I was a young college student when I felt called to the ministry. My boss at the company where I worked called me into his office. He told me I was too young to pastor a church and should reconsider.
My parents felt the same way. After all, I was only 19 years old. What does a 19-year-old know about pastoring a church?
My calling was unexpected to those around me, but so was that of Jehu. Elisha sent his servant with the following instructions:
“Take this flask of oil with you, and go to Ramoth-gilead. When you arrive, look there for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi; go in and get him to leave his companions, and take him into an inner chamber.
Then take the flask of oil, pour it on his head, and say, ‘Thus says the LORD: I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and flee; do not linger” (2 Kings 9:1-3).
Think about Jehu for a minute. He wasn’t a priest or a prophet. He wasn’t a king or even a potential king. Jehu was a military commander, a chariot captain under King Joram. By human standards, he had no claim to the throne. Yet, God chose him to play a key role in Israel’s history.
The Message of Judgment
God gave Jehu the task to bring judgment on the house of Ahab and his wife Jezebel for their evil deeds and the blood they had shed.
“You shall strike down the house of your master Ahab, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD” (2 Kings 9:7).
For years, Ahab and Jezebel led Israel into Baal worship, killed God’s prophets, and corrupted the nation. Elijah had prophesied their downfall decades earlier, and now that word was about to be fulfilled through the Jehu.
Obedience
Jehu didn’t hesitate, make excuses, or question his qualifications. When his fellow officers ask what the “madman” prophet wanted, Jehu tells them the truth: “Thus says the LORD, I anoint you king over Israel” (2 Kings 9:12).
Immediately, they blew the trumpet and declared, “Jehu is king!”
God’s judgment falls first on Jezebel’s son, Joram. When Jehu encounters King Joram, the confrontation is swift. Joram asks, “Is it peace, Jehu?”
Jehu responds with a question of his own: “What peace can there be, so long as the many whoredoms and sorceries of your mother Jezebel continue?” (2 Kings 9:22).
Jehu then shoots Joram with an arrow, and his body is thrown into the field of Naboth—the innocent man Jezebel had murdered to steal his vineyard.
The prophecy against Jezebel herself is equally dramatic. When she hears Jehu is coming, she puts on makeup and does her hair, looking out the window with defiance.
But Jehu calls up to the eunuchs, “Who is on my side?” (2 Kings 9:32).
They throw her down, and she dies just as Elijah had prophesied: “In the territory of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel” (2 Kings 9:36).
Reflections
This episode from the lives of Israel’s kings and the prophets has an application to our world today.
(1) God chooses unlikely people to accomplish His purposes. Jehu didn’t have a clear path to become king, but God found a way to use him.
When I was a 19-year-old college student, I didn’t have many qualifications to serve a church, but God had plans to use me just the same.
What about you? Have you counted yourself out when God has counted you in? The best thing you can do is say yes to the Lord when he calls your name.
(2) Delayed justice doesn’t mean denied justice. Psalm 14 describes the fool as someone who says there is no God. This fool believes in God but thinks they won’t be held accountable for their actions.
The story of Ahab and Jezebel teaches us that there is accountability in God’s courtroom. It may be delayed, but God will make sure it happens. If not in this life, then we will face His judgment.
(3) Obedience requires action, not perfection. Jehu wasn’t a perfect man (later passages show his flaws), but he obeyed what God called him to do at that moment. God isn’t waiting for you to be flawless before He uses you. He’s waiting for you to be available, willing, and obedient.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross, Bruce Kirby, and I discussed this passage on YouTube today.
Real Voices 