In this chapter, we find out why it was noted at the end of chapter 8 that King Ahaziah of Judah had gone to visit King Joram of Israel. We also find out that though Jezebel was, surprisingly, not mentioned in the previous chapter, she is a “marked” woman in this one. Here’s the chapter in its entirety: “Meanwhile, Elisha the prophet had summoned a member of the group of prophets. “Get ready to go to Ramoth-gilead,” he told him. “Take this vial of olive oil with you, and find Jehu son of Jehoshaphat and grandson of Nimshi. Call him into a back room away from his friends, and pour the oil over his head. Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: I anoint you to be the king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run for your life!”
So the young prophet did as he was told and went to Ramoth-gilead. When he arrived there, he found Jehu sitting in a meeting with the other army officers. “I have a message for you, Commander,” he said.
“For which one of us?” Jehu asked. “For you, Commander,” he replied.
So Jehu left the others and went into the house. Then the young prophet poured the oil over Jehu’s head and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anoint you king over the Lord’s people, Israel. 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. The entire family of Ahab must be wiped out -- every male, slave and free alike, in Israel. I will destroy the family of Ahab as I destroyed the families of Jeroboam son of Nebat and of Baasha son of Ahijah. 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. (Wow! God placed a “hit”on Jezebel! Is Jezebel the most ruthless female in the bible?)
Jehu went back to his fellow officers, and one of them asked him, “What did that crazy fellow want? Is everything all right?” “You know the way such a man babbles on,” Jehu replied.
“You’re lying,” they said. “Tell us.” So Jehu told them what the man had said and that at the Lord’s command he had been anointed king over Israel. They quickly spread out their cloaks on the bare steps and blew a trumpet, shouting, “Jehu is king!”
Jehu Kills Joram and Ahaziah
So Jehu son of Jehoshaphat and grandson of Nimshi formed a conspiracy against King Joram. (Now Joram had been with the army at Ramoth-gilead, defending Israel against the forces of King Hazael of Aram. But Joram had been wounded in the fighting and had returned to Jezreel to recover from his wounds.) So Jehu told the men with him, “Since you want me to be king, don’t let anyone escape to Jezreel to report what we have done.”
Then Jehu got into a chariot and rode to Jezreel to find King Joram, who was lying there wounded. King Ahaziah of Judah was there, too, for he had gone to visit him. The watchman on the tower of Jezreel saw Jehu and his company approaching, so he shouted to Joram, “I see a company of troops coming!”
“Send out a rider to find out if they are coming in peace,” KIng Joram shouted back. So a rider went out to meet Jehu and said, “The king wants to know whether you are coming in peace.” Jehu replied, “What do you know about peace? Get behind me!”
The watchman called out to the king, “The rider has met them, but he is not returning.” So the king sent out a second rider. He rode up to them and demanded, “The king wants to know whether you come in peace.” Again Jehu answered, “What do you know about peace? Get behind me!”
The watchman exclaimed, “The rider has met them, but he isn’t returning either! It must be Jehu son of Nimshi, for he is driving so recklessly.”
“Quick! Get my chariot ready!” King Joram commanded. Then King Joram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah rode out in their chariots to meet Jehu. They met him at the field that had belonged to Naboth of Jezreel. 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?”
Then King Joram reined the chariot horses around and fled, shouting to King Ahaziah, “Treason, Ahaziah!” Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow pierced his heart, and he sank down dead in his chariot.
Jehu said to Bidkar, his officer, “Throw him into the field of Naboth of Jezreel. Do you remember when you and I were riding along behind his father, Ahab? The Lord pronounced this message against him: I solemnly swear that I will repay him here on Naboth’s property, says the Lord, for the murder of Naboth and his sons that I saw yesterday.’ So throw him out on Naboth’s field, just as the Lord said.”
When King Ahaziah of Judah saw what was happening, he fled along the road to Beth-gaggan. 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. (Wow...guilty by association. Be careful who you are hanging out with; it could be a deadly choice.) His officials took him by chariot to Jerusalem, where they buried him with his ancestors in the City of David. Ahaziah’s reign over Judah had begun in the eleventh year of King Joram’s reign in Israel.
The Death of Jezebel
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. When Jehu entered the gate of the palace, she shouted at him, “Have you come in peace, you murderer? You are just like Zimri, who murdered his master!”
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. “Throw her down!” Jehu yelled. So they threw her out the window, and some of her blood spattered against the wall and on the horses. And Jehu trampled her body under his horses’ hooves.
Hold on: Let’s not miss this! Jehu asked Jezebel’s servants which of them were on his side, and two or three of them made it clear…”I’m tired of this woman! What do you need me to do??? And when he said, “Throw her down.” they did so with the quickness! You know you are wicked when your own household can’t stand you. LOL...that’s messed up!
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.” But when they went out to bury her, they found only her skull, her feet, and her hands.
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 flesh. Her body will be scattered like dung on the field of Jezreel, so that no one will be able to recognize her.’” (Wow!) (2 Kings 9)
Lord, thank you for your Word today! Help us maintain a spirit of love and kindness, and help us choose our friends and associates wisely. We love you!
May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
….AND MAY WE ALL PRACTICE THIS WITH ONE ANOTHER.
Comments