Judgment on the House of Ahab
Book of 2 Kings
There are many disagreements in the many denominations of the Church about the "Judgment of God," but we are all united in the belief that there will be a final "Judgment".
Death is a reality for every member of the human race.
Heb 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Heb 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
We should understand that this Scripture refers to the physical death of the body, but not the soul.
The soul can be described as the life-principle of a human being, and the life-principle of every human will live on after the death of the body.
The Lord Jesus says this about the soul: Mat 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
The soul can be said to be the immaterial nature of every human!
The soul can only be seen by God, who gave it!
Sometimes, the real me on the inside of this sack of flesh will be looking out, and I will want to do something, but I cannot get this flesh to cooperate. It gets worse as I get older.
At death, the soul and the body will separate: Jas 2:26 "For as the body without the spirit is dead", so faith without works is dead also.
With the body now dead, it is the soul that will face the judgment of God, as our verse in the Book of Hebrews says.
No one is exempt from this death. Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
We must be very clear that because Jehovah is holy, He must judge all that is unholy, or He would no longer be holy Himself!
"Judgment" is an expression of God's character!
Today, we will see that many will face God's "Judgement" as they die because they are evil and wicked, and they have refused to repent of that wickedness.
We have already spoken some on the judgment of King Ahab and his wife Jezebel, but today we will see it as it takes place in the Scriptures.
It was the Prophet Elijah who first informed King Ahab about how his life would end in judgment.
We know that God had already judged Lucifer and the fallen angels, and the things written in the Scriptures will take place as they are written.
We know that God judged the people on this earth with the worldwide flood in the days of Noah.
God judged the people at the Tower of Babel.
God judged the people of the Northern Kingdom, as we have been studying.
God also judged the Southern Kingdom.
We know that the wrath of God will be revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness!
The Book of Revelation gives us the horrible details of this "Judgement".
Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
Rom 1:19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
As the Son of God, our Lord Jesus has the authority to render judgment when He returns, and He will only do this after He has removed His Church from this earth.
Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
It would be Jehu who would be the hand of God's judgment upon King Ahab and his wife Jezebel.
We will see that Jehu went farther than the Lord intended and in ways that were not intended.
*****2Ki 9:1 And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramothgilead:
2Ki 9:2 And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber;
2Ki 9:3 Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not.
2Ki 9:4 So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramothgilead.
2Ki 9:5 And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of all us? And he said, To thee, O captain.
Once Jehu was known to be the next King of the Northern Tribes of Israel, he had to move fast because he would be charged with high treason.
Jehu was commanded by Jehovah to put a stop to the House of Ahab and being obedient to God and upon the right principles, he did not have to worry about opposition.
What did the Lord actually say?
1Ki 19:17 And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.
1Ki 19:18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.
What had God said to Ahab?
1Ki 21:21 Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,
1Ki 21:22 And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.
1Ki 21:23 And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.
1Ki 21:24 Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.
This was Ahab's last chance to repent. We know that Ahab did repent at least a little and Jehovah allowed him to die in a war with Syria "before his family came to judgment", but the words of God's prophet still held.
1Ki 22:37 So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria.
1Ki 22:38 And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; and they washed his armour; according unto the word of the LORD which he spake.
*****2Ki 9:6 And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel.
2Ki 9:7 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.
2Ki 9:8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel:
2Ki 9:9 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:
2Ki 9:10 And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.
It was Elijah who had received the order from Jehovah to anoint Jehu as the new King of the Northern Tribes of Israel.
Elijah anointed Elisha to replace him as a Prophet of God, and it was Elisha who anointed Hazael as King of Syria. Now, Elisha sent another prophet to anoint Jehu as the new king.
God had allowed King Ahab to reign until his death.
1Ki 21:27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
1Ki 21:28 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
1Ki 21:29 Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.
Once King Ahab had died, Jehovah fulfilled the promise He had made.
1Ki 21:21 Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,
1Ki 21:22 And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.
The person Elisha chose to anoint Jehu as king was to do three things.
Jehu was one of the captains of the Army of King Ahab and may have been the lead captain.
1) This prophet was to take Jehu into an inner room and privately anoint him out of sight of everyone else.
2) He was to declare that it was Jehovah who had appointed him king over Israel.
3) He was to flee the scene as quickly as he could.
For someone to declare themselves to be king would be considered high treason to the existing government.
This is the thing that the Jews used to have the Lord Jesus crucified.
Jehu was chosen specifically to execute justice on the house of Ahab.
This was because Ahab had allowed Jezebel to slaughter the people of God and God's prophets.
Jehu was to kill all the descendants of Ahab and Jezebel.
God had said this same thing would happen to other kings of Israel.
Jezebel's ending would be just as God had described.
2Ki 9:10 And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her.
The army of King Ahab became the army of King Jehu.
Jehu was appointed to be a just ruler to execute justice.
There is a big difference between justice and murder!
It is the same for every ruler that God allows to rule today.
They are in place to execute justice, and they will be held accountable to God for how they do this!
Executing justice does not always mean murder, which is a sin!
However, how any ruler executes justice to their people will determine how Jehovah will execute justice to them!
Whatever they sow, they will reap!
The Lord Jesus Christ will execute perfect justice when He returns!
2Ch 19:6 And said to the judges, Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment.
2Ch 19:7 Wherefore now let the fear of the LORD be upon you; take heed and do it: for there is no iniquity with the LORD our God, nor respect of persons, nor taking of gifts.
Mat 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Joram, a son of Ahab, was now ruler of Israel, and Ahaziah was King of Judah, and they were both together.
Because Athaliah was the daughter of Jezebel and the mother of Ahaziah, Joram, King of Israel, was the uncle to Ahaziah, the King of Judah.
*****2Ki 9:21 And Joram said, Make ready. And his chariot was made ready. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out against Jehu, and met him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite.
2Ki 9:22 And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?
2Ki 9:23 And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah.
The uncle and his nephew went out to meet Jehu.
As only God can manage, these men met at the portion of land that had been taken from Naboth.
If we do not believe in the providence of God, then we will never understand the Word of God.
In reality, Jehu carried out a bloody slaughter throughout Israel.
Did Jehovah command this to happen, or did He just warn King Ahab that this was going to happen?
God will always allow us to repent.
God will tell us what will happen if we refuse to repent.
Hos 1:4 And the LORD said unto him, Call his name Jezreel; for yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.
Hos 1:5 And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.
We can see that the military of King Ahab did not think too highly of Jezebel.
Joram was just like his mother, and Ahaziah was just like his mother Athaliah, the daughter of Jezebel.
*****2Ki 9:24 And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot.
2Ki 9:25 Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the LORD laid this burden upon him;
2Ki 9:26 Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the LORD; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the LORD. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the LORD.
2Ki 9:27 But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there.
There are over fifty-two verses of Scripture that describe the slaughter of Jehu, so it must be important that we understand what God is saying here.
Jehu took out King Joram with one shot of an arrow through his heart, and his body was cast into the field once owned by Naboth where the birds would eat him.
It is Verse 26 that tells that the sons of Naboth were also slaughtered by King Ahab and Jezebel.
Now Jehu turns his attention to King Ahaziah of Judah, best described in the Book of 2 Chronicles:
2Ch 22:7 And the destruction of Ahaziah was of God by coming to Joram: for when he was come, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.
2Ch 22:8 And it came to pass, that, when Jehu was executing judgment upon the house of Ahab, and found the princes of Judah, and the sons of the brethren of Ahaziah, that ministered to Ahaziah, he slew them.
2Ch 22:9 And he sought Ahaziah: and they caught him, (for he was hid in Samaria,) and brought him to Jehu: and when they had slain him, they buried him: Because, said they, he is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart. So the house of Ahaziah had no power to keep still the kingdom.
The death of Ahaziah and his sons left Judah without a king, and this is when Athaliah took it upon herself to become Queen of Judah by her treachery. She murdered her own children and grandchildren.
2Ch 22:10 But when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal of the house of Judah.
Only one son had survived, who was Joash, who continued the promise made to King David.
2Ch 22:11 But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest, (for she was the sister of Ahaziah,) hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not.
2Ch 22:12 And he was with them hid in the house of God six years: and Athaliah reigned over the land.
Jehu decided it was time to take care of Jezebel.
*****2Ki 9:30 And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window.
A tire was a headdress, an ornament for the head, generally of gold or precious stones, a tiara.
Jezebel was old by this time, but made herself look like royalty in an attempt to impress Jehu.
She had been the cause of the death of many prophets of God.
*****2Ki 9:31 And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?
2Ki 9:32 And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs.
2Ki 9:33 And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot.
2Ki 9:34 And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king's daughter.
2Ki 9:35 And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands.
2Ki 9:36 Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel:
2Ki 9:37 And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.
The end of Jezebel was just as Jehovah had said.
Her blood had splattered everywhere, she was trampled, and the dogs had eaten her until nothing but her skull, her hands, and her feet were left.
She would be as dung as her remains passed from the dogs in the nearby fields of Jezreel.
She was buried in an unmarked grave, and no one mourned for this wicked woman.
It was then that Jehu turned his attention to the seventy sons of King Ahab.
The Scripture says seventy sons, but it may mean sons, grandsons, and great-grandsons.
*****2Ki 10:10 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.
2Ki 10:11 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.
Jehu may have considered himself to be the arm of God, but in reality, we know that God does not need our help for His Word to be True!
Zec 1:6 But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.
Mar 13:31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
Jehu wrote a letter to the officials of Samaria and Jezreel, telling them to choose the closest relative of King Ahab and make him king of Israel and to prepare for war.
This only terrified these officials, who were afraid to confront Jehu.
Since they had switched their allegiance to Jehu, Jehu wrote another letter demanding that they execute justice against the seventy sons of King Ahab for treason.
They were to bring the heads of these seventy sons to Jezreel the very next day.
The word of Jehu was honored.
Jehu made out that he was on a special mission for Jehovah to remove any blame for himself seeking the sympathy of the people.
Jehu was not a godly man.
*****2Ki 10:31 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.
He was just like Jeroboam.
King Jehu went beyond the justice that God had intended, and he became a murderer.
God wanted justice throughout the Northern Tribes of Israel and not just the elimination of one family, though God knew what Jehu would do.
To murder is a terrible sin because it takes the life of a person out of this world.
The hearts of many who are left behind also suffer much pain and grief, and in many cases hardship, because it was the male who was the breadwinner on that day, while the wife took care of the children.
Jehu caused a terrible number of single-parent families.
God never instructs His children to murder. God still says that they will suffer the consequences of this evil.
For the wages of sin is death!
Amen
