II
K I N G S
CHAP. X.
We
have in this chapter, I. A further account of Jehu's execution of his
commission. He cut off, 1. All Ahab's sons, ver. 1-10. 2. All Ahab's kindred,
ver. 11-14, 17. 3. Ahab's idolatry: his zeal against this he took Jonadab to
be witness to (ver. 15, 16), summoned all the worshippers of Baal to attend
(ver. 18-23) and slew them all (ver. 24, 25), and then abolished that
idolatry, ver. 26-28. II. A short account of the administration of his
government. 1. The old idolatry of Israel, the worship of the calves, was
retained, ver. 29-31. 2. This brought God's judgments upon them by Hazael,
with which his reign concludes, ver. 32-36.
|
Death
of Ahab's Sons; the Death of Ahaziah's Brethren.
|
B.
C. 884.
|
|
|
1 And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And
Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel, to the
elders, and to them that brought up Ahab's children, saying,
2 Now as soon as this letter cometh to you, seeing your master's sons are
with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, a fenced city
also, and armour; 3 Look even out the best and meetest of your
master's sons, and set him on his father's throne, and fight for your
master's house. 4 But they were exceedingly afraid, and said,
Behold, two kings stood not before him: how then shall we stand? 5
And he that was over the house, and he that was over the city,
the elders also, and the bringers up of the children, sent to Jehu,
saying, We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us; we
will not make any king: do thou that which is good in thine eyes.
6 Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be
mine, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the
men your master's sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to morrow this time. Now
the king's sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men
of the city, which brought them up. 7 And it came to pass, when
the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons, and slew seventy
persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent him them to Jezreel.
8 And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the
heads of the king's sons. And he said, Lay ye them in two heaps at the
entering in of the gate until the morning. 9 And it came to pass
in the morning, that he went out, and stood, and said to all the people, Ye be
righteous: behold, I conspired against my master, and slew him: but who slew
all these? 10 Know now that there shall fall unto the earth
nothing of the word of the LORD,
which the LORD
spake concerning the house of Ahab: for the LORD
hath done that which he spake by his servant Elijah. 11 So
Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great
men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he left him none
remaining. 12 And he arose and departed, and came to Samaria. And
as he was at the shearing house in the way, 13 Jehu met
with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are ye? And
they answered, We are the brethren of Ahaziah; and we go down to salute
the children of the king and the children of the queen. 14 And he
said, Take them alive. And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of
the shearing house, even two and forty men; neither left he any of
them.
We left Jehu in quiet possession of Jezreel, triumphing over Joram and
Jezebel; and we must now attend his further motions. He knew the whole house
of Ahab must be cut off, and therefore proceeded in this bloody work, and did
not do it deceitfully, or by halves, Jer. xlviii. 10.
I. He got the heads of all the sons of Ahab cut off by their own guardians at
Samaria. Seventy sons (or grandsons) Ahab had, Gideon's number, Judg. viii.
30. In such a number that bore his name his family was likely to be
perpetuated, and yet it is extirpated all at once. Such a quiver full of
arrows could not protect his house from divine vengeance. Numerous families,
if vicious, must not expect to be long prosperous. These sons of Ahab were now
at Samaria, a strong city, perhaps brought thither upon occasion of the war
with Syria, as a place of safety, or upon notice of Jehu's insurrection; with
them were the rulers of Jezreel, that is, the great officers of the court, who
went to Samaria to secure themselves or to consult what was to be done. Those
of them that were yet under tuition had their tutors with them, who were
entrusted with their education in learning, agreeable to their birth and
quality, but, it is to be feared, brought them up in the idolatries of their
father's house and made them all worshippers of Baal. Jehu did not think fit
to bring his forces to Samaria to destroy them, but, that the hand of God
might appear the more remarkably in it, made their guardians their murderers.
1. He sent a challenge to their friends to stand by them, v. 2, 3.
"You that are hearty well-wishers to the house of Ahab, and entirely in
its interests, now is your time to appear for it. Samaria is a strong city;
you are in possession of it; you have forces at command; you may choose out
the likeliest person of all the royal family to head you; you know you are not
tied to the eldest, unless he be the best and meetest of your master's
sons. If you have any spirit in you, show it, and set one of them on his
father's throne, and stand by him with your lives and fortunes." Not that
he desired they should do this, or expected they would, but thus he upbraided
them with their cowardice and utter inability to contest with the divine
counsels. "Do if you dare, and see what will come of it." Those that
have forsaken their religion have often, with it, lost both their sense and
their courage, and deserve to be upbraided with it. 2. Hereby he gained from
them a submission. They prudently reasoned with themselves: "Behold,
two kings stood not before him, but fell as sacrifices to his rage; how
then shall we stand?" v. 4. Therefore they sent him a
surrender of themselves: "We are thy servants, thy subjects, and will
do all that thou shalt bid us, right or wrong, and will set up nobody in
competition with thee." They saw it was to no purpose to contend with
him, and therefore it was their interest to submit to him. With much more
reason may we thus argue ourselves into a subjection to the great God. Many
kings and great men have fallen before his wrath, for their wickedness; and
how then shall we stand? Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we
stronger than he? No, we must either bend or break. 3. This was improved
so far as to make them the executioners of those whom they had the tuition of
(v. 6): If you be mine, bring me the heads of your master's sons by
to-morrow at this time. Though he knew it must be done, and was loth to do
it himself, one would think he could not expect they should do it. Could they
betray such a trust? Could they be cruel to their master's sons? It seems, so
low did they stoop in their adoration to the rising sun that they did it; they
cut off the heads of those seventy princes, and sent them in baskets a present
to Jehu, v. 7. Learn hence not to trust in a friend nor to put
confidence in a guide not governed by conscience. One can scarcely expect that
he who has been false to his God should ever be faithful to his prince. But
observe God's righteousness in their unrighteousness. These elders of Jezreel
had been wickedly obsequious to Jezebel's order for the murder of Naboth, 1
Kings xxi. 11. She gloried, it is likely, in the power she had over them; and
now the same base spirit makes them as pliable to Jehu and as ready to obey
his orders for the murder of Ahab's sons. Let none aim at arbitrary power,
lest they be found rolling a stone which, some time or other, will return upon
them. Princes that make their people slaves take the readiest way to make them
rebels; and by forcing men's consciences, as Jezebel did, they lose their hold
of them. When the separated heads were presented to Jehu, he slyly upbraided
those that were the executioners of this vengeance. The heads were laid in two
heaps at the gate, the proper place of judgment. There he acquitted the people
before God and the world (v. 9, You are righteous), and, by what
the rulers of Samaria had now done, comparatively acquitted himself: "I
slew but one; they have slain all these: I did it by conspiracy and with
design; they have done this merely in compliance and with an implicit
obedience. Let not the people of Samaria, nor any of the friends of the house
of Ahab, ever reproach me for what I have done, when their own elders, and the
very guardians of the orphans, have done this." It is common for those
who have done something base to attempt the mitigation of their own reproach
by drawing others in to do something worse. But, (2.) He resolves all into the
righteous judgment of God (v. 10): The Lord hath done that which he
spoke by Elijah. God is not the author of any man's sin, but even by that
which men do from bad principles God serves his own purposes and glorifies his
own name; and he is righteous in that wherein men are unrighteous. When the
Assyrian is made the rod of God's anger, and the instrument of his
justice, he meaneth not so, neither does his heart think so, Isa. x. 7.
II. He proceeded to destroy all that remained of the house of Ahab, not only
those that descended from him, but those that were in any relation to him, all
the officers of his household, ministers of state, and those in command under
him, called here his great men (v. 11), all his kinsfolks and
acquaintance, who had been partners with him in his wickedness, and his
priests, or domestic chaplains, whom he employed in his idolatrous services
and who strengthened his hand that he should not turn from his evil way.
Having done this in Jezreel, he did the same in Samaria (v. 17), slew
all that remained to Ahab in Samaria. This was bloody work, and is not
now, in any case, to be drawn into a precedent. Let the guilty suffer, but not
the guiltless for their sakes. Perhaps such terrible destructions as these
were intended as types of the final destruction of all the ungodly. God has a
sword, bathed in heaven, which will come down upon the people of his curse,
and be filled with blood. Isa. xxxiv. 5, 6. Then his eye will not
spare, neither will he pity.
III. Providence bringing the brethren of Ahaziah in his way, as he was going
on with this execution, he slew them likewise, v. 12-14. The brethren
of Ahaziah were slain by the Arabians (2 Chron. xxii. 1), but these were the
sons of his brethren, as it is there explained (v. 8), and they are
said to be princes of Judah, and to minister to Ahaziah. Several things
concurred to make them obnoxious to the vengeance Jehu was now executing. 1.
They were branches of Ahab's house, being descended from Athaliah, and
therefore fell within his commission. 2. They were tainted with the wickedness
of the house of Ahab. 3. They were now going to make their court to the
princes of the house of Ahab, to salute the children of the king and the
queen, Joram and Jezebel, which showed that they were linked to them in
affection as well as in affinity. These princes, forty-two in number, being
appointed as sheep for the sacrifice, were slain with solemnity, at the pit
of the shearing-house. The Lord is known by these judgments which he executeth.
|
Interview
between Jehu and Jehonadab; the Worshippers of Baal Destroyed.
B. C. 884
|
.
|
|
|
15 And when he was departed thence, he lighted
on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him: and he saluted him,
and said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart?
And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he
gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot.
16 And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD.
So they made him ride in his chariot. 17 And when he came to
Samaria, he slew all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed
him, according to the saying of the LORD,
which he spake to Elijah. 18 And Jehu gathered all the people
together, and said unto them, Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu shall
serve him much. 19 Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of
Baal, all his servants, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a
great sacrifice to do to Baal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not
live. But Jehu did it in subtilty, to the intent that he might destroy
the worshippers of Baal. 20 And Jehu said, Proclaim a solemn
assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed it. 21 And Jehu sent
through all Israel: and all the worshippers of Baal came, so that there was
not a man left that came not. And they came into the house of Baal; and the
house of Baal was full from one end to another. 22 And he said
unto him that was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the
worshippers of Baal. And he brought them forth vestments. 23 And
Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal, and said
unto the worshippers of Baal, Search, and look that there be here with you
none of the servants of the LORD,
but the worshippers of Baal only. 24 And when they went in to
offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu appointed fourscore men without,
and said, If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escape,
he that letteth him go, his life shall be for the life of
him. 25 And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of
offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains,
Go in, and slay them; let none come forth. And they smote them with the
edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and
went to the city of the house of Baal. 26 And they brought forth
the images out of the house of Baal, and burned them. 27 And they
brake down the image of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a
draught house unto this day. 28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of
Israel.
Jehu, pushing on his work, is here,
I. Courting the friendship of a good man, Jehonadab the son of Rechab, v.
15, 16. This Jehonadab, though mortified to the world and meddling little with
the business of it (as appears by his charge to his posterity, which they
religiously observed 300 years after, not to drink wine nor dwell in cities,
Jer. xxxv. 6, &c.), yet, upon this occasion, went to meet Jehu, that he
might encourage him in the work to which God had called him. The countenance
of good men is a thing which great men, if they be wise, will value, and value
themselves by. David prayed, Let those that fear thee turn to me, Ps.
cxix. 79. This Jehonadab, though no prophet, priest, or Levite, no prince or
ruler, was, we may suppose, very eminent for prudence and piety, and generally
respected for that life of self-denial and devotion which he lived: Jehu,
though a soldier, knew him and honoured him. He did not indeed think of
sending for him, but when he met him (though it is likely he drove now as
furiously as ever) he stopped to speak to him; and we are here told what
passed between them. 1. Jehu saluted him; he blessed him (so the word
is), paid him the respect and showed him the good-will that were due to so
great an example of serious godliness. 2. Jehonadab assured him that he was
sincerely in his interest and a hearty well-wisher to his cause. Jehu
professed that his heart was right with him, that he had a true
affection for his person and a veneration for the crown of his Nazariteship,
and desired to know whether he had the same affection for him and satisfaction
in that crown of royal dignity which God had put upon his head: Is thy
heart right? a question we should often put to ourselves. "I make a
plausible profession, have gained a reputation among men, but is my heart
right? Am I sincere and inward with God?" Jehonadab gave him his word
(It is), and gave him his hand as a pledge of his heart, yielded to
him (so giving the hand is rendered, 2 Chron. xxx. 8), concurred and
covenanted with him, and owned him in the work both of revenge and of
reformation he was now about. 3. Jehu took him up into his chariot and took
him along with him to Samaria. He put some honour upon him, by taking him into
the chariot with him (Jehonadab was not accustomed to ride in a chariot, much
less with a king); but he received more honour from him, and from the
countenance he gave to his present work. All sober people would think the
better of Jehu when they saw Jehonadab in the chariot with him. This was not
the only time in which the piety of some has been made to serve the policy of
others, and designing men have strengthened themselves by drawing good men
into their interests. Jehonadab is a stranger to the arts of fleshly wisdom,
and has his conversation in simplicity and godly sincerity; and
therefore, if Jehu be a servant of God and an enemy to Ball, he will be his
faithful friend. "Come then" (says Jehu), "come with me, and
see my zeal for the Lord; and then thou wilt see reason to espouse my
cause." This is commonly taken as not well said by Jehu, and as giving
cause to suspect that his heart was not right with God in what he did, and
that the zeal he pretended for the Lord was really zeal for himself and his
own advancement. For, (1.) He boasted of it, and spoke as if God and man were
mightily indebted to him for it. (2.) He desired it might be seen and taken
notice of, like the Pharisees, who did all to be seen of men. An upright heart
approves itself to God and covets no more than his acceptance. If we aim at
the applause of men, and make their praise our highest end, we are upon a
false bottom. Whether Jehu looked any further we cannot judge; however
Jehonadab went with him, and, it is likely, animated and assisted him in the
further execution of his commission (v. 17), destroying all Ahab's
friends in Samaria. A man may hate cruelty and yet love justice, may be far
from thirsting after blood and yet may wash his feet in the blood of the
wicked, Ps. lviii. 10.
II. Contriving the destruction of all the worshippers of Baal. The service of
Baal was the crying sin of the house of Ahab: that root of this idolatry was
plucked up, but multitudes yet remained that were infected with it, and would
be in danger of infecting others. The law of God was express, that they were
to be put to death; but they were so numerous, and so dispersed throughout all
parts of the kingdom, and perhaps so alarmed with Jehu's beginnings, that it
would be a hard matter to find them all out and an endless task to prosecute
and execute them one by one. Jehu's project therefore is to cut them all off
together. 1. By a wile, by a fraud, he brought them together to the temple of
Baal. He pretended he would worship Baal more than ever Ahab had done, v.
18. Perhaps he spoke this ironically, or to try the body of the people whether
they would oppose such a resolution as this, and would resent his threatening
to increase his predecessor's exactions, and say, "If it be so, we have
no part in Jehu, nor inheritance in the son of Nimshi." But it rather
seems to have been spoken purposely to deceive the worshippers of Baal, and
then it cannot be justified. The truth of God needs not any man's lie. He
issued a proclamation, requiring the attendance of all the worshippers of Baal
to join with him in a sacrifice to Baal (v. 19, 20), not only the
prophets and priests, but all, throughout the kingdom, who worshipped Baal,
who were not nearly so many as they had been in Elijah's time. Jehu's friends,
we may suppose, were aware of what he designed, and were not offended at it;
but the bigoted besotted Baalites began to think themselves very happy, and
that now they should see golden days again. Joram had put away the
image of Baal, ch. iii. 2. If Jehu will restore it, they have what
they would have, and come up to Samaria with joy from all parts to celebrate
the solemnity; and they are pleased to see the house of Baal crowded (v.
21), to see his priests in their vestments (v. 22), and themselves
perhaps with some badges or other to notify their relation to Baal, for there
were vestments for all his worshippers. 2. He took care that none of the
servants of the Lord should be among them, v. 23. This they took as a
provision to preserve the worship of Baal from being profaned by strangers;
but it was a wonder that they did not, by this, see themselves brought into a
snare and discern a design upon them. No marvel if those that suffer
themselves to be deceived by Baal (as all idolaters were by their idols), are
deceived by Jehu to their destruction. 3. He gave order for the cutting of
them all off, and Jehonadab joined with him therein, v. 23. When a
strict search was made lest any of the servants of God should, either for
company or curiosity, have got among them--lest any wheat should be mixed with
those tares, and when eighty men were set to stand guard at all the avenues to
Baal's temple, that none might escape (v. 24), then the guards were
sent in to put them all to the sword and to mingle their blood with their
sacrifices, in a way of just revenge, as they themselves had sometimes
done, when, in their blind devotion, they cut themselves with knives and
lancets till the blood gushed out, 1 Kings xviii. 28. This was accordingly
done, and the doing of it, though seemingly barbarous, was, considering the
nature of their crime, really righteous. The Lord, whose name is jealous,
is a jealous God. 4. The idolaters being thus destroyed, the idolatry
itself was utterly abolished. The buildings about the house of Baal (which
were so many and so stately that they are here called a city), where
Baal's priests and their families lived, were destroyed; all the little
images, statues, pictures, or shrines, which beautified Baal's temple, with
the great image of Baal himself, were brought out and burnt (v. 26,
27), and the temple of Baal was broken down, and made a dunghill, the common
sink, or sewer, of the city, that the remembrance of it might be blotted out
or made infamous. Thus was the worship of Baal quite destroyed, at least for
the present, out of Israel, though it had once prevailed so far that there
were but 7000 of all the thousands of Israel that had not bowed the knee to
Baal, and those concealed. Thus will God destroy all the gods of the heathen,
and, sooner or later, triumph over them all.
|
Jehu's
Inconsistency.
|
B.
C. 884.
|
|
|
29 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 Beth-el, and that were
in Dan. 30 And 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 on the throne of Israel. 31 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. 32 In those days the LORD
began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of
Israel; 33 From Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the
Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is
by the river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan. 34 Now the rest of the
acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his might, are they not
written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 35
And Jehu slept with his fathers: and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz
his son reigned in his stead. 36 And the time that Jehu reigned
over Israel in Samaria was twenty and eight years.
Here is all the account of the reign of Jehu, though it continued twenty-eight
years. The progress of it answered not to the glory of its beginning. We have
here,
I. God's approbation of what Jehu had done. Many, it is probable, censured him
as treacherous and barbarous--called him a rebel, a usurper, a murderer, and
prognosticated ill concerning him, that a family thus raised would soon be
ruined; but God said, Well done (v. 30), and then it signified
little who said otherwise. 1. God pronounced that to be right which he had
done. It is justly questionable whether he did it from a good principle and
whether he did not take some false steps in the doing of it; and yet (says
God), Thou hast done well in executing that which is right in my eyes.
The extirpating of idolaters and idolatry was a thing right in God's eyes, for
it is an iniquity he visits as surely and severely as any: it was according
to all that was in his heart, all he desired, all he designed. Jehu went
through with his work. 2. God promised him a reward, that his children of the
fourth generation from him should sit upon the throne of Israel. This
was more than what took place in any of the dignities or royal families of
that kingdom; of the house of Ahab there were indeed four kings, Omri, Ahab,
Ahaziah, and Joram, but the last two were brothers, so that it reached but to
the third generation, and that whole family continued but about forty-five
years in all, whereas Jehu's continued in four, besides himself, and in all
about 120 years. Note, No services done for God shall go unrewarded.
II. Jehu's carelessness in what he was further to do. By this it appeared that
his heart was not right with God, that he was partial in his reformation. 1.
He did not put away all the evil. He departed from the sins of Ahab, but not
from the sins of Jeroboam--discarded Baal, but adhered to the calves. The
worship of Baal was indeed the greater evil, and more heinous in the sight of
God, but the worship of the calves was a great evil, and true conversion is
not only from gross sin, but from all sin--not only from false gods, but from
false worships. The worship of Baal weakened and diminished Israel, and made
them beholden to the Sidonians, and therefore he could easily part with that;
but the worship of the calves was a politic idolatry, was begun and kept up
for reasons of state, to prevent the return of the ten tribes to the house of
David, and therefore Jehu clave to that. True conversion is not only from
wasteful sins, but from gainful sins--not only from those sins that are
destructive to the secular interest, but from those that support and befriend
it, in forsaking which is the great trial whether we can deny ourselves and
trust God. 2. He put away evil, but he did not mind that which was good (v.
31): He took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel. He
abolished the worship of Baal, but did not keep up the worship of God, nor
walk in his law. He had shown great care and zeal for the rooting out of a
false religion; but in the true religion, (1.) He showed no care, took no
heed, lived at large, was not at all solicitous to please God and to do his
duty, took no heed to the scriptures, to the prophets, to his own conscience,
but walked at all adventures. Those that are heedless, it is to be feared, are
graceless; for, where there is a good principle in the heart, it will make men
cautious and circumspect, desirous to please God and jealous of doing any
thing to offend him. (2.) He showed no zeal; what he did in religion he did
not do with his heart, with all his heart, but did it as if he did it not,
without any liveliness or concern. It seems, he was a man that had little
religion himself, and yet God made use of him as an instrument of reformation
in Israel. It is a pity but that those that do good to others should always be
good themselves.
III. The judgment that came upon Israel in his reign. We have reason to fear
that when Jehu took no heed himself to walk in God's law the people were
generally as careless as he, both in their devotions and in their
conversations. There was a general decay of piety and increase of profaneness;
and therefore it is not strange that the next news we hear is, In those
days the Lord began to cut Israel short, v. 32. Their neighbours
encroached upon them on every side; they were short in their duty to God, and
therefore God cut them short in their extent, wealth, and power. Hazael king
of Syria was, above any other, vexatious and mischievous to them, smote
them in all the coasts of Israel, particularly the countries on the other
side Jordan, which lay next him, and most exposed; on these he made continual
inroads, and laid them waste. Now the Reubenites and Gadites smarted for the
choice which their ancestors made of an inheritance on that side Jordan, which
Moses reproved them for, Num. xxxii. Now Hazael did what Elisha foresaw and
foretold he would do. Yet, for doing it, God had a quarrel with him and with
his kingdom, as we may find, Amos i. 3, 4. Because those of Damascus have threshed
Gilead with threshing instruments of iron, therefore (says God) I will
send a fire into the house of Hazael, which shall devour the palaces of
Benhadad.
Lastly, The conclusion of Jehu's reign, v. 34-36. Notice is taken, in
general, of his might; but, because he took no heed to serve God, the
memorials of his mighty enterprises and achievements are justly buried in
oblivion.
Contents
|
Next
Section
