mh_parser/vol_split/12 - 2Kings/Chapter 9.xml

<div2 id="iiKi.x" n="x" next="iiKi.xi" prev="iiKi.ix" progress="65.94%" title="Chapter IX">
<h2 id="iiKi.x-p0.1">S E C O N D   K I N G S</h2>
<h3 id="iiKi.x-p0.2">CHAP. IX.</h3>
<p class="intro" id="iiKi.x-p1">Hazael and Jehu were the men that were designed to
be the instruments of God's justice in punishing and destroying the
house of Ahab. Elijah was told to appoint them to this service;
but, upon Ahab's humiliation, a reprieve was granted, and so it was
left to Elisha to appoint them. Hazael's elevation to the throne of
Syria we read of in the foregoing chapter; and we must now attend
Jehu to the throne of Israel; for him that escapeth the sword of
Hazael, as Joram and Ahaziah did, Jehu must slay, of which this
chapter gives us an account. I. A commission is sent to Jehu by the
hand of one of the prophets, to take upon him the government, and
destroy the house of Ahab, <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p1.1" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.1-2Kgs.9.10" parsed="|2Kgs|9|1|9|10" passage="2Ki 9:1-10">ver.
1-10</scripRef>. II. Here is his speedy execution of this
commission. 1. He communicates it to his captains, <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p1.2" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.11-2Kgs.9.15" parsed="|2Kgs|9|11|9|15" passage="2Ki 9:11-15">ver. 11-15</scripRef>. 2. He marches directly
to Jezreel (<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p1.3" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.16-2Kgs.9.20" parsed="|2Kgs|9|16|9|20" passage="2Ki 9:16-20">ver. 16-20</scripRef>),
and there dispatches (1.) Joram king of Israel, <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p1.4" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.21-2Kgs.9.26" parsed="|2Kgs|9|21|9|26" passage="2Ki 9:21-26">ver. 21-26</scripRef>. (2.) Ahaziah king of Judah,
<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p1.5" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.27-2Kgs.9.29" parsed="|2Kgs|9|27|9|29" passage="2Ki 9:27-29">ver. 27-29</scripRef>. (3.)
Jezebel, <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p1.6" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.30-2Kgs.9.37" parsed="|2Kgs|9|30|9|37" passage="2Ki 9:30-37">ver. 30-37</scripRef>.</p>
<scripCom id="iiKi.x-p0.1_1" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9" parsed="|2Kgs|9|0|0|0" passage="2Ki 9" type="Commentary"/>
<scripCom id="iiKi.x-p0.2_1" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.1-2Kgs.9.10" parsed="|2Kgs|9|1|9|10" passage="2Ki 9:1-10" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:2Kgs.9.1-2Kgs.9.10">
<h4 id="iiKi.x-p1.9">Jehu Anointed King. (<span class="smallcaps" id="iiKi.x-p1.10">b. c.</span> 884.)</h4>
<p class="passage" id="iiKi.x-p2">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 Ramoth-gilead:  
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;  
3 Then take the box of oil, and pour <i>it</i> on his head, and
say, Thus saith the <span class="smallcaps" id="iiKi.x-p2.1">Lord</span>, I have
anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and
tarry not.   4 So the young man, <i>even</i> the young man the
prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead.   5 And when he came, behold,
the captains of the host <i>were</i> 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.   6 And he arose, and went
into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto
him, Thus saith the <span class="smallcaps" id="iiKi.x-p2.2">Lord</span> God of
Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the <span class="smallcaps" id="iiKi.x-p2.3">Lord</span>, <i>even</i> over Israel.   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 <span class="smallcaps" id="iiKi.x-p2.4">Lord</span>, at the
hand of Jezebel.   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:   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:   10 And the dogs
shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and <i>there shall
be</i> none to bury <i>her.</i> And he opened the door, and
fled.</p>
<p class="indent" id="iiKi.x-p3">We have here the anointing of Jehu to be
king, who was, at this time, a commander (probably
commander-in-chief) of the forces employed at Ramoth-Gilead,
<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p3.1" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.14" parsed="|2Kgs|9|14|0|0" passage="2Ki 9:14"><i>v.</i> 14</scripRef>. There he was
fighting for the king his master, but received orders from a higher
king to fight against him. It does not appear that Jehu aimed at
the government, or that he ever thought of it, but the commission
given him was a perfect surprise to him. Some think that he had
been anointed before by Elijah, whom God ordered to do it, but
privately, and with an intimation that he must not act till further
orders, as Samuel anointed David long before he was to come to the
throne: but that it not at all probable, for then we must suppose
Elijah had anointed Hazael too. No, when God bade him do these
things he bade him anoint Elisha to <i>be prophet in his room,</i>
to do them when he was gone, as God should direct him. Here is,</p>
<p class="indent" id="iiKi.x-p4">I. The commission sent.</p>
<p class="indent" id="iiKi.x-p5">1. Elisha did not go himself to anoint
Jehu, because he was old and unfit for such a journey and so well
known that he could not do it privately, could not go and come
without observation; therefore he sends <i>one of the sons of the
prophets</i> to do it, <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p5.1" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.1" parsed="|2Kgs|9|1|0|0" passage="2Ki 9:1"><i>v.</i>
1</scripRef>. They not only reverences him as their father
(<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p5.2" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.2.15" parsed="|2Kgs|2|15|0|0" passage="2Ki 2:15"><i>ch.</i> ii. 15</scripRef>), but
observed and obeyed him as their father. This service of anointing
Jehu, (1.) Had danger in it (<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p5.3" osisRef="Bible:1Sam.16.2" parsed="|1Sam|16|2|0|0" passage="1Sa 16:2">1 Sam.
xvi. 2</scripRef>), and therefore it was not fit that Elisha should
expose himself, but one of the sons of the prophets, whose life was
of less value, and who could do it with less danger. (2.) It
required labour and was therefore fitter for a young man in his
full strength. Let youth work and age direct. (3.) Yet it was an
honourable piece of service, to anoint a king, and he that did it
might hope to be preferred for it afterwards, and therefore, for
the encouragement of the young prophets, Elisha employed one of
them: he would not engross all the honours to himself, nor grudge
the young prophets a share in them.</p>
<p class="indent" id="iiKi.x-p6">2. When he sent him, (1.) He put the oil
into his hand with which he must anoint Jehu: <i>Take this box of
oil</i> Solomon was anointed with <i>oil out of the tabernacle,</i>
<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p6.1" osisRef="Bible:1Kgs.1.39" parsed="|1Kgs|1|39|0|0" passage="1Ki 1:39">1 Kings i. 39</scripRef>. That could
not now be had, but oil from a prophet's hand was equivalent to oil
out of God's house. Probably it was not the constant practice to
anoint kings, but upon the disturbance of the succession, as in the
case of Solomon, or the interruption of it, as in the case of Joash
(<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p6.2" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.11.12" parsed="|2Kgs|11|12|0|0" passage="2Ki 11:12"><i>ch.</i> xi. 12</scripRef>), or
the translation of the government to a new family, as here and in
the case of David; yet it might be used generally, though the
scripture does not mention it. (2.) He put <i>the words into his
mouth</i> which he must say (<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p6.3" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.3" parsed="|2Kgs|9|3|0|0" passage="2Ki 9:3"><i>v.</i>
3</scripRef>)—<i>I have anointed thee king,</i> and, no doubt,
told him all the rest that he said, <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p6.4" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.7-2Kgs.9.10" parsed="|2Kgs|9|7|9|10" passage="2Ki 9:7-10"><i>v.</i> 7-10</scripRef>. Those whom God sends on his
errands shall not go without full instructions. (3.) He also
ordered him, [1.] To do it privately, to single out Jehu from the
rest of the captains and anoint him <i>in an inner chamber</i>
(<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p6.5" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.2" parsed="|2Kgs|9|2|0|0" passage="2Ki 9:2"><i>v.</i> 2</scripRef>), that Jehu's
confidence in his commission might be tried, when he had no witness
to attest it. His being suddenly animated for the service would be
proof sufficient of his being anointed to it. There needed no other
proof. The thing signified was the best evidence of the sign. [2.]
To do it expeditiously. When he went about it he must <i>gird up
his loins;</i> when he had done it he must <i>flee and not
tarry</i> for a fee, or a treat, or to see what Jehu would do. It
becomes the sons of the prophets to be quick and lively at their
work, to go about it and go through it as men that hate sauntering
and trifling. They should be as angels that fly swiftly.</p>
<p class="indent" id="iiKi.x-p7">II. The commission delivered. The young
prophet did his business with despatch, was at Ramoth-Gilead
presently, <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p7.1" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.4" parsed="|2Kgs|9|4|0|0" passage="2Ki 9:4"><i>v.</i> 4</scripRef>.
There he found the general officers sitting together, either at
dinner or in a council of war, <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p7.2" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.5" parsed="|2Kgs|9|5|0|0" passage="2Ki 9:5"><i>v.</i> 5</scripRef>. With the assurance that became a
messenger from God, notwithstanding the meanness of his appearance,
he called Jehu out from the rest, not waiting his leisure, or
begging his pardon for disturbing him, but as one having authority:
<i>I have an errand to thee, O captain.</i> Perhaps Jehu had some
intimation of his business; and therefore, that he might not seem
too forward to catch at the honour, he asked, <i>To which of all
us?</i> that it might not be said afterwards he got it by speaking
first, but they might all be satisfied he was indeed the person
designed. When the prophet had him alone he anointed him, <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p7.3" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.6" parsed="|2Kgs|9|6|0|0" passage="2Ki 9:6"><i>v.</i> 6</scripRef>. The anointing of the
Spirit is a hidden thing, that new name which none knows but those
that have it. Herewith,</p>
<p class="indent" id="iiKi.x-p8">1. He invests him with the royal dignity:
<i>Thus saith the Lord God of Israel,</i> whose messenger I am, in
his name <i>I have anointed thee king over the people of the
Lord.</i> He gives him an incontestable title, but reminds him that
he was made king, (1.) <i>By the God of Israel;</i> from him he
must see his power derived (for by him kings reign), for he must
use it, and to him he must be accountable. Magistrates are the
ministers of God, and must therefore act in dependence upon him and
with an entire devotedness to him and to his glory. (2.) <i>Over
the Israel of God.</i> Though the people of Israel were wretchedly
corrupted, and had forfeited all the honour of relationship to God,
yet they are here called the <i>people of the Lord,</i> for he had
a right to them and had not yet given them a bill of divorce. Jehu
must look upon the people he was made king of as the <i>people of
the Lord,</i> not as his vassals, but God's freemen, his sons, his
first-born, not to be abused or tyrannized over, <i>God's
people,</i> and therefore to be ruled for him, and according to his
laws.</p>
<p class="indent" id="iiKi.x-p9">2. He instructs him in his present service,
which was to destroy all the house of Ahab (<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p9.1" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.7" parsed="|2Kgs|9|7|0|0" passage="2Ki 9:7"><i>v.</i> 7</scripRef>), not that he might clear his own
way to the throne, and secure to himself the possession of it, but
that he might execute the judgments of God upon that guilty and
obnoxious family. He calls Ahab his <i>master,</i> that the
relation might be no objection. "He was thy master, and to lift up
thy hand against his son and successor would be not only base
ingratitude, but treason, rebellion, and all that is bad, if thou
hadst not an immediate command from God to do it. But thou art
under higher obligations to thy Master in heaven than to thy master
Ahab. He has determined that <i>the whole house of Ahab shall
perish,</i> and <i>by thy hand;</i> fear not: has not he commanded
thee? Fear not sin; his command will justify thee and bear thee
out: fear not danger; his command will secure and prosper thee."
That he might intelligently, and in a right manner, do this great
execution on the house of Ahab, he tells him, (1.) What was their
crime, what the ground of the controversy, and wherefore God had
quarrel with them, that he might have an eye to that which God had
an eye to, and that was <i>the blood of God's servants, the
prophets</i> and others, faithful worshippers, which they had shed,
and which must now be required at the hand of Jezebel. That they
were idolaters was bad enough, and merited all that was brought
upon them; yet that is not mentioned here, but the controversy God
has with them is for their being persecutors, not so much their
<i>throwing down God's altars</i> as their <i>slaying his prophets
with the sword.</i> Nothing fills the measure of the iniquity of
any prince or people as this does nor brings a surer or a sorer
ruin. This was the sin that brought on Jerusalem its first
destruction (<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p9.2" osisRef="Bible:2Chr.36.16" parsed="|2Chr|36|16|0|0" passage="2Ch 36:16">2 Chron. xxxvi.
16</scripRef>) and its final one, <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p9.3" osisRef="Bible:Matt.23.37-Matt.23.38" parsed="|Matt|23|37|23|38" passage="Mt 23:37,38">Matt. xxiii. 37, 38</scripRef>. Jezebel's whoredoms
and witchcrafts were not so provoking as her persecuting the
prophets, killing some and driving the rest into corners and caves,
<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p9.4" osisRef="Bible:1Kgs.18.4" parsed="|1Kgs|18|4|0|0" passage="1Ki 18:4">1 Kings xviii. 4</scripRef>. (2.) What
was their doom. They were sentenced to utter destruction; not to be
corrected, but to be cut off and rooted out. This Jehu must know,
that his eye might not spare for pity, favour, or affection. All
that belonged to Ahab must be slain, <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p9.5" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.8" parsed="|2Kgs|9|8|0|0" passage="2Ki 9:8"><i>v.</i> 8</scripRef>. A pattern is given him of the
destruction intended, in the destruction of the families of
Jeroboam and Baasha (<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p9.6" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.9" parsed="|2Kgs|9|9|0|0" passage="2Ki 9:9"><i>v.</i>
9</scripRef>), and he is particularly directed to throw Jezebel to
the dogs, <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p9.7" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.10" parsed="|2Kgs|9|10|0|0" passage="2Ki 9:10"><i>v.</i> 10</scripRef>. The
whole stock of royal blood was little enough, and too little, to
atone for the blood of the prophets, the saints and martyrs, which,
in God's account, is of great price.</p>
<p class="indent" id="iiKi.x-p10">The prophet, having done this errand, made
the best of his way home again, and left Jehu alone to consider
what he had to do and beg direction from God.</p>
</div><scripCom id="iiKi.x-p0.3" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.11-2Kgs.9.15" parsed="|2Kgs|9|11|9|15" passage="2Ki 9:11-15" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:2Kgs.9.11-2Kgs.9.15">
<p class="passage" id="iiKi.x-p11">11 Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his
lord: and <i>one</i> said unto him, <i>Is</i> all well? wherefore
came this mad <i>fellow</i> to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know
the man, and his communication.   12 And they said, <i>It
is</i> false; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus spake he to
me, saying, Thus saith the <span class="smallcaps" id="iiKi.x-p11.1">Lord</span>, I
have anointed thee king over Israel.   13 Then they hasted,
and took every man his garment, and put <i>it</i> under him on the
top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king.
  14 So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi
conspired against Joram. (Now Joram had kept Ramoth-gilead, he and
all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria.   15 But king
Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the
Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.)
And Jehu said, If it be your minds, <i>then</i> let none go forth
<i>nor</i> escape out of the city to go to tell <i>it</i> in
Jezreel.</p>
<p class="indent" id="iiKi.x-p12">Jehu, after some pause, returned to his
place at the board, taking no notice of what had passed, but, as it
should seem, designing, for the present, to keep it to himself, if
they had not urged him to disclose it. Let us therefore see what
passed between him and the captains.</p>
<p class="indent" id="iiKi.x-p13">I. With what contempt the captains speak of
the young prophet (<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p13.1" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.11" parsed="|2Kgs|9|11|0|0" passage="2Ki 9:11"><i>v.</i>
11</scripRef>): "<i>Wherefore came this mad fellow to thee?</i>
What business had he with thee? And why wouldst thou humour him so
far as to retire for conversation with him? Are prophets company
for captains?" They are called him <i>a mad fellow,</i> because he
was one of those that would not <i>run with them to an excess of
riot</i> (<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p13.2" osisRef="Bible:1Pet.4.4" parsed="|1Pet|4|4|0|0" passage="1Pe 4:4">1 Pet. iv. 4</scripRef>), but
lived a life of self-denial, mortification, and contempt of the
world, and spent their time in devotion; for these things they
thought the prophets were fools and the <i>spiritual men were
mad,</i> <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p13.3" osisRef="Bible:Hos.9.7" parsed="|Hos|9|7|0|0" passage="Ho 9:7">Hos. ix. 7</scripRef>. Note,
Those that have no religion commonly speak with disdain of those
that are religious, and look upon them as mad. They said of our
Saviour, <i>He is beside himself,</i> of John Baptist, <i>He has a
devil</i> (is a poor melancholy man), of St. Paul, <i>Much learning
has made him mad.</i> The highest wisdom is thus represented as
folly, and those that best understand themselves are looked upon as
beside themselves. Perhaps Jehu intended it for a rebuke to his
friends when he said, "<i>You know the man</i> to be a prophet, why
then do you call him a mad fellow? You know the way of his
communication to be not from madness, but inspiration." Or, "Being
a prophet, you may guess what his business is, to tell me of my
faults, and to teach me my duty; I need not inform you concerning
it." Thus he thought to put them off, but they urged him to tell
them. "It is false," say they, "we cannot conjecture what was his
errand, and therefore tell us." Being thus pressed to it, he told
them that the prophet had <i>anointed him king,</i> and it is
probable showed them the oil upon his head, <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p13.4" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.12" parsed="|2Kgs|9|12|0|0" passage="2Ki 9:12"><i>v.</i> 12</scripRef>. He knew not but some of them
either out of loyalty to Joram or envy of him, might oppose him,
and go near to crush his interest in its infancy; but he relied on
the divine appointment, and was not afraid to own it, knowing whom
he had trusted: he that raised him would stand by him.</p>
<p class="indent" id="iiKi.x-p14">II. With what respect they compliment the
new king upon the first notice of his advancement, <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p14.1" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.13" parsed="|2Kgs|9|13|0|0" passage="2Ki 9:13"><i>v.</i> 13</scripRef>. How meanly soever they
thought of the prophet that anointed him, and of his office, they
expressed a great veneration for the royal dignity of him that was
anointed, and were very forward to proclaim him and sound of
trumpet. In token of their subjection and allegiance to him, their
affection to his person and government, and their desire to see him
high and easy in it, they put their garments under him, that he
might stand or sit upon them <i>on the top of the stairs,</i> in
sight of the soldiers, who, upon the first intimation, came
together to grace the solemnity. God put it into their hearts thus
readily to own him, for he turns the hearts of people as well as
kings, like the rivers of water, into what channel he pleases.
Perhaps they were disquieted at Joram's government or had a
particular affection for Jehu; or, however this might be, things it
seems were ripe for the revolution, and they all came into Jehu's
interest and <i>conspired against Joram,</i> <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p14.2" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.14" parsed="|2Kgs|9|14|0|0" passage="2Ki 9:14"><i>v.</i> 14</scripRef>.</p>
<p class="indent" id="iiKi.x-p15">III. With what caution Jehu proceeded. He
had advantages against Joram, and he knew how to improve them. He
had the army with him. Joram had left it, and had gone home badly
wounded. Jehu's good conduct appears in two things:—1. That he
complimented the captains, and would do nothing without their
advice and consent ("If it be your minds, we will do so and so,
else not"), thereby intimating the deference he paid to their
judgment and the confidence he had in their fidelity, both which
tended to please and fix them. It is the wisdom of those that would
rise fast, and stand firm, to take their friends along with them.
2. That he contrived to surprise Joram; and, in order thereto, to
come upon him with speed, and to prevent his having notice of what
was now done: "<i>Let none go forth to tell it in Jezreel,</i>
that, as a snare, the ruin may come on him and his house." The
suddenness of an attack sometimes turns to as good an account as
the force of it.</p>
</div><scripCom id="iiKi.x-p0.4" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.16-2Kgs.9.29" parsed="|2Kgs|9|16|9|29" passage="2Ki 9:16-29" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:2Kgs.9.16-2Kgs.9.29">
<h4 id="iiKi.x-p15.2">Jehu's Approach to Jezreel. (<span class="smallcaps" id="iiKi.x-p15.3">b. c.</span> 884.)</h4>
<p class="passage" id="iiKi.x-p16">16 So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to
Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come
down to see Joram.   17 And there stood a watchman on the
tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and
said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take a horseman, and send to
meet them, and let him say, <i>Is it</i> peace?   18 So there
went one on horseback to meet him, and said, Thus saith the king,
<i>Is it</i> peace? And Jehu said, What hast thou to do with peace?
turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, The messenger
came to them, but he cometh not again.   19 Then he sent out a
second on horseback, which came to them, and said, Thus saith the
king, <i>Is it</i> peace? And Jehu answered, What hast thou to do
with peace? turn thee behind me.   20 And the watchman told,
saying, He came even unto them, and cometh not again: and the
driving <i>is</i> like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for
he driveth furiously.   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.  
22 And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, <i>Is
it</i> peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the
whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts <i>are so</i>
many?   23 And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to
Ahaziah, <i>There is</i> treachery, O Ahaziah.   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.   25 Then said <i>Jehu</i> to Bidkar his captain,
Take up, <i>and</i> 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 <span class="smallcaps" id="iiKi.x-p16.1">Lord</span> laid this burden upon him;   26 Surely
I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his
sons, saith the <span class="smallcaps" id="iiKi.x-p16.2">Lord</span>; and I will
requite thee in this plat, saith the <span class="smallcaps" id="iiKi.x-p16.3">Lord</span>. Now therefore take <i>and</i> cast him
into the plat <i>of ground,</i> according to the word of the <span class="smallcaps" id="iiKi.x-p16.4">Lord</span>.   27 But when Ahaziah the king
of Judah saw <i>this,</i> he fled by the way of the garden house.
And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the
chariot. <i>And they did so</i> at the going up to Gur, which
<i>is</i> by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there.  
28 And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and
buried him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the city of David.
  29 And in the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab began
Ahaziah to reign over Judah.</p>
<p class="indent" id="iiKi.x-p17">From Ramoth-Gilead to Jezreel was more than
one day's march; about the mid-way between them the river Jordan
must be crossed. We may suppose Jehu to have marched with all
possible expedition, and to have taken the utmost precaution to
prevent the tidings from getting to Jezreel before him; and, at
length, we have him within sight first, and then within reach, of
the devoted king.</p>
<p class="indent" id="iiKi.x-p18">I. Joram's watchman discovers him first at
a distance, him and his retinue, and gives notice to the king of
the approach of a company, whether of friends or foes he cannot
tell. But the king (impatient to know what is the matter, and
perhaps jealous that the Syrians, who had wounded him, had traced
him by the blood to his own palace, and were coming to seize him)
sent first one messenger, and then another, to bring him
intelligence, <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p18.1" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.17-2Kgs.9.19" parsed="|2Kgs|9|17|9|19" passage="2Ki 9:17-19"><i>v.</i>
17-19</scripRef>. He had scarcely recovered from the fright he was
put into in the battle, and his guilty conscience put him into a
continual terror. Each messenger asked the same question: "<i>Is it
peace?</i> are you for us or for our adversaries? Do you bring good
tidings or bad?" Each had the same answer: <i>What hast thou to do
with peace? Turn thee behind me,</i> <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p18.2" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.18-2Kgs.9.19" parsed="|2Kgs|9|18|9|19" passage="2Ki 9:18,19"><i>v.</i> 18, 19</scripRef>. As if he had said, "It
is not to thee, but to him that sent thee, that I will give answer;
for thy part, if thou consult thy own safety, <i>turn thee behind
me,</i> and enlist thyself among my followers." The watchman gave
notice that the messengers were taken prisoners, and at length
observed that the leader of this troop drove like Jehu, who it
seems was noted for driving furiously, thereby discovering himself
to be a man of a hot eager spirit, intent upon his business, and
pushing forward with all his might. A man of such a violent temper
was fittest for the service to which Jehu was designated. The
wisdom of God is seen in the choice of proper instruments to be
employed in his work. But it is not much for any man's reputation
to be known by his fury. He that has rule over his own spirit is
better than the mighty. The Chaldee paraphrase gives this a
contrary sense: <i>The leading is like that of Jehu, for he leads
quietly.</i> And, it should seem, he did not come up very fast, for
then there would not have been time for all this that passed. And
some think he chose to march slowly, that he might give Joram time
to come out to him, and so dispatch him before he entered the
city.</p>
<p class="indent" id="iiKi.x-p19">II. Joram himself goes out to meet him, and
takes Ahaziah king of Judah along with him, neither of them
equipped for war, as not expecting an enemy, but in haste to have
their curiosity satisfied. How strangely has Providence sometimes
ordered it, that men have been in haste to meet their ruin when
their day has come to fall.</p>
<p class="indent" id="iiKi.x-p20">1. The place where Joram met Jehu was
ominous: <i>In the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite,</i> <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p20.1" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.21" parsed="|2Kgs|9|21|0|0" passage="2Ki 9:21"><i>v.</i> 21</scripRef>. The very sight of that
ground was enough to make Joram tremble and Jehu triumph; for Joram
had the guilt of Naboth's blood fighting against him and Jehu had
the force of Elijah's curse fighting for him. The circumstances of
events are sometimes so ordered by divine Providence as to make the
punishment answer to the sin as face answers to face in a
glass.</p>
<p class="indent" id="iiKi.x-p21">2. Joram's demand was still the same:
"<i>Is it peace, Jehu?</i> Is all well? Dost thou come home thus
flying from the Syrians or more than a conqueror over them?" It
seems, he looked for peace, and could not entertain any other
thought. Note, It is very common for great sinners, even when they
are upon the brink of ruin, to flatter themselves with an opinion
that all is well with them, and to cry peace to themselves.</p>
<p class="indent" id="iiKi.x-p22">3. Jehu's reply was very startling. He
answered him with a question: <i>What peace</i> canst thou expect,
<i>so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel</i> (who, though
queen dowager, was in effect queen regent) <i>and her witchcrafts
are so many?</i> See how plainly Jehu deals with him. Formerly he
durst not do so, but now he had another spirit. Note, Sinners will
not always be flattered; one time or other, they will have their
own given them, <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p22.1" osisRef="Bible:Ps.36.2" parsed="|Ps|36|2|0|0" passage="Ps 36:2">Ps. xxxvi.
2</scripRef>. Observe, (1.) He charges upon him his mother's
wickedness, because he had at first learned it and then with his
kingly power protected it. She stands impeached for whoredom,
corporal and spiritual (serving idols and serving them with the
very acts of lewdness), for witchcraft likewise, enchantments and
divinations, used in honour of her idols; and these multiplied, the
whoredoms and the witchcrafts many; for those that abandon
themselves to wicked courses know not where they will stop. One sin
begets another. (2.) Upon that account he throws him off from all
pretensions to peace: "What peace can come to that house in which
there is so much wickedness unrepented of?" Note, The way of sin
can never be the way of peace, <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p22.2" osisRef="Bible:Isa.57.21" parsed="|Isa|57|21|0|0" passage="Isa 57:21">Isa.
lvii. 21</scripRef>. What peace can sinners have with God, what
peace with their own consciences, what good, what comfort, can they
expect in life, in death, or after death, who go on still in their
trespasses? No peace so long as sin is persisted in; but, as soon
as it is repented of and forsaken, there is peace.</p>
<p class="indent" id="iiKi.x-p23">4. The execution was done immediately. When
Joram heard of his mother's crimes his heart failed him; he
presently concluded the long-threatened day of reckoning had now
come, and cried out, "<i>There is treachery, O Ahaziah!</i> Jehu is
our enemy, and it is time for us to shift for our safety." Both
fled, and, (1.) Joram king of Israel was slain presently, <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p23.1" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.24" parsed="|2Kgs|9|24|0|0" passage="2Ki 9:24"><i>v.</i> 24</scripRef>. Jehu dispatched him
with his own hands. The bow was not drawn at a venture, as that
which sent the fatal arrow through the joints of his father's
harness, but Jehu directed the arrow between his shoulders as he
fled (it was one of God's arrows which he <i>has ordained against
the persecutor,</i> <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p23.2" osisRef="Bible:Ps.7.13" parsed="|Ps|7|13|0|0" passage="Ps 7:13">Ps. vii.
13</scripRef>), and it reached to his heart, so that he died upon
the spot. He was now the top branch of Ahab's house, and therefore
was first cut off. He died a criminal, under the sentence of the
law, which Jehu, the executioner, pursues in the disposal of the
dead body. Naboth's vineyard was hard by, which put him in mind of
that circumstance of the doom Elijah passed upon Ahab, "<i>I will
requite thee in this plat, said the Lord</i> (<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p23.3" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.25-2Kgs.9.26" parsed="|2Kgs|9|25|9|26" passage="2Ki 9:25,26"><i>v.</i> 25, 26</scripRef>), <i>for the blood of
Naboth</i> himself, and <i>for the blood of his sons,</i>" who were
either put to death with him as partners in his crime, or secretly
murdered afterwards, lest they should bring an appeal, or find some
way to avenge their father's death, or break their hearts for the
loss of him, or (his whole estate being confiscated, as well as his
vineyard) lose their livelihoods, which was in effect to lose their
lives. For this the house of Ahab must be reckoned with; and that
very piece of ground which he, with so much pride and pleasure, had
made himself master of at the expense of the guilt of innocent
blood, now became the theatre on which his son's dead body lay
exposed a spectacle to the world. Thus <i>the Lord is known by the
judgment which he executeth. Higgaion. Selah.</i> (2.) Ahaziah king
of Judah was pursued, and slain in a little time, and not far off,
<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p23.4" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.27-2Kgs.9.28" parsed="|2Kgs|9|27|9|28" passage="2Ki 9:27,28"><i>v.</i> 27, 28</scripRef>. [1.]
Though he was now in Joram's company, he would not have been slain
but that he was joined with the house of Ahab both in affinity and
in iniquity. He was one of them (so he had made himself by his
sins) and therefore he must fare as they fared. Jehu justly
construed his commission as extending to them. Yet, [2.] Perhaps he
would not at this time have fallen with them if he had not been
found in company with them. It is a dangerous thing to associate
with evil-doers; we may be entangled both in guilt and misery by
it.</p>
</div><scripCom id="iiKi.x-p0.5" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.30-2Kgs.9.37" parsed="|2Kgs|9|30|9|37" passage="2Ki 9:30-37" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:2Kgs.9.30-2Kgs.9.37">
<h4 id="iiKi.x-p23.6">Joram and Ahaziah Slain. (<span class="smallcaps" id="iiKi.x-p23.7">b. c.</span> 884.)</h4>
<p class="passage" id="iiKi.x-p24">30 And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel
heard <i>of it;</i> and she painted her face, and tired her head,
and looked out at a window.   31 And as Jehu entered in at the
gate, she said, <i>Had</i> Zimri peace, who slew his master?  
32 And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who <i>is</i>
on my side? who? And there looked out to him two <i>or</i> three
eunuchs.   33 And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her
down: and <i>some</i> of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and
on the horses: and he trode her under foot.   34 And when he
was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this
cursed <i>woman,</i> and bury her: for she <i>is</i> a king's
daughter.   35 And they went to bury her: but they found no
more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of
<i>her</i> hands.   36 Wherefore they came again, and told
him. And he said, This <i>is</i> the word of the <span class="smallcaps" id="iiKi.x-p24.1">Lord</span>, which he spake by his servant Elijah the
Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the
flesh of Jezebel:   37 And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as
dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel;
<i>so</i> that they shall not say, This <i>is</i> Jezebel.</p>
<p class="indent" id="iiKi.x-p25">The greatest delinquent in the house of
Ahab was Jezebel: it was she that introduced Baal, slew the Lord's
prophets, contrived the murder of Naboth, stirred up her husband
first, and then her sons, to do wickedly; a <i>cursed woman</i> she
is here called (<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p25.1" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.34" parsed="|2Kgs|9|34|0|0" passage="2Ki 9:34"><i>v.</i>
34</scripRef>), a curse to the country, and whom all that wished
well to their country had a curse for. Three reigns her reign had
lasted, but now, at length, her day had come to fall. We read of a
false prophetess in the church of Thyatira that is compared to
Jezebel, and called by her name (<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p25.2" osisRef="Bible:Rev.2.20" parsed="|Rev|2|20|0|0" passage="Re 2:20">Rev.
ii. 20</scripRef>), her wickedness the same, seducing God's
servants to idolatry, a long <i>space given her to repent</i>
(<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p25.3" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.21" parsed="|2Kgs|9|21|0|0" passage="2Ki 9:21"><i>v.</i> 21</scripRef>) as to
Jezebel, and a fearful ruin brought upon her at last (<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p25.4" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.22-2Kgs.9.23" parsed="|2Kgs|9|22|9|23" passage="2Ki 9:22,23"><i>v.</i> 22, 23</scripRef>), as here upon
Jezebel. So that Jezebel's destruction may be looked upon as
typical of the destruction of idolaters and persecutors, especially
that great whore, that mother of harlots, that hath made herself
<i>drunk with the blood of saints</i> and the nations <i>drunk with
the wine of her fornications,</i> when God shall put it into the
heart of the kings of the earth to hate her, <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p25.5" osisRef="Bible:Rev.17.5-Rev.17.6 Bible:Rev.17.16" parsed="|Rev|17|5|17|6;|Rev|17|16|0|0" passage="Re 17:5,6,16">Rev. xvii. 5, 6, 16</scripRef>. Now here we
have,</p>
<p class="indent" id="iiKi.x-p26">I. Jezebel daring the judgment. She heard
that Jehu had slain her son, and slain him for her whoredoms and
witchcrafts, and thrown his dead body into the portion of Naboth,
according to the word of the Lord, and that he was now coming to
Jezreel, where she could not but expect herself to fall next a
sacrifice to his revenging sword. Now see how she meets her fate;
she posted herself in a window at the entering of the gate, to
affront Jehu and set him at defiance. 1. Instead of hiding herself,
as one afraid of divine vengeance, she exposed herself to it and
scorned to flee, mocked at fear and was not affrighted. See how a
heart hardened against God will brave it out to the last, <i>run
upon him, even upon his neck,</i> <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p26.1" osisRef="Bible:Job.15.26" parsed="|Job|15|26|0|0" passage="Job 15:26">Job
xv. 26</scripRef>. But never did any thus harden their hearts
against him and prosper. 2. Instead of humbling herself, and
putting herself into close mourning for her son, she <i>painted her
face, and tired her head,</i> that she might appear like herself,
that is (as she thought), great and majestic, hoping thereby to
daunt Jehu, to put him out of countenance, and to stop his career.
<i>The Lord God called to baldness and girding with sackcloth,</i>
but behold painting and dressing, walking contrary to God,
<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p26.2" osisRef="Bible:Isa.22.12-Isa.22.13" parsed="|Isa|22|12|22|13" passage="Isa 22:12,13">Isa. xxii. 12, 13</scripRef>.
There is not a surer presage of ruin than an unhumbled heart under
humbling providences. Let painted faces look in Jezebel's glass,
and see how they like themselves. 3. Instead of trembling before
Jehu, the instrument of God's vengeance, she thought to make him
tremble with that threatening question, <i>Had Zimri peace, who
slew his master?</i> Observe, (1.) She took no notice of the hand
of God gone out against her family, but flew in the face of him
that was only the sword in his hand. We are very apt, when we are
in trouble, to break out into a passion against the instruments of
our trouble, when we ought to be submissive to God and angry at
ourselves only. (2.) She pleased herself with the thought that what
Jehu was now doing would certainly end in his own ruin, and that he
would not have peace in it. He had cut her off from all pretensions
to peace (<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p26.3" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.22" parsed="|2Kgs|9|22|0|0" passage="2Ki 9:22"><i>v.</i> 22</scripRef>),
and now she thought to cut him off likewise. Note, It is no new
thing for those that are doing God's work to be looked upon as out
of the way of peace. Active reformers, faithful reprovers, are
threatened with trouble; but let them be in nothing terrified,
<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p26.4" osisRef="Bible:Phil.1.28" parsed="|Phil|1|28|0|0" passage="Php 1:28">Phil. i. 28</scripRef>. (3.) She
quoted a precedent, to deter him from the prosecution of this
enterprise: "<i>Had Zimri peace?</i> No, he had not; he came to the
throne by blood and treachery, and within seven days was
constrained to burn the palace over his head and himself in it: and
canst thou expect to fare any better?" Had the case been parallel,
it would have been proper enough to give him this memorandum; for
the judgments of God upon those that have gone before us in any
sinful way should be warnings to us to take heed of treading in
their steps. But the instance of Zimri was misapplied to Jehu.
Zimri had no warrant for what he did, but was incited to it merely
by his own ambition and cruelty; whereas Jehu was anointed by one
of the sons of the prophets, and did this by order from heaven,
which would bear him out. In comparing persons and things we must
carefully distinguish between the precious and the vile, and take
heed lest from the fate of sinful men we read the doom of useful
men.</p>
<p class="indent" id="iiKi.x-p27">II. Jehu demanding aid against her. He
looked up to the window, not daunted at the menaces of her impudent
but impotent rage, and cried, <i>Who is on my side? Who?</i>
<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p27.1" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.32" parsed="|2Kgs|9|32|0|0" passage="2Ki 9:32"><i>v.</i> 32</scripRef>. He was called
out to do God's work, in reforming the land and punishing those
that had debauched it; and here he calls out for assistance in the
doing of it, looked as if there were any to help, any to uphold,
<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p27.2" osisRef="Bible:Isa.63.5" parsed="|Isa|63|5|0|0" passage="Isa 63:5">Isa. lxiii. 5</scripRef>. He lifts up
a standard, and makes proclamation, as Moses (<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p27.3" osisRef="Bible:Exod.23.26" parsed="|Exod|23|26|0|0" passage="Ex 23:26">Exod. xxxii. 26</scripRef>), <i>Who is on the Lord's
side?</i> And the Psalmist (<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p27.4" osisRef="Bible:Ps.94.16" parsed="|Ps|94|16|0|0" passage="Ps 94:16">Ps. xciv.
16</scripRef>), <i>Who will rise up for me against the
evil-doers?</i> Note, When reformation-work is set on foot, it is
time to ask, "Who sides with it?"</p>
<p class="indent" id="iiKi.x-p28">III. Her own attendants delivering her up
to his just revenge. Two or three chamberlains looked out to Jehu
with such a countenance as encouraged him to believe they were on
his side, and to them he called not to seize or secure her till
further orders, but immediately to throw her down, which was one
way of stoning malefactors, casting them headlong from some steep
place. Thus was vengeance taken on her for the stoning of Naboth.
They threw her down, <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p28.1" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.33" parsed="|2Kgs|9|33|0|0" passage="2Ki 9:33"><i>v.</i>
33</scripRef>. If God's command would justify Jehu, his command
would justify them. Perhaps they had a secret dislike of Jezebel's
wickedness, and hated her, though they served her; or, it may be,
she was barbarous and injurious to those about her, and they were
pleased with this opportunity of being avenged on her; or,
observing Jehu's success, they hoped thus to ingratiate themselves
with him, and keep their places in his court. However it was, thus
she was most shamefully put to death, dashed against the wall and
the pavement, and then trodden on by the horses, which were all
besmeared with her blood and brains. See the end of pride and
cruelty, and say, <i>The Lord is righteous.</i></p>
<p class="indent" id="iiKi.x-p29">IV. The very dogs completing her shame and
ruin, according to the prophecy. When Jehu had taken some
refreshment in the palace, he bethought himself of showing so much
respect to Jezebel's sex and quality as to bury her. As bad as she
was, she was a daughter, a king's daughter, a king's wife, a king's
mother: <i>Go and bury her,</i> <scripRef id="iiKi.x-p29.1" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.34" parsed="|2Kgs|9|34|0|0" passage="2Ki 9:34"><i>v.</i> 34</scripRef>. But, though he had forgotten
what the prophet said (<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p29.2" osisRef="Bible:2Kgs.9.10" parsed="|2Kgs|9|10|0|0" passage="2Ki 9:10"><i>v.</i>
10</scripRef>, <i>Dogs shall eat Jezebel</i>), God had not
forgotten it. While he was eating and drinking, the dogs had
devoured her dead body, the dogs that <i>went about the city</i>
(<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p29.3" osisRef="Bible:Ps.59.6" parsed="|Ps|59|6|0|0" passage="Ps 59:6">Ps. lix. 6</scripRef>) and fed upon
the carrion, so that there was nothing left but her bare skull (the
painted face gone) and her feet and hands. The hungry dogs had no
respect to the dignity of her extraction; a king's daughter was no
more to them than a common person. When we pamper our bodies, and
use them deliciously, let us think how vile they are, and that
shortly they will be either a feast for worms under ground or
beasts above ground. When notice was brought of this to Jehu, he
remembered the threatening (<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p29.4" osisRef="Bible:1Kgs.21.23" parsed="|1Kgs|21|23|0|0" passage="1Ki 21:23">1 Kings
xxi. 23</scripRef>), <i>The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of
Jezreel.</i> Nothing should remain of her but the monuments of her
infamy. She had been used to appear on public days in great state,
and the cry was, "This is Jezebel. What a majestic port and figure!
How great she looks!" But now it shall be said no more. We have
often seen the wicked buried (<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p29.5" osisRef="Bible:Eccl.8.10" parsed="|Eccl|8|10|0|0" passage="Ec 8:10">Eccl.
viii. 10</scripRef>), yet sometimes, as here, they have no burial,
<scripRef id="iiKi.x-p29.6" osisRef="Bible:Eccl.6.3" parsed="|Eccl|6|3|0|0" passage="Ec 6:3">Eccl. vi. 3</scripRef>. Jezebel's name
nowhere remained, but as stigmatized in sacred writ: they could not
so much as say, "This is Jezebel's dust, This is Jezebel's grave,"
or "This is Jezebel's seed." Thus the name of the wicked shall
rot—rot above ground.</p>
</div></div2>