Jehu’s Desperate Act

Synopsis     2 Kings 9:21-27     8/27/2019

Jehu was racing toward Jezreel to confront King Joram. He had been anointed king by Elisha’s servant. And so, he was determined to get to King Joram before the king received word of what Elisha had done.

Because Jehu refused to stop for either of the messengers that Joram had sent, the king decided to take action of his own. He called for his chariot to be hooked up. And despite his battlefield injuries, he mounted up to meet Jehu outside the city.

Joram’s nephew was also with him. His name was Ahaziah and he was the king over Judah. So, together the two kings went out on their chariots to meet Jehu.

Upon meeting, Jehu proclaimed Elijah’s prophecy against the House of Ahab. And, Joram immediately recognized Jehu’s intent. Accordingly, he attempted to escape. But, Jehu killed him with a single arrow through the heart while he fled.

While there, he and his attendants also pursued and killed Ahaziah.

Jehu’s Desperate Act

Jehu killed both the king of Israel and the king of Judah in a single moment. He killed King Joram because of the king’s persistence in Baal worship.

But he also killed Ahaziah, who was both a descendent of King David and King Ahab. Clearly, he did this to prevent the house of David from reclaiming rule over the entire kingdom through intermarriage with Ahab’s daughter.

Maybe, on the face of it, Jehu seems a little bloodthirsty. And clearly, he wasn’t afraid to take decisive action. But it’s also important to remember that he was a reasonable man. He was a professional soldier who was esteemed by his peers. He wasn’t reckless.

So, for him, killing the two kings of Israel was an act of utter desperation. He didn’t have an alternative choice. He only did it because he believed the future of the nation was at stake.

Desperate Acts

We all want to be good. We all want to do well and be accepted. This is my hope for satisfaction and joy.

And, I think, this is how we are born. This is how we wake up each morning.

But try as I might, I never seem to fully succeed. I never actually do the good that I intend to do.

I can live with this persistent failure for a while. Sometimes, even a long while. But not forever. Eventually it will come to a head. And when that day comes, I’ll either act out in desperation or else I’ll capitulate entirely.

“Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver me from this mortal body?” Rom 7:24