As we enter this chapter, we read about Jehu, who reigned in the Northern Kingdom of Israel from 841 to 814 B.C. What is important about this chapter is seen in the fact that when he is anointed as king, this actually brought an end to the house of Ahab.
The anointing of Jehu as king of Israel was first given to Elijah, 1 Kings 19:6. Elijah then gave Elisha, his servant, the task of doing this. In these verses, we read that Elisha gave his servant, that is, one of the sons of the prophets, to carry out the command originally given to Elijah, 2 Kings 9:1.
The servant was to tuck his cloak into his belt and take a flask of olive oil, 2 Kings 9:1. This oil was the holy oil, the anointing oil, which was mixed with other ingredients, Exodus 30:23-25.
After his anointing, 2 Kings 9:2-6, Jehu is given the task of restoring Israel; he was to do this by destroying any influence which may come from the house of Ahab and his descendants, 2 Kings 9:7.
God wanted to remove all the idolatrous behaviour from the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Jehu did this by going after the leaders, some of whom were related to Ahab and Jezebel and some of whom were the false prophets of Baal.
God says the whole house of Ahab will perish and He will cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel, slave or free, 2 Kings 9:8. He will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam and like the house of Baasha, 2 Kings 9:9.
God says that Jezebel will be devoured by dogs on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and no one will bury her, 2 Kings 9:10 / 2 Kings 9:33. Back in 1 Kings 15:29, we read about the destruction of the house of Jeroboam and back in 1 Kings 16:9-12, we read about the destruction of the house of Baasha.
In other words, the house of Ahab had been warned twice about their fate because they turned away from God and His ways, and of course, Ahab himself had been personally warned of his fate back in 1 Kings 21:21-26.
We must remember that the end of Ahab’s reign and the dynasty would have happened a lot quicker if he hadn’t repented as he did earlier. God told him his punishment wasn’t going to happen in his lifetime, but in the lifetime of his son, Joram, 1 Kings 21:29.
The prophet then opens the door and runs, 2 Kings 9:10. I find it amusing that the people thought that God’s true prophets were maniacs, 2 Kings 9:11, and yet their own false prophets were sane. This is nothing new because madness was widely associated with prophecy in the Old Testament, Jeremiah 20:26 / Hosea 9:7.
Nothing much has changed today; many people look at Christians as if they are mad for believing in God, while they believe that they are sane because they believe in evolution or atheism.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Was it because he was a holy man of God that he was reputed by a club of irreligious officers to be a madman? In vain do such pretend that they fight for religion, and are the guardians of the public welfare and morals, if they persecute religion and scoff at holy men.’
When we read these verses, we can see how much the officers of Joram didn’t like him, 2 Kings 9:12. There’s almost a sense of relief in their actions and an over-the-top reaction towards their new king.
1. They spread their garments for Jehu to walk upon, 2 Kings 9:13, much like what happened when Christ walked into Jerusalem, Luke 19:29-40.
2. They blew the trumpet, 2 Kings 9:13, which was always associated with proclaiming a new king, 2 Kings 11:14 / 2 Samuel 15:10 / 1 Kings 1:39.
3. They shouted, ‘Jehu is king!’ 2 Kings 9:13.
Because all the leaders of the army took part in the proclamation that Jehu was king, meant that the anointing of Jehu as their new king was a complete success.
It appears that Jehu started planning some kind of conspiracy against Joram, 2 Kings 9:14, but these plans may have already been in the pipeline before he was announced king, 2 Chronicles 22:7-9. We don’t really know what Jehu’s motives are, but now that he is king, he can put his plans into action.
We are told Joram and all Israel had been defending Ramoth Gilead against Hazael king of Aram, but King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds the Arameans had inflicted on him in the battle with Hazael king of Aram, 2 Kings 9:14.
It appears that those who were associated with Jehu immediately proceeded to proclaim him as king, 2 Kings 9:15-16, and so, now all of Israel was under the command of Jehu.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Once any man was proclaimed king during the reign of another king, that automatically meant the death of one of them or the engagement of a long civil war. Jehu said, in effect. All right, you have made me king; now, whatever you do, do not let anyone leave here with that kind of information to be told in Jezreel. And Jehu took a detachment of the troops and headed for Jezreel to kill the king.’
There was a lookout standing on the tower in Jezreel, and when he saw Jehu’s troops approaching, he shouted out to Joram, 2 Kings 9:17.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘These watchmen, fixed on elevated places and generally within hearing of each other, served as a kind of telegraph to communicate intelligence through the whole country. But, in some cases, it appears that the intelligence was conveyed by a horseman to the next stage, as in the case before us. At this time, when the armies were at Ramoth-Gilead, they were, no doubt, doubly watchful to observe the state of the country, and to notice every movement, 2 Samuel 13:34.’
Joram sends out two horsemen to ask if Jehu comes in peace, 2 Kings 9:17 / 2 Kings 9:19, but neither of them returns because they switch allegiance and join Jehu, 2 Kings 9:18-20.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following concerning 2 Kings 9:20.
‘Jehu was properly ‘the grandson’ of Nimshi, who was probably a more famous person than Jehoshaphat, 2 Kings 9:2.’
We have to wonder, why didn’t Joram see the warning signs when the first messenger didn’t return or even when the second messenger didn’t return? I guess it’s possible he was trying to buy some time to get prepared for war, but more than likely, he was just like his father, who never saw the obvious, 2 Kings 1:9-13.
It appears at this point in history that the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah have a good relationship with one another. The house of Ahab was now on the thrones of both Israel and Judah, but God appears to use Joram’s illness in Jezreel to bring Ahaziah from Jerusalem, 2 Chronicles 22:7. In doing so, the two branches of Ahab’s house were brought together and brought to an end at the same time.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Appropriately, the final settlement of God’s account with the house of Ahab would take place at Jezreel, at that very vineyard of Naboth, where through Ahab’s murder of that righteous man, the dogs licked his blood, and, in the next chapter, we shall see how the dogs indeed licked the blood of Ahab in the person of his grandson Ahaziah in the very same place. None of God’s prophecies ever failed!’
Joram and Ahaziah rode out and met Jehu at the plot of ground that had belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite, 2 Kings 9:21 / 2 Chronicles 22:7. Remember, Naboth’s vineyard, which was his inheritance, had been stolen by Ahab and Jezebel, 1 Kings 21:1-18, and so, this is the perfect place to bring down the house of Ahab, 1 Kings 21:19.
It’s quite clear that Ahab and Jezebel’s sinful actions involved idolatry and witchcraft, 2 Kings 9:22, and it’s quite clear that these practices were carried on by their son, hence why Joram was killed, and Ahab’s household was coming to an end.
Joram runs away while calling out to Ahaziah, ‘treachery, Ahaziah! 2 Kings 9:23. Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders and the arrow pierced his heart and he slumped down in his chariot, 2 Kings 9:24.
Jehu then commands Bidkar, his chariot officer to pick him up and throw him on the field that belonged to Naboth the Jezreelite, 2 Kings 9:25 / 1 Kings 21:1-29. He asks Bidkar to remember how both of them were riding together in chariots behind Ahab, his father, when the Lord said, ‘yesterday He saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons, and He will surely make him pay for it on this plot of ground, 2 Kings 9:25-26.
And so, Jehu tells him to pick Joram up and throw him on that plot, in accordance with the word of God, 2 Kings 9:26. Because Jehu understood that his mission was from God, that he was to destroy the house of Ahab, he doesn’t hang around in the task of killing all the descendants of Ahab and Jezebel.
When Ahaziah saw what had happened, he ran to Beth Haggan, 2 Kings 9:27. Ahaziah had a good friendship with Joram, and because of this friendship, Ahaziah joined in with the house of Ahab’s sinfulness. This is the reason why Jehu said that he, too, should be killed, 2 Kings 9:27.
They wounded Ahaziah in his chariot on the way up to Gur near Ibleam, but he escaped to Megiddo and died there, 2 Kings 9:27 / 2 Chronicles 22:8-9. Although God had willed the execution of the house of Omri, to whose dynasty Ahab and his evil family belonged, Jehu’s murderous deeds in their totality were not approved by God.
Jehu’s envoys killed him, but they allowed his servants to bury him, 2 Kings 9:28. Ahaziah’s body was taken by chariot to Jerusalem, and they buried him with his ancestors in his tomb in the City of David, 2 Kings 9:28.
We are told that in the eleventh year of Joram, 2 Kings 9:29 / 2 Chronicles 21:18-19. Ahaziah had become king of Judah, 2 Kings 9:29. So there was no one in the house of Ahaziah powerful enough to retain the kingdom, 2 Chronicles 22:9.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following concerning the year.
‘The twelfth according to 2 Kings 8:25. The discrepancy may be best explained from two ways of reckoning the accession of Ahaziah, who is likely to have been regent for his father during at least one year, 2 Chronicles 21:19.’
Notice when Jehu went to Jezreel, Jezebel prepared herself to look good, 2 Kings 9:30 / Jeremiah 4:30 / Ezekiel 23:40. She was probably thinking that if she did this, she would receive some kind of mercy from Jehu.
It appears that she knew that Jehu was going to kill her, too, and so she reminds him of Zimri, 2 Kings 9:31, who was also murdered in order to seize the throne, 1 Kings 16:8-10.
At that point, two eunuchs appeared at the window near Jezebel, and then a third. It is then that Jehu asks for loyalty to him, 2 Kings 9:32, and they have no hesitation in doing so.
This resulted in Jezebel being thrown out of the window, 2 Kings 9:33, and to show how much they hated Jezebel, they trampled over her body with horses, 2 Kings 9:33.
Clarke, in his commentary, says the following.
‘What a terrible death! She was already, by the fall, almost dashed to pieces, and the brutal Jehu trampled her already mangled body under his horse’s feet!’
Since she was the daughter of a king, Jehu wanted to bury her, 2 Kings 9:34, but it was too late because the dogs had already eaten most of her body, 2 Kings 9:35-36.
Jezebel’s body will be like dung on the ground in the plot at Jezreel, so that no one will be able to say, ‘This is Jezebel,’ 2 Kings 9:37. This was the fulfilment of Elijah’s prophecy concerning Jezebel’s death, 1 Kings 21:23.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Leaving the mangled body on the bare earth, Jehu went to the banquet. It was, no doubt, important that he should at once show himself to the court as king. In calling Jezebel ‘this cursed one,’ Jehu means to remind his hearers that the curse of God had been pronounced upon her by Elijah, 2 Kings 9:36, and so to justify his own conduct.’
Jezebel’s sin was that she brought her own gods to Israel, namely Baal and Astarte, 1 Kings 16:31, and she ordered the murder of God’s prophets, 1 Kings 18:4. Sadly, Jezebel’s influence was still very much alive metaphorically by the time we get to the New Testament, Revelation 2:20.