July 4 — Zeal, Judgment, and the Child Preserved
SCRIPTURE READING:
2 Kings 9-11
SCRIPTURE:
Second Kings 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 Ramoth-gilead:
Second Kings 9:² 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;
Second Kings 9:³ 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.
Second Kings 9:⁴ So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead.
Second Kings 9:⁵ 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.
Second Kings 9:⁶ 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.
Second Kings 9:⁷ 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.
Second Kings 9:⁸ 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:
Second Kings 9:⁹ 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:
Second Kings 9:¹⁰ 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.
Second Kings 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.
Second Kings 9:¹² 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.
Second Kings 9:¹³ 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.
Second Kings 9:¹⁴ So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. ( Now Joram had kept Ramoth-gilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria.
Second Kings 9:¹⁵ 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.
Second Kings 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.
Second Kings 9:¹⁷ 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?
Second Kings 9:¹⁸ 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.
Second Kings 9:¹⁹ 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.
Second Kings 9:²⁰ 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.
Second Kings 9:²¹ 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.
Second Kings 9:²² 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?
Second Kings 9:²³ And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah.
Second Kings 9:²⁴ 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.
Second Kings 9:²⁵ 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;
Second Kings 9:²⁶ 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.
Second Kings 9:²⁷ 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.
Second Kings 9:²⁸ And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulchre with his fathers in the city of David.
Second Kings 9:²⁹ And in the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab began Ahaziah to reign over Judah.
Second Kings 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.
Second Kings 9:³¹ And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?
Second Kings 9:³² 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.
Second Kings 9:³³ 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.
Second Kings 9:³⁴ 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.
Second Kings 9:³⁵ 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.
Second Kings 9:³⁶ 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:
Second Kings 9:³⁷ 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.
Second Kings 10:¹ And Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. And Jehu wrote letters, and sent to Samaria, unto the rulers of Jezreel, to the elders, and to them that brought up Ahab’s children, saying,
Second Kings 10:² Now as soon as this letter cometh to you, seeing your master’s sons are with you, and there are with you chariots and horses, a fenced city also, and armour;
Second Kings 10:³ Look even out the best and meetest of your master’s sons, and set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.
Second Kings 10:⁴ But they were exceedingly afraid, and said, Behold, two kings stood not before him: how then shall we stand?
Second Kings 10:⁵ And he that was over the house, and he that was over the city, the elders also, and the bringers up of the children, sent to Jehu, saying, We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us; we will not make any king: do thou that which is good in thine eyes.
Second Kings 10:⁶ Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be mine, and if ye will hearken unto my voice, take ye the heads of the men your master’s sons, and come to me to Jezreel by to morrow this time. Now the king’s sons, being seventy persons, were with the great men of the city, which brought them up.
Second Kings 10:⁷ And it came to pass, when the letter came to them, that they took the king’s sons, and slew seventy persons, and put their heads in baskets, and sent him them to Jezreel.
Second Kings 10:⁸ And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king’s sons. And he said, Lay ye them in two heaps at the entering in of the gate until the morning.
Second Kings 10:⁹ And it came to pass in the morning, that he went out, and stood, and said to all the people, Ye be righteous: behold, I conspired against my master, and slew him: but who slew all these?
Second Kings 10:¹⁰ Know now that there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the LORD, which the LORD spake concerning the house of Ahab: for the LORD hath done that which he spake by his servant Elijah.
Second Kings 10:¹¹ So Jehu slew all that remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, and all his great men, and his kinsfolks, and his priests, until he left him none remaining.
Second Kings 10:¹² And he arose and departed, and came to Samaria. And as he was at the shearing house in the way,
Second Kings 10:¹³ Jehu met with the brethren of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, Who are ye? And they answered, We are the brethren of Ahaziah; and we go down to salute the children of the king and the children of the queen.
Second Kings 10:¹⁴ And he said, Take them alive. And they took them alive, and slew them at the pit of the shearing house, even two and forty men; neither left he any of them.
Second Kings 10:¹⁵ And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him: and he saluted him, and said to him, Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered, It is. If it be, give me thine hand. And he gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot.
Second Kings 10:¹⁶ And he said, Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD. So they made him ride in his chariot.
Second Kings 10:¹⁷ And when he came to Samaria, he slew all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him, according to the saying of the LORD, which he spake to Elijah.
Second Kings 10:¹⁸ And Jehu gathered all the people together, and said unto them, Ahab served Baal a little; but Jehu shall serve him much.
Second Kings 10:¹⁹ Now therefore call unto me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants, and all his priests; let none be wanting: for I have a great sacrifice to do to Baal; whosoever shall be wanting, he shall not live. But Jehu did it in subtilty, to the intent that he might destroy the worshippers of Baal.
Second Kings 10:²⁰ And Jehu said, Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal. And they proclaimed it.
Second Kings 10:²¹ And Jehu sent through all Israel: and all the worshippers of Baal came, so that there was not a man left that came not. And they came into the house of Baal; and the house of Baal was full from one end to another.
Second Kings 10:²² And he said unto him that was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the worshippers of Baal. And he brought them forth vestments.
Second Kings 10:²³ And Jehu went, and Jehonadab the son of Rechab, into the house of Baal, and said unto the worshippers of Baal, Search, and look that there be here with you none of the servants of the LORD, but the worshippers of Baal only.
Second Kings 10:²⁴ And when they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings, Jehu appointed fourscore men without, and said, If any of the men whom I have brought into your hands escape, he that letteth him go, his life shall be for the life of him.
Second Kings 10:²⁵ And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, and slay them; let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal.
Second Kings 10:²⁶ And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal, and burned them.
Second Kings 10:²⁷ And they brake down the image of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day.
Second Kings 10:²⁸ Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.
Second Kings 10:²⁹ Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Beth-el, and that were in Dan.
Second Kings 10:³⁰ And the LORD said unto Jehu, Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart, thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.
Second Kings 10:³¹ But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin.
Second Kings 10:³² In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel;
Second Kings 10:³³ From Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.
Second Kings 10:³⁴ Now the rest of the acts of Jehu, and all that he did, and all his might, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
Second Kings 10:³⁵ And Jehu slept with his fathers: and they buried him in Samaria. And Jehoahaz his son reigned in his stead.
Second Kings 10:³⁶ And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty and eight years.
Second Kings 11:¹ And when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the seed royal.
Second Kings 11:² But Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain.
Second Kings 11:³ And he was with her hid in the house of the LORD six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land.
Second Kings 11:⁴ And the seventh year Jehoiada sent and fetched the rulers over hundreds, with the captains and the guard, and brought them to him into the house of the LORD, and made a covenant with them, and took an oath of them in the house of the LORD, and shewed them the king’s son.
Second Kings 11:⁵ And he commanded them, saying, This is the thing that ye shall do; A third part of you that enter in on the sabbath shall even be keepers of the watch of the king’s house;
Second Kings 11:⁶ And a third part shall be at the gate of Sur; and a third part at the gate behind the guard: so shall ye keep the watch of the house, that it be not broken down.
Second Kings 11:⁷ And two parts of all you that go forth on the sabbath, even they shall keep the watch of the house of the LORD about the king.
Second Kings 11:⁸ And ye shall compass the king round about, every man with his weapons in his hand: and he that cometh within the ranges, let him be slain: and be ye with the king as he goeth out and as he cometh in.
Second Kings 11:⁹ And the captains over the hundreds did according to all things that Jehoiada the priest commanded: and they took every man his men that were to come in on the sabbath, with them that should go out on the sabbath, and came to Jehoiada the priest.
Second Kings 11:¹⁰ And to the captains over hundreds did the priest give king David’s spears and shields, that were in the temple of the LORD.
Second Kings 11:¹¹ And the guard stood, every man with his weapons in his hand, round about the king, from the right corner of the temple to the left corner of the temple, along by the altar and the temple.
Second Kings 11:¹² And he brought forth the king’s son, and put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, God save the king.
Second Kings 11:¹³ And when Athaliah heard the noise of the guard and of the people, she came to the people into the temple of the LORD.
Second Kings 11:¹⁴ And when she looked, behold, the king stood by a pillar, as the manner was, and the princes and the trumpeters by the king, and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew with trumpets: and Athaliah rent her clothes, and cried, Treason, Treason.
Second Kings 11:¹⁵ But Jehoiada the priest commanded the captains of the hundreds, the officers of the host, and said unto them, Have her forth without the ranges: and him that followeth her kill with the sword. For the priest had said, Let her not be slain in the house of the LORD.
Second Kings 11:¹⁶ And they laid hands on her; and she went by the way by the which the horses came into the king’s house: and there was she slain.
Second Kings 11:¹⁷ And Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people, that they should be the LORD’s people; between the king also and the people.
Second Kings 11:¹⁸ And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal, and brake it down; his altars and his images brake they in pieces thoroughly, and slew Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed officers over the house of the LORD.
Second Kings 11:¹⁹ And he took the rulers over hundreds, and the captains, and the guard, and all the people of the land; and they brought down the king from the house of the LORD, and came by the way of the gate of the guard to the king’s house. And he sat on the throne of the kings.
Second Kings 11:²⁰ And all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was in quiet: and they slew Athaliah with the sword beside the king’s house.
Second Kings 11:²¹ Seven years old was Jehoash when he began to reign.
DEVOTIONAL:
The fall of Ahab's house is not sudden in the biblical story. It comes after long warnings, prophetic confrontations, Naboth's blood, Jezebel's idolatry, and royal refusal to repent. Jehu is anointed to execute judgment, and the narrative makes clear that the Lord's word against Ahab does not fall to the ground. These chapters are severe because sin among leaders is never private. Idolatry deforms worship, injustice devours neighbors, and royal violence teaches a nation to despise the covenant God who commands righteousness.
Jehu's zeal is complicated. He fulfills the word of the Lord concerning Ahab's line and destroys Baal worship from Israel, yet later Scripture will not present his heart as whole before God. Second Kings itself says he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam. That tension matters for discipleship. A person may oppose one form of evil while cherishing another. Religious energy, political usefulness, and outward reform cannot substitute for covenant faithfulness. The Lord judges idolatry, but He also searches motives, methods, and the worship that remains after the battle is finished.
Chapter 11 shifts the scene to Judah, where Athaliah seeks to destroy the royal seed. The preservation of Joash through Jehosheba's courage is more than palace drama. It protects the Davidic line, through which God had promised a king. The temple becomes a shelter for the hidden heir, and the covenant is renewed when he is brought forth. In the background, God's promise to David survives human ambition, family bloodshed, and political terror. The Lord guards His redemptive purpose when every visible sign appears fragile.
Jesus the Messiah is the true Son of David whom no murderous throne can finally erase. Herod's violence after His birth echoes the old pattern of rulers threatened by God's promise, yet the Father preserves the Son until the appointed hour. Unlike Jehu, Jesus' zeal is perfectly holy. He cleanses the temple, confronts hypocrisy, and then gives Himself for sinners. His kingdom is not established by personal ambition or uncontrolled rage, but through obedient suffering, resurrection power, and the Spirit who makes rebels into worshipers.
In daily life, these chapters warn us to distrust selective obedience. We may denounce sins that offend us while excusing bitterness, greed, lust, dishonesty, or prayerlessness. Families need courage that protects children from destructive patterns, workers need integrity that refuses corrupt methods even for desirable goals, and churches need reform that leads to deeper worship rather than mere victory over opponents. True zeal bows before the Lord it claims to serve.
In U.S. civic life, the civic virtue tied to this reading is principled integrity that refuses both idolatry and lawless vengeance. A fitting current prayer focus is for public leaders, prosecutors, judges, child advocates, and churches to protect life and uphold justice without becoming cruel. Believers should participate as disciplined citizens whose passion for righteousness is governed by Scripture, humility, due process, and love of neighbor.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
How do these chapters show that God's delayed judgment is never forgetfulness?
What does Jehu's mixed legacy teach about the danger of selective obedience?
Why is the preservation of Joash important for the promise of the Davidic Messiah?
Where might zeal in your life need to be purified by humility and love?
PRAYER:
ADORATION: Righteous King, Your word stands when dynasties fall, and Your holy purposes cannot be destroyed by violent ambition.
CONFESSION: We confess that we often prefer the sins we can condemn loudly while protecting the sins we practice quietly.
THANKSGIVING: Thank You for preserving the line of David and sending Jesus, whose zeal is pure and whose mercy saves the guilty.
SUPPLICATION – GENERAL: Purify our motives, guard children and the vulnerable, and make our churches faithful in worship rather than merely successful in conflict.
SUPPLICATION – U.S. / CIVIC: Give judges, prosecutors, public leaders, and child advocates courage joined to restraint, truth joined to compassion, and justice free from vengeance.
SCRIPTURE: "And Jehoiada made a covenant between the LORD and the king and the people"