Bible Commentaries
2 Kings 9

Verses 1-37

Chapter nine.

Elisha is an extremely colorful character. And we are coming towards the end of the career of Elisha, a prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel. And Elisha commanded one of the young prophets to go to Jezreel and there to take a cruse of oil and call Jehu, who was a captain of the host of Israel, into another room secretly, and there anoint him with the oil to be king over Israel, and then get out of there as fast as you can. So this young man came to Jezreel where Jehu was sitting with a bunch of the officers and all. And he said, "I have a message for you, O Jehu." And Jehu said...or he said, "I have a message for you." And he said, "Which one of us?" And he said, "You." And he said, "Come into the other room." And so he went into the other room and he said, "Thus saith the Lord, He has anointed you to be king over Israel." And of course, to replace the house of Ahab and Jehoahaz who was a descendant of Ahab. And so he poured this cruse of oil over Jehu and then he took off. When Jehu came out with the rest of the officers, they said, "What in the world was that guy all about? Man, he was wild looking. What did he tell you?" And Jehu said, "He anointed me with oil and told me that I was going to be the king over Israel." And so the guys all took their coats out and they made this stairway. They had him stand at the top of the stairs and they put began to blow the trumpets and say, "Long live Jehu king," you know.

And so he said, "Now look, you guys, really serious about this, don't let anyone go and warn the king what's happened." And so Jehu and the men headed then for Joram, who was the descendant of Ahab, who was the son of Jehoshaphat. And Joram at the time was recovering from injuries that he had received in a battle against the Syrians, and he was at Ramothgilead. And so in those days they had, of course, walls around the city and they had the guard towers, and guys would sit up there in the guard towers and they could see people coming from a long distance. And so this guard called down and he said, "There's chariots that are approaching the city. I can see the dust in the distance." So they sent out a messenger.

The king Joram said, "Go out and ask them if they are coming in peace." And so the messenger came to Jehu and he said, "Are you coming in peace?" He said, "What have you to do with peace? Get behind me." So the messenger had to get behind him. So the guy up on the wall said, "The messenger came to him but he's not returning." He said, "Send out another messenger and ask him if he's coming in peace." And then the guy said unto him,

the driving is like the driving of Jehu, the son of Nimshi; for he driveth his chariot furiously ( 2 Kings 9:20 ).

My wife wanted to get me a license plate with Jehu on it. I don't think that's very charitable of her.

But at any rate, the second messenger came to Jehu. And he said, "Are you coming peaceably?" And he said, "What have you to do with peace? Turn behind me." And so Jehoram, Joram came out to meet him in his chariot with Ahaziah who was the king of Judah, who happened to be visiting him at Ramothgilead because he was sick. Ahaziah... and there was an affinity between Ahaziah... and actually there was a family relationship between the kings at this particular time.

And so king Joram came out and said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he said, What peace as long as the whoredoms of your mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many? And Joram turned and fled and he said to Ahaziah who was the other king from Judah visiting him, he said unto him, It's treachery, O Ahaziah. And Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram in the back. The arrow came out through his heart. He sank down in his chariot and died ( 2 Kings 9:22-24 ).

And then they pursued Ahaziah and they injured him and he went to the city of Megiddo, and he died in Megiddo. And some of the men from Judah came to Megiddo, carried him back to Jerusalem, and buried him there in the sepulcher of David or the fathers in the city of David.

Then Jehu came to Jezreel where Jezebel was still, she was still alive. This wicked wife of Ahab who had led the Israelites into Baal. She had introduced the Baal worship to Israel. And so Jezebel, knowing that Jehu was coming, said unto him, "Did Zimri have peace, who slew his master?" She was looking out the window. Actually she painted her face and tired her hair and fixed up, and she taunted him sort of, "Did Zimri have peace, who killed his master?" They lifted up his face to the window. He called up there and he said, "Are anybody up there for me?" And there were three eunuchs that stuck out their heads. They said, "We're for you." He said, "Then throw that woman out." And so they threw Jezebel out and she came crashing down. Her blood spilled on the wall and upon the horse and he trampled her under the feet of his horse. And then he went on into the house and sat down and ate and drank. And he said, "A couple of you guys go out and bury her."

And they went to bury her: but they found nothing but her skull, and the palms of her hands and the bottom of her feet ( 2 Kings 9:35 ).

For the dogs had already eaten Jezebel there in the street. Now this is a fulfillment of the prophecy of Elijah against Jezebel declaring that the dogs would eat her in the streets of Jezreel. And so the end of the career of this extremely wicked woman.

It is interesting that women, it seem, have a capacity of deeper depths of depravity than do men. And I think the reason being is that a woman has a much finer tune emotional capacity. I believe that a woman is capable of higher heights than a man. I believe that she's capable of greater experiences of joy and excitement. But her emotions move on a broader spectrum than as a man. A man is more coarse in his emotions. His emotions move in sort of a rather narrow spectrum, a coarse spectrum. He's not as capable as of the great highs that a woman can have. And yet, a woman who turns to the opposite end and goes to the lows is able to go to the lowest. And it seems that the woman's temperament, being finer, has greater highs, greater lows. The man is more in a middle of the spectrum, moving in a coarser. His emotions are of a coarser make-up than a woman, not nearly as fine as is a woman.

And Jezebel is a classic example of a woman who has gone to the lowest. And of course, I think if you study history, a woman who has gone bad is capable of some of the cruelest things. Things that you would never dream of as you look through history. When they turn to the lower end of the spectrum. Jezebel is interesting in that in the book of Revelation, the church of Thyatira, which introduced idolatry into their worship, the whole introduction of idolatry into worship within the church (that is, setting up idols within the church) this church system that brought in idols as a part of the worship, the woman Jezebel, the name is related to this church system. So the Lord said to the church of Thyatira that "thou hast this woman Jezebel who caused my servants to commit fornication and idolatry. And I'm going to cast her into a bed, and into the great tribulation, unless she repents from her deed" ( Revelation 2:20-22 ). And those that commit fornication with her, being cast into the great tribulation.

Now, there are those who declare that the church is going to go through the great tribulation. Yes, a part of it is. The church that relates to that Jezebel system. So you know when people tell you the church is going through the great tribulation what part of the church they relate themselves to. I don't wish to relate to that part of the church. I would rather relate to the Philadelphian church who has "kept the word of His patience, and therefore will be kept from that hour of temptation that is coming to try men who dwell upon the earth" ( Revelation 3:10 ).

But the warning of the Lord, because "thou hast that woman Jezebel who causes my servants to commit fornication and eat things that are sacrificed unto idols. Therefore, I'm going to cast thee into the great tribulation or cast her into great tribulation. And those who commit fornication with her unless they repent of their deeds."

So, this wicked woman of the Old Testament who introduced idol worship, the worship of Baal to God's people Israel. The Lord makes the likeness of the introducing of idols in the worship of the church. I cannot understand how a person who reads the Word of God and really believes the Bible could establish idols within the church, even if they be idols of Jesus or the saints or whatever. Inasmuch as it is definitely prohibited under the law, and Jesus Himself declares His own feelings against it in His message to the church in Pergamos and Thyatira.

There has been in some areas of Mexico what I consider to be a genuine, true spiritual revival in the Catholic church. And I believe one of the evidences of the truth of the revival is that in this one area where this one bishop has really been born again and filled with the Spirit, he has had them removed all of the idols in all of the churches that are under his jurisdiction. And that thrills me, because I cannot, though I seek to be very accepting and broadminded, I cannot see the place of idols in a place of worship of God. Inasmuch as it has been so strictly forbidden, both Old and New Testament.

Jezebel, very wicked woman, her death, and being eaten by the dogs prophesied by Elijah the prophet and fulfilled at the hand of Jehu.

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