1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:03,720 Meet me in the Bible at Second Kings chapter 10. 2 00:00:04,960 --> 00:00:07,680 Let's meet together in Second Kings chapter 10. 3 00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:17,360 When Elijah prophesied the doom of the House of Ahab, he 4 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:21,440 ominously declared that the Lord will cut off from Ahab every 5 00:00:21,440 --> 00:00:27,240 male bond or free in Israel. And it is in this chapter where 6 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:31,080 we will see that part of the prophecy being fulfilled. 7 00:00:32,479 --> 00:00:37,600 Last week you and I studied Jehu beginning his campaign and how 8 00:00:37,600 --> 00:00:43,200 he successfully eliminated 3 key individuals, Joram the king of 9 00:00:43,200 --> 00:00:49,680 Israel, Ahaziah the king of Judah, and Jezebel the wife of 10 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:52,160 Ahab. That all took place in a region 11 00:00:52,160 --> 00:00:55,000 called Jezreel. But as Jehu now continues his 12 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:58,320 mission, his attention is going to shift to the capital of 13 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:00,360 Israel. Tell me what the capital of 14 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:03,600 Israel is? Was this is Israel the northern 15 00:01:03,600 --> 00:01:05,720 Kingdom? So we understand that unified 16 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:08,400 Israel having Jerusalem as the capital, but this is a divided 17 00:01:08,400 --> 00:01:09,720 Kingdom. So they have a new capital. 18 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:14,120 Starts with the letter S Samaria is the capital of Israel at this 19 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:17,680 point. And right away the challenge of 20 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:21,160 this particular mission is made clear to us from the start. 21 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:23,320 So let's read the first 3 verses together. 22 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:28,800 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. 23 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:33,800 So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers 24 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:36,640 of the city, to the elders, and to the guardians of the sons of 25 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:40,760 Ahab, saying Now then, as soon as this letter comes to you, 26 00:01:40,760 --> 00:01:45,280 seeing your master's sons are with you, and there are with you 27 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:50,040 Chariots and horses, fortified cities also, and weapons, Select 28 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:53,240 the best and fittest of your master's sons and set him on his 29 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:57,680 father's throne and fight for your master's house. 30 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:06,240 We learned that Ahab had not 7, not 17, but seventy sons, and 31 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:09,199 then that number likely includes his grandsons. 32 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:15,640 And we see here that because of Jehu's limitations, remember, he 33 00:02:15,640 --> 00:02:20,080 doesn't have a very impressive army backing him, at least 34 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:24,040 numerically. This is going to be a challenge. 35 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:27,680 How is he going to approach Samaria and come after the 36 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:32,360 Princess of Samaria without a struggle or without some of them 37 00:02:32,360 --> 00:02:38,000 escaping? And so JU has to think before he 38 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:41,360 can make any attempt of actually attacking the capital. 39 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:44,760 He sends multiple letters with the same message to its leaders. 40 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:49,880 And I have to be honest that when we read here what he said, 41 00:02:50,880 --> 00:02:54,240 for a couple of days, I didn't understand what Jehu was trying 42 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:58,880 to accomplish by doing this. You see, if I were in his shoes, 43 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:04,040 sure, I might send something, but I'm not going to invite them 44 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:05,800 to a fight. I'm going to ask him to 45 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:08,880 surrender and warn them not to put up a fight. 46 00:03:09,720 --> 00:03:13,320 What does he do? The exact opposite of that. 47 00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:20,080 He not only tells them to choose an heir among Ahab's sons, but 48 00:03:20,080 --> 00:03:22,640 all the while he's also reminding them of their 49 00:03:22,640 --> 00:03:26,400 resources and their assets and their army. 50 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:29,800 And he he invites them to engage in battle. 51 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:32,920 In a sense, he's instilling in them a false sense of 52 00:03:32,920 --> 00:03:35,800 confidence. This, this is strange. 53 00:03:37,000 --> 00:03:41,560 And then it hit me. I'm not a commander of any army. 54 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:48,600 Jehu is a commander of Israel's army, and he is a strategist. 55 00:03:49,560 --> 00:03:53,160 And so here's how he's thinking. Knowing that he's outnumbered at 56 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:56,040 this point. He takes a huge risk, but it is 57 00:03:56,040 --> 00:04:00,240 bold at the same time. The man is essentially bluffing. 58 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:05,360 Do you see that? He's aware that the news of 59 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:08,040 Joran, the king of Israel's death, reached Samaria, but he 60 00:04:08,040 --> 00:04:13,520 is also aware that the people in Samaria do not know how their 61 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:17,519 king was killed. And so he uses us to his 62 00:04:17,519 --> 00:04:21,000 advantage. And so he comes to this point 63 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:25,440 with this Intel, and he decides to not make this unimpressive 64 00:04:25,440 --> 00:04:30,960 appearance in Samaria but tampers with the imagination of 65 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:34,440 its leaders. How does he do that? 66 00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:41,000 He makes it sound like he has this massive backing, and he 67 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:44,200 informs him that he is in no way intimidated by their Chariots, 68 00:04:44,200 --> 00:04:46,200 their horses, or fortified cities. 69 00:04:47,840 --> 00:04:50,400 And guess what? It worked. 70 00:04:51,600 --> 00:04:54,040 I want you to see the reaction of the rulers, the elders, and 71 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:58,400 the guardians in verse 4. But they were exceedingly afraid 72 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:03,120 and said, behold, the two kings could not stand before him. 73 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:09,880 How then can we stand? Remember, the leaders in Samaria 74 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:15,880 did not witness how the king of Israel and the king of Judah 75 00:05:16,080 --> 00:05:19,360 were murdered. They only received reports about 76 00:05:19,360 --> 00:05:21,560 it. They only heard the news. 77 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:27,360 And so we see here that Jehu is actually taking that ignorance 78 00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:31,280 and using it. See, if the Samaritans here knew 79 00:05:31,280 --> 00:05:34,480 what Jehu was actually working with, they probably would have 80 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:36,440 believed they had a chance to resist them. 81 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:40,960 But they're left in the dark, they only have the news about 82 00:05:40,960 --> 00:05:42,440 it. And so this man is highly 83 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:44,600 intelligent. He comes to this point where he 84 00:05:44,600 --> 00:05:48,840 stays in Jezreel and creatively conveys and paints a picture as 85 00:05:48,840 --> 00:05:52,360 though he is this force that they can't deal with. 86 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:56,240 And he does it by offering them a challenge. 87 00:05:57,520 --> 00:06:00,200 Why don't we fight? Winner takes all. 88 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:04,360 You don't talk like that unless you are confident that you can 89 00:06:04,360 --> 00:06:06,640 win. And this is how these leaders 90 00:06:06,640 --> 00:06:09,880 are interpreting his message. And so they are so afraid. 91 00:06:09,960 --> 00:06:13,120 They think to themselves, let's just surrender and spare our 92 00:06:13,120 --> 00:06:17,000 lives. So we read these 3 verses right, 93 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:19,280 of this chapter and I believe that there are at least two 94 00:06:19,280 --> 00:06:22,320 lessons that we can draw from it for our own lives. 95 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:26,400 Number one, I want to bring to your attention the principle of 96 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:32,160 warfare in the mind. Warfare in the mind. 97 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:36,480 This is an actual war, but we see here that J who is 98 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:40,000 implementing something with the mind. 99 00:06:40,560 --> 00:06:42,960 And as Christians, we are told throughout the New Testament 100 00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:45,800 that we are in a war, in a spiritual battle. 101 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:49,320 And though we don't war with people in the same way that this 102 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:53,840 chapter communicates, we don't fight people, we don't wield any 103 00:06:53,840 --> 00:06:58,640 weapons, we don't hit. There is an element of this kind 104 00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:01,840 of where for in this chapter that is echoed in the New 105 00:07:01,840 --> 00:07:04,240 Testament. And I want to take you to a very 106 00:07:04,240 --> 00:07:07,880 familiar passage in the New Testament concerning spiritual 107 00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:09,640 warfare. And I want you as we're reading 108 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:13,160 these verses, to pay attention to a common denominator in 109 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:16,720 Paul's description of Christian warfare. 110 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:20,200 So go to 2nd Corinthians chapter 10, beginning in verse 3. 111 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:24,080 And I want you to especially pay attention to verse 5, but we're 112 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:34,440 going to read 3:00 to 5:00. Here's what Paul says. 113 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:39,880 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according 114 00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:42,840 to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare 115 00:07:42,840 --> 00:07:45,640 are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy 116 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:49,160 strongholds. We destroy arguments in every 117 00:07:49,160 --> 00:07:53,440 lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every 118 00:07:53,440 --> 00:07:56,920 thought captive to obey Christ. Look again at verse five. 119 00:07:57,520 --> 00:07:58,920 Look at the language that he uses. 120 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:07,720 Arguments, lofty opinions raised against the knowledge of God, 121 00:08:08,680 --> 00:08:12,600 every What thought captive? What do all those things have in 122 00:08:12,600 --> 00:08:15,760 common? They deal with the mind. 123 00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:19,920 Here's what we learn about spiritual warfare. 124 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:24,520 According to the words of Paul, the main arena of our warfare is 125 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:29,200 in our thinking. Do you know how many people 126 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:32,640 misapply Paul's words here when it comes to how Christians 127 00:08:32,640 --> 00:08:37,559 engage in warfare? Pulling down strongholds? 128 00:08:37,679 --> 00:08:39,240 What do so many interpret that to mean? 129 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:44,000 Rebuking and casting out demons? Renouncing generational curses? 130 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:46,720 That's not what Paul is talking about at all. 131 00:08:47,840 --> 00:08:51,560 When he mentions strongholds, he's providing imagery that 132 00:08:51,560 --> 00:08:59,720 describes what ideologies, false belief systems, philosophies and 133 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:04,240 persuasions that contradict the truth of God's word. 134 00:09:05,720 --> 00:09:10,280 Fortresses of wrong thinking that hold people captive. 135 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:13,680 That's what strongholds are. They're in the mind. 136 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:16,480 And here's what's so wonderful about this. 137 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:20,840 If Paul is highlighting the main arena of our warfare, then we 138 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:23,480 also know the weapons we ought to use. 139 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:30,040 And the primary weapon in seeing people liberated defensively, 140 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:35,880 offensively, is to know the scriptures from cover to cover, 141 00:09:35,880 --> 00:09:40,360 cover in order to dismantle and destroy and bring down these 142 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:43,200 things that resist the liberation that comes from the 143 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:46,640 truth. And so the weaker we are in the 144 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:50,640 Word of God, the more vulnerable we are to spiritual warfare and 145 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:53,880 the less likely we are to see people set free from bondage. 146 00:09:54,680 --> 00:09:57,520 This is where warfare is held. This is where we're supposed to 147 00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:01,920 put our focus in the mind. Paul was aware of this. 148 00:10:02,040 --> 00:10:05,520 And to some degree we see Jehu implementing warfare. 149 00:10:05,520 --> 00:10:09,440 Yes, it's psychological warfare, but before he wields any 150 00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:14,000 physical weapon, he is going to take captive their minds. 151 00:10:14,560 --> 00:10:15,960 And notice. We're going to read in a moment 152 00:10:15,960 --> 00:10:18,880 that he's actually going to have the leaders of Samaria do The 153 00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:22,960 Dirty work for him. He's after the sons of Ahab, and 154 00:10:22,960 --> 00:10:25,160 he's not going to even lift a finger. 155 00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:32,200 And Satan is very clever in the way he takes his captives. 156 00:10:33,320 --> 00:10:38,320 Before the enemy can make you do anything, he first makes you 157 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:42,280 think in a certain way. That is the common pattern of 158 00:10:42,280 --> 00:10:47,240 the Evil 1. He plants his flag in your mind, 159 00:10:47,840 --> 00:10:52,920 and before you act away, he'll cause you to think away. 160 00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:56,400 And we see a clear example of this. 161 00:10:56,640 --> 00:10:58,320 Which brings me to the second lesson. 162 00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:01,160 From what we read in the verses that we unfolded together. 163 00:11:02,160 --> 00:11:05,760 Do not underestimate the controlling power of fear. 164 00:11:06,680 --> 00:11:09,200 Come back to 2nd Kings 10 and look at verse 4 again. 165 00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:16,800 But they were exceedingly afraid and said, behold, the two kings 166 00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:19,560 could not stand before him. How then can we stand? 167 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:23,360 So he was over the palace, and he who was over the city, 168 00:11:23,360 --> 00:11:27,920 together with the elders and the guardians sent to Jehu saying we 169 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:31,720 are your servants and we will do all that you tell us. 170 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:37,080 We will not make anyone king. Do whatever is good in your 171 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:38,840 eyes. Wow. 172 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:45,640 Notice the connection between fear and submission, verse five. 173 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:48,240 They say we are your servants, but before we learn that they 174 00:11:48,240 --> 00:11:50,440 are willing to become servants, they were first exceedingly 175 00:11:50,440 --> 00:11:54,560 afraid. This shows us that if you and I 176 00:11:54,560 --> 00:11:59,960 are not careful, what we fear can easily become what we end up 177 00:11:59,960 --> 00:12:03,880 obeying. What you fear, you will obey. 178 00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:07,640 Think about it. If I fear what people think 179 00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:10,880 about me, then I'm going to conform my convictions to their 180 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:14,240 preference, right? If I fear what enemies of the 181 00:12:14,240 --> 00:12:18,120 gospel will do to me, then I'm more willing to conceal my 182 00:12:18,120 --> 00:12:20,400 identity or compromise the message. 183 00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:26,120 If I fear any element of the future, what am I compromising? 184 00:12:26,120 --> 00:12:30,560 I'm giving up an element of the joy, peace, and purpose that 185 00:12:30,560 --> 00:12:34,880 Christ intends for me today. And the examples can go on and 186 00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:37,680 on and on. Here's what fear does when it's 187 00:12:37,680 --> 00:12:40,920 ungodly fear. It paralyzes your obedience 188 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:46,000 while promoting disobedience. It paralyzes your obedience and 189 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:51,160 it excites disobedience. So we see here that Jehu is 190 00:12:51,160 --> 00:12:56,520 very, very cunning. He makes them afraid in order to 191 00:12:56,520 --> 00:13:00,400 make them slaves. That is why you and I are called 192 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:03,600 to fear God. Not that there is a slavish 193 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:07,480 fear, but that there should be such an awareness of His glory 194 00:13:07,480 --> 00:13:11,320 and majesty that it wins our allegiance to Him, and that 195 00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:13,840 anything that tries to rival with anything that tries to make 196 00:13:13,840 --> 00:13:19,280 you afraid would burn up in light of the flame of devotion 197 00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:23,040 that you have, because you have a clear perception of who He is. 198 00:13:24,560 --> 00:13:28,600 They were exceedingly afraid, so they became slaves. 199 00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:31,800 It reminds me of the words of Paul to Timothy where he says 200 00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:35,160 that God does not give us what a spirit of fear. 201 00:13:35,160 --> 00:13:36,280 He doesn't give us a spirit of fear. 202 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:39,400 Now, that's that's what we see there in Timothy. 203 00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:42,160 But the the context is right before that verse. 204 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:45,240 He tells Timothy, fan it to flame the gift of God within 205 00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:48,080 you. What's the connection? 206 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:50,080 Timothy was timid. He was not allowing the 207 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:53,240 flourishing of his gift because he was afraid of persecution and 208 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:56,000 the arrests and, and the deaths and the beatings that were 209 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:59,120 taking place among Christians because of their faith in Jesus. 210 00:13:59,120 --> 00:14:02,280 And and Paul says, listen, you need to fan it, to flame that 211 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:04,600 gift. And because you're afraid, 212 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:05,680 you're not allowing that to happen. 213 00:14:05,680 --> 00:14:09,200 So we always limit ourselves when we live in fear in any way, 214 00:14:09,200 --> 00:14:12,640 in every way. And we see here that there is 215 00:14:12,640 --> 00:14:17,520 such an easy surrender because there was such a striking fear 216 00:14:17,520 --> 00:14:22,000 that suffocated them. Let's come back to 2nd Kings 10. 217 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:28,640 So we learned that they gave in to Jehu's leadership. 218 00:14:28,720 --> 00:14:31,560 But notice verse 6. This is not the only thing that 219 00:14:31,560 --> 00:14:34,720 he's going to ask to them. Then he wrote to them a second 220 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:37,760 letter saying, If you are on my side, and if you are ready to 221 00:14:37,760 --> 00:14:41,960 obey me, take the heads of your master's sons and come to me at 222 00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:46,840 Jezreel tomorrow at this time. Now the King's sons, 70 persons, 223 00:14:46,840 --> 00:14:50,040 were with the great men of the city who are bringing them up. 224 00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:53,160 And as soon as the letter came to them, they took the King's 225 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:57,480 sons and slaughter them, 70 persons, and put their heads in 226 00:14:57,480 --> 00:15:02,320 baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel. 227 00:15:03,440 --> 00:15:06,280 It's very graphic, but sometimes history is raw. 228 00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:12,040 What's happening here? Well, we might have yet another 229 00:15:12,040 --> 00:15:17,200 extreme but good example of what fear can drive a man to do. 230 00:15:17,760 --> 00:15:19,440 But I think the lesson is deeper than that. 231 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:23,320 Because remember, these are the leaders in Samaria. 232 00:15:24,040 --> 00:15:27,960 They have been employed by Ahab and Jezebel, and we have seen 233 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:34,560 before how capable these leaders are in performing heinous acts. 234 00:15:36,080 --> 00:15:39,920 Remember, Jezebel was the one that had Nabeth killed in order 235 00:15:39,920 --> 00:15:42,160 for her husband to have his vineyard by the palace. 236 00:15:42,160 --> 00:15:44,280 Remember that? But do we remember the means 237 00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:47,160 that were implemented in order for Nabeth to be killed? 238 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:51,680 If you don't remember, go to 1st Kings 21 and you're going to see 239 00:15:52,160 --> 00:15:57,840 an interesting connection. First Kings chapter 21, verse 9 240 00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:04,400 I want you to look at who Jezebel called upon to do her 241 00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:12,120 bidding. And she wrote in the letters, 242 00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:17,040 proclaim a fast and set Nabeth at the head of the people, and 243 00:16:17,040 --> 00:16:21,680 set 2 worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge 244 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:24,880 against them, saying, You have cursed God and the king. 245 00:16:25,080 --> 00:16:28,000 Then take him out and stone him to death. 246 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:33,960 Verse 11 And the men of his city, the elders and the leaders 247 00:16:33,960 --> 00:16:39,480 who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them as 248 00:16:39,480 --> 00:16:42,640 it was written in the letters that she had sent to them. 249 00:16:44,640 --> 00:16:49,360 It was the compliance of some of the leaders in Jezebel's Kingdom 250 00:16:50,320 --> 00:16:52,320 that led to the murder of an innocent man. 251 00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:54,480 And I'm not saying that these are the same leaders that we 252 00:16:54,480 --> 00:16:56,720 find in Second Kings 10. I'm just saying they're all 253 00:16:56,720 --> 00:17:02,360 members of the same company and they all share the same ethic. 254 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:07,280 And here's how we can apply this to ourselves. 255 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:11,599 If the sons of Ahab had a shred of wisdom, then they would have 256 00:17:11,599 --> 00:17:17,040 been much more cautious about who they chose to trust because 257 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:19,440 clearly they didn't consider that what these leaders have 258 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:23,000 done in the past is something that could have been done to 259 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:30,480 them in a moment. An innocent man was killed, and 260 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:34,080 these sons of Ahab thought that they could be treated in the 261 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:38,120 same way. For whatever reason, when it 262 00:17:38,120 --> 00:17:41,200 comes to the choices that you and I make in relationships, you 263 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:45,400 have to be careful to discern if the people that you are willing 264 00:17:45,400 --> 00:17:51,520 to yoke yourself to govern their lives in the fear of God, or if 265 00:17:51,520 --> 00:17:56,120 their lives are actually led by fleshly impulses or self 266 00:17:56,120 --> 00:18:04,280 preservation at any cost. Choosing relationships in this 267 00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:07,800 way will spare you from much unnecessary heartache. 268 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:12,520 And there are many in ministry and in marriage and everything 269 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:16,480 in between who are suffering because they did not take the 270 00:18:16,480 --> 00:18:20,560 time to discern the kind of people that they are willing to 271 00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:26,480 partner with. Does this person ultimately live 272 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:28,360 with and in the fear of the Lord? 273 00:18:28,360 --> 00:18:33,640 Where where God's heart is their motive in everything? 274 00:18:36,240 --> 00:18:39,840 And many ministries, ministers are crumbling because of that. 275 00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:44,560 Many marriages are in the same boat, and unfortunately, these 276 00:18:44,560 --> 00:18:50,120 sons of Ahab allowed people who are willing to, at a moment's 277 00:18:50,120 --> 00:18:54,240 notice, betray their conscience or whatever is left in their 278 00:18:54,240 --> 00:18:57,240 conscience to do the most despicable things, and they 279 00:18:57,240 --> 00:18:59,240 thought that it wouldn't apply to them. 280 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:03,680 In many cases, if somebody unrepentantly does something to 281 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:06,680 others, they are probably willing to do it to you. 282 00:19:08,560 --> 00:19:12,360 I've learned that. So what happens here? 283 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:16,360 They deliver these heads severed in baskets. 284 00:19:16,360 --> 00:19:19,360 They sent him to Jezreel. And if we're not convinced of 285 00:19:19,360 --> 00:19:22,600 Jehu's cleverness by now, it will be hard to ignore it here. 286 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:25,640 Let's read in verse 8. When the messenger came and told 287 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:30,240 them they have brought the heads of the King's sons, he said, lay 288 00:19:30,240 --> 00:19:32,840 them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the 289 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:35,240 morning. Then in the morning when he went 290 00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:38,360 out, he stood and said to all the people, You are innocent. 291 00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:41,840 It was I who conspired against my master and killed him. 292 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:46,560 But who struck down all these? Know then that there shall fall 293 00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:49,680 to the earth nothing of the word of the Lord which the Lord spoke 294 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:53,840 concerning the House of Ahab. For the Lord has done what he 295 00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:59,760 said by his servant Elijah. So these heads are severed. 296 00:19:59,760 --> 00:20:01,720 They're brought most likely in the night. 297 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:05,840 Makes you wonder if. Jehu lost some sleep that night 298 00:20:05,840 --> 00:20:08,920 because he really took his time to make sure that these were the 299 00:20:08,920 --> 00:20:13,600 faces of the sons of Ahab, but he instructed that two piles 300 00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:17,040 would be made at the gate. Why would he want to make a 301 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:19,480 public display of such things? Because he wants to gather a 302 00:20:19,480 --> 00:20:23,080 crowd, and he wants to use this moment to make a speech. 303 00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:28,600 And when he addresses the inhabitants of Jezreel the next 304 00:20:28,600 --> 00:20:31,600 morning, Oh, this man is something. 305 00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:35,880 He accomplishes a few things in these few words. 306 00:20:36,960 --> 00:20:39,800 The first thing that he does is that he feels as though this is 307 00:20:39,800 --> 00:20:44,320 the right moment to confess that he was the one who murdered the 308 00:20:44,320 --> 00:20:47,760 king of Israel. Here's my question. 309 00:20:47,760 --> 00:20:49,640 I lift my hand up now to nobody really. 310 00:20:49,640 --> 00:20:52,680 But as I'm really saying, why is he saying this? 311 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:57,320 What is he achieving in this? Well, obviously, there's 312 00:20:57,320 --> 00:20:59,560 suspicion. There's rumors spreading now of 313 00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:01,160 what happened with the king of Israel. 314 00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:03,600 Remember, there was limited information among the 315 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:05,480 Samaritans, and we're going to find out that the Southern 316 00:21:05,480 --> 00:21:06,880 Kingdom didn't even hear about it. 317 00:21:07,600 --> 00:21:10,560 And so Jehu just makes it clear. I'm the guy. 318 00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:14,640 You're innocent. Nobody else is to blame here. 319 00:21:14,680 --> 00:21:18,560 I'm the one who shed blood. What are you doing? 320 00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:21,680 Here's what he's doing. He realized that if he confesses 321 00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:25,920 this, it won't seem as significant in light of the fact 322 00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:29,520 that there are 70 severed heads of the sons of Ahab. 323 00:21:29,880 --> 00:21:35,440 It seems like a lighter offense with this horrific scene before 324 00:21:35,440 --> 00:21:39,880 the people. And you might be wondering, but 325 00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:45,320 isn't Jehu responsible for the death of these seventy sons? 326 00:21:45,840 --> 00:21:47,800 Yeah, we know that. Guess who doesn't? 327 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:53,080 The inhabitants of Jezreel. So here's a second observation 328 00:21:53,080 --> 00:21:56,680 that we can make from this that at the same time Jehu, yes, 329 00:21:56,680 --> 00:22:00,640 confesses that he is the culprit, he also disses himself 330 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:03,640 from this massacre. Notice what he says again in 331 00:22:03,640 --> 00:22:05,120 verse 9. You are innocent. 332 00:22:05,120 --> 00:22:08,000 It was I who conspired against my master and kill them. 333 00:22:08,200 --> 00:22:13,680 But who struck down all these by saying this? 334 00:22:13,800 --> 00:22:16,320 The average person listening might think to themselves, all 335 00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:20,440 right, if Jehu was willing to admit that he killed the king, 336 00:22:20,440 --> 00:22:23,600 surely he'd be willing to admit that he also killed the sons of 337 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:25,800 Ahab. But he doesn't, so it must be 338 00:22:25,800 --> 00:22:31,240 someone else. Now you might be wondering why 339 00:22:31,240 --> 00:22:34,360 he's speaking in this way, and the answer is quite simple. 340 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:41,880 He is trying to seize the throne without any obstacles by keeping 341 00:22:41,880 --> 00:22:47,720 his image as clean as possible. And so he's willing to admit his 342 00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:52,400 actions that will help him look like a savior while also denying 343 00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:55,080 anything that he has done that might make him look like a 344 00:22:55,080 --> 00:23:02,840 brutal, bloodthirsty tyrant. And so he knows that the king of 345 00:23:02,840 --> 00:23:06,520 Israel is not very popular, and he brought so much trouble upon 346 00:23:06,520 --> 00:23:07,760 the Kingdom. So he goes, I'm the one who 347 00:23:07,760 --> 00:23:10,320 killed the king of Israel. There's going to be a lot more 348 00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:13,600 positive feedback with that. But there might be pushback, 349 00:23:13,600 --> 00:23:17,840 even really backlash if the people learned that he 350 00:23:17,840 --> 00:23:21,640 slaughtered all of his sons. And so he says, I'm not sure 351 00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:25,280 what happened here. Men's playing politics. 352 00:23:26,600 --> 00:23:31,840 He's playing with their minds. And it's very clever because 353 00:23:31,840 --> 00:23:36,120 he's appealing to a mixed crowd in a complex situation, because 354 00:23:36,120 --> 00:23:41,080 he wants to gain as many supporters as possible so that 355 00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:43,360 there would be no trouble for him to seize the throne. 356 00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:49,520 And so he taps into their ignorance while also doing what 357 00:23:49,520 --> 00:23:54,720 he emphasizes, divine approval for the events that took place 358 00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:56,600 that day. Look at verse 10. 359 00:23:57,240 --> 00:24:01,480 What does he say? He says here, know then that 360 00:24:01,480 --> 00:24:04,000 there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the Lord 361 00:24:04,840 --> 00:24:06,760 which the Lord spoke concerning the House of Ahab. 362 00:24:06,760 --> 00:24:09,200 For the Lord has done what he said by his servant Elijah. 363 00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:13,640 It's as though he's saying, I'm not sure how the sons of Ahab 364 00:24:13,640 --> 00:24:18,520 met their end, but I know what God's word said about the future 365 00:24:18,520 --> 00:24:21,160 of this dynasty. So we better get a line with his 366 00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:24,440 will. Do you see how brilliant this 367 00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:26,240 man is? It's actually really scary 368 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:32,880 because once again, it worked. He gained their support. 369 00:24:33,680 --> 00:24:37,920 Now before we move on, if you feel a little disturbed or 370 00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:42,080 concerned about Jehu's tactics here, you should be. 371 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:48,840 Because lying in manipulation to accomplish the will of God is 372 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:52,240 never justified. It's never to be implemented. 373 00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:57,960 But already we're seeing some concerning traits in this man, 374 00:24:58,320 --> 00:25:01,600 and it's only going to become more manifest in the verses 375 00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:04,480 we're about to read. Look at verse 11. 376 00:25:06,680 --> 00:25:10,320 So Jehu struck down all who remained of the House of Ahab in 377 00:25:10,320 --> 00:25:13,960 Jezreel, all his great men and his close friends and his 378 00:25:13,960 --> 00:25:17,480 priest, until he left him. None remaining. 379 00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:21,880 Now let's read down to verse 14. Then he set out and went to 380 00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:22,760 Samaria. Pause. 381 00:25:22,760 --> 00:25:26,360 He feels confident now, right? He gained more supporters. 382 00:25:26,360 --> 00:25:29,680 He now realizes it's appropriate for me to approach the Capitol. 383 00:25:30,160 --> 00:25:32,600 So he goes to Samaria and let's continue on the way. 384 00:25:32,760 --> 00:25:36,240 When he was at Beth Ecked of the shepherds, Jay, who met the 385 00:25:36,240 --> 00:25:40,160 relatives of Ahaziah, king of Judah, and he said, who are you? 386 00:25:40,160 --> 00:25:44,600 And they answered, we are the relatives of Ahaziah and we came 387 00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:47,080 down to visit the royal Princess and the sons of the Queen 388 00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:48,200 Mother. Uh oh. 389 00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:52,080 Probably not the best answer to give to a man who has been 390 00:25:52,080 --> 00:25:55,160 anointed and destined to kill the House of Ahab. 391 00:25:56,520 --> 00:26:01,240 He said take them alive and they took them and slaughtered them 392 00:26:01,240 --> 00:26:06,360 at the pit of Beth Eckhard, 42 persons and he spared none of 393 00:26:06,360 --> 00:26:14,280 them. Makes you wonder, was this right 394 00:26:14,360 --> 00:26:17,760 of Jeho to do? Is this legitimate? 395 00:26:18,280 --> 00:26:21,000 Is this legal? Is this in accordance with God's 396 00:26:21,000 --> 00:26:23,280 will? Now, one way to explain it is 397 00:26:23,280 --> 00:26:27,760 recalling what we studied last week, that when Joram was 398 00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:31,560 recovering in Jezreel, Ahaziah, king of Judah, visited him. 399 00:26:31,560 --> 00:26:33,360 Why? Because they were related in 400 00:26:33,360 --> 00:26:37,320 marriage. And when Aaziah visited Joram, 401 00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:43,120 he too was killed. And we determined that that was 402 00:26:43,120 --> 00:26:46,640 God's purpose. It was ordained that Aaziah, 403 00:26:46,640 --> 00:26:49,880 who's from the House of David, ultimately would be killed 404 00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:53,240 alongside Joram. And we reference, though we 405 00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:56,160 didn't visit the verse Second Chronicles to confirm that. 406 00:26:56,240 --> 00:26:58,400 But this time I want us to visit that verse. 407 00:26:58,720 --> 00:27:00,840 So you have to go to the parallel account in Second 408 00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:03,600 Chronicles 22 to see this with me. 409 00:27:04,040 --> 00:27:08,000 Look at the divine approval that the Holy Spirit gives concerning 410 00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:11,760 the death of Ahaziah in Second Chronicles 22. 411 00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:14,520 Eight. Let's begin in verse 7. 412 00:27:14,520 --> 00:27:26,800 Excuse me? But it was ordained by God that 413 00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:30,200 the downfall of Azai should come about through his going to visit 414 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:32,880 Joram. For when he came there, he went 415 00:27:32,880 --> 00:27:36,800 out with Joram to meet Jehu, the son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had 416 00:27:36,800 --> 00:27:39,320 anointed to destroy the House of Ahab. 417 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:44,280 So it's clear it's irrefutable. God ordained that the king of 418 00:27:44,280 --> 00:27:47,800 Judah would be killed for walking in the ways of the House 419 00:27:47,800 --> 00:27:52,760 of Ahab. But here's the question, was 420 00:27:52,760 --> 00:27:57,560 Jehu justified in killing Eziah's relatives? 421 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:01,160 Because what we read in Second Kings 10 is that he deemed them 422 00:28:01,160 --> 00:28:03,800 guilty by association and he had them slaughtered right there and 423 00:28:03,800 --> 00:28:06,560 then. So we have to ask the question, 424 00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:10,800 was this appropriate? So we read verse seven. 425 00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:14,320 Look at verse 8. And when Jehu was executing 426 00:28:14,320 --> 00:28:18,320 judgement on the House of Ahab, he met the Princess of Judah and 427 00:28:18,320 --> 00:28:21,840 the sons of Eziah's brother. So these are his nephews who 428 00:28:21,840 --> 00:28:24,560 attended Isaiah and he killed them. 429 00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:32,680 What's omitted in verse 8? The commentary of God's 430 00:28:32,680 --> 00:28:35,760 approval. Now, some might make the case 431 00:28:35,760 --> 00:28:38,960 that it's inferred because they are related to Isaiah and that 432 00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:41,600 they had good rapport with the House of Israel. 433 00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:43,600 But we can't rush to that conclusion. 434 00:28:45,520 --> 00:28:47,840 And this is really the beauty of studying narratives in the 435 00:28:47,840 --> 00:28:49,480 Bible. You're not always explicitly 436 00:28:49,480 --> 00:28:52,960 told when an action is right or if it's wrong, if it's righteous 437 00:28:52,960 --> 00:28:55,000 or if it's evil. And that demands greater 438 00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:57,040 investigation that come to a clear conclusion. 439 00:28:57,240 --> 00:29:02,760 This is one of those cases. So he was in the right for 440 00:29:02,760 --> 00:29:07,880 killing Eziah. Was he in the right killing 441 00:29:07,880 --> 00:29:10,440 Eziah's nephews? Can I tell you something? 442 00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:14,560 I believe that there is another text and a completely different 443 00:29:14,560 --> 00:29:17,760 book, completely different genre actually, where we have 444 00:29:17,760 --> 00:29:22,560 clarification on Jehu's actions. Does anybody know what prophetic 445 00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:26,000 book I am referring to? I'm just curious to know if 446 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:30,400 anybody knows the reference. Minor prophet starts with the 447 00:29:30,400 --> 00:29:38,360 letter H Hosea chapter one. Turn there in your Bibles and 448 00:29:38,360 --> 00:29:43,080 behold the brilliance of God's Word where you can understand 449 00:29:43,080 --> 00:29:46,120 Second Kings chapter 10 better by knowing Hosea. 450 00:29:47,280 --> 00:29:50,640 Look at verse 4 of Hosea chapter 1. 451 00:29:58,370 --> 00:30:02,130 And the Lord said to him, Call his name Jezreel. 452 00:30:03,330 --> 00:30:07,290 For in just a little while, I will punish the House of Jehu 453 00:30:08,290 --> 00:30:14,680 for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the Kingdom 454 00:30:14,680 --> 00:30:19,400 of the House of Israel. Why do you think this has 455 00:30:19,400 --> 00:30:21,720 troubled some Bible students over the years? 456 00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:30,400 Any idea? God says of the people of Israel 457 00:30:30,800 --> 00:30:35,320 that He is going to visit the House of Jehu for shedding blood 458 00:30:35,320 --> 00:30:37,080 in Jezreel. That's what we're studying here 459 00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:39,680 in Second Kings 9 and tonight in Second Kings 10. 460 00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:44,600 Why would God bring about that kind of condemnation to the 461 00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:46,200 House of jail? Why does that seem to be 462 00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:49,920 problematic? We're going to get there in a 463 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:52,160 moment, but think about it from the beginnings. 464 00:30:53,040 --> 00:30:56,120 Is Jehu just running on his own fumes here and just doing what 465 00:30:56,120 --> 00:30:59,680 he thinks is right? Let me ask you this way. 466 00:30:59,800 --> 00:31:02,800 Was Jehu commanded by God to slaughter the House of Ahab? 467 00:31:03,400 --> 00:31:04,960 OK, So why is he being condemned for it? 468 00:31:06,600 --> 00:31:10,240 Do you see contradiction in your Bible? 469 00:31:10,240 --> 00:31:12,440 No, no, no, no, no, no. It's not a it's not a 470 00:31:12,440 --> 00:31:16,400 contradiction. It makes sense now when we look 471 00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:21,480 at what we read in verse 11 and verse 14, that Jehu, though he 472 00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:26,520 was commended for obeying the Lord in this way, at some point 473 00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:33,520 was excessive and he began to feel like it was right to kill 474 00:31:33,520 --> 00:31:39,120 innocent people. And the killing of the nephews 475 00:31:39,120 --> 00:31:41,080 of ASI is just one example of that. 476 00:31:42,520 --> 00:31:47,560 So what do we find here? That Jehu, when Hosea condemns 477 00:31:47,560 --> 00:31:51,720 him, reveals that he went above and beyond the mandate. 478 00:31:52,840 --> 00:31:58,400 His mandate was to deal with the House of Ahab, not the House of 479 00:31:58,400 --> 00:32:04,840 AIA Zaya. But we find him here feeling 480 00:32:04,840 --> 00:32:08,160 very comfortable to act in this way. 481 00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:11,080 What do we learn from that? I think there are a couple 482 00:32:11,080 --> 00:32:13,880 things to learn. The first thing is that this is 483 00:32:13,880 --> 00:32:19,720 a good example, though extreme example, of how we can get 484 00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:21,680 carried away in a righteous zeal. 485 00:32:23,040 --> 00:32:26,440 Have you ever observed people going above and beyond what God 486 00:32:26,440 --> 00:32:29,680 had written in His Word in the name of obedience to God? 487 00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:36,000 It's called legalism. It's called legalism when in the 488 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:39,160 name of righteousness, in the name of holiness, you begin to 489 00:32:39,400 --> 00:32:43,880 go above what is written, beyond what has been demanded. 490 00:32:44,960 --> 00:32:47,760 We have to understand that there is a danger that we impose on 491 00:32:47,760 --> 00:32:52,120 others in that pursuit. We see Jehu here, who in his 492 00:32:52,120 --> 00:32:55,720 zeal is literally killing people, and listen when it comes 493 00:32:55,720 --> 00:32:58,200 to those who go above and beyond, whether it's their human 494 00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:00,240 tradition or personal convictions. 495 00:33:00,560 --> 00:33:04,080 You also damage others. You also harm others to the 496 00:33:04,080 --> 00:33:06,240 point where you might even push them away, where they embrace 497 00:33:06,240 --> 00:33:11,440 self destructing ways of life. And so this is a clear example 498 00:33:11,680 --> 00:33:16,080 of how we can justify certain things in the name of righteous 499 00:33:16,080 --> 00:33:18,720 zeal. The way you feel about something 500 00:33:18,720 --> 00:33:22,800 doesn't make it right, even if it's in a pursuit of supposed 501 00:33:22,840 --> 00:33:26,840 honor. But not just that. 502 00:33:26,840 --> 00:33:30,360 I believe there's an example here of how we can implement 503 00:33:30,360 --> 00:33:34,200 carnal means to accomplish a righteous end. 504 00:33:35,640 --> 00:33:39,160 God told him to deal with a specific house, but what does 505 00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:42,120 this man do? He begins to now tamper with a 506 00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:46,280 different house. And it makes you wonder if Jehu 507 00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:50,640 is a little insecure. It makes you wonder if this man 508 00:33:50,640 --> 00:33:52,920 is not really trusting in the sufficiency of God's 509 00:33:52,920 --> 00:33:57,880 instructions because he really wants to protect his pursuit of 510 00:33:58,160 --> 00:34:00,240 power. And so before what does he do? 511 00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:02,960 He lies and he manipulates and now what does he do? 512 00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:05,200 He goes beyond that. He begins to kill people. 513 00:34:08,040 --> 00:34:11,520 If he really trusted the Lord, he would just rest in what God 514 00:34:11,520 --> 00:34:13,520 asked of him and that the Lord would take care of everything 515 00:34:13,520 --> 00:34:15,960 else. But instead, anybody that had a 516 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:20,040 hint of association or some kind of harmonious relationship with 517 00:34:20,040 --> 00:34:23,719 the House of Ahab, he saw them as a threat and he came after 518 00:34:23,719 --> 00:34:25,840 them. This man now is becoming very 519 00:34:25,840 --> 00:34:28,400 dangerous. He's stepping outside of bounds 520 00:34:29,480 --> 00:34:31,480 and it's going to cost them in different ways. 521 00:34:33,159 --> 00:34:36,440 So his eyes, nephews now become victims. 522 00:34:37,320 --> 00:34:39,400 But let's read on now in these final verses. 523 00:34:42,679 --> 00:34:46,800 And when he departed from there, he met Johonadab, the son of 524 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:51,760 Rekab coming to meet him. And he greeted him and said to 525 00:34:51,760 --> 00:34:55,360 him, is your heart true to my heart as mine is to yours? 526 00:34:56,040 --> 00:35:00,320 And Johonadab answered, it is. Jehu said, If it is, give me 527 00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:02,880 your hand. So he gave him his hand, and 528 00:35:02,880 --> 00:35:05,280 Jehu took him up with him into the chariot. 529 00:35:05,840 --> 00:35:11,760 And he said, Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord. 530 00:35:13,120 --> 00:35:16,440 So he had him ride in his chariot, and when he came to 531 00:35:16,440 --> 00:35:20,120 Samaria, he struck down all who remained to Ahab in Samaria till 532 00:35:20,120 --> 00:35:22,520 he had wiped them out, according to the word of the Lord that he 533 00:35:22,520 --> 00:35:27,280 spoke to Elijah. So as his nephews are not the 534 00:35:27,280 --> 00:35:32,040 only ones that Jehu encounters on his way to Samaria, we get 535 00:35:32,040 --> 00:35:34,960 the impression here that this man, Jehon Adab, was not a 536 00:35:34,960 --> 00:35:39,120 stranger, but an acquaintance, some somebody that Jehu knew. 537 00:35:39,120 --> 00:35:40,520 Why? Because look again at verse 15. 538 00:35:40,520 --> 00:35:42,920 And when he departed from there, he met Jehon Adad, the son of 539 00:35:43,120 --> 00:35:48,040 Recap, coming to meet him. And when they meet face to face, 540 00:35:48,800 --> 00:35:51,560 Jehu doesn't ask what he asked those strangers in the previous 541 00:35:51,560 --> 00:35:53,320 verses. He doesn't say who, Who are you? 542 00:35:53,560 --> 00:35:56,200 He knows exactly who he is. He greets him. 543 00:35:57,520 --> 00:36:03,400 Not only does he greet him, he asks for his opinion. 544 00:36:03,880 --> 00:36:07,720 He asks for where his heart stands with what's taking place. 545 00:36:08,560 --> 00:36:11,200 Is your heart true to my heart as mine is to yours? 546 00:36:12,720 --> 00:36:17,080 And this man Johanna that says it is, he says come up with me. 547 00:36:18,800 --> 00:36:22,440 Now this seems a little ambiguous. 548 00:36:23,400 --> 00:36:25,920 Seems to me like there's history here that we're unaware of 549 00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:29,600 between these two, and it's helpful to know that this man, 550 00:36:29,600 --> 00:36:33,120 Johanna Dab, is actually mentioned in one other place in 551 00:36:33,120 --> 00:36:36,480 all of the Old Testament. Does anybody know the book where 552 00:36:36,480 --> 00:36:39,440 Johanna Dab is referenced? I'll give you time to think 553 00:36:39,440 --> 00:36:44,360 about it. Let me give you another hint. 554 00:36:44,360 --> 00:36:47,200 It's a prophet. It's a prophetic book. 555 00:36:47,560 --> 00:36:53,400 It's not Hosea, it's one of the bigger books, Major Prophets. 556 00:36:53,400 --> 00:36:54,920 So now you're left with three options. 557 00:36:56,920 --> 00:37:01,720 Think no, you're left with two. Now, Jeremiah. 558 00:37:03,040 --> 00:37:05,360 Now I'm going to ask you to turn to a chapter in Jeremiah in a 559 00:37:05,360 --> 00:37:07,040 moment, but let me give you a little bit of background. 560 00:37:08,440 --> 00:37:11,600 Jeremiah received this interesting command from heaven. 561 00:37:13,200 --> 00:37:19,360 He was told to go to the House of Rakab and he was to invite 562 00:37:19,360 --> 00:37:23,360 the sons of this house into one of the rooms in the temple. 563 00:37:24,440 --> 00:37:28,120 And when he invited the inhabitants of this particular 564 00:37:28,120 --> 00:37:31,320 tribe, you read there in the beginning of Jeremiah chapter 565 00:37:31,320 --> 00:37:39,200 35, that Jeremiah places before them pictures of wine and a 566 00:37:39,200 --> 00:37:41,080 bunch of cups for everyone to drink. 567 00:37:41,080 --> 00:37:44,040 And he looks at these sons and he says, drink wine. 568 00:37:46,360 --> 00:37:52,200 And you get this lengthy denial from the sons of the same tribe 569 00:37:52,200 --> 00:37:54,040 that this man Johanna Dab is from. 570 00:37:54,640 --> 00:37:55,960 And that's what I want you to see. 571 00:37:57,080 --> 00:38:05,120 Go to Jeremiah 35, verse 6, because how this particular 572 00:38:05,120 --> 00:38:09,560 people respond will serve as a scathing rebuke to the 573 00:38:09,560 --> 00:38:12,480 unfaithfulness of the people of Judah, but will also reveal the 574 00:38:12,480 --> 00:38:16,320 history of their oranges. So look at verse 6 of Jeremiah 575 00:38:16,320 --> 00:38:20,080 35. But they answered, We will drink 576 00:38:20,080 --> 00:38:23,960 no wine for Jonadab the son of Rekab. 577 00:38:24,240 --> 00:38:26,680 That's who we read in Second Kings 10, is it not? 578 00:38:27,880 --> 00:38:32,080 Our father commanded us. You shall not drink wine, 579 00:38:32,400 --> 00:38:34,640 neither you nor your sons, forever. 580 00:38:35,120 --> 00:38:38,480 You shall not build a house, you shall not sow seed, you shall 581 00:38:38,480 --> 00:38:42,000 not plant or have a vineyard, but you shall live in tents all 582 00:38:42,000 --> 00:38:45,280 your days, that you may live many days in the land where you 583 00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:47,880 sojourn. We have obeyed the voice of 584 00:38:47,880 --> 00:38:50,640 Jonadab the son of Recon our father, and all that he 585 00:38:50,640 --> 00:38:53,880 commanded us to drink no wine all our days, ourselves, our 586 00:38:53,880 --> 00:38:57,960 wives, our sons or our daughters, and not to build 587 00:38:57,960 --> 00:39:01,440 houses to dwell in. We have no vineyard or field or 588 00:39:01,440 --> 00:39:05,800 seed, but we have lived in tents and have obeyed and done all 589 00:39:05,800 --> 00:39:09,360 that Jonadab our father commanded us. 590 00:39:10,720 --> 00:39:16,120 Question, do you think Jonadab is a respected person based on 591 00:39:16,120 --> 00:39:18,880 this answer? Very respected. 592 00:39:20,520 --> 00:39:27,560 He is a cherished and well loved leader among the Rekabytes and 593 00:39:27,560 --> 00:39:30,240 we don't have time to explore the history of this tribe, but 594 00:39:30,240 --> 00:39:33,680 it's clear that they were a family that honored the wishes 595 00:39:33,680 --> 00:39:37,840 of their ancestor. Even after many, many years, 596 00:39:38,920 --> 00:39:42,960 they were told to abstain from wine and they were instructed to 597 00:39:42,960 --> 00:39:48,120 live a simple nomadic life. And they honored that to the 598 00:39:48,120 --> 00:39:52,600 degree that even when Jeremiah the prophet invited them to sip 599 00:39:52,600 --> 00:39:55,480 wine, they refused without hesitation. 600 00:39:56,760 --> 00:39:59,960 Now what this says about this man that we read in Second Kings 601 00:39:59,960 --> 00:40:06,280 10, Jehonadab, also known as Jonadab, is that he must have 602 00:40:06,280 --> 00:40:08,760 been a righteous individual who was very concerned about. 603 00:40:09,480 --> 00:40:12,840 The spiritual purity of his family and his descendants. 604 00:40:13,240 --> 00:40:16,320 And so he implements these strict rules. 605 00:40:16,720 --> 00:40:19,600 He asked them never to plant themselves permanently anywhere, 606 00:40:19,600 --> 00:40:23,760 especially in urban areas where idolatry tended to flourish, but 607 00:40:23,760 --> 00:40:29,160 to to live lightly and to to just remain in the outskirts and 608 00:40:29,160 --> 00:40:33,800 to to abstain from any activities that might arouse the 609 00:40:33,800 --> 00:40:37,480 flesh. And this was something that his 610 00:40:37,480 --> 00:40:41,600 descendants honored for decades upon decades and decades. 611 00:40:43,360 --> 00:40:45,440 So we believe this about Jonah Dabb. 612 00:40:45,440 --> 00:40:48,200 Then it makes sense that even at the time of Second Kings 10, 613 00:40:48,200 --> 00:40:51,240 where he is introduced in the Bible, he must have been a 614 00:40:51,240 --> 00:40:54,560 revered individual. He must have been at least 615 00:40:54,560 --> 00:40:57,320 someone that the general population recognized as being 616 00:40:57,320 --> 00:41:03,880 pious and serious. And for some reason, he's 617 00:41:03,880 --> 00:41:09,920 friends or at least a colleague of Jehu, so that when Jehu asked 618 00:41:09,920 --> 00:41:14,640 him, are you for me? Do you affirm what I am doing 619 00:41:14,640 --> 00:41:18,240 here? It's no surprise to us that this 620 00:41:18,240 --> 00:41:23,800 kind of a man agrees. He probably hated bail worship. 621 00:41:24,760 --> 00:41:26,760 He despised it. And when he learned that Jehu, 622 00:41:26,760 --> 00:41:30,520 though probably unaware of his methods, was ransacking and 623 00:41:30,520 --> 00:41:32,840 cleaning house, he, he applauded it. 624 00:41:33,960 --> 00:41:39,360 But Jehu, remember, he's playing politics here, realizes now in 625 00:41:39,360 --> 00:41:42,800 this moment that this respected, righteous individual, this man 626 00:41:42,800 --> 00:41:46,400 of character and principle approves of him. 627 00:41:47,400 --> 00:41:51,640 If people see that he approves of me, then my movement will 628 00:41:51,640 --> 00:41:54,000 gain more. What credibility? 629 00:41:55,040 --> 00:41:58,720 So he looks at Jonah Depp and he says, you agree with me because 630 00:41:58,720 --> 00:42:00,880 I agree. I love what you're doing. 631 00:42:02,320 --> 00:42:06,160 Come with me. And what is Jeyu thinking as I 632 00:42:06,160 --> 00:42:08,000 make my way to Samaria and people see me? 633 00:42:08,120 --> 00:42:10,920 They're going to see Jonah Dabb is with him. 634 00:42:12,560 --> 00:42:17,520 He's for him. And this is only winning him 635 00:42:17,800 --> 00:42:21,960 more popular support of a very clever man. 636 00:42:22,280 --> 00:42:26,360 Very clever man. But notice the way he invites 637 00:42:26,360 --> 00:42:29,840 Jonah Dabb into his chariot. What does he say in verse 16? 638 00:42:29,840 --> 00:42:34,800 And he said, come with me and see my zeal for the Lord. 639 00:42:36,640 --> 00:42:41,320 Now, you might be impressed with that statement at first, but you 640 00:42:41,320 --> 00:42:46,280 should actually be concerned. If you're not concerned, if you 641 00:42:46,280 --> 00:42:49,400 think that this is just a declaration of faithfulness, let 642 00:42:49,400 --> 00:42:53,320 me give you a modern example that will put the right taste in 643 00:42:53,320 --> 00:42:56,040 our mouths. Can you imagine after this Bible 644 00:42:56,040 --> 00:42:58,920 study if I come down and talk with somebody here and ask what 645 00:42:58,920 --> 00:43:01,640 you're doing on a particular weekend and you say, well, I'm 646 00:43:01,640 --> 00:43:03,560 actually free and I say, well, I'm actually preaching at a 647 00:43:03,560 --> 00:43:06,640 conference in the city. I'm inviting you to actually 648 00:43:06,640 --> 00:43:08,560 come to the conference. I want you to hear how 649 00:43:08,560 --> 00:43:13,400 passionate I am for God. How would that sound to you? 650 00:43:13,400 --> 00:43:19,560 That'd be a little concerning. That's essentially what Jehu is 651 00:43:19,560 --> 00:43:22,960 saying. Come and see my zeal for the 652 00:43:22,960 --> 00:43:25,920 Lord. Is he drawing attention to the 653 00:43:25,920 --> 00:43:28,040 Lord, to himself? Himself? 654 00:43:30,920 --> 00:43:33,680 So now we're beginning to see some symptoms of what? 655 00:43:34,040 --> 00:43:42,640 Pride, Selfish ambition mingling with his pursuit of obedience? 656 00:43:43,560 --> 00:43:45,120 Is that possible for some people to do? 657 00:43:45,840 --> 00:43:48,080 It is possible. There's a difference between 658 00:43:48,080 --> 00:43:52,800 honoring God with our passion for Him and seeking honor from 659 00:43:52,800 --> 00:43:56,200 others through our passion for Him. 660 00:43:59,000 --> 00:44:02,600 There's a difference between seeking God's honor with our 661 00:44:02,600 --> 00:44:08,320 passion for Him, and receiving honor from people through our 662 00:44:08,320 --> 00:44:12,240 passion for Him. And for some, the joy of their 663 00:44:12,240 --> 00:44:15,720 zeal for the Lord comes from being praised for it. 664 00:44:18,920 --> 00:44:25,480 But a truly holy man or woman of God will be totally content and 665 00:44:25,480 --> 00:44:29,120 knowing that God alone is pleased, whether they are 666 00:44:29,120 --> 00:44:31,400 acknowledged for their zeal or not. 667 00:44:33,320 --> 00:44:42,760 Come see my zeal for the Lord. So now we have every right to 668 00:44:42,760 --> 00:44:46,960 question Jehu's motives. Are they completely pure? 669 00:44:50,040 --> 00:44:54,440 And it's interesting to see how the Lord allows him to continue 670 00:44:54,440 --> 00:44:57,480 in this way in order to achieve his purposes. 671 00:44:59,560 --> 00:45:01,240 You know, I read something in my morning readings. 672 00:45:01,240 --> 00:45:03,040 I wasn't even planning to do this for Bible study. 673 00:45:03,040 --> 00:45:05,000 But why don't we do it? I think it'd be a good way to 674 00:45:05,000 --> 00:45:08,080 end our time together. I want you to come with me to 675 00:45:08,080 --> 00:45:16,320 the book of First Corinthians and in a place where Paul 676 00:45:16,320 --> 00:45:22,280 describes his credibility as an apostle, the reliability of his 677 00:45:22,280 --> 00:45:25,520 testimony, he mentioned something in First Corinthians 678 00:45:25,520 --> 00:45:33,720 15, verse 8 as he rehearses the importance of the gospel, the 679 00:45:33,720 --> 00:45:37,160 history of the gospel, the eyewitness accounts of the 680 00:45:37,160 --> 00:45:39,960 resurrection of Jesus Christ. Notice what he says in verse 8. 681 00:45:39,960 --> 00:45:44,840 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 682 00:45:45,200 --> 00:45:49,200 For I am the least of all the apostles unworthy to be called 683 00:45:49,200 --> 00:45:51,800 an apostle because I persecuted the Church of God. 684 00:45:52,880 --> 00:45:55,440 So Paul continue to live with this awareness that he was 685 00:45:55,440 --> 00:45:57,440 unworthy. He knows he's forgiven. 686 00:45:57,600 --> 00:46:00,880 He knows that he's redeemed. But he he, he didn't forget the 687 00:46:00,880 --> 00:46:03,920 history, not in a way where his past haunted him and made him 688 00:46:03,920 --> 00:46:07,320 feel condemned, but to always live in the realization, I don't 689 00:46:07,320 --> 00:46:10,720 deserve to be here. I don't deserve to be here. 690 00:46:11,880 --> 00:46:14,080 And this was, if you want to know what my morning meditation 691 00:46:14,080 --> 00:46:17,720 was and what it's been all day, it's the next couple of verses, 692 00:46:17,720 --> 00:46:21,880 verse 10. But by the grace of God, I am 693 00:46:21,880 --> 00:46:25,400 what I am. That's the motto for every 694 00:46:25,400 --> 00:46:29,480 single one of us. But by the grace of God, I am 695 00:46:29,480 --> 00:46:33,240 what I am. And his grace toward me was not 696 00:46:33,240 --> 00:46:36,520 in vain. Oh, I was chewing on that all 697 00:46:36,520 --> 00:46:40,160 morning. So he acknowledges that he is a 698 00:46:40,160 --> 00:46:43,480 recipient, a rich recipient of God's grace. 699 00:46:43,720 --> 00:46:46,080 But notice this language. But his grace tomorrow is not in 700 00:46:46,080 --> 00:46:47,440 vain. You know what that tells me? 701 00:46:47,640 --> 00:46:51,440 That you can receive God's grace and remain passive with it. 702 00:46:53,720 --> 00:46:54,640 Now, how many people live like that? 703 00:46:54,920 --> 00:46:57,720 I'm forgiven. I know that I'm going to go to 704 00:46:57,720 --> 00:46:59,160 heaven. I know that it's not my mayor, 705 00:46:59,160 --> 00:47:01,040 my righteousness that will grant me eternal life. 706 00:47:01,240 --> 00:47:03,320 But what? They're lazy Christians. 707 00:47:03,680 --> 00:47:06,640 They just coast through life. That's not what Paul saying is 708 00:47:06,640 --> 00:47:09,800 like, no, no, once I understood the grace, it got me going. 709 00:47:10,200 --> 00:47:12,640 Now I'm serving him. Now I'm pursuing him. 710 00:47:12,640 --> 00:47:14,400 Now I'm obeying him. To what degree? 711 00:47:14,400 --> 00:47:15,800 Look what he says in the latter portion. 712 00:47:15,920 --> 00:47:20,840 On the contrary, I work harder than any of them, though it was 713 00:47:20,840 --> 00:47:22,720 not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 714 00:47:24,240 --> 00:47:27,240 So even the moment where he brings up like real practical 715 00:47:27,240 --> 00:47:30,320 example and he testifies of his efforts, he can't help but 716 00:47:30,320 --> 00:47:31,440 finish that sentence of the saying. 717 00:47:31,440 --> 00:47:32,800 But it was really God's grace in me. 718 00:47:32,800 --> 00:47:36,560 It's all God's grace and his salvation and his sanctification 719 00:47:36,560 --> 00:47:38,600 and his service. God's grace, God's grace. 720 00:47:38,760 --> 00:47:41,040 But don't you see what God's grace promoted in him? 721 00:47:42,200 --> 00:47:46,600 This dedication and the service to the Lord in a way. 722 00:47:46,600 --> 00:47:49,160 Listen, that if you were to measure the actual time and 723 00:47:49,160 --> 00:47:52,280 energy, he towered over the other apostles. 724 00:47:52,280 --> 00:47:55,840 Yeah. Peter, John, James, He admits 725 00:47:55,840 --> 00:47:57,520 that. And it's not pride here. 726 00:47:58,080 --> 00:48:00,200 Just saying. Yeah, actually I work really 727 00:48:00,200 --> 00:48:02,680 hard, but it's God's grace in me. 728 00:48:05,320 --> 00:48:07,240 Verse 11, whether then it was I or they. 729 00:48:07,240 --> 00:48:14,400 So we preach. And so you believed Jehu was a 730 00:48:14,400 --> 00:48:22,600 very zealous and faithful man, but he's not the best example. 731 00:48:24,040 --> 00:48:27,840 Christ ultimately is our example, but if you can 732 00:48:27,920 --> 00:48:32,240 genuinely identify a zeal in your heart for the Lord, that is 733 00:48:32,240 --> 00:48:35,440 wonderful. But realize that zeal itself is 734 00:48:35,440 --> 00:48:42,160 a gift and it is a working of the Holy Spirit and give him 735 00:48:42,160 --> 00:48:46,320 glory for that. And if you're in this place and 736 00:48:46,320 --> 00:48:53,600 you can say by God's grace, I am what I am, can I ask you, how 737 00:48:53,600 --> 00:48:59,080 has that changed you? Though you're not boasting in 738 00:48:59,080 --> 00:49:01,200 anything, though you're not asking for attention. 739 00:49:02,080 --> 00:49:06,280 Can people look at your life and see that you have been impacted 740 00:49:06,280 --> 00:49:10,840 by this grace? Paul says this grace was not 741 00:49:10,840 --> 00:49:13,480 given to me in vain. Look at my life. 742 00:49:13,920 --> 00:49:17,320 Look what it's done. And I pray that that'd be true 743 00:49:17,320 --> 00:49:22,000 of all of us, that when people see the way you live, why do you 744 00:49:22,000 --> 00:49:25,320 go there on Friday nights? Here I'm talking about why do 745 00:49:25,320 --> 00:49:28,160 you do this with your free time? Why do you go there? 746 00:49:28,160 --> 00:49:31,000 Why do you give like that? Why do you not do this? 747 00:49:31,200 --> 00:49:35,800 You can say because His grace, how can I not? 748 00:49:37,280 --> 00:49:40,960 So many people see a zeal in us, not that we're asking to be 749 00:49:40,960 --> 00:49:43,840 seen, but may they still see it. Because you see, a person who's 750 00:49:43,840 --> 00:49:45,680 truly zealous for the Lord doesn't have to do what Jehu 751 00:49:45,680 --> 00:49:46,840 does. They don't have to advertise 752 00:49:46,840 --> 00:49:48,640 their zeal. They don't have to say, hey, 753 00:49:48,640 --> 00:49:50,280 everybody, look at me, look at my zeal for the Lord. 754 00:49:50,440 --> 00:49:53,280 People will see it, They will see it. 755 00:49:53,360 --> 00:49:57,360 All you need to do is continue to drink from that well and let 756 00:49:57,360 --> 00:50:00,920 it energize you day by day by day, and it has the power to 757 00:50:00,920 --> 00:50:03,240 keep you energized until you see him face to face. 758 00:50:03,600 --> 00:50:05,280 Lord, we thank you for this Bible study. 759 00:50:05,880 --> 00:50:11,400 What a wonder it is to even come to this historical record of a 760 00:50:11,400 --> 00:50:19,360 man who arrived at the throne of the Kingdom of Israel and we can 761 00:50:19,360 --> 00:50:23,560 still apply truth to our lives. We ask, Lord, that everything 762 00:50:23,560 --> 00:50:26,920 that we heard would be able to be retained, and Lord, that You 763 00:50:26,920 --> 00:50:29,400 would show us exactly how it should change us. 764 00:50:29,800 --> 00:50:33,920 Lord, we love you, and we believe this word is Your word. 765 00:50:34,400 --> 00:50:38,040 And so now we worship you. And we asked Lord tonight that 766 00:50:38,040 --> 00:50:40,720 You would enlarge our hearts, that we may run in the way of 767 00:50:40,720 --> 00:50:44,840 Your commandments. We want zeal for You, but Lord, 768 00:50:44,840 --> 00:50:46,800 we want it so that we can honor You. 769 00:50:48,360 --> 00:50:52,240 If anything, Lord, we ask that when people see us and hear us, 770 00:50:52,720 --> 00:50:57,000 they can't help but be convinced that Christ is in us. 771 00:50:57,600 --> 00:51:01,760 That's our desire for our names to disappear, for no one to 772 00:51:01,760 --> 00:51:05,040 receive any praise or acknowledgement but you and you 773 00:51:05,040 --> 00:51:07,640 alone in Jesus name. Amen. 774 00:51:08,240 --> 00:51:10,160 Let's stand and worship the Lord together and so on.