Today is a day of reformation. Evil and idolatry is being swept away, and there is a new optimism. But, there’s an awful lot of killing, and a nagging sense that Things Aren’t What They Used To Be.
Judgement on Ahab
2 Kings 10:1-11
Jehonadab spared
2 Kings 10:15-17
Jehu destroys Baal worship
2 Kings 10:18-28,30
Joash becomes king
2 Kings 11:4-12, 2 Chronicles 23:1-11
Jehu’s backsliding
2 Kings 10:29, 31-33
Athaliah executed
2 Kings 11:13-16, 2 Chronicles 23:12-15
Joash’s good life
2 Chronicles 24:1-2, 2 Kings 11:21, 12:1-3
Jehu’s idea of being faithful to God is to become a killing machine. He murders everyone in Ahab’s family, every prophet of Baal he can lay his hands on, every friend, every relative, every hanger on he can find. He is completely ruthless. But the verdict on him is “Could do better.” He didn’t remove the golden calves Jeroboam set up. The writer of Kings isn’t interested in life or death, he’s interested in idolatry. This leads me to suppose that the book has been written (or reached its final form) many years or centuries later, when no one is bothered about the lives of people, just the issues. Or the issue, perhaps I should say, since everything is seen through the lens of do you worship Yahweh with all your heart? If not, you’re bad. Why do Kings and Chronicles make this stark judgement? We’ll find out when we read about the events that took place nearer to their time.
Meanwhile in Judah, the short and evil reign of Queen Athaliah is ended in murder, and the seven year old Joash is put on the throne. All this is done by the decisive action of Jehoiada, the chief priest. He’s the power behind the throne, and ensures that young Joash does right in the eyes of the Lord.
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