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

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