Note:- most of the messages in this Kings series have been recorded ... unfortunately this one didn't record.
You can listen to the rest of the series here:-
http://www.nec.org.au/listen-to-a-sermon-series/kings-series/
Message
2 Kings 9:1-10:35
Why Is The Old Testament So Violent?
If I was to ask you what are some of the really big differences between the Old and New Testament what would you say?
Get some answers. Might include:
- Jesus
- More inclusiveness of people.
- Easier to understand.
- One answer I want is – OT seems more violent.
In fact it seems like the God of the Old Testament is much more violent than the God of the New Testament. And this really comes out in the book of Kings.
Open up to the chapters we are going to focus on today.
2 Kings 9:1-10:35
Read 9:1-13
If you have been regularly attending church you might remember the name Jehu.
We read about him a few weeks ago in 1 Kings 19:16-17. Jehu was one of the people Elijah needed to anoint to help in a grand plan that God had in mind. What we are reading about now is the grand plan unfolding.
At this time in history the spiritual situation of the whole nation is very bad. Jehoram the son of Ahab has been on the throne for 8 eight years and he has continued the extreme idolatry of Ahab – no-one in the land is following the true God. Not only that the current king of Judah – who was supposed to follow in the ways of David, had also introduced extreme idolatry into that nation. Basically the rule of Ahab had completely tainted the whole land—all under the sinister shadow of their Jezebel the foreign wife of Ahab who had been so crutial in introducing Baal worship into the land.
Something needs to change. The one who will bring the change is Jehu. Jehu is going to be the answer to many prophecies including:-
Destroying the household of his master … who is the son of Ahab.
Annihilating all of Ahab’s descendents.
Removing Jezebel from the picture.
Even though this is told in secret there is obviously a lot of hate towards the current queen and his mother Jezebel. Because it doesn’t take long to make him king.
Let’s read what happens:- 1 Kings 9:14-29
That is a big section, and we can’t cover everything. But you notice there don’t you a recurring phrase. IS THERE PEACE?
Let me tell you what the question sounds like in Hebrew:-
Hashalom.
Shalom.
You might be familiar with the word.
It means well-being, stability, contentment, unity, reconciliation … real peace.
The question identifies the real issues.
Hashalom … is there peace?
How can there be peace when the house of the king has formed an alliance with the house of Baal?
God’s anointed leaders don’t follow God’s law and they are leading people astray. Indeed both kings are standing in defiance of the promises God made to David.
When the divine house and the royal house stand together against God there is no peace.
Hashalom … is there peace?
How can there be peace when everyone is following Baal and acting worse than the people which God removed from the land so that the Israelites could live there?
God’s people have completely turned their back against the covenant God made with them.
The relationship between God and His people is broken … there is no peace.
Hashalom … is there peace?
How can there be peace when Jezebel continues to fund and support and encourage the anti-Yahweh religion of the Baal cult? Her idolatry and witchcraft continue to lead the people astray and cause them to prostitute themselves to Baal
Jezebel she has the dubious distinction of being the new standard by which evil is judged even while she is alive. While she is around there is no peace.
There is no peace in the nation. It is spiritually ruined.
How is peace going to be restored?
The answer becomes one of the most difficult aspects of the Old Testament to understand.
Peace comes through violence.
It starts with the death of Joram and then it builds.
Read 2 Kings 9:30-37
Many people because of the make-up she put on Jezebel was try to tempt Jehu into including her in his new harem. Even today, when you call someone a “Jezebel” you are making a comment about their sexual promiscuity.
What they forget is that by this time Jezebel was a grandmother.
She is not interested to submitting.
The real fact is that Jezebel was a queen mother with enormous power and influence. Jehu cannot even begin to think about reforming Israel until Jezebel is out of the way.
As he deals with her she defies and taunts him “You will be just like Zimri” – Zimri’s rule lasted for seven days.
In fulfilment of prophecy … in a very gruesome and violent fulfilment … Jezebel dies.
Ironically with the twist of one vowel Jezebel’s name can mean “where is the excrement?”
That is kind of appropriate isn’t it.
The violence continues.
Read 2 Kings 10:1-8
For Jehu this is a political move.
The death of such large numbers, seventy in all, removes any heir who would seek reprisal for the coup or have a legitimate claim to the throne.
These deaths also fulfil the prophecy that no heir of Ahab would remain alive.
The violence continues.
Read 2 Kings 10:12-14
These are relatives of the Kings of the south coming to visit the king of the north.
Obviously they hadn’t heard about Jehu and the coup.
The friendship they had with Joram made them just as much a threat.
The violence continues.
Read 2 Kings 10:18-28
Through these acts Jehu is seeking to remove the spiritual legacy of Jezebel from Israel.
Using the threat of death every Baal prophet, minister and priest from every part of Israel all come to one place … thinking that Jehu was supportive of them.
Then they are annihilated and … in order to cause great humiliation … the temple is turned into a toilet.
So much death. So much violence.
Then we read these words.
Read 2 Kings 10:30-35
Jehu has been riding around like a mad-man in his chariot killing all these people.
And God says of this situation, “you have done what is right in my eyes”.
Jehu is the only Northern King who is given this praise.
On top of that Jehu is given the security of a dynasty that will last for four generations – it will be the longest dynasty in the Northern kingdom’s history.
100 years – more than twice as long as the next longest.
Jehu doesn’t get everything right.
He still worships the golden calves.
The fact that the land is reduced in size also shows God is not 100% happy.
But generally this is a great commendation for Jehu.
Violence
More violence.
More violence.
Then God says … you have done what is right.
You can understand why contemporary Christians struggle to explain this aspect of God.
You can see why some people say the God of the OT is different to the God of the NT.
When not-yet-believers look at passages like this and scoff and mock – there is a little part of us which agrees.
We have all come to the conclusion that the OT is violent, the NT is not violent.
But here is the real question.
Is this conclusion correct?
2 Kings 9-10 demonstrates that whenever the house of God needs to compete with another “house” there can be no peace and, in those situations, Yahweh will do what is necessary to restore peace.
This does not mean we can support the historical instances, by Catholics and by Protestants alike, to use this passage to justify violence and brutality against religious, and not-so-religious, opponents.
Catholics have made Christian people martyrs.
Protestants have made Christian people martyrs.
Both religions have put to death non-Christian people because they did not believe.
This sort of fanatical violence is not being condoned by the Scriptures – nor can we use the Old Testament to condone being violent ourselves.
When applying this passage we need to remember the original audience. They were the ones in exile in Babylon.
They were in a place that they did not belong.
A foreign people in a foreign land.
They are just like us. We are a foreign people in a foreign land.
Philippians 3:20
20 Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Colossians 3:1-2
1 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
In this situation we are called to live like the exiles – like foreigners in a foreign land.
5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
Jeremiah 29:5-7
Foreigners in a foreign land build the kingdom by waiting on God to sort out the inequity and the injustice. We live in this world as those who have to trust that God’s ways are right. We confess our need to live in repentance and faith.
People don’t come into the Christian faith through violence or threat.
Seeking to establish God’s rule on earth using violence and threats is also wrong.
So does that mean the violence has disappeared?
Not at all.
God’s anger at the brokenness of his house
… God’s vengeance against those who have turned against Him
… the violence that is sometimes required to bring peace
… all of that has been redirected to Jesus.
Whenever we read about violence in the OT – especially violence which comes because God is building His kingdom and building His people – whenever we read about such things we are being reminded about a very significant aspect of the death of Jesus.
Physically this was a violent process with Jesus being
beaten by the Sanhedrin,
flogged after his trial
beaten and mocked by a company of soldiers
and then crucified.
This physical violence is nothing however compared to the wrath of God which Jesus must face as the sacrificial Lamb so that our sin can be paid for.
The Bible does not give us a description of what this is like for Jesus except that it occurred while three hours of midday-darkness covered the land and it ended with the piercing cry “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
As to the nature of this three hour ordeal all we know is that Jesus is in a cosmic battle against Satan, as he offers Himself to be punished for mankind, a sacrifice of the Son who is most precious to the Father.
Just as it was in the days of Jehu, peace has been restored through violence, but what a terrible price God must pay.
You cannot look at passages like 2 Kings 9-10 to justify a “we are right and they are wrong mentality”.
Defending God’s kingdom, or expanding God’s kingdom, through force, coercion or violence is not appropriate.
Establishing Christian as the state-sponsored religion to the exclusion of all non-Christian spiritual institutions is not appropriate.
Trying to justify warfare between predominately Christian nations against predominately non-Christian nations is not appropriate.
Limiting rights on the basic of differing views of religion is not appropriate.
The focus of the battle is never on individuals no matter how much they look like “an enemy”. Our battle is against authorities, powers of this dark world and spiritual forces. In this battle the weapons we use are truth, righteousness, the Gospel, faith, Scripture and prayer.
At this point in our time of history God is not give specific people the task to bring punishment and vengeance. Rather God has given us the responsibility to warn the world of their impending violent judgement that is to come – and to show them the way that they can avoid that violence.
We help people see that Baal may not be here, but they are still worshipping the wrong God.
We help people see that God cannot just be added to your life list, He needs to be the priority.
We help people see that God is the same now as He was in the Old Testament, He is just for the moment giving a grace-filled opportunity for reconciliation.
We do so seeking to live ourselves in a relationship with Jesus that is putting Him above everything else.
Prayer
