Sun, 29 October, 2006: Today’s Bible readings.

2 Kings 10:1-11

¹ Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria, to the rulers of the city, to the elders, and to the guardians of the sons of Ahab, saying, ² “Now then, as soon as this letter comes to you, seeing your master’s sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, fortified cities also, and weapons, ³ select the best and fittest of your master’s sons and set him on his father’s throne and fight for your master’s house.” ⁴ But they were exceedingly afraid and said, “Behold, the two kings could not stand before him. How then can we stand?” ⁵ So he who was over the palace, and he who was over the city, together with the elders and the guardians, sent to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants, and we will do all that you tell us. We will not make anyone king. Do whatever is good in your eyes.” ⁶ Then he wrote to them a second letter, saying, “If you are on my side, and if you are ready to obey me, take the heads of your master’s sons and come to me at Jezreel tomorrow at this time.” Now the king’s sons, seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, who were bringing them up. ⁷ And as soon as the letter came to them, they took the king’s sons and slaughtered them, seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel. ⁸ When the messenger came and told him, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons,” he said, “Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.” ⁹ Then in the morning, when he went out, he stood and said to all the people, “You are innocent. It was I who conspired against my master and killed him, but who struck down all these? ¹⁰ Know then that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the LORD, which the LORD spoke concerning the house of Ahab, for the LORD has done what he said by his servant Elijah.” ¹¹ So Jehu struck down all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, all his great men and his close friends and his priests, until he left him none remaining.

Jehu has just killed Ahab’s son, Joram, and in this chapter, he arrange for the slaughter of Jorham’s family. In the midst of his actions, Jehu recognizes that what is happening is all in fulfillment of God’s prophecy through Elijah.

What do we learn from this?

Nothing that God has willed will fail. He will work to bring about all that He has determined. God uses people to carry out His will, and in this case Jehu acts as His agent. Jehu has some serious problems. His methods are less than honest, and his motives are suspect. But even though he is serving his own interests rather than God’s, Jehu ends up doing exactly what God has ordained.

It is a comfort to us to know that in all that happens, God’s will is accomplished. People act in accordance with their own desires, and the end result is what God has planned from all eternity.

Where is Christ in this passage?

God’s will is accomplished in all things. He is working everything for the salvation of His people. He will bring His people to faith in Jesus Christ. They will come to understand their sin against God and their need for salvation. They will come to understand what God had done for them in the life and death of Jesus Christ, and come to trust in Him only for their salvation. Nothing that God wills fails to come about.