(The previous post covered the flipping of rulers between Israel and Judah, Jezebel's death, as well as the following kings: Joram, Jehoram, Ahaziah, and Jehu.)
2 Kings 10
(This chapter continued the story of Jehu, king of Israel, who was originally from the line of kings in Judah.)
1 Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel, even the elders, and unto them that brought up the sons of Ahab, saying,
2 And now as soon as this letter cometh to you, seeing your master's sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, a fortified city also, and armor;
3 look ye out the best and meetest of your master's sons, and set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house.
(Jehu told the sons of Ahab to pick one son as king and have the rest try to defend for him against Jehu. He was challenging the elders of Jezreel to state their will regarding Ahab's sons. Would they fight for their master's house?)
4 But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, the two kings stood not before him: how then shall we stand?
5 And he that was over the household, and he that was over the city, the elders also, and they that brought up the children, sent to Jehu, saying, We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us; we will not make any man king: do thou that which is good in thine eyes.
6 Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be on my side, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the men your master's sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to-morrow this time. Now the king's sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who brought them up.
(Jehu stated that if the elders and rulers of Jezreel were on his side, they would kill the seventy sons of Ahab.)
7 And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king's sons, and slew them, even seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent them unto him to Jezreel.
8 And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Lay ye them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.
(A messenger told Jehu that the men brought the heads of Ahab's sons. Jehu wanted their heads stacked in a heap.)
9 And it came to pass in the morning, that he went out, and stood, and said to all the people, Ye are righteous: behold, I conspired against my master, and slew him; but who smote all these?
10 Know now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of Jehovah, which Jehovah spake concerning the house of Ahab: for Jehovah hath done that which he spake by his servant Elijah.
(The word God gave to Elijah was recorded in 1 Kings 21:19-29.)
11 So Jehu smote all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his familiar friends, and his priests, until he left him none remaining.
(Jehu killed all that remained of Ahab's house in Jezreel, including friends and priests.)
12 And he arose and departed, and went to Samaria. And as he was at the shearing-house of the shepherds in the way,
13 Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are ye? And they answered, We are the brethren of Ahaziah: and we go down to salute the children of the king and the children of the queen.
14 And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of the shearing-house, even two and forty men; neither left he any of them.
(Jehu even had those brethren of Ahaziah who went to salute the children of the king (Ahab) killed.)
15 And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him; and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thy heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thy hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot.
16 And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for Jehovah. So they made him ride in his chariot.
17 And when he came to Samaria, he smote all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake to Elijah.
(All of Ahab’s house that lived in Samaria were killed. God brought all of this to pass through Jehu.)
18 And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu will serve him much.
19 Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his worshippers, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtlety, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal.
(Jehu lied to the people. He said he worshipped Baal even more than Ahab did. In "subtlety," he gathered the people who worshipped Baal so he could destroy them. Subtlety meant "insidiousness, craftiness; meaning a trick.")
20 And Jehu said, Sanctify a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed it.
21 And Jehu sent through all Israel: and all the worshippers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that came not. And they came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was filled from one end to another.
(The house of Baal was full. All the worshippers of Baal came.)
22 And he said unto him that was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the worshippers of Baal. And he brought them forth vestments.
23 And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal; and he said unto the worshippers of Baal, Search, and look that there be here with you none of the servants of Jehovah, but the worshippers of Baal only.
(Only worshippers of Baal were there.)
24 And they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt-offerings. Now Jehu had appointed him fourscore men without, and said, If any of the men whom I bring into your hands escape, he that letteth him go, his life shall be for the life of him.
25 And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt-offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, and slay them; let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal.
26 And they brought forth the pillars that were in the house of Baal, and burned them.
27 And they brake down the pillar of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught-house, unto this day.
28 Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.
(Jehu made sure there were no worshippers of God and then he destroyed Baal out of Israel. The worshippers of Baal, the house of Baal, the pillar of Baal, all of Baal was destroyed.)
29 Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, wherewith he made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Beth-el, and that were in Dan.
30 And Jehovah said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, thy sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.
31 But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of Jehovah, the God of Israel, with all his heart: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, wherewith he made Israel to sin.
(Even though Jehu destroyed Baal, he still did not walk in the Law of God. Jehu was not as bad as Ahab but was as bad as Jeroboam. There still had yet to be a king of Israel whose heart was right with God since the division of the nation.)
32 In those days Jehovah began to cut off from Israel: and Hazael smote them in all the borders of Israel;
33 from the Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the valley of the Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.
34 Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and all 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 stead.
(After Jehu died, his son Jehoahaz reigned in Israel.)
36 And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty and eight years.
2 Kings 11
(This chapter introduced young king Joash.)
1 Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal.
2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons that were slain, even him and his nurse, and put them in the bedchamber; and they hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not slain;
3 And he was with her hid in the house of Jehovah six years. And Athaliah reigned over the land.
(Athaliah was the granddaughter of Omri and the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel. This made Ahaziah the grandson of Ahab and Jezebel. Athaliah tried to kill all the sons of Ahaziah after Ahaziah's death. However, Ahaziah's sister (Jehosheba) took the only remaining male in the lineage of Christ, Joash, and hid him in the safest place to be during a time of wickedness: the house of God. Jehosheba was married to Jehoiada the high priest.)
4 And in the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the captains over hundreds of the Carites and of the guard, and brought them to him into the house of Jehovah; and he made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of Jehovah, and showed them the king's son.
5 And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that ye shall do: a third part of you, that come in on the sabbath, shall be keepers of the watch of the king's house;
6 And a third part shall be at the gate Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard: so shall ye keep the watch of the house, and be a barrier.
7 And the two companies of you, even all that go forth on the sabbath, shall keep the watch of the house of Jehovah about the king.
8 And ye shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand; and he that cometh within the ranks, let him be slain: and be ye with the king when he goeth out, and when he cometh in.
(Jehoiada organized the captains of the Carites and showed them Joash. "Carites" were executioners. His intentions were to overthrow Athaliah and put Joash, the son of Ahaziah, in the throne.)
9 And the captains over hundreds did according to all that Jehoiada the priest commanded; and they took every man his men, those that were to come in on the sabbath, with those that were to go out on the sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest.
10 And the priest delivered to the captains over hundreds the spears and shields that had been king David's, which were in the house of Jehovah.
11 And the guard stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, from the right side of the house to the left side of the house, along by the altar and the house, by the king round about.
12 Then he brought out the king's son, and put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, Long live the king.
(Joash, the son of Ahaziah, was crowned the king of Judah.)
13 And when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came to the people into the house of Jehovah:
14 and she looked, and, behold, the king stood by the pillar, as the manner was, and the captains and the trumpets by the king; and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew trumpets. Then Athaliah rent her clothes, and cried, Treason! treason!
(The people were rejoicing at the coming end of Athaliah's reign.)
15 And Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of hundreds that were set over the host, and said unto them, Have her forth between the ranks; and him that followeth her slay with the sword. For the priest said, Let her not be slain in the house of Jehovah.
16 So they made way for her; and she went by the way of the horses' entry to the king's house: and there was she slain.
17 And Jehoiada made a covenant between Jehovah and the king and the people, that they should be Jehovah's people; between the king also and the people.
(Athalia was slain and Jehoiada led the people back towards God.)
18 And all the people of the land went to the house of Baal, and brake it down; his altars and his images brake they in pieces thoroughly, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of Jehovah.
19 And he took the captains over hundreds, and the Carites, and the guard, and all the people of the land; and they brought down the king from the house of Jehovah, and came by the way of the gate of the guard unto the king's house. And he sat on the throne of the kings.
20 So all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet. And Athaliah they had slain with the sword at the king's house.
21 Jehoash was seven years old when he began to reign.
(Within this chapter, the son of Ahaziah was called Joash and Jehoash. There would be a king of Israel named Jehoash. In order to avoid confusion, we refer to the kings by their names commonly referred to by historians: Jehoash (Israel) and Joash (Judah). Joash, son of Ahaziah, was only seven years old when he began to reign over Judah.)
2 Kings 12
(This chapter introduced Joash of Judah.)
1 In the seventh year of Jehu began Jehoash to reign; and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem: and his mother's name was Zibiah of Beer-sheba.
(Joash, son of Ahaziah, reigned over Judah while Jehu was the king of Israel.)
2 And Jehoash did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him.
(This may have been the answer to the question, "How would a seven year old rule a country?" Joash was taking direction from Jehoiada, the high priest who directed the people to covenant with God. As long as Jehoida lived, Joash did right.)
3 Howbeit the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places.
(The high places Solomon erected were still there. We know they would not get taken down until Josiah.)
4 And Jehoash said to the priests, All the money of the hallowed things that is brought into the house of Jehovah, in current money, the money of the persons for whom each man is rated, and all the money that it cometh into any man's heart to bring into the house of Jehovah,
5 let the priests take it to them, every man from his acquaintance; and they shall repair the breaches of the house, wheresoever any breach shall be found.
(A breach was a "fissure, rent, leak (in a building)." Joash attempted to lead the repair of the temple because it had been abandoned during the time he was hidden.)
6 But it was so, that in the three and twentieth year of king Jehoash the priests had not repaired the breaches of the house.
7 Then king Jehoash called for Jehoiada the priest, and for the other priests, and said unto them, Why repair ye not the breaches of the house? now therefore take no more money from your acquaintance, but deliver it for the breaches of the house.
8 And the priests consented that they should take no more money from the people, neither repair the breaches of the house.
(Joash confronted the priests because they had not started the repairing of the temple. Joash told them the money people brought to them had to be for fixing the temple. The priests agreed to this command and did not take any more money.)
9 But Jehoiada the priest took a chest, and bored a hole in the lid of it, and set it beside the altar, on the right side as one cometh into the house of Jehovah: and the priests that kept the threshold put therein all the money that was brought into the house of Jehovah.
10 And it was so, when they saw that there was much money in the chest, that the king's scribe and the high priest came up, and they put up in bags and counted the money that was found in the house of Jehovah.
11 And they gave the money that was weighed out into the hands of them that did the work, that had the oversight of the house of Jehovah: and they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders, that wrought upon the house of Jehovah,
12 and to the masons and the hewers of stone, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the breaches of the house of Jehovah, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it.
(Jehoida set aside a chest for people to give money for the repairing of the temple. When the chest was full, they took it out, put it in bags, and used it to pay the workers and buy supplies.)
13 But there were not made for the house of Jehovah cups of silver, snuffers, basins, trumpets, any vessels of gold, or vessels of silver, of the money that was brought into the house of Jehovah;
14 for they gave that to them that did the work, and repaired therewith the house of Jehovah.
15 Moreover they reckoned not with the men, into whose hand they delivered the money to give to them that did the work; for they dealt faithfully.
(There was no account of the money given to the workers because they were trustworthy men.)
16 The money for the trespass-offerings, and the money for the sin-offerings, was not brought into the house of Jehovah: it was the priests'.
17 Then Hazael king of Syria went up, and fought against Gath, and took it; and Hazael set his face to go up to Jerusalem.
18 And Jehoash king of Judah took all the hallowed things that Jehoshaphat and Jehoram and Ahaziah, his fathers, kings of Judah, had dedicated, and his own hallowed things, and all the gold that was found in the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and of the king's house, and sent it to Hazael king of Syria: and he went away from Jerusalem.
(Hazael, the King of Syria, thought to go to Gath through Jerusalem. Joash did not want to fight Hazael. Joash paid Hazael with all the things and gold that had been provided for the temple.)
19 Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
20 And his servants arose, and made a conspiracy, and smote Joash at the house of Millo, on the way that goeth down to Silla.
(Joash, the son of Ahaziah, did right while Jehoida was alive, however he ended his life doing wrong by giving everything from the temple to Hazael in order to avoid war. Joash's servants conspired against him and killed him.)
21 For Jozacar the son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad the son of Shomer, his servants, smote him, and he died; and they buried him with his fathers in the city of David: and Amaziah his son reigned in his stead.
(Amaziah became the king of Judah. Amaziah was not listed in Matthew's genealogy of the lineage of Christ.)
(This post covered Jehu's complete removal of Baal as well as the following kings: Jehoahaz, Joash, and Amaziah.)
Day 107
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