Latest / Bible in a Year with Jack Graham / Jehu becomes King - The Book of 2 Kings

Transcript

Jehu becomes King - The Book of 2 Kings · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Let us pray. Then they hasted, and took every man
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: his garment, and put it under him on top of
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: their stairs, and blew the trumpets, saying, Yehu is king.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: 2 Kings 8.13 There is no greater honor than to
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: be anointed and chosen by God to rule and reign
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: in my life. with your hand on my life and
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: your anointing on my mind, I will approach my purpose
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: with the confidence of Yehu, and I will declare war
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: on anything that is in opposition to your heart's desire.
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: Quicken my heart's passion as I prepare to take over
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: all of the territory assigned to me. May my arrows
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: of faithfulness and kindness protect those around me from others
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: whose hearts are set on evil. I declare that as
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: I step into my rightful place as an heir to
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: the Lord, that peace and assurance will follow me and
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: my household all the days of my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: Thanks for making prayer a priority in your life. To
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: hear the Bible come to life, Stay tuned for the
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: Bible in a Year, brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: Jehu becomes king. In our last story, we learned about
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: Elisha's interaction with the future king of Syria. Elisha was
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: able to see in him a deep darkness that would
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: cause death and destruction to many in Israel. Now we
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: learn about Jehu. God anoints and raises up Jehu to
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: be a minister of justice for all those who had
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: suffered under King Ahab and Jezebel, inspired by the book
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: of 2 Kings.
• 2:16
  Speaker 3: Hello, this is Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of
• 2:19
  Speaker 3: The Bible in a Year. In the last episode, we
• 2:22
  Speaker 3: saw how God brought famine to Israel, a consequence for
• 2:26
  Speaker 3: their self-reliance and forgetting that He was their provider. In
• 2:31
  Speaker 3: that time, God protected the Shunammite woman and her son,
• 2:35
  Speaker 3: and after the famine, He restored all she had lost.
• 2:38
  Speaker 3: We also witnessed the murder of the Syrian king Ben-Hadad,
• 2:42
  Speaker 3: killed by the servant Hazael, who then ascended to power.
• 2:46
  Speaker 3: He would be a cruel king and wreak havoc and
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: devastation on Israel in the ensuing years. Today, we hear
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: how God anoints a new king to bring justice to
• 2:56
  Speaker 3: a kingdom that had suffered greatly under King Ahab, his
• 3:00
  Speaker 3: evil wife Jezebel, and their family. Let's listen now to
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: the Word of God.
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: The reign of King Ahab had come to an end.
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: The corrupt and volatile king had passed into the dust
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: along with his forefathers and To take his place was
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: his son, Joram. God saw Joram's heart as soil for
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: the seeds of his father and mother to grow. The
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: corruption of Ahab and the wickedness of Jezebel had dug
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: its roots deeply into him. The Lord would not have
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: their line continue. He would not allow the compromising spirit
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: of Ahab to sicken the children of Israel any longer.
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: So God spoke to Elisha as he once did before.
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: He decided he would rise up Jehu, the commander of
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: Israel's army, to lead his people. So Elisha called one
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: of his students to him, a young and promising prophet
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: who studied and ministered under him. Prepare for travel, Elisha
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: said in a hushed tone. The young man saw Elisha
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: stuff a flask of oil into a knapsack and hand
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: it to him. Take this flask and anoint the new
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: king of Israel. The young prophet gasped at the news.
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: He knew that proclaiming a new king was risky. Elisha
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: looked intently at him and said, Go to Ramoth Gilead.
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: There you will find Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat. Take him
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: into a private place away from people. Then anoint him.
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: The young man took the oil and loaded up his horse.
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: Before he departed, Elisha spoke once more. Once you anoint him,
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: open the door and run for your life. The prophet
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: nodded and departed with haste towards Ramoth Gilead. The young
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: prophet rode swiftly, taking no breaks for food or water.
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: He did not desire to draw any attention to himself
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: or speak with anybody but Jehu. When he made his
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: way into the city, the young man placed his hood
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: over his head, partially covering his face. The king's men
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: filled the streets. People loyal to the crown of Ahab
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: and Joram would notice a prophet of Elisha. The prophet
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: knew Jehu would be found at the barracks where the
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: men of Israel gathered and trained. He approached inconspicuously and
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: found Jehu sitting among his men and other army officers.
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: The young prophet cleared his throat and said, I have
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: an urgent message for you, commander. Jehu stood to his feet.
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: He was taller than the prophet had imagined. His face
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: was rough from years of war. However, his eyes were different.
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: They were kind, warm. They were the eyes of a
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: man determined to serve others. Which one of us do
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: you need to speak with, Jihu asked. With you, my lord,
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: the prophet said with a slight bow. The two of
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: them left the others into the safety of Jihu's house.
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: The young man revealed himself to be a prophet of
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: God and pulled the oil out of his knapsack. Without
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: a word, he began to pour the oil over Jehu's head.
• 6:14
  Speaker 2: The oil had no fragrance, as to not draw any
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: unwanted attention. However, the symbolism was clear. Oil was a
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: symbol of anointing. God's Spirit had chosen Jehu as He
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: had with David so many generations ago. The old songs
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: of King David resonated in Jehu's mind. You anoint my
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: head with oil and my cup runs over. Surely goodness
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: and mercy will follow me all the days of my life.
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: After the young prophet anointed Jehu, he spoke, saying, You
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: have been chosen by God. I anoint you as king
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: over Israel. By you the wicked line of Ahab and
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: Jezebel will be cut off. In this way the Lord
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: avenges all the evil and murder done by Ahab and Jezebel.
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: As promised, Dogs will feast on Jezebel's corpse, and her
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: descendants will be forgotten forever. With those last words, the
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: young prophet smiled, bowed, and ran for his life back
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: to Elisha. Jehu paused for a moment. His heart began
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: to beat faster. He had just been anointed king over Israel,
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: king over God's people as David once was so many
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: years ago. Was he worthy of such a calling? How
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: would it come to pass? SO MANY QUESTIONS SWELLED IN
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: HIS MIND. HOWEVER, HE DECIDED IT WOULD BE BEST TO
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: NOT LINGER FOR MUCH LONGER. HE DID NOT WANT TO
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: RAISE SUSPICION. JIHU CAME BACK TO HIS MIN. WHAT DID
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: THE MADMAN WANT WITH YOU? ONE OF THEM ASKED. JIHU
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: CASUALLY POURED SOME WINE AND BROKE OFF A PIECE OF
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: BREAD AND BEGAN TO EAT. YOU KNOW HOW MEN LIKE
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: THAT ARE, HE SAID WITH A WAVE OF HIS HAND.
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: THEY BABBLE ON WITH NONSENSE AND THEN VANISH. A small
• 8:04
  Speaker 2: chuckle filled the table. However, one of the men was
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: not convinced Jehu was being forthright. Something is clearly bothering you,
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: he said. Tell us what he said. Jehu felt uncomfortable,
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: but decided he would be truthful about what had taken place.
• 8:22
  Speaker 2: If it truly was nonsense, his men would say so.
• 8:26
  Speaker 2: He told me I was to be anointed as the
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: next king of Israel, Jehu said with a jovial smile.
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: Jihu fully expected a laugh to roar from the table. Instead,
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: there was silence. The men sat for a while. Then
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: they all stood to their feet and walked to the
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: bare steps beside them. One by one, they removed their cloaks.
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: After this, they led Jihu to the top of the steps.
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: Jihu watched as all the men in the barracks began
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: to bow before him. Jihu's heart was overwhelmed with amazement.
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: Then the men blew their ram's horn and THE SOUND
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: ECHOED FOR THE WHOLE CITY TO HEAR. JIHU IS KING,
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: THEY SHOUTED. JIHU IS KING, THEY CHANTED. THE SOUNDS OF
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: THEIR CHANTS FILLED THE CITY STREETS. THE LORD HAD PRIMED
• 9:16
  Speaker 2: THE HEARTS OF EVERY CITIZEN TO DESIRE A NEW KING,
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: AND NOW THEY ALL GLADLY JOINED IN THE SINGING OF
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: JIHU'S PRAISES. THEIR VOICES SHOOK THE CITY. THE YOUNG PROPHET
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: WAS ON HIS WAY OUT OF THE CITY GATES WHEN
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: THE CHANTING REACHED HIS EARS. Without looking back, he smiled
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: and continued to ride. Meanwhile, on the battlefield of Ramoth Gilead,
• 9:39
  Speaker 2: King Joram fought alongside the kingdom of Judah against Syria.
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: The battle was fierce, and both sides were struggling to
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: gain any ground. The sun had begun to set, and
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: both armies were ready to retreat to fight another day. However,
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: in a final push of the Syrian army, Joram was
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: slashed on his chest. Joram retreated back to his tent
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: to heal from his wounds. They were not deep or deadly,
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: but they would take some time to heal. The next day,
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: Jehu traveled to the battlefield to face King Joram. A
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: righteous intensity had come over Jehu. All the witchcraft, idol worship,
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: and murder that had happened under Joram's watch would not
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: go unpunished. In that moment, Jehu knew he was a
• 10:25
  Speaker 2: vessel of God's justice. Jehu rode till about fifty yards
• 10:29
  Speaker 2: away from Joram's tent.' My lord, I see a company
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: of troops approaching,' the king's servant told Joram.' Send a
• 10:37
  Speaker 2: rider to ask if they come in peace,' the king said,
• 10:41
  Speaker 2: holding his chest. Joram did not want any surprises.' The
• 10:45
  Speaker 2: king of Judah was also there with him. The two
• 10:48
  Speaker 2: kings were aligned by blood. Since the king of Judah,
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: Ahaziah was Ahab's grandson. The horseman rode quickly to Jehu.
• 10:58
  Speaker 2: The king wants to know if you come in peace,
• 11:01
  Speaker 2: the horseman asked. Jehu looked at the man with a
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: white-hot intensity. He stood on his chariot and pointed his
• 11:08
  Speaker 2: spear towards the young horseman. What do you know of peace,
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: Jehu said. If you truly want peace, stand behind me.
• 11:18
  Speaker 2: The horseman was no fan of the king and knew
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: Jehu well, so he stayed with Jehu instead of returning.
• 11:25
  Speaker 2: My lord, the messenger has met the man, but has
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: not returned, the watchman said. So the king sent another horseman.
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: Do you come in peace? the second man asked. Jehu
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: remained upright and strong. What do you know of peace?
• 11:42
  Speaker 2: If you desire peace, come join me, he said. So
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: the horseman did as he was asked, and joined Ji-hu.
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: The watchman was confused as he watched the men join Ji-hu.
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: This one has not returned either, my lord. It must
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: be Ji-hu, for he is driving his chariot like a madman.
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: King Joram lifted his sore body out of his bed
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: and put on his armor. Get my chariot ready, quickly,
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: he shouted. So the king of Israel and Judah went
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: out to meet Jehu. The men stood only a dozen
• 12:15
  Speaker 2: yards apart from one another. King Yoram did his best
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: to come off kingly. He did not want Jehu to
• 12:21
  Speaker 2: see his wounds. Do you come in peace, Jehu? Jehu
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: scoffed for a moment and opened his arms. How can
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: there be peace? he asked. How can there be peace
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: when idolatry and witchcraft spreads across our land like a plague?
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: How can there be peace when the blood spilled by
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: your mother has not yet been avenged? King Jerom knew
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: what was about to take place. He did not respond
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: to Jehu. Rather, he turned his chariot around to run.
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: It is treason, Ahaziah, he shouted to the king of Judah. Treason!
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: Run!
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: Jehu watched as the king rode away. He drew his
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: bow slowly. The arrow was placed firmly in his right hand.
• 13:05
  Speaker 2: He closed one eye, honing in on his cowardly target.
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: He drew a deep breath, then released. The arrow whistled
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: through the air, hitting Joram directly in between his shoulder blades.
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: Blood splattered across the front of the king's chariot. Slowly,
• 13:22
  Speaker 2: Joram sank down dead in his chariot. Throw him on
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: the plot of land where Ahab and Jezebel murdered Naboth
• 13:30
  Speaker 2: and Jezreel. God promised that he would avenge the blood
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: of that innocent man and his family, Jehu ordered. On
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: the corner of his eye, Jehu saw the king of
• 13:40
  Speaker 2: Judah running away. His partnership in Yoram's wickedness would not
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: go unpunished either. Shoot him, Jehu yelled as he pointed.
• 13:50
  Speaker 2: A storm of arrows shot from behind Jehu into the air.
• 13:54
  Speaker 2: The king of Judah fell to the floor and was
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: taken away to be buried with his ancestors.
• 14:03
  Speaker 3: As we begin today's passage, God's Spirit is moving again
• 14:07
  Speaker 3: to bring justice and righteousness back to Israel. God instructed
• 14:11
  Speaker 3: Elisha that a new king was to be anointed, so
• 14:13
  Speaker 3: the prophet called one of his students and sent him
• 14:16
  Speaker 3: to Ramoth Gilead to find Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat,
• 14:20
  Speaker 3: who had been king of Judah. Like his father, Jehu
• 14:23
  Speaker 3: walked righteously with the Lord, and God handpicked him to
• 14:27
  Speaker 3: lead the people of Israel out of the mire and
• 14:29
  Speaker 3: darkness King Ahab had plunged the kingdom into for many years.
• 14:35
  Speaker 3: Elisha instructed the young prophet to take a jar of
• 14:37
  Speaker 3: oil to the place where Jehu was training with other
• 14:40
  Speaker 3: soldiers in order to call Jehu to a private place
• 14:44
  Speaker 3: and anoint him with oil. Then he was told to
• 14:47
  Speaker 3: flee quickly. Naming a new king was a dangerous business,
• 14:51
  Speaker 3: as anything that threatens the power of the wicked. When
• 14:54
  Speaker 3: the young prophet arrived, he called Jehu to a quiet
• 14:57
  Speaker 3: place alone. And in 2 Kings 9-6, we read, So
• 15:02
  Speaker 3: he arose and went into the house, and the young
• 15:05
  Speaker 3: man poured the oil on his head, saying to him,
• 15:08
  Speaker 3: Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, I anoint
• 15:10
  Speaker 3: you king over the people of the Lord over Israel.
• 15:14
  Speaker 3: We can only imagine the thoughts going through Jehu's mind
• 15:17
  Speaker 3: in that moment. As he continued to listen, the man
• 15:21
  Speaker 3: told him he would put an end to the house
• 15:23
  Speaker 3: of Ahab, avenging the blood of the prophets Jezebel had
• 15:26
  Speaker 3: struck down. It was a heavy calling, and one Jehu
• 15:30
  Speaker 3: did not take lightly. For he desired to see worship
• 15:34
  Speaker 3: of the Lord return to his people, just as his
• 15:36
  Speaker 3: father had led Judah to turn back to God. Sadly,
• 15:40
  Speaker 3: under the reign of Ahaziah of Judah, the southern kingdom
• 15:43
  Speaker 3: had once more turned to idolatry as well. But now
• 15:48
  Speaker 3: God was about to deal with both kings, Joram of
• 15:50
  Speaker 3: Israel and Ahaziah of Judah, through one man, the newly
• 15:55
  Speaker 3: appointed and anointed Jehu. Jehu was at first reluctant to
• 15:59
  Speaker 3: tell his soldiers what the prophet had done. But when pressed,
• 16:03
  Speaker 3: he revealed that he had been chosen as the next
• 16:06
  Speaker 3: king of Israel. His men quickly rose and laid their
• 16:09
  Speaker 3: garments under his feet and cried out, saying, Jehu is king,
• 16:13
  Speaker 3: Jehu is king. He would need the support of strong
• 16:17
  Speaker 3: and loyal men as he was about to lead a
• 16:19
  Speaker 3: difficult nation. Jehu wasted no time. He knew God desired
• 16:24
  Speaker 3: for his people to abandon their idolatrous ways, so he
• 16:27
  Speaker 3: set off to find Joram, who was on the battlefield
• 16:30
  Speaker 3: with Ahaziah, king of Judah, fighting Syria. Joram was wounded
• 16:35
  Speaker 3: in the battle and vulnerable. When Jehu arrived, he sent
• 16:39
  Speaker 3: a messenger to ask if Jehu came in peace. Jehu
• 16:42
  Speaker 3: rightly called Joram out, saying he knew nothing of peace.
• 16:46
  Speaker 3: The messenger could tell Jehu was a different man, more
• 16:49
  Speaker 3: honorable and righteous, so he stayed with him. Joram sent
• 16:53
  Speaker 3: another man, and this one, too, gave his loyalty to Jehu. Finally,
• 16:59
  Speaker 3: Joram and Ahaziah went in person to see Jehu. Joram
• 17:04
  Speaker 3: asked if he sought peace. Don't miss what Jehu said.
• 17:08
  Speaker 3: He told the king that there could be no peace
• 17:11
  Speaker 3: as long as the people were led astray, given over
• 17:13
  Speaker 3: to idolatry and its evil. There could be no peace
• 17:17
  Speaker 3: as long as Jezebel's witchcraft poisoned the land. When we
• 17:22
  Speaker 3: seek peace, we must be willing to turn to God,
• 17:25
  Speaker 3: whether it is personal peace, as we turn to God
• 17:29
  Speaker 3: through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, or peace with others.
• 17:34
  Speaker 3: We must abandon all things that bring disobedience and dishonor
• 17:37
  Speaker 3: to God in our lives. We make peace to God
• 17:42
  Speaker 3: through our Lord Jesus Christ and what he has done
• 17:44
  Speaker 3: for us on the cross. So Jehu saw through Joram's
• 17:48
  Speaker 3: words and rejected him. Joram then tried to flee, but
• 17:52
  Speaker 3: Jehu shot him as he fled, an arrow piercing his chest.
• 17:56
  Speaker 3: Joram was buried symbolically in Naboth's vineyard. The very one
• 18:00
  Speaker 3: Jezebel had murdered the man to give the vineyard to Ahab.
• 18:04
  Speaker 3: thus avenging the man's blood just as God had promised.
• 18:08
  Speaker 3: Ahaziah also fled, but was caught and killed as well.
• 18:12
  Speaker 3: Jehu still had work to do, and the next time
• 18:15
  Speaker 3: we'll hear how God finally brings judgment upon the wicked
• 18:18
  Speaker 3: queen Jezebel. Dear God, we thank you that you raise
• 18:23
  Speaker 3: up righteous service in your time, a righteous service like
• 18:28
  Speaker 3: Jehu to bring justice and righteousness back to your people.
• 18:32
  Speaker 3: Help us, like Jehu, to be filled with righteous passion,
• 18:36
  Speaker 3: to do what you have called us to accomplish in
• 18:38
  Speaker 3: our lives. Thank you for your anointing and appointing and
• 18:41
  Speaker 3: your calling in each of our lives to share the
• 18:44
  Speaker 3: good news of Jesus Christ. And it is in his
• 18:47
  Speaker 3: name that we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to
• 18:51
  Speaker 3: today's Bible in a Year podcast. This is Jack Graham
• 18:54
  Speaker 3: from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com app and make prayer
• 18:58
  Speaker 3: a priority along with Bible study in your life. And
• 19:02
  Speaker 3: if you enjoy this podcast, share it with someone you love.
• 19:06
  Speaker 3: If you want more resources as to how you can
• 19:09
  Speaker 3: live the Christian life in fullness and in victory, be
• 19:13
  Speaker 3: sure to visit jackgram.org. Once again, for free resources as
• 19:18
  Speaker 3: to how you can begin living the Christian life, go
• 19:21
  Speaker 3: to jackgram.org. God bless you.