2 Kings 9

Back in 1 Kings 19, when Elijah was fleeing from the wrath of Jezebel, God said to the prophet, “Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel.” Elijah would not anoint Jehu himself, but the servant of his successor, Elisha, would pour the anointing oil over the head of the new king according to the Lord's command. The words of judgment that God had spoken against Ahab and Jezebel would now be fulfilled.

Jezebel had ordered the death of the Lord's prophets and polluted the land of Israel with the worship of false gods. She had stolen a man's vineyard and murdered him as a display of her own great power. Now Jehu would be God's agent of vengeance upon her and upon all the remaining descendants of Ahab.

Throughout this account we heard the words of those who were about to face the surprising justice of God through the agency of Jehu. “Is all well?” “Is it peace?” There could be no peace in Israel when those in authority violated the Word of the Lord and ignored His commandments.

Who was really in charge of the surprising events recorded in this chapter? To those around him, Jehu seemed like a man who was in control of his own destiny. But when he received the prophetic word that he was to be king, Jehu seemed to dismiss it. Others around him blew the trumpet and shouted out the news. At the end of the chapter, when it came time to execute the Lord's vengeance against Jezebel, Jehu intended to give her a proper burial. But when he and the men came down from eating their meal, the dead body of the old queen had already met the end appointed for her by God. As God had spoken through Elijah in 1 Kings 22:23, “The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the walls of Jezreel.”

This historical account of the fast-driving, strongman Jehu was not recorded for us so that we might admire or condemn the new king. There is a powerful Sovereign who is far above the rulers of the world. The Lord had chosen Jehu for His own purposes, even though Jehu himself was ready to dismiss the prophetic word he received as nonsense. Again, the Lord had determined the destiny of Jezebel's body, even though Jehu had intended to give her a burial befitting a king's daughter.

The history of Israel and Judah is not the account of powerful leaders executing justice and extending mercy according to their own plans. God brought the descendants of Jacob into the promised land. He gave them kings. It was according to His Word that there was a division between Judah and the northern tribes. He had appointed the end of Ahab's line. He chose Jehu as an agent of His justice.

Jezebel was an evil woman. This painted queen thought of herself and her gods as something great, but her end was far from glorious. God does not call us to exalt ourselves over others or to consider our own plans as definitive pronouncements of what will surely come to pass. We are not the sovereign rulers of the world. We are called to humble ourselves under His almighty hand that in due time He might lift us up. We are called to seek peace and pursue it according to the Word of the Lord.

What is astounding to consider is that God's final Word to us is not vengeance but mercy. In Jesus Christ we have peace. In Him, all is well for the children of God. The Father has anointed an eternal King who gave His blood for our redemption. Jesus is the sovereign Lord over all. He has decreed a glorious end for all those who put their trust in Him.