2 kings chapter 10 reminds me of the loss and emptiness of those that reject God. In the previous chapter Jehu was anointed King of Israel and the servant declared “The whole house of Ahab will perish. I will cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel slave or free“. As we see, Jehu was quite zealous in carrying out this command. The chapter begins, “there were in Samaria seventy sons of the house of Ahab“. Jehu wrote letters to the elders and to the guardians of Ahab’s children. Knowing he had already killed the king of Israel and the King of Judah, “They were terrified“. He said, “If you are on my side and will obey me, take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me in Jezreel by this time tomorrow“. When the letter arrived, these men took the princes and slaughtered all seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu in Jezreel. In addition we read, “So Jehu killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his chief men, his close friends and his priests, leaving him no survivor“. We get the sense that Jehu has gone way beyond God’s direction. He seems to be enjoying the judgment way too much. As a father, I take no joy in disciplining my children. I correct them because I love them. In fact, frequently we read, “God is grieved” when we turn our hearts away from Him.
Jehu next turned his attention toward the false prophets, “Now summon all the prophets of Baal, all his ministers and all his priests“. He deceptively explained, “See that no one is missing, because I am going to hold a great sacrifice for Baal“. He summoned all of the ministers of Baal to gather together, “They crowded into the temple of Baal until it was full from one end to the other“. And then he commanded his soldiers to “Go in and kill them; let no one escape“. It is important to point out that the ministers of Baal practiced horrific evil including infant and child sacrifice. They were responsible for inhuman slaughter of the innocent and godly men and women. “They demolished the sacred stone of Baal and tore down the temple of Baal, and people have used it for a latrine to this day“. There is a sad and painful reminder that some people will flush their life away after rejecting God. This should bring us to our knees in tears.
Finally we read, “Jehu destroyed Baal worship in Israel. However, he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam“. It appears that in his desire to fight the enemies of God, Jehu did not take the time to read the whole Word of God’s instruction. “Jehu was not careful to keep the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart“. Never substitute the teaching of man for the instruction of God. I urge you to always read it for yourself. As a result of the failure of Jehu, the nation of Israel did not enjoy fellowship with God. And sadly the chapter ends with “the Lord began to reduce the size of Israel“. Don’t let the cares of the day keep you from fellowship with God. Jesus promised us, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).