2 Kings 9

The Last Kings of *Israel and *Judah

Book of 2 Kings

Philip Smith

Chapter 9

Elisha appoints Jehu as king of *Israel

v1 Elisha called a man from the group of the *prophets. He said this to the man. ‘Get ready and go at once to Ramoth Gilead. Take this jar of *olive oil with you. v2 When you get there, look for Jehu. He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who is Nimshi’s son. Take Jehu to a private room away from his companions. v3 Then pour the *olive oil on his head and declare this: “The *Lord says that he *anoints you to be king over *Israel.” Then open the door and run. Do not delay.’

v4 So the young *prophet went to Ramoth Gilead. v5 When he arrived, he found the officers of the army. They were sitting in a room together. ‘I have a message for you, commander,’ he said. (A commander is a leader of an army.)

‘For which one among us?’ asked Jehu.

‘It is for you, commander,’ he replied.

v6 Jehu got up and he went into the house. Then the *prophet poured *olive oil on Jehu’s head. The *prophet declared, ‘The *Lord God of *Israel says this to you. “I *anoint you to be king over *Israel, the *Lord’s people. v7 You must destroy the family of Ahab. I will act against Jezebel because of all the murders that she carried out. She killed the *prophets and she killed the *Lord’s other servants. v8 All Ahab’s family will die. I will remove every man in Ahab’s family, whether they are slaves or free men. v9 I will make Ahab’s family like the family of Jeroboam, Nebat’s son. They will also be like the family of Baasha, Ahijah’s son. v10 Nobody will bury Jezebel. Dogs will eat her body at Jezreel. They will eat her body on that piece of ground there.” ’ Then the young *prophet opened the door and he ran away.

v11 Jehu went back to his officers. ‘Is everything all right?’ they asked. ‘Why did that mad man come to you?’

Jehu replied in this way. ‘You know the kind of person. You know that their words are nonsense.’

v12 They said, ‘You are speaking lies. Tell us.’

Jehu said, ‘The man told me this. “The *Lord says: I *anoint you to be king over *Israel.” ’

v13 At once, the officers took their coats and they put them on the steps. (Jehu stood on the coats.) Then the officers sounded the trumpets (instruments that make a loud, clear sound). And they shouted, ‘Jehu is the king.’

God told Elijah to appoint Jehu to be king of *Israel (1 Kings 19:16). After Elijah went to heaven, this became Elisha’s responsibility. It would be Jehu’s task to kill everyone from Ahab’s family who escaped from Hazael (1 Kings 19:17). In particular, Joram (king of *Israel) and Ahaziah (king of *Judah) had just escaped from Hazael (2 Kings 8:28-29). That was why it was necessary for Elisha to appoint Jehu at this time. God had firmly decided that he would end the rule of Ahab’s family. This very wicked family controlled both *Israel and *Judah. Jehu would be God’s agent to carry out that punishment. If Jehu failed to do that, Elisha himself would have to carry out that punishment. But Jehu would not fail.

We are not sure why Elisha did not go to Ramoth Gilead to appoint Jehu. There are several possible reasons. Perhaps Elisha was too old to go on the journey. Or perhaps Elisha wanted this to be a secret, but of course, everyone knew him.

Instead, Elisha sent a young unknown *prophet. He told the *prophet what to do. And he told him what to say. Elisha told the *prophet to *anoint Jehu in a private room. And he told him to leave quickly then. These instructions emphasised the importance of the task.

The young *prophet was very careful to obey Elisha’s instructions. The young *prophet took Jehu into a private room. The oil was part of the ancient ceremony to appoint a king. It was a sign to show that God’s Spirit came upon that person for a special task. The *prophet did not speak his own words. Instead, he spoke a message from God. That message was the same as the message that Elijah gave to Ahab (1 Kings 21:21-24). Jehu had been present on that occasion (9:25). But he did not know then that he would be God’s agent to carry out that punishment against Ahab’s family. But at last the right time had arrived.

The young *prophet told Jehu that he (Jehu) would be the king over *Israel. Jehu must kill all Ahab’s family, and in particular he must kill Jezebel. That was because she had killed the *Lord’s *prophets.

Jehu’s officers laughed at the *prophet. They said that he was mad. People who obey God have often suffered such insults. Jesus’ family thought that Jesus was mad (Mark 3:21). Festus told Paul that he (Paul) was mad (Acts 26:24).

Jehu did not want to tell the other officers what the *prophet had said. Perhaps he preferred to carry out a secret plot against Ahab’s family. Or perhaps he wanted to be sure that they would support him. But they insisted that he should tell them. They probably realised that the visitor was a *prophet. A *prophet would only come if he had a message from God. They might laugh at the *prophet, but they were desperate to know God’s message. Jehu was their leader. They could see that he considered the message important. They urged him to tell them.

So Jehu told them the message. And at once they all decided to be loyal to Jehu. They declared publicly that Jehu was the king. He was standing at the top of the stairs then. Because he was standing there, everybody could see him. And the other officers gave him honour

Jehu kills Joram and Ahaziah

v14 So Jehu plotted against Joram. Jehu was the son of Jehoshaphat, who was Nimshi’s son. [Now Joram and *Israel’s people were defending Ramoth Gilead against Hazael, the king of Syria. v15 King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from his injuries. He had received them from the *Syrians. It had happened during the battle against Syria’s king Hazael.] Jehu said this to his officers. ‘If you support me, do not allow anyone to leave Ramoth Gilead. Make sure that nobody can warn the people in Jezreel.’ v16 Then Jehu got into his *chariot and he rode to Jezreel. Joram was resting there. Ahaziah, the king of *Judah, was visiting Joram.

v17 The guard was on duty at Jezreel. He was on the top of a tall building there. He saw Jehu and his men when they were some distance away from the town. ‘I can see some men,’ he called out.

Joram replied, ‘Send a horseman. Discover whether there is peace.’

v18 The horseman rode off to meet Jehu. The man said this to Jehu: ‘The king asks whether there is peace.’

‘You have no right to speak about peace,’ replied Jehu. ‘Follow me.’

The guard reported, ‘The horseman has reached them. He is not coming back.’

v19 So the king sent another man. When he reached Jehu, that man said, ‘The king asks whether there is peace.’

Jehu answered, ‘You have no right to speak about peace. Follow me.’

v20 The guard reported, ‘The man has reached them. However, he is not coming back. That person drives like Jehu, Nimshi’s grandson. He drives like a mad man.’

v21 ‘Get my *chariot ready,’ ordered Joram, the king of *Israel. People got it ready. Then he and *Judah’s king, Ahaziah, rode out. Each one was in his own *chariot. They rode out to meet Jehu. They met him at a certain piece of ground. It had belonged to Naboth from Jezreel. v22 When Joram saw Jehu, he asked Jehu this question. ‘Is there peace, Jehu?’

‘There cannot be *peace,’ answered Jehu. ‘Our people still *worship *idols and they use magic powers. Those are things that your mother Jezebel started.’

v23 Joram turned round and he tried to escape. He called out to Ahaziah, ‘It is a plot against us, Ahaziah!’

v24 Jehu took his bow and he shot an arrow. The arrow hit Joram between the shoulders and it went through his heart. Joram fell dead in his *chariot. v25 Jehu spoke to Bidkar, the officer who was his helper. ‘Pick him up. Throw him on the field that belonged to Naboth. Remember this. You and I were riding together in *chariots behind Ahab, Joram’s father. Then the *Lord spoke these words about Ahab. v26 “Yesterday I saw the murder of Naboth and his sons, says the *Lord. I promise that I will punish you for it on that same field. That is what the *Lord declares.” Pick Joram up and throw him on that field. So the *Lord’s promise will become true.’

Jehu’s father was called Jehoshaphat. But he was not the same Jehoshaphat who had ruled *Judah.

Jehu was in Ramoth Gilead with *Israel’s army. He was the leader of that army. *Israel’s army was fighting the *Syrian army there. In the meantime, the kings of *Judah and *Israel were in Jezreel. Joram (the king of *Israel) was recovering from his injuries there. Amaziah (the king of *Judah) was visiting him. And they were waiting for news about the war against Syria. In fact, there was no news to report about that war. But there was other news from Ramoth Gilead. The army officers had appointed Jehu to be king of *Israel instead of Joram. In other words, revolution had begun in *Israel.

Jehu warned the officers that the news must not reach Joram. If Joram heard the news, he would order his soldiers to fight against Jehu. There would be a terrible battle and many people would die. Instead, Jehu wanted to carry out a surprise attack.

Jehu travelled quickly to Jezreel. He completed his journey before anybody could warn Joram. There was a guard on duty at Jezreel. The guard warned Joram that an army was approaching. Joram sent two men on horseback to discover who the people in the army were. Neither man returned. Then the guard noticed that the leader of the army drove like Jehu. People knew that Jehu drove very quickly.

Jehu would only come to Jezreel if there was very important news. So Joram was very worried.

Of course, Joram did not know how Jehu had replied to Joram’s horsemen. Joram had told those men to ask whether there was peace. Joram intended them to find out whether *Israel’s army was succeeding against Syria. So they asked Jehu, ‘Is there peace?’

Jehu’s reply to them was angry. He used a different meaning of the word *peace. The word ‘peace’ can also mean the calm and content attitude of people who have a right relationship with God. Ahab’s family had persuaded the people not to obey the real God. And so the people in *Israel were not calm or content. There was trouble everywhere. Joram and his relatives were responsible for this situation. And now Jehu had God’s authority to carry out a revolution. So Jehu refused to allow the horsemen to return to Joram. Jehu forced them to follow him. Joram would have to come himself in order to hear Jehu’s news.

Joram and Ahaziah went out to meet Jehu. They met him at the field that had belonged to Naboth. Joram asked whether Jehu came in *peace. Perhaps Joram thought that Jehu had defeated the army from Syria. Jehu said that there could be no *peace. That is, nobody in *Israel could live in a calm and content manner. Joram and the rest of Ahab’s family had spoiled the relationship between God and *Israel. People gave honour to *idols that Joram’s mother, Jezebel, introduced to *Israel. They used magic and they were wicked. Jezebel taught them to do such things. *Israel could not have *peace in such circumstances. ‘ “There is no *peace,” says my God, “for wicked people” ’ (Isaiah 57:21).

Joram and Ahaziah tried to escape, but Jehu killed Joram. He did that on the field that had belonged to Naboth. It was right that this event should happen there. This was the field that Ahab and Jezebel obtained by means of a wicked *sin (1 Kings chapter 21). This was the spot where God sent Elijah to issue judgement against Ahab (1 Kings 21:17-20). And this was the right place to begin the punishment of Ahab’s family (1 Kings 21:20-24).

v27 Ahaziah, the king of *Judah, saw what had happened. So he ran away to Beth Haggan. Jehu chased Ahaziah. Jehu shouted, ‘Kill him too.’ Jehu’s men caused injuries to Ahaziah in his *chariot. Ahaziah was on the road that went to Gur. It was near Ibleam. But Ahaziah managed to reach Megiddo, where he died. v28 His servants took his body back to Jerusalem in a *chariot. They buried him with his *ancestors in his grave. It was in David’s city (Jerusalem). v29 During the 11^th year of the rule of Joram, Ahab’s son, Ahaziah had become the king of *Judah.

Jehu then attacked Ahaziah. Jehu’s soldiers caused injuries to Ahaziah, but Ahaziah managed to escape to Megiddo. There Ahaziah died because of his injury. His grave was near Jerusalem, among the graves of the other *descendants of David.

Jehu fought against Ahaziah because Ahaziah imitated the behaviour of his mother, Athaliah. She was a daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, and she behaved in a wicked manner like her parents. She brought Jezebel’s wicked practices to *Judah. And Athaliah would continue to rule *Judah in a very wicked manner for 6 years after Ahaziah’s death.

The death of Jezebel

v30 So Jehu went to Jezreel. Jezebel heard what had happened. She put colour round her eyes. She arranged her hair and she looked out of the window. v31 Jehu entered at the gate and Jezebel spoke to him. ‘Is there peace, Zimri, now that you have murdered your master?’

v32 Jehu looked up toward the window. And he said, ‘Who is on my side?’ Two or three servants at the palace looked down at him. v33 ‘Throw her down,’ Jehu said. So they threw Jezebel down. Some blood from her splashed onto the wall. And some blood splashed onto the horses as they rode over her body.

v34 Then Jehu went into the palace and he had a meal. And then he said this. ‘Take that woman on whom God has declared a *curse. And bury her because she is a king’s daughter.’ v35 The men went to bury her. They found nothing except her skull (the bony structure of the head), her feet and her hands. v36 They came back and they told Jehu. He said this. ‘This is what the *Lord said by means of his servant Elijah from Tishbe. “Dogs will eat Jezebel’s body at Jezreel. They will eat it on that piece of land. v37 Her body will be like dirt on the ground at Jezreel. So nobody will be able to say: This is Jezebel.” ’

Jezebel had introduced to *Israel the idea that people could *worship *Baal. She had killed the *Lord’s *prophets. She had arranged the murder of Naboth. Jezebel had made her husband and sons do wicked things. In other words, she was responsible for many of the evil things that had happened in *Israel. And it was clear from the *prophecy in verse 7 that Jezebel had to die. So after Jehu attacked Ahaziah, Jehu went back to Jezreel to kill Jezebel.

Jezebel had heard that Jehu had killed Joram, her son. After the death of a son, a woman would usually act in a manner that would show her sad feelings. She would cry aloud and she would tear her clothes. She would neglect her hair. But Jezebel was much too proud to behave in such a manner.

She put colour round her eyes and she set her hair. She laughed at Jehu and she called him Zimri. That was an insult. Zimri had killed King Elah. And he had killed all the other people in King Baasha’s family. Then Zimri ruled *Israel, but he only ruled for 7 days (1 Kings 16:15-20). Zimri had done all that because he had chosen to do it. Jehu had attacked because God had told him to do it.

Jezebel was still proud, but she had no power to oppose Jehu. Nobody supported her. Jezebel’s servants simply threw her down from the window. So she died.

Jehu did not care about Jezebel. And he did not care about her dead body. There were dogs in the area. But Jehu did not order anyone to guard the body. Instead he went into the palace. He ate and he drank. Then Jehu said that someone should bury Jezebel. She should have a proper grave because her father was a king. Jehu did not mention that her husband and sons were also kings. Jehu did not respect those kings because they were from Ahab’s family. In Jehu’s opinion, Jezebel only deserved a proper grave because her father was a foreign king (1 Kings 16:31).

Jehu’s order was too late. In the time while he was eating, the dogs had eaten Jezebel’s body. Jehu remembered that God had spoken about this event (1 Kings 21:23). Jehu said that God had punished Jezebel. And that was why the men could not bury Jezebel. Nobody would ever be able to point to a particular place and say, ‘This is Jezebel’s grave.’ Nobody could show honour to her in the future. Jezebel deserved no honour whatever. God had declared a *curse on her.

Israel ~ the nation of people that are Jacob’s descendants; the country where those people belong; the northern part of their kingdom after it divided.
descendants ~ future members of a family or a nation; people who belong to the same family during later centuries.
kingdom ~ a country or nation that a king or queen rules.
Judah ~ one of the tribes in the nation called Israel; the southern part of that kingdom after it divided.
tribe ~ a group of people that share the same ancestors, language, and customs.
Israel ~ the nation of people that are Jacob’s descendants; the country where those people belong; the northern part of their kingdom after it divided.
kingdom ~ a country or nation that a king or queen rules.
ancestor ~ a previous member of a family, especially someone who was important during a past century.
descendants ~ future members of a family or a nation; people who belong to the same family during later centuries.
prophet ~ a person that gives a prophecy.
prophecy ~ a message from God (or from a false god) that someone speaks; what someone says will happen in the future.
olive ~ a bitter green or black fruit.
Lord ~ the name of God. We use this word to translate two different words in the original language. One word means ‘He is always God.’ The other word means ‘master’.
anoint ~ to pour oil over a person. This shows that God has chosen that person for a special purpose.
Syrian ~ a person from the country called Syria; or anything that has a relationship with Syria.
chariot ~ a kind of vehicle that soldiers used when they fought. Horses pulled it.
peace ~ the absence of war; a situation when people and groups are friendly towards each other; when it is quiet; a calm and content attitude.
worship ~ to praise God (or a false god); to give honour to God (or a false god) by sacrifice, prayer, song or action.
sacrifice ~ something valuable that someone offers to God (or to a false god); to offer something valuable to God (or to a false god).
idol ~ the image of a god to whom people give honour.
sin ~ an action that is wrong or wicked, which is against God’s moral law; something that is against a law in a religion.
ancestor ~ a previous member of a family, especially someone who was important during a past century.
descendants ~ future members of a family or a nation; people who belong to the same family during later centuries.
curse ~ a word (or words) that someone says to wish that bad things will happen to another person. The purpose is to punish or to hurt that person.
Baal ~ a false god.
prophecy ~ a message from God (or from a false god) that someone speaks; what someone says will happen in the future.