Thursday, June 16, 2022

Bible in one year 6/16/ 2022 2Kings Chapter 8- 10 Jehu and Jezebel's death By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

 Bible in one year 6/16/ 2022  2Kings Chapter 8- 10  Jehu and Jezebel's death 

By Rev.Katherine Liu Bruce

Christian Arts Ministries : Biblical precepts & Gospel music; Pastoral ministry & Counseling

 

2 Kings Chapter 8 Elisha’s prophecy seven years a famine and weep for Hazael’s evil

       

Elisha had said to the Shunamite woman who built a small room on the roof for Elisha to stay,  and had restored her son to life (4:8-37). “ Go away with your family and stay for a while wherever you can, because the Lord has decreed a famine in the land  that will last seven years.”(v.1). So the woman proceeded to do as Elisha said. She and her family stayed in the land of the Philistines seven years.  At the end of the seven years, she came back and asked the king to beg for her house and land. The king was talking to Gehaze the servant of Elisha, what Elisha had done. Just as Gehaze was telling the king how Elisha had restored the dead to life. The Shunammite woman came to beg the king for her house and land. Through Gehazi affirmed to the king that the woman whose son was restored by Elisha. So the king proceeds to restore her house, deeds and land. Though the seven –year famine must have ended before Gehazi became a leper(5:27). Apparently Gehazi’s form of leprosy did not require isolation(2Kings8:405).     

Elisha went to Damascus, king of Aram Ben-Hada was ill. So he sent Hazael to ask the man of God Elisha, will he recover from this illness? (v.8). Elisha answered, “ Go and say to him, ‘ you will certainly recover, but the Lord has revealed to me that he will in fact die.’ (v.10). And Elisha stard at him with a fixed gaze until Hazael felt ashamed. Because Hazael will inflict to Israel, so Elisha began to weep(v.11). Hazael will set fire to their fortified places, kell their young men with the sword, dash their little children to the ground and rid open their pregnant women and Lord has shown that Hazael will become king of Aram. (vv.12-3). When Hazael backed to Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram asked “ what did Elisha say to you?” replied, “ He told me that you would certainly recover.” But next day he took a thick cloth, soaked it in water and spread it over the king’s face, so that he died. The thick bed quilt, made even heavier when soaked with water, suffocated the king. Then, Hazael succeeded him as king.(vv.14-15).   

The reign of Jehoram (Joram) in Judah (848-841; 2Chron.21:1-20)

            In the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, when Jehoshaphat was kingof Judah, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat began his reign as king of Judah. (v.16). Johoram began a coregency with his father. He walked in the way of Ahab had done, for he married a daughter of Ahab. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord.(v.18). For the sake of King David, the Lord was not willing to destroy Judah. To this day Edom has been in rebellion against Judah. Libnah revolted at the same time. Jehoram rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David. Ahaziah his son succeeded him as king.

 The Reign of Ahaziah in Judah (841; 2 Chron.22:1-9)

            In the twelfth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah began to reigned. He walked in the ways of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the Lord, for he was related by marriage to Ahab’s family. Ahaziah went with Joram son of Ahab, king of Israel to war against Hazael king of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. Joram son of Ahab was wounded in the battle with Hazael king of Aram. So Ahaziah son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to Jezreel to see Joram son of Ahab, because he had been wounded. This resulted in the unity between Judah and Israel.

 

2Kings Chapter 9 The reign of Juhu in Israel (841-814), anointed by Elisha; Jezebel’s death

             Elisha instructed a man from the company of the prophets to pour the oil on Jehu’s head, anoint him as a new king of Israel. Jehu is portrayed in the Black Obelish of Shalmaneser III (dated 841) as bringing tribute to that Assyrian monarch. The prophet was not only anoint Jehu as king over the Lord’s people Israel, also commanded him to destroy the house of Ahab in order to avenge the blood of His servants prophets and blood of all the Lord’s servants shed by Jezebel. Jehu’s assignment is to eliminate the dynasty of Ahab and bring divine judgment on Jezebel. Jehu’s fellow officers after knew that he was anointed by the Elisha, they blew the trumpet and shouted, “ Jehu is king!” (v.13).

 Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. Now Joram and all Israel had been defending Romoth Gilead against Hazael king of Aram, but king of Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him in the battle with Hazael king of Aram.(v.15). Joram and and Ahaziah both met Jehu and said, “ have you come in peace, Jehu?” Jehu replied, “ How can there be peace, as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?” then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders and arrow pierced his heart and he slumped down in his chariot. (v.24). When Ahaziah king of Judah saw what had happened, he fled up the road to Beth Haggan. Jehu chased him, shouting, “Kill him too!”. they wounded him in his chariot on the way to Gur near Ibleam. He escaped to Megiddo and died there.(v.27). 

Then Jehu went to Jezreel. When Jezebel heard about it. she painted her eyes, arranged her hair and looked out of a window. As Jehu entered the gate, Jezebell asked, “ Have you come in peace, Zimri, you murderer of your master?” (v.9).With bitter sarcasm Jezebel called Jehu Zimri, who wiped out the house of Baasha and who himself was killed a week later (1Kings 16:11,18). Jehu looked up at the window and called out, “ Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked down at him. “ Throw her down!” Jehu said. So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered the wall and the houses as they trampled her underfoot. (vv.32-23). Jehu went in and ate and drank. Then said, “ take care of that cursed woman, and bury her.”(v.34). But when they went out to bury her, they found nothing except her skull, her feet, and her hands. As a king’s daughter (1Kings 16:31), Jezebel deserved to be buried, but during the delay caused by Jehu’s feasting, scavenger dog had eaten her body in fulfillment of 1 kings 21:23 Elijah’s prophecy, 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 refuse on the ground in the plot at Jezreel so tha tone one will be able to say, “ this is Jezebel”.(vv.36-37).  

 

2Kings Chapter 10 Jehu eliminated Ahab’s whole dynasty and destroyed Baal worshipers.

            To secure his dynasty Jehu challenged the nobles and foster fathers of Ahab’s seventy sons to put one on the throne. They wisely refused and accepted Jehu’s terms of surrender, which involved sending him the heads of Ahab’s sons. Jehu assured the people that they and he were innocent (v.9); the slaying of Ahab’s sons was a fulfillment of Elijah’s prophecy (1Kings19:17). Jehonadab (v.15) the founder of a strict sect of nomadic Israelites who protested the corrupting influences of the Canaanites (Jer.35:1-11). He accompanied Jehu to Samaria and participated in the destruction of the worshipers of Baal. Jehu destroyed Baal worshipers . The Lord said to Jehu, “ Because you have done well in accomplishing what is right in my eyes and have done to the house of Ahab all I had in mind to do, your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.” (v.30). Though Jehu destroyed Baal worship, he did not eradicate the idolatry of Jeroboam (1Kings12:28,29), nor walk in the law of God(v.31).  Jehu was not careful to keep the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, which had caused Israel to commit.(vv.31). The Lord began to reduce the size of Israel. Hazael overpowered the Israelites throughout their territory. East of the Jordan in all the land of Gilead (the region of Gad, Reuben and Manasseh), from Aroer by the Arnon Gorge through Gilead to Bashan. (vv.32-33). The weakness of Israel made it possible for Hazael to take Israel’s territory E. of the Jorda. Jehu rested with his fathers and was bured in Samaria. Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight year.(v.36).

Bibliography,

 Ryrie, Charles C. The Ryrie study Bible (NIV).Chicago, IL: The Moody Bible Institute, 1986 

 

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