Reform by Force?

KEY VERSE: “A wise man is strong: yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.” —Proverbs 24:5

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: II Kings 10:18, 19, 24-31

ELISHA, the prophet of the Lord, was directed to anoint Jehu as king over Israel, whom God intended to use to destroy the house of Ahab, his family, and all the wicked followers of Baal. Elisha enlisted the services of one of his young followers to take the anointing oil and anoint Jehu king, and as he was performing this task he said, “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 the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her.”—II Kings 9:6-10

Jehu set about immediately to fulfill his commission. He armed his men and went to Jezreel where, before entering the city, he slew two kings of Ahab’s house—King Joram, and King Ahaziah—who had gone out to meet him. Subsequently, Jehu entered Jezreel where Jezebel, a perverse and wicked influence in Israel, prepared herself to meet him. When he rode into the city, she called to him from a window, and Jehu answered by calling, “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 she was trampled under the feet of the horses. Later, when they went to retrieve the body, there was nothing left but the skull, feet, and the palms of her hands. (II Kings 9:30-35) This was a remarkable fulfillment of a prophecy of the Lord stated in I Kings 21:23, “Of Jezebel also spoke the Lord, saying, the dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.”

Jehu continued to carry out the Lord’s instructions with great zeal. The text in II Kings 10:28 states, “Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.” After this, worship of Baal does not appear to have ever been restored in the kingdom of Israel, though other idolatry abounded. Jehu did not destroy the worship of the golden calves that were in Bethel and Dan. After completing his work we find that “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.”—II Kings 10:31

Had Jehu acted because of genuine zeal for the honor and glory of God in destroying the worshipers of Baal, he would have put down the worshipers of the golden calves also. Idolatry in any form is forbidden by God’s law. But apparently, there were reasons of expediency that prevented Jehu from fully completing his work. The Lord, however, sent a prophet to assure him that he had done right in executing vengeance on Ahab’s family, as well as destroying the worship of Baal. We read, “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.”—vs. 30

Accordingly, his family sat on the throne of Israel longer than any other family, either before or after; for the span of time reached to more than one hundred years from the time that Jehu ascended the throne to the end of the fourth generation. Because of continued idolatry and wickedness, “the Lord began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel.” (vs. 32) This apparently began after Jehu’s death and during the reign of his son, Jehohaz. Hazael became a great oppressor of Israel, fulfilling what the Prophet Elisha had foretold, that he would subject Israel’s fortified places to fire, kill their choice men with the sword, dash to pieces their children, and kill their women. (II Kings 13:3,22; 8:12) God did not allow Syria to crush Israel completely, but under subsequent kings of Israel, the Lord permitted them to reconquer some of the territory lost to Syria. This entire episode in the history of Israel was in accordance with the Lord’s dealings with his chosen people: when they sinned, he chastised them; and when they repented, he forgave them, and blessed them.

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