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