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