2 Kings 10: 1 – 36
You did good, but
10 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote and sent letters to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to those who reared Ahab’s sons, saying: 2 Now as soon as this letter comes to you, since your master’s sons are with you, and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city also, and weapons, 3 choose the best qualified of your master’s sons, set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house. 4 But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, “Look, two kings could not stand up to him; how then can we stand?” 5 And he who was in charge of the house, and he who was in charge of the city, the elders also, and those who reared the sons, sent to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants, we will do all you tell us; but we will not make anyone king. Do what is good in your sight.” 6 Then he wrote a second letter to them, saying: If you are for me and will obey my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow. Now the king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were rearing them. 7 So it was, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons and slaughtered seventy persons, put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel. 8 Then a messenger came and told him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” And he said, “Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.” 9 So it was, in the morning, that he went out and stood, and said to all the people, “You are righteous. Indeed, I conspired against my master and killed him; but who killed all these? 10 Know now that nothing shall fall to the earth of the word of the LORD which the LORD spoke concerning the house of Ahab; for the LORD has done what He spoke by His servant Elijah.” 11 So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his close acquaintances and his priests, until he left him none remaining. 12 And he arose and departed and went to Samaria. On the way, at Beth Eked of the Shepherds, 13 Jehu met with the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, “Who are you?” So, they answered, “We are the brothers of Ahaziah; we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.” 14 And he said, “Take them alive!” So, they took them alive, and killed them at the well of Beth Eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them. 15 Now when he departed from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab, coming to meet him; and he greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is toward your heart?” And Jehonadab answered, “It is.” Jehu said, “If it is, give me your hand.” So, he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot. 16 Then he said, “Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD.” So, they had him ride in his chariot. 17 And when he came to Samaria, he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed them, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke to Elijah. 18 Then Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little, Jehu will serve him much. 19 Now therefore, call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu acted deceptively, with the intent of destroying the worshipers of Baal. 20 And Jehu said, “Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal.” So, they proclaimed it. 21 Then Jehu sent throughout all Israel; and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. So, they came into the temple of Baal, and the temple of Baal was full from one end to the other. 22 And he said to the one in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out vestments for all the worshipers of Baal.” So, he brought out vestments for them. 23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Rechab went into the temple of Baal, and said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search and see that no servants of the LORD are here with you, but only the worshipers of Baal.” 24 So they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had appointed for himself eighty men on the outside, and had said, “If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escapes, whoever lets him escape, it shall be his life for the life of the other.” 25 Now it happened, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, “Go in and kill them; let no one come out!” And they killed them with the edge of the sword; then the guards and the officers threw them out and went into the inner room of the temple of Baal. 26 And they brought the sacred pillars out of the temple of Baal and burned them. 27 Then they broke down the sacred pillar of Baal and tore down the temple of Baal and made it a refuse dump to this day. 28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal from Israel. 29 However Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin, that is, from the golden calves that were at Bethel and Dan. 30 And the LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in doing what is right in My sight, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.” 31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart; for he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin. 32 In those days the LORD began to cut off parts of Israel; and Hazael conquered them in all the territory of Israel 33 from the Jordan eastward: all the land of Gilead—Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh—from Aroer, which is by the River Arnon, including Gilead and Bashan. 34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 35 So Jehu rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. Then Jehoahaz his son reigned in his place. 36 And the period that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.
One area in ministry that keeps growing is sessions where people want to come in and speak with you. Now some people like to refer this as counseling, but I believe that word is too scary for many people, so I refrain from using that word.
As I was going over today’s scripture chapter I got a flash back of a prior unique counseling session (oops - I mean speaking session).
The man came in and said, ‘you got to help me Pastor Tom’ In response I said, ‘what is going on?’ He went on to inform me that all in all he is a very nice person but his problem (which others have told him) that he is too harsh or mean with others. He went on to try to defend his position that as he sees it his problem was in being too truthful. I asked him to give me some examples.
Here are a couple of his responses;
‘You did a good job, but you didn’t trim the weeds and grass on the curb.’
‘You did a good job, but you handed in your assignment late.’
‘You made an excellent dinner, but I would have loved to have some gravy with the meat and mashed potatoes.’
I thought about his statements and gave him my reply. ‘Mastering the art of honesty without hurting other people’s feelings means you can effectively communicate and build stronger relationships with those around you. Consider the other person’s feelings and aim to take a friendly, non-threatening approach. Use constructive words, especially if you’re giving advice or asking someone to make a change. Validate how they feel, avoid blame, and keep your judgments to yourself. As you learn to lessen your harshness, people will likely respond better to you and feel less defensive with your feedback.’
‘However, you might not even be too harsh or mean. Your words might be viewed incorrectly from the other party. In a way they need to not be so thin skinned. Let me rephrase your prior supposedly mean or harsh comments even more forcibly.’
‘Done, you think you are done. Always trying to get out of doing the job right. Look at the curb. Did you forget that trimming is also part of cutting the lawn?’
‘A major requirement of an assignment is to hand it in on the specified date. You’re lucky that it was accepted. I would have just given it back.’
‘Who ever heard of serving meat and mashed potatoes without gravy? It is unacceptable.’
Now I think that sounds a little harsher or perhaps on the verge of being mean.
In today’s chapter we are going to learn a little more about Jehu, the king of Israel. Our Holy Lord God in His truthful way is not mean nor harsh when He tells Jehu, ‘you did good, but you took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all your heart; for you did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin.’
Very few kings of that time (if any) who replaced another dynasty with their own, would have acted ant differently from Jehu. In such a situation the extermination of the royal seed of the previous dynasty was seen a political necessity. We should recognize that it was essential if the kingdom was to be given stability, and in order to prevent the possibility of future insurrections by supporters of the previous dynasty.
The ‘sons’ (descendants) of Ahab were all to be found in Samaria which still remained to be captured, and Jehu had to decide how to go about the taking of the city. His letter was in fact almost certainly intended to be an ultimatum. Either they could surrender to him, or they could appoint a king from the seed royal. Thus, their choice was between a seasoned warrior, supported by the army, or a king who was young and inexperienced with only the support of Samaria behind him.
Taking into consideration the strength of Jehu’s rebellion, which included all the active army commanders, and was almost certainly supported by the common people who had nothing but hatred for the foreign innovations of Jezebel, the leading men in Samaria decided on the most sensible way out. They would surrender on Jehu’s terms.
Jehu’s request was for the heads of the seventy sons of Ahab were to be delivered to Jehu in Jezreel, where they were piled up at the gate. It both indicated that the previous dynasty was no more and acted as a warning as to what would happen to any trouble makers in the future.
He then assured all that they had done the right thing, for they had brought about the necessary fulfilment of the word of YHWH concerning the house of Ahab. YHWH’s will had been done (even if not necessarily in God’s way).
10 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote and sent letters to Samaria, to the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to those who reared Ahab’s sons, saying:
The powerful city of Samaria was still in the hands of the house of Ahab, which as far as direct descendants of Jehoram were concerned probably consisted of minors. There were ‘seventy’ males of the royal house in Samaria who might have been seen as having some claim to the throne. Samaria was the city built by Omri on land owned by him, and was the center of political power and royal influence (it was also the center for worship of the foreign Baal introduced by Jezebel), and the royal family would include not only the sons of Jehoram, but also his brothers and their sons, and other near relations, which is why the term used is ‘sons of Ahab’, covering the whole.
Multiple copies of his letter were sent to various authorities in Samaria, to the elders in Jezreel, and to those responsible for the royal house. The sons of Jehoram would be under their tutors and teachers who were preparing them for their royal roles ahead (2 Chronicles 21.2-3). The city itself therefore was being ruled by its governor, the head of the king’s household, the elders of the city, and the tutors of the king’s sons (verse 5). It was to these then that Jehu wrote his letters. He also sent copies to the elders of Jezreel so that they would be joined with him in his demands (and he still had to officially establish his authority in Jezreel).
2 Now as soon as this letter comes to you, since your master’s sons are with you, and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city also, and weapons, 3 choose the best qualified of your master’s sons, set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.
The content of the letters was simple. He openly acknowledged the strength of the city’s fortifications, the number of their chariots, and the effectiveness of their armor. If they wished to resist him let them then choose the best and most suitable of the king’s sons as their ruler, and let them make him and let them fight under him for their master’s house.
Jehu was drawing attention to the inexperience of whoever would rule them, and was asking them to compare what they had with what was under his control, for he was supported by the army of all Israel. It was basically inviting them to surrender or die.
4 But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, “Look, two kings could not stand up to him; how then can we stand?”
Understandably his words struck fear in their hearts. They probably did not know the details of what had happened, but they were aware that the combined bodyguards of the kings of Israel and Judah had been in Jezreel. And they recognized that if such seasoned campaigners had not been able to resist Jehu it was unlikely that an immature ‘son of Ahab’ would be able to do so. And all knew what happened to a city that resisted when besieged (Deuteronomy 20.12-13).
5 And he who was in charge of the house, and he who was in charge of the city, the elders also, and those who reared the sons, sent to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants, we will do all you tell us; but we will not make anyone king. Do what is good in your sight.”
So the leading men of the city who were ruling it in the king’s name, the steward of the royal household, the governor or commandant of the city, the city elders, and those responsible for the training and tutoring of the king’s sons, all came together to discuss what should be done. And they all with one accord recognized that resistance was useless. They would know perfectly well what the result of their decision would be, and that their charges, the king’s sons, would not be allowed to live. But they also had to consider the safety of all the people in Samaria. It was not a pleasant choice.
Thus, they replied to Jehu that they were ready to swear loyalty to him, and that they would do whatever he asked them. They would not seek to set up a rival king but were ready to acknowledge him as king. They would do whatever seemed good in his eyes. They would not be in any doubt about the fact that they were sacrificing those they had cared for but recognized that they had little option.
6 Then he wrote a second letter to them, saying: If you are for me and will obey my voice, take the heads of the men, your master’s sons, and come to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow. Now the king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were rearing them.
The demands laid on them would not be unexpected. No ‘usurper’ could allow the male members of the previous royal house to live. It would have been political suicide. The execution of the king’s ‘sons’ had to be carried out. The severing of their heads, which were then to be sent to Jehu in Jezreel as proof that his demands had truly been carried out. While it may sound a gruesome to us it was necessary for Jehu to be sure that all the king’s sons had been slain, and the only way to do that was to have proof of their deaths and of their identifies.
Jehu could, of course, have demanded that they be handed over alive, but he wanted the responsibility for the executions to fall squarely on the people themselves. This was a wise move politically, for it ensured that in future the direct blame could not be laid at his door. It would mean that they would be seen to have cooperated with him in it.
It is then explained that the king’s sons were under the jurisdiction of the most powerful men in the city who had had responsibility for their upbringing and training. Had the king’s sons lived, with Jehoram as king, most of them would have gone on to positions of authority and power for which they had therefore to be prepared.
7 So it was, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons and slaughtered seventy persons, put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel.
In response to the letter these powerful men took all ‘seventy’ of ‘the king’s sons’ (all royal claimants), and executed them, severing their heads and placing them in pots or baskets. These were then sent to Jehu in Jezreel, thus sparing Samaria from being besieged and destroyed, and yielding it officially to Jehu.
8 Then a messenger came and told him, saying, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons.” And he said, “Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.”
On their arrival at Jezreel a messenger was sent to Jehu to inform him of their arrival, and he commanded that they be piled up in two heaps at the entrance to the city. No doubt appropriate checks as to their identity would be carried out. As mentioned above this practise of piling up the heads of important enemies at the city gates was one which was well recognized at the time. It demonstrated to any waverers that the king’s sons really were dead, and that there was nowhere else to look but to Jehu.
Had Jehu stopped there no blame would have been laid at his door. All would have recognized that he had done what was inevitable. But as can so often happen, having carried out YHWH’s wishes he went to excess and, in the end, earned the disapproval of the prophets (Hosea 1.4). His first excess was to destroy the relatives of Ahaziah, king of Judah, who had unsuspectingly come visiting their royal relatives in Israel, presumably partly because they wanted to check on Jehoram for his wounds. As far as we know he had no grounds for knowing whether they were worshippers of Baal or YHWH. His second excess will later be to destroy all the worshippers of Baal without giving any opportunity for repentance.
9 So it was, in the morning, that he went out and stood, and said to all the people, “You are righteous. Indeed, I conspired against my master and killed him; but who killed all these? 10 Know now that nothing shall fall to the earth of the word of the LORD which the LORD spoke concerning the house of Ahab; for the LORD has done what He spoke by His servant Elijah.”
Having allowed the heads of the king’s sons to convey their message all that day and night, he went out next morning, and taking up an official stance, presumably in the part of the gate house where judgments were regularly made, he addressed the people. He was seeking to consolidate his position and win their approval. In the light of the final reference to the fulfilment of the word of YHWH we must probably see ‘You are righteous’ as an indication of his official approval of what ‘they’ had done. They had been even more righteous than he, for he had only slain two of those who were under YHWH’s curse whereas they had slain seventy. And he wanted them to see it all as demonstrating that what YHWH had declared He had brought about through the effectiveness of His word of power and that they had had their full part in it along with him. By this he was uniting them with him in what had happened.
It is clear that his main purpose was to vindicate his own actions, while seeking to maintain their (possibly reluctant) approval, in the light of what he was going to do next. For having dealt with all possible claimants to the throne in Samaria, he was now about to remove all supporters of Ahab’s house in Jezreel.
11 So Jehu killed all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men and his close acquaintances and his priests, until he left him none remaining.
Recognizing that, next to Samaria, Jezreel was the place where Ahab’s family had had most support (it had long been the site of the summer/winter palace of the house of Ahab) Jehu now set about destroying that support by killing all the high officials, personal friends and idolatrous priests in Jezreel who owed loyalty to the house of Ahab and might seek to undermine his (Jehu’s) position, continuing the process until none were left.
12 And he arose and departed and went to Samaria. On the way, at Beth Eked of the Shepherds, 13 Jehu met with the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, “Who are you?” So, they answered, “We are the brothers of Ahaziah; we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.”
Then he set out for Samaria to do the same in Samaria. To quite some extent this was a breach of the agreement which he had reached with Samaria, for Samaria had done all that he had asked, and had fulfilled the terms of the surrender. They therefore had a right not to be subjected to a purge. But he was a soldier and knew only one way to rule, and that was by force. Thus, his aim was now to purge all support for the house of Ahab in Samaria regardless of how anyone saw it.
As he was on the road to Samaria with his forces he came to ‘the shearing house of the shepherds’, clearly a well-known landmark and there he came across a group of obviously wealthy travelers. When he asked them who they were they replied in all innocence that they were brothers of Ahaziah of Judah on their way to visit the Israelite royal family, no doubt if such a description would put them in good standing with this obviously Israelite commander.
14 And he said, “Take them alive!” So they took them alive, and killed them at the well of Beth Eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.
There were ‘forty-two’ of them, and they were to receive the shock of their lives. For instead of receiving the respect that they were anticipating they found themselves forcibly arrested, as Jehu turned to his men and said, ‘Take them alive.’ Then they were dragged off to the pit at the shearing house where they were put to death with not a single one being spared.
15 Now when he departed from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab, coming to meet him; and he greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is toward your heart?” And Jehonadab answered, “It is.” Jehu said, “If it is, give me your hand.” So, he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot.
As he proceeded on his way he met up with Jehonadab the son of Rechab who was coming to meet him, having no doubt heard about his activities and being desirous of influencing the future return (he hoped) to full Yahwism. Jehu then asked him if he was one with him in his reforms and his anti-Baalism, and Jehonadab assured him that he certainly was, at which Jehu took him up into his chariot. This act would put Jehu in well with discontented Yahwists who admired the conservatism and fervency of the Rechabites.
This incident is mentioned to demonstrate that Jehu was not simply seen in Israel as being out for personal gain in all that had happened but was genuinely concerned for the honor of YHWH. Jehonadab was a fervent, primitive Yahwist, and much admired, and would have approved of his treatment of the idolatrous house of Ahab. He would want to join in with any revival of Yahwism.
16 Then he said, “Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD.” So, they had him ride in his chariot.
Jehu then called on Jehonadab to come to Samaria with him and see how zealous he was for YHWH, because of which Jehonadab was assisted up into Jehu’s chariot. Being on such terms with Jehonadab would undoubtedly have increased Jehu’s reputation for ‘godliness’.
17 And when he came to Samaria, he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed them, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke to Elijah.
On arrival in Samaria Jehu carried out a purge of ‘all who remained to ‘Ahab’ in Samaria. It cannot be denied that in doing so he went against the spirit of his earlier agreement with the people of Samaria. But he was now mopping up Ahab’s supporters and close friends, and thereby seeking to destroy all the deep-rooted influence of the house of Ahab in Samaria, fulfilling the word of YHWH spoken to Elijah.
18 Then Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little, Jehu will serve him much. 19 Now therefore, call to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests. Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is missing shall not live.” But Jehu acted deceptively, with the intent of destroying the worshipers of Baal.
Jehu had by now determined that he would destroy all the worshippers of the foreign Baal, introduced by Jezebel, out of the land, and to do this, and to identify them accurately, he pretended that he himself was a zealous worshipper of the Phoenician Baal. The idea that Ahab had only served Baal a little was certainly true. All his children had names which included the name of YHWH, and, as we know, he repented because of the prophesying of Elijah. Thus, while he had had a personal pillar of Baal for his own use in worship in the temple of Baal (which Jehoram had removed) it had been mainly to please his fanatical wife. He, meanwhile, had been more involved in the worship of YHWH, although still in the syncretistic way introduced by Jeroboam I, the son of Nebat.
Jehu now was giving the impression that for him Baal was to be central. Accordingly, he called for all the prophets of Baal, and all those who worshipped Baal in the manner of and all the priests of Baal, to gather for a solemn feast. And he enforced it by threatening the death penalty for any recognized worshippers of Baal who did not attend. We can imagine with what joy the worshippers of Baal received this news. They would have been wondering which way the new regime would turn, and few if any would have had any knowledge of the beliefs of a professional army commander who had been on continuing active service and subject to the king’s command.
While it was, of course, true that he had driven into Samaria with Jehonadab, the Baal worshippers may well have seen that as simply a wise political move. They may have seen Jehu’s policy as intended to be one of appeasement, with the fanaticism of Jezebel being replaced with a more open regime, which would make it all the more a matter of thanksgiving that he had thrown his lot in on their side, emphatically demonstrating that there was to be no persecution of Baalists.
While they rejoiced, however, it was to be a foolish hope, for Jehu was behaving like this to deceive them. His aim was in fact to gather them together to destroy them all. This undoubtedly represents Jehu as without inhibitions. Many of those who were deceived would have seen his actions as, in accordance with the customs of the time, guaranteeing that he would treat them in honest friendship, for he was inviting them to feast with them, and by the ancient laws of hospitality that was like offering them an oath of friendship. But it would turn out not to be so, for Jehu did things by his own rules.
20 And Jehu said, “Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal.” So, they proclaimed it
The proclaiming of ‘the sanctifying of a solemn assembly’ was a method of gathering the people together because of ‘setting apart to a holy purpose’ (sanctifying) a period which was wholly for the worship of a divinity (sanctifying it), a period for which special preparations had to be made. In this case that god was Baal, and thus the requirement was that all Baal worshippers were to thoroughly prepare themselves to come to play their part in it.
21 Then Jehu sent throughout all Israel; and all the worshipers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left who did not come. So, they came into the temple of Baal, and the temple of Baal was full, from one end to the other.
Jehu was taking no chances, and he sent messengers throughout Israel to ensure that all pure Baal worshippers attended, which they did. They all gathered for the festival in the very temple of Baal in Samaria, with the result that it was filled to overflowing.
22 And he said to the one in charge of the wardrobe, “Bring out vestments for all the worshipers of Baal.” So, he brought out vestments for them.
Then he called for all the vestments worn by Baal worshippers on special occasions to be brought out. These would be worn for worship and would in this case clearly identify all worshippers of Baal.
23 Then Jehu and Jehonadab the son of Rechab went into the temple of Baal, and said to the worshipers of Baal, “Search and see that no servants of the LORD are here with you, but only the worshipers of Baal.”
In order to make doubly sure that no worshippers of YHWH were present he entered the temple of Baal with Jehonadab and called on the worshippers of Baal to search and ensure that no worshippers of YHWH were present. It may well be that this was a regular feature of their worship . A solemn assembly may well have been seen as totally exclusive, with such a search ritually necessary.
24 So they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had appointed for himself eighty men on the outside, and had said, “If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escapes, whoever lets him escape, it shall be his life for the life of the other.”
What the worshippers did not know was that Jehu had lined up eighty of his best troops outside in order to ensure that none escaped death. The men were warned that if they let any escape, their own lives would be forfeit. Theirs too was a ‘sacred’ task.
25 Now it happened, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, “Go in and kill them; let no one come out!” And they killed them with the edge of the sword; then the guards and the officers threw them out and went into the inner room of the temple of Baal.
As soon as the offerings were over Jehu gave a command to his bodyguard and to his commanders that they go in and kill all the worshippers of Baal, and let none survive. The consequence was that they went in and smote them with their swords, and then flung their bodies out of the building like so much refuse.
26 And they brought the sacred pillars out of the temple of Baal and burned them.
And from the inner sanctuary some of Jehu’s men brought out the steles/pillars which were in the house of Baal, each probably having personal connections with prominent worshippers of Baal.
27 Then they broke down the sacred pillar of Baal and tore down the temple of Baal and made it a refuse dump to this day.
Then they broke down the main pillar of Baal, and destroyed the house around it, turning it into refuse dump.
28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal from Israel.
In other words, it was how he got rid of the foreign Baal introduced by Jezebel, which was so hated in Israel, and with it all those who had become involved in its worship. But his zeal did not go as far as purifying the worship of YHWH. That was still left to be infected throughout out by local Baalism.
What he had done, however, had gone considerably beyond YHWH’s directive to him, and that no opportunity had been given for any to return to YHWH. That was not YHWH’s way. Furthermore, by his action Jehu had undoubtedly destroyed the very foundations of Israel’s bureaucracy, and decimated its leadership, undermining the strength and stability of the country. It was no wonder that as a result he had to yield fealty to, and pay tribute to, Shalmaneser III of Assyria. Another alternative open to him would have been total commitment to YHWH. Then Elisha would have been with him and things would have been very different. But such a commitment he was not willing to make, as we will now learn. And had he genuinely been walking closely with YHWH he would undoubtedly not have slaughtered so many.
Jehu is an example to all who, having been guided in a direction, go over the top and thereby turn their blessing into a curse to others by leading them in false paths.
While Jehu had certainly removed the worship of the Phoenician Baal (Baal Melqart) from the land, what he failed to do was carry the reforms even wider and remove the abominations of Jeroboam the golden calves at Bethel and Dan. Thus, he lost the opportunity of truly reforming Yahwism. Instead of a strict return to the laws and covenant of YHWH, he allowed the loose ways and ineffectual worship of a Yahwism intermingled with the worship of the local Baal. This served to demonstrate that his activities had not genuinely been carried out because of his real love for YHWH, but simply out of a politically motivated religious zeal.
29 However Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin, that is, from the golden calves that were at Bethel and Dan.
The purge that Jehu had carried out had put him in a powerful position for thoroughgoing reform. The nation was behind him and at the same time in awe of him. It was ripe for change. But he stopped short of what to YHWH was the essential requirement for any king of Israel, that he destroy the golden calves at Bethel and Dan and return to true Yahwism, thereby indicating that his loyalty was not truly given to YHWH and His covenant.
30 And the LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in doing what is right in My sight and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.”
Jehu was commended by YHWH for bringing his judgment on the house of Ahab, the task to which he had been called. His reward for what he had done was that his dynasty would last for four generations. But that was as far as it went. There is a deliberate contrast here with the everlasting dynasty of David. Jehu’s was strictly limited. He was not a man after God’s own heart.
Where Jehu failed was in a willingness to follow wholeheartedly after YHWH. He failed to walk in the Law of YHWH, Israel’s true God, with all his heart. He could have called on Elisha and with him worked out how Israel could be brought back to the true way, but instead he turned to the compromised way of Jeroboam.
32 In those days the LORD began to cut off parts of Israel; and Hazael conquered them in all the territory of Israel 33 from the Jordan eastward: all the land of Gilead—Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh—from Aroer, which is by the River Arnon, including Gilead and Bashan.
The result was that YHWH brought grief on Israel with the result that (like Judah under Jehoram) it began to lose part of its kingdom. Hazael, the king of Aram, attacked them by invading Transjordan and taking possession of all the land of Israel east of Jordan. It robbed Israel of much of its wealth. Transjordan would not finally be recovered until the time of Jeroboam II, the fourth king of Jehu’s dynasty.
34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 35 So Jehu rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. Then Jehoahaz his son reigned in his place.
Jehu died peacefully and was buried in Samaria, and Jehoahaz his son reigned instead of him. But it was over a much-depleted kingdom. Jehu had turned out to be a failure.
36 And the period that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.
Jehu had reigned over Israel for twenty-eight years. All, however, that we know about his reign was that it was a missed opportunity. The silence about his secular activities is a strong reminder to us that the only things that are important in life are the things that are genuinely achieved for God. Jehu had the opportunity to bring Israel back to YHWH, but instead he had been too concerned about his own affairs. How tragic it will be for us also if our lives are so overtaken with compromise and religious half-heartedness that we too fail to serve God faithfully.
