2 Kings 9:14-10:31
2 Kings
9:14-37 These are Jehu's first actions against the house of Ahab.
Vs. 14-16
This sets the stage. Joram was wounded and recovering at Jezreel. Ahaziah the
king of Judah, and fellow descendant of Ahab, was there with him. They were
awaiting news of the battle at Ramoth-gilead.
Vs. 17-20
Remember that Joram was hoping for news of a victory and peace. He thought that
Jehu was still one of his best and most loyal leaders. Jehu was coming on so
fast that the riders had to fall in line behind him. Jehu's reply to the
messengers will be explained in a few verses.
V. 20 This
could be a cool bumper sticker: Driving like a Jehu!
Vs. 21-26
Joram and Ahaziah went out thinking there was a message of peace. They got a
big surprise.
V. 22 This
is what Jehu meant by his cryptic words about peace.
V. 26 This
is where we understand that earlier (1 Kings 21:13) when Naboth was killed, his
sons (probably wife and daughters too) were killed with him. It is interesting
to note that Jehu and all of these men knew about this word from the Lord.
V. 27-29 Ahaziah,
though from Judah, was still related to Ahab through Ahab's daughter. Jezebel
was his grandmother! Killing him was a fulfillment of the judgment on Ahab.
Jehu didn't need to pursue him since he was interested in Ahab's descendants in
Israel, not Judah.
V. 29 With
Joram dead, Jehu officially began his reign.
Vs. 30-37
And here was Jehu's first order of business. It is apparent from her words that
Jezebel knew this would be her last appearance so she wanted to go out looking
good. I can imagine that Jezebel was not well liked and these eunuchs were
finally living their dream.
V. 36
Notice again how well they knew what the Lord had spoken. So, why didn't they
obey earlier? Better yet, why won't they obey in the future?
Just so we
don't get too caught up in the aftermath of Jezebel's "burial,"
remember that she wasn't there. The minute her head hit the pavement, she shot
into the presence of God, which would have been a great place to have been, had
she not been the person she had been. Those moments in God’s presence and being
sent into Hades were far worse than the dogs eating her corpse. The thing with
the dogs was to show those still living that God is faithful to His words of
judgment. Jezebel could have repented but didn't. And then too, we should give
a care for those poor dogs.
2 Kings
10:1-31
Vs. 1-11
Notice in all of this that Jehu was very tactical and that he also appealed to
the prophecy against the house of Ahab.
Vs. 9-10
It is interesting that Jehu took the responsibility on himself for this event.
That was a good thing.
V. 11 It
should be noted that God judged Jehu, among other things, for his excessive
zeal and violence (Hosea 1:4). I think killing all of the great men and close
friends might have been part of this. If Jehu worked for Ahab and Jezebel and
hated them, there were probably many in the government who also hated them and
would have been loyal to Jehu. Killing everyone was excessive and it might have
shown some insecurity on Jehu's part, clearing the field of any would-be
competitors.
Vs. 12-14
Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This apparently was an
intersection ordained by God. Some of this may have been warranted, since Jehu
had the command to kill everything related to Ahab. But not all of these people
were related. It may be that Jehu got carried away, killing the innocent with
the guilty.
Vs. 15-28
Jehu's final step was to eliminate Baal worship (and the other associated gods)
from Israel.
In v. 15
we meet Jehonadab the son of Rechab. We don't know it here, but this guy is a
full, 100% follower of Yahweh. He's one of those 7000 who hadn't bowed the knee
to Baal. In Jeremiah 35 we'll hear about him (called Jonadab there) and meet
his kids. God will make an eternal promise to his family, to the effect that
one of Jehonadab's descendants is running around today, as we speak, and is a
fully devoted follower of Christ. Maybe it's you!
Apparently
Jehonadab was known to be a follower of Yahweh, but Jehu had only recently
appeared to be following the Lord. Jehu wanted to be seen as united to
Jehonadab.
V. 27 Nice
touch.
Vs. 28-31
So, in spite of all of the prophecies and their fulfillments, Jehu still did
not follow God. Rather than simply trusting and honoring God, there was fear of
losing the kingdom if the people were to return to Jerusalem. He took care of
Baal worship, but he left the calves up and didn't honor God. And then, even
though people knew there was a presence of God because of Elisha, they still
were not interested in asking God's will and following His leading. In order to
do that, they needed to get rid of the calves and embrace worshiping God's way
in Jerusalem. Ironically, at this moment, God wasn't being worshiped in
Jerusalem either.
I think
these events show us that as disciples we need to be very serious and devoted
in serving the Lord in the harvest as He says we are to serve. Jehu obeyed to a
point, but then stopped. Had he been personally devoted to the Lord, he would
have made his own copy of Deuteronomy and read from it daily, all under the
instruction of the Levites. He would only have sacrificed at the altar in the
temple. He would have fearlessly followed the Lord and been a model to his
people.
Acts 17
Vs. 1-9
This is the beginning of the church in Thessalonica. In saying that Paul was in
the synagogue for three Sabbath days, it means that was the length of time he
worked in the synagogue. He was in Thessalonica longer than that. In
Philippians Paul says he received financial gifts from the church in Philippi
two times. Paul also worked there for some time as, literally, a tentmaker.
V. 5 It
could be that Jason was a relative of Paul's who is mentioned in Romans 16:21.
Vs. 10-15
It is funny that Luke wrote that the Bereans were more noble than those in
Thessalonica. Didn't they think this book would circulate? Apparently they took
time to hear Paul and search the Scriptures; and on verifying what Paul said,
many more came to faith.
V. 13 When
they had worked long enough to establish the church, these God-ordained
agitators were used by God to show Paul and the new church that Paul had to
leave. It was time for them to get organized and begin working in the harvest,
following Christ.
V. 14
Compare this verse to v. 9.
V. 15
Notice the similarities of Paul's work in Thessalonica and in Berea. Notice
too, that when Paul fled to another city, he immediately began to work.
Everything was seen as God's leading and will.
Paul sent
word for Silas and Timothy to return to him. Silas and Timothy had remained and
gone back to Thessalonica to see if the church there was OK.
Vs. 16-34
Some people go nuts, and say this was a total failure by Paul, and that Paul
became vague and wishy-washy in his preaching. What do you think? The reality
is - people were saved. I could live with that. Paul began in the synagogues
like usual, but this was a totally secular and confused environment. God
blessed with fruit. I think I'd have been happy.
When you
look at Paul's message, what do you think were the high points? In a way, it
looks like what Jesus told His disciples to preach. There is one God whose
kingdom is coming. He will judge mankind, so turn to Him through His Son, Jesus
Christ.
As
disciples, we should keep the message simple and biblical, and remember that
only those who the Father draws to His Son will come forward. Our job is to
work in the harvest and be clear and clearly in love with our Lord.
Athens,
the cultural center of Greece, had gone to seed and was full of confusion. It
didn't have a fraction of the importance of Corinth, Paul's next stop.
Psalm 144
This psalm
of David looks like it could have been written after he finally became king of
the entire nation. In those early days he faced many foreign enemies and God
brought them into submission to Israel. What do you think the purpose of this
prayer is? What is David asking for the nation?
Take
notice of the repetitions of words that give structure to different sections of
the psalm, like may.
Vs. 1-2
David had come to know God's steadfast
love in his days of running and during the civil war with Saul's house and
northern tribes. Now as king of the entire nation, David was beginning to see
God's plan unfolding that would bring the nations into submission to Israel.
Vs. 3-4
You have to wonder why David says this. It's almost like a moment of
reflection.
Vs. 5-8
David again was asking God for help and deliverance. In spite of what God had
given, David didn't take God's help for granted or think that he himself was
sufficient for any task without God.
Vs. 9-11 I
wonder if these verses were penned just before David was going into battle.
Vs. 12-15
This seems like a prayer for the blessing God promised to Abraham. God promised
that Israel would be a light and a blessing to all nations because He was with
them. The nations would see this blessing and be drawn to seek the Lord.
Proverbs 17:27-28
So, what
kind of knowledge gives you the ability to keep cool and control your words?
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year
Bible, click on this link http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/every-day-in-the-word/. If that doesn't
work, go to http://www.esvbible.org/devotions/
and click on “Every
Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those who are
following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple,
following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship
culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging
each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make
disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our
growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here
or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some
explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My
comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on Christ
and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will
grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and
encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the
harvest.
If you would like a complete description of this model
of being and making disciples you can find it in my book: Simply
Disciples*Making Disciples. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011WJIDQA?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is
still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's
keyed to the NIV, so the result is the commentators are constantly telling you
what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in
fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is
encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the
comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding,
that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but
only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.
Send comments or feedback to dgkachikis@gmail.com.
If you would like documents containing an entire month
of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download
these to use on your computer or to print.
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