Today's Reading: 2 Kings 9-10; Psalm 49
The story of Jehu is an exciting one. Commander of the armies of Israel under Ahab, Jehu is anointed king by a prophet of God, and he is instructed to carry out God's revenge on the descendants of Ahab. This he does with great vigor, killing Ahab's son, King Joram, as well as King Ahaziah of Judah, who had foolishly allied himself with Ahab.
From there, Jehu goes to avenge the Lord for the death of the prophets killed by Jezebel. She meets exactly the fate God had prophesied for her, and Jehu then has 70 sons of Ahab killed, as well as a traveling party from Judah come to see those princes.
Perhaps most impressive, Jehu conspires to destroy the worship of Baal. He invites all those who worship Baal to a special service. Once there, they offer sacrifices, but Jehu had posted his guard outside, and they kill all those inside. Further, they destroy the pillars and the house of Baal. The house of Baal becomes a latrine.
Jehu had done great work for God, destroying all vestiges of Ahab's miserable reign in Israel. But then, Jehu fails.
"But Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin—that is, the golden calves that were in Bethel and in Dan. And the Lord said to Jehu, 'Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in My heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.' But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin" (10:29-31).
God kept his promise to Jehu; his sons to the fourth generation sat on Israel's throne. But even during Jehu's reign, Israel was not what it had been. He lost all the land east of the Jordan (where the two and a half tribes had settled after the conquest), and the Syrians were a constant threat and oppressor.
Jehu's good start had gone horribly wrong, because he "was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord."
The story of Jehu is an exciting one. Commander of the armies of Israel under Ahab, Jehu is anointed king by a prophet of God, and he is instructed to carry out God's revenge on the descendants of Ahab. This he does with great vigor, killing Ahab's son, King Joram, as well as King Ahaziah of Judah, who had foolishly allied himself with Ahab.
From there, Jehu goes to avenge the Lord for the death of the prophets killed by Jezebel. She meets exactly the fate God had prophesied for her, and Jehu then has 70 sons of Ahab killed, as well as a traveling party from Judah come to see those princes.
Perhaps most impressive, Jehu conspires to destroy the worship of Baal. He invites all those who worship Baal to a special service. Once there, they offer sacrifices, but Jehu had posted his guard outside, and they kill all those inside. Further, they destroy the pillars and the house of Baal. The house of Baal becomes a latrine.
Jehu had done great work for God, destroying all vestiges of Ahab's miserable reign in Israel. But then, Jehu fails.
"But Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin—that is, the golden calves that were in Bethel and in Dan. And the Lord said to Jehu, 'Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in My heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.' But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin" (10:29-31).
God kept his promise to Jehu; his sons to the fourth generation sat on Israel's throne. But even during Jehu's reign, Israel was not what it had been. He lost all the land east of the Jordan (where the two and a half tribes had settled after the conquest), and the Syrians were a constant threat and oppressor.
Jehu's good start had gone horribly wrong, because he "was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord."