Ahab is dead. His son, Ahaziah, is dead. His grandson, Joram, is sitting on the throne.
Jehoshaphat's great grandson, Ahaziah, is now reigning as king in Judah. And, he is married to the daughter of Ahab.
God is going to call a man to wipe out this evil family, not only in Israel, but also in Judah.
God sent word to his prophet, Elisha.
II Kings 9:1-3- And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramothgilead: And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber; Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not.
Elisha sent a young prophet to anoint a man to be king in place of the grandson of Ahab.
II Kings 9:4-10- So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramothgilead. And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of all us? And he said, To thee, O captain. And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel. And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel: And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah: And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.
The young prophet went and anointed a new leader, Jehu, to become king. Then the prophet told him what the Lord's will was for the destruction of the house of Ahab.
While all this was going on, Joram, had gone to battle against Syria.
I Kings 9:14-15- So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram had kept Ramothgilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria. But king Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If it be your minds, then let none go forth nor escape out of the city to go to tell it in Jezreel.
Jehu got together an army of men who were loyal to him, and they rode to where King Joram was laying sick. They intended to do exactly as the Lord wanted and destroy the house of Ahab.
But, King Joram wasn't alone.
II Chronicles 22:6b-7- And Azariah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Jehoram the son of Ahab at Jezreel, because he was sick. And the destruction of Ahaziah was of God by coming to Joram: for when he was come, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.
God had brought Ahab's grandson and his son-in-law together to the very place that Jehu's army was riding towards.
I Kings 9:17- And there stood a watchman on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take an horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace?
As the army approached the city, King Joram sent a messenger out to see if they were coming to help or to fight.
I Kings 9:21- And Joram said, Make ready. And his chariot was made ready. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out against Jehu, and met him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite.
So, Joram and Ahaziah went out to meet this oncoming army in the same place that Ahab sealed the fate of his family- the field around the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. Remember, Jezebel had hired evil men to lie about Naboth and have him and his sons killed to Ahab could take this man's grape vineyard? Well, God was going to judge the sons of the house of Ahab in the very spot that their destruction was called for.
I Kings 9:22-26- And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many? And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah. And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot. Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the LORD laid this burden upon him; Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the LORD; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the LORD. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the LORD.
By the time Jehoram realized that the army was there to destroy him, it was too late. Jehu killed Jehoram with a bow while he was trying to escape in his chariot. The army threw him into the field where his grandfather had murdered Naboth and his sons.
But, the army wasn't done yet.
I Kings 9:27- But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there.
So, Jehu killed both the kings of Israel and Judah because they had followed in the wicked footsteps of King Ahab.
I Kings 9:30-31- And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window. And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?
Jezebel heard of the approach of Jehu, and she made her self as beautiful as she could. Then she leaned out a window and tried to start a conversation with Jehu. She was hoping that she could remind him of Zimri, who had killed King Baasha for his wickedness. Zimri only lived a few days on the throne before he was deposed and another took his place.
But, Jehu wasn't going to listen to this wicked woman's deceptions.
I Kings 9:32-37- And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs. And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot. And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king's daughter. And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.
God knew that this woman was so influential and wicked that she would effect generations to come. He didn't even want her to have a grave for people to come to. Only her name and her wicked deeds would be left!
But, Jehu wasn't done. Ahab's family was quite large.
I Kings 10:1a- And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria.
Jehu told the people of Samaria to crown one of Ahab's sons as their king and to prepare for battle. None of the people of Samaria wanted a war, so they asked Jehu what to do to avoid a battle.
I Kings 10:6a- Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be mine, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the men your master's sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to morrow this time.
Jehu said that the only way he wouldn't attack is if the men of Samaria killed all the heirs of Ahab. The men of Samaria knew that Jehu had killed both the king of Israel and the king of Judah. So, they knew a war with Jehu would mean much bloodshed.
The did as Jehu asked and killed all the sons of Ahab.
I Kings 10:11- So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he left him none remaining.
Jehu did everything that the young prophet told him to do. He not only wiped out the house of Ahab, but he destroyed his wicked priests as well.
I Kings 10:18-19- And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu shall serve him much. Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtilty, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal.
Jehu proclaimed a feast to Baal and gathered all the people who worshiped this false god together. He was going to obey God all the way. He not only destroyed the priests of Baal, but he was going to destroy the followers of Baal, too.
I KIngs 10:24-28- And when they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu appointed fourscore men without, and said, If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escape, he that letteth him go, his life shall be for the life of him. And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, and slay them; let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal. And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal, and burned them. And they brake down the image of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day. Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.
Jehu wasn't a godly man. He was just as wicked as some of the other kings of Israel. He didn't worship Baal, but he did worship the golden calves that Jeroboam had made when God took the kingdom from King Solomon's son.
I Kings 10:29- Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Bethel, and that were in Dan.
Even though Jehu didn't serve the Lord like he should, he had obeyed God's will. And, God always bless when we obey Him.
I Kings 10:30-31- And the LORD said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel. But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin.
God promised Jehu that his great grandson would get to sit on the throne of Israel. This promise wasn't because Jehu was a good man or a good king. It was simply because he obeyed God.
I Kings 10:34-36- Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? And Jehu slept with his fathers: and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son reigned in his stead. And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty and eight years.
