The Four Kings From King Jehu
God keeps His promise to Jehu.
King Jehu and his descendants sat on the throne of Israel longer than any other family. This was because of God’s promise to Jehu:
"Because you have done well in doing what is right in My sight, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in My heart, your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation." (2 Kings 10:30; 15:12)
While Jehu left his mark on Scripture by slaughtering the family of Ahab according to the Lord’s command, his descendants don’t do much. And so, this article will combine what Scripture says about the four generations of kings who came from Jehu.
King Jehoahaz (814-798 B.C.).
Jehu’s son, Jehoahaz, becomes king of Israel in Samaria and reigns for 17 years (2 Kings 13:1). Just like his father - and the other kings of Israel - Jehoahaz “did evil in the sight of the LORD, and followed the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat…he did not depart from them” (2 Kings 13:2).
Because of Israel’s sin, the LORD’s anger burned against them, and He turned them over to the kings of Syria - Hazael (2 Kings 8:12) and his son Ben-Hadad (2 Kings 13:3).
The fierce oppression of the kings of Syria caused King Jehoahaz to plead with the LORD, and the LORD listened to his cries (2 Kings 13:4) and gave Israel a deliverer or “savior” who delivered them from the oppressive hand of the Syrians (2 Kings 13:5). The people lived in security once more.
But although the LORD had delivered them, they still did not depart from the idolatry Jeroboam had introduced into the nation. They continued to walk in those same sins and kept “the wooden image” of Asherah in Samaria (2 Kings 13:6).
And so, the LORD weakened Israel's military strength through the king of Syria, leaving them only 50 horsemen, 10 chariots, and 10,000 infantry soldiers (2 Kings 13:7). Such a small military next to an aggressive, hostile foreign power like Syria was not a comforting thought for the people of Israel.
When Jehoahaz died, he was buried in Samaria, and his son Jehoash (or Joash) reigned in his place (2 Kings 13:8-9).
King Jehoash (798-782 B.C.).
Jehoash reigns over Israel in Samaria for 16 years. He also does “evil in the sight of the LORD” and walks in “all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat” (2 Kings 13:10-11).
Before the prophet Elisha dies, Joash visits him and weeps over him - declaring Elisha to be Israel's strength (2 Kings 13:14). Elisha commands Joash to shoot an arrow out of an east window, and then says, “The arrow of the LORD's deliverance and the arrow of deliverance from Syria; for you must strike the Syrians at Aphek till you have destroyed them” (2 Kings 13:15-17).
Then, Elisha tells Joash to take the arrows and hit the ground. Joash does this three times and stops. Elisha becomes very angry and tells Joash, “You should have struck five or six times; then you would have struck Syria till you had destroyed it! But now you will strike Syria only three times” (2 Kings 13:18-19).
Syria had oppressed Israel the entire reign of Jehoash’s father, but God was gracious to Israel and would not allow Syria to destroy them or cast them out of His presence. The reason for God’s compassion on Israel was because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (2 Kings 13:22-23).
When Hazael, the king of Syria died, his son Ben-Hadad came to the Syrian throne. Jehoash recaptured the cities Syria had taken during the reign of Jehoahaz. He defeated the Syrians three times, just as God had said through Elisha (2 Kings 13:24-25).
But Syria was not the only nation Jehoash defeated on the battlefield.
Amaziah, the king of Judah, sent messengers to Jehoash and challenged him to battle (2 Kings 14:8). Jehoash responded:
"The thistle that was in Lebanon sent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, saying, 'Give your daughter to my son as wife'; and a wild beast that was in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle. You have indeed defeated Edom, and your heart has lifted you up. Glory in that, and stay at home; for why should you meddle with trouble so that you fall—you and Judah with you?" (2 Kings 14:9-10)
Jehoash basically says, “Why are you messing with me? It wouldn’t take much for me to defeat you. You’ve won a victory over Edom, and that’s great! Don’t let it go to your head. Stay home and celebrate your victory. Don’t make me come down there and whip you.”
But the king of Judah wouldn’t listen, so they faced each other in battle at Beth Shemesh, and Judah was routed (2 Kings 14:11-12). Jehoash captured the king of Judah, went to Jerusalem, and broke down a section of the wall about 400 cubits long (about 600 feet). Jehoash took all the gold, silver, articles from the temple, treasure from the king’s house, and hostages - and then he went home to Samaria (2 Kings 14:13-14).
When Jehoash died, he was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel, and his son Jeroboam reigned in his place (2 Kings 14:15-16).
King Jeroboam II (782-753 B.C.).
Jeroboam becomes king in Israel and reigns for 41 years (2 Kings 14:23). Unsurprisingly, he also “did evil in the sight of the LORD” and “did not depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat” (2 Kings 14:24). Jeroboam 2.0 was a lot like the original.
However, the Lord continued to be gracious to Israel. Jeroboam II “restored the territory of Israel from the entrance of Hamath (a northern city near Syria) to the Sea of the Arabah (another name for the Dead Sea)” according to God’s word through His proper Jonah (2 Kings 14:25). The Lord saw Israel’s affliction was “very bitter” and they had no one to help them, so He did not say He would blot them out from under heaven, but saved them by the hand of Jeroboam II (2 Kings 14:26-27).
At the end of Jeroboam II’s life, he was reknown in Israel for his mighty deeds and was buried alongside the other kings of Israel. His son - and the fourth generation from Jehu - reigned in his place (2 Kings 14:28-29).
During Jeroboam II’s life, there were at least three prophets of God actively preaching in the northern kingdom - Amos, Hosea, and Jonah.
Amos preached to Israel about the approaching disaster from the Lord because of their complacency, idolatry, and oppression of the poor. But because Israel was enjoying a time of peace and prosperity under the reign of Jeroboam II, nobody wanted to hear what he had to say.
Hosea focused on Israel’s “spiritual adultery” against the Lord and called them to return to Him before they faced His judgment upon their sins. Though they had been wicked and unfaithful, God still loved them and would save them if they would return to Him.
Jonah goes to the foreign, wicked nation of the Assyrians and sees God’s mercy upon them when they repent. But we also notice God’s longsuffering and mercy toward Jonah, an Israelite. The Lord can withhold disaster from those who listen to His warnings and repent of their sins.
King Zechariah (753-752 B.C.).
Zechariah came to the throne of Israel and reigned for only 6 months (2 Kings 15:8). He also “did evil in the sight of the LORD, as his fathers had done; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin” (2 Kings 15:9).
Zechariah’s reign only lasted 6 months because Shallum, the son of Jabesh, plotted against him and assassinated him in “Ibleam” - which is near the place where King Jehu had killed Ahaziah, the king of Judah (2 Kings 15:10; 9:27).
The bloodshed has come full circle - just as Jehu came to power through the sword, so his family line ultimately falls by the sword.
Jehu’s family sat on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation, just as the Lord had said (2 Kings 15:12).
Crowning Principles.
God’s blessings are not necessarily a sign of His approval.
During the reign of Jehu’s family, they won several significant military victories, became prosperous, and enjoyed a time of peace and stability never seen before in Israel.
But these blessings did not happen because of their faithfulness - the text is clear they were all wicked. These blessings came because God chose to be merciful and compassionate to Israel, giving them more time to see the error of their ways so they would return to Him.
If we are experiencing a time of strength, peace, and prosperity, don’t assume it’s a sign of God’s approval (Matthew 5:45). Perhaps it is, but perhaps it’s simply God being merciful toward us, giving us time to look into the mirror of His word and to repent of our sins (James 1:21-25).
The Lord is compassionate toward the oppressed.
The Lord called Moses to lead His people out of Egypt because He had “seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows” (Exodus 3:7).
When the northern kingdom of Israel faced “bitter oppression” at the hands of the Syrians, God raised up deliverers or “saviors” to rescue them.
God sent His own Son into this world (John 3:16) because He saw the bitter oppression we were enduring at the hands of sin because of our sins (Romans 7:9-11; Hebrews 2:14). Jesus came to set us free from our captivity to sin (Romans 6:3-7).
The Lord is a gracious, merciful, compassionate God who is the deliverer of the oppressed (Luke 4:17-21)!
God always keeps His promises; nevertheless, what we sow is what we reap. I gave a message last year about "No Matter How Bless You Are, You Are Going to Reap what You Sow." Thanks for the message.