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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Wednesday, 8 October 2025:
2 Kings 9:1-3 — Then Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Tie up your garments, and take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. And when you arrive, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi. And go in and have him rise from among his fellows, and lead him to an inner chamber. Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head, and say, ‘Thus says the LORD, I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and flee; do not linger.”
God’s plan, first revealed to Elijah years before (1 Kings 19:16), was now coming to fulfillment. Though Elijah was long gone, God’s Word remained alive and active. His promises never die with men. Elisha’s role in commissioning a young prophet to anoint Jehu reminds us that God works through generations, carrying forward His purposes beyond the lifespan of any single servant. The faithfulness of one generation prepares the next to fulfill what God has spoken. Psalm 145:4 declares, “One generation shall commend your works to another.” This continuity in divine mission challenges us to pass the mantle of faith intentionally to others.
- 1 Kings 19:16 — And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place.
Elisha’s instruction to the young prophet to “flee and not linger” underscores both the urgency and danger of God’s command. Anointing a new king while another reigned was an act of rebellion and treason in political terms, though, in this case, obedience in spiritual ones. God’s messengers often risked everything to deliver His Word, yet His purposes cannot be thwarted by human power. When God calls us to act, He also calls us to trust His protection.
2 Kings 9:4-6 — So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. And when he came, behold, the commanders of the army were in council. And he said, “I have a word for you, O commander.” And Jehu said, “To which of us all?” And he said, “To you, O commander.” So he arose and went into the house. And the young man poured the oil on his head, saying to him, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, I anoint you king over the people of the LORD, over Israel.”
Jehu’s calling came suddenly, without ceremony or human approval. God’s promotions rarely follow human expectations. David was anointed king while still a shepherd boy, and Mary received the angelic call while living in obscurity. Jehu was anointed in a war camp, not a palace, showing that God’s call comes to those ready for action, not comfort. His anointing confirmed divine appointment, not personal ambition. When God chooses, no human gatekeeper can prevent His plan.
2 Kings 9:7-10 — “And you shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. 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. And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.” Then he opened the door and fled.
Here we see God’s justice finally arriving after years of patience. The blood of His servants would be avenged. Jezebel’s reign of terror, idolatry, and murder would meet its end exactly as God foretold (1 Kings 21:23). This judgment demonstrates both the certainty of God’s Word and the slowness of His wrath — it had been years since Elijah spoke that prophecy, but time never cancels divine promises. As Peter writes, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise… but is patient toward you” (2 Peter 3:9). God’s patience is not weakness; it is mercy. But when His patience expires, His justice is complete.
2 Kings 9:11-13 — When Jehu came out to the servants of his master, they said to him, “Is all well? Why did this mad fellow come to you?” And he said to them, “You know the fellow and his talk.” And they said, “That is not true; tell us now.” And he said, “Thus and so he spoke to me, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD, I anoint you king over Israel.’” Then in haste every man of them took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps, and they blew the trumpet and proclaimed, “Jehu is king.”
God’s messengers have often been called “mad” by those who do not understand divine things. Even Jesus’ family once thought He was “out of His mind” (Mark 3:21). Spiritual truth often appears as foolishness to those who live by sight, not faith (1 Corinthians 2:14). But the sign of divine calling is not human approval, it is the unmistakable confirmation of God’s power and providence. The soldiers instantly rallied around Jehu, sensing divine authority in his appointment. When God raises up a leader, He also moves hearts to recognize it (Daniel 2:21).
2 Kings 9:14-20 — Thus Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram with all Israel had been on guard at Ramoth-gilead against Hazael king of Syria, but King Joram had returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Syrians had given him when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) So Jehu said, “If this is your decision, then let no one slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel.” Then Jehu mounted his chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to visit Joram. Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu as he came, and said, “I see a company.” And Joram said, “Take a horseman and send to meet them, and let him say, ‘Is it peace?’” … The driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously.”
Jehu’s zeal was immediate and fierce. He wasted no time in carrying out God’s commission. His furious pace symbolized the intensity of divine judgment. Like Phinehas, who acted zealously for the Lord (Numbers 25:11), Jehu was consumed with the mission. Yet zeal without discernment can become destructive, as later chapters will show. Jehu’s passion was commendable, but his heart would later prove divided. God desires not only zeal for His justice but love for His holiness. Romans 10:2 warns of those who have “zeal without knowledge.” Jehu’s story will remind us that zeal must be guided by submission to God’s Spirit, not personal ambition.
2 Kings 9:21-24 — Joram said, “Make ready.” And they made ready his chariot. Then Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah set out, each in his chariot, and went to meet Jehu, and met him at the property of Naboth the Jezreelite. And when Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” He answered, “What peace can there be, so long as the whoredoms and the sorceries of your mother Jezebel are so many?” Then Joram reined about and fled, saying to Ahaziah, “Treachery, O Ahaziah!” And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength and shot Joram between the shoulders, so that the arrow pierced his heart, and he sank in his chariot.
Divine justice struck precisely where the sin had occurred — on Naboth’s land, where Joram’s parents had conspired to murder an innocent man (1 Kings 21). The wheels of God’s justice may grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine. Jehu’s words echo a timeless truth: there can be no peace apart from repentance. The world cries for peace but clings to sin; God says, “There is no peace for the wicked” (Isaiah 48:22).
2 Kings 9:25-26 — Jehu said to Bidkar his aide, “Take him up and throw him on the plot of ground belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite, for remember when you and I rode side by side behind Ahab his father, how the LORD made this pronouncement against him: ‘As surely as I saw yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons — declares the LORD — I will repay you on this plot of ground.’ Now therefore take him up and throw him on the plot of ground, in accordance with the word of the LORD.”
Every word of God stands firm. Decades had passed, yet His prophecy was fulfilled to the letter. God forgets no injustice and overlooks no sin unatoned for. Yet for those in Christ, every sin was repaid on another hill, Calvary. The same justice that condemned Ahab’s house was satisfied in Jesus for those who believe. At the cross, mercy and justice kissed (Psalm 85:10).
2 Kings 9:27-29 — When Ahaziah king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way to the garden house. And Jehu pursued him and said, “Shoot him also.” … And he fled to Megiddo and died there.
Ahaziah’s alliance with Israel proved fatal, just as his father’s had been. When we align ourselves with those at enmity with God, we share their judgment. Friendship with the world is enmity with God (James 4:4). Compromise kills influence and brings spiritual death.
2 Kings 9:30-33 — When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. And she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out of the window. And as Jehu entered the gate, she said, “Is it peace, you Zimri, murderer of your master?” And he lifted up his face to the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked out at him. He said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down. And some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled on her.
Jezebel’s last act was one of defiance and vanity. She adorned herself as if to seduce or manipulate, clinging to pride even in the face of death. Her taunt, calling Jehu “Zimri,” referenced another usurper who reigned briefly (1 Kings 16:9-20), as though mocking Jehu’s future. Yet her words sealed her fate. The very eunuchs she once ruled turned against her, proof that God can turn even the instruments of evil against their master. Pride truly goes before destruction (Proverbs 16:18).
2 Kings 9:34-37 — Then he went in and ate and drank. And he said, “See now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king’s daughter.” But when they went to bury her, they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. When they came back and told him, he said, “This is the word of the LORD, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite: ‘In the territory of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel, and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as dung on the face of the field in the territory of Jezreel, so that no one can say, This is Jezebel.’”
Jezebel’s end is one of the most graphic in Scripture, a sobering picture of divine justice. Her proud life ended in dishonor, her name reduced to nothing. Those who exalt themselves against God will be humbled to dust. Psalm 37:35-36 says, “I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree. But he passed away, and behold, he was no more.” No one defies the living God and wins.
This entire chapter is a solemn warning that God’s patience has an end and His justice is sure. Yet even amid judgment, we see His faithfulness — every word He spoke through Elijah and Elisha came true. We serve a God who forgets nothing and fails no promise, whether in mercy or in wrath.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 8 October 2025: Today’s passage reminds us that God’s Word always stands and that His justice will surely come, though it may seem delayed. Jehu’s story shows that zeal for God’s purposes must be matched with purity of heart, or it can quickly turn to pride and violence. The fall of Ahab’s house, the death of Joram and Jezebel, and the fleeting success of Jehu all declare the same truth: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked” (Galatians 6:7). When God calls you to act, obey swiftly and faithfully, but never forget that obedience without humility leads to destruction. Let your zeal be anchored in love, your courage in compassion, and your action in holiness. The justice of God should not make us proud but sober, and His mercy should make us merciful. Live today with a heart like Elisha’s, faithful, discerning, and broken over sin; and not like Jezebel’s, hardened and proud to the end.
Pray: “Lord, Your Word is true, and Your justice sure. Help me to walk in obedience, not arrogance. Let my zeal for You be guided by humility and love. Keep me from pride like Jezebel’s and from misplaced ambition like Jehu’s. Teach me to tremble at Your Word and to rejoice in Your mercy. Thank You that in Christ, justice and mercy have met, and judgment has been borne for me. May my life today reflect Your holiness, my actions Your justice, and my heart Your compassion. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
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