Douglas Jacoby Podcast

OT Characters: Jehu

Episode Summary

Douglas shares about the life of King Jehu and shares what we learn about the character of God from his story. He also shares practicals for how to share the lessons of this story with your children

Episode Notes

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas' website.

Hebrew words:

• Yehu' (Jehu) -- Yah(weh) is He, or He is Yah(weh)
• 54x in the O.T., by my count. (There are three other Jehus as well.)

Further study:

• Passages covered in this podcast:
  • 1 Kings 19:16
  • 2 Kings 9-10
  • 2 Chronicles 22 (parallel passage)
  • Romans 12:11; Proverbs 19:2; John 2:13ff.
• The kings of Israel and Judah (parallel tracks)
  • Kings of Israel:
    • Saul – Ishbosheth – David – Solomon
    • Nadab – Baasha – Elah – Zimri – Omri – Ahab – Ahaziah – Jehoram – Jehu – Jehoahaz – Jehoash – Jeroboam II – Zechariah – Shallum – Menahem – Pekahiah – Pekah – Hoshea
  • Kings of Judah:
    • Saul – David – Solomon
    • Rehoboam – Abijah –Asa – Jehoshaphat – Jehoram – Ahaziah – Athaliah – Joash – Amaziah – Uzziah – Jotham – Ahaz – Hezekiah – Manasseh – Amon – Josiah – Jehoahaz – Jehoiakim – Jehoiachin – Zedekiah
  • Judah more righteous than Israel. God gives her extra time.  Northern Israel collapses, captured by the Assyrians, in 722 BC.  More than a century later, in 586 BC, the southern kingdom of Judah falls to the Babylonians.
• In 2 Cor 11:2, Paul is jealous [zēlô] with a zeal [zēlō]; the two words, even in English, are closely related.
• Even more material:
  • Is there a contradiction in Hosea 1:4?
    • This is one solution (mine, at the main website).
    • But there are other ways to look at the problem. Click here
  • Review the Phinehas podcast, in the present series, for more on zeal.
  • See my 2003 paper on Forceful Men, and also my 2005 paper on Driven Men.
• Let us strive to combine fiery zeal with gentle humility.
  • "Truth without enthusiasm, morality without emotion, ritual without soul, are things Christ unsparingly condemned. Destitute of fire, they are nothing more than a godless philosophy, an ethical system, and a superstition." -- Samuel Chadwick
  • "Certainly zeal for your house consumes me" (Psalm 69:9; John 2:17).

Some things we learn about God:,

• God may use us for his purposes but that hardly means he approves of everything we do.
• In O.T. times, God allowed a degree of violence among his people. In Jesus, however, the perfect will of God is revealed: love for enemies.
• Christ alone embodied the perfect balance…

For kids: See how well Mary Batchelor has rewritten the stories about Jehu for children. Click here and then scroll down to lessons 183-185.

Key verses:

• 1 Kings 19:16 -- Elijah is told to appoint Jehu as king of Israel. Yet...
• 2 Kings 9:6 -- Elisha has a junior prophet anoint Jehu.
• 2 Kings 9:20 -- Jehu drives like a madman! Is this man zealous to the point of recklessness?
• 2 Kings 9:24-33 -- Jehu kills J(eh)oram, king of (northern) Israel, Ahaziah, king of (southern) Judah, Jezebel, (former) "queen" of Israel.
• 2 Kings 10:11 -- Jehu kills Ahab's remaining descendants.
• 2 Kings 10:16 -- "See my zeal for the Lord."
• 2 Kings 10:18-31 -- Jehu eliminates Baal worship in Israel. He is not careful, however, to reverse the sins of Jeroboam.

Next lesson: Hezekiah.