Join us in today’s episode as we chart the dramatic events of 2 Kings chapter 9, where Jehu is thrust into a divine mission of cleansing Israel from its past. With the powerful narratives read by Senator Kevin Grantham, and insights from Alan J. Huth’s extensive Bible journals, we uncover the partial achievements of Jehu as a king and reflect on how understanding God’s purpose is crucial in our lives. Tune in for an engaging mix of biblical history, personal reflection, and spiritual challenge.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. Allen J. Huth shares a Bible passage with comments from over 35 years of his personal Bible reading journals and applies the Word of God to our daily lives.
SPEAKER 02 :
Today is day 19 in our journey through 1 and 2 Kings. Today we’re on 2 Kings chapter 9. We’ll listen to our guest reader, Senator Kevin Grantham, former president of the Colorado State Senate, as he reads 2 Kings chapter 9.
SPEAKER 03 :
2 Kings 9 Then Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, Tie up your garments and take this flask of oil in your hand and go to Ramoth Gilead. And when you arrive, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi, and go in and have him rise from among his fellows and lead him to an inner chamber. Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel. Then open the door and flee. Do not linger. So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead. And when he came, behold, the commander of the army were in council. And he said, I have a word for you, O commander. And Jehu said, To which of us all? And he said, To you, O commander. So he arose and went into the house, and the young man poured the oil on his head and said to him, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, I anoint you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel. And you shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants, the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish. and I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. And 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. And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her. Then he opened the door and fled. When Jehu came out to the servants of his master, they said to him, Is all well? Why did this mad fellow come to you? And he said to them, You know the fellow and his talk. And they said, That is not true. Tell us now. And he said, Thus and so he spoke to me, saying, Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel. Then in haste every man of them took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps, and they blew the trumpet and proclaimed, Jehu is king. Thus Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. Now Joram, with all Israel, had been on guard at Ramoth Gilead against Hazael, king of Syria. But king Joram had returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Syrians had given him when he fought with Hazael, king of Syria. So Jehu said, If this is your decision, then let no one slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel. Then Jehu mounted his chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to visit Joram. Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu as he came and said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take a horseman and send to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace? So a man on horseback went to meet him and said, Thus says the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said, What do you have to do with peace? Turn around and ride behind me. And the watchman reported, saying, The messenger reached them, but he is not coming back. So he sent out a second horseman who came to them and said, Thus the king has said, Is it peace? And Jehu answered, What do you have to do with peace? Turn around and ride behind me. Again the watchman reported, He reached them, but he is not coming back. And the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously. Joram said, Make ready. And they made ready his chariot. Then Joram, king of Israel, and Ahaziah, king of Judah, set out, each in his chariot, and went to meet Jehu, and met him at the property of Naboth the Jezreelite. And when Joram saw Jehu, he said, Is it peace, Jehu? He answered, What peace can there be, so long as the oarings and the sorceries of your mother Jezebel are so many? Then Joram reigned about and fled, saying to Ahaziah, Treachery, O Ahaziah! And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength and shot Joram between the shoulders so that the arrow pierced his heart, and he sank in his chariot. Jehu said to Bidkar his aide, Take him up and throw him on the plot of ground belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. For remember, when you and I rode side by side behind Ahab his father, Now the Lord made this pronouncement against him. As surely as I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons, declares the Lord, I will repay you on this plot of ground. Now therefore take him up and throw him on the plot of ground in accordance with the word of the Lord. When Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled in the direction of Bethhagan. And Jehu pursued him and said, Shoot him also. And they shot him in the chariot at the ascent of Gur, which is by Iblium. And he fled to Megiddo and died there. His servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem and buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the city of David. In the eleventh year of Joram, the son of Ahab, Ahaziah began to reign over Judah. When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it, and she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out of the window. And as Jehu entered the gate, she said, Is it peace, you, Zimri, murderer of your master? And he lifted up his face to the window and said, Who is on my side? Who? Two or three eunuchs looked out at him. He said, Throw her down. So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled on her. So he went in and ate and drank, and he said, See now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king’s daughter. But when they went to bury her, they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. When they came back and told him, he said, This is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite. In the territory of Jezreel the dog shall eat the flesh of Jezebel, and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as dung on the face of the field in the territory of Jezreel, so that no one can say, This is Jezebel.
SPEAKER 02 :
Back in 1989, when I was 34 years old, I was reading the Bible at a very rapid pace, and so I read 2 Kings chapters 1 through 16 on the same day, and I didn’t have anything specific about 2 Kings chapter 9. Eight years later, in 1997, at 42 years old, I read 2 Kings 9-11 on the same day. I have nothing related to chapter 9, so I will refer to that journal entry in a later recording. And 14 years later, in 2011, I read 2 Kings 9-11 on the same day, as well as a New Testament passage out of John. Concerning chapter 9, I wrote, Jehu begins to cleanse Israel. He was anointed by Elisha and ridged the nation of Ahab’s descendants and Jezebel and Baal worshipped. But according to chapter 10, verse 31, But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord. 2 Kings chapter 9 refers to one of very few halfway decent kings of the nation of Israel. Virtually all the kings of the tribes of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. But Jehu at least accomplishes a few things for the Lord. First of all, it is clear that God anointed him king over Israel. Chapter 9, verse 3. Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel. His mission was also clear. Verse 7. And you shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord. God had a specific purpose for Jehu, just like he does for you and me. Jehu makes the choice to obey what he’s heard from the Lord. How about you? Do you understand your purpose? Do you understand what God has purposed you for? Have you taken time to even listen to the Lord and hear what he has in store for you as you sojourn on the earth? Jehu chose to obey. He assassinates the king of Israel, Joram, and he assassinates the king of Judah, Ahaziah. Verse 24, And Jehu drew his bow with full strength and shot Joram between the shoulders, so that the arrow pierced his heart and he sank in his chariot. And then verse 27, When Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled in the direction of Bethhagan. And Jehu pursued him and said, Shoot him also. Next, he goes after Jezebel. Verse 33 says, He said, Throw her down. So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled on her. These things Jehu did fulfilled the words of the prophet Elisha. As the chapter closes, verse 36 and 37, When they came back and told him, he said, This is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite. In the territory of Jezreel the dog shall eat the flesh of Jezebel, and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as dung on the face of the field in the territory of Jezreel, so that no one can say, This is Jezebel. Jehu is appointed king to fulfill the prophecies and the will of God Almighty. The story of Jehu will continue in tomorrow’s recording. Father, we bow before you. We understand just like Jehu, you have a purpose for our lives. He went about pursuing and fulfilling that purpose. We pray we will also. You used Jehu to fulfill your prophecies and your will. Use us to do the same. Holy Spirit, provide a quiet moment sometime today where we can seek your will for our lives. and then give us the courage to obey. We ask it in the name of Jesus, our Savior and Lord. Amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. We make very few financial appeals after our daily programs, yet from time to time it is necessary to do so. Today is one of those days, so please don’t shut me off. The Ezra Project started in 2002 with one mission, to connect God’s people to God’s Word. Back then, and still today, I believe the number one need in the Christian church is to come back to God’s Word. I’m not a preacher. I don’t have a pulpit to encourage Christians to engage in their Bibles or a church to support this radio program. But with your help, we can continue to proclaim God’s Word to you and thousands of others. Ours is a unique approach. We don’t preach the Word or even teach the Word. We share the powerful impact of God’s Word in a normal life over 50 years of daily Bible reading. I started reading my Bible at 15 years old and have virtually read my Bible every day since. In AddBible, I share my personal Bible reading journal starting in 1983 and continuing to this day. I share from my heart how the Bible has intersected my life and how it can intersect yours. We need less preaching about the Bible and more personal engagement in the Bible. We need to know the Bible is still applicable to a 21st century life. That’s our mission at the Ezra Project. If you agree that the greatest need among Christians is to get back into the Bible and apply it to our daily lives, I invite you to visit our website, EzraProject.net, and donate today. You can do it online or by mail. Our mailing address is there on our website. We have so much more to share on this program. Your partnership will allow us to do so. Thanks for considering a financial donation today. It’s not too late to get your copy of the writings of the Old Testament historical books to follow along with this Ad Bible program the next several weeks. The book contains our studies on Job, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles, which we will be in the next several weeks. The book has comments on every chapter, applications for your life, and a place for you to record your own thoughts on each chapter of each book for future reference. Visit EzraProject.net and order the writings of the Old Testament historical books today so you can get more out of these radio programs and more out of your Bible. I know you’re going to enjoy it. I know you’re going to like it and want to share it with others.
