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<center><h1>Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary
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on the Whole Bible</h1>
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[<A HREF="MHC00000.HTM">Table of Contents</A>]<BR>
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Matthew Henry<BR><I>Commentary on the Whole Bible</I> (1708)
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<!-- (Begin Body) -->
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<CENTER>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+3><B>S E C O N D K I N G S</B></FONT>
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<BR>
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<BR><FONT SIZE=+2>CHAP. IX.</FONT>
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<HR SIZE=1 WIDTH=50>
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</CENTER>
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<FONT SIZE=-1>
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<P>
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Hazael and Jehu were the men that were designed to be the instruments
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of God's justice in punishing and destroying the house of Ahab. Elijah
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was told to appoint them to this service; but, upon Ahab's humiliation,
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a reprieve was granted, and so it was left to Elisha to appoint them.
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Hazael's elevation to the throne of Syria we read of in the foregoing
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chapter; and we must now attend Jehu to the throne of Israel; for him
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that escapeth the sword of Hazael, as Joram and Ahaziah did, Jehu must
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slay, of which this chapter gives us an account.
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I. A commission is sent to Jehu by the hand of one of the prophets, to
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take upon him the government, and destroy the house of Ahab,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:1-10">ver. 1-10</A>.
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II. Here is his speedy execution of this commission.
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1. He communicates it to his captains,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:11-15">ver. 11-15</A>.
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2. He marches directly to Jezreel
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:16-20">ver. 16-20</A>),
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and there dispatches
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(1.) Joram king of Israel,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:21-26">ver. 21-26</A>.
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(2.) Ahaziah king of Judah,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:27-29">ver. 27-29</A>.
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(3.) Jezebel,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:30-37">ver. 30-37</A>.</P>
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</FONT>
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<A NAME="2Ki9_1"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki9_2"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki9_3"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki9_4"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki9_5"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki9_6"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki9_7"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki9_8"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki9_9"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki9_10"> </A>
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<A NAME="Sec1"> </A>
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<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
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<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Jehu Anointed King.</I></FONT></TD>
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<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 884.</TD></TR>
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<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
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</TABLE>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>1 And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the
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prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box
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of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead:
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2 And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of
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Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up
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from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber;
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3 Then take the box of oil, and pour <I>it</I> on his head, and say,
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Thus saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then
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open the door, and flee, and tarry not.
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4 So the young man, <I>even</I> the young man the prophet, went to
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Ramoth-gilead.
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5 And when he came, behold, the captains of the host <I>were</I>
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sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And
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Jehu said, Unto which of all us? And he said, To thee, O captain.
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6 And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil
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on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> God of
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Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>,
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<I>even</I> over Israel.
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7 And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may
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avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of
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all the servants of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, at the hand of Jezebel.
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8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off
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from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut
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up and left in Israel:
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9 And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam
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the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah:
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10 And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel,
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and <I>there shall be</I> none to bury <I>her.</I> And he opened the door,
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and fled.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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We have here the anointing of Jehu to be king, who was, at this time, a
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commander (probably commander-in-chief) of the forces employed at
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Ramoth-Gilead,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:14"><I>v.</I> 14</A>.
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There he was fighting for the king his master, but received orders from
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a higher king to fight against him. It does not appear that Jehu aimed
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at the government, or that he ever thought of it, but the commission
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given him was a perfect surprise to him. Some think that he had been
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anointed before by Elijah, whom God ordered to do it, but privately,
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and with an intimation that he must not act till further orders, as
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Samuel anointed David long before he was to come to the throne: but
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that it not at all probable, for then we must suppose Elijah had
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anointed Hazael too. No, when God bade him do these things he bade him
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anoint Elisha to <I>be prophet in his room,</I> to do them when he was
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gone, as God should direct him. Here is,</P>
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<P>
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I. The commission sent.</P>
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<P>
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1. Elisha did not go himself to anoint Jehu, because he was old and
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unfit for such a journey and so well known that he could not do it
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privately, could not go and come without observation; therefore he
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sends <I>one of the sons of the prophets</I> to do it,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:1"><I>v.</I> 1</A>.
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They not only reverences him as their father
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+2:15"><I>ch.</I> ii. 15</A>),
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but observed and obeyed him as their father. This service of anointing
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Jehu,
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(1.) Had danger in it
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Sa+16:2">1 Sam. xvi. 2</A>),
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and therefore it was not fit that Elisha should expose himself, but one
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of the sons of the prophets, whose life was of less value, and who
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could do it with less danger.
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(2.) It required labour and was therefore fitter for a young man in his
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full strength. Let youth work and age direct.
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(3.) Yet it was an honourable piece of service, to anoint a king, and
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he that did it might hope to be preferred for it afterwards, and
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therefore, for the encouragement of the young prophets, Elisha employed
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one of them: he would not engross all the honours to himself, nor
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grudge the young prophets a share in them.</P>
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<P>
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2. When he sent him,
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(1.) He put the oil into his hand with which he must anoint Jehu:
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<I>Take this box of oil</I> Solomon was anointed with <I>oil out of the
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tabernacle,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+1:39">1 Kings i. 39</A>.
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That could not now be had, but oil from a prophet's hand was equivalent
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to oil out of God's house. Probably it was not the constant practice to
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anoint kings, but upon the disturbance of the succession, as in the
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case of Solomon, or the interruption of it, as in the case of Joash
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+11:12"><I>ch.</I> xi. 12</A>),
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or the translation of the government to a new family, as here and in
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the case of David; yet it might be used generally, though the scripture
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does not mention it.
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(2.) He put <I>the words into his mouth</I> which he must say
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:3"><I>v.</I> 3</A>)--
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<I>I have anointed thee king,</I> and, no doubt, told him all the rest
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that he said,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:7-10"><I>v.</I> 7-10</A>.
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Those whom God sends on his errands shall not go without full
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instructions.
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(3.) He also ordered him,
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[1.] To do it privately, to single out Jehu from the rest of the
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captains and anoint him <I>in an inner chamber</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:2"><I>v.</I> 2</A>),
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that Jehu's confidence in his commission might be tried, when he had no
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witness to attest it. His being suddenly animated for the service would
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be proof sufficient of his being anointed to it. There needed no other
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proof. The thing signified was the best evidence of the sign.
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[2.] To do it expeditiously. When he went about it he must <I>gird up
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his loins;</I> when he had done it he must <I>flee and not tarry</I>
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for a fee, or a treat, or to see what Jehu would do. It becomes the
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sons of the prophets to be quick and lively at their work, to go about
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it and go through it as men that hate sauntering and trifling. They
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should be as angels that fly swiftly.</P>
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<P>
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II. The commission delivered. The young prophet did his business with
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despatch, was at Ramoth-Gilead presently,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:4"><I>v.</I> 4</A>.
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There he found the general officers sitting together, either at dinner
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or in a council of war,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:5"><I>v.</I> 5</A>.
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With the assurance that became a messenger from God, notwithstanding
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the meanness of his appearance, he called Jehu out from the rest, not
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waiting his leisure, or begging his pardon for disturbing him, but as
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one having authority: <I>I have an errand to thee, O captain.</I>
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Perhaps Jehu had some intimation of his business; and therefore, that
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he might not seem too forward to catch at the honour, he asked, <I>To
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which of all us?</I> that it might not be said afterwards he got it by
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speaking first, but they might all be satisfied he was indeed the
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person designed. When the prophet had him alone he anointed him,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:6"><I>v.</I> 6</A>.
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The anointing of the Spirit is a hidden thing, that new name which none
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knows but those that have it. Herewith,</P>
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<P>
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1. He invests him with the royal dignity: <I>Thus saith the Lord God of
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Israel,</I> whose messenger I am, in his name <I>I have anointed thee
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king over the people of the Lord.</I> He gives him an incontestable
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title, but reminds him that he was made king,
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(1.) <I>By the God of Israel;</I> from him he must see his power
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derived (for by him kings reign), for he must use it, and to him he
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must be accountable. Magistrates are the ministers of God, and must
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therefore act in dependence upon him and with an entire devotedness to
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him and to his glory.
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(2.) <I>Over the Israel of God.</I> Though the people of Israel were
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wretchedly corrupted, and had forfeited all the honour of relationship
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to God, yet they are here called the <I>people of the Lord,</I> for he
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had a right to them and had not yet given them a bill of divorce. Jehu
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must look upon the people he was made king of as the <I>people of the
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Lord,</I> not as his vassals, but God's freemen, his sons, his
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first-born, not to be abused or tyrannized over, <I>God's people,</I>
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and therefore to be ruled for him, and according to his laws.</P>
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<P>
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2. He instructs him in his present service, which was to destroy all
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the house of Ahab
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:7"><I>v.</I> 7</A>),
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not that he might clear his own way to the throne, and secure to
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himself the possession of it, but that he might execute the judgments
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of God upon that guilty and obnoxious family. He calls Ahab his
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<I>master,</I> that the relation might be no objection. "He was thy
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master, and to lift up thy hand against his son and successor would be
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not only base ingratitude, but treason, rebellion, and all that is bad,
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if thou hadst not an immediate command from God to do it. But thou art
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under higher obligations to thy Master in heaven than to thy master
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Ahab. He has determined that <I>the whole house of Ahab shall
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perish,</I> and <I>by thy hand;</I> fear not: has not he commanded
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thee? Fear not sin; his command will justify thee and bear thee out:
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fear not danger; his command will secure and prosper thee." That he
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might intelligently, and in a right manner, do this great execution on
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the house of Ahab, he tells him,
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(1.) What was their crime, what the ground of the controversy, and
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wherefore God had quarrel with them, that he might have an eye to that
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which God had an eye to, and that was <I>the blood of God's servants,
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the prophets</I> and others, faithful worshippers, which they had shed,
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and which must now be required at the hand of Jezebel. That they were
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idolaters was bad enough, and merited all that was brought upon them;
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yet that is not mentioned here, but the controversy God has with them
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is for their being persecutors, not so much their <I>throwing down
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God's altars</I> as their <I>slaying his prophets with the sword.</I>
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Nothing fills the measure of the iniquity of any prince or people as
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this does nor brings a surer or a sorer ruin. This was the sin that
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brought on Jerusalem its first destruction
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ch+36:16">2 Chron. xxxvi. 16</A>)
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and its final one,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Mt+23:37,38">Matt. xxiii. 37, 38</A>.
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Jezebel's whoredoms and witchcrafts were not so provoking as her
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persecuting the prophets, killing some and driving the rest into
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corners and caves,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+18:4">1 Kings xviii. 4</A>.
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(2.) What was their doom. They were sentenced to utter destruction; not
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to be corrected, but to be cut off and rooted out. This Jehu must know,
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that his eye might not spare for pity, favour, or affection. All that
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belonged to Ahab must be slain,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:8"><I>v.</I> 8</A>.
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A pattern is given him of the destruction intended, in the destruction
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of the families of Jeroboam and Baasha
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:9"><I>v.</I> 9</A>),
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and he is particularly directed to throw Jezebel to the dogs,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:10"><I>v.</I> 10</A>.
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The whole stock of royal blood was little enough, and too little, to
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atone for the blood of the prophets, the saints and martyrs, which, in
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God's account, is of great price.</P>
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<P>
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The prophet, having done this errand, made the best of his way home
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again, and left Jehu alone to consider what he had to do and beg
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direction from God.</P>
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<A NAME="2Ki9_11"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki9_12"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki9_13"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki9_14"> </A>
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<A NAME="2Ki9_15"> </A>
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<P>
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<FONT SIZE=+1>11 Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and <I>one</I>
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said unto him, <I>Is</I> all well? wherefore came this mad <I>fellow</I> to
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thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the man, and his
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communication.
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12 And they said, <I>It is</I> false; tell us now. And he said, Thus
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and thus spake he to me, saying, Thus saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, I have
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anointed thee king over Israel.
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13 Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put
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<I>it</I> under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets,
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saying, Jehu is king.
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14 So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired
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against Joram. (Now Joram had kept Ramoth-gilead, he and all
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Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria.
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15 But king Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the
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wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought with
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Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If it be your minds, <I>then</I>
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let none go forth <I>nor</I> escape out of the city to go to tell <I>it</I>
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in Jezreel.
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</FONT></P>
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<P>
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Jehu, after some pause, returned to his place at the board, taking no
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notice of what had passed, but, as it should seem, designing, for the
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present, to keep it to himself, if they had not urged him to disclose
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it. Let us therefore see what passed between him and the captains.</P>
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<P>
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I. With what contempt the captains speak of the young prophet
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|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:11"><I>v.</I> 11</A>):
|
|
|
|
"<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>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Pe+4:4">1 Pet. iv. 4</A>),
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ho+9:7">Hos. ix. 7</A>.
|
|
|
|
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,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:12"><I>v.</I> 12</A>.
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
II. With what respect they compliment the new king upon the first
|
|
notice of his advancement,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:13"><I>v.</I> 13</A>.
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:14"><I>v.</I> 14</A>.</P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki9_16"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki9_17"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki9_18"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki9_19"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki9_20"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki9_21"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki9_22"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki9_23"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki9_24"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki9_25"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki9_26"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki9_27"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki9_28"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki9_29"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Sec2"> </A>
|
|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
|
|
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Jehu's Approach to Jezreel.</I></FONT></TD>
|
|
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 884.</TD></TR>
|
|
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
|
|
</TABLE>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>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 L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT> laid this burden upon him;
|
|
26 Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the
|
|
blood of his sons, saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>; and I will requite thee in
|
|
this plat, saith the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>. Now therefore take <I>and</I> cast him into
|
|
the plat <I>of ground,</I> according to the word of the L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>.
|
|
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.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
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,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:17-19"><I>v.</I> 17-19</A>.
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:18,19"><I>v.</I> 18, 19</A>.
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
1. The place where Joram met Jehu was ominous: <I>In the portion of
|
|
Naboth the Jezreelite,</I>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:21"><I>v.</I> 21</A>.
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
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,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+36:2">Ps. xxxvi. 2</A>.
|
|
|
|
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,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+57:21">Isa. lvii. 21</A>.
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
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,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:24"><I>v.</I> 24</A>.
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+7:13">Ps. vii. 13</A>),
|
|
|
|
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>
|
|
|
|
(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:25,26"><I>v.</I> 25, 26</A>),
|
|
|
|
<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,
|
|
|
|
<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:27,28"><I>v.</I> 27, 28</A>.
|
|
|
|
[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>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki9_30"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki9_31"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki9_32"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki9_33"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki9_34"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki9_35"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki9_36"> </A>
|
|
<A NAME="2Ki9_37"> </A>
|
|
|
|
<A NAME="Sec3"> </A>
|
|
<TABLE WIDTH="100%" BORDER=0>
|
|
<TR><TD><FONT SIZE=+1><I>Joram and Ahaziah Slain.</I></FONT></TD>
|
|
<TD ALIGN=RIGHT><FONT SIZE=-1>B. C.</FONT> 884.</TD></TR>
|
|
<TR><TD COLSPAN=2><HR SIZE=1></TD></TR>
|
|
</TABLE>
|
|
|
|
<P>
|
|
<FONT SIZE=+1>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 L<FONT SIZE=-1><B>ORD</B></FONT>, 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.
|
|
</FONT></P>
|
|
|
|
<P>
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The greatest delinquent in the house of Ahab was Jezebel: it was she
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that introduced Baal, slew the Lord's prophets, contrived the murder of
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Naboth, stirred up her husband first, and then her sons, to do
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wickedly; a <I>cursed woman</I> she is here called
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:34"><I>v.</I> 34</A>),
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a curse to the country, and whom all that wished well to their country
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had a curse for. Three reigns her reign had lasted, but now, at length,
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her day had come to fall. We read of a false prophetess in the church
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of Thyatira that is compared to Jezebel, and called by her name
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+2:20">Rev. ii. 20</A>),
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her wickedness the same, seducing God's servants to idolatry, a long
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<I>space given her to repent</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:21"><I>v.</I> 21</A>)
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as to Jezebel, and a fearful ruin brought upon her at last
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:22,23"><I>v.</I> 22, 23</A>),
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as here upon Jezebel. So that Jezebel's destruction may be looked upon
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as typical of the destruction of idolaters and persecutors, especially
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that great whore, that mother of harlots, that hath made herself
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<I>drunk with the blood of saints</I> and the nations <I>drunk with the
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wine of her fornications,</I> when God shall put it into the heart of
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the kings of the earth to hate her,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Re+17:5,6,16">Rev. xvii. 5, 6, 16</A>.
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Now here we have,</P>
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<P>
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I. Jezebel daring the judgment. She heard that Jehu had slain her son,
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and slain him for her whoredoms and witchcrafts, and thrown his dead
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body into the portion of Naboth, according to the word of the Lord, and
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that he was now coming to Jezreel, where she could not but expect
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herself to fall next a sacrifice to his revenging sword. Now see how
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she meets her fate; she posted herself in a window at the entering of
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the gate, to affront Jehu and set him at defiance.
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1. Instead of hiding herself, as one afraid of divine vengeance, she
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exposed herself to it and scorned to flee, mocked at fear and was not
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affrighted. See how a heart hardened against God will brave it out to
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the last, <I>run upon him, even upon his neck,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Job+15:26">Job xv. 26</A>.
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But never did any thus harden their hearts against him and prosper.
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2. Instead of humbling herself, and putting herself into close mourning
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for her son, she <I>painted her face, and tired her head,</I> that she
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might appear like herself, that is (as she thought), great and
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majestic, hoping thereby to daunt Jehu, to put him out of countenance,
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and to stop his career. <I>The Lord God called to baldness and girding
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with sackcloth,</I> but behold painting and dressing, walking contrary
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to God,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+22:12,13">Isa. xxii. 12, 13</A>.
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There is not a surer presage of ruin than an unhumbled heart under
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humbling providences. Let painted faces look in Jezebel's glass, and
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see how they like themselves.
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3. Instead of trembling before Jehu, the instrument of God's vengeance,
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she thought to make him tremble with that threatening question, <I>Had
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Zimri peace, who slew his master?</I> Observe,
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(1.) She took no notice of the hand of God gone out against her family,
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but flew in the face of him that was only the sword in his hand. We are
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very apt, when we are in trouble, to break out into a passion against
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the instruments of our trouble, when we ought to be submissive to God
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and angry at ourselves only.
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(2.) She pleased herself with the thought that what Jehu was now doing
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would certainly end in his own ruin, and that he would not have peace
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in it. He had cut her off from all pretensions to peace
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:22"><I>v.</I> 22</A>),
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and now she thought to cut him off likewise. Note, It is no new thing
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for those that are doing God's work to be looked upon as out of the way
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of peace. Active reformers, faithful reprovers, are threatened with
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trouble; but let them be in nothing terrified,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Php+1:28">Phil. i. 28</A>.
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(3.) She quoted a precedent, to deter him from the prosecution of this
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enterprise: "<I>Had Zimri peace?</I> No, he had not; he came to the
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throne by blood and treachery, and within seven days was constrained to
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burn the palace over his head and himself in it: and canst thou expect
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to fare any better?" Had the case been parallel, it would have been
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proper enough to give him this memorandum; for the judgments of God
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upon those that have gone before us in any sinful way should be
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warnings to us to take heed of treading in their steps. But the
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instance of Zimri was misapplied to Jehu. Zimri had no warrant for what
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he did, but was incited to it merely by his own ambition and cruelty;
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whereas Jehu was anointed by one of the sons of the prophets, and did
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this by order from heaven, which would bear him out. In comparing
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persons and things we must carefully distinguish between the precious
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and the vile, and take heed lest from the fate of sinful men we read
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the doom of useful men.</P>
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<P>
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II. Jehu demanding aid against her. He looked up to the window, not
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daunted at the menaces of her impudent but impotent rage, and cried,
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<I>Who is on my side? Who?</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:32"><I>v.</I> 32</A>.
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He was called out to do God's work, in reforming the land and punishing
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those that had debauched it; and here he calls out for assistance in
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the doing of it, looked as if there were any to help, any to uphold,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Isa+63:5">Isa. lxiii. 5</A>.
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He lifts up a standard, and makes proclamation, as Moses
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ex+23:26">Exod. xxxii. 26</A>),
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<I>Who is on the Lord's side?</I> And the Psalmist
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+94:16">Ps. xciv. 16</A>),
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<I>Who will rise up for me against the evil-doers?</I> Note, When
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reformation-work is set on foot, it is time to ask, "Who sides with
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it?"</P>
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<P>
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III. Her own attendants delivering her up to his just revenge. Two or
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three chamberlains looked out to Jehu with such a countenance as
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encouraged him to believe they were on his side, and to them he called
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not to seize or secure her till further orders, but immediately to
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throw her down, which was one way of stoning malefactors, casting them
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headlong from some steep place. Thus was vengeance taken on her for the
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stoning of Naboth. They threw her down,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:33"><I>v.</I> 33</A>.
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If God's command would justify Jehu, his command would justify them.
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Perhaps they had a secret dislike of Jezebel's wickedness, and hated
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her, though they served her; or, it may be, she was barbarous and
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injurious to those about her, and they were pleased with this
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opportunity of being avenged on her; or, observing Jehu's success, they
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hoped thus to ingratiate themselves with him, and keep their places in
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his court. However it was, thus she was most shamefully put to death,
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dashed against the wall and the pavement, and then trodden on by the
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horses, which were all besmeared with her blood and brains. See the end
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of pride and cruelty, and say, <I>The Lord is righteous.</I></P>
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<P>
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IV. The very dogs completing her shame and ruin, according to the
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prophecy. When Jehu had taken some refreshment in the palace, he
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bethought himself of showing so much respect to Jezebel's sex and
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quality as to bury her. As bad as she was, she was a daughter, a king's
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daughter, a king's wife, a king's mother: <I>Go and bury her,</I>
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:34"><I>v.</I> 34</A>.
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But, though he had forgotten what the prophet said
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=2Ki+9:10"><I>v.</I> 10</A>,
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<I>Dogs shall eat Jezebel</I>), God had not forgotten it. While he was
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eating and drinking, the dogs had devoured her dead body, the dogs that
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<I>went about the city</I>
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ps+59:6">Ps. lix. 6</A>)
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and fed upon the carrion, so that there was nothing left but her bare
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skull (the painted face gone) and her feet and hands. The hungry dogs
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had no respect to the dignity of her extraction; a king's daughter was
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no more to them than a common person. When we pamper our bodies, and
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use them deliciously, let us think how vile they are, and that shortly
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they will be either a feast for worms under ground or beasts above
|
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ground. When notice was brought of this to Jehu, he remembered the
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threatening
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=1Ki+21:23">1 Kings xxi. 23</A>),
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<I>The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.</I> Nothing
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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
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it shall be said no more. We have often seen the wicked buried
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(<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ec+8:10">Eccl. viii. 10</A>),
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yet sometimes, as here, they have no burial,
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<A HREF="http://bible.gospelcom.net/bible?version=KJV&passage=Ec+6:3">Eccl. vi. 3</A>.
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Jezebel's name nowhere remained, but as stigmatized in sacred writ:
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they could not so much as say, "This is Jezebel's dust, This is
|
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Jezebel's grave," or "This is Jezebel's seed." Thus the name of the
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wicked shall rot--rot above ground.</P>
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