Jehu - Faux Revival

Introduction

I began to name this the ‘Bible Person Study’, but chose to go with the ‘Bible Character Study’. I hesitated to name it that, as I don’t want to diminish the fact that these are real people we’ll be examining. But the reason that it’s named the Bible Character Study is because we’ll be focusing on the person’s character throughout. But don’t forget that these were real people, with real lives that made real choices that had real consequences.

I. Jehu’s Nature

((What is their History / Background?)

10th King of Israel

Jeroboam; Nadab; Baasha; Elah; Zimri; Omri; Ahab; Ahaziah, Jehoram

Three lineages thus far:

Jeroboams; Baasha’s & Omri’s

Jehu begins the 4th that will last over 100 years

Reigned for 12 years

During the Reigns of Queen Athaliah and King Jehoiada of Judah

We have not studied these yet, but they will be next on the agenda.

Son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi

Though of no Historical Lineage

I give you these details because the Bible gives them. But as far as I know, they have no historical lineage of importance.

Anointed King by Elisha

To be fair, Elisha did not anoint him personally. He sent one of the sons of the prophets to do it. However, it was through the word of Elisha from God for him to be anointed the next king of Israel.

II. Jehu’s Notoriety

(What they are known for?)

His Furious Ride to Secure the Kingdom (2Ki. 9:14-22)

Once Jehu is appointed king by the servant, or son of the prophet, he then takes off to Jezreel where Jehoram is at healing from his wounds.

It's an interesting picture to consider being the watchman standing upon the wall and witnessing an army of people driving furiously toward you.

This was evidently not the first time Jehu had ridden like this. It appears he was known to do such, as testified by the watchman.

He's known for his furious ride to secure the kingdom.

Killing Two Kings & Jezebel (2Ki. 9:22-33)

Next we see that Jehu kills not only Jehoram, Ahab's son, but also Ahaziah king of Judah, which would be Ahab's grandson. He, of course, had to go a ways to kill Ahaziah, as Ahaziah would flee unto Samaria before he was caught.

Not only did he kill two kings, but also Jezebel, who was still an influential figure in the land of Israel.

He's known for killing the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and Jezebel.

Destroying the Lineage of Ahab (2Ki. 10:1-11)

Jehu would cleanse the land from the house of Ahab. If you remember, Ahab had 70 sons. The way Jehu did this was rather crafty. (Tell the Story)

Jehu used this tactic to bring guilt upon the people, To use as a tool for his leverage.

He's known for destroying the lineage of Ahab.

Eradicating Baal Worship in Israel (2Ki. 10:18-28)

In our text, we read the manner in which he would deceive and destroy Baal's prophets and worshipers in the house of Baal.

Baal worship wouldn't be completely eradicated, for we know that Hosea mentions Baal worshipers as one of the causes for the impending judgment that God was bringing upon the children of Israel. However, it did stop it from being the state-sponsored church and tool used to bring about wickedness in the land.

He's known for eradicating male worship in Israel. (For the most part)

Walking in the Way of Jeroboam (2Ki. 10:29-31)

Howbeit - that's the big word that's used in verse number 29. While he did eradicate Baal worship, he kept the golden calves of Jeroboam in Dan and Bethel.

So just when you think that things are going well, and he's doing this wonderful thing, we find out where his heart truly is.

What's amazing is the times in which he invoked the name of the Lord, and he knew the word of the Lord multiple times. Yet when it came down to it, he would not submit himself completely to the will of the Lord.

He walked in the way of Jeroboam.

III. What Makes him Noteworthy

(What Lessons we can Learn from them?)

Trusting God’s Word Leads to Promotion (9:12)

We notice that as Jehu is recounting the conversation that he had with the son of the Prophet behind closed doors, that he did not simply declare that he's been anointed king, but he made sure to say, "Thus saith the Lord, I have anointed the king over Israel."

And that apparently meant something to Jehu because when he said it, the men there bowed down unto him, and he took off to claim his throne. Jehu was getting a promotion from captain of the host to king over the land. That is if he was willing to trust the Lord.

When men trust the Word of God, it leads to promotions in their life.

Sometimes it might be a literal promotion on the job or something.

Sometimes it might mean promotions within the church and areas of service.

It will always mean a promotion in your spiritual walk and your closeness unto Christ.

Faith is the basis for action as well as our lives. If we believe God, we'll follow God and do what God says. It's when we don't, that we don't.

Trusting God's word leads to promotion.

Doing God’s Will Leads to Blessings (10:30)

Next, we move over to Chapter 10 and notice how God blessed Jehu with four generations that would follow that would sit on the throne because he did God's will in destroying the House of Baal, the prophets and the worshipers.

We see this principle in Scripture:

Luke 11:27–28 “And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.”

After washing the disciples' feet: John 13:15–17 “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.”

Revelation 1:3 “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.”

Philippians 4:8–9 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”

Church, it's not enough to hear God's Word in church or read God's Word in Scripture, but it must be applied to our lives. We must be doers of the Word and not hearers only, lest we deceive ourselves.

Doing God's will leads to blessings.

We Should Make Haste to Accomplish God’s Will (9:20)

When you look at what Jehu is doing in 2 Kings 9, we understand that it is accomplishing God's will. And then when we look at how he did it, he made haste as he drove furiously. I thought this was an interesting combination.

Often times Christians have intentions to do things. They will intend to read their Bible more, or to pray more, or to witness more, or to fill in the blank. But it's always just beyond the horizon. It's always some indeterminate time in the future.

If we're going to commit ourselves to doing the work of a Christian, it should be done as Jehu did the will of the Lord: quickly, fast, and in a hurry.

We should stop putting off things.

(Ill.) I have committed myself a while back to getting up at 5:30 in the morning and spending a good amount of time in prayer and my devotions. It was my intention to go to bed at 10:30 at night. That way I get adequate sleep (7hrs). But the problem is, I've always had trouble going to sleep, and more often than not, I am up well past 10:30.

My point is, it's very easy some mornings to think that because I didn't get enough sleep, I'll sleep in and do it at a later time. However, I know where that road leads. For if I do it one day, then I'll do it another, and it will be so easy to get in the habit of not doing it at all.

We need to commit ourselves to doing the will of God and to do it now.

Proverbs 27:1 “Boast not thyself of to morrow; For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.”

We should make haste to accomplish God's will.

There is No Peace in a Land Filled with Whoredoms (9:22)

Jehu said something very interesting in verse number 22. 2 Kings 9:22 “And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?”

Jehu was obviously referring to the Baal worship that was instituted during Ahab's reign and how it stunk the land.

Church, let me just say that no land can have peace when idolatry reigns.

As we have grown to see our country more and more worshiping idols and the gods of this world, we have seen more and more division in our nation as a result of it.

I have no doubt that unless we can see revival in this nation, we will not have to worry about the Russians or the Chinese or some other country invading us and ruining America. We will go the way of Rome and destroy ourselves from within.

There is no peace in a land filled with whoredoms.

You Can Blame Others, but it doesn’t Mean You’re Innocent (10:1-11)

In Jehu's tactic of getting the people to kill Ahab's sons, he in essence pushed the blame off on them. But if you notice what it says in verse number 11, God attributes Ahab's son's deaths directly to Jehu.

Church, listen. You can blame others for things that are going on in your life, struggles that you're having in your life, problems and issues that are taking place in your life. But just because you blame others does not mean that you're innocent in the eyes of God.

You can blame others, but it doesn't mean you're innocent.

Fear is a Powerful Motivator (10:3-4)

If we notice when Jehu sent out the decree, he did not tell them straight away to kill them. He told them to make him king and go to war with him. It wasn't until the second letter when Jehu demanded they do the dirty work.

However, it's important to understand the motivating factor. And the motivating factor is found in verse number 4, and that is fear.

Fear is a powerful motivator. (Ill.) If you want an example of that, you need not look any further back than 2020 and the COVID debacle. And then, if you want to go further back, you can go to 9/11 and see how quickly Americans gave up their freedoms for a little bit of security.

Fear will motivate us to do things that we wouldn't typically do.

I dare say that all of those people who killed all of those men were not used to shedding blood of another, but they did it, why? Because they were afraid.

There is good reason that we see time after time in the Word of God that we are to fear the Lord. Why? Because fear is a great motivating factor.

You have a multitude of professing Christians that are not afraid to sin. They are not afraid of living just like the world. They're very accustomed to it. Why? Because they have no fear of God. They do not consider that they're going to stand before God one day. They've been fed this shallow theology of God is only love. They live in the world of Amy Grant.

We need to get back to the understanding of the fear of the Lord. That we might live in holiness and reap the blessings of God instead of the cursings.

Fear is a powerful motivator.

One Idol is as Bad as Another (10:28-29)

While it was good that Jehu got rid of Baal worship in the land, unfortunately he stopped there. Why he stopped we don't know. He might have been afraid to allow the children of Israel to go to Jerusalem and worship just like Jeroboam was, and therefore he walked in the ways of Jeroboam.

What we do know is this, and that is though he got rid of Baal worship he continued on with idolatry. And so therefore this revival that could have been a great revival ended up being something else.

He did not deliver the children of Israel from idolatry. It just shifted from one to the other.

(Ill.) Let's say I'm a hunter, and hunting is an idol to me. I spend more time thinking and doing about hunting than I do about the things of God. One day I stop and realize what I'm doing and where I'm at. I stop hunting, but then I take up fishing. Now fishing has taken the place of hunting. I've traded one idol for another, and I have not done myself any good. I've just switched focus.

The point of getting rid of idols in our life is to get us closer to God. If we just go from one idol to the next, then it's redundant and it serves no purpose.

One idol is as bad as another.

Conclusion