This
week, we shall continue to study the book of 2 Kings in the Old Testament.
(1) How did Elisha’s charge to the young prophet fulfill God’s command to Elijah in 1 Kings 19:16?
(2) Why did the anointing have to be done in private
and why did the prophet have to run after that? Consider the following:
a. Was it to protect the life of the young prophet? If so, from whom?
b. Was it to prevent him from being asked beyond his knowledge and commission?
c. For what other reason(s) could there be?
(3) As part of the anointing, what was Jehu told to do concerning the following persons?
a. Ahab (Compare to 1 Ki. 21:21-22)
- What were the reasons given then and now?
b. Jezebel (Compare to 1 Ki. 21:23-26)
- What were the reasons given then and now?
- Why would God allow this wicked queen to survive such a long time (some 12-13 years after the death of Ahab)?
(4) Consider the persistent questioning of the fellow officers:
a. Did they know that the young man was a prophet?
b. Why would they mock him as a mad man? (see Paul’s comment about himself in 1 Cor. 4:13)
(5) What might be the reason that Jehu was reluctant to tell his fellow officers the truth at first?
(6) Now that the anointing was made public, what did Jehu decide to do right away? (v.15)
(7) With the two consecutive messengers joining Jehu, the king should have had an inkling about what was going to happen:
a. How did the watchman describe Jehu’s driving?
b. What might this tell you about the person of Jehu?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“When Jehu went out to his fellow officers, one of them asked him, ‘Is everything all right? Why did this maniac come to you?’. ‘You know the man and the sort of things he says', Jehu replied.” (2 Ki. 9:11)
When Elisha commissioned the young prophet to anoint Jehu as the next king of Israel according to the prophecy and charge by God to Elisha in 1 Kings 19:16, he asked the young man to anoint Jehu in private and to “open the door and run, don’t delay” (2 Ki. 9:3). While this seems a bit odd, we can understand that to openly anoint Jehu would trigger an immediate uprising which Jehu might not be mentally prepared for; and to run away quickly was also only prudent because the young prophet was not Elisha and it would do Jehu no good in staying around to answer questions to which he likely did not have adequate answers for.
As it turned out, Jehu was really unprepared for this sudden anointing and he tried to hide it from his fellow officers. However, what I find most interesting is how both fellow officers and Jehu talked about this young prophet.
While his fellow officers called him a maniac, Jehu replied by saying, “You know the man and the sorts of things he says” (2 Ki. 9:11).
In other words, from the appearance of the young man, the fellow officers knew he was a prophet, and so did Jehu, except that they talked about him in a very demeaning way, and at the same time respected his message.
This is still the way people look upon Christians, and especially the true servants of the Lord; just as the Apostle Peter puts it, because “you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation and they heap abuse on you” and “think it strange” (1 Pet. 4:4). The Apostle Paul also speaks from experience about being servants of Christ in that “Up to this moment, we have become the scum of the earth and the refuse of the world” (1 Cor. 4:13). However, it has always been such strange maniacs and scum and refuse of the world who carry out the will of God and transform the lives of millions with the Good News!
9:21-29—The Death of Joram and Ahaziah
(1) Since Joram was resting in Jezreel to recover from his battle-wound, why did he choose to ride a chariot to greet Jehu? Should he not just wait for him to come and greet him instead?
(2) In the exchange between Joram and Jehu both mentioned “peace”:
a. What did Joram mean by “peace”?
b. What did Jehu mean by “peace”?
(3) What did Jehu ask his chariot officer to do? What prophecy was he referring to? (See 1 Ki. 21:19)
(4) What lesson(s) can we all learn from the fulfillment of such a prophecy?
(5) What lesson can we learn from the death of Ahaziah, the king of Judah? (see biblical comments about him in 2 Ki. 8:25-29)
9:30-37—The Death of Jezebel
(6) Jezebel obviously had heard of the death of her son, Joram:
a. Why did she call Jehu “Zimri”? (see 1 Ki. 16:9-13)
b. Why did she take the time to put on make up? Consider the following:
- To entice Jehu with her beauty
- To prepare to die in dignity as a queen
- For another reason
(7) How did she die?
(8) What happened to her body?
(9) How did it fulfill the prophecy of the Lord? (1 Ki. 21:23)
(10) What was the reason for her fate? (1 Ki. 21:25)
(11) What lesson(s) can we learn from the fulfillment of such a prophecy?
(12) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“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'.” (2 Ki. 9:35-36)
The Apostle Paul exhorts us not to take revenge, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord” (Rom. 12:19). However, at the time when we suffer injustice, it is often hard not to desire revenge and it is even hard when God does not seem to act quickly. In the case of avenging the blood of Naboth and the fulfillment of God’s prophecy against both Ahab and Jezebel, nothing happened till some 13 years after the death of Ahab. Sure it was a long time, but when it happened, every word of God’s severe punishment came to pass.
Look at how the
son of Ahab died according to the words of Jehu:
“Pick him (Joram) 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 spoke this prophecy against 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.” (2 Ki. 9:25-26)
The death of
Jezebel was even more graphic:
“So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered the wall and the horses as they trampled her underfoot…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 dung on the ground in the plot at Jezreel, so that no one will be able to say, "This is Jezebel".’” (2 Ki. 9:33, 35-37)
This is a solemn reminder that no one can take God lightly and that it is always up to God to avenge for those who belong to Him; it is only a matter of time and we should “leave room for God’s wrath” and not take matters in our own hands.
(1) What did the guardians of Ahab’s sons (likely grandsons given Ahab had died for about 13 years by then) decide in response to the threat of Jehu?
(2) These guardians obviously had looked after these children for some time, and to behead each of them was certainly ruthless and cruel: Do you think they really had any choice?
(3) What reason did Jehu give for the killing of Ahab’s family? (v. 10)
(4) Was he justified in so doing? Why or why not?
(5) According to the relatives of Ahaziah, what was their purpose of visiting Samaria? (v. 13)
(6) How did their words convict them of their sin?
(7) Why did Jehu spare the life of Jehonadab? (See Note below)
(8) What was the biblical comment concerning what Jehu did to the family of Ahab? (v. 17 and 1 Ki. 21:21)
(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
Note:
“Jehonadab the son of Rachab was the tribe-father of the Rechabites (Jer. 35:6). The rule which the latter laid down for his sons and descendants for all time, was to lead a simple nomad life, namely to dwell in tents, follow no agricultural pursuits, and abstain from wine; which rule they observed so sacredly, that the prophet Jeremiah held them up as models before his own contemporaries…This Jehonadab was therefore a man distinguished for the strictness of his life, and Jehu appears to have received him in this friendly manner on account of the great distinction in which he was held, not only in his own tribe, but also in Israel generally, that he might exalt himself in the eyes of the people through his friendship.” (K&D, 245)
“We are relatives of Ahaziah, and we have come down to greet the families of the king and of the queen mother.” (2 Ki. 10:13)
The extermination of the entire house of Ahab was decreed by the Lord (1 Ki. 21:21) and was commissioned by the Lord (2 Ki. 9:7ff). Therefore, Jehu could carry out his killing of the entire family of Ahab, rightfully, in the name of the Lord (2 Ki. 10:10). However, one wonders why Jehu had to kill not only Ahaziah, the king of Judah, but also his relatives. (2 Ki. 10:13).
King Ahaziah certainly deserved his punishment, as the Bible makes plain that, “He walked in the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the Lord as the house of Ahab had done, for he was related by marriage to Ahab’s family” (2 Ki. 8:27).
As we know, apart from Ahab’s own wrong-doings, his evil deeds were much influenced by his wife, Jezebel, and the Bible basically attributed the worship of Baal and Asherah to Jezebel.
The prophecies by Elijah against both Ahab and Jezebel (1 Ki. 21:19ff) must have been well-known to all, especially in Jerusalem where they still continued the worship of the Lord in His temple. And yet, these relatives of Ahaziah did not come only to greet the king of Israel, but also the queen mother, meaning Jezebel! Such alliance with the wicked queen was inexcusable and thus in his zeal for the Lord (2 Ki. 10:16), Jehu also killed all 42 of them.
While we like to emphasize that God hates sin but not sinners, the truth of the matter is, like cancer, sin is contagious and needs to be eradicated at the source. Whether of Ahaziah or his 42 relatives, their death had given a chance for the godly priest, Jehoiada to bring about a revival to the kingdom of Judah (2 Ki. 11). This is also a great reminder to us about the importance of eradication of sins in our own lives, so that God may bring a revival to us and His church.
(1) Why would the prophets of Baal believe Jehu’s claim to worship Baal?
(2) What steps had he taken to ensure the assembly of all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests in the following way?
a. They would gather together (v. 20)
b. They would not suspect him (v. 24) and
c. They would not be able to escape (vv. 22, 24)
(3) Would you say Jehu was wise or cunning?
(4) How complete was his extermination of Baal worship? (vv. 25-27)
(5) What was the biblical verdict on the life of Jehu? (vv. 30-31)
(6) How then would you describe the meaning of his “zeal for the Lord”? (v. 16)
(7) Why did the Lord decide “to reduce the size of Israel”, beginning with the time of Jehu?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“Jehu said, ‘Come with me and see my zeal for the LORD.’ Then he had him ride along in his chariot.” (2 Ki. 10:16)
As much as the Lord had clearly decreed the punishment of Ahab and his household (1 Ki. 21:19ff) and He also clearly commissioned Jehu to carry out His decree (2 Ki. 9:6-10), I could not help but “feel” that Jehu’s zeal for the Lord was rather convenient.
While all that he did to anyone remotely related to Ahab was justified by the Word of the Lord, it also meant that he had eradicated all possible present and future opposition to his reign and that of his descendants! Not only that, it appears that he was absolutely zealous in carrying out the decree of the Lord in eradicating anyone related to Ahab, but not necessarily in completely “keeping the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart” (2 Ki. 10:31). While the Bible only pinpoints his sin of not turning away from “the sins of Jeroboam which he caused Israel to commit”, I believe this proved that his heart was not in the right place.
This reminds me of the “inquisitions” of the past in which in the zeal of eradicating heresies, many were burnt at the stakes, but the church only veered more and more away from the truth and the heart of God. I am afraid such “inquisitions” still continue in many so-called Bible-believing churches, albeit there is no stake to burn the so-called “heretics”, but our zeal for the Lord remains only on creeds and regulations, without being “careful to keep the law of the Lord…with all our heart”!
(1) Athaliah is the granddaughter of Omri, i.e. daughter of Ahab and Jezebel (see 2 Ki. 8:18, 26):
a. Why did Athaliah want to destroy the whole royal family?
b. In what way was she like her mother, Jezebel?
(2) Where were the other brothers of Ahaziah, i.e. sons of Jehoram (and Athaliah)? (see 2 Chr. 21:16-17)
(3) Who was Jehosheba? (see 2 Chr. 22:11 as well)
(4) Why and where did she hide Joash?
(5) The Chronicler gives, in greater detail, the account of the protection of Joash (see 2 Chr. 23) which involved more than the royal guards but priests and Levites:
a. What do you think was the reason that the people would support Joash and not Athaliah despite her ruthlessness and power?
b. Why was Jehoiada so committed to restoring the reign to Joash? (see 2 Chr. 23:3)
(6) What did the process of anointing involve? (v. 12)
(7) What was the significance of presenting the king with a copy of the covenant (i.e. the Law of Moses)? (see Deut. 17:18-20)
(8) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“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.” (2 Ki. 11:12)
One has to admire the courage of Jehosheba in risking her life to save Joash. We are not certain whether she was the daughter of Athaliah, or if she was born by another wife of Jehoram; just the same, she must have taken a great risk in hiding Joash, first in one of the bedrooms within the palace, and later on inside the temple (vv. 2-3).
The fact that she was the wife of the priest, Jehoiada (2 Chr. 22:11) serves to explain why she was able not to follow the evil of her time, including the worship of Baal, which no doubt was the result of the intermarriage between the house of Jehoshaphat and the house of Ahab.
Perhaps, after six years of reign by Athaliah, Jehoiada felt that it was not easy to hide a seven-year old boy (2 Ki. 11:21) in the temple any more, and he decided to use his influence and power (2 Chr. 23:1) to gather the commanders and the people to reclaim the reign for Joash. In so doing, it is important to note that he not only anointed and crowned the king, but he followed the command of the Lord and presented Joash with a copy of the covenant, i.e. the Law of Moses according to the requirement stipulated in Deut. 17:18-20 which says,
“When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.”
While the scroll so presented may not have been copied by Joash himself, it was not meant to be a superficial, meaningless rite, but as a commitment by the king to read and follow all the words of the law all the days of his life. As it turned out, he was only able to do so as long as Jehoiada was alive and he departed from the Lord and worshipped Asherah poles and other idols after his death (2 Chr. 24:17-18).
It is such an important reminder to us in the discipling of new believers or future generations that we have to ground them in their own reading, understanding and practicing of God’s words and not in their continuous dependence on any counselors or spiritual directors!
(1) What propelled Athaliah to seize the throne and kill the entire royal family in the first place?
(2) Did she ever look upon the kingdom of Judah as God’s? Why or why not?
(3) Now that she cried “Treason”, was she not aware that she committed treason (and worse) in the first place?
(4) What lesson can we learn from her deeds and her end?
(5) In reestablishing a throne after David, why did Jehoaida make a covenant in these ways?
a. First between the Lord and the king and people
b. Then between the king and the people
c. How important was each? (Deut. 17:18-20）
(6) What was the immediate result of the making of these covenants? (v. 18)
(7) How important was such an action?
(8) Joash was only seven years old when he became king. What then would be the most important thing for him to succeed as a godly king?
(9) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family.” (2 Ki. 11:1)
Athaliah was no ordinary woman: She was the granddaughter of Omri, which made her the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel (2 Ki. 8:18, 26). While Jehu thought he had killed “all who were left” of Ahab’s family, and fulfilled the word of the Lord spoken to Elijah (2 Ki. 10:17), he forgot that there was still one left, and she was dwelling in safety within the palace of Judah!
We may not know why Athaliah was so ruthless and cold-blooded as to “destroy the whole royal family” of her son (2 Ki. 11:1):
- Maybe, she aspired to take after her mother, Jezebel who set an example of ruthlessness and brutality and was basically the “ipso-facto king” of Israel even while Ahab was alive; or
- Given the killing of Jehu of all her family, she saw that it was her opportunity to eventually get her revenge by seizing the throne in Judah, and wait for an opportunity to defeat and kill Jehu.
Whatever her reason was, she had completely ignored God’s promise that “David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name” even at the time of the division of the Davidic kingdom (1 Ki. 11:36).
It is such an important reminder to us that it never pays to act against the will of God; we do so at our own perils!
(1) How important was priest Jehoiada to Joash?
(2) What might be the core reason for Joash to stray away from the teaching of the priest after his death? (See 2 Chr. 24:17ff)
In any case, he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord for quite a long time, and the repairs of the temple was one of such deeds:
(3) What happened to the temple of the Lord before the reign of Joash? (see 2 Chr. 24:7)
(4) The words spoken by Joash to the priests in vv. 4-5:
a. Do you think it was an official edict?
b. What essentially was he asking the priests to do?
(5) We have no idea how much time had lapsed since his instruction to the priests, but nothing had been done to the temple:
a. What new instruction did he give them in vv. 7-8?
b. Based on the words of Joash, do we know what had happened to the money received by the priests all these years?
(6) Apart from simply giving the priests a mandate, Joash wisely implemented a very practical and open procedure, with checks and balances, to ensure that the priests would follow through with his instruction. (vv. 9-12)
a. How should the money be collected?
b. Where would this chest be placed?
c. Who would count the money? Why did it involve two people?
d. Who would replace the priests to supervise the repair work of the temple?
e. Who would handle the payment to the tradesmen?
(7) What was the sole purpose of the use of this money? (v. 13)
(8) Would such a decree by Joash threaten the livelihood of the priests? Why? (v. 16)
(9) What are the principles that can still be used when it comes to the handling of money in the church or Christian ministry?
(10) What is the main message to you today and how may you apply it to your life?
“The money from the guilt offerings and sin offerings was not brought into the temple of the LORD; it belonged to the priests.” (2 Ki. 12:16)
Let’s put aside the latter part of Joash’s life for a moment and reflect on how wise he was in steering the priests to finish the repairs work of the temple.
The sons of the wicked woman, Athaliah, had broken up the temple of the Lord (2 Chr. 24:7, KJV) and it was desperately in need of repairs. At first, the king gave a command to the priests to use money they received, other than from guilt and sin offerings, and direct them to the fixing of the temple. I said it was a command, because the words of the king, however he phrased it, had to be a command.
Interestingly, the priests only gave lip-serve to the king in this respect and we have no idea how long the king’s decree had lapsed and nothing was done to fix the temple. The king never accused the priests of embezzlement, but he implemented something that was workable, open, with checks and balances, and was fair.
- It was a procedure open for all to observe: All the money would be collected in a chest placed beside the altar.
- It was secure: Like today’s collect boxes, the chest had a hole on the top, and money was not easily taken out.
- Integrity of counting was ensured: The money would be counted by two persons. It was a system of checks and balances, involving two highly respected individuals, the royal secretary and the high priest.
- Expertise was introduced: The supervision work was taken away from the priests and given to a person with expertise to supervise the work of the repairs.
- People in ministry did not touch the money: No priests were involved in the payment to tradesmen, avoiding any mistrust and temptation to the servants of the Lord.
- A dedicated fund: In today’s terms, such money collected was put into a building fund, not to be mixed with the operating fund.
- The priests were well taken care of: The money from the guilt offerings and the sin offerings was not touched at all; they belonged to the priests for their support.
While most churches have already followed all of the above principles, some still do not. I would urge them to learn from the wisdom of Joash.