What Peace Can There Be? 2 Kings 9

What Peace Can There Be?

Before we get to 2 Kings 9, turn with me quickly to Luke’s gospel and the first chapter. Luke 1:46-55 records Mary’s Magnificat - the song of praise that this virgin peasant teenage girl sings when it all sinks in: She has been visited by God’s angel Gabriel, been told that she will bear a son - whose name will be Jesus - and that SHE - of all people, will give birth to the promised descendent of great King David, who will take the throne, not just for a few decades, but for all of eternity.

Luke 1:50-55.

Laszlo Tokes, the Romanian pastor whose mistreatment outraged the country and prompted rebellion against the Communist ruler Ceausescu, tells of trying to prepare a Christmas sermon for the tiny mountain church to which he had been exiled. In Communist Romania, Christians were not allowed to teach their faith to their own children. Youth Ministry in the church was illegal. As Christas of 1989 approached, the country was becoming a powder-keg of unrest.

The state police were rounding up dissidents, and violence was breaking out across the country. Afraid for his life, Tokes bolted his doors, sat down, and read again the stories in Luke and Matthew. Unlike most pastors who would preach that Christmas, he chose as his text the verses describing Herod's massacre of the innocents. It was the single passage that spoke most directly to his parishioners. Oppression, fear, and violence, the daily plight of the underdog, they well understood.

The next day, Christmas, news broke that Ceausescu had been arrested. Church bells rang, and joy broke out all over Romania. Another King Herod had fallen. Tokes recalls, "All the events of the Christmas story now had a new, brilliant dimension for us, a dimension of history rooted in the reality of our lives … For those of us who lived through them, the days of Christmas 1989 represented a rich, resonant embroidery of the Christmas story, a time when the providence of God and foolishness of human wickedness seemed as easy to comprehend as the sun and the moon over the timeless Transylvanian hills." [And] for the first time in four decades, Romania celebrated Christmas as a public holiday.

When you look at the world around you, today - does it seem as though everything is tilted toward the rich and the powerful: big government, big business, big media, big tech? … but when you reflect on God’s way of working in the world through history - climaxing in the Incarnation, the ‘Enfleshment’ of God the Son … well, when you look at the world with a God’s-eye view … you can’t help but recognize that the Sovereign of the universe is actually tilted toward His humble children.

“He has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate.” We see that here in our text.

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1 JEHU ANOINTED KING OVER ISRAEL, vv. 1-13

READ vv. 1-13

Chapter 9 begins in a place of conflict. Last week, we saw Elisha anoint a foreigner, Hazael, to be king over not just a foreign nation - but a hostile foreign nation: Syria (Aram). Elisha does the anointing through tears, because he knows the suffering this man will bring on his own rebellious, but still dearly loved people. Hazael is being anointed not just to be a king - but to be God’s own leather best to discipline the wayward rebellious nation of Israel.

Chapter 8 ends with conflict going on between the united people of God: North and South on the one side - and the army of Syria on the other. Ahaziah, king of the southern kingdom and Joram (Jehoram) king of the Northern kingdom - are joinee in a militarty alliance, with the battle taking place at Ramoth Gilead, southeast of the the Sea of Galilee, in present day Jordan.

King Joram gets wounded in battle and heads to a military hospital well back from the battlefield, leaving his military under the command of his officers. Oh, the coincidences of life ....

But there are NO coincidences. The theme of this passage, remember: God’s Word directs the course of history. God has a plan here. And the plan is explained in vv. 1-3

So, Elisha calls over one of his ministry students - one of the ‘sons of the prophets’ and sends him on mission.

“Tie up your garments’. In other words - tuck your robe into your belt so you can run fast … (like tying a double knot in your shoelaces before you run a footrace_ take this speical jar of oil ad head for the battle-field.

I want you to find Jehu, son of Nimshi - get him away from whomever he’s with - take him to a private place … and then I want you to pour this oil over his head. Anoint him to be Israel’s new king.

And once you’ve done that - I want you to get out of there just as fast as you got there. That’s exactly what the preaching student does. He arrives at the campt to a gathering of the top military brass. Panting for breath - exhausted by his run, but focused on the mission at hand, he takes one deep breath an dpusheds the door open.

Seated around a table with various maps and charts laid out in front of them to pour over and strategize.

The young man clears his throat and calls out, Verse 5, “I have a word for you, O Commander.”

Jehu’s never seen this guy before and everyone around this table is in some sort of commanding role in this army - especially now, with the king gone. So Jehu asks, “To which of us all?” “WHICH ONE OF US?”

“It’s you, O commander.”

Even here - see the invisible hand of God, direction - guiding the young prophet with precision to choose the right man among many to accomplish His purpose. “It’s YOU sir.”

Jehu gets up and the two exit the tent for a private corner outside. The young messenger carefully takes out his precious flask, opens it up, pours it out until the head of Jehu is drenched with the perfumed oil. Then he says, verse 6, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, I anoint you king over the people of the LORD, over Israel.”

So, Jehu will be king … but not just any king. He will be a king with a very specific mission. Now, we didn’t get this from Elisha’s commission - but here’s the full significance of Jehu’s anointing: “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 (Two northern kings who’s dynasties were wiped out by God before they could even get started. (10) And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.’”

That sounds harsh. But what does that even have to do with Joram? Remember - this king is the son of Ahab and Jezebel - the most evil power-couple in the history of Israel.

And don’t get caught up in the brutality of this commission - don’t miss the reasoning behind it:

Verse 7, “You shall strike down the house of Ahab your master .... (WHY?) SO THAT I MAY AVENGE ON JEZEBEL THE BLOOD OF MY SERVANTS, THE PROPHETS AND THE BLOOD OF ALL THE SERVANTS OF THE LORD.”

Oh Christian - suffering Christian - suffering under the cruelty of injustice - hard to have peace inside - when there’s no peace outside … see God’s concern - over the cruelly shed blood of ALL OF HIS SERVANTS.

ILLUSTRATION -

The son of the prophet does his anointing, says his piece and as fast as he appeared just 5 minutes earlier, that’s how fast he’s gone - back for home without so much as a ‘see you later, guys’, to the officers he barged in on.

Jehu comes out of his meeting with the messenger and tries to pretend nothing just happened. His fellow military men are still sitting around the table with the cards in their hands and well, they’re curious. “What’s was that all about?” Verse 11, “Is all well? Why did this mad fellow come to you?”

The newly anointed king tries to play it off as nothing -

Verse 11 continues, “You know the fellow and his talk.” “You know those crazy preachers ...”

Well, you know those crazy preachers .... he may have got away with that non-explanation.

… Except for ONE thing. Jehu went out looking like the rest of his commanders, but he’s come back into the room … wet. From the crown of his head, streaming down his face and drenching the top of his robe … there is oil. And this isn’t unscented vegetable or olive oil, either. It’s not motor oil, for that matter. This is highly fragrant, expensive, perfumed oil fit for an occasion as auspicious as anointing a new king.

So the guys are not buying Jehu’s story. “That’s not true,” v. 12, “It’s not about a crazy preacher … tells us - what’s REALLY going on.”

Jehu has nowhere to turn … he has to tell the truth. So, unsure of how his fellow leaders will respond when they hear that HE has been singled out for the highest position in the nation, he confresses. Verse 12, “Thus and so he spke to me, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD, ‘I anoint you king over Israel.’”

Well - the response is nothing but positive. Obiously King Joram is not the leader they wanted - man, he’s not even at the battle. Jehu is a much better choice. So every single, seasoned, hardened, military commander around that table - men whose careers have been built on holding back emotion and calmly, dispassionately assessing a scene to make the right strategic choice … every one of these men - takes off his coat, puts it on the bare floor at Jehu’s feet, someone pulls out a trumpte to blow and in unison they shout with joy, “Jehu is KING!”

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2 THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS, vv. 14-29

In verse 14, the mission begins with first things first. READ vv. 14-16. The conspirators feed and water the horses, they ready the chariots - check the tire pressure and the oil level … and they hit the highway for Jezreel. It’s a journey of 44 miles, west from Ramoth Gilead, which is a border town, across the Jordan River and into so-called ‘safe’ Israelite territory, to find the recuperating king and take his throne.

Do you see how God’s Word is directing the way here - moving the course of history? Watch Jehu on this mission. He’s doing exactly what he wants … I mean the guy is about to get a throne! … but his zeal for career advancement doesn’t change the fact that all that he’s doing here - is fulfilling God’s Plan for His Glory.

Verse 17 takes us to Jezreel - to the top of the tower, on the wall, and the watchman standing guard as the early warning sign - watching for any sign of trouble. Imagine being the watchman of a city. When you went through training - I’m sure he was told over and over again just how important his job was for the city and his own loved ones inside. But when you are on the job - standing in the tower, there are times that are watching for hour after hour after day after day - and NOTHING is happening. The occasional visitor - market mules bringing supplies for the shopping district - but mind-numbing boredom.

Well, on this day, the watchman sees a commotion in the distance, dust clouds rising from the dirt road on the horizon

Somebody’s COMING! All of that dust and the thunder he can hear in the distance can only mean one thing: This is a team of horses and chariots. Military forces are on their way - and that raises the instant question: “Does this company mean war or peace?”

King Joram barks his instructions - ‘’Take a horseman and send to meet them, and let him say, ‘Is it peace?’”

And from the safety of the city wall they watch … the horse and rider approach the oncoming troops … and fall into line as part of the possee.

They send another scout on his horse … in v. 19. Same question “Is it peace?” … Same answer, “What do ou have to do with peace? Turn around and ride behind me.” Same result … that horse and rider, falls into line and joins the possee.

From the city wall - they still have no idea who this is, racing towards them. That is, until the lead chariot gets a little bit closer. They still can’t see who is in front … but they can see how he drives. Verse 20, “And the driving is like the driving of Jehu, the son of Nimshi, for he drives FURIOUSLY.” I like the way the NIV translates this the best: “The driving is like that of Jehu … he drives like a MADMAN!”

I love that. Actually, it takes me back to college years, I was reading a Chuck Swindoll devotional - and one day’s devotional was about Jehu. I had never HEARD of Jehu before (we didn’t spend a ton of time in the OT when I was growing up). I remember back then thinking - “If I ever preach regularly - I would love to preach about Jehu.”

“You see, by that time the national byword for fast and furious driving was, ‘driving like the driving of Jehu.’ … Like a madman!”

I have absolutely ZERO idea why this story of Jehu’s driving made an impact on me as a College Student, driving a Mustang. And I have absolutely no idea why I would bring it up around our young adults with their licenses and fancy cars.

“Sons and daughters of Jehu live on. Polished cedar chariots pulled by lathered-up stallions have changed into a sleek, slick, four on the floor job or a neat little sports car or handsome sedan. But there’s an amazing similarity between the drivers and their reputations. What is most remarkable is that the century-twenty Jehus are not always wild-eyed Jacks with one arm around a girl. Sometimes they are little old ladies in tennis outfits and sneakers … or middle-aged homemakers with a station-wagon (minivan) full of kiddos .... or well-dressed executives late for lunch … or preoccupied preachers taking their half of the road out of the middle … or SUnday drivers jockeying for a slot in the church parking lot.

God’s work of grace moves downward, have you notices? The last part of us to experience full salvation is our RIGHT FOOT, which is filled with the sinew of selfishness.”

Okay, so it’s not exactly the main point of the text - but it does make you think, doesn’t it?

King Joram has had enough - ‘If you want something done right - I guess you have to just do it yourself’ - so he and Ahaziah, the king of Judah, get their own chariots out and head out to meet Jehu.

And would you notice where they come together - the end of v. 21: “they met him at the property of Naboth the Jezreelite.” That’s important. Hold onto that - we’ll come back to it.

Verse 22, Joram calls out to Jehu: “IS it peace, Jehu?” And the newly anointed king answers with deeper truth than he even probably knows: “What peace can there be, so long as the whorings and the sorceries of your mother Jezebel are so many?!”

That’s a word for our day: So many are hungry for world peace. God is the God of peace … but there is no peace as long as there is rebellion against God. As someone once said, “Civilization is a thin veneer stretched across the passions of the human heart.”

Joram doesn’t repent though. He knows that this is a coup - he warns Ahaziah - v. 23, “Treachery, O Ahaziah!”they both make a 180 degree turn with their chariots and try to outrun the mad driver. Well you can’t outrun a driver like that and, sure enough -

As the king is

I said to remember Naboth - and his vineyard. If you were here when we were going through 1 Kings, you probably already remember, but if you weren’t - Naboth shows up in 1 Kings 21. He owns a vineyard that King Ahab, Joram’s dad, falls in love with. He wants it. He wants to turn it into a vegetable garden (which in itself is just weird). He offers to buy it from Naboth, but because Naboth is a man of faith, who takes God’s Word seriously, he knows that the property is intended to stay inside his family and be passed down from generation to generation - it is his family’s inheritance in the Promised land. So he tells Ahab, ‘Sorry, but it’s not for sale.’ Ahab pouted and told his Jezebel his wife about it. She said,

“Are you even a man? Where I come from - we have ways of dealing with stubborn guys like that”. She’s a fixer. She gets to work framing poor Naboth and turning the court and judge against him with false witnesses - they falsely accuse him and he ends up executed for a crime that he didn’t commit

Not only was Naboth murdered. Verse 26 talks about the blood of Naboth AND “the blood of his sons.”.

“As surely as I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons ....” With Naboth dead, the vineyard would be passed on to his sons and kept in the family. So they had to be knocked off as well. No witnesses and NObody who would put up a legal fight could be left alive. It really was a mob-style case. And when all the males in Naboth’s family are dead … Ahab takes the vineyard.

THIS LAND where Joram’s dead body has been thrown - is THAT VERY VINEYARD … Hmmm - coincidental?

Oh but God does not forget the suffering of His people: Verse 26, “As surely as I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons - declares the LORD - I will repay you on THIS PLOT OF GROUND.”

Do you see the Word of God directing history … here?

Sometimes you look at how our days are unfolding - you’ve watched the direction our society - our world has gone in 2020 and 2021 - and doesn’t it sometimes seem so random - so incoherent … and you feel like the best you can do is crouch down in the back of Jehu’s chariot and hope that, somehow, all the chaos works itself out and the world ends up … right.

Daniel 7 - After Daniel describes earthly kingdom after earthly kingdom that will rise up and wreak havoc on the world and the people of God … then he says,

In Daniel 7:27 - “And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’”

Here in 2 Kings 9 - we’re getting a glimpse behind the curtain .... into the God who works all things out according to the Ephesians 1:11 -

Doesn’t mean that you never have questions - it doesn’t mean things always make sense ...

BUT - “If you know this: that GOd’s word directs history - then you can rest your head on the pillow of Divine Sovereignty. It makes a difference.”

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3 THE GOD WHO AVENGES HIS PEOPLE, vv. 30-37

In verse 30, Jezebel steps back onto centre stage. She has heard that Jehu has come to town - she’s heard that her son Joram is dead. Verse 30 seem rather strange - because it describes her reaction to the news and tells us that she … “painter eyes and adorned her head and looked out of the window”

She does her hair up nice, puts on her best eyeliner and mascara, curls up her eyelashes - and sits down by the window to look outside. What’s she doing? Is she planning to seduce Jehu? It would make sense, since if she can seduce him into taking her on, with the harem of the king he’s overthrown - well, then she can continue to live in the palace and close to the seat of power. There are come commentators who think that’s what’s going on here.

But that’s not what Jezebel is up to - and the way she greets Jehu when he busts through the gate makes that very clear. Verse 31, “As Jehu entered the gate, she said, ‘Is it peace, you Zimri, murderer of your master?”

I’ve never been a student of ‘pickup lines’ - but even I am pretty sure that if you want to seduce someone, you don’t call them a murderer..

Zimri was a pretender who assassinated an earlier Israelite king and ended up only surviving 7 days on his own before he was knocked off. So she’s treating Jehu as if he is just one more pretender - a cheat with no future.

Jezebel is going out in style - she knows she is going to die - but she’s determined to go out on her terms … “Revlon on her face and sarcasm on her lips”.

EXAMPLE - people do that today - they are going to die - but before they do - they want to leave a story for history to tell of - the brash way they swaggered off into the Grim Reaper’s hand.

It’s supposed to make it seem that they were in control right to the end. You know people like that … musicians singing about being ‘On the Highway to Hell’ - and proudly headed there

… but do you see the emptiness of that mindset? You may go to your death defiantly - but that doesn’t change the fact that you are STILL GOING TO YOUR DEATH.

Can I ask you a question right now: “How prepared are you to step into eternity?”

Jehu isn’t even phased by Jezebel’s verbal arrows … He calls up to the eunuchs serving in the palace. Verse 32, “Who is on my side? Who?” “Anybody up there on MY side?” Two or three faces are brave enough to come to the window and peek out. READ vv. 33-34.

The eunuchs look at Jehu and his warriors; they look at Jezebel, they look at each other … they shrug their shoulders and heave the lady right out of the window.

Well, that’s quite brutal - out the window goes the queen - on her way down she hits the wall - leaving her blood splattered along the descent and she hits the ground … dead. More blood splattered on the horses below. If by any chance she wasn’t dead when she first hit the ground - well, when the horses trampled on her - that will definitely finish her off.

And Jehu’s immediate response? Verse 34, “Then he went in and ate and drank.” “Mission accomplished - I’m starving. Is there anything to eat in this new palace of mine?” So cold, so crass. Well, once he gets some protein into his body and his blood sugar gets back to normal, Jehu does have a trace of compassion. Verse 34 continues, “‘See now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she IS a king’s daughter.’”

But when the work crew heads outside to give the queen the dignity of a burial, do you see what they find? What they DON’T find is - Queen Jezebel.

Verse 35-37.

All they can find of what USED to be the queen - is her bare skull, her feet and her palms. Marauding dogs had taken care of the rest. Talk about a ‘dog’s breakfast’.

Man this is brutal stuff. And at this point, you may be REALLY wondering - ‘how can there be any connection to Jesus Christ and His Gospel here - let alone any relevance to my life?!’ And on this Advent Sunday of PEACE?!!!

Oh but friend, once again - do you see what’s going on here.

Verse 36, when Jehu is told that there CAN’T be a burial, see how he responds: “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 .... (v. 37).’ He’s pointing back to 1 Kings 21:23 when the LORD promised that this day would come and it would end up precisely like this: The seemingly untouchable, teflon queen - eaten by dogs and without even the dignity of a burial

Once again - God’s Word is driving the course of history.

Remember who this queen was: She is the one who brought her Baal worship to Israel with her when she married Ahab the king. She pushed until it became the official national religion, she is responsible for the murder of Naboth and all of his sons, she hunted down God’s prophets - slaughtered many and sent others into a life of hiding in caves. When God proved His power and the weakness of Baal on Mt. Carmel, through Elijah … Jezebel didn’t turn to truth - she doubled down and doubled down and vowed to slaughter Elijah himself.

This is a person utterly devoted to destroying God’s name and His people.

And the Bible is making clear here - as it does throughout its pages - that God is absolutely and unwaveringly committed to avenging

“The Church has stopped living out of Psalm 83 and 94 and has been sucking the bland milk of tolerance from the breast of an anemic culture for far too long and we DON’T HAVE ANY SPINE in our BIblical theology anymore.” (Davis)

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2 Kings (The Final Vengeance)

We have God’s Word for it: the day of judgment will be a day of vengeance. Few things are explained as frequently and as fully in the Bible as the certainty of the final judgment. J. I. Packer writes, “When Christ comes again and history is completed, all humans of all ages will be raised for judgment and will take their place before God’s judgment seat. The event is unimaginable, no doubt, but human imagination is no measure of what a sovereign God can and will do.”Know this: the final judgment will be all for the glory of God. Near the end of his apocalypse, John heard “the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven.” They were crying out:Hallelujah!Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,for his judgments are true and just;for he has judged the great prostitutewho corrupted the earth with her immorality,and has avenged on her the blood of his servants. (Rev. 19:1–2)