2 Kings 9: 1 – 37
Gone but not forgotten
9 And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him, “Get yourself ready, take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead. 2 Now when you arrive at that place, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, and go in and make him rise up from among his associates, and take him to an inner room. 3 Then take the flask of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, ‘Thus says the LORD: “I have anointed you king over Israel.” Then open the door and flee, and do not delay.” 4 So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead. 5 And when he arrived, there were the captains of the army sitting; and he said, “I have a message for you, Commander.” Jehu said, “For which one of us?” And he said, “For you, Commander.” 6 Then he arose and went into the house. And he poured the oil on his head, and said to him, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I have anointed you king over the people of the LORD, over Israel. 7 You shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel. 8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; and I will cut off from Ahab all the males in Israel, both bond and free. 9 So I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. 10 The dogs shall eat Jezebel on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her.’ And he opened the door and fled. 11 Then Jehu came out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, “Is all well? Why did this madman come to you?” And he said to them, “You know the man and his babble.” 12 And they said, “A lie! Tell us now.” So he said, “Thus and thus he spoke to me, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD: “I have anointed you king over Israel.” ’ ” 13 Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps; and they blew trumpets, saying, “Jehu is king!” 14 So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now Joram had been defending Ramoth Gilead, he and all Israel, against Hazael king of Syria. 15 But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which the Syrians had inflicted on him when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, “If you are so minded, let no one leave or escape from the city to go and tell it in Jezreel.” 16 So Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram was laid up there; and Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to see Joram. 17 Now a watchman stood on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu as he came, and said, “I see a company of men.” And Joram said, “Get a horseman and send him to meet them, and let him say, ‘Is it peace?’ 18 So the horseman went to meet him, and said, “Thus says the king: ‘Is it peace?’ And Jehu said, “What have you to do with peace? Turn around and follow me.” So, the watchman reported, saying, “The messenger went to them, but is not coming back.” 19 Then he sent out a second horseman who came to them, and said, “Thus says the king: ‘Is it peace?’ And Jehu answered, “What have you to do with peace? Turn around and follow me.” 20 So the watchman reported, saying, “He went up to them and is not coming back; and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously!” 21 Then Joram said, “Make ready.” And his chariot was made ready. Then Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot; and they went out to meet Jehu and met him on the property of Naboth the Jezreelite. 22 Now it happened, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” So, he answered, “What peace, as long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcraft are so many?” 23 Then Joram turned around and fled, and said to Ahaziah, “Treachery, Ahaziah!” 24 Now Jehu drew his bow with full strength and shot Jehoram between his arms; and the arrow came out at his heart, and he sank down in his chariot. 25 Then Jehu said to Bidkar his captain, “Pick him up, and throw him into the tract of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember, when you and I were riding together behind Ahab his father, that the LORD laid this burden upon him: 26 ‘Surely I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons,’ says the LORD, ‘and I will repay you in this plot,’ says the LORD. Now therefore, take and throw him on the plot of ground, according to the word of the LORD.” 27 But when Ahaziah king of Judah saw this, he fled by the road to Beth Haggan. So Jehu pursued him, and said, “Shoot him also in the chariot.” And they shot him at the Ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. Then he fled to Megiddo and died there. 28 And his servants carried him in the chariot to Jerusalem and buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the City of David. 29 In the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king over Judah. 30 Now when Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she put paint on her eyes and adorned her head and looked through a window. 31 Then, as Jehu entered at the gate, she said, “Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your master?” 32 And he looked up at the window, and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” So, two or three eunuchs looked out at him. 33 Then he said, “Throw her down.” So, they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses; and he trampled her underfoot. 34 And when he had gone in, he ate and drank. Then he said, “Go now, see to this accursed woman, and bury her, for she was a king’s daughter.” 35 So they went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. 36 Therefore they came back and told him. And he said, “This is the word of the LORD, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; 37 and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as refuse on the surface of the field, in the plot at Jezreel, so that they shall not say, “Here lies Jezebel.”
I think it is fair to say that we all would like to be remembered. To be someone that has made so much of an impact is something few obtain. What is more important everyone must ask themselves is in what way would you be remembered. Is it because you did some extraordinarily good for mankind or were you one of the most evil people who ever walked the face of this earth.
I heard a story from an excellent Pastor about how he grew up in a small town where the locals lived in fear of two bullies. These two evil men were about six feet four inches and weighed nearly three hundred pounds. They intimidated everyone they met. People would give them respect because they did not want to get beat up.
One of the brothers died and the surviving brother came to this kind minister to do his brother’s funeral. He told, not asked the Pastor to do his brother’s service and added a personal demand. He wanted the Pastor to say that his brother was a ‘saint’. So, the day came for the funeral service which was attended by the few that had to be there.
The Pastor started and throughout his eulogy described how the deceased was a no-good scoundrel. He bullied everyone in town to get what he wanted caring less who he hurt. He continued for a good ten minutes pointing out how rotten this guy was. Yet, in his closing statement he obliged the surviving brother’s demand. His ending words are to the point. He said, ‘I explained to you how this man had no mercy, kindness, goodness, and love for anyone but himself, but compared to his brother, he was a saint.’
Yes, there is two ways in which someone can be immortalized in human history. One becomes known as great or evil. If I asked you to name some evil men who ever existed, I am sure you would come up with a good amount. On the other hand, I would say for you to name some evil women, you would have to really take some time to think on that request. The first female name most people would come up with is ‘Jezebel’. Would you agree?
Today we are going to see the scripture which reveals her end. It is not a pretty one as she was a pretty woman who was known for her beauty but was filled with ugliness throughout her being.
The chapter starts out with Jehoram returning to his palace at Jezreel, rather than to Samaria, to recuperate and be healed of his wounds. And while he was there recuperating Ahaziah his brother-in-law went down to Jezreel to see him ‘because he was ill’. It was an ill-fated place at which to be found for it was concerning Jezreel that YHWH had made His pronouncement about the judgment that was to come on Ahab’s son there (1 Kings 21.19).
9 And Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets, and said to him, “Get yourself ready, take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead.
Our Holy God YHWH directed Elisha the prophet to send one of the sons of the prophets to where the battle was still raging against Aram, at Ramoth-gilead, with a vial of olive oil in his hands.
2 Now when you arrive at that place, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, and go in and make him rise up from among his associates, and take him to an inner room.
Once he was in Ramoth-gilead he had to seek out Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Then having found him he was to take him alone into an inner chamber to speak with him privately. Jehu, whose name means ‘YHWH Is’ and whose father’s name means ‘YHWH Is judge’ was seemingly a Yahwist and was probably constantly seething within himself at the policies of Ahab’s house. He was ripe for rebellion.
3 Then take the flask of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, ‘Thus says the LORD: “I have anointed you king over Israel.” Then open the door and flee, and do not delay.”
Once he was alone with Jehu in the inner chamber he was to pour the oil over his head and declare that, “Thus says YHWH, I have anointed you as king over Israel.” Then he was to open the door and leave the place as quickly as possible. He was not to linger. No further questions must be answered. Jehu was to be left to absorb the significance of what he had done, and act accordingly. The prophets were not to be actively involved in rebellion. The act of anointing was an indication that Jehu was now directly committed to YHWH’s service, and had become His anointed servant.
4 So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead.
In obedience to the words of Elisha the young man, the prophet, went across the Jordan to Ramoth-gilead where the war with Aram was still progressing, and the host of Israel was accordingly gathered.
5 And when he arrived, there were the captains of the army sitting; and he said, “I have a message for you, Commander.” Jehu said, “For which one of us?” And he said, “For you, Commander.”
And when he arrived he found the army commanders in conference. But in Israel a prophet of YHWH could always gain entrance anywhere, and he approached Jehu. Recognizing the precedence of a prophet of YHWH Jehu then asked him which commander he wished to speak with, and learned that it was himself.
6 Then he arose and went into the house. And he poured the oil on his head, and said to him, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I have anointed you king over the people of the LORD, over Israel.
So, he accordingly rose and went with him into the house. And there the prophet poured oil on him and gave him a full explanation of its significance. He was being anointed by ‘YHWH the God of Israel’ as king over His people, even over Israel. Note the emphasis on YHWH as the God of Israel. It was because Ahab and his family were seeking to oust YHWH as the God of Israel that this judgment was coming on them. YHWH was, as it were, fighting back. The prophet then explained what Jehu now had to do.
7 You shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel. 8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; and I will cut off from Ahab all the males in Israel, both bond and free. 9 So I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. 10 The dogs shall eat Jezebel on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her.’ And he opened the door and fled.
The time had now come for YHWH to be avenged on Ahab and his house for the blood that they had spilled of YHWH’s prophets, and YHWH’s true worshippers. Many of YHWH’s beloved people had been slain at the hands of the house of Ahab (including Naboth and the purge of the prophets of YHWH assumed in 1 Kings 18.4), and now it was to be the turn of the house of Ahab to be cut off. YHWH was using Jehu as His ‘avenger of blood’. Thus, Jehu was to slaughter every male child of the house of Ahab. Such slaughter was always necessary in a coup attempt, to prevent a member of the seed royal being able to arise later with royal authority and rally to him the people who were loyal to the royal house.
Thus, Ahab and his house were to suffer as Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, had suffered, and as Baasha the son of Ahijah had suffered, just as Elijah had prophesied (1 Kings 14.10). All who rebelled against YHWH must suffer the same consequences. Furthermore, Jezebel was to be eaten by dogs in the portion of Jezreel and would be unburied, something seen as a great indignity (1 Kings 21.23).
Having delivered his message, the young prophet then went to the door, opened it and disappeared as rapidly as he had come, just as Elisha had commanded him. The idea was that the young prophet should not to be directly involved in what followed. The prophets were to be pronouncers of the word of YHWH.
11 Then Jehu came out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, “Is all well? Why did this madman come to you?” And he said to them, “You know the man and his babble.”
Jehu subsequently came out of the inner room, somewhat pensively, and his fellow commanders (notice the emphasis on the fact that, as ‘servants of his lord’, they owed loyalty to the house of Ahab) who had seen the young prophet come out and speed away, then asked Jehu whether all was well and as to why this ‘mad-fellow’ had come to him. The term is typical of how one might expect a hardened soldier to refer contemptuously to a religious messenger. Jehu’s reply was noncommittal, seeking to make little of what had been said. This was either because he was trying to dismiss the incident as seemingly irrelevant (he could not be sure how they would react to it), reminding them that they had seen what the man was like for themselves.
12 And they said, “A lie! Tell us now.” So, he said, “Thus and thus he spoke to me, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD: “I have anointed you king over Israel.”
His fellow officers, however, discerned from his manner that something momentous had been said and simply told him to stop deceiving them and tell them the truth. At this Jehu, who would have been very much aware of the consensus at the time, informed them of what had been said, and of how he had been anointed by the prophet as king over Israel.
13 Then each man hastened to take his garment and put it under him on the top of the steps; and they blew trumpets, saying, “Jehu is king!”
The speed at which they responded to this news emphasizes the disaffection that they felt for the current regime. The house of Ahab was clearly not popular among them, while their regard for Jehu was equally obviously high. Thus, a prophetic word coming from YHWH through one of Elisha’s young prophets, caused them to respond to the suggestion with fervor. It was the moment that they had been waiting for (as Elisha presumably knew). Thus they ‘acted quickly’. Each of them took off his robe and placed it either ‘at the top of the stairs’ or ‘on the bare steps’ (the use of their robes in this way was a sign of submission and acknowledgement of his authority, compare Elijah’s covering of Elisha with his robe, and the spreading of robes before Jesus on His entry into Jerusalem), and then as Jehu stood, or sat there on his provisional throne, they blew on a ram’s horn (1 Kings 1.34) and cried out, ‘Jehu is king, Jehu is king’.
14 So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now Joram had been defending Ramoth Gilead, he and all Israel, against Hazael king of Syria. 15 But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which the Syrians had inflicted on him when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, “If you are so minded, let no one leave or escape from the city to go and tell it in Jezreel.”
Meanwhile we are reminded that Ramoth-gilead was being guarded on behalf of Jehoram as a result of the aggressive activities of the king of Aram, while Jehoram himself was not present because he was recovering from his wounds in Jezreel, the wounds given to him by the Aramaeans, as he and all Israel fought against Hazael, king of Aram. All YHWH’s arrangements were now in place. Jehu first order was that no one was to sneak out of camp and take the news that he was anointed king.
16 So Jehu rode in a chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram was laid up there; and Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to see Joram.
So, Jehu then boarded his chariot and drove down to Jezreel, accompanied by his company of charioteers, knowing that that was where Jehoram lay. What he was unaware of was that Ahaziah, the king of Judah, had also come on a visit to Jehoram.
17 Now a watchman stood on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu as he came, and said, “I see a company of men.” And Joram said, “Get a horseman and send him to meet them, and let him say, ‘Is it peace?’
When the watchman on the watchtower in Jezreel saw the chariot company approaching, he sent a message to the king declaring, ‘I see a company (of charioteers)’. This prompted the king, who did not know who it was who was approaching, to dispatch a horseman in order to discover whether the approaching chariots came in peace, or alternately whether they brought news of peace in the war with Aram. From this they would certainly learn one way or another whether the intentions of the approaching chariots were peaceful or aggressive. Either the messenger would return with information, or he would be violently seized by the approaching force, making clear their hostile intentions.
18 So the horseman went to meet him, and said, “Thus says the king: ‘Is it peace?’ And Jehu said, “What have you to do with peace? Turn around and follow me.” So, the watchman reported, saying, “The messenger went to them, but is not coming back.”
But when the messenger, no doubt somewhat apprehensively, approached the charioteers, he was probably relieved to discover that Jehu, one of the king’s own chariot commanders, was in charge. When, however, he conveyed the king’s message, which he probably now saw as a formality, Jehu asked him what such question meant to him and ordered him to fall in behind him. The messenger may have seen this as an indication that Jehu’s message was for the king alone and had nothing to do with the messenger. But in the face of such a command from a superior officer the man complied, probably unsure of what the situation was, but knowing that it was for his own good to do as he was commanded. Meanwhile the watchman, seeing all this from a distance, did not know what to make of it. The messenger had not returned with an answer, but nor had he been violently seized.
19 Then he sent out a second horseman who came to them, and said, “Thus says the king: ‘Is it peace?’ And Jehu answered, “What have you to do with peace? Turn around and follow me.”
The puzzled king then sent out another horseman with the identical question, only for the same thing to happen. The second messenger also fell in willingly and compliantly behind the chariot commander.
20 So the watchman reported, saying, “He went up to them and is not coming back; and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously!”
The uncertainty was developing some concern until the problem appeared to be solved, for the watchman was able to identify the chariot commander by the way that he drove. His driving, he declared, was ‘like the driving of Jehu, the son of Nimshi, one of Israel’s officers for he drives furiously’. At least now the approaching company had been identified. All was well. The only question was whether the news that they brought was good or bad.
Now confident at least of their security the two kings themselves set out in their chariots to meet Jehu, and they found him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite. This might well have been deliberate on Jehu’s part. He would want Israel to recognize that what he was doing was carrying out YHWH’s vengeance. To the kings it would not initially be significant.
21 Then Joram said, “Make ready.” And his chariot was made ready. Then Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot; and they went out to meet Jehu, and met him on the property of Naboth the Jezreelite.
Not suspecting any problems Jehoram of Israel then determined to go himself to obtain the news that Jehu clearly wanted to convey himself. This would have been a good sign by the king. Bad news was brought by nondescript messengers. To wish to deliver the message himself suggested that Jehu saw it as good news.
22 Now it happened, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” So, he answered, “What peace, as long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcraft are so many?”
On approaching Jehu, his chariot commander Jehoram asked whether he had come bringing news of peace with Aram and was immediately made aware that all was not well. For Jehu, instead of signifying his obeisance, roundly asked him how there could be peace while Jezebel was still dishonoring the kingdom and seeking to bewitch it. It was a clear indication of hostile intent. It also brought out what lay at the heart of the rebellion, the foreign and unacceptable influence of Jezebel on Israel.
23 Then Joram turned around and fled, and said to Ahaziah, “Treachery, Ahaziah!”
At the words of Jehu Jehoram instantly recognized rebellion, and with his hand he turned his chariot and fled, crying out to Ahaziah that treachery was in the air. He had been so unsuspecting of treachery that he was driving his own chariot.
24 Now Jehu drew his bow with full strength and shot Jehoram between his arms; and the arrow came out at his heart, and he sank down in his chariot.
Turning his chariot Jehoram sought to flee crying out to Ahaziah that treachery was afoot, but as he fled Jehu drew his bow, and with a well-aimed arrow, struck him between the arms so that he sank down in his chariot.
25 Then Jehu said to Bidkar his captain, “Pick him up, and throw him into the tract of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember, when you and I were riding together behind Ahab his father, that the LORD laid this burden upon him:
Then Jehu commanded that his body be taken and cast onto the plot of land stolen from Naboth by Ahab and Jezebel as a kind of atonement for the land, and punishment from YHWH. All Israel would recognize from this that Jehu was simply doing YHWH’s will, while Jehu gained the satisfaction of knowing that he had been YHWH’s chosen instrument.
26 ‘Surely I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons,’ says the LORD, ‘and I will repay you in this plot,’ says the LORD. Now therefore, take and throw him on the plot of ground, according to the word of the LORD.”
Jehu reminded Bidkar that YHWH had declared that He had seen the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons who had apparently perished with him and had sworn that he would pay Ahab back for the murders in that very plot of land, something, however, deferred to his son’s day in 1 Kings 21.29 because of Ahab’s repentance. Thus, Jehu was offering the body of Jehoram as requital for the sin of Ahab, in accordance with YHWH’s word.
27 But when Ahaziah king of Judah saw this, he fled by the road to Beth Haggan. So Jehu pursued him, and said, “Shoot him also in the chariot.” And they shot him at the Ascent of Gur, which is by Ibleam. Then he fled to Megiddo and died there.
Having seen what was happening Ahaziah naturally also fled, taking the way of the garden-house. But he found no way of escape for Jehu pursued him and called on his fellow charioteers to smite him as well, in his chariot. This they accomplished at the ascent of Gur, and once satisfied that he would not live, allowed him to be carried off to Megiddo where he died of his wounds. His servants then bore his body to Jerusalem, where he was buried with his fathers in his sepulcher in the city of David.
28 And his servants carried him in the chariot to Jerusalem and buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the City of David. 29 In the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king over Judah.
His body was then borne by his servants in a chariot to Jerusalem where he was buried in his sepulcher with his fathers in the city of David.
30 Now when Jehu had come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she put paint on her eyes and adorned her head and looked through a window.
As Jehu now approached Jezreel, with two kings disposed of, his purpose was to destroy what he and most in Israel saw as the greatest curse on the land, Jezebel, Ahab’s Phoenician and idolatress princess, and he did not care how he did it.
31 Then, as Jehu entered at the gate, she said, “Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your master?” 32 And he looked up at the window, and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” So, two or three eunuchs looked out at him. 33 Then he said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses; and he trampled her underfoot.
With noticeable arrogance Jezebel called out to Jehu accusing him of killing his master. This wasn’t very smart for her to do in that it contributed to Jehu’s next response. When Jehu saw her peering out of the window, decorated in all her finery, he commanded those who were on his side to throw her out of the window, and when her blood spattered the wall he rode his chariot over her, just as he had regularly ridden his chariot over his enemies.
34 And when he had gone in, he ate and drank. Then he said, “Go now, see to this accursed woman, and bury her, for she was a king’s daughter.” 35 So they went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands.
After settling in to the palace he remembered that Jezebel was a king’s daughter, and he therefore commanded that her remains be gathered up for honorable burial, only to learn that meanwhile the scavenger dogs had done their worst, so that only her skull, he feet and the palms of her hands were left, in accordance with Elijah’s prophecy, ‘the dogs will eat Jezebel by the walls of Jezreel’ (1 Kings 22.23).
36 Therefore they came back and told him. And he said, “This is the word of the LORD, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; 37 and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as refuse on the surface of the field, in the plot at Jezreel, so that they shall not say, “Here lies Jezebel.”
When this was reported back to him he drew attention to the fact that it was the fulfilment of YHWH’s word through Elijah, cited in 1 Kings 21.23 as, ‘The dogs will eat Jezebel by the walls of Jezreel’. It included not only the thought that Jezebel would be eaten by scavenger dogs, but that her remains would act as fertilizer in the area of Jezreel, with nothing remaining to remember her by. There would be insufficient preserved remains for anyone to be able to say, ‘This is Jezebel’. She had become a woman forever more to be remembered as evil.
