“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. Then he said, “Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord.” So they had him ride in his chariot. 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.” II Kings 10:15-17 NKJV
a. He met Jehonadab the son of Rechab: This was the mysterious founder of the Rechabites, who were a reform movement among the people of God, protesting the immoral and impure lives of many in Israel and Judah.
i. In Jeremiah 35, God used the Rechabites, and the memory of Jehonadab as an example of faithfulness and obedience, to rebuke His unfaithful and disobedient people.
ii. “Jeremiah records that Jehonadab was the leader of an aesthetic group that lived an austere, nomadic life in the desert, drinking no wine and depending solely on the Lord for their sustenance. Separatists to the core and strong patriots, they lived in protest to the materialism and religious compromise in Israel.” (Patterson and Austel)
iii. “According to Josephus, Jehu and Jehonadab were friends of long standing, and both detested the luxurious surrounding of the royal family.” (Dilday)
b. Is your heart right, as my heart is toward your heart: Jehu wanted to know if Jehonadab was on his side. Jehonadab was optimistic at the emergence of this energetic reformer; Jehu was hungry for the approval of this popular religious leader and reformer. It isn’t too cynical to think that Jehu wanted to use Jehonadab to add legitimacy to his reign as king.
i. “Jehonadab was doubtless a very honourable man in Israel; and by carrying him about with him in his chariot, Jehu endeavoured to acquire the public esteem. ‘Jehu must be acting right, for Jehonadab is with him, and approves his conduct.’” (Clarke)
c. Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD: The zeal of Jehu was noted in his complete and energetic obedience to the LORD, to the disregard of his own safety and comfort. Yet this statement reveals the dangerous root of pride in Jehu – he is proud of his own zeal.
i. “When proceeding against Baal worship, his words to Jehonadab, ‘Come with me, and see my zeal for Jehovah,’ are in themselves a revelation of a proud spirit.” (Morgan)
ii. “His ostentatious display of his reforming zeal revealed how little he had God’s glory in mind in the midst of all his feverish activity and abolition.” (Knapp)
(Guzik)
See My Zeal!
“he is proud of his own zeal”, “a revelation of a proud spirit.”
It is one thing to have internal zeal for the Lord but another thing to invite someone to see it!
I am reminded of an another with a proud spirit: ““Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’” Luke 18:10-12 NKJV
But the tax collector prayed thusly: “And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.””
Luke 18:13-14 NKJV
Jesus’s response to the humbled sinner was justification, forgiveness!
The lesson of these verses is to be humble, ie Humility!
Blessings
No comments:
Post a Comment