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
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