Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
In the seventh year of Jehu, Joash became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years. His mother's name was Zibiah; she was from Beersheba. Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him. The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.
About this time Hazael king of Aram went up and attacked Gath and captured it. Then he turned to attack Jerusalem. But Joash king of Judah took all the sacred objects dedicated by his fathers — Jehoshaphat, Jehoram and Ahaziah, the kings of Judah—and the gifts he himself had dedicated and all the gold found in the treasuries of the temple of the Lord and of the royal palace, and he sent them to Hazael king of Aram, who then withdrew from Jerusalem.
As for the other events of the reign of Joash, and all he did, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Judah? His officials conspired against him and assassinated him at Beth Millo, on the road down to Silla. The officials who murdered him were Jozabad son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer. He died and was buried with his fathers in the City of David. And Amaziah his son succeeded him as king.
2 Kings 12:1-3, 17-21
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Do you have a spiritual mentor?
You know…someone you respect that you can go to for spiritual advice?
I have several and use them often. It’s always good to have a person you can talk to and discuss matters of faith and life…someone who can lend an ear and solid wisdom to help you in a time of need.
Well, we have seen in scripture where spiritual mentors abound. In our studies, the last one we studied in earnest was Elijah and Elisha. You’ll recall that Elisha was selected to succeed Elijah but that change didn’t happen immediately. No, Elisha followed Elijah and learned from him until that day when he was taken up into heaven by a whirlwind…and then carried on in his footsteps.
Well, in today’s scripture we see how very important spiritual mentorship is.
For as Joash, assumed the throne of Judah in Jerusalem, we read where he “did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him”. Jehoiada you’ll recall was the priest who ensured Joash was protected from the murderous Athaliah as he assumed the throne at the age of seven. And as Joash grew, Jehoiada remained his counsel and spiritual advisor, helping the king stay faithful to the covenant he had made with God.
Then something inevitable happened.
Jehoiada died...and when he did, so too did Joash’s adherence to the Lord’s ways.
For as we look at the companion passage to this, 2 Chronicles, Chapter 24, we find that Joash began to listen to people who weren’t attached to God but rather false gods. And when these new advisors spoke, Joash listened to them.
The end result?
The temple of the Lord was abandoned in favor of the worshipping of Asherah poles and idols.
And so the Lord sent prophets to try and convince Joash he was erring but he refused to listen to them.
So the Lord sent the son of the deceased Jehoiada to ask why Joash had forsaken Him. And when Zechariah delivered the Lord’s message, Joash issued the order for him to be stoned to death in the temple courtyard.
Yes…Joash had his spiritual mentor’s son executed. Such was the depth of his falling.
Obviously, the Lord wasn’t going to stand for this.
Enter Hazael and the Aramean army.
It attacked Jerusalem and in the assault, Joash was severely wounded. But it wasn’t the battle injury that killed him. No…it was his own officials who did him in while he was in bed, angered by the judgment placed on Zechariah.
Of course, the sad part about all this was that it was completely avoidable.
All Joash had to do was have another spiritual mentor identified that he could trust and turn to if something would ever happen to Jehoiada. As it was, he didn’t and so he was vulnerable to anyone who might be able to step in and influence him…and those that did led him down the path of destruction.
This is what can happen when we don’t stay connected to leaders who are strong in the Lord. We can be led astray…sometimes to the point of destruction.
If you have a spiritual mentor, then thank the Lord for it. He…and He alone…arranged for that to be as He chose who He would speak through to impart wisdom and guidance.
If you don’t have a spiritual mentor, I would highly encourage you to find one and not delay in doing so.
For so much is at stake here…to include your very spiritual life…a life that Satan would like nothing better than to have for himself.
Just look at Joash and you’ll see how true that is. Don’t repeat his mistake.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
Join the journey! Become a Christian Walk follower!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Sunday, October 25, 2009
RESTORING ORDER
Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to be murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah; so he was not killed. He remained hidden with his nurse at the temple of the Lord for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.
In the seventh year Jehoiada sent for the commanders of units of a hundred, the Carites and the guards and had them brought to him at the temple of the Lord. He made a covenant with them and put them under oath at the temple of the Lord. Then he showed them the king's son. He commanded them, saying, "This is what you are to do: You who are in the three companies that are going on duty on the Sabbath — a third of you guarding the royal palace, a third at the Sur Gate, and a third at the gate behind the guard, who take turns guarding the temple - and you who are in the other two companies that normally go off Sabbath duty are all to guard the temple for the king. Station yourselves around the king, each man with his weapon in his hand. Anyone who approaches your ranks must be put to death. Stay close to the king wherever he goes."
The commanders of units of a hundred did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered. Each one took his men — those who were going on duty on the Sabbath and those who were going off duty — and came to Jehoiada the priest. Then he gave the commanders the spears and shields that had belonged to King David and that were in the temple of the Lord. The guards, each with his weapon in his hand, stationed themselves around the king — near the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple.
Jehoiada brought out the king's son and put the crown on him; he presented him with a copy of the covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him, and the people clapped their hands and shouted, "Long live the king!"
When Athaliah heard the noise made by the guards and the people, she went to the people at the temple of the Lord. She looked and there was the king, standing by the pillar, as the custom was. The officers and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her robes and called out, "Treason! Treason!"
Jehoiada the priest ordered the commanders of units of a hundred, who were in charge of the troops: "Bring her out between the ranks and put to the sword anyone who follows her." For the priest had said, "She must not be put to death in the temple of the Lord." So they seized her as she reached the place where the horses enter the palace grounds, and there she was put to death.
Jehoiada then made a covenant between the Lord and the king and people that they would be the Lord's people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people. All the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols to pieces and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.
Then Jehoiada the priest posted guards at the temple of the Lord. He took with him the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, the guards and all the people of the land, and together they brought the king down from the temple of the Lord and went into the palace, entering by way of the gate of the guards. The king then took his place on the royal throne, and all the people of the land rejoiced. And the city was quiet, because Athaliah had been slain with the sword at the palace.
Joash was seven years old when he began to reign.
2 Kings 11:1-21
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Most of the scripture over the last several chapter in 2 Kings has centered on Jehu, a former commander in Israel’s army, who was chosen by the Lord to be king and carry out judgment on the house of Ahab…a task that included killing the current king of Israel, Ahab’s son Joram, and the king of Judah, Ahaziah, who had married Ahab’s daughter.
From that point on, Jehu assumed command in Israel and continued to carry out the Lord’s penalty against any one connected with Ahab, to include those who led the worship of the false god Baal.
So what was going on in the southern kingdom of Judah during this time?
Chapter 11 lets us know.
For as the chapter opens, we find “Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah” seeking to seize the throne after her son’s death by destroying the “whole royal family”. All Athaliah had to do was kill all of her son's successors and she could sit on the throne and this is what she set out to do…so power hungry that she would kill all her grandchildren in order to rule.
Well, “Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah” wasn’t about to let this happen to her newborn son. And so she “took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes who were about to be murdered”, hiding him and his nurse in a bedroom within the “temple of the Lord”. They would remain there “for six years while Athaliah ruled the land”.
So would evil win out? Would Athaliah get away with her heinous scheme?
Back to the scriptures…where in the seventh year of Athaliah’s reign, “the priest Jehoiada sent for the commanders of units of a hundred, the Carites and the guards and had them brought to him at the temple of the Lord”. There he “made a covenant with them and put them under oath” before showing them the king's son and giving the following command:
"This is what you are to do: You who are in the three companies that are going on duty on the Sabbath — a third of you guarding the royal palace, a third at the Sur Gate, and a third at the gate behind the guard, who take turns guarding the temple - and you who are in the other two companies that normally go off Sabbath duty are all to guard the temple for the king. Station yourselves around the king, each man with his weapon in his hand. Anyone who approaches your ranks must be put to death. Stay close to the king wherever he goes."
And so the “commanders of units of a hundred did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered” with each one taking their men — “those who were going on duty on the Sabbath and those who were going off duty” — to Jehoiada who armed them with “the spears and shields that had belonged to King David and that were in the temple of the Lord”. The armed guards then “stationed themselves around the king near the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side”.
Then Jehoiada brought out Ahaziah’s only surviving son, Joash, who was now seven years of age, and “put the crown on him” before presenting him “with a copy of the covenant” and proclaiming him king. Joash was then anointed and the people “clapped their hands” and shouted, "Long live the king!"
Well, the “noise made by the guards and the people” was heard by Athaliah and so she went to the temple. Once there, she saw what everyone was cheering. For “standing by the pillar” was the crowned Joash with “the officers and the trumpeters” beside him and “all the people of the land…rejoicing and blowing trumpets”.
In anger at what she witnessed, Athaliah “tore her robes” and called out, "Treason! Treason!" as if her actions to assume power had been noble.
Athaliah would have been better suited to be quiet. Because after she brought such attention on herself, we read where Jehoiada “ordered the commanders of units of a hundred”…those “in charge of the troops”…to "Bring her out between the ranks and put to the sword anyone who follows her." It was clear that the priest did not want Athaliah to be “put to death in the temple of the Lord." And so she was seized as “she reached the place where the horses enter the palace grounds” and there “she was put to death”.
Athaliah’s evil reign was over.
So everything was good now…right?
Wrong.
Because there was unfinished business in Judah.
You see, not only was Athaliah evil in the way she assumed power but she also promoted Baal worship in her kingdom. And before things could be right again with God, the false idols and altars had to be removed and destroyed.
And so Jehoiada the priest “made a covenant between the Lord and the king and people that they would be the Lord's people”. Then “all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down”, smashing “the altars and idols to pieces” and killing “Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars”.
Jehoiada followed this by posting “guards at the temple of the Lord” and escorting Joash from the temple and into the palace where he took his place on the royal throne…an action that caused the people of the land to rejoice.
And then “the city went quiet”…at peace…because Athaliah was no longer in power.
Order had been restored.
Do you have a crisis in your life that you are trying to work through? Maybe you’re mired in financial problems. Possibly your having issues in a relationship…whether marital or family or work related. Maybe someone is being evil toward you. Or maybe you’re trapped in a downward spiral of sin and unsure how to escape.
If you’re going through any of these or any other difficulty, today’s scripture shows us the way to deal with it and it all starts with the Lord.
For when things reach a crisis stage in life, we can always count on the Lord to restore order when he is put in His rightful place…in charge.
In Judah, this meant removing the evil Athaliah from power and installing a rightful successor in Joash. But even this wasn’t done without first presenting the young boy king with a copy of the covenant so he would have the word of the Lord with him. If true order were going to be restored then God’s word would have to be restored as well.
Note as well that Jehoiada the priest “made a covenant between the Lord and the king and people that they would be the Lord's people”. For it wasn’t enough to just have God’s word in the hands of the king. Everyone had to be committed to being God’s people…to allow Him to rule supreme…to allow His will and way to be theirs.
So this was enough right?
God’s word was restored as was the people’s commitment to be God’s people.
Not quite enough.
Because there was still a matter of the Baal worship that had permeated Judah. If the people were now recommitted to God, then Baal had to go. And so the people did just that, entering the temple of Baal and tearing it down…smashing the altars and idols to pieces before killing the Baal priest in front of the altars.
At that point, God was restored as the God of Israel…the only One worthy of worship.
So again, what crisis are you going through? Are you, like the people of Judah, longing for a restoration of order?
Then why not follow the three steps found in our passage today?
1. Engage yourself with God’s word. Pray over it and ask the Lord to reveal His truth to you through His words.
2. As you reconnect with God’s word and allow His truth to be revealed to you, renew your covenant with Him…to allow Him to rule supreme in your life.
3. And then as you renew your commitment to be one of His people, fully embracing Him in every part of your life, rid yourself of anything else that might draw you away from Him. For Satan is good at getting us to worship all kinds of things in life, all the while pulling us away from the only One worthy of our worship.
Friends, we often cry out in the midst of our troubles for help…for resolution…for peace and quiet.
Judah finally found their quiet in the order restored through the Lord.
You can too.
Trust and believe it.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to be murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah; so he was not killed. He remained hidden with his nurse at the temple of the Lord for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.
In the seventh year Jehoiada sent for the commanders of units of a hundred, the Carites and the guards and had them brought to him at the temple of the Lord. He made a covenant with them and put them under oath at the temple of the Lord. Then he showed them the king's son. He commanded them, saying, "This is what you are to do: You who are in the three companies that are going on duty on the Sabbath — a third of you guarding the royal palace, a third at the Sur Gate, and a third at the gate behind the guard, who take turns guarding the temple - and you who are in the other two companies that normally go off Sabbath duty are all to guard the temple for the king. Station yourselves around the king, each man with his weapon in his hand. Anyone who approaches your ranks must be put to death. Stay close to the king wherever he goes."
The commanders of units of a hundred did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered. Each one took his men — those who were going on duty on the Sabbath and those who were going off duty — and came to Jehoiada the priest. Then he gave the commanders the spears and shields that had belonged to King David and that were in the temple of the Lord. The guards, each with his weapon in his hand, stationed themselves around the king — near the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple.
Jehoiada brought out the king's son and put the crown on him; he presented him with a copy of the covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him, and the people clapped their hands and shouted, "Long live the king!"
When Athaliah heard the noise made by the guards and the people, she went to the people at the temple of the Lord. She looked and there was the king, standing by the pillar, as the custom was. The officers and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her robes and called out, "Treason! Treason!"
Jehoiada the priest ordered the commanders of units of a hundred, who were in charge of the troops: "Bring her out between the ranks and put to the sword anyone who follows her." For the priest had said, "She must not be put to death in the temple of the Lord." So they seized her as she reached the place where the horses enter the palace grounds, and there she was put to death.
Jehoiada then made a covenant between the Lord and the king and people that they would be the Lord's people. He also made a covenant between the king and the people. All the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols to pieces and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.
Then Jehoiada the priest posted guards at the temple of the Lord. He took with him the commanders of hundreds, the Carites, the guards and all the people of the land, and together they brought the king down from the temple of the Lord and went into the palace, entering by way of the gate of the guards. The king then took his place on the royal throne, and all the people of the land rejoiced. And the city was quiet, because Athaliah had been slain with the sword at the palace.
Joash was seven years old when he began to reign.
2 Kings 11:1-21
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Most of the scripture over the last several chapter in 2 Kings has centered on Jehu, a former commander in Israel’s army, who was chosen by the Lord to be king and carry out judgment on the house of Ahab…a task that included killing the current king of Israel, Ahab’s son Joram, and the king of Judah, Ahaziah, who had married Ahab’s daughter.
From that point on, Jehu assumed command in Israel and continued to carry out the Lord’s penalty against any one connected with Ahab, to include those who led the worship of the false god Baal.
So what was going on in the southern kingdom of Judah during this time?
Chapter 11 lets us know.
For as the chapter opens, we find “Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah” seeking to seize the throne after her son’s death by destroying the “whole royal family”. All Athaliah had to do was kill all of her son's successors and she could sit on the throne and this is what she set out to do…so power hungry that she would kill all her grandchildren in order to rule.
Well, “Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah” wasn’t about to let this happen to her newborn son. And so she “took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes who were about to be murdered”, hiding him and his nurse in a bedroom within the “temple of the Lord”. They would remain there “for six years while Athaliah ruled the land”.
So would evil win out? Would Athaliah get away with her heinous scheme?
Back to the scriptures…where in the seventh year of Athaliah’s reign, “the priest Jehoiada sent for the commanders of units of a hundred, the Carites and the guards and had them brought to him at the temple of the Lord”. There he “made a covenant with them and put them under oath” before showing them the king's son and giving the following command:
"This is what you are to do: You who are in the three companies that are going on duty on the Sabbath — a third of you guarding the royal palace, a third at the Sur Gate, and a third at the gate behind the guard, who take turns guarding the temple - and you who are in the other two companies that normally go off Sabbath duty are all to guard the temple for the king. Station yourselves around the king, each man with his weapon in his hand. Anyone who approaches your ranks must be put to death. Stay close to the king wherever he goes."
And so the “commanders of units of a hundred did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered” with each one taking their men — “those who were going on duty on the Sabbath and those who were going off duty” — to Jehoiada who armed them with “the spears and shields that had belonged to King David and that were in the temple of the Lord”. The armed guards then “stationed themselves around the king near the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side”.
Then Jehoiada brought out Ahaziah’s only surviving son, Joash, who was now seven years of age, and “put the crown on him” before presenting him “with a copy of the covenant” and proclaiming him king. Joash was then anointed and the people “clapped their hands” and shouted, "Long live the king!"
Well, the “noise made by the guards and the people” was heard by Athaliah and so she went to the temple. Once there, she saw what everyone was cheering. For “standing by the pillar” was the crowned Joash with “the officers and the trumpeters” beside him and “all the people of the land…rejoicing and blowing trumpets”.
In anger at what she witnessed, Athaliah “tore her robes” and called out, "Treason! Treason!" as if her actions to assume power had been noble.
Athaliah would have been better suited to be quiet. Because after she brought such attention on herself, we read where Jehoiada “ordered the commanders of units of a hundred”…those “in charge of the troops”…to "Bring her out between the ranks and put to the sword anyone who follows her." It was clear that the priest did not want Athaliah to be “put to death in the temple of the Lord." And so she was seized as “she reached the place where the horses enter the palace grounds” and there “she was put to death”.
Athaliah’s evil reign was over.
So everything was good now…right?
Wrong.
Because there was unfinished business in Judah.
You see, not only was Athaliah evil in the way she assumed power but she also promoted Baal worship in her kingdom. And before things could be right again with God, the false idols and altars had to be removed and destroyed.
And so Jehoiada the priest “made a covenant between the Lord and the king and people that they would be the Lord's people”. Then “all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down”, smashing “the altars and idols to pieces” and killing “Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars”.
Jehoiada followed this by posting “guards at the temple of the Lord” and escorting Joash from the temple and into the palace where he took his place on the royal throne…an action that caused the people of the land to rejoice.
And then “the city went quiet”…at peace…because Athaliah was no longer in power.
Order had been restored.
Do you have a crisis in your life that you are trying to work through? Maybe you’re mired in financial problems. Possibly your having issues in a relationship…whether marital or family or work related. Maybe someone is being evil toward you. Or maybe you’re trapped in a downward spiral of sin and unsure how to escape.
If you’re going through any of these or any other difficulty, today’s scripture shows us the way to deal with it and it all starts with the Lord.
For when things reach a crisis stage in life, we can always count on the Lord to restore order when he is put in His rightful place…in charge.
In Judah, this meant removing the evil Athaliah from power and installing a rightful successor in Joash. But even this wasn’t done without first presenting the young boy king with a copy of the covenant so he would have the word of the Lord with him. If true order were going to be restored then God’s word would have to be restored as well.
Note as well that Jehoiada the priest “made a covenant between the Lord and the king and people that they would be the Lord's people”. For it wasn’t enough to just have God’s word in the hands of the king. Everyone had to be committed to being God’s people…to allow Him to rule supreme…to allow His will and way to be theirs.
So this was enough right?
God’s word was restored as was the people’s commitment to be God’s people.
Not quite enough.
Because there was still a matter of the Baal worship that had permeated Judah. If the people were now recommitted to God, then Baal had to go. And so the people did just that, entering the temple of Baal and tearing it down…smashing the altars and idols to pieces before killing the Baal priest in front of the altars.
At that point, God was restored as the God of Israel…the only One worthy of worship.
So again, what crisis are you going through? Are you, like the people of Judah, longing for a restoration of order?
Then why not follow the three steps found in our passage today?
1. Engage yourself with God’s word. Pray over it and ask the Lord to reveal His truth to you through His words.
2. As you reconnect with God’s word and allow His truth to be revealed to you, renew your covenant with Him…to allow Him to rule supreme in your life.
3. And then as you renew your commitment to be one of His people, fully embracing Him in every part of your life, rid yourself of anything else that might draw you away from Him. For Satan is good at getting us to worship all kinds of things in life, all the while pulling us away from the only One worthy of our worship.
Friends, we often cry out in the midst of our troubles for help…for resolution…for peace and quiet.
Judah finally found their quiet in the order restored through the Lord.
You can too.
Trust and believe it.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
Saturday, October 24, 2009
NO OTHER GODS BEFORE GOD HIMSELF
Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Then Jehu brought all the people together and said to them, "Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much. Now summon all the prophets of Baal, all his ministers and all his priests. See that no one is missing, because I am going to hold a great sacrifice for Baal. Anyone who fails to come will no longer live." But Jehu was acting deceptively in order to destroy the ministers of Baal.
Jehu said, "Call an assembly in honor of Baal." So they proclaimed it. Then he sent word throughout Israel, and all the ministers of Baal came; not one stayed away. They crowded into the temple of Baal until it was full from one end to the other. And Jehu said to the keeper of the wardrobe, "Bring robes for all the ministers of Baal." So he brought out robes for them.
Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Recab went into the temple of Baal. Jehu said to the ministers of Baal, "Look around and see that no servants of the Lord are here with you—only ministers of Baal." So they went in to make sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had posted eighty men outside with this warning: "If one of you lets any of the men I am placing in your hands escape, it will be your life for his life."
As soon as Jehu had finished making the burnt offering, he ordered the guards and officers: "Go in and kill them; let no one escape." So they cut them down with the sword. The guards and officers threw the bodies out and then entered the inner shrine of the temple of Baal. They brought the sacred stone out of the temple of Baal and burned it. They demolished the sacred stone of Baal and tore down the temple of Baal, and people have used it for a latrine to this day.
So Jehu destroyed Baal worship in Israel. However, he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit—the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.
The Lord said to Jehu, "Because you have done well in accomplishing what is right in my eyes and have done to the house of Ahab all I had in mind to do, your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation." Yet Jehu was not careful to keep the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, which he had caused Israel to commit.
In those days the Lord began to reduce the size of Israel. Hazael overpowered the Israelites throughout their territory east of the Jordan in all the land of Gilead (the region of Gad, Reuben and Manasseh), from Aroer by the Arnon Gorge through Gilead to Bashan.
As for the other events of Jehu's reign, all he did, and all his achievements, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?
Jehu rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son succeeded him as king. The time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.
2 Kings 10:18-36
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As Chapter 10 of 2 Kings concludes, we find Jehu with one piece of unfinished business before concluding the Lord’s order against Ahab’s house.
For there was still the matter of the Baal worship that Ahab had introduced to Israel…an introduction that so blatantly defied God’s commandment to have no other gods before Him. You’ll recall that God warned that He was a jealous God and would not stand for anyone that decided to worship anything else. It’s little wonder why God burned with anger against Ahab and brought such terrible judgment on his house.
So as we look at our scripture we find Jehu again using a little deception to set up his actions. And just as the people of Israel were so easily manipulated because they didn’t place God first in their lives, so too were all the prophets, ministers and priests of Baal.
You’ll see that Jehu makes it appear as if he is willing to serve Baal as well but his words were meant to trick the Baal leadership into believing he was with them, not against them. Jehu even invoked the name of Ahab in his plot claiming that he was willing to serve Baal even more that the former king.
So Jehu summoned all the “prophets of Baal, all his ministers and all his priests” and ordered that no one should miss his invitation lest lose his life. The occasion for the gathering was the offering of a “great sacrifice for Baal”.
And so an assembly was formed “in honor of Baal” consisting of “all the ministers of Baal” who “crowded into the temple…until it was full from one end to the other”. Once inside, Jehu ordered the “keeper of the wardrobe” to "Bring robes for all the ministers of Baal" and he carried out the order.
With the ministers of Baal now gathered, Jehu needed to ensure that they hadn’t mistakenly included anyone of the Lord. So “Jehu and Jehonadab…went into the temple”…and Jehu said to the ministers of Baal, "Look around and see that no servants of the Lord are here with you — only ministers of Baal." And after ensuring all were there to worship Baal, “they went in to make sacrifices and burnt offerings.” Little did the ministers know that they soon would perish.
For we read where Jehu had posted eighty men outside and warned them that they would lose their life if they let any of the Baal ministers escape. And “as soon as Jehu had finished making the burnt offering”, he “ordered the guards and officers” to kill all the ministers of Baal and to let no one escape.
So the guards and officers carried out Jehu’s order, cutting down the ministers by sword and throwing their bodies outside. They then “entered the inner shrine of the temple of Baal” and brought out the sacred stone, burning and demolishing it before tearing down the temple.
Never would it be used for worship again. Instead, “people have used it for a latrine to this day”.
So Jehu “destroyed Baal worship in Israel” and accomplished what was right in the eyes of the Lord thus gaining God’s favor and His reward as Jehu’s descendants would “sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation”. Jehu wasn’t perfect mind you. He, like all of us, was a sinner and at times failed to keep the law of the Lord. But overall, Jehu was obedient and won over God’s favor.
So what is God trying to say to us in this scripture passage?
I think it’s pretty clear.
His commands are the same as they were to the Israelites as He spoke through Moses at Mount Sinai:
“You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them: For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.” (Exodus 20:2-5a)
And yet…we continue to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Doubt this?
Then consider how many things are worshipped in our world today besides God.
Money and wealth. Fame and stardom. Work and job titles. People who have achieved success.
Indeed, we seem to deify so many things at the expense of God Himself.
Friends, it’s time we woke up. For don’t believe for a minute that the Lord couldn’t and won’t destroy anyone who decides to worship anything or anyone other than Him just as He did the Baal worship leaders in our scripture today.
Our God remains a jealous God…and we are expected to honor Him with our loyal service and honor.
My prayer right now is that every man and woman renew their commitment to Him and rid themselves of anything that they might worship above God.
Will it involve sacrifice?
Absolutely.
But no sacrifice we will make can ever compare to the sacrifice that God made when He gave His only Son on Calvary’s cross to pay the price for our sins.
He gave it all up for us.
We need to give it all up for Him…and have no other gods in our life. Period.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Then Jehu brought all the people together and said to them, "Ahab served Baal a little; Jehu will serve him much. Now summon all the prophets of Baal, all his ministers and all his priests. See that no one is missing, because I am going to hold a great sacrifice for Baal. Anyone who fails to come will no longer live." But Jehu was acting deceptively in order to destroy the ministers of Baal.
Jehu said, "Call an assembly in honor of Baal." So they proclaimed it. Then he sent word throughout Israel, and all the ministers of Baal came; not one stayed away. They crowded into the temple of Baal until it was full from one end to the other. And Jehu said to the keeper of the wardrobe, "Bring robes for all the ministers of Baal." So he brought out robes for them.
Then Jehu and Jehonadab son of Recab went into the temple of Baal. Jehu said to the ministers of Baal, "Look around and see that no servants of the Lord are here with you—only ministers of Baal." So they went in to make sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had posted eighty men outside with this warning: "If one of you lets any of the men I am placing in your hands escape, it will be your life for his life."
As soon as Jehu had finished making the burnt offering, he ordered the guards and officers: "Go in and kill them; let no one escape." So they cut them down with the sword. The guards and officers threw the bodies out and then entered the inner shrine of the temple of Baal. They brought the sacred stone out of the temple of Baal and burned it. They demolished the sacred stone of Baal and tore down the temple of Baal, and people have used it for a latrine to this day.
So Jehu destroyed Baal worship in Israel. However, he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit—the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.
The Lord said to Jehu, "Because you have done well in accomplishing what is right in my eyes and have done to the house of Ahab all I had in mind to do, your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation." Yet Jehu was not careful to keep the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, which he had caused Israel to commit.
In those days the Lord began to reduce the size of Israel. Hazael overpowered the Israelites throughout their territory east of the Jordan in all the land of Gilead (the region of Gad, Reuben and Manasseh), from Aroer by the Arnon Gorge through Gilead to Bashan.
As for the other events of Jehu's reign, all he did, and all his achievements, are they not written in the book of the annals of the kings of Israel?
Jehu rested with his fathers and was buried in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son succeeded him as king. The time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.
2 Kings 10:18-36
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As Chapter 10 of 2 Kings concludes, we find Jehu with one piece of unfinished business before concluding the Lord’s order against Ahab’s house.
For there was still the matter of the Baal worship that Ahab had introduced to Israel…an introduction that so blatantly defied God’s commandment to have no other gods before Him. You’ll recall that God warned that He was a jealous God and would not stand for anyone that decided to worship anything else. It’s little wonder why God burned with anger against Ahab and brought such terrible judgment on his house.
So as we look at our scripture we find Jehu again using a little deception to set up his actions. And just as the people of Israel were so easily manipulated because they didn’t place God first in their lives, so too were all the prophets, ministers and priests of Baal.
You’ll see that Jehu makes it appear as if he is willing to serve Baal as well but his words were meant to trick the Baal leadership into believing he was with them, not against them. Jehu even invoked the name of Ahab in his plot claiming that he was willing to serve Baal even more that the former king.
So Jehu summoned all the “prophets of Baal, all his ministers and all his priests” and ordered that no one should miss his invitation lest lose his life. The occasion for the gathering was the offering of a “great sacrifice for Baal”.
And so an assembly was formed “in honor of Baal” consisting of “all the ministers of Baal” who “crowded into the temple…until it was full from one end to the other”. Once inside, Jehu ordered the “keeper of the wardrobe” to "Bring robes for all the ministers of Baal" and he carried out the order.
With the ministers of Baal now gathered, Jehu needed to ensure that they hadn’t mistakenly included anyone of the Lord. So “Jehu and Jehonadab…went into the temple”…and Jehu said to the ministers of Baal, "Look around and see that no servants of the Lord are here with you — only ministers of Baal." And after ensuring all were there to worship Baal, “they went in to make sacrifices and burnt offerings.” Little did the ministers know that they soon would perish.
For we read where Jehu had posted eighty men outside and warned them that they would lose their life if they let any of the Baal ministers escape. And “as soon as Jehu had finished making the burnt offering”, he “ordered the guards and officers” to kill all the ministers of Baal and to let no one escape.
So the guards and officers carried out Jehu’s order, cutting down the ministers by sword and throwing their bodies outside. They then “entered the inner shrine of the temple of Baal” and brought out the sacred stone, burning and demolishing it before tearing down the temple.
Never would it be used for worship again. Instead, “people have used it for a latrine to this day”.
So Jehu “destroyed Baal worship in Israel” and accomplished what was right in the eyes of the Lord thus gaining God’s favor and His reward as Jehu’s descendants would “sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation”. Jehu wasn’t perfect mind you. He, like all of us, was a sinner and at times failed to keep the law of the Lord. But overall, Jehu was obedient and won over God’s favor.
So what is God trying to say to us in this scripture passage?
I think it’s pretty clear.
His commands are the same as they were to the Israelites as He spoke through Moses at Mount Sinai:
“You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them: For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.” (Exodus 20:2-5a)
And yet…we continue to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Doubt this?
Then consider how many things are worshipped in our world today besides God.
Money and wealth. Fame and stardom. Work and job titles. People who have achieved success.
Indeed, we seem to deify so many things at the expense of God Himself.
Friends, it’s time we woke up. For don’t believe for a minute that the Lord couldn’t and won’t destroy anyone who decides to worship anything or anyone other than Him just as He did the Baal worship leaders in our scripture today.
Our God remains a jealous God…and we are expected to honor Him with our loyal service and honor.
My prayer right now is that every man and woman renew their commitment to Him and rid themselves of anything that they might worship above God.
Will it involve sacrifice?
Absolutely.
But no sacrifice we will make can ever compare to the sacrifice that God made when He gave His only Son on Calvary’s cross to pay the price for our sins.
He gave it all up for us.
We need to give it all up for Him…and have no other gods in our life. Period.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
Friday, October 23, 2009
A ZEAL FOR THE LORD
Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
After he left there, he came upon Jehonadab, son of Recab, who was on his way to meet him.
Jehu greeted him and said, “Are you in accord with me, as I am with you?”
“I am,” Jehonadab answered.
“If so,” said Jehu, “give me your hand.”
So he did and Jehu helped him up into the chariot.
Jehu said, “Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.”
Then he had him ride along in his chariot.
2 Kings 10:15-16
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
In the midst of carrying out the Lord’s orders to eliminate the house of Ahab, we find Jehu meeting a man while on his way to Samaria.
The man, “Jehonadab, son of Recab” was actually “on his way to meet” Jehu and as they came together, we find Jehu greet him and ask, “Are you in accord with me, as I am with you?”
In other words, Jehu was inquiring as to whether Jehonadab was in tune with the Lord as he was but we sense that he already knew the answer before he asked.
For Jehonadab had been leading a group of Israelites who stood by conservative God-based principles which, included among other things, a very strong opposition to Baal worship.
And so it was little surprise when Jehonadab acknowledged that he was in one accord with Jehu…standing with him as a devout man of God.
We read where Jehu takes his new ally by the hand and helps him up in his chariot. Being seen with Jehonadab would only help Jehu’s cause as he continued to carry out the Lord’s will.
Now, these two verses in scripture would probably not spawn a message if it weren’t for the final words spoken by Jehu as he welcomes Jehonadab into his chariot.
For Jehu says to him, “Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.”
“Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.”
Have you ever spoken these words to someone?
Anyone who truly has a zeal for the Lord would not hesitate to.
And what does it mean to have zeal anyways?
Well, Webster’s defines zeal as an “eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of something… energetic and unflagging pursuit of an aim or devotion to a cause”.
There are also three synonyms for zeal:
Fervor is one of them and is defined as an “intensity of feeling or expression… a warm and steady emotion”.
Passion is another…“an emotion that is deeply stirring or ungovernable”.
And finally, there is enthusiasm…“a lively or eager interest in or admiration for a proposal, cause, or activity”.
Put them all together when talking about a person who has zeal for the Lord and we have one who energetically, eagerly and intensely pursues the Lord with a consistent, expressive emotion of admiration that is deeply stirring or ungovernable.
Does that define you? Shouldn’t it define all of us who claim and proclaim to be of the Lord?
Friends, we would be well served to constantly evaluate and grade ourselves on how well we are showing our zeal for the Lord.
For our actions and our words should reach out to everyone with an invitation…modeling the words of Jehu in saying:
“Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.”
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
After he left there, he came upon Jehonadab, son of Recab, who was on his way to meet him.
Jehu greeted him and said, “Are you in accord with me, as I am with you?”
“I am,” Jehonadab answered.
“If so,” said Jehu, “give me your hand.”
So he did and Jehu helped him up into the chariot.
Jehu said, “Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.”
Then he had him ride along in his chariot.
2 Kings 10:15-16
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
In the midst of carrying out the Lord’s orders to eliminate the house of Ahab, we find Jehu meeting a man while on his way to Samaria.
The man, “Jehonadab, son of Recab” was actually “on his way to meet” Jehu and as they came together, we find Jehu greet him and ask, “Are you in accord with me, as I am with you?”
In other words, Jehu was inquiring as to whether Jehonadab was in tune with the Lord as he was but we sense that he already knew the answer before he asked.
For Jehonadab had been leading a group of Israelites who stood by conservative God-based principles which, included among other things, a very strong opposition to Baal worship.
And so it was little surprise when Jehonadab acknowledged that he was in one accord with Jehu…standing with him as a devout man of God.
We read where Jehu takes his new ally by the hand and helps him up in his chariot. Being seen with Jehonadab would only help Jehu’s cause as he continued to carry out the Lord’s will.
Now, these two verses in scripture would probably not spawn a message if it weren’t for the final words spoken by Jehu as he welcomes Jehonadab into his chariot.
For Jehu says to him, “Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.”
“Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.”
Have you ever spoken these words to someone?
Anyone who truly has a zeal for the Lord would not hesitate to.
And what does it mean to have zeal anyways?
Well, Webster’s defines zeal as an “eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of something… energetic and unflagging pursuit of an aim or devotion to a cause”.
There are also three synonyms for zeal:
Fervor is one of them and is defined as an “intensity of feeling or expression… a warm and steady emotion”.
Passion is another…“an emotion that is deeply stirring or ungovernable”.
And finally, there is enthusiasm…“a lively or eager interest in or admiration for a proposal, cause, or activity”.
Put them all together when talking about a person who has zeal for the Lord and we have one who energetically, eagerly and intensely pursues the Lord with a consistent, expressive emotion of admiration that is deeply stirring or ungovernable.
Does that define you? Shouldn’t it define all of us who claim and proclaim to be of the Lord?
Friends, we would be well served to constantly evaluate and grade ourselves on how well we are showing our zeal for the Lord.
For our actions and our words should reach out to everyone with an invitation…modeling the words of Jehu in saying:
“Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.”
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
Thursday, October 22, 2009
HOW EASILY ARE YOU MANIPULATED?
Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Now there were in Samaria seventy sons of the house of Ahab. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria: to the officials of Jezreel, to the elders and to the guardians of Ahab's children. He said, "As soon as this letter reaches you, since your master's sons are with you and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city and weapons, choose the best and most worthy of your master's sons and set him on his father's throne. Then fight for your master's house."
But they were terrified and said, "If two kings could not resist him, how can we?"
So the palace administrator, the city governor, the elders and the guardians sent this message to Jehu: "We are your servants and we will do anything you say. We will not appoint anyone as king; you do whatever you think best."
Then Jehu wrote them a second letter, saying, "If you are on my side and will obey me, take the heads of your master's sons and come to me in Jezreel by this time tomorrow."
Now the royal princes, seventy of them, were with the leading men of the city, who were rearing them. When the letter arrived, these men took the princes and slaughtered all seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu in Jezreel. When the messenger arrived, he told Jehu, "They have brought the heads of the princes."
Then Jehu ordered, "Put them in two piles at the entrance of the city gate until morning."
The next morning Jehu went out. He stood before all the people and said, "You are innocent. It was I who conspired against my master and killed him, but who killed all these? Know then, that not a word the Lord has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail. The Lord has done what he promised through his servant Elijah." So Jehu killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his chief men, his close friends and his priests, leaving him no survivor.
Jehu then set out and went toward Samaria.
At Beth Eked of the Shepherds, he met some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and asked, "Who are you?"
They said, "We are relatives of Ahaziah, and we have come down to greet the families of the king and of the queen mother."
"Take them alive!" he ordered. So they took them alive and slaughtered them by the well of Beth Eked—forty-two men. He left no survivor.
When Jehu came to Samaria, he killed all who were left there of Ahab's family; he destroyed them, according to the word of the Lord spoken to Elijah.
2 Kings 10:1-14, 17
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Each and every day, thousands upon thousands of people fall victim to manipulation…taken advantage of by someone who is able to influence them to think, talk or act as the manipulator wishes. Maybe you have been a victim of this act at some time or another. Worse yet, maybe you have been a perpetrator.
So how does manipulation happen? How does one fall into the adverse influence of another?
The answer is pretty simple.
Because if a person doesn’t allow God to be the Lord of their life, then they allow themselves to be vulnerable for someone else to be.
Many of the people of Israel had fallen into this trap, especially during the reign of King Ahab. You’ll recall that Ahab had done great evil in the eyes of the Lord and established Baal worship as the primary worship option under his reign. And unfortunately, the people followed the lead of their king, allowing him to be the lord of their lives and lead them into worship that was forbidden by God who commanded that there would be no other gods before Him.
Well, as we already know, this angered God who rendered a terrible judgment against Ahab…and not just him…but all those who were in his house. And as we saw in Chapter 9, Jehu was selected and anointed by the Lord to not only be Israel’s future king but to serve as an instrument of judgment on those in Ahab’s house that were still alive. He started with the son Joram, who had been the current king of Israel; Ahaziah, the king of Judah who had married one of Ahab’s daughters; and Jezebel, another daughter of Ahab who had taken great pleasure in murdering the Lord’s prophets. And so she ended up thrown from an upper window of a home and devoured by dogs to where there wasn’t anything left except a few of her bones.
As Chapter 10 opens, Jehu has some unfinished business. For there were still some survivors in Ahab’s house remaining with the first mentioned being “seventy sons” located in Jezreel.
Did Jehu ride into Jezreel and carry out the execution on his own?
No…he didn’t have to because he used the gullibility of the Israelites to have them do the job for him. Just as the people of Israel had allowed themselves to be manipulated against the Lord, now the Lord was going to use Jehu to manipulate them to carry out His wishes.
Friends, this could easily happen to anyone today…and rest assured that it does on a large scale. For so many decide to not follow the Lord and allow others to manipulate them to the point where it’s so easy for Satan to step in and end up being the master manipulator in their lives…driving them consistently into sin.
As God’s word tells us…we can’t serve two masters. For there’s only One Master and Hs is the Lord.
Back to the scriptures where we read that “Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria…to the officials of Jezreel, to the elders and to the guardians of Ahab's children”. His letter was threatening in nature as he led the recipients to believe that a conflict was soon to happen. Given this, they were to “choose the best and most worthy of your master's sons and set him on his father's throne” before heading out to “fight for your master's house." The thought of battle left them terrified as they thought about how two kings, Joram and Ahaziah, had already died attempting to fight Jehu…and if they couldn’t resist Jehu then how could they possibly do so.
The manipulation worked perfectly. For the people never turned to the Lord and asked what they should do. No…instead, “the palace administrator, the city governor, the elders and the guardians” sent the following reply back to Jehu:
“We are your servants and we will do anything you say. We will not appoint anyone as king; you do whatever you think best."
Hmmm…did you pick up on the tone of submission in that reply?
The palace administrator, city governor, elders and guardians all proclaimed their servitude to Jehu. He was their master at that point and they were ready to serve him in whatever way he wanted and ready to do anything he said…whatever he thought was best.
Indeed, Jehu had them right where he, and the Lord, wanted them.
So “Jehu wrote them a second letter” and said:
“If you are on my side and will obey me, take the heads of your master's sons and come to me in Jezreel by this time tomorrow."
This was the ultimate test to see if the people had actually hit the bottom of the manipulation barrel. For if they would follow an order to kill the seventy royal princes that they had been entrusted to lead, then they could be used to do anything.
So what happened?
After receiving the second letter, the leading men of the city “took the princes and slaughtered all seventy of them”, putting “their heads in baskets” before sending them to “Jehu in Jezreel” who had the heads placed into “two piles at the entrance of the city gate."
Friends, this is the kind of destruction Satan brings as well each and every day. He takes those who have hit the bottom of the manipulation barrel and uses them as instruments of his evil doing. And know he won’t stop until he destroys every good and perfect thing that God has made.
Back to the passage where we find Jehu addressing the people the morning after the slaughter. There, he admits to conspiring against Joram and killing him but refused to take credit for the slaughter of the seventy princes in Ahab’s house. No…the judgment on the princes was carried out by those who were supposed to protect them. The leading men were so afraid of losing their own lives in battle that they were willing to do anything…even kill others to save themselves. And so they did.
What would be their penalty?
Jehu passed it on when he said to them:
“Know then, that not a word the Lord has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail. The Lord has done what he promised through his servant Elijah."
And with that, Jehu “killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his chief men, his close friends and his priests, leaving him no survivor”. Then he set out for Samaria.
Along the way, Jehu encountered “some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah” at “Beth Eked of the Shepherds”. And they, like those in Jezreel who were related to Ahab, suffered the same fate as Jehu slaughtered the forty-two men “by the well of Beth Eked”, leaving no survivors before heading into Samaria and destroying “all who were left there of Ahab’s family…according to the “word of the Lord spoken to Elijah”.
Who was Jehu’s master?
It was the Lord.
Who did he follow?
The Lord.
Who’s will was his will?
The Lord’s.
Indeed, the Lord was Jehu’s guide and key advisor. Jehu had done what the Lord asked him to do. He wasn’t swayed or deterred from carrying out the Lord’s plan.
In sum, he wasn’t easily manipulated.
So why is he in the scriptures?
Because the Lord expects that we follow his example.
If we don’t, expect that Satan will have his way with us…and the Lord will make an example out of us…just as he did with the leading men of Jezreel.
Believe it.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Now there were in Samaria seventy sons of the house of Ahab. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria: to the officials of Jezreel, to the elders and to the guardians of Ahab's children. He said, "As soon as this letter reaches you, since your master's sons are with you and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city and weapons, choose the best and most worthy of your master's sons and set him on his father's throne. Then fight for your master's house."
But they were terrified and said, "If two kings could not resist him, how can we?"
So the palace administrator, the city governor, the elders and the guardians sent this message to Jehu: "We are your servants and we will do anything you say. We will not appoint anyone as king; you do whatever you think best."
Then Jehu wrote them a second letter, saying, "If you are on my side and will obey me, take the heads of your master's sons and come to me in Jezreel by this time tomorrow."
Now the royal princes, seventy of them, were with the leading men of the city, who were rearing them. When the letter arrived, these men took the princes and slaughtered all seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu in Jezreel. When the messenger arrived, he told Jehu, "They have brought the heads of the princes."
Then Jehu ordered, "Put them in two piles at the entrance of the city gate until morning."
The next morning Jehu went out. He stood before all the people and said, "You are innocent. It was I who conspired against my master and killed him, but who killed all these? Know then, that not a word the Lord has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail. The Lord has done what he promised through his servant Elijah." So Jehu killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his chief men, his close friends and his priests, leaving him no survivor.
Jehu then set out and went toward Samaria.
At Beth Eked of the Shepherds, he met some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and asked, "Who are you?"
They said, "We are relatives of Ahaziah, and we have come down to greet the families of the king and of the queen mother."
"Take them alive!" he ordered. So they took them alive and slaughtered them by the well of Beth Eked—forty-two men. He left no survivor.
When Jehu came to Samaria, he killed all who were left there of Ahab's family; he destroyed them, according to the word of the Lord spoken to Elijah.
2 Kings 10:1-14, 17
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Each and every day, thousands upon thousands of people fall victim to manipulation…taken advantage of by someone who is able to influence them to think, talk or act as the manipulator wishes. Maybe you have been a victim of this act at some time or another. Worse yet, maybe you have been a perpetrator.
So how does manipulation happen? How does one fall into the adverse influence of another?
The answer is pretty simple.
Because if a person doesn’t allow God to be the Lord of their life, then they allow themselves to be vulnerable for someone else to be.
Many of the people of Israel had fallen into this trap, especially during the reign of King Ahab. You’ll recall that Ahab had done great evil in the eyes of the Lord and established Baal worship as the primary worship option under his reign. And unfortunately, the people followed the lead of their king, allowing him to be the lord of their lives and lead them into worship that was forbidden by God who commanded that there would be no other gods before Him.
Well, as we already know, this angered God who rendered a terrible judgment against Ahab…and not just him…but all those who were in his house. And as we saw in Chapter 9, Jehu was selected and anointed by the Lord to not only be Israel’s future king but to serve as an instrument of judgment on those in Ahab’s house that were still alive. He started with the son Joram, who had been the current king of Israel; Ahaziah, the king of Judah who had married one of Ahab’s daughters; and Jezebel, another daughter of Ahab who had taken great pleasure in murdering the Lord’s prophets. And so she ended up thrown from an upper window of a home and devoured by dogs to where there wasn’t anything left except a few of her bones.
As Chapter 10 opens, Jehu has some unfinished business. For there were still some survivors in Ahab’s house remaining with the first mentioned being “seventy sons” located in Jezreel.
Did Jehu ride into Jezreel and carry out the execution on his own?
No…he didn’t have to because he used the gullibility of the Israelites to have them do the job for him. Just as the people of Israel had allowed themselves to be manipulated against the Lord, now the Lord was going to use Jehu to manipulate them to carry out His wishes.
Friends, this could easily happen to anyone today…and rest assured that it does on a large scale. For so many decide to not follow the Lord and allow others to manipulate them to the point where it’s so easy for Satan to step in and end up being the master manipulator in their lives…driving them consistently into sin.
As God’s word tells us…we can’t serve two masters. For there’s only One Master and Hs is the Lord.
Back to the scriptures where we read that “Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria…to the officials of Jezreel, to the elders and to the guardians of Ahab's children”. His letter was threatening in nature as he led the recipients to believe that a conflict was soon to happen. Given this, they were to “choose the best and most worthy of your master's sons and set him on his father's throne” before heading out to “fight for your master's house." The thought of battle left them terrified as they thought about how two kings, Joram and Ahaziah, had already died attempting to fight Jehu…and if they couldn’t resist Jehu then how could they possibly do so.
The manipulation worked perfectly. For the people never turned to the Lord and asked what they should do. No…instead, “the palace administrator, the city governor, the elders and the guardians” sent the following reply back to Jehu:
“We are your servants and we will do anything you say. We will not appoint anyone as king; you do whatever you think best."
Hmmm…did you pick up on the tone of submission in that reply?
The palace administrator, city governor, elders and guardians all proclaimed their servitude to Jehu. He was their master at that point and they were ready to serve him in whatever way he wanted and ready to do anything he said…whatever he thought was best.
Indeed, Jehu had them right where he, and the Lord, wanted them.
So “Jehu wrote them a second letter” and said:
“If you are on my side and will obey me, take the heads of your master's sons and come to me in Jezreel by this time tomorrow."
This was the ultimate test to see if the people had actually hit the bottom of the manipulation barrel. For if they would follow an order to kill the seventy royal princes that they had been entrusted to lead, then they could be used to do anything.
So what happened?
After receiving the second letter, the leading men of the city “took the princes and slaughtered all seventy of them”, putting “their heads in baskets” before sending them to “Jehu in Jezreel” who had the heads placed into “two piles at the entrance of the city gate."
Friends, this is the kind of destruction Satan brings as well each and every day. He takes those who have hit the bottom of the manipulation barrel and uses them as instruments of his evil doing. And know he won’t stop until he destroys every good and perfect thing that God has made.
Back to the passage where we find Jehu addressing the people the morning after the slaughter. There, he admits to conspiring against Joram and killing him but refused to take credit for the slaughter of the seventy princes in Ahab’s house. No…the judgment on the princes was carried out by those who were supposed to protect them. The leading men were so afraid of losing their own lives in battle that they were willing to do anything…even kill others to save themselves. And so they did.
What would be their penalty?
Jehu passed it on when he said to them:
“Know then, that not a word the Lord has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail. The Lord has done what he promised through his servant Elijah."
And with that, Jehu “killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his chief men, his close friends and his priests, leaving him no survivor”. Then he set out for Samaria.
Along the way, Jehu encountered “some relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah” at “Beth Eked of the Shepherds”. And they, like those in Jezreel who were related to Ahab, suffered the same fate as Jehu slaughtered the forty-two men “by the well of Beth Eked”, leaving no survivors before heading into Samaria and destroying “all who were left there of Ahab’s family…according to the “word of the Lord spoken to Elijah”.
Who was Jehu’s master?
It was the Lord.
Who did he follow?
The Lord.
Who’s will was his will?
The Lord’s.
Indeed, the Lord was Jehu’s guide and key advisor. Jehu had done what the Lord asked him to do. He wasn’t swayed or deterred from carrying out the Lord’s plan.
In sum, he wasn’t easily manipulated.
So why is he in the scriptures?
Because the Lord expects that we follow his example.
If we don’t, expect that Satan will have his way with us…and the Lord will make an example out of us…just as he did with the leading men of Jezreel.
Believe it.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
THE WORD OF THE LORD WILL REIGN SUPREME
Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
So Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now Joram and all Israel had been defending Ramoth Gilead against Hazael king of Aram, but King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him in the battle with Hazael king of Aram.) Jehu said, "If this is the way you feel, don't let anyone slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel." Then he got into his chariot and rode to Jezreel, because Joram was resting there and Ahaziah king of Judah had gone down to see him.
When the lookout standing on the tower in Jezreel saw Jehu's troops approaching, he called out, "I see some troops coming."
"Get a horseman," Joram ordered. "Send him to meet them and ask, 'Do you come in peace?' "
The horseman rode off to meet Jehu and said, "This is what the king says: 'Do you come in peace?' "
"What do you have to do with peace?" Jehu replied. "Fall in behind me."
The lookout reported, "The messenger has reached them, but he isn't coming back."
So the king sent out a second horseman. When he came to them he said, "This is what the king says: 'Do you come in peace?' "
Jehu replied, "What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me."
The lookout reported, "He has reached them, but he isn't coming back either. The driving is like that of Jehu son of Nimshi — he drives like a madman."
"Hitch up my chariot," Joram ordered. And when it was hitched up, Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah rode out, each in his own chariot, to meet Jehu. They met him at the plot of ground that had belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite.
When Joram saw Jehu he asked, "Have you come in peace, Jehu?"
"How can there be peace," Jehu replied, "as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?"
Joram turned about and fled, calling out to Ahaziah, "Treachery, Ahaziah!"
Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow pierced his heart and he slumped down in his chariot. Jehu said to Bidkar, his chariot officer, "Pick him up and throw him on the field that belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite. Remember how you and I were riding together in chariots behind Ahab his father when the Lord made this prophecy about him: 'Yesterday I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons, declares the Lord, and I will surely make you pay for it on this plot of ground, declares the Lord.' Now then, pick him up and throw him on that plot, in accordance with the word of the Lord."
When Ahaziah king of Judah saw what had happened, he fled up the road to Beth Haggan. Jehu chased him, shouting, "Kill him too!" They wounded him in his chariot on the way up to Gur near Ibleam, but he escaped to Megiddo and died there. His servants took him by chariot to Jerusalem and buried him with his fathers in his tomb in the City of David. (In the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king of Judah.)`
Then Jehu went to Jezreel. When Jezebel heard about it, she painted her eyes, arranged her hair and looked out of a window. As Jehu entered the gate, she asked, "Have you come in peace, Zimri, you murderer of your master?"
He looked up at the window and called out, "Who is on my side? Who?" Two or three eunuchs looked down at him. "Throw her down!" Jehu said. So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered the wall and the horses as they trampled her underfoot.
Jehu went in and ate and drank. "Take care of that cursed woman," he said, "and bury her, for she was a king's daughter."
But when they went out to bury her, they found nothing except her skull, her feet and her hands.
They went back and told Jehu, who said, "This is the word of the Lord that he spoke through his servant Elijah the Tishbite: On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs will devour Jezebel's flesh. Jezebel's body will be like refuse on the ground in the plot at Jezreel, so that no one will be able to say, 'This is Jezebel.' "
2 Kings 9:14-37
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Before we delve into this passage from 2 Kings, Chapter 9, we need to do a review.
Rewind to 1 Kings, Chapter 21, verses 17 through 23. God’s word told us this:
Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: “Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?’ Then say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, dogs will lick up your blood – yes, yours!’”
Ahab said to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy!”
“I have found you,” he answered, “because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord. I am going to bring disaster on you. I will consume your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel – slave or free. I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have provoked me to anger and have caused Israel to sin.”
“And also concerning Jezebel the Lord says: ‘Dogs will devour Jezebel by the walls of Jezreel.’
Back to today’s passage.
At the end of 2 Kings, Chapter 8, you’ll recall that Joram, king of the northern kingdom of Israel and son of Ahab, was wounded by the Arameans during a battle at Ramoth Gilead. Joram had returned to Jezreel along with Ahaziah, king of the southern kingdom of Judah.
So after Jehu is anointed as Israel’s future king at the beginning of Chapter 9, we find him set out to carry out the Lord’s order as issued through Elisha…to “destroy the house of Ahab” and “avenge the blood” of the Lord’s prophets and servants that had been shed by Ahab’s daughter, Jezebel. Jehu was to ensure that “the whole house of Ahab” would perish to include cutting off “every last male in Israel – slave or free”. And as for Jezebel, the Lord predicted that dogs would “devour her on the plot of ground at Jezreel” so that “no one would bury her”.
Or in other words, through Jehu, we will see the word of the Lord reign supreme.
After gaining the respect of his fellow officers (you’ll recall that they all bowed down before him as he proclaimed himself as the anointed king of Israel), we read where Jehu asks for them to keep his going to Jezreel confidential. For if they truly acknowledged him as king, then they would not “slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel."
And so Jehu “got into his chariot and rode to Jezreel” where he would first go after Ahab’s son Joram…the king he would relieve.
Scripture tells us that as Jehu and his troops approached Jezreel, a “lookout standing on the tower” called out, "I see some troops coming."
Joram then sent a horseman to meet Jehu and ask, “Do you come in peace?" And so the horseman did as he was ordered, riding out to meet Jehu and asking whether he had come in peace. We read where Jehu answered, “What do you have to do with peace?" before telling the horseman to "Fall in behind me." And the horseman did as Jehu asked, an act observed by the watchman who made the report.
So Joram sent a second horseman to Jehu only to see the same results. By now, the watchman, who had been reporting on everything taking place, had a better look at who was advancing and recognized from the driving style that it must be Jehu advancing.
With this, Joram gave the order to “Hitch up my chariot" and rode out with Ahaziah to meet the advancing Jehu and his forces. Scripture tells us that they met “at the plot of ground that had belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite”. Going back to the verses from 1 Kings, Chapter 21, the location should come as no surprise.
Again, the word of the Lord was reigning supreme.
Well…as Joram and Ahaziah reached Jehu, we see Joram ask, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?" to which Jehu replied, “How can there be peace…as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?"
And with these words, we sense Joram knew he was in grave danger for he turned around and fled while “calling out to Ahaziah”, ‘Treachery, Ahaziah!’ “
Joram was correct in his assessment for we read where “Jehu drew his bow and shot (him) between the shoulders” with the arrow piercing his heart and killing him. Joram’s body “slumped down in his chariot” and Jehu called for his body to be thrown upon “the field that belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite”. And so Ahab’s son laid dead in the place where he had killed Naboth…all “in accordance with the word of the Lord”…which again reigned supreme.
Well, Ahaziah had watched what had happened to Joram and so he “fled up the road to Beth Haggan” with Jehu chasing him and urging him to be killed as well. And so, Jehu’s forces also wounded Ahaziah in his chariot but he was able to escape to Megiddo where he then died before being taken “by chariot to Jerusalem and buried him with his fathers in his tomb in the City of David”.
So Joram and Ahaziah, who had married into Ahab’s family, were now dead. Now Jehu turned his attention toward Jezebel.
We read where Jehu finds her in Jezreel. And Jezebel, hearing about what had transpired, “painted her eyes, arranged her hair and looked out of a window”, watching for Jehu’s arrival.
As “Jehu entered the gate”, Jezebel called down to him mockingly from the window saying, “Have you come in peace, Zimri, you murderer of your master?" You’ll recall Zimri was a former king of Israel who assumed the throne after murdering King Elah. He also killed the entire family of Baasha. (1 Kings 16:8-20) And so Jezebel’s words were meant to insult and incite Jehu.
Well, scripture tells us that Jehu “looked up at the window” before calling out, "Who is on my side? Who?" And when “two or three eunuchs looked down at him”, Jehu ordered them to "Throw her down!"…an order that they obeyed. The eunuchs cast Jezebel out of the window to her death as the horses “trampled her underfoot” and “some of her blood spattered the wall”.
And that’s where Jehu left her as he “went in and ate and drank”. After his meal, Jehu told his servants to "Take care of that cursed woman…and bury her, for she was a king's daughter." But when the servants went outside to bury Jezebel, “they found nothing except her skull, her feet and her hands.” In other words, there was no Jezebel to bury…just as had been predicted. So the servants went back and told Jehu what had happened to which he said:
"This is the word of the Lord that he spoke through his servant Elijah the Tishbite: On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs will devour Jezebel's flesh. Jezebel's body will be like refuse on the ground in the plot at Jezreel, so that no one will be able to say, 'This is Jezebel.' "
Indeed…the word of the Lord had reigned supreme.
Friends, the Lord is speaking to us loudly in this scripture.
For as we delve into His scriptures daily, we must always remember that His words are truth. The 119th Psalm tells us as much:
“All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.” (Psalm 119:160)
We also must remember that His words are perfect. Solomon, in all his wisest splendor, told us as much:
“Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.” (Proverbs 30:5)
Finally, the Lord’s word is our very subsistence…our sustenance…our daily bread and spiritual nutrition. Jesus, His one and only Son, told us as much when He said:
“Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)
Friends, God’s word…true, flawless and sustaining…will never fail to feed us…to instruct us…and to lead us. We need only trust in it and obey it unconditionally.
For it has…it is…and it will reign supreme…forever.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
So Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now Joram and all Israel had been defending Ramoth Gilead against Hazael king of Aram, but King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him in the battle with Hazael king of Aram.) Jehu said, "If this is the way you feel, don't let anyone slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel." Then he got into his chariot and rode to Jezreel, because Joram was resting there and Ahaziah king of Judah had gone down to see him.
When the lookout standing on the tower in Jezreel saw Jehu's troops approaching, he called out, "I see some troops coming."
"Get a horseman," Joram ordered. "Send him to meet them and ask, 'Do you come in peace?' "
The horseman rode off to meet Jehu and said, "This is what the king says: 'Do you come in peace?' "
"What do you have to do with peace?" Jehu replied. "Fall in behind me."
The lookout reported, "The messenger has reached them, but he isn't coming back."
So the king sent out a second horseman. When he came to them he said, "This is what the king says: 'Do you come in peace?' "
Jehu replied, "What do you have to do with peace? Fall in behind me."
The lookout reported, "He has reached them, but he isn't coming back either. The driving is like that of Jehu son of Nimshi — he drives like a madman."
"Hitch up my chariot," Joram ordered. And when it was hitched up, Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah rode out, each in his own chariot, to meet Jehu. They met him at the plot of ground that had belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite.
When Joram saw Jehu he asked, "Have you come in peace, Jehu?"
"How can there be peace," Jehu replied, "as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?"
Joram turned about and fled, calling out to Ahaziah, "Treachery, Ahaziah!"
Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow pierced his heart and he slumped down in his chariot. Jehu said to Bidkar, his chariot officer, "Pick him up and throw him on the field that belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite. Remember how you and I were riding together in chariots behind Ahab his father when the Lord made this prophecy about him: 'Yesterday I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons, declares the Lord, and I will surely make you pay for it on this plot of ground, declares the Lord.' Now then, pick him up and throw him on that plot, in accordance with the word of the Lord."
When Ahaziah king of Judah saw what had happened, he fled up the road to Beth Haggan. Jehu chased him, shouting, "Kill him too!" They wounded him in his chariot on the way up to Gur near Ibleam, but he escaped to Megiddo and died there. His servants took him by chariot to Jerusalem and buried him with his fathers in his tomb in the City of David. (In the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king of Judah.)`
Then Jehu went to Jezreel. When Jezebel heard about it, she painted her eyes, arranged her hair and looked out of a window. As Jehu entered the gate, she asked, "Have you come in peace, Zimri, you murderer of your master?"
He looked up at the window and called out, "Who is on my side? Who?" Two or three eunuchs looked down at him. "Throw her down!" Jehu said. So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered the wall and the horses as they trampled her underfoot.
Jehu went in and ate and drank. "Take care of that cursed woman," he said, "and bury her, for she was a king's daughter."
But when they went out to bury her, they found nothing except her skull, her feet and her hands.
They went back and told Jehu, who said, "This is the word of the Lord that he spoke through his servant Elijah the Tishbite: On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs will devour Jezebel's flesh. Jezebel's body will be like refuse on the ground in the plot at Jezreel, so that no one will be able to say, 'This is Jezebel.' "
2 Kings 9:14-37
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Before we delve into this passage from 2 Kings, Chapter 9, we need to do a review.
Rewind to 1 Kings, Chapter 21, verses 17 through 23. God’s word told us this:
Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: “Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?’ Then say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, dogs will lick up your blood – yes, yours!’”
Ahab said to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy!”
“I have found you,” he answered, “because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord. I am going to bring disaster on you. I will consume your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel – slave or free. I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have provoked me to anger and have caused Israel to sin.”
“And also concerning Jezebel the Lord says: ‘Dogs will devour Jezebel by the walls of Jezreel.’
Back to today’s passage.
At the end of 2 Kings, Chapter 8, you’ll recall that Joram, king of the northern kingdom of Israel and son of Ahab, was wounded by the Arameans during a battle at Ramoth Gilead. Joram had returned to Jezreel along with Ahaziah, king of the southern kingdom of Judah.
So after Jehu is anointed as Israel’s future king at the beginning of Chapter 9, we find him set out to carry out the Lord’s order as issued through Elisha…to “destroy the house of Ahab” and “avenge the blood” of the Lord’s prophets and servants that had been shed by Ahab’s daughter, Jezebel. Jehu was to ensure that “the whole house of Ahab” would perish to include cutting off “every last male in Israel – slave or free”. And as for Jezebel, the Lord predicted that dogs would “devour her on the plot of ground at Jezreel” so that “no one would bury her”.
Or in other words, through Jehu, we will see the word of the Lord reign supreme.
After gaining the respect of his fellow officers (you’ll recall that they all bowed down before him as he proclaimed himself as the anointed king of Israel), we read where Jehu asks for them to keep his going to Jezreel confidential. For if they truly acknowledged him as king, then they would not “slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel."
And so Jehu “got into his chariot and rode to Jezreel” where he would first go after Ahab’s son Joram…the king he would relieve.
Scripture tells us that as Jehu and his troops approached Jezreel, a “lookout standing on the tower” called out, "I see some troops coming."
Joram then sent a horseman to meet Jehu and ask, “Do you come in peace?" And so the horseman did as he was ordered, riding out to meet Jehu and asking whether he had come in peace. We read where Jehu answered, “What do you have to do with peace?" before telling the horseman to "Fall in behind me." And the horseman did as Jehu asked, an act observed by the watchman who made the report.
So Joram sent a second horseman to Jehu only to see the same results. By now, the watchman, who had been reporting on everything taking place, had a better look at who was advancing and recognized from the driving style that it must be Jehu advancing.
With this, Joram gave the order to “Hitch up my chariot" and rode out with Ahaziah to meet the advancing Jehu and his forces. Scripture tells us that they met “at the plot of ground that had belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite”. Going back to the verses from 1 Kings, Chapter 21, the location should come as no surprise.
Again, the word of the Lord was reigning supreme.
Well…as Joram and Ahaziah reached Jehu, we see Joram ask, “Have you come in peace, Jehu?" to which Jehu replied, “How can there be peace…as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?"
And with these words, we sense Joram knew he was in grave danger for he turned around and fled while “calling out to Ahaziah”, ‘Treachery, Ahaziah!’ “
Joram was correct in his assessment for we read where “Jehu drew his bow and shot (him) between the shoulders” with the arrow piercing his heart and killing him. Joram’s body “slumped down in his chariot” and Jehu called for his body to be thrown upon “the field that belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite”. And so Ahab’s son laid dead in the place where he had killed Naboth…all “in accordance with the word of the Lord”…which again reigned supreme.
Well, Ahaziah had watched what had happened to Joram and so he “fled up the road to Beth Haggan” with Jehu chasing him and urging him to be killed as well. And so, Jehu’s forces also wounded Ahaziah in his chariot but he was able to escape to Megiddo where he then died before being taken “by chariot to Jerusalem and buried him with his fathers in his tomb in the City of David”.
So Joram and Ahaziah, who had married into Ahab’s family, were now dead. Now Jehu turned his attention toward Jezebel.
We read where Jehu finds her in Jezreel. And Jezebel, hearing about what had transpired, “painted her eyes, arranged her hair and looked out of a window”, watching for Jehu’s arrival.
As “Jehu entered the gate”, Jezebel called down to him mockingly from the window saying, “Have you come in peace, Zimri, you murderer of your master?" You’ll recall Zimri was a former king of Israel who assumed the throne after murdering King Elah. He also killed the entire family of Baasha. (1 Kings 16:8-20) And so Jezebel’s words were meant to insult and incite Jehu.
Well, scripture tells us that Jehu “looked up at the window” before calling out, "Who is on my side? Who?" And when “two or three eunuchs looked down at him”, Jehu ordered them to "Throw her down!"…an order that they obeyed. The eunuchs cast Jezebel out of the window to her death as the horses “trampled her underfoot” and “some of her blood spattered the wall”.
And that’s where Jehu left her as he “went in and ate and drank”. After his meal, Jehu told his servants to "Take care of that cursed woman…and bury her, for she was a king's daughter." But when the servants went outside to bury Jezebel, “they found nothing except her skull, her feet and her hands.” In other words, there was no Jezebel to bury…just as had been predicted. So the servants went back and told Jehu what had happened to which he said:
"This is the word of the Lord that he spoke through his servant Elijah the Tishbite: On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs will devour Jezebel's flesh. Jezebel's body will be like refuse on the ground in the plot at Jezreel, so that no one will be able to say, 'This is Jezebel.' "
Indeed…the word of the Lord had reigned supreme.
Friends, the Lord is speaking to us loudly in this scripture.
For as we delve into His scriptures daily, we must always remember that His words are truth. The 119th Psalm tells us as much:
“All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.” (Psalm 119:160)
We also must remember that His words are perfect. Solomon, in all his wisest splendor, told us as much:
“Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.” (Proverbs 30:5)
Finally, the Lord’s word is our very subsistence…our sustenance…our daily bread and spiritual nutrition. Jesus, His one and only Son, told us as much when He said:
“Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4)
Friends, God’s word…true, flawless and sustaining…will never fail to feed us…to instruct us…and to lead us. We need only trust in it and obey it unconditionally.
For it has…it is…and it will reign supreme…forever.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
ENTERTAINING A MADMAN?
Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The prophet Elisha summoned a man from the company of the prophets and said to him, "Tuck your cloak into your belt, take this flask of oil with you and go to Ramoth Gilead. When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room. Then take the flask and pour the oil on his head and declare, 'This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.' Then open the door and run; don't delay!"
So the young man, the prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead. When he arrived, he found the army officers sitting together. "I have a message for you, commander," he said.
"For which of us?" asked Jehu.
"For you, commander," he replied.
Jehu got up and went into the house. Then the prophet poured the oil on Jehu's head and declared, "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 house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the Lord's servants shed by Jezebel. The whole house of Ahab will perish. I will cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel — slave or free. I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah. As for Jezebel, dogs will devour her on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and no one will bury her.' "
Then he opened the door and ran.
When Jehu went out to his fellow officers, one of them asked him, "Is everything all right? Why did this madman come to you?"
"You know the man and the sort of things he says," Jehu replied.
"That's not true!" they said. "Tell us."
Jehu said, "Here is what he told me: 'This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.' "
They hurried and took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, "Jehu is king!"
2 Kings 9:1-13
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As Chapter 9 opens, we find the Lord working once again through Elisha to carry out his will. This time, we find Elisha summoning “a man from the company of the prophets”. He tells the selected prophet to:
"Tuck your cloak into your belt, take this flask of oil with you and go to Ramoth Gilead. When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room. Then take the flask and pour the oil on his head and declare, 'This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.' Then open the door and run; don't delay!"
And so the prophet obediently does what Elisha commands, going to Ramoth Gilead where “he found the army officers sitting together”.
The prophet announces, "I have a message for you, commander," and after Jehu the message was for, he learns it was for him.
And so Jehu “got up and went into the house” where “the prophet poured…oil on (his) head” and declared, "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 house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the Lord's servants shed by Jezebel. The whole house of Ahab will perish. I will cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel — slave or free. I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah. As for Jezebel, dogs will devour her on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and no one will bury her.' "
Then he opened the door and ran.
Wow! Can you imagine how you would have felt at that moment if you were Jehu?
For in a moment and by the Lord’s bidding, he went from army commander to an anointed king of Israel with some very specific tasking which essentially ordained Jehu to be an instrument of the Lord’s judgment against the house of Ahab.
Some might consider that crazy. That is…those who don’t know the awesome works of the Lord and His ability to do anything and everything through His chosen ones.
We sort of get an idea that Jehu’s fellow officers fell into that category. Their disdain for the Lord’s followers was evident as they asked Jehu, “Is everything all right? Why did this madman come to you?"
In the eyes of Jehu’s fellow officers, a prophet…a messenger of the Lord…was a lunatic…a religious fanatic. And despite their assumption of the visiting prophet’s mental state, it’s interesting how curious the officers were about what he had to say.
Jehu tried to play off their curiosity saying, “You know the man and the sort of things he says" but the officers wouldn’t let him off so easy. They pressed him to tell them what the prophet had said.
Finally, Jehu relented and said, “Here is what he told me: 'This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.' "
The words had an instant impact on the officers. Suddenly they weren’t in the presence of someone who had entertained a madman. No…they were in the presence of a king…not just anointed by just anyone…but anointed to rule by the Lord. And so in the presence of royalty, the officers “took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps” before blowing a trumpet and shouting, “Jehu is king!"
I couldn’t help but think about two others who were thought to be crazy by those who were convinced they were entertaining a madman.
First, the apostle Paul as he was in Athens (Acts 17:16-34). Scripture tells us that Paul was “greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols” and so he reasoned daily in the marketplace with those who were there and “in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks”.
In the midst of his reasoning, a “group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him” with some asking, “What is this babbler trying to say?" while still others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods."
Indeed, what Paul was saying was babble because those who were hearing him refused to believe what he was preaching…the message of the good news about Jesus and the resurrection he brings.
Then, of course, there was Jesus. We know that as He preached the good news and the resurrection, He was accused of blasphemy. Only a madman would say the things that He was saying, especially calling out the Jewish authorities for their blatant hypocrisy.
Yes, the Jews believed they were entertaining a madman and so they thought they could get rid of Him by killing Him…nailing Him to a cross and putting Him on display, just in case some other lunatic emerged that might try to pick up where He left off. And they thought they had been successful as He drew His last breath and was placed in a tomb…but as we know Jesus rose from the grave in victory over death.
And in the final translation, the only madmen were the ones who thought they could ever stop Him from carrying out the will of His Father.
Well…as we go on to do as Jesus did and carry out the will of the Father in our own lives…we still face the same scrutiny as He did…as Paul did. For as we preach the good news of the gospel…as we tell of the resurrection and the eternal hope that it brings…people will think of us as being mad as well. It happens each and every day.
And I’m certain that there are people who read what I write every day and think I’m a madman.
You know…that’s OK with me.
For if being a madman means I am a man who is madly in love with my Lord…than please Lord let it be so forever.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The prophet Elisha summoned a man from the company of the prophets and said to him, "Tuck your cloak into your belt, take this flask of oil with you and go to Ramoth Gilead. When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room. Then take the flask and pour the oil on his head and declare, 'This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.' Then open the door and run; don't delay!"
So the young man, the prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead. When he arrived, he found the army officers sitting together. "I have a message for you, commander," he said.
"For which of us?" asked Jehu.
"For you, commander," he replied.
Jehu got up and went into the house. Then the prophet poured the oil on Jehu's head and declared, "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 house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the Lord's servants shed by Jezebel. The whole house of Ahab will perish. I will cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel — slave or free. I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah. As for Jezebel, dogs will devour her on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and no one will bury her.' "
Then he opened the door and ran.
When Jehu went out to his fellow officers, one of them asked him, "Is everything all right? Why did this madman come to you?"
"You know the man and the sort of things he says," Jehu replied.
"That's not true!" they said. "Tell us."
Jehu said, "Here is what he told me: 'This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.' "
They hurried and took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, "Jehu is king!"
2 Kings 9:1-13
This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
As Chapter 9 opens, we find the Lord working once again through Elisha to carry out his will. This time, we find Elisha summoning “a man from the company of the prophets”. He tells the selected prophet to:
"Tuck your cloak into your belt, take this flask of oil with you and go to Ramoth Gilead. When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Go to him, get him away from his companions and take him into an inner room. Then take the flask and pour the oil on his head and declare, 'This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.' Then open the door and run; don't delay!"
And so the prophet obediently does what Elisha commands, going to Ramoth Gilead where “he found the army officers sitting together”.
The prophet announces, "I have a message for you, commander," and after Jehu the message was for, he learns it was for him.
And so Jehu “got up and went into the house” where “the prophet poured…oil on (his) head” and declared, "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 house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets and the blood of all the Lord's servants shed by Jezebel. The whole house of Ahab will perish. I will cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel — slave or free. I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah. As for Jezebel, dogs will devour her on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and no one will bury her.' "
Then he opened the door and ran.
Wow! Can you imagine how you would have felt at that moment if you were Jehu?
For in a moment and by the Lord’s bidding, he went from army commander to an anointed king of Israel with some very specific tasking which essentially ordained Jehu to be an instrument of the Lord’s judgment against the house of Ahab.
Some might consider that crazy. That is…those who don’t know the awesome works of the Lord and His ability to do anything and everything through His chosen ones.
We sort of get an idea that Jehu’s fellow officers fell into that category. Their disdain for the Lord’s followers was evident as they asked Jehu, “Is everything all right? Why did this madman come to you?"
In the eyes of Jehu’s fellow officers, a prophet…a messenger of the Lord…was a lunatic…a religious fanatic. And despite their assumption of the visiting prophet’s mental state, it’s interesting how curious the officers were about what he had to say.
Jehu tried to play off their curiosity saying, “You know the man and the sort of things he says" but the officers wouldn’t let him off so easy. They pressed him to tell them what the prophet had said.
Finally, Jehu relented and said, “Here is what he told me: 'This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.' "
The words had an instant impact on the officers. Suddenly they weren’t in the presence of someone who had entertained a madman. No…they were in the presence of a king…not just anointed by just anyone…but anointed to rule by the Lord. And so in the presence of royalty, the officers “took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps” before blowing a trumpet and shouting, “Jehu is king!"
I couldn’t help but think about two others who were thought to be crazy by those who were convinced they were entertaining a madman.
First, the apostle Paul as he was in Athens (Acts 17:16-34). Scripture tells us that Paul was “greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols” and so he reasoned daily in the marketplace with those who were there and “in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks”.
In the midst of his reasoning, a “group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him” with some asking, “What is this babbler trying to say?" while still others remarked, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods."
Indeed, what Paul was saying was babble because those who were hearing him refused to believe what he was preaching…the message of the good news about Jesus and the resurrection he brings.
Then, of course, there was Jesus. We know that as He preached the good news and the resurrection, He was accused of blasphemy. Only a madman would say the things that He was saying, especially calling out the Jewish authorities for their blatant hypocrisy.
Yes, the Jews believed they were entertaining a madman and so they thought they could get rid of Him by killing Him…nailing Him to a cross and putting Him on display, just in case some other lunatic emerged that might try to pick up where He left off. And they thought they had been successful as He drew His last breath and was placed in a tomb…but as we know Jesus rose from the grave in victory over death.
And in the final translation, the only madmen were the ones who thought they could ever stop Him from carrying out the will of His Father.
Well…as we go on to do as Jesus did and carry out the will of the Father in our own lives…we still face the same scrutiny as He did…as Paul did. For as we preach the good news of the gospel…as we tell of the resurrection and the eternal hope that it brings…people will think of us as being mad as well. It happens each and every day.
And I’m certain that there are people who read what I write every day and think I’m a madman.
You know…that’s OK with me.
For if being a madman means I am a man who is madly in love with my Lord…than please Lord let it be so forever.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)