So here we are, stuck in the drama of the kings. All of these stories remind me of Judges, when the people are petitioning for the king. God warns them they don't want a king, God was their king. I guess now we see why. For me, all of the names of the kings run together because they all fail to bring glory to the God of Israel. This story line gets a little hope when we read about Jehu. I had to re-read the story of Jehu a few times because it did not seem to flow with the others. Unlike the previous kings, Jehu can only be described as a zealot. In 2Kings 10:20-30 Jehu lures the Baal followers into a worship service and slaughters them all. No one who followed Baal was left to live. Talk about taking a stand! Because of this fanatic faith God blesses Jehu.
All of this changes in the following verses. My hopes are high for Jehu - maybe, just maybe he will change the path of Israelite history. Instead, he fails to worship God with an undivided heart and neglects to turn away from the sins of Jeroboam. 2 Kings 10:25 reads, "However, he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit—the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan."
Jehu started out so well. He zealously set out to get rid of idol worship in Israel, neglected the sin of Jeroboam. So close, yet so far away. He failed to have an undivided heart. Because of this, Israel shrank in size. I think we do this in our lives all the time. We work tirelessly to rid ourselves of blatant sins while slipping into living with a divided heart. We neglect the small things and pay the price. I can only imagine the power God would have given Jehu had he not ignored the idol worship. He was blessed for fighting Baal, but God had so much more in store for him.
In our lives, it is imperative we learn from this story. Although it is exceedingly difficult, and I slip up all the time, we have to set ourselves to live with undivided hearts. We have to examine every crevice of our lives to see any sin that needs to be eleviated so we can be closer to our God. We have to take a stand to determine our lives to be a living sacrifice, and life lived with an undivided passion for our Lord.
It makes me sad as well to witness the repeating Isrealite idolatry. You mentioned Jehu's zealous start, but his failure to remain faithful over time. I think God puts people in our lives to help balance our oversights. I tend to ride zealous rollercoasters- but I can give out quickly. My husband is steady, consistent and faithful. We make a great team because I push him to experience life and seek more from God, while he remains peaceful and chooses to honor God day after day despite his immediate feelings or experiences. Do any of you have people in your lives that help balance you?
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