The Biblical Path of Life

Tag: Jehu

  • A Miserable Failure

    “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?”

    Matthew 7:22

    Elisha sent one of the prophets to anoint a new king of Israel, Jehu, even while Jehoram was still king. When Jehu was anointed, he was also given a very grave message from God: he was to kill wicked King Ahab’s entire household. He went to Jezreel and killed King Jehoram. He continued by having Jezebel killed. Ahab had 70 sons living in Samaria, and they were also killed. Jehu did not stop there, he continued by killing every Baal worshiper in Israel. He then had all of the images burned, and they broke down the house of Baal. These acts established him as the new king of Israel.

    After reading about all of the good that Jehu did, we will find an area in which he miserably failed. This is to be a lesson to us.

    The following is an excerpt from The Biblical Path of Life, Year Two Quarter One – Lesson 5:

    “Because Jehu obeyed God’s words in destroying the house of Ahab, Jehu’s children would sit upon the throne of Israel until the fourth generation.

    “’Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Bethel, and that were in Dan‘ (2 Kings 10:29). Nevertheless, Jehu did not walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all of his heart. With all of the good Jehu did for the nation, he did not remove the worship of idols (the golden calves in Bethel and Dan). ‘But 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‘ (2 Kings 10:31). The words took no heed are quite important. They mean: “to not observe God’s commands; to not keep or guard or protect.”

    “’In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short….‘ We notice that the kingdom was not at peace from the enemies around. ‘… And Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel …‘ (2 Kings 10:32).

    “Jehu reigned over Israel for 28 years. ‘And Jehu slept with his fathers: and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son reigned in his stead‘ (2 Kings 10:35).

    “A Deeper Path: The words took no heed are the same words as kept not we see in 1 Kings 11:10: ‘And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded.‘ Jehu’s sin was the same as King Solomon’s; not keeping that which the Lord commanded — the sin that caused the divided kingdom. Remember … ‘Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life‘ (Proverbs 4:23). Jehu did not have in his heart what needed to complete what he started. Remember back to King David. He wanted to bring the Ark of the Covenant into the city of Jerusalem. Nevertheless, he did it wrong the first time, and Uzzah died. Instead of staying angry with God, David sought God to find out what he had done wrong (see 1 Chronicles 15:13). When he obeyed God’s Word, they brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem, rejoicing (see 2 Samuel 6). David sought to please God with all of his heart — and the kings were compared back to him.

    “We should learn something very important from Jehu’s life. In spite of all of the good he did for God in the removing of Baal worship in the land of Israel, he did not “guard” his heart. Instead of putting away all idol worship, he kept the form that had previously been established as the worship of God (the golden calves in Dan and Bethel). If he had sought God’s Word, he would have found the truth. Just look at the first two of the Ten Commandments (‘3. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing…‘ Exodus 20:3-4a). Notice that Jehu was compared back to King Jeroboam, “which led Israel to sin.”

    “When we give our hearts and lives to God (ask Jesus in our hearts), we must do it completely — not keeping any part back for ourselves. We must do it as God commands, not the way we ‘think’ or the way someone tells us. We must look into God’s Word to see what is required.”

    Jehu reigned for seventeen years in Israel, and “followed the sins of Jeroboam.” He continued to allow the religious system where they worshiped the golden calves at Dan and Bethel. He was not considered a good king, even with all of the good and obedience he did. He failed to implement into his heart and life what God’s Word taught in order to be pleasing to God. Remember what Jesus declared in the New Testament. “22.Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:22-23). What a warning for us today!

    Do you belong to Jesus? Have you allowed Him to change you from the inside out?

    Or,

    Are you just “doing good things”?

    How to be Saved Link

  • Put Away the Old

    “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”

    Philippians 4:9

    Remember in the New Testament when Paul was preaching Jesus to those in Ephesus. For two years they won many to Jesus, and many miracles were done (many people were healed and evil spirits were cast out). However, along with that came some who were not Christians yet tried to do the works Paul had done (cast out evil spirits). When they tried, they were worse off than before because the evil spirits they had tried to cast out, instead came upon them (Acts 19:13–16). The new Christians in Ephesus recognized those who were not truly Christians and the results of falsely declaring so. One who trusts in Christ (becomes a Christian) has a nature change – becoming a new creature. “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

    Read what happened next: “17. And this was known to all the Jews and Greeks also dwelling at Ephesus; and fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified. 18. And many that believed came, and confessed, and shewed their deeds. 19. Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men: and they counted the price of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20. So mightily grew the word of God and prevailed” (Acts 19:17–20). Because the people recognized the difference between true salvation and a false practice, notice something very important. These people did not add Jesus to their other things (practices); they took their old things (curious arts means “black arts; or magic”) and burned them before all — it did not matter the financial loss. They destroyed them so that those things would not be a part of their lives anymore.

    Understanding that there is a choice to be made by each individual (believe the Gospel message or reject it), it is important for that person who believes to have a nature change. Why?  “21. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 22. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire” (2 Peter 2:21–22). When one chooses to disregard God’s Word, refusing the gift of Salvation by faith in Jesus, thereby ignoring the warnings of the consequences for sin (eternal death, see Romans 6:23), it reveals the nature of the heart. Just as the dog had the same nature of a dog and the pig the same nature of a pig, it reveals there was no nature change. It is the choice of any who hear the truth of the Gospel message to decide for themselves. “9. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10). Believe in Jesus for salvation, thereby having a change of heart. Or, do not believe, remaining in that old nature. However, read the following warning: “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God” (Hebrews 3:12).

    Christians are taught in God’s Word to put the old things of our former life to death (see Colossians 3:5). Instead, we are to think upon good and right things (see Philippians 4:8). These things are taught in the Bible. “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you” (Philippians 4:9). Understand that while thinking on these things is very good, there is another step that must be taken. Christians must do these things. We find an important warning to all Christians who know what we are to do: “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).

    Many events in the Old Testament are instances for us to recognize when one makes a right choice, and when one makes a bad choice. King Jehu did many great works (including the removing of Baal worship, see 2 Kings 9-10) in Israel, the Northern Kingdom. However, we also saw his great failure. “But 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” (2 Kings 10:31). His heart did not change which was revealed in his not walking in the “law of the LORD God of Israel”. For that, Jehu was not considered a good king. Just think what kind of a king Jehu would have been if he had sought God’s commands and changed his heart, and then led the nation to do the same.

    Have you chosen to remain in that old nature, departing not from your sin?

    Or

    Have you had a change of heart, believing and confessing Jesus, and then doing what the Bible teaches?

    http://biblicalpath.com/index.php/how-to-be-saved/

  • Lesson 5: 2 Kings 9:11–13:9: Jehu – Jehoahaz

    Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

    —Proverbs 4:23

    Key Verse Thought: As you read the Key verse for this lesson, use the following definitions to help you understand it a little better.

    • keep:  guard; protect; preserve
    • heart:  the center; the totality of man’s inner nature; the place where wisdom and understanding reside

     We are to be very careful of what we allow into our hearts. We should protect not only the nature (character, or attributes) but also the wisdom that we allow into our hearts. Why? What we allow into our heart is the source for the kind of life we live; the kind of person we become. That is one reason why when someone becomes saved; we say they have asked Jesus into their heart.

    Be encouraged to consider your heart as the place where a special treasure is kept — a place to be well guarded. It would also be good to understand the importance of placing God’s Word into your heart (see Psalm 119:11).

    Emphasis: We are to learn from the failings of King Jehu. We are to keep our hearts with all diligence — always continuously hiding God’s Word in our hearts so we will know what to do (unlike King Jehu).

    Lesson Summary: As we begin this lesson, we must remember that Jehoram (also called Joram) reigned in Israel. Elisha had sent one of the prophets to anoint a new king of Israel, Jehu, even while Jehoram was still king. When Jehu was anointed, he was also given a very grave message. He was to kill Ahab’s entire household.

    We will see the process that Jehu followed being established as the new king of Israel. Jehu went to Jezreel and killed King Jehoram (and Ahaziah, king of Judah, who was visiting King Jehoram). He continued by having Jezebel killed. Ahab had 70 sons living in Samaria, and they were also killed. Jehu did not stop there, he continued by killing every Baal worshiper in Israel. He then had all of the images burned, and they broke down the house of Baal. When Jehu died, we find his son, Jehoahaz, becomes the twelfth king of Israel. He reigned for 17 years in Israel, and “followed the sins of Jeroboam.” It was a greatly oppressed nation while he was king. When he died, his son, Joash (Jehoash), became the thirteenth king of Israel.

    As we read about all of the good that Jehu did, we will find an area in which he miserably failed. This is to be a lesson to us.

    Year Two Quarter One – Lesson 5 Questions

    Year Two Quarter One – Lesson 5 Children’s Worksheets

    You could have them make a journal including verses reminding them the importance of fearing the Lord and walking in His ways. That was Jehu’s failure – although he did much for God, he did not walk in God’s ways.