July 13, 2025 • 18 mins
In this Bible Story, Jehu is used by God to rid Israel of evil. He kills Jezebel and all the remnants of king Ahab. He also toppls the temples of Baal along with all its followers. Eventually, he succumbs to his own inner evils and strays away from God. This story is inspired by 2 Kings 9:30-10:36. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.
Today's Bible verse is 2 Kings 9:34 from the King James Version.
Episode 139: Jehoshaphat, in an attempt to broker peace between him and Israel, betrothed his son Joram to Ahab’s daughter Athaliah. But because the wicked and idolatrous nature of her parents was in her, both Jehoram and the nation of Judah would be led astray. And as he, his kingdom, and his sons passed away; his wife Athaliah plotted. Determined to stay in power, she killed all of her grandchildren so that the line of David could not stand in her way. But God would not let her evil stand in the way of His promise. Jehosheba, Athaliah’s daughter, hid away one of Ahaziah’s sons in the temple to be raised by the priests and taken care of until he could become king!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray. And when he was come in, he
did not eat and drink, and he said, go see
now this cursed woman, and bury her, for she is
a king's daughter Second Kings nine thirty four. As the
anointing of the Lord moves through me, I will not
(00:21):
stop until I pray and dismantle the works of the
enemy around me. I will not relent until I remove
any and all false gods and idols in my life.
Thy decree and declare that I will honor you with
my whole heart. Unlike yea who I will not walk
(00:42):
away from you or your presence. I will not settle
for a lukewarm relationship with you and your heart. Heavenly Father,
when I am weary of doing well, I will refresh
my soul by remembering all that you have done for me,
and by resting in your presence. Keep me through your
(01:06):
unfailing love, cover me with your outstretched arm, because I
know that it is only through your power that I
will be able to experience good success in Jesus name, Amen,
thank you for praying with me to day. Continue listening
(01:29):
for an incredible Bible story brought to you by Bible
in a year dot Com.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
The end of a witch's story. In our last story,
Elishah anointed Jehu as the next King of Israel, Jee,
who embraced his role as God's cleansing instrument. Jehu killed
King Jardah, then King Aziah, and began his mission to
rid Israel of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel's evil influence.
(02:09):
Now we learn of Jee who's time as king. He
is used by God to heal Israel of all the
sickness and evil it has been plagued with under Jezebel
and Ahab. Jee who would fight for the freedom of Israel,
but would the evil be too much for his human heart.
Inspired by the Book of Second Kings.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Hello, This is pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of
the Bible in a Year podcast. In yesterday's scripture passage,
we saw how God anointed a new king. His name
was Jehu, and this new king ruled Israel with righteousness.
Jehu would avenge the blood of the prophets put to
death by Jezebel and would wipe out Ahab the wicked
(02:55):
king's family. Beginning with Israel's King Joram. God's desire was
all for his people to turn to him rather than
the idols they worshiped, and Jehu would be God's tool
to accomplish these purposes. Today we'll hear how the evil,
wicked Queen Jezebel finally faces the consequences of her evil,
and we'll learn how God began to use Jehu to
(03:17):
fight to free Israel from her bondage. But even as
God uses Jehu, evil is still present, threatening to infect
the new King's heart. So let's listen to the word
of God today.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
The west wind howled furiously. Gray clouds rolled in like
waves on a shore. The sky was eerily dark. As
the witch Queen Jezebel loomed over her window. It was
open for cold wind to blow in. She stood up straight,
as if challenging the storm to draw closer. She had
(03:51):
heard of the king's demise. She had been told of
Jeho's anointing and how he sent an arrow through her
son's back. Now she waited for him. Her eyes were
painted dark and her hair was fixed for a pagan ritual.
She mumbled to herself silently, her gaze fixed on the
dark horizon. Thunder boomed in the distance as Jehu rode
(04:15):
towards the palace gates. He halted his horse when he
saw Jezebel's dark eyes staring down at him through the
palace window. Age had given her dark hair streaks of gray,
but she maintained a sense of authority and strange power.
Do you come in peace, King slayer, you murderous bastard,
(04:35):
she shouted. Jehu looked closely through the opening where Jezebel stood.
He could see two or three slaves behind her, cowering
in fear. Are any of you on my side? Jehu
shouted to them. If it is true freedom you desire,
throw her down. Before Jezebel could even turn round, the
(04:57):
three eunuch slaves burst towards the window, shoving Jezebel out
her window. Her witch like screams were drown out by
the distant thunder as she fell to her death. Her
body fell beside the stables, Her blood covered the walls
and the horses. Jehu rode towards her and crushed her
body under the hoofs of his horse. For minutes, Jihu
(05:20):
made his horse trample her body. The sound of cracking
bone and squishing flesh filled Jehu's ears. He paid no
attention to it. He and many others had suffered miserably
under Jezebel's wicked rituals. She had killed many people and
stolen the innocence of Israel. All of Jehu's righteous rage
(05:42):
that had been pent up for dozens of years unleashed
on her lifeless corpse. As the thunder boomed, Jehu's horse
delivered each blow with violent force. Finally, Jehu was finished,
Panting heavily, Jihu gestured for his men to bury her. However,
all that was left of her body to bury was
(06:03):
her skull, feet, and hands. The old prophecy of Elijah
concerning Jezebel echoed in Jehu's mind. In the land of Jezreel,
dogs will eat Jezebel's body. Her remains will be scattered
like fertilizer, so that no one will remember her. A
reckoning was required of Ahab's entire lineage because of the
(06:25):
darkness he brought upon God's people. Jee Who's mission was
not yet complete because of Ahab's lewdness, he had sired
seventy sons, all of them resided in the capital of Israel, Samaria.
So Ji Whu sent messages to the elders of Samaria saying,
I know the king's sons are with you. Also with
(06:47):
you are horses, chariots, fortifications, and weapons. Choose from among
Ahab's sons a king, and I will face him in battle.
The elders were dismayed at Jijhu's lefs. Fears shot up
their spines. They knew Ji, who had slain two kings himself,
Ahab's weak sons could not face him, let alone rule
(07:09):
a kingdom. So they sent a response to Jehu, saying,
we and Ahab's sons are no match for you. What
can we do to serve you? Ji, who thought for
a moment he considered the cost of sparing the lives
of Ahab's sons. However, he knew that the line must
be eradicated. Too much generational wickedness flowed through their veins.
(07:32):
Israel had been sent into a dark tunnel of despair
because of that family. There was only one way to
cleanse Israel of its sickness. J Whu sent a letter
in return, saying, if you are truly on the side
of freedom, take the lives of your master's sons by
this time tomorrow bring me their heads. The elders did
(07:54):
as Jihu asked the men that they had raised since
birth were slain for their father's sins. Their heads were
brought to Jihu and then put on display in front
of the gates for all to see. It was a
truly awful sight. No one relished in the deaths of
these men, not even Jehu. It was the cost of evil.
(08:16):
In the morning, Jihu cleared the heads and gathered the
people of Israel. He spoke with boldness. However, he knew
that the people were vulnerable. Right now he must be reassuring.
None of this is your fault. Jehu said, I am
the one who killed the king. You have been victims
of a wicked regime. This carnage is but a cleansing
(08:37):
of that wickedness. Rest assured that this fulfills the words
of God through Elijah. He prophesied that Ahab's descendants would
be cut off from the blessings of Israel. The killing
had taken its toll on Jihu, but it was not
over yet. More relatives, close friends, and advisers had to
perish before the stench of Ahab and Jezebel was wiped clean.
(09:00):
Even visitors from Judah who came to see the sons
of Ahab were taken and killed, more blood, more killing.
Jee Who's soul was beginning to feel the weight of
it all. He clung to God, He clung to the
healing of Israel. Soon, ji Who met a traveler by
the name of Jehonadab. He was the founder of the Rikabites,
(09:23):
followers of God, dedicated to the pure worship of their Lord.
Both Jehu and Jehonadab detested the pompousness of nobility and riches.
Je Whu found great comfort in his friend Jehonadab. The
two of them were friends for a long while, dreaming
about a better Israel, in Israel, where men and women
lived freely to worship their God and create a culture
(09:46):
of flourishing. Yet, even though Ahab's line had been eradicated,
there was still a lingering sickness in Israel. There were
still the temples of bail, The false prophets of the
false gods still spread their poisonous doctrine to innocent men
and women. They fed lies of prosperity whilst sucking the
souls of those that came for help. Jihu would have
(10:07):
one final push to free Israel. Jihu gathered some of
the prophets of Bail for a feast. He gathered them
and told them to invite every man and woman of
Bail they knew, to a large gathering there Jihu would
sacrifice to Bail to pay homage as king. So the
prophets gathered every worshiper of Bail. They were given special
(10:28):
robes to identify themselves as loyal followers to the false God. Then,
while all the followers of Beil were in one place,
Jihu and his men unsheathed their swords and began to
kill every last one of them. The screams were tormented,
Blood filled the room up to Jew's ankles. Tears streamed
down his face, but his mind was resolute. With one
(10:51):
final wave of strength, Jihu and his men toppled the
statue of Bail, dragging it into the wilderness and set
it on fire. The large temple of Beil was dismantled
and destroyed. In its place, Jihu constructed a public toilet
for all of Israel to use. It would serve as
a continual reminder that no honor would be given to
(11:12):
a false god. The Lord promised to bless Jihu and
his descendants for years to come. Ji who then reigned
as king over Israel for twenty eight years. It would
be lovely to think Jihu rode off into the future
with a flourishing spirit, honoring God with his whole heart.
And fortunately, the king who cleansed Israel of so much
(11:33):
evil was exposed to his own inner darkness. After the
cleansing of Ahab's line and the worshippers of Bail, Jehu's
heart grew dark and calloused. He did not pursue God's
heart as David once did. Rather, he half heartily ruled
no vision, no obedience. The kingdom of Israel diminished each
(11:53):
year under Jehu's reign. His time as king served as
a reminder that finishing well was just as import and
as starting well. Jee Who's heart grew tired. He denied evil,
but he did not cling to what was good. As
a result, he was cut off from truly experiencing the
glory of God on earth.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
As we begin today's passage, Jayhu still has business to
attend to. For starters, the most wicked of all, Jezebel,
was still alive and her time for judgment had come.
Hearing that Jehu is in Jezreel, the Queen painted her
eyes and dressed like a queen. She knew her time
had come, but she would be defiant and whold to
(12:40):
her high position to the very end. From her window,
high above Jayhu, she greeted him with scorn, calling him
a killer and a murderer of his master. Jayhu did
not give thought to her words, but called up to
her window to the slaves, asking if anywhere on his side.
When two of the three eunuchs looked out the wind
(13:00):
to him, he told them to throw her down. The
once fearsome queen, who had killed hundreds of God's prophets
and led King Ahab in the nation of Israel into
utter darkness and idolatry, was summarily executed. As her slaves
tossed her from the window. Her body spilled its blood
on the ground below and was trampled by Jehu's horses.
(13:21):
He called for her body to be given a dignified burial,
for she was nobility, But then he was reminded of
God's words concerning her, and as his servants went to
fetch the body, they found that, just as God had said,
she had been carried off by dogs, her flesh consumed,
so there was no body to bury. Jezebel would not
(13:41):
stand as a pagan martyr. She became fertilizer for the
very land she terrorized with her evil. But Ahab's ungodly
line still needed to be cut off. Jehu had more
work to do. First, he sent word to the elders
of Samaria that he would face Ahab's sons in battle.
They were to choose one of his sons is king,
(14:01):
and he would fight them. But the elders knew Jehu
was too powerful, so their allegiance was quick to shift
to the new king. They professed loyalty to Jehu and
ask what they could do. It would have been tempting
for Jehu to rest then, knowing that the line of
the king Ahab was no longer in power, but God
had called him to wipe out the evil, and letting
(14:22):
Ahab's sons live would have been disobedient to God. So
he called for the heads of Ahab's sons and displayed
them at the city gates. It was a gruesome reminder
of the high price of sin and evil and judgment.
God's word would not return void, and Jaehu continued to
wipe out Aheb's family and his friends and priests who
supported the king during his wicked reign. These passages, of course,
(14:48):
are very violent and perhaps difficult to understand, for son
so much killing, so much terror and horror, all coming
at the direction of God. But we must not forget
that our God is a holy God. He is a
righteous God and demands righteousness of his people. He will
fight fiercely to protect those that he loves. And God
(15:11):
loves Israel as he loves his church family. Today he
loves us with a fierceness that is unmatched. Back in
the day with Israel, these men who had led the
nation astray were a threat to God's children, and they
had to be dealt with firmly and fairly. Jay Who's
cleansing of Israel, continued as he struck down more and
more people, But along the way he encountered other righteous
(15:34):
men like Johanadab. The men shared a zeal for the Lord,
and Johannadab rode with Jehu an ally in the fight
for the very soul of Israel. The pathway of righteousness
can often be a lonely one, and we do well
to find those who share our passion to doing the
will of God. Just as Jehu found this man. Finally,
(15:56):
Jaehu called together the prophece of Bail. He made them
he was turning to their false God. But as they
were all assembled, he had every last prophet of Bail
put to death. The pagan temple was destroyed and a
public latrine was placed there as a sign that idle
worship was despicable and vile and filthy. Jehu fought valiantly
(16:18):
for the Lord and accomplished great things for God, but sadly,
with time he grew numb and complacent, failing to walk
with the Lord. Though he had done much for God,
his legacy was sullied by his failure to hold fast
to God. It is a striking reminder that we are
to run hard the race that is set before us,
all the way to the end. We must commit and
(16:40):
never quit, and not grow weary in doing good. We
must always trust in God and live in the righteousness
that He provides us in Christ by the power of
His Spirit. Let's pray, Dear God, we thank you for
today's reading. As difficult as it is to hear, we
know that you are a God of righteousness and justice,
(17:01):
that you do judge the wicked, that you are angry
according to your word with the wicked every day. So
we pray that we will trust you in your judgment
of all things. May we be productive all the days
of our lives and faithful to you in every season
of life, that we would never turn away from letting
you have complete control of our lives. We pray this
(17:24):
in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you so very much for
listening to Today's Bible in a Year podcast. We are
so very grateful for the millions of people who have
downloaded this podcast. I'm pastor Jack Graham, and when you
download thepray dot com app and make it a priority
in your life to listen to God's Word, your life
(17:44):
truly will be changed. We are hearing reports from so
many of the power of God's Word in their lives.
So let me encourage you to pass this podcast onto others,
to share it with someone you know, someone you care about,
because the Word of God truly will change lives. And
if you want more resources on how to experience God's
(18:06):
power in your life, be sure to visit Jack Graham
dot org. We would love to connect with you and
for you to connect with us again. That's Jack Graham
dot org, God bless you.
Let us pray. And when he was come in, he
did not eat and drink, and he said, go see
now this cursed woman, and bury her, for she is
a king's daughter Second Kings nine thirty four. As the
anointing of the Lord moves through me, I will not
(00:21):
stop until I pray and dismantle the works of the
enemy around me. I will not relent until I remove
any and all false gods and idols in my life.
Thy decree and declare that I will honor you with
my whole heart. Unlike yea who I will not walk
(00:42):
away from you or your presence. I will not settle
for a lukewarm relationship with you and your heart. Heavenly Father,
when I am weary of doing well, I will refresh
my soul by remembering all that you have done for me,
and by resting in your presence. Keep me through your
(01:06):
unfailing love, cover me with your outstretched arm, because I
know that it is only through your power that I
will be able to experience good success in Jesus name, Amen,
thank you for praying with me to day. Continue listening
(01:29):
for an incredible Bible story brought to you by Bible
in a year dot Com.
Speaker 2 (01:45):
The end of a witch's story. In our last story,
Elishah anointed Jehu as the next King of Israel, Jee,
who embraced his role as God's cleansing instrument. Jehu killed
King Jardah, then King Aziah, and began his mission to
rid Israel of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel's evil influence.
(02:09):
Now we learn of Jee who's time as king. He
is used by God to heal Israel of all the
sickness and evil it has been plagued with under Jezebel
and Ahab. Jee who would fight for the freedom of Israel,
but would the evil be too much for his human heart.
Inspired by the Book of Second Kings.
Speaker 3 (02:33):
Hello, This is pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of
the Bible in a Year podcast. In yesterday's scripture passage,
we saw how God anointed a new king. His name
was Jehu, and this new king ruled Israel with righteousness.
Jehu would avenge the blood of the prophets put to
death by Jezebel and would wipe out Ahab the wicked
(02:55):
king's family. Beginning with Israel's King Joram. God's desire was
all for his people to turn to him rather than
the idols they worshiped, and Jehu would be God's tool
to accomplish these purposes. Today we'll hear how the evil,
wicked Queen Jezebel finally faces the consequences of her evil,
and we'll learn how God began to use Jehu to
(03:17):
fight to free Israel from her bondage. But even as
God uses Jehu, evil is still present, threatening to infect
the new King's heart. So let's listen to the word
of God today.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
The west wind howled furiously. Gray clouds rolled in like
waves on a shore. The sky was eerily dark. As
the witch Queen Jezebel loomed over her window. It was
open for cold wind to blow in. She stood up straight,
as if challenging the storm to draw closer. She had
(03:51):
heard of the king's demise. She had been told of
Jeho's anointing and how he sent an arrow through her
son's back. Now she waited for him. Her eyes were
painted dark and her hair was fixed for a pagan ritual.
She mumbled to herself silently, her gaze fixed on the
dark horizon. Thunder boomed in the distance as Jehu rode
(04:15):
towards the palace gates. He halted his horse when he
saw Jezebel's dark eyes staring down at him through the
palace window. Age had given her dark hair streaks of gray,
but she maintained a sense of authority and strange power.
Do you come in peace, King slayer, you murderous bastard,
(04:35):
she shouted. Jehu looked closely through the opening where Jezebel stood.
He could see two or three slaves behind her, cowering
in fear. Are any of you on my side? Jehu
shouted to them. If it is true freedom you desire,
throw her down. Before Jezebel could even turn round, the
(04:57):
three eunuch slaves burst towards the window, shoving Jezebel out
her window. Her witch like screams were drown out by
the distant thunder as she fell to her death. Her
body fell beside the stables, Her blood covered the walls
and the horses. Jehu rode towards her and crushed her
body under the hoofs of his horse. For minutes, Jihu
(05:20):
made his horse trample her body. The sound of cracking
bone and squishing flesh filled Jehu's ears. He paid no
attention to it. He and many others had suffered miserably
under Jezebel's wicked rituals. She had killed many people and
stolen the innocence of Israel. All of Jehu's righteous rage
(05:42):
that had been pent up for dozens of years unleashed
on her lifeless corpse. As the thunder boomed, Jehu's horse
delivered each blow with violent force. Finally, Jehu was finished,
Panting heavily, Jihu gestured for his men to bury her. However,
all that was left of her body to bury was
(06:03):
her skull, feet, and hands. The old prophecy of Elijah
concerning Jezebel echoed in Jehu's mind. In the land of Jezreel,
dogs will eat Jezebel's body. Her remains will be scattered
like fertilizer, so that no one will remember her. A
reckoning was required of Ahab's entire lineage because of the
(06:25):
darkness he brought upon God's people. Jee Who's mission was
not yet complete because of Ahab's lewdness, he had sired
seventy sons, all of them resided in the capital of Israel, Samaria.
So Ji Whu sent messages to the elders of Samaria saying,
I know the king's sons are with you. Also with
(06:47):
you are horses, chariots, fortifications, and weapons. Choose from among
Ahab's sons a king, and I will face him in battle.
The elders were dismayed at Jijhu's lefs. Fears shot up
their spines. They knew Ji, who had slain two kings himself,
Ahab's weak sons could not face him, let alone rule
(07:09):
a kingdom. So they sent a response to Jehu, saying,
we and Ahab's sons are no match for you. What
can we do to serve you? Ji, who thought for
a moment he considered the cost of sparing the lives
of Ahab's sons. However, he knew that the line must
be eradicated. Too much generational wickedness flowed through their veins.
(07:32):
Israel had been sent into a dark tunnel of despair
because of that family. There was only one way to
cleanse Israel of its sickness. J Whu sent a letter
in return, saying, if you are truly on the side
of freedom, take the lives of your master's sons by
this time tomorrow bring me their heads. The elders did
(07:54):
as Jihu asked the men that they had raised since
birth were slain for their father's sins. Their heads were
brought to Jihu and then put on display in front
of the gates for all to see. It was a
truly awful sight. No one relished in the deaths of
these men, not even Jehu. It was the cost of evil.
(08:16):
In the morning, Jihu cleared the heads and gathered the
people of Israel. He spoke with boldness. However, he knew
that the people were vulnerable. Right now he must be reassuring.
None of this is your fault. Jehu said, I am
the one who killed the king. You have been victims
of a wicked regime. This carnage is but a cleansing
(08:37):
of that wickedness. Rest assured that this fulfills the words
of God through Elijah. He prophesied that Ahab's descendants would
be cut off from the blessings of Israel. The killing
had taken its toll on Jihu, but it was not
over yet. More relatives, close friends, and advisers had to
perish before the stench of Ahab and Jezebel was wiped clean.
(09:00):
Even visitors from Judah who came to see the sons
of Ahab were taken and killed, more blood, more killing.
Jee Who's soul was beginning to feel the weight of
it all. He clung to God, He clung to the
healing of Israel. Soon, ji Who met a traveler by
the name of Jehonadab. He was the founder of the Rikabites,
(09:23):
followers of God, dedicated to the pure worship of their Lord.
Both Jehu and Jehonadab detested the pompousness of nobility and riches.
Je Whu found great comfort in his friend Jehonadab. The
two of them were friends for a long while, dreaming
about a better Israel, in Israel, where men and women
lived freely to worship their God and create a culture
(09:46):
of flourishing. Yet, even though Ahab's line had been eradicated,
there was still a lingering sickness in Israel. There were
still the temples of bail, The false prophets of the
false gods still spread their poisonous doctrine to innocent men
and women. They fed lies of prosperity whilst sucking the
souls of those that came for help. Jihu would have
(10:07):
one final push to free Israel. Jihu gathered some of
the prophets of Bail for a feast. He gathered them
and told them to invite every man and woman of
Bail they knew, to a large gathering there Jihu would
sacrifice to Bail to pay homage as king. So the
prophets gathered every worshiper of Bail. They were given special
(10:28):
robes to identify themselves as loyal followers to the false God. Then,
while all the followers of Beil were in one place,
Jihu and his men unsheathed their swords and began to
kill every last one of them. The screams were tormented,
Blood filled the room up to Jew's ankles. Tears streamed
down his face, but his mind was resolute. With one
(10:51):
final wave of strength, Jihu and his men toppled the
statue of Bail, dragging it into the wilderness and set
it on fire. The large temple of Beil was dismantled
and destroyed. In its place, Jihu constructed a public toilet
for all of Israel to use. It would serve as
a continual reminder that no honor would be given to
(11:12):
a false god. The Lord promised to bless Jihu and
his descendants for years to come. Ji who then reigned
as king over Israel for twenty eight years. It would
be lovely to think Jihu rode off into the future
with a flourishing spirit, honoring God with his whole heart.
And fortunately, the king who cleansed Israel of so much
(11:33):
evil was exposed to his own inner darkness. After the
cleansing of Ahab's line and the worshippers of Bail, Jehu's
heart grew dark and calloused. He did not pursue God's
heart as David once did. Rather, he half heartily ruled
no vision, no obedience. The kingdom of Israel diminished each
(11:53):
year under Jehu's reign. His time as king served as
a reminder that finishing well was just as import and
as starting well. Jee Who's heart grew tired. He denied evil,
but he did not cling to what was good. As
a result, he was cut off from truly experiencing the
glory of God on earth.
Speaker 3 (12:17):
As we begin today's passage, Jayhu still has business to
attend to. For starters, the most wicked of all, Jezebel,
was still alive and her time for judgment had come.
Hearing that Jehu is in Jezreel, the Queen painted her
eyes and dressed like a queen. She knew her time
had come, but she would be defiant and whold to
(12:40):
her high position to the very end. From her window,
high above Jayhu, she greeted him with scorn, calling him
a killer and a murderer of his master. Jayhu did
not give thought to her words, but called up to
her window to the slaves, asking if anywhere on his side.
When two of the three eunuchs looked out the wind
(13:00):
to him, he told them to throw her down. The
once fearsome queen, who had killed hundreds of God's prophets
and led King Ahab in the nation of Israel into
utter darkness and idolatry, was summarily executed. As her slaves
tossed her from the window. Her body spilled its blood
on the ground below and was trampled by Jehu's horses.
(13:21):
He called for her body to be given a dignified burial,
for she was nobility, But then he was reminded of
God's words concerning her, and as his servants went to
fetch the body, they found that, just as God had said,
she had been carried off by dogs, her flesh consumed,
so there was no body to bury. Jezebel would not
(13:41):
stand as a pagan martyr. She became fertilizer for the
very land she terrorized with her evil. But Ahab's ungodly
line still needed to be cut off. Jehu had more
work to do. First, he sent word to the elders
of Samaria that he would face Ahab's sons in battle.
They were to choose one of his sons is king,
(14:01):
and he would fight them. But the elders knew Jehu
was too powerful, so their allegiance was quick to shift
to the new king. They professed loyalty to Jehu and
ask what they could do. It would have been tempting
for Jehu to rest then, knowing that the line of
the king Ahab was no longer in power, but God
had called him to wipe out the evil, and letting
(14:22):
Ahab's sons live would have been disobedient to God. So
he called for the heads of Ahab's sons and displayed
them at the city gates. It was a gruesome reminder
of the high price of sin and evil and judgment.
God's word would not return void, and Jaehu continued to
wipe out Aheb's family and his friends and priests who
supported the king during his wicked reign. These passages, of course,
(14:48):
are very violent and perhaps difficult to understand, for son
so much killing, so much terror and horror, all coming
at the direction of God. But we must not forget
that our God is a holy God. He is a
righteous God and demands righteousness of his people. He will
fight fiercely to protect those that he loves. And God
(15:11):
loves Israel as he loves his church family. Today he
loves us with a fierceness that is unmatched. Back in
the day with Israel, these men who had led the
nation astray were a threat to God's children, and they
had to be dealt with firmly and fairly. Jay Who's
cleansing of Israel, continued as he struck down more and
more people, But along the way he encountered other righteous
(15:34):
men like Johanadab. The men shared a zeal for the Lord,
and Johannadab rode with Jehu an ally in the fight
for the very soul of Israel. The pathway of righteousness
can often be a lonely one, and we do well
to find those who share our passion to doing the
will of God. Just as Jehu found this man. Finally,
(15:56):
Jaehu called together the prophece of Bail. He made them
he was turning to their false God. But as they
were all assembled, he had every last prophet of Bail
put to death. The pagan temple was destroyed and a
public latrine was placed there as a sign that idle
worship was despicable and vile and filthy. Jehu fought valiantly
(16:18):
for the Lord and accomplished great things for God, but sadly,
with time he grew numb and complacent, failing to walk
with the Lord. Though he had done much for God,
his legacy was sullied by his failure to hold fast
to God. It is a striking reminder that we are
to run hard the race that is set before us,
all the way to the end. We must commit and
(16:40):
never quit, and not grow weary in doing good. We
must always trust in God and live in the righteousness
that He provides us in Christ by the power of
His Spirit. Let's pray, Dear God, we thank you for
today's reading. As difficult as it is to hear, we
know that you are a God of righteousness and justice,
(17:01):
that you do judge the wicked, that you are angry
according to your word with the wicked every day. So
we pray that we will trust you in your judgment
of all things. May we be productive all the days
of our lives and faithful to you in every season
of life, that we would never turn away from letting
you have complete control of our lives. We pray this
(17:24):
in Jesus' name. Amen. Thank you so very much for
listening to Today's Bible in a Year podcast. We are
so very grateful for the millions of people who have
downloaded this podcast. I'm pastor Jack Graham, and when you
download thepray dot com app and make it a priority
in your life to listen to God's Word, your life
(17:44):
truly will be changed. We are hearing reports from so
many of the power of God's Word in their lives.
So let me encourage you to pass this podcast onto others,
to share it with someone you know, someone you care about,
because the Word of God truly will change lives. And
if you want more resources on how to experience God's
(18:06):
power in your life, be sure to visit Jack Graham
dot org. We would love to connect with you and
for you to connect with us again. That's Jack Graham
dot org, God bless you.
Host
Jack Graham
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