Brief comments on 2Kings 8 & 9

 

2Kings 8:1 ¶  Then spake Elisha unto the woman, whose son he had restored to life, saying, Arise, and go thou and thine household, and sojourn wheresoever thou canst sojourn: for the LORD hath called for a famine; and it shall also come upon the land seven years. 2  And the woman arose, and did after the saying of the man of God: and she went with her household, and sojourned in the land of the Philistines seven years. 3  And it came to pass at the seven years’ end, that the woman returned out of the land of the Philistines: and she went forth to cry unto the king for her house and for her land. 4  And the king talked with Gehazi the servant of the man of God, saying, Tell me, I pray thee, all the great things that Elisha hath done. 5  And it came to pass, as he was telling the king how he had restored a dead body to life, that, behold, the woman, whose son he had restored to life, cried to the king for her house and for her land. And Gehazi said, My lord, O king, this is the woman, and this is her son, whom Elisha restored to life. 6  And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that was hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now.

You might want to go back and read 2Kings 4, starting in verse 8 about the great lady at Shunem. Elisha warns her to take her household and flee a famine that is coming. During the seven years she is away someone takes her land, perhaps the king himself. She is now returning and God works things out that Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, is asked to speak of the great things Elisha has done and as he relates how Elisha raised her son from the dead she cries out for justice. Her land is restored to her. The king even provides an officer to take on that very task. Not only does she get her land back from the king but all it produced since she left is given to her, as well. Do you see how God influenced the king’s mind by having this story related to him while she yet stood there? Did Gehazi know she would be there beforehand? These are interesting questions. Can you imagine the woman coming to Elisha who then sends her with his servant to the king telling the servant to make sure this incident comes up in conversation? Who knows how it transpired?

2Kings 8:7 ¶  And Elisha came to Damascus; and Benhadad the king of Syria was sick; and it was told him, saying, The man of God is come hither. 8  And the king said unto Hazael, Take a present in thine hand, and go, meet the man of God, and enquire of the LORD by him, saying, Shall I recover of this disease? 9  So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels’ burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Benhadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this disease? 10  And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the LORD hath shewed me that he shall surely die. 11  And he settled his countenance stedfastly, until he was ashamed: and the man of God wept. 12  And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child. 13  And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The LORD hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria. 14  So he departed from Elisha, and came to his master; who said to him, What said Elisha to thee? And he answered, He told me that thou shouldest surely recover. 15  And it came to pass on the morrow, that he took a thick cloth, and dipped it in water, and spread it on his face, so that he died: and Hazael reigned in his stead.

Upon Elisha’s visit to Damascus King Benhadad wants to ask him if Benhadad will recover from the illness he suffers. He sends a huge gift to Elisha by way of the captain of his army, Hazael. Elisha tells Hazael that Benhadad will certainly recover from his sickness but Elisha sees Benhadad’s death at the hands of Hazael.

Elisha weeps seeing ahead that Hazael will be a sore enemy of Israel who will do great harm. Hazael denies that this could possibly be but Elisha tells him that God has told Elisha that Hazael will be king over Syria. This must have been in Hazael’s mind all along as he murders his master the day after he told Benhadad that he would recover.

2Kings 8:16 ¶  And in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah began to reign. 17  Thirty and two years old was he when he began to reign; and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. 18  And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife: and he did evil in the sight of the LORD. 19  Yet the LORD would not destroy Judah for David his servant’s sake, as he promised him to give him alway a light, and to his children. 20  In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah, and made a king over themselves. 21  So Joram went over to Zair, and all the chariots with him: and he rose by night, and smote the Edomites which compassed him about, and the captains of the chariots: and the people fled into their tents. 22  Yet Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah unto this day. Then Libnah revolted at the same time. 23  And the rest of the acts of Joram, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 24  And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.

Joram, called Jehoram, Ahab’s son, and Jehoram, Jehoshaphat’s son, also called Joram in the text, reign in their respective countries of Israel and Judah. Commentators point out that although they can be called by the same name they were two distinct kings and the Bible attests to that in spite of our confusion. Jehoram was married to Joram’s sister and the kings of Israel and Judah were allies in not only politics but in idolatry against God.

Edom revolted against Judah and Jehoram, called Joram, crushed their army but was not able to stop their rebellion.

Edom had been conquered by King David.

2Samuel 8:14  And he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and all they of Edom became David’s servants. And the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went.

Esau, Jacob’s brother, is the founder of the Edomites.

Genesis 36:1  Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom.

Isaac predicted that Esau’s people would be under the yoke of Jacob’s people but would break that yoke at some point.

Genesis 27:40  And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.

2Kings 8:25 ¶  In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign. 26  Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel. 27  And he walked in the way of the house of Ahab, and did evil in the sight of the LORD, as did the house of Ahab: for he was the son in law of the house of Ahab. 28  And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to the war against Hazael king of Syria in Ramothgilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram. 29  And king Joram went back to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

Now here’s an interesting situation. Wicked Ahab’s wicked son, Joram, is wounded in combat with the Syrians. Ahaziah, king of Judah, who is a close relative of King Joram of Israel, goes to Jezreel to visit his injured cousin and ally. Two wicked kings are present together and God is about to do something to settle accounts.

2Kings, chapter 9

2Kings 9:1 ¶  And Elisha the prophet called one of the children of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramothgilead: 2  And when thou comest thither, look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber; 3  Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not. 4  So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramothgilead. 5  And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of all us? And he said, To thee, O captain. 6  And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto

him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel. 7  And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel. 8  For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel: 9  And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah: 10  And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door, and fled.

Here, God, through a young prophet sent by Elisha, gives Jehu, a son of the late king of Judah, Jehoshaphat, not only the authority to take over the kingdom but his marching orders as well as to what he is to do once he assumes power. I think the orders are quite clear. Two wicked kings must pay with their lives. The house, the dynasty of Ahab, must be destroyed.

2Kings 9:11 ¶  Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the man, and his communication. 12  And they said, It is false; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus spake he to me, saying, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king over Israel. 13  Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king. 14  So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram had kept Ramothgilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria. 15  But king Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If it be your minds, then let none go forth nor escape out of the city to go to tell it in Jezreel.

Jehu confirms what he has been told by the prophet and his companions, soldiers of the reigning king, honor him as king based on the words of the prophet. The wicked kings of Israel and Judah are now in the crosshairs. Jehu wants secrecy until he acts upon the message he received.

2Kings 8:29  And king Joram went back to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him at Ramah, when he fought against Hazael king of Syria. And Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah went down to see Joram the son of Ahab in Jezreel, because he was sick.

1Kings 9:16 ¶  So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come down to see Joram. 17  And there stood a watchman on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take an horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace? 18  So there went one on horseback to meet him, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. And the watchman told, saying, The messenger came to them, but he cometh not again. 19  Then he sent out a second on horseback, which came to them, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu answered, What hast thou to do with peace? turn thee behind me. 20  And the watchman told, saying, He came even unto them, and cometh not again: and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously. 21  And Joram said, Make ready. And his chariot was made ready. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out against Jehu, and met him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite. 22  And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many? 23  And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah. 24  And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot. 25  Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the LORD laid this burden upon him; 26  Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the LORD; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the LORD. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the LORD. 27  But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there. 28  And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the city of David. 29  And in the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab began Ahaziah to reign over Judah.

Jehu’s violent overthrow of Ahab’s dynasty represented in two wicked kings begins with his killing of those kings. He is not done yet.

Jehu recalls that the LORD God is avenging Naboth who was murdered and his land stolen by King Ahab, although we know there is a lot more to this than revenge for one man.

Read 1 Kings, chapter 21, to review the injustice done to Naboth.

As an important note these dynastic connections can be complicated.

King Omri’s daughter appears at first to be Ahab’s sister. First, understand that Ahab is the son of Omri.

1Kings 16:28  So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria: and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.

Her name was Athaliah and she was Ahaziah’s mother.

2Kings 8:26  Two and twenty years old was Ahaziah when he began to reign; and he reigned one year in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Athaliah, the daughter of Omri king of Israel.

Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat, also called Joram, married Ahab and Jezebel’s daughter who in Bible parlance is a daughter of Omri in her descent as son of refers to descendants elsewhere.

2Kings 8:18  And he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as did the house of Ahab: for the daughter of Ahab was his wife: and he did evil in the sight of the LORD.

Ahaziah is Jehoram aka Joram of Judah’s son, who was Athaliah’s husband.

2Kings 8:24  And Joram slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.25  In the twelfth year of Joram the son of Ahab king of Israel did Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah begin to reign.

So regardless of how you sort out these complicated dynastic interbreedings you can see how complicated the lines were and God is now settling accounts on Ahab’s dynasty. I don’t want to get into the countless wranglings I’ve read on Ahab’s descendants and family connections as that would take away from the narrative.

1Kings 9:30 ¶  And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window. 31  And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master? 32  And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs. 33  And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot. 34  And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king’s daughter. 35  And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. 36  Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: 37  And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.

Jezebel tries to show her defiance of Jehu and is so held in contempt servants throw her down from the window at Jehu’s command. Her body is ripped to shreds by a pack of dogs. She will have no honorable resting place for her wickedness. Even in death she will be shown contempt.