David W. Jones

Rise of Jehu – 2 Kings 9:14–10:36

Read the Passage: 2 Kings 9:14–10:36

Rulers’ Killed (9:14–37)

One of the last acts of Elisha recorded in the Bible is his sending of a young prophet to anoint Jehu as king of Israel. When this prophet found and commissioned Jehu, he told Jehu to strike down the entire house of Ahab (cf. 2 Kings 9:6–10). 2 Kings 9:14–29 narrates how Jehu fulfilled this command. This passage begins by noting that Jehu asked the inhabitants of Ramoth Gilead to keep his inauguration as king a secret. Jehoram, king of Israel, was recovering from a wound in Jezreel. Ahaziah, king of Judah, was visiting Jehoram as he recovered. Jehu then traveled the 45 miles from Ramoth Gilead to Jezreel in order to kill Jehoram. Since Ahaziah, king of Judah, was related through his mother to Ahab, likely being Ahab’s grandson (or possibly his nephew), Jehu executed him, too. 2 Kings 9:23–26 notes Jehoram’s death fulfilled the prophecy of Elijah at Kings 21:17–24.

Earlier, when Elijah prophesied that Ahab’s family would be cutoff, he also said that Jezebel would be killed, noting, “The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel” (2 Kings 21:23). 2 Kings 9:30–37 records the fulfillment of this prophecy some 15+ years after the prophecy was given. In this narrative, after killing Jehoram and Ahaziah, Jehu entered Jezreel. When Jezebel saw Jehu, having heard about the death of her son (i.e., Jehoram) and grandson (i.e., Ahaziah), she referred to Jehu as “Zimri.” Earlier, at 1 Kings 16:8–20, Zimri had led a coup and murdered King Elah, along with the entire house of Baasha. However, Zimri’s reign only last 7 days before the people installed Omri, the father of Ahab, as king. In calling Jehu “Zimri,” then, Jezebel was implying that his reign would be brief. Nevertheless, as Elijah had prophesied, Jezebel was killed and eaten by dogs.

Descendants’ Cutoff (10:1–17)

Jehu had been tasked with cutting off the entire house of Ahab (cf. 2 Kings 9:7). Ahab’s son Jerhoram was now dead, as was his older brother, king Ahaziah of Israel. Yet, Ahab had many wives and many children (cf. 1 Kings 20:5). Indeed, 2 Kings 10:1 reports that “Ahab had seventy sons.” Since these sons were eligible to assume the throne, they were a threat to Jehu’s reign. Thus, Jehu contacted those who oversaw Ahab’s sons and tried to arrange a battle between himself and whomever they chose to set on Ahab’s throne. Out of fear, these overseers declining to appoint a new king, submitted to Jehu, and executed all seventy of Ahab’s sons. While this fulfilled the prophecy of Elijah, Jehu’s blood-lust is evident, as he went beyond God’s command and killed all Ahab’s officials and friends (cf. 2 Kings 10:11), plus the forty-two brothers of Ahaziah, king of Judah (cf. 2 Kings 10:12–14).

Worshipers’ Executed (10:18–36)

Earlier, when God spoke to Elijah about the death of Ahab, it was clear that Ahab’s death was related to the purging of Baal worship from Israel (cf. 1 Kings 19:11–18; 21:17–26). 2 Kings 10:18–31 records that after executing all the descendants of Ahab, Jehu crafted a plan to eradicate Baal worship from Israel. Jehu’s plan was to announce that he intended to make a great sacrifice to Baal, and to invite all the Baal worshipers in Israel to attend. Once they had arrived, and he was sure that no worshipers of God were present in the assembly, Jehu commanded his military officers to kill all of those who came to worship Baal. Furthermore, they burned the sacred pillar of Baal and completely destroyed the temple of Baal, turning it into a refuse dump. While this great slaughter “destroyed Baal worship in Israel” (2 Kings 10:28), it seems Jehu’s motives were mainly political, not spiritual.

We may hope that Jehu’s acts of cutting off an evil king and of eradicating Baal worship in Israel were signs of a heart focused upon God. However, 2 Kings 10:29–36 reports that “Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat who had made Israel sin” (2 Kings 10:29). So, while Jehu eliminated Baal worship in Israel, he did not foster the worship of the true God. Indeed, this passage records that Jehu did not remove “the golden calves that were at Bethel and Dan” (2 Kings 10:29), nor did he “walk in the law of the Lord with all his heart” (2 Kings 10:31). Surprisingly, however, the text reports that because of his obedience in striking down the house of Ahab, God allowed Jehu and his family to reign for four generations (cf. 2 Kings 10:30). Yet, because Jehu was not loyal to God, He allowed Syria to seize all of the Israelite land east of the Jordan River.

Application Questions:

  1. In the Bible, why does God sometimes use evil rulers or nations in order to punish other evil rulers or nations?
  2. If Ahab was an evil ruler, why did God allow 15+ years to pass for the fulfillment of 1 Kings 21:17–24?
  3. Why were seven of the twenty kings of Israel assassinated? How can a leader establish peace and stability?
  4. How can believers reconcile the mayhem in the Old Testament with the love ideal in the New Testament?
  5. Given that Jehu is described as a wicked ruler of Israel, how can we explain his act of eradicating Baal worship?