Jehu: A Servant of God?
When studying the kings of Judah and Israel there are two constants; Israel as a Nation was going to reject God and the kings of the Northern kingdom of Israel were going to do evil in the sight of the Lord. Of all the kings that played the did evil in the sight of God, Jehu may have been the most intriguing.
He is the only king of the northern kingdom to receive a good report from God. Yet, he was also condemned for continuing in the paths of the kings before him. Which leads me to the question above. Was Jehu a servant of God, or was he just like every one else?
Who Was Jehu?
Jehu was chosen by God to be the king of Israel in I Kings 19:16. God then told Elijah that Jehu would have the task of putting to death those that stood against the Lord and slew His prophets. In II Kings 9:1-10 the Lord commissioned Elisha to annoint Jehu as king and to inform Jehu of what the Lord expected of him. “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 I will cut off from Ahab all the males in Israel, both bond and free: And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah: And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her (II Kings 9:7-10).” The remainder of chapter nine and most of chapter ten describe in detail what Jehu did to the house of Ahab. As a result, “The lord said unto Jehu, 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 upon the throne of Israel (II Kings 10:30). We can see this prophecy fulfilled in II Kings 15:8-12).
Walked in Wrong Shoes
Despite God giving his approval to Jehu for his actions against the house of Ahab (II Kings 9:6-10), Jehu still walked in the sins of Jeroboam. “But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart; for he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, who had made Israel sin (II Kings 10:31).” Just as David was the standard for kings who did right in the sight of God, Jeroboam was the standard for kings who did wickedly in the sight of God.
Sure, one could say that Jehu was not as bad as Ahab. But, what is that really saying? Could we say, “I am not as bad as Adolph Hitler or Charles Manson” and expect God to be well pleased with us? Certainly not. Just because we are not as evil as the most evil does not justify us when we walk in sin. The Lord does not place your righteous deeds on one side of the scale and place your unrighteous deeds on the other side. Wickedness, no matter how great or small in our eyes, are all on the same field in God’s eyes (James 2:10). God was not going to overlook Jehu’s wickedness no matter how many “good” things he did for the Lord. He was NOT a righteous King.
Discrepancy?
There is still another piece to this mystery. Hosea, the prophet, wrote his book, and spoke his prophecy during the days of Jeroboam, Jehu’s third generation (Hos. 1:1). God spoke to him and said that He would “avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu (Hos. 1:4).” What happened in Jezreel? Ahab’s son, Joram, the king of Israel, was killed by Jehu according to the word of the Lord (II Kings 9:26). Jezebel was thrown out a window on the order of Jehu and eaten by dogs according to the word of the Lord (II Kings 9:30-37). Ahab’s seventy sons were beheaded by the order of Jehu according to the word of the Lord (II Kings 10:1-10). If all three of these actions were done according to the word of the Lord. And if God told Jehu that he was well pleased with what he did to the house of Ahab, then why does God tell Hosea that he was going to take revenge upon the household of Jehu for the bloodshed he brought upon the household of Ahab?
Just because God has chosen an instrument in which to carry out His wrath, does not mean that the instrument can do so by any means. For instance, Assyria was chosen by God to destroy Samaria and the northern kingdom of Israel. But, it is recorded in Nahum that was going to bring judgment upon Assyria for their cruelty. Babylon was God’s instrument of wrath against Jerusalem and Judah. But Jeremiah 51:20-24 states that God would punish Babylon for the way they came up against Judah. Jehu was told to destroy the house of Abah. He was not told to behead the sons. He was not told to toss Jezebel out a window. Jehu’s method of carrying out God’s orders is why he was condemned.
Applications
In a like manner, we too can be cut off for how we keep God’s commandments. “Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing (I Cor. 13:1-3). Take care how we work in the Lord’s vineyard.
-WTK