A Promise-Keeping God
3/6/26 Bible Thought (2 Kings 9)
Main Idea: God’s Word will come to pass.
A Brief Backdrop:
Today’s chapter begins and ends with the fulfillment of prophecy. We are first introduced to Jehu, who was supposed to be anointed as the king over Israel by the prophet Elijah back in 1 Kings 19:16. It’s not entirely clear why this wasn’t done sooner, though.
Elijah was also supposed to anoint Hazael to be king over Syria (1 Kings 19:15), which didn’t occur; instead, Hazael assassinated the sitting king, as we saw in yesterday’s text. Out of the three anointings that were entrusted to Elijah, it seems that calling Elisha to be his replacement was the only one that was fulfilled in his lifetime.
A Look at the Text:
However, while the execution of the plan might have occurred differently than it was originally outlined, God’s purposes would stand nevertheless. With Jehu anointed as king, he gathered up forces and marched against the present king of Israel, Joram, a son of the wicked king, Ahab.
Joram was then assassinated. This took place in fulfillment of a prophetic judgment that was issued in response to Ahab’s greed when he stole Naboth’s vineyard back in 1 Kings 21.
In tragic irony, Joram’s body was then placed upon the very soil that his father had stolen. Likewise, Jezebel, the wicked queen, was cast down from the palace window and killed. Her life ended suddenly, and she wasn’t even afforded the dignity of a proper burial as her corpse was consumed by dogs, just as it was foretold.
Bringing it Home:
2 Kings 9 is a bloody, uncomfortable chapter. However, its teaching is clear: God will fulfill His Word and bring about judgment of the wicked.
It can be incredibly difficult for believers to see the wicked prospering. Certainly, faithful Israelites would have struggled to see that the woman enjoying palace life was a wicked idolater who abused her power and had the prophets of Yahweh put to death.
Yet the day of the wicked will come to an end. As the Teacher in Ecclesiastes once recounted:
Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. 12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him. 13 But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God (Ecc. 8:11-13).
The day might be distant, but it is sure to come. God will keep His promises—all of them. Promises to bless and promises to curse. Promises for salvation and promises for judgment. For they are all made by the same God who keeps His Word.
Challenge:
Do I ever find myself frustrated, thinking that it’s vain to serve God when the wicked prosper?
Remember, we must always look to the end of the story and not simply how things are going today (see Ps. 73:16-17).
That is always a hard concept to rationalize. I have to remind myself often my job is to follow Him faithfully. He sees. That’s all that matters.
I believe a reformation is coming, and some wicked rulers will be put aside. That we may also live a peaceful productive life. 1 Timothy 2:1–4 (AMP) — 1 FIRST OF all, then, I admonish and urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be offered on behalf of all men, 2 For kings and all who are in positions of authority or high responsibility, that [outwardly] we may pass a quiet and undisturbed life [and inwardly] a peaceable one in all godliness and reverence and seriousness in every way. 3 For such [praying] is good and right, and [it is] pleasing and acceptable to God our Savior, 4 Who wishes all men to be saved and [increasingly] to perceive and recognize and discern and know precisely and correctly the [divine] Truth.