Jehu in the Mirror

by Heather Huebner -

I have read about the Old Testament kings many, many times. Yet with each page I turn, each king I observe, something inside me is always foolishly hopeful that this time when I read it the king will not end his page of history described in 1 & 2 Kings with phrases like, “he did not keep what the Lord commanded, he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and he did more evil than all who were before him.”

King after king, generation after generation, with a few humble servants of God thrown in sporadically by God’s grace, we see the leaders anger God by their idolatry and wickedness, leading the whole country into darker and darker rebellion, and further and further away from their God.

Thus when I came across the story of King Jehu this time, I again grew hopeful. In 1 Kings 8 we find the stage set. King Ahaziah reigns in Judah and Jehoram (Joram) is King of Israel. Both of them walk in the ways of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord. (2 Kings 8:27 & - 2 Kings 3:2). Jehu, who had been a commander in the army of Ahab (2 Kings 9:5, 25) in the northern kingdom of Israel, was confronted by a messenger of the prophet Elisha. He was told he would be King over Israel and was directed to strike down the house of Ahab, to avenge on Jezebel the blood of God’s prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord. The entire house of Ahab was to be wiped out. (2 Kings 9:7-10)

So when King Ahaziah had come to Jezreel to visit his wounded ally King Joram (Ahab’s son), Jehu and his company rode in haste to Jezreel. The watchmen on the tower reported to Joram that a party was approaching, so King Joram sent a horseman to inquire if the party came in peace.  Three horsemen were sent, and each in turn joined the party and did not return to answer the king. Recognizing it as Jehu by the manner of his approach, Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah set out to meet him on their chariots…long story short, both were killed by Jehu according to the word of the Lord. (2 Kings 9)

Jehu then continued with his slaughter of the family of Ahab, first Jezebel is executed, then Ahab’s sons in Samaria, and finally the prophets of Baal. (2 Kings 9-10) Jehu then continued to wipe out Baal from Israel. I was so excited. There! A good king! My hope had finally paid off. Until I kept reading.

The next sentence contained the dreaded word BUT. “But Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin – that is, the golden calves that were in Bethel and in Dan.” (2 Kings 10:29) Were we getting out of control again? My hope was about to be dashed, but God in His mercy continues regarding Jehu, “Because you have done well carrying out what is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.”(2 Kings10:30)  YES!! YES!!

Oh no, another BUT.

But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin. (2 Kings 10:31)

And then two things hit me. First, it seemed to me that there is an innate human propensity to look at stories from biblical history, from books, or even in movies and either look at the characters as completely separate from ourselves, or if we do relate to them, to relate to the hero of the story, the good guy, or with the one who suffers the most injustice. The former tends to subtly draw us away from personal connection to the details of the story, and the latter tends to blind us from the parts of us that have more in common with the villain than the hero.

How many times have I read the story of David and Goliath and identified with David. Or the story of Korah’s rebellion and identified with Moses. The story of Esther and Haman and identified with Esther. How many times have I looked at Eli and his worthless sons and shook my head at them in dismay. Or how many times have I read through Job and wondered how Job’s friends could be so wrong with their counsel?  Or how many times do I read stories about bad kings and arrogantly assume I am not remotely like them. Story after story can be read and re-read and we can miss it every single time.

We are them.

Every single one of those events was not only meant to reveal to us who our God is in relation to His people, but also who we are in relation to Him. Without Christ I am Goliath, arrogant and proud and relying on my own strength and openly mocking the living God. Without Christ I am Korah, acting out against God-given authority in rebellion and pride. Without Christ I am Haman, desiring to be honoured by people so desperately that I would do anything to shut opposition down. I am Eli, gluttonous and apathetic, tolerating sin even when it brings dishonour to God. I am Job’s friends, choking out God’s wisdom with man’s wisdom wrapped in religion-speak.  Without Christ I am all of these and more.

The second thing that hit me grew out of my contemplations of the first. I am also Jehu. As a Christ follower, I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. (Rom 7:8) I also know that my heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; I cannot understand it. (Jer. 17:9) So when I read about Jehu, instead of dismissing it as yet another failed king, I need to take it personally and not move on until I do.

Jehu set out to do the will of God. He completed the first task that God had given him. BUT (yes, the dreaded but) he dropped the ball. His eyes were on the Lord, but then they were off. He fell back to the ways of Jeroboam, to the ways of the world around him, and He did not follow the God of Israel with his whole heart.

If I allow the Spirit to shine a light in my heart with Jehu’s life, I see myself. The words “with his whole heart” resound in the chambers of my own soul like a large gonging bell. I am deafened by the truth of it. How close am I from having such words said about my life as were said of many of the Kings of Israel and Judah who turned away from God? “But she walked in the ways of the world, and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.”

I know that all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man or woman of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16). When I am told not to love the world or the things in the world because it shows that the love of the Father is not in me, will I take it personally? (1 John 2:15)  Will I allow the scripture to uncover my own depravity and shine the light of truth across it all?  Am I willing to look at myself honestly and recognize my failure to look at Christ, to abide in Him, and to really follow Him, to completely surrender? Will I fall afresh on my face, humbling myself but exalting my Lord, who has become for me righteousness, sanctification, and redemption? (1 Cor. 1:30) Will I cry out for change and a closer walk with Him knowing that Jehu and others like him were written as examples for me, that I may not desire evil as they did (1 Cor.10:6). Or will I remain in the line of Jehu, satisfied with calling myself a Christian, but quick to leave the God who saved me only to re-embrace the world, refusing to allow Him to completely direct my life according to His Word and will?

If I am honest, when I look into the mirror I see Jehu. I must not look away and deny he is there. I can and should learn from him, and all the other failures I read about, not because I would do any better, but because if I ignore him I will not be looking at myself honestly; I will remain in darkness. It says in Ephesians that when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light (5:13-14). I have to see him clearly so that I may repent of the Jehu in me.

My hope and prayer is that by God’s amazing grace for the rest of my life all that I am and all that I will become will increasingly reflect Christ instead. He is my salvation, my God, the only good King.