Bible Studies
The Word of God Fulfilled (2 Kings 8:7-10:17)
Series: Studies in Second KingsIntroduction:
1. I have never been one to be interested in soap operas. I am more of a Grand Ol’ Opry person. 2. I can never remember all the characters in soap operas and things jump around too much in too many people’s lives during a30-minuteepisode. I get lost and jump ship. 3. The same thing tends to happen to me when I study this period of the Kings. I get lost in the great cloud of characters, loose sight of the plot and jump ship. Maybe you do too. 4. In order that we don’t do that in this study, what I would like to do is to take you back to the two key prophecies underlying this section (8:7-10:17), clarify the main characters, review the historical events and then draw out some practical applications. 5. Reading of 2 Kings 8:7-12, 15.Discussion:
I. The identification of Hazael as the new king of Aram looks back to 1 Kings 19:15-17.A. In that text, Elijah had fled from Israel and was hiding in a cave, thinking that he was the only one left that was loyal to God.
1. God asked him, “What are you doing here Elijah?”
2. The Lord then commanded Elijah to go to Damascus and anoint Hazael king over Aram and Jehu king over Israel and Elisha prophet in his place.
B. Elijah proceeded to anoint Elisha as prophet in his place, but there is no evidence that he followed through on the rest of his mission.
1. Was he afraid to anoint Hazael in light of the fact that Benhadad was king of Aram?
2. Was he hesitant to anoint Jehu king over Israel in light of the fact that Ahab was then king over Israel?
3. Perhaps these may have presented Elijah with some personal dilemmas, but he has confronted Ahab before, and he acted with “true grit” in facing the prophets of Baal.
C. Elisha wept because he saw what Hazael would do as king of Aram.
1. He would destroy Israel’s strongholds.
2. He would kill Israel’s young men.
3. Dash their little ones in pieces.
4. Rip open the pregnant women.
D. Hazael proceeded the next day to murder Benhadad, smothering him with a wet cover. And so, he took over the kingdom of Aram.
E. This episode leaves us anticipating Hazael acting with brutality against Israel. But the author does not follow up on that yet. Instead he takes us in a different direction. He describes the political situation in Israel and Judah and sets us up to remember another prophecy made by Elijah (1 Kings 21:19-24).
II. The political situation is somewhat complicated (like most soap operas).A. First, there are two Jehoram’s and their names are shortened to Joram.
1. One is the son of Ahab of Israel.
2. The other is the son of Jehosaphat if Judah.
3. We will distinguish them as Jehoram of Israel and Jehoram of Judah.
B. To complicate things further Jehoram of Judah married Ahab’s daughter. So each Jehoram had a brother-in-law named Jehoram.
C. Jehoram of Judah walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, influenced by his wife, so that he did evil in the sight of the Lord.
1. His vassal territories of Edom and Libnah revolted against him.
2. When he died his son, Ahaziah, became king in his place.
3. Ahaziah allied with Jehoram of Israel to fight Hazael of Aram. Jehoram of Israel was injured in battle and Ahaziah went to visit him at Jezreel.
4. Meanwhile Elisha anointed Jehu the captain of the army of Israel, who was fighting Hazael at Ramoth, king of Israel.
a. Jehu hurries to Jezreel.
b. Jehoram of Israel sent out messengers to see how the battle was going and if there was peace. Jehu dismissed each messenger.
c. By now he is close enough to Jezreel for the watchman to recognize his driving. The city of Jezreel sits on top of a hill with a vast valley before it. Jehu is coming across the valley driving like a madman.
d. Jehoram and Ahaziah went out to meet Jehu in their chariots trying to find out how the battle was going in Ramoth. They ask, “Is it peace?”
e. Jehu responds, “What peace, so long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?”
f. Jehoram wheeled his chariot around, and warned off Ahaziah, but Jehu shot Jehoram through the heart with an arrow.
g. Jehoram’s body was cast into the field of Naboth just as the word of God had prophesied through Elijah in 1 Kings 21:19-24.
h. When Jehu arrived at the city Jezebel was thrown over the wall. Her body was eaten by dogs. Only the skull, the feet and the palms of her hands were found. This all in fulfillment of the word of the Lord, by Elijah (1 Kings 21:24).
i. Jehu pursued Ahaziah and killed him.
j. Jehu proceeded to kill all 70 sons of Ahab. He killed all who remained of the house of Ahab, his great men, his acquaintances and his priests until he left him without a survivor.
k. A summary statement is given in 2 Kings 10:10: “Know then that there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab, for the Lord has done what He spoke through His servant Elijah.”
l. In addition Jehu destroyed all the relatives of Ahaziah, 42 men.
III. What I want you to take from all this is that God’s word is sure. What He says is going to happen happens.A. He has warned us to flee from the consequences of our sin.
B. 2 Thess. 1:5ff speaks of God’s righteous judgment that will be realized “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power.”
C. But “God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thess. 5:10). God has prepared a way of escape. He has paid the penalty for our sins with the death of His Son Jesus Christ. We can escape the consequences of our sin through Him.
D. What He says is going to happen happens. We need to live our lives in dependence upon what He has said, in preparation and anticipation of future events.
Conclusion:
1. How will your response be? 2. Know that nothing of what the Lord has said will fail.
