And they brought forth the images out of the house of Baal, and burned them. And they brake down the image of Baal, and brake down the house of Baal, and made it a draught house unto this day. Thus Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.
-2nd Kings 10:26-28
One would think from these verses that King Jehu would be Israel’s version of zealous King Josiah who turns the kingdom of Judah away from its idolatry and leads a great revival. The images are burned and the temple to the false god Baal is turned into a urinal. Jehu leads a great slaughter of the Baal worshippers but made sure that all of the followers of the Lord were spared. And yet the very next verse tells us:
“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.”
Incredible! Rather than restoring Israel to true religion he was simply putting away the foreign idols in favor of Israel’s historic idols. What’s even more astonishing is that God sent his own prophet to anoint Jehu king of Israel while Ahab was still alive as Jehu was not naturally a successor to the throne. And after Ahab’s line is judged God speaks to Jehu directly (verse 30), without the facilitation of a priest or a prophet telling him that for his works his children will reign in Israel for four generations.
“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.” 2nd Kings 10:31
No amount of miracles or divine providence will soften an unbelieving heart. No matter how much proof an idolator sees, they remain stubborn and unbelieving unless God himself intervenes and gives that person a heart of flesh.
That is why we must pray the words of Psalm 80 for our leaders and governors:
“Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself. So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name. Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.”
"Little children, keep yourselves from idols." -1st John 5:21
Selah.
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