The Rest of the Story – a singular mercy for the Shunammite 8:1-6
She escapes the famine – the famine was sent as judgment, but she escaped by a word from God
Peculiar mercies of her son’s restoration made known to the king, just as she comes before him.
Restoration of the land and its accumulated produce
Surely these events must strike us as an anomaly in a day of idolatry, vengeance, and judgment
A Sobering look at the Future 8:7-15 Judgment on Ben-Hadad as well as Israel
Sickness brings inquiry; A pagan king inquires of the prophet for a bit of knowledge 7, 8
A cryptic message; the disease not mortal, but the situation was; cruelty of Hazael 9, 10
An Instrument of vengeance; in conscience, Hazael reprobates his future brutality 11-15
The pervasive and Dissolute Influence of the House of Ahab 8:16-29
Joram of Israel was son of Ahab
Jehoram, of Judah, married a daughter of Ahab
Ahaziah, married a daughter of Ahab and his mother was granddaughter to Omri, Ahab’s father
The family ties and sympathies brought increased religious perversity to both kingdoms
Preparation for the Purge: Jehu anointed 9:1-13
Elisha sends a son of the Prophets to anoint Jehu and commission him
Jehu reluctantly tells his military peers that he has been anointed king
They consent and began the ride to Jezreel where Ahaziah and Joram were together
Assassination of the Kings 9:14-28
Jehu’s support gradually grows as the king’s messengers join him
The kings ride out to investigate the riding multitude
Both are killed and Joram was thrown on the land of Naboth’s vineyard according to God’s word
The rest of the Story - Destruction of Jezebel 9:30-37
Jezebel has survived Ahab by 12 years—more execution of vengeance remains
She knows what is at hand and calls Jehu Zimri, who killed Elah and the entire household of Baasha [1 Kings 16] and then burned a house over him to keep from being executed by Omri
She is thrown from a second story window, trampled under the feet of horses, and eaten by dogs so that no portion remains for burial 33-37
Bringing to naught the House of Ahab 10:1-17
Jehu sends a challenge to war to all the supporters of the seventy sons of Ahab asking them to declare one of them king and then prepare to defend his right to the throne 10:1-3
They had no desire to engage Jehu and his multitude in battle 10:4, 5
He asks for the heads of all the sons and they comply; Jehu proclaims this as the culmination of the prophetic word issued by Elijah 10:10
By providence he encounters the remaining family of Ahaziah [42 people] on a journey to visit Ahab’s sons and Jezebel and has all of them killed
Destroying the worshippers of Baal
Jehu feigns leadership in a time of sacrifice to Baal and gathers all of the worshippers of Baal
He makes sure that no worshippers of Jehovah are present in the group
He has all of them slaughtered, the place of worship destroyed, and made into a latrine
The Character of the reign of Jehu
He completed God’s vengeance on the house of Ahab and Baal as God had commissioned him
He failed to depart from the sins of Jeroboam [1 Kings 12:25-33]
Principles Operative in Redemptive History
When mercy appears, it always casts a striking contrast to the judgment operative in the world
Sin is so powerful and deceitful that it drives us to do what pure conscience sees as reprehensible
Not a word of God shall fail; he operates through precise command, through human fear and frailty, through apparently fortuitous circumstances, through miraculous intervention
No matter how far we may advance in reclaiming obedience to divine revelation, incomplete reform that leaves undisturbed the roots of disobedience and does not remedy fallacious principles and practices will lead to further judgment. We must always ask, "Does the content of this action give expression to divine revelation?" and "Is this activity warranted either expressly or as necessary for and conducive to obedience to divine revelation?" Even as aggressive as he was, Jehu left undone a portion of reform. Jesus has left nothing undone in his obedience.