2 Kings 10:28-36

I. REIGN OF JEHU IN ISRAEL 10:28-36

TRANSLATION

(28) So Jehu destroyed Baal in Israel. (29) Only Jehu did not torn from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat who made Israel to sin, the calves of gold which were in Bethel and Dan. (30) And the LORD said onto Jehu, Because you have done well in doing what is upright in My eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all which was in My heart, sons of the fourth generation shall sit for you upon the throne of Israel. (31) But Jehu did not take heed to walk in the Law of the LORD the God of Israel with all of his heart; he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam who made Israel to sin. (32) In those days the LORD began to cut short Israel, and Hazael smote them along the frontiers of Israel; (33) from the Jordan eastward, all the hind of Gilead, the Gadites, Reubenites and the Manassites from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan. (34) Now the rest of the acts of Jehu and all which he did and all of his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? (35) And Jehu slept with his fathers and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son reigned in his place. (36) And the time which Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty-eight years.

Tench King of Israel
JEHU
841-814 B.C.
(Yabweb is He)

2 Kings 9-10
Synchronism
Jehu 1 = Athaliah 1
Contemporary Prophet
Elisha

The great Cod that formed all things both rewardeth the fool, and rewardeth transgressors, Proverbs 26:10

COMMENTS

While Jehu was zealous for Yahweh as over against Baal, he was not of a mind to lead a reformation of Yahweh worship. The calf worship of the North had been under the curse of God from its inception (cf. 1 Kings 13:2). But the calf worship was thought to be essential to the maintenance of the Northern Kingdom. Abolish it, and all Israel would return to the house of David (1 Kings 12:26-30). Jehu was not prepared to run this risk. Thus his reformation was a half-reformation, a partial turning to the Lord which brought no permanent blessing upon the nation (2 Kings 10:29). Through some prophetmost probably Elishathe Lord spoke to Jehu commending him for executing the divine wrath against the house of Ahab and the Baal worshipers. Nothing, it should be noted, is here said about the motives of Jehu which were probably largely selfish. For this external obedience, God rewarded Jehu with an external, earthly honor. God promised him that four generations of his children would rule on the throne of Israel. Counting the reign of Jehu himself, this dynasty ruled for five generations, over a hundred years. No other dynasty in the North ruled for over three generations or for more than fifty years. Yet in spite of this precious promise, Jehu did not serve the Lord with all his heart, and he continued to tolerate the calf worship instituted by Jeroboam (2 Kings 10:31).

For continuing to maintain the illicit calf worship, the Lord began to cut Israel short (lit., to cut off in Israel). This probably means that certain territories were lost to Hazael the Aramean king, who began to attack along the entire Israelite frontier in the north and east (2 Kings 10:32). Hazael seems to have wrested the entire Transjordan territoryBashan and Gilead as far south as the Arnon river, from the hands of Jehu. This affected most directly the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh (2 Kings 10:33). Jehu's only consolation was that he was able to keep Hazael from crossing the Jordan.

Many other events of Jehu's reign might have been recorded by the author of Kings, and for this additional information he refers his readers to his resource book, the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. It is strange to find a reference to the might of Jehu in view of the fact that all of his wars seem to have been unsuccessful. One must conclude that Jehu gained much distinction as a military leader and demonstrated great acts of personal valor in the Aramean wars, even though he was forced to concede territory to his enemy (2 Kings 10:34). Only one other Northern king reigned longer than the twenty-eight years ascribed to Jehu, that being Jeroboam II who reigned forty-one years. Jehu was buried in the capital at Samaria and was succeeded on the throne by his son Jehoahaz (2 Kings 10:34-35).