaria from Jezreel…

He Met 42 Relatives of King Ahaziah in Beth-Eked…

And Had Them All Killed as Well

So, All that are Associated with Ahab are Now Gone

But What about the Baal Worshipers?

Don’t You worry…

Jehu hasn’t Forgotten about Them

Whenever Jehu Got to Samaria, We Read this:

2 Kings 10:18–28 (NLT)

18 Then Jehu called a meeting of all the people of the city and said to them, “Ahab’s worship of Baal was nothing compared to the way I will worship him! 19 Therefore, summon all the prophets and worshipers of Baal, and call together all his priests. See to it that every one of them comes, for I am going to offer a great sacrifice to Baal. Anyone who fails to come will be put to death.” But Jehu’s cunning plan was to destroy all the worshipers of Baal.

20 Then Jehu ordered, “Prepare a solemn assembly to worship Baal!” So they did. 21 He sent messengers throughout all Israel summoning those who worshiped Baal. They all came—not a single one remained behind—and they filled the temple of Baal from one end to the other. 22 And Jehu instructed the keeper of the wardrobe, “Be sure that every worshiper of Baal wears one of these robes.” So robes were given to them.

23 Then Jehu went into the temple of Baal with Jehonadab son of Recab. Jehu said to the worshipers of Baal, “Make sure no one who worships the Lord is here—only those who worship Baal.” 24 So they were all inside the temple to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty of his men outside the building and had warned them, “If you let anyone escape, you will pay for it with your own life.”

25 As soon as Jehu had finished sacrificing the burnt offering, he commanded his guards and officers, “Go in and kill all of them. Don’t let a single one escape!” So they killed them all with their swords, and the guards and officers dragged their bodies outside. Then Jehu’s men went into the innermost fortress of the temple of Baal. 26 They dragged out the sacred pillar used in the worship of Baal and burned it. 27 They smashed the sacred pillar and wrecked the temple of Baal, converting it into a public toilet, as it remains to this day. 28 In this way, Jehu destroyed every trace of Baal worship from Israel.

And Just Like that, Baal Worship is Eradicated from Israel

And Because of His Obedience…

God is Going to Keep His Sons on the Throne of Israel for 4 Generations

But Don’t Let this Deceive You into Thinking that Jehu is a Good King

He Got Rid of Ahab, Jezebel, & Baal…

But Not Much of Anything Else

He was Still a Sinful, Wicked King

And Because of that…

God Began Giving Portions of Israel to Hazael, King of Aram

After Jehu’s Death, His Son Jehoahaz Took the Throne in Israel

Application

Be as Zealous as Jehu for God’s Will

But Don’t Stop with Only the Things You Want to Do

Go All the Way in Zealous Obedience to God

Jehu was Zealous for God, But Only When He Wanted What God Wanted

We Need to Be Zealous for God Regardless of if it’s What We Want or Not

That was Jesus in His Death