Jehu (II)

II. JEHU, the son of Jehoshaphat¹, and grandson of Nimshi, Captain of Joram the King of Israel’s troops, was appointed by God to reign over Israel, and to revenge the sins committed by the house of Ahab. The Lord had given orders to Elisha to 1 Kings xix. 16.anoint Jehu, which order was executed by one of the sons of the Prophets, whom he sent on this errand in his room, in all probability 2 Kings ix. 1, 2, 3, &c.that the matter might be transacted with more secrecy. The Lord spoke to Elisha, and declared his Will to him concerning Jehu, in the year of the World 3097, before the Vulgar Æra 907; and Jehu was not anointed King till 3120, before the Vulgar Æra 884, and three and twenty years after the order given for it to Elisha. Jehu was at Ramoth-Gilead, besieging the Citadel of that place, with Joram the King of Israel’s army, when a young Prophet appeared, who took him aside from among the Officers of the army, in the midst of whom he was sitting; and when they were alone in a chamber, the Prophet poured oil upon his head, and said to him, Thus saith the Lord, I have anointed thee King over Israel, thou shalt extirpate the house of Ahab, and revenge the blood of the Prophets which hath been shed by Jezebel. I will root out the house of Ahab by thy hands, and treat it as I have treated that of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and that of Baasha the son of Ahijah. Jezebel shall be eaten up by the dogs in the fields of Jezreel, and no one shall do the last offices for her.

No sooner had the Prophet said this, but he opened the door and fled, lest he should be known; and Jehu returning to the place where the rest of the King’s Officers were, they asked him what the matter was, and pressed him to tell what this man came for. He declared to them what had passed, and that he was a Prophet sent by God to anoint him King. Hereupon they immediately rose up, and each of them taking his cloak, they made a kind of Throne for Jehu, and sounding the Trumpets, cried, Long live King Jehu. Now Joram, King of Israel, was then at Jezreel, where he was under cure for some wounds which he had received at the siege of Ramoth. Jehu therefore gave orders, that no one should be suffered to stir out of the City; and at the same time departed, in order to go and surprize the King at Jezreel. As he drew near to the City, the Sentinel gave notice, that he saw a troop coming in great haste. Joram sent an Officer with a chariot of war, to discover who it was: but Jehu, without giving the Officer any answer, bad him follow him. Joram sent a second, and Jehu laid the same command upon him. Last of all, Joram came himself, riding in his chariot, with Ahaziah, King of Judah, in his company, who also was in his chariot; and they met Jehu in the field of Naboth of Jezreel.

In the year of the World 3120, before J. C. 880, before the Vulgar Æra 884.Joram asked him, Is it peace, Jehu? and he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many? Joram immediately turning his bridle, and flying away, said to Ahaziah, We are betray’d. At the same time Jehu drew his bow, and smote Joram between his shoulders, pierced his heart, and killed him in his chariot. Then Jehu commanded his body to be thrown into the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite, in order to fulfil what was said by the Prophet Elijah, who had foretold, that it should happen in this manner. Ahaziah also fled, but was pursued by Jehu’s orders, See 2 Kings ix. 25.and wounded mortally; but he got in his chariot as far as Megiddo, and there died.

Jehu went afterwards to Jezreel, where was Jezebel. As he came into the City, Jezebel, who was at her window, said to him, Can he who has killed his master hope for peace? Jehu, lifting up his head, and seeing her, commanded two or three Eunuchs, who were above, to throw her out ately, and she was trampled to death under the horses feet as they entred: the dogs too, in execution of Elijah’s threatnings, did eat her; so that when Jehu sent to have her buried, they found only her bones. After this, Jehu sent to tell the inhabitants 2 Kings x. 1, 2, 3, &c.of Samaria, who had the bringing up of Ahab’s seventy children, that they might chuse any one of them whom they thought proper, and place him upon the throne. But they, overpowered by their fears, answered, that they were Jehu’s servants, and would in all things obey him; so that Jehu commanding them to put to death all the King’s children, and send him their heads; they executed this order the next day. Then he slew all Ahab’s relations, and friends, the Great Men of his Court, and the Priests who belonged to him, and were at Jezreel.

After this he came to Samaria, and in the way met with the relations of Ahaziah King of Judah, who were going to Jezreel to salute the King and Queen’s children, whose death they were not as yet acquainted with. Jehu gave directions to seize them, who were two and forty in number, and to massacre them all. A little farther, he found Jehonadab the son of Rechab, and taking him into his chariot, he said to him, Come with me, and see my zeal for the Lord. And when he was come to Samaria, he slew all those who remained of Ahab’s family, without sparing one of them. Then calling the people of Samaria together, he said to them, Ahab paid some honours to Baal, but I will pay him greater. Send therefore for all the Ministers, Priests, and Prophets of Baal, in order to be present at a great festival, which I design to celebrate in honour of him. When they were all come and assembled in Baal’s Temple, he commanded to give them all habits, and directed them to take particular care, that there was no stranger among them. After which he ordered his people to put them all to the sword, and not spare so much as one of them. Therefore they were all killed in the Temple of Baal. The statue of Baal was pulled down, broken, and burnt: then the Temple itself was destroy’d, and a place was made of it for relieving the necessities of nature.

The Lord, well-pleased with the vengeance exercised by Jehu against the house of Ahab, promised him that his children should sit upon the throne of Israel to the fourth generation. But at the same 2 Kings x. 29, 31, 32.time he is accused in Scripture for not forsaking the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, and had intro- i. 4, 5.The Prophet Hosea threatens him with God’s vengeance in these terms; Yet a little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel. And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel. Jehu had indeed been the instrument of God, in taking vengeance on the house of Ahab, but he had likewise revenged particular injuries to himself; or rather, what he did, he had done with the spirit of animosity, and ambition. He had followed his passion rather than the Will of God. He had not kept within due bounds. God rewards his obedience, but punishes his injustice and ambition, his idolatry and the blood unjustly spilt by him. He reigned eight and twenty years over Israel, and Jehoahaz his son 2 Kings x. 35, 36.reigned in his stead. The four descendants of his family who governed successively after him, were Jehoahaz, Joash, Jeroboam II. and Zechary. The reign of Jehu was perplexed with the war, which Hazael King of Syria carried on against him. This 2 Kings x. 33, 34.Prince ravaged all the frontiers or extremities of the kingdom of Israel, and cut in pieces all he found there. He laid waste the whole country beyond Jordan, and the Tribes of Manasseh, Gad and Reuben, which were settled there. We do not know the time when this war commenced. It broke out probably in the beginning of Jehu’s reign, when Hazael, having intelligence that Jehu had quitted Ramoth- Gilead, fell upon this country and subdued it.

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