Kings 11:1-3 God Remembered His Promise!

 “When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal heirs. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being murdered; and they hid him and his nurse in the bedroom, from Athaliah, so that he was not killed. So he was hidden with her in the house of the Lord for six years, while Athaliah reigned over the land.” II Kings‬ ‭11‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead: Ahaziah was executed by Jehu, as recorded in 2 Kings 9:27-29. She used the occasion of her son’s death to take power for herself, and she reigned over the land for six years.

i. We remember that Athaliah was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, and was given to King Jehoram of Judah as a bride. She was a bad influence on both her husband (Jehoram of Judah) and her son (King Ahaziah of Judah).

b. And destroyed all the royal heirs: Athaliah was from the family of Ahab, and Jehu had completely destroyed all of Ahab’s descendants in Israel. Now, after Jehu’s coup, Athaliah tried to save something for Ahab’s family by trying to eliminate the house of David in Judah.

i. “How dreadful is the lust of reigning! It destroys all the charities of life; and turns fathers, mothers, brothers, and children, into the most ferocious savages!” (Clarke)

ii. Years before, the king of Judah – Jehoshaphat – married his son to this daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, hoping to make an alliance with those wicked and apostate leaders. “And this was the fruit of Jehoshaphat’s marrying his son to a daughter of that idolatrous and wicked house of Ahab, even the extirpation of all his posterity but one.” (Poole)

iii. “No character in history, sacred or secular, stands out blacker or more hideous than this daughter-in-law of the godly Jehoshaphat.” (Knapp)

c. But Jehosheba: This little-known woman had an important place in God’s plan of the ages. Through her courage and ingenuity, she preserved the royal line of David through which the Messiah would come. Evil people like Athaliah will begin their work, but God can always raise up a Jehosheba.

i. “Thus evil always breaks down. It is extremely clever, it calculates on all the changes, and seems to leave no unguarded place; but with unvarying regularity it fails somewhere to cover up its tracks, or to insure its victory.” (Morgan)

ii. 2 Chronicles 22:11 tells us that Jehosheba was the wife of Jehoiada, the high priest. Yet, “It is not likely that Jehosheba was the daughter of Athaliah; she was a sister, we find, to Ahaziah the son of Athaliah, but probably by a different mother.” (Clarke)

d. He was hidden with her in the house of the LORD for six years: Though Ahaziah was a bad king who made evil alliances, he was still a descendant of David and the successor of his royal line. For the sake of David, God remembered His promise and spared this one young survivor to the massacre of Athaliah. The line of David was almost extinguished and continued only in the presence of a small boy, but God preserved that flickering flame.

i. “Josephus (Antiquities 9.7.1) says that the bedroom where the child and his nurse hid was a room where spare furniture and mattresses were stored.” (Wiseman)

ii. Like the boy Samuel, Joash grew up in the temple. Like Samuel, he probably found little ways to help the priests, whatever could be done without attracting too much attention.

God remembered His promise!

For the sake of David God remembered His promise! 

But God made a promise for you too!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Have you grasped onto this promise of everlasting life?

Blessings 

2 Kings 10:34-36 Relationship With God?

Relationship With God? “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? So Jehu rested with his fathers, and they buried him in Samaria. Then Jehoahaz his son reigned in his place. And the period that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.”

‭‭II Kings‬ ‭10‬:‭34‬-‭36‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. And they buried him in Samaria: Though incomplete in his own goodness, this man was the best of a bad group. Jehu’s goodness was rewarded with a long reign (twenty-eight years).

b. Twenty-eight years: This was a long reign, but notable only at its beginning. Jehu had the energy and influence to truly turn the nation back to God, but his half-commitment to God left that potential unfulfilled and points to a lack of any real relationship with God.

i. “We have no chronicles in which there is any thing further spoken of this bad man. His reign was long, twenty-eight years; and yet we know nothing of it but the commencement.” (Clarke)

ii. “The great lesson to be drawn from this remarkable man’s life is that of being constantly on guard, as servants of God, lest we be found doing His work – whether it be in the exercise of discipline, or the accomplishment of reformation – in a spirit of unbrokenness and without due exercise of heart and conscience between Him who is ‘a God of judgment,’ and by whom ‘actions are weighed.’” (Knapp)

(Guzik)

Relationship With God?

Years ago when my father died a friend had told me, “you are now mortal”. Not understanding what he meant I asked for clarification.

He said that the previous generation is gone and you’re next!

Now that Im in my golden years, I reflect back on my life and examine my relationship with God! 

I thank God for His Son Jesus Christ! If there is one thing I could change it would have been seeking God sooner!

I have been born again and because of my relationship with Jesus I know that my home is in heaven. 

How is your relationship with God?

Blessings 

2 Kings 10:32-33 To Cut Off!

 “In those days the Lord began to cut off parts of Israel; and Hazael conquered them in all the territory of Israel 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.” II Kings‬ ‭10‬:‭32‬-‭33‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. In those days the LORD began to cut off parts of Israel: This was the work of the LORD. These neighboring rulers and their kingdoms were prompted and made successful by God.

b. All the territory of Israel from the Jordan eastward: For hundreds of years before this – since the time of the entry into the Promised Land more than 600 years before – Israel held substantial portions of land on the eastern side of the Jordan River. This land was held by the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh. Now this land was taken by the enemies of Israel, because of their sin and unfaithfulness to the covenant.

i. This included the rich and fruitful lands of Gilead and Bashan. (Guzik)

To Cut Off!

“Now this land was taken by the enemies of Israel, because of their sin and unfaithfulness to the covenant.” (Guzik)

The Bible shows us many times what happened when the Israelites strayed from the covenant. He eventually cuts them off completely and they will be conquered and taken as prisoners away from the promised land.

“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭5‬:‭20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

It seems to me that we are living out Isaiah’s prophecy in real time!

“the Lord began to cut off” this verse should be a warning for us!

Please pray for a revival.

Blessings 

2 Kings 10:29-31 Child Of God?

 “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. 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.” 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.” ‭‭II Kings‬ ‭10‬:‭29‬-‭31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. However Jehu did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam: Jehu aggressively worked against the worship of Baal in Israel. However, he promoted the false worship of the true God, after the pattern of Jeroboam who set up the golden calves that were at Bethel and Dan.

i. “Do not be content to be strong against evil; be eagerly ambitious of good. It is easier to be vehement against the abominations of others than to judge and put away your own secret sins.” (Meyer)

ii. “Jehu did obey God up to a certain point. It happened to be a profitable thing to him to exterminate the old royal house of Ahab, because it would confirm himself upon his own throne; but anything beyond that did not pay, and therefore Jehu did not touch it.” (Spurgeon)

b. Because you have done well in doing what is right in My sight: Clearly, there was much good in the reign of Jehu. He was absolutely committed to fulfilling God’s judgment against the house of Ahab and driving the worship of Baal out of Israel. For this, he would be rewarded with a dynasty that would last four generations.

i. This was clear praise of Jehu’s actions; yet Hosea 1:4 condemns them. For in a little while I will avenge the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu, and bring an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. We can see that both 2 Kings 10:30 and Hosea 1:4are true, in that Jehu was both good and bad.

· Jehu carried out God’s will, but he went too far and executed more people than God intended.

· Jehu carried out God’s will, but he did it for personal glory and out of pride.

· Jehu carried out God’s will, but he only did it partially. He stopped the idolatry of Baal, but he continued the sinful idolatry of Jeroboam.

c. But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart: Yet, Jehu was also clearly disobedient and did not obey or serve God with all his heart.

i. “Herein he discovers his hypocrisy, that he follows God as far as his interest would permit… but no further.” (Poole)

ii. We might see Jehu as a great Israeli patriot. He protested against Joram and the house of Ahab for the harm they did to Israel, and knew that to be strong, Israel must be cleansed of Baal worship. He knew that Israel had to come back to the true God, but he was unconcerned about how they did it. For Jehu, it was just as good to worship Yahweh at the temple of the golden calves at Dan or Bethel, and it was better for Israel if they did it at those places rather than at Jerusalem.

iii. When we compare Jehu to the other kings of Israel, we see that he was the best of a bad group. No other king in Israel fought against idolatry as much as Jehu did; sadly, even he did not fight against it with all his heart.

iv. By not taking heed to walk in the law of the LORD God, Jehu showed that he did not live a life of fellowship with God. He was a success in one regard, but a successful failure. “How terrible a warning is the story of this man – that it is possible to be an instrument in the hand of God and yet never be in fellowship with Him.” (Morgan)

v. “Jehu’s zeal, on the contrary, consumed and destroyed everybody and everything that stood in the way of his own advantage or aggrandizement, but never touched himself. He appears to have been a total stranger to real exercise of soul.” (Knapp)

vi. “Hating one sin he loved another, and thus proved that the fear of the Most High did not reign in his breast. He was merely a hired servant, and received the throne as his wages, but a child of God he never was.” (Spurgeon)

(Guzik)

Child of God?

It’s easy for man to go through the motions and do the bidding of the Lord like Jehu, but if you don’t have Jesus in your heart then Spurgeon’s commentary rings true! 

“but a child of God he never was.” (Spurgeon)

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:” ‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.” I John‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Who is Him In these verses? Jesus!

Are you a child of God?

Blessings 

Child of God?

2 Kings 10:24-28 The True God!

 “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.” 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. And they brought the sacred pillars out of the temple of Baal and burned them. 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. Thus Jehu destroyed Baal from Israel.” II Kings‬ ‭10‬:‭24‬-‭28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. As soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering: Jehu chose to offer the sacrifice to Baal first, and then to call for the execution of the worshippers of Baal.

b. And tore down the temple of Baal and made it a refuse dump: Ahab built this temple for his wife Jezebel (1 Kings 16:32); Jehu tore it down. He worked to completely eliminate the worship of Baal from Israel, making him a unique king among the other rulers of the Northern Kingdom.

i. Beginning with the first king of Israel – Jeroboam – Israel was steeped in idolatry. Jeroboam began with false representations of the true God (the golden calves described in 1 Kings 12:25-33). The successive kings of Israel continued his idolatry (Nadab, Baasha, Elah, Zimri, and Omri), until the reign of Ahab. Under King Ahab, Israel moved from the false worship of the true God to the state-supported worship of Baal(1 Kings 16:29-34). The son of Ahab (Jehoram/Joram) continued this practice until he was assassinated by Jehu, who destroyed the infrastructure of state-sponsored Baal worship in Israel.

ii. He destroyed this temple of Baal and utterly desecrated it. To say he made it a refuse dump is literally that he made it a public toilet. “A place for human excrement; so all the versions understand it. Nothing could be more degrading than this.” (Clarke)

(Guzik)

The True God!

Our nation is also steeped in idolatry. We have removed The True God from our government, schools and courts and just like the days of Jeroboam the writing is on the wall. I am reminded of another time that the writing appeared on the wall!

“In the same hour the fingers of a man’s hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.” ‭‭Daniel‬ ‭5‬:‭5‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Then the fingers of the hand were sent from Him, and this writing was written. “And this is the inscription that was written: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN. This is the interpretation of each word. MENE: God has numbered your kingdom, and finished it; TEKEL: You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting; PERES: Your kingdom has been divided, and given to the Medes and Persians.”” ‭‭

Daniel‬ ‭5‬:‭24‬-‭28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

But there is hope in Jesus! Please pray for a revival in our country, that we as a nation turn from idolatry and return to The True God.

Blessings 

2 Kings 10:18-23 Sacrifice to Baal?

 “Then Jehu gathered all the people together, and said to them, “Ahab served Baal a little, Jehu will serve him much. 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. And Jehu said, “Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal.” So they proclaimed it. 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. 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 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.”” ‭‭II Kings‬ ‭10‬:‭18‬-‭23‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

a. Ahab served Baal a little, Jehu will serve him much: Jehu feigned devotion to Baal to lure the priests and worshippers of Baal into a trap. Jehu acted deceptively, with the intent of destroying the worshippers of Baal.

i. I have a great sacrifice: “The person who made the sacrifice is not stated, it may be indefinite… The text does not say that Jehu acted as sacrificing priest.” (Wiseman)

ii. The priests of Baal believed the deception. “They were excited that their new king, Jehu, and the famous sheik of the Rechabites, Jehonadab, were now distinguished converts and were joining them in a ceremonial sacrifice to Baal.” (Dilday)

b. Search and see that no servants of the LORD are here with you, but only worshippers of Baal: Jehu wanted to be certain that all the worshippers of the true God were put out of the place. (Guzik)

Sacrifice to Baal?

You may have heard it said that anything that takes away your time from the Lord and occupies it, is your god. Everywhere we turn the devil is trying to lure us away from the Lord. It can be something as simple as television, social media, politics, sports and the like.

But I must ask, are you sacrificing your time to Baal?

Blessings