Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
2 Kings 9:4

Clarke's Commentary

Verse 2 Kings 9:4. The young man the prophet — This should be translated, The servant of the prophet; that is, the servant which Elisha now had in place of Gehazi.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

8:16-12:21 REMOVAL OF JEZEBEL’S BAALISM

Jezebel’s Baalism spreads to Judah (8:16-9:10)

The writer now returns to his historical account of the kings of Judah and Israel. Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram, who was married to Athaliah the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, became king of Judah after his father’s death. Through Athaliah, Jezebel’s Baalism spread to Judah. Jehoram made sure that no one challenged his right to do as he pleased by killing all likely rivals. Because of this and his support for Jezebel’s Baalism, he was assured of a horrible death (16-19; 2 Chronicles 21:4,2 Chronicles 21:11-15,2 Chronicles 21:18-20).

For David’s sake God did not yet destroy Judah, though the nation certainly weakened. Edom to the south and Libnah on the Philistine border freed themselves from Judah’s rule, while the Arabs and the Philistines raided and plundered with great success (20-24; 2 Chronicles 21:16-17).

During one of these raids most of Judah’s royal family was killed. Jehoram’s sole surviving son, Ahaziah, became king after his father’s death (2 Chronicles 22:1), but in his short reign he proved to be no better than his father. He was dominated by his mother Athaliah, along with relatives of hers from the north whom she had brought into the Jerusalem palace (2 Chronicles 22:3-4). He joined his uncle Joram (or Jehoram) of Israel in war against Hazael of Syria. When Joram retreated to the summer palace at Jezreel to recover from wounds received in battle, Ahaziah went to visit him (25-29).

Elisha saw that the time had come for him to carry out his last major responsibility, which was to anoint Israel’s army commander Jehu as king. Jehu’s job was to rid Israel of the entire family of Ahab and Jezebel (9:1-10; cf. 1 Kings 19:16).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

THE PROPHETIC ACT OF ANOINTING JEHU AS KING

"So the young man, even the young man the prophet went to Ramoth-gilead. And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of us all? And he said, To thee, O captain. And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, I have appointed thee king over the people of Jehovah, even over Israel. And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of the servants of Jehovah, at the hand of Jezebel. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; and I will cut off from Ahab every man-child, and him that is shut up, and him that is left at large in Israel. 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. And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door and fled."

"And Jehu said, Unto which of us all" The fact of Jehu's responding to the prophet's addressing a group of men as, "O captain," instead of some other doing so apparently corroborates the statement of Josephus that, when Joram left Ramoth-gilead because of his wound, he left Jehu as "his general in charge"Flavius Josephus, Antiquities, p. 284. of the entire army at Ramoth-gilead.

It is evident from this that only a summary of Elisha's instructions to the young prophet was given in 2 Kings 9:1-3. The entire charge of Elisha is revealed in the words of the young prophet to Jehu (2 Kings 9:7-10).

"Him that is shut up, and him that is at large in Israel" These words are somewhat ambiguous, but they apparently mean infant children as well as those old enough to be out on their own. "It is the intention of these words to include all of Ahab's posterity,"The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 5b, p. 189. in God's order to destroy them.

"I will make the house of Ahab like that of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah" The destruction of the house of Jeroboam is recorded in 1 Kings 15:29, and that of Baasha in 1 Kings 16:9-12. "Thus the house of Ahab had been given a double warning of the fate of those who deserted the religion of Jehovah."Ibid., p. 190.

Also, Ahab had received a strong personal and specific warning of what would happen to his dynasty in 1 Kings 21;21-26. The extermination of Ahab and his posterity would have occurred much sooner than it did, if it had not been delayed by Ahab's repentance (for a season). Because of that change of heart, God brought the punishment upon him, not during his lifetime, but in that of his son Joram (1 Kings 21:29).

Smith's Bible Commentary

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.

"

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

God’s preparation of Jehu 9:1-13

God had told Elijah that he would anoint Jehu (1 Kings 19:16). [Note: For more information on anointing with oil (2 Kings 9:3; 2 Kings 9:6), see my note on 1 Samuel 16:13.] He did this through his successor Elisha who accomplished it by using one of his protégés (2 Kings 9:1). Jehu would wipe out Omri’s dynasty in Israel (2 Kings 9:7-10). Jehu’s father was a different Jehoshaphat from Judah’s king of the same name (2 Kings 9:2). Elijah had prophesied the end of Ahab’s line (1 Kings 21:21-22; 1 Kings 21:29) and Jezebel’s death (1 Kings 21:23). God had worked through prophets previously, especially Elijah and Elisha, and would continue to do so. However, Jehu was just as much an instrument in God’s hand as the prophets, though his methods were not always proper. This is the only place in Kings where the writer emphasized Yahweh as avenging (cf. Nahum 1:2-3). Jehu was His instrument.

"At times the behavior of the prophet was unusual or abnormal, but a careful consideration of each of these instances will reveal some divine purpose or spiritual significance." [Note: Hobart E. Freeman, An Introduction to the Old Testament Prophets, p. 60.]

"Jehu is the only king of the Northern Kingdom (Israel) to have been anointed, perhaps to indicate that he should follow in the Davidic tradition, as Saul had been anointed by Samuel (1 Samuel 9:16; 1 Samuel 10:1); David by Samuel, to mark the Spirit of God endowing him for the task (1 Samuel 16:12-13); and Solomon by the high priest Zadok and Nathan the prophet (1 Kings 1:45). Such anointing was symbolic and probably confined to Hebrew practice (see also on 1 Kings 1:34)." [Note: Wiseman, pp. 218-19.]

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramothgilead. It is repeated, that it might be observed that it was a young man that went, who was more fit for this service than Elisha, partly because of his age, and partly because he would be less known; as also his age is remarked, this being a bold and daring action in a young man to anoint a new king, as well as it was honourable; and moreover, he was not only one of the sons of the prophets, but was a prophet himself, though young, and still a more fit person for such a service; though the Targum is, a young man, a disciple of the prophets.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      1 And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead:   2 And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber;   3 Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not.   4 So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead.   5 And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of all us? And he said, To thee, O captain.   6 And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel.   7 And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel.   8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left 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:   10 And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.

      We have here the anointing of Jehu to be king, who was, at this time, a commander (probably commander-in-chief) of the forces employed at Ramoth-Gilead, 2 Kings 9:14; 2 Kings 9:14. There he was fighting for the king his master, but received orders from a higher king to fight against him. It does not appear that Jehu aimed at the government, or that he ever thought of it, but the commission given him was a perfect surprise to him. Some think that he had been anointed before by Elijah, whom God ordered to do it, but privately, and with an intimation that he must not act till further orders, as Samuel anointed David long before he was to come to the throne: but that it not at all probable, for then we must suppose Elijah had anointed Hazael too. No, when God bade him do these things he bade him anoint Elisha to be prophet in his room, to do them when he was gone, as God should direct him. Here is,

      I. The commission sent.

      1. Elisha did not go himself to anoint Jehu, because he was old and unfit for such a journey and so well known that he could not do it privately, could not go and come without observation; therefore he sends one of the sons of the prophets to do it, 2 Kings 9:1; 2 Kings 9:1. They not only reverences him as their father (2 Kings 2:15; 2 Kings 2:15), but observed and obeyed him as their father. This service of anointing Jehu, (1.) Had danger in it (1 Samuel 16:2), and therefore it was not fit that Elisha should expose himself, but one of the sons of the prophets, whose life was of less value, and who could do it with less danger. (2.) It required labour and was therefore fitter for a young man in his full strength. Let youth work and age direct. (3.) Yet it was an honourable piece of service, to anoint a king, and he that did it might hope to be preferred for it afterwards, and therefore, for the encouragement of the young prophets, Elisha employed one of them: he would not engross all the honours to himself, nor grudge the young prophets a share in them.

      2. When he sent him, (1.) He put the oil into his hand with which he must anoint Jehu: Take this box of oil Solomon was anointed with oil out of the tabernacle,1 Kings 1:39. That could not now be had, but oil from a prophet's hand was equivalent to oil out of God's house. Probably it was not the constant practice to anoint kings, but upon the disturbance of the succession, as in the case of Solomon, or the interruption of it, as in the case of Joash (2 Kings 11:12; 2 Kings 11:12), or the translation of the government to a new family, as here and in the case of David; yet it might be used generally, though the scripture does not mention it. (2.) He put the words into his mouth which he must say (2 Kings 9:3; 2 Kings 9:3)-- I have anointed thee king, and, no doubt, told him all the rest that he said, 2 Kings 9:7-10; 2 Kings 9:7-10. Those whom God sends on his errands shall not go without full instructions. (3.) He also ordered him, [1.] To do it privately, to single out Jehu from the rest of the captains and anoint him in an inner chamber (2 Kings 9:2; 2 Kings 9:2), that Jehu's confidence in his commission might be tried, when he had no witness to attest it. His being suddenly animated for the service would be proof sufficient of his being anointed to it. There needed no other proof. The thing signified was the best evidence of the sign. [2.] To do it expeditiously. When he went about it he must gird up his loins; when he had done it he must flee and not tarry for a fee, or a treat, or to see what Jehu would do. It becomes the sons of the prophets to be quick and lively at their work, to go about it and go through it as men that hate sauntering and trifling. They should be as angels that fly swiftly.

      II. The commission delivered. The young prophet did his business with despatch, was at Ramoth-Gilead presently, 2 Kings 9:4; 2 Kings 9:4. There he found the general officers sitting together, either at dinner or in a council of war, 2 Kings 9:5; 2 Kings 9:5. With the assurance that became a messenger from God, notwithstanding the meanness of his appearance, he called Jehu out from the rest, not waiting his leisure, or begging his pardon for disturbing him, but as one having authority: I have an errand to thee, O captain. Perhaps Jehu had some intimation of his business; and therefore, that he might not seem too forward to catch at the honour, he asked, To which of all us? that it might not be said afterwards he got it by speaking first, but they might all be satisfied he was indeed the person designed. When the prophet had him alone he anointed him, 2 Kings 9:6; 2 Kings 9:6. The anointing of the Spirit is a hidden thing, that new name which none knows but those that have it. Herewith,

      1. He invests him with the royal dignity: Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, whose messenger I am, in his name I have anointed thee king over the people of the Lord. He gives him an incontestable title, but reminds him that he was made king, (1.) By the God of Israel; from him he must see his power derived (for by him kings reign), for he must use it, and to him he must be accountable. Magistrates are the ministers of God, and must therefore act in dependence upon him and with an entire devotedness to him and to his glory. (2.) Over the Israel of God. Though the people of Israel were wretchedly corrupted, and had forfeited all the honour of relationship to God, yet they are here called the people of the Lord, for he had a right to them and had not yet given them a bill of divorce. Jehu must look upon the people he was made king of as the people of the Lord, not as his vassals, but God's freemen, his sons, his first-born, not to be abused or tyrannized over, God's people, and therefore to be ruled for him, and according to his laws.

      2. He instructs him in his present service, which was to destroy all the house of Ahab (2 Kings 9:7; 2 Kings 9:7), not that he might clear his own way to the throne, and secure to himself the possession of it, but that he might execute the judgments of God upon that guilty and obnoxious family. He calls Ahab his master, that the relation might be no objection. "He was thy master, and to lift up thy hand against his son and successor would be not only base ingratitude, but treason, rebellion, and all that is bad, if thou hadst not an immediate command from God to do it. But thou art under higher obligations to thy Master in heaven than to thy master Ahab. He has determined that the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and by thy hand; fear not: has not he commanded thee? Fear not sin; his command will justify thee and bear thee out: fear not danger; his command will secure and prosper thee." That he might intelligently, and in a right manner, do this great execution on the house of Ahab, he tells him, (1.) What was their crime, what the ground of the controversy, and wherefore God had quarrel with them, that he might have an eye to that which God had an eye to, and that was the blood of God's servants, the prophets and others, faithful worshippers, which they had shed, and which must now be required at the hand of Jezebel. That they were idolaters was bad enough, and merited all that was brought upon them; yet that is not mentioned here, but the controversy God has with them is for their being persecutors, not so much their throwing down God's altars as their slaying his prophets with the sword. Nothing fills the measure of the iniquity of any prince or people as this does nor brings a surer or a sorer ruin. This was the sin that brought on Jerusalem its first destruction (2 Chronicles 36:16) and its final one, Matthew 23:37; Matthew 23:38. Jezebel's whoredoms and witchcrafts were not so provoking as her persecuting the prophets, killing some and driving the rest into corners and caves, 1 Kings 18:4. (2.) What was their doom. They were sentenced to utter destruction; not to be corrected, but to be cut off and rooted out. This Jehu must know, that his eye might not spare for pity, favour, or affection. All that belonged to Ahab must be slain, 2 Kings 9:8; 2 Kings 9:8. A pattern is given him of the destruction intended, in the destruction of the families of Jeroboam and Baasha (2 Kings 9:9; 2 Kings 9:9), and he is particularly directed to throw Jezebel to the dogs, 2 Kings 9:10; 2 Kings 9:10. The whole stock of royal blood was little enough, and too little, to atone for the blood of the prophets, the saints and martyrs, which, in God's account, is of great price.

      The prophet, having done this errand, made the best of his way home again, and left Jehu alone to consider what he had to do and beg direction from God.

Kelly Commentary on Books of the Bible

We now enter upon the solemn stroke of judgment which it pleased God to execute at this time; first, within Israel, and at the hands either of men raised up in their midst, or from without, until at last it pleased God to sweep away the ten tribes from the land of their inheritance. An evil time may be one when God is pleased in His government to employ the rough instrument; and this is one principle of God's ways in His government that we do well to consider. God's employment of a man is by no means the seal of God's approval of his person. We see it in the case before us. Jehu was a man in whom God had no complacency, nor could He have. For there is one feature that belongs to the family of faith, without which there is no communion with God. This is shown from the very beginning of life in the soul, and that is, repentance toward God. And Jehu had not this. Whatever might be his zeal, and whatever, too, the righteousness, to a certain extent, of his action according to the sovereign will of God, he had no brokenness of spirit. He had never measured himself in the presence of God, and repentance is distinguished by this above all others, that whereas faith may be the perception of the truth, as no doubt it is, still it is not a mere mental one; for the door of all blessing to the soul is the conscience, and the Spirit of God awakening the conscience. Unless light enter by that door it cannot be trusted, and the way in which the entrance of the light acts is not merely to give the perception of God's character in a way in which it has never been seen before, but it always shows itself in dealing with the soul of him that sees God.

Hence, you never can separate real faith from real repentance; and as the one is the eye open to see God as revealed in His own Son in a way in which He was never seen before I am speaking now, of course, of the full Christian knowledge of God; the principle is the same all through, but still I use it now as applicable to our own souls I say that as faith is the eye that is open by the Holy Ghost to see God revealing Himself in Christ, so, along with that, the eye sees, spiritually, what it cannot naturally. It sees within as well as without; it sees backward as well as forward. It sees, not only the object of faith which God has presented, but, along with that, it invariably sees ourselves; and this is very often the way in which you will detect a faith that is not of God, because it is quite within the capacity of the human spirit to take a great deal of truth, and a person may be zealous for the truth, too orthodox after a sort as the apostle Paul speaks in the first chapter of the Epistle to the Romans of the unrighteousness of them that hold the truth in unrighteousness. And the word is particularly emphatic. It is not merely those that hold the truth loosely; they may be very tenacious, they may be exceedingly keen for points of dogma. And this is supposed in that place. It is persons that hold firm and fast the truth, but what is the good of it if it is held in unrighteousness? Hence, therefore, they come under a more than ordinary judgment of God. Unrighteousness anywhere is evil, but specially where the truth is held ever so fast in unrighteousness is it abomination. And, sorrowful to say, so it is always where the testimony of God is found. It was so in Israel, for they had the truth in a way that the Gentiles had not; and Christendom now has the truth in a way in which Israel had not. Hence, therefore, the apostle brings in the word as a most solemn warning, not merely as descriptive of what was already a past thing, but a solemn hint of that which was coming to pass.

Now Jehu was one of those. He had a perception of the truth to a certain extent. He had a horror of Baal, but he had no true care for God, and he proved it by this, that he had no brokenness of spirit, no conscience, therefore, towards God as to his own faith. Quick as lightning to see the failures of others and to judge them, particularly where their judgment would be for his own interest, Jehu drove furiously through all the Baal worship of Israel. This is the man that God was pleased to use for His execution of judgment in that day. Far different was the spirit of Elisha, but Elisha would accomplish the purposes of God, and therefore directs the young man, the prophet, to take the oil, for doubtless there might have been a hesitation. God gave spiritual judgment, if to any man, to His prophets, and there may well, therefore, have been hesitation both on the part of Elisha to send, and to the young man to be sent, upon such an errand. But there is one thing which answers all questions the will of God. God does all things wisely, all things righteously; and there is a suitability, too, when we come to think of the matter, that so very unlovely an instrument should be employed for so unlovely a work. Jehu, at any rate, is singled out and has his bloody commission entrusted to him. He was to deal with the whole house of Ahab; he was to cut off every male, he was to make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. He was to deal even with Jezebel, so that the dogs should eat of her in Jezreel, and there should be none to bury her. We shall see how punctually all was fulfilled according to the word of God.

Jehu then comes forth, and the captains asked in astonishment what had he to do with that "mad fellow" (2 Kings 9:11) a word we do well to consider for so a prophet appeared! a true prophet of Jehovah! This was his appearance to the eye of the men of the world a mad fellow. The world was just the same in Israel that it was afterwards in the days of the apostles, who were set forth, as the apostle so touchingly says, alas, as the off-scouring of all men! So they were regarded then. And, beloved friends, bear with me if I remind every one that is here, so, more or less, the scorn and contempt of the world must be just in proportion to our entrance into the mind of God now. Be not deceived. I admit that there will be a change, but that change has not yet come. The world is the same unchanged world now the circumstances, no doubt, varied. The texture, the colour of them may be changed a little, but the material is the same the real condition and relation to God just the same as before. I speak not of outward privileges, they are incomparably greater; I speak of the inner heart of the world. It is no better; if possible, worse. No doubt there will be a change, but that bright day is reserved for Jesus. He that suffered must have the glory. Till then we must be content to suffer with Christ.

We see the spirit of it in this prophet; in the contemptuous expression "of these captains about a messenger of God. Jehu answers, "Ye know the man and his communication." They were well known outwardly; how little inwardly! They said, "It is false; tell us now." He tells it plainly out. Jehu was not a man to keep a secret. "Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king." The very men that despised the prophet were well disposed to act upon the prophecy. Such is the spirit of man. The reason is evident: it suited their ambition, and, further, it made what even they could not but feel in conscience for man has a conscience whatever may be the wickedness of his life and they were well aware that what was now going on, both in Judah and in Israel, was utterly contrary to God. Although they had no feeling for God's glory, they could have contempt for false appearances, and, also, their spirit rose against the unrighteousness which was now enthroned in the throne doubly enthroned.

So then they at once proclaim Jehu king at the word even of him that they had just branded as "that mad fellow." And Jehu begins to act then against his master: he had now God's authority for it. The God that had raised up the king was perfectly entitled to cast him down. Jehu, therefore, was thoroughly right in acting upon the anointing of the prophet. And it is remarkable that Jehu is the only one of these many successors that, one after another, overturned the kingdom in Israel the only one that was anointed. In Judah the anointing was sanctioned of the Lord, no doubt, and we have no reason to suppose that it was not always acted upon, but not so in Israel. In Jehu's case it was. Jehu required this extraordinary act of the prophet to enable him to go forward, and to give him confidence, as well as other people about him. God was pleased so to invest him.

So king Joram was now returning to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, and Jehu at once proposes to pay a visit to his master. "So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there." At this very time, sad to say, the king of Judah was there too, and here we find a very solemn fact in God's government that if one who ought to be on the side of righteousness swerves from it into an unholy alliance with evil, he suffers according to the character of the evil he joins, and not of the righteousness that he may have previously possessed. This seems very hard, and there are many that cannot understand that God could deal so with those that have a measure of righteousness; but the truth is, the more we examine the principle the more we see how just it is. A sin is a sin whoever commits it, but whose sin is the greatest? Surely sin in a christian is worse than sin in an ordinary man who has no Christianity. Sin is always measured by the privilege of him who commits it, and consequently in Israel God Himself showed these differences. The sin of the priest that was anointed had a totally different character from that of one of the people; and the sin of a ruler was not at all to be met in the same way as the sin of one of the common people. So God, in His own people, showed that there were these differences; but even when you leave the people of God it is just the same.

Now the king of Judah then, who ought to have been as the lamp of God in the darkness of that night the king of Judah had chosen an evil association, for alas! the holy seed was polluted, and there was an alliance that boded evil that was now formed by the royal house. The king of Judah was in the company of the king of Israel. God permitted that they should be found together when the solemn moment came for judgment. The judgment must be shared by those who had sinned together. It was not only, therefore, Joram for whom, properly speaking, the blow was intended; it was not only upon him that it fell, but upon the king of Judah also.

The very same thing is true in the church of God. A little leaven leavens the whole lump. It is not merely that each particle requires to be leavened, but that that which contains the leaven is pronounced upon by God. Doubtless, if the leaven is allowed to work its way it will actually corrupt the whole lump; but God acts, and so should Christians according to the principle of the thing, and not merely the bare fact which comes out before the world. So we find in the most serious matters. Take the lady, even, in the Second Epistle of John she was responsible for the people she received. She might say that she was only a woman, and who was she to judge. Was it not a woman's place to be very unobtrusive? Yes, but it is a woman's place to be true, and, if she ought to be true to anybody, true to Christ above all. If she, therefore, received those who brought not the doctrine of Christ, her orthodoxy would be no shield. She is warned by the apostle that she became a partaker of their evil deeds. She may not have received the doctrine; it is not supposed that she had received the doctrine in that case she would have shared their guilt. But she shared the punishment because she chose to identify the name of the Lord in her person with those that were His enemies. Thus you see this great principle is found true in every part of the word of God, though it comes out most stringently in the New Testament, and most of all where it is a question of Christ, and not merely an ordinary evil thing. Now this is most righteous, because of all evils none so bad as that which touches Christ Christ, the spring of all that is good the only means of deliverance. When His name is made a cover for evil, and for that which destroys, how great is that darkness!

Jehu then rides on, and as they come, a watchman spies them; and after a little while, although messenger after messenger is sent without returning, it seems evident that it must be Jehu. His driving betrayed him. So the kings at last became disturbed, and Joram, wounded as he was, said, "Make ready," and he "and Ahaziah, king of Judah, went out, each in his chariot, and they went out against Jehu, and met him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite. And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu?" He had his qualms. Well he might. "And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many? And Joram turned his hands and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah. And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sank down in his chariot." But it did not end there, for while Jehu told his captain to take him up and cast him in the field of Naboth the Jezreelite, according to the word of Jehovah, judgment did not fail to overtake Ahaziah as he fled. Jehu followed after him and said, "Smite him also in his chariot," and so he too dies at Megiddo. But this is not all. There remained a worse end for the one whose craft and violence had wrought such evil in Israel Jezebel. She painted her face, she fled to her old artifices; but they were all vain to preserve her. The hour of her judgment was at hand. "And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace who slew his master?" But Jehu was not to be alarmed or turned away from the dread commission that God had given him. And he lifted up his face to the window and asked who was on his side, and when the eunuchs showed themselves he commanded them to throw her down, and her blood, as it is said, was sprinkled on the wall and on the horses, and he trod her under foot.

What is remarkable, too, is this. The will of man has but little to do with the accomplishment of the word of God, for Jehu, now in the fulness of his power, relents somewhat towards this wicked woman Jezebel; and although he does say, "Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her, for she is a king's daughter" well, what had God said? The prophet had said, "The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her." Jehu had heard that word only a short time before, and he evidently showed that his intention was to fulfil his commission exactly; but how little man, good or bad, carries out the word of God. Now, apparently, the old sense of respect for one that was a queen a king's daughter rises in his mind, and he says, "Bury her, for she is a king's daughter." But the word of God had spoken its own command before. And they went to bury her. Their purpose was to obey him. In vain. They found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. Wherefore they came again and told him, and he, convinced how mighty was the word of the Lord, said, "This is the word of Jehovah which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel; and the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel." Thus had God accomplished it, and the blood of Naboth was avenged of the Lord most sternly. And the field was dearly bought, and wrested from the family. Had Naboth been slain? Had his sons failed to inherit? The king was slain too, and there is blood. So with the woman, the queen, who had stirred up her husband the king, and, further, the king's son. In every part sin meets its punishment.