2 Kings 10, The Word Of The Lord Will Be Fulfilled
1. Wickedness Will Be Fully Punished (v1-10)
2. God Will Work Through Imperfect People (v11-17)
3. False Religion Will Be Destroyed (v18-28)
4. Partial Devotion Will Bring Destruction (v29-36)
2 Kings 10, The Word Of The Lord Will Be Fulfilled
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Here in verses one through 10 of Second Kings Chapter 10, we get to jump right into the rampage.
You might call it of Jehu, who this man, who has just recently become king.
He's been anointed King of Israel, and as he has stepped into this.
Role as king.
He has immediately gone into the work of cleaning house and really taking out.
Many of the members and family of the previous king and really related to King Ahab, now verse 10, provides for us a little bit of a key thought for the chapter for us to consider.
Again, verse 10 says no, now that nothing shall fall to the earth.
Of the word.
Of the Lord which the Lord spoke, concerning the House of Ahab.
For the Lord has done what he spoke by his servant Elijah.
And so on that note, I've titled the message Tonight.
The word of the Lord will be fulfilled.
Jehu, who makes this announcement here in verse 10.
He says everybody you've seen what happened here you need to know nothing will fall to the earth of the word of the Lord.
Not one part of God's word will be unfulfilled or be left undone, and specifically he's thinking about and has in mind the things that God spoke against.
The House of Ahab now for us as we consider this we can see that played out in the House of Ahab in this chapter this evening.
But we can also broaden it and understand. Generally speaking, the word of the Lord will be fulfilled, not just in Ahab's house, but in every.
Once in all that God has said and the things that God has declared the the things that God has said that he would bless the things that God had said would bring destruction.
Every word that God has said will be fulfilled, and so as we consider the words of J.
Who and the actions of J who tonight may it be a reminder for us of the importance.
And the value of understanding and knowing that God's word will be full.
This is something we know but also need to be reminded of from time to time that the word of God is going to be accomplished.
The Apostle Paul writing to the Galatians said, don't be deceived.
God cannot be mocked.
If you sow to the flesh, you reap corruption.
If you sow to the spirit, you reap everlasting life.
There's a danger of deception in regards to this thinking that we can sow to the flesh.
And the word of God will not be fulfilled, that there won't be the reaping of destruction that God has promised.
But here, as we look at this example, we can take note and be mindful of this reality.
So to the spirit, you will reap everlasting life.
That is the word of the Lord, and it will be fulfilled.
But you sow to the flesh, you invest yourself in the things of the flesh.
It will bring destruction in your life.
You invest yourself in the things of the spirit.
It will bring life and abundant life into your life.
And so the word of the Lord will be fulfilled.
Now this is one of those passages that you probably wouldn't deliberately choose to just go study.
For fun, it's one of those that has some very challenging things in it, and so it's a eat your vegetables.
Kind of Bible study tonight as we look at Second Kings Chapter 10, but with a great reminder, great value, great nutritional value for us spiritually.
The word of the Lord will be fulfilled verses one through 10.
Give us point number one and that is that wickedness will be fully punished.
We need to remember.
We need to know and understand wickedness will be fully punished as we consider what happens to the House of Ahab.
Here in verses one through 10.
Looking again at verses one through three, it says.
This now Ehab had 70 sons in Samaria, and J, who wrote and sent letters system area to the rulers of Jezreel to the elders and to those who reared Ahab, son saying.
As soon as this letter comes to you since your master's sons are with you and you have Chariots and horses, a fortified city also in weapons, choose the best.
The most qualified of your master's sons set him on his father's throne and fight.
For your master's house.
Now, Jehu, whose reign begins in Second Kings Chapter 9 and so that was yesterday's reading.
Today, we continue on we're jumping kind of like right into the middle of his first few days as king.
Up to this point, he's already done a lot.
The first part of chapter nine.
He was anointed as King of Israel.
Then he went right to work in.
Taking out some of the enemies of the Lord and the descendants of Ahab, he killed Joram and Azia.
He arranged for or called for the death of Jezebel, who was the wife of Ahab.
Now Ihab was a notoriously wicked king for the Nation of Israel.
He was a king that did more wickedness before all the Kings more than all the kings who.
Had gone before him.
And God had spoken to Ahab multiple times.
One time in particular, in First Kings Chapter 21, God sends the prophet Elijah to a heaven, and you might remember the incident.
It was when they had.
Was all Moody.
And glum because he wanted a vineyard, and naboth wouldn't sell it to him, and so his wife said Jezebel.
She said oh don't worry about it.
I'll take care of it for you and she gets Naboth killed.
And then tells he have all right, he's dead.
You can go take his vineyard and he's there hanging out in the vineyard and just really enjoying it.
And now God sends Elijah, Elijah shows.
Up and begins to deliver to him the word of the Lord, and let me just share with you a couple things.
From First Kings chapter 21 there in verse twenty of First Kings 21, he had said to Elijah.
Have you found me Oh my enemy and he answered, I have found you because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight.
Of the Lord.
Behold, I will bring calamity on you.
I will take away your posterity, and will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel, both bond and free.
First Kings chapter 21 happened.
A few years ago now in Second Kings chapter 10 J, who we find is the instrument that God is using to fulfill this promise because of the wickedness of Ahab and the whole vineyard incident was just one example of the wickedness of Ahab.
There was an abundance of wickedness of Ahab, and as he's relishing.
In this new venue that he has taken.
The Lord sends him Elijah and gives him this prophecy he have.
I'm going to take you out and I'm going to take out all of your male children that there will not be carrying on of your name in Israel, that your lineages going to be wiped out.
And again, this is because it tells us in First Kings.
Chapter 21, verse 25 there was.
No one like.
Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord because Jezebel, his wife, stirred him up.
And so here we find that Ahab was wicked.
This announcement is made by the prophet Elijah in First Kings 21, but notice that.
Some time has passed.
It wasn't in First Kings Chapter 22 that these events began to unfold, but it was all the way to 2nd Kings Chapter 10 that there's been some time that has passed. There's been some years that have gone by.
And it would be easy to imagine he had hearing this prophecy that.
His family would be destroyed and thinking, you know, doesn't seem like it seems like everything is going OK so far.
Still and and it could be that he began to entertain in his mind that he would not reap what he had sown.
And it's why we need to be reminded because we have those same kind of tendencies in our mind to begin to think for ourselves that our own wickedness will not be fully punished or we begin to be worried about others who are wicked and and we worry and fret over the.
Idea that the wickedness that's happening in the world around us is not being dealt with and and we can be really concerned over that.
But here's something to settle our hearts, the word of the Lord.
Will be fulfilled.
Wickedness will be fully punished.
It's going to happen.
Justice will be brought forth.
God is going to make sure of it now in.
The case of Ahab.
It comes through this man, Jehu.
And he has killed Jezebel by this point he had died previous to this.
But his the the king in his place has also been killed now.
And so Jehu challenges Ahab sons.
And he says, look.
Pick someone to lead the charge against me.
Pick someone to take the throne so that we can battle together and I can bring this destruction that God has called me to bring.
But as he sends this letter to the rulers or the elders at Samaria, Samaria was the capital city for the northern Kingdom for the nation.
And so as he sends these letters to Samaria, the elders and the people of Samaria say, you know.
The other kings couldn't stand up to him, and So what are we going to do that the other kings couldn't do?
He's already conquered a lot and had great victory, and so they decided we're just going to surrender.
They just fully surrender in verse four, it says they were exceedingly afraid.
And said look 2 kings could not stand up to him how?
Then can we stand?
And he was in charge of the house, and he was in charge of the city, the elders, those who reared the sons, sent to jail, who saying we are your servants?
We will do.
All you tell us.
But we will not make anyone king do.
What is good?
In your sight.
And so here the elders of Samaria just surrender.
They realize we can't win this battle, so we accept you as King J who.
So you tell us what to do and you do what's good in your site and so J who sends them another letter in verse 6.
In this letter he says, OK, if you're going to be submitted to me and a servant of me, then take the heads off of the sons.
Ahab and behead them, and bring their heads to me at Jezreel, so Samaria and Jezreel were about 25 miles apart.
Jehu, who's at Jezreel and he is saying, OK, rather than me.
Come and fight against the city since you surrender then just.
Cut off the heads of all the sons of.
Ahab and send them over to me.
In verse seven it says so it was when the letter came to them.
They took the king sons and slaughtered 70 persons put their heads in baskets and sent them to him at Jezreel.
Then the messenger came and told him, saying they have brought the heads of the King sons, and he said lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gates until morning.
Now, thinking about and considering heads being taken off the sons of Ahab again, it's not necessarily something that would be pleasant or desirable, something that we would go out of our way to consider just for fun, right?
And yet, at the same time, it's something that we do need to consider because we have here the fulfillment.
Of the word of God. This is exactly what God said would happen, that the word of God would be fulfilled in Ahab's sons being put to death. Verse 9 so it was in them.
That he went out and stood and said to all the people, you are righteous.
Indeed, I conspired against my master and killed him.
But who killed all of these pointing at the heads that were there now, piled there at the city?
No, now that nothing shall fall to the earth of the.
Word of the.
Lord, which the Lord spoke concerning the House of Ahab.
But the Lord has done where he spoke by his servant.
The Lord has done what he spoke by his servant Elijah. This is a reference directly back to First Kings 21.
When Elijah met Ihab and said, here's what the Lord says, I will bring calamity on you.
I will cut off from may have every meal in Israel, both bond and free.
And so maybe not something we would want to consider in this way, but it is something that we do need to consider and understand.
Wickedness will be fully punished.
Let that stand strong in your mind and in your heart.
So that if there is wickedness taking place in your own life, that there would be repentance, that you would turn from that, receive the forgiveness of the Lord, because you cannot be deceived and so foolish to think that you can just carry on and not be punished.
Don't be deceived, Paul said.
Whatever a man sows that he will also reap.
Or if you're overly concerned about the wickedness that's happening in the world around us, understand not.
You know we should be vexed in our hearts by sin.
At the same time we should never be.
Troubled in a way where we think that people are getting away with or wickedness is winning the enemies plots and the enemies tactics that that that we should not be in the the mindset that they are being victorious.
Nobody is getting away with wickedness.
Wickedness will be fully punished, just as the Lord fulfilled his word.
To Ahab this wicked king.
Well, moving on to verses 11 through 17, we continue on considering the word of the Lord will be fulfilled.
And here in these verses I want.
To consider with you that God will work through imperfect people.
The word of the Lord will be fulfilled.
How will he fulfill it?
Well, God has a variety of means and methods.
Sometimes he just takes care of things himself.
He handles it on his own.
Sometimes he sends angels to do his.
Work many times he involves people.
And the problem with people is that they're not perfect, but God is still able to use them, and J who is a good example of this.
Check out verse 11.
It says so J.
Who killed all who remained of the House of Ahab in Israel.
And all his great men and his close acquaintances and his priests, until he left him, none remaining.
Notice what it says here in verse 11 J.
Who killed all who remained of the House of Ahab in Jezreel.
Summarizing kind of what we just considered kind of in continuation really.
So the sons of Ahab were in Samaria.
Now in Jezreel Ahab had some relatives and so J who goes to work now in Jezreel where he's at with the descendants of Ahab, again fulfilling the word.
The Lord.
And he's doing this in direct obedience to God.
If you back it up a little bit, Second Kings Chapter 9.
Let's read a couple of verses here.
Second kings.
Chapter 9 verses 6 through 8 it says this.
Then he arose.
This is a servant of Elisha.
He arose and went into the house.
And poured the oil on.
His head this is Jehu, whose head and said to him thus says the Lord God of Israel.
I have anointed you king.
Over the people of the.
Lord over Israel, you shall strike down the House of Ahab your 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.
For the whole House of Ihab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab all the males in Israel, both bond and free.
And so you can see God had given he had directly the prophecy about what would.
Happen to his descendants.
And now when Jehu, who is anointed king by the Lord God, gives him very clear instructions. Alright, here's priority, #1 Jehu. You go take out the House of Ahab.
The Lord says I will avenge the blood of my servants.
Ahab has killed my servants, my people, the prophets.
And I'm going to deal with that wickedness through you.
And so Jehu, who himself is the instrument, now a lot of times we can wrestle with this kind of thing.
We often wrestle with it also, when earlier in the year we were in the Book of Joshua and.
People or the children visitor are heading into the promised land and God command is to drive out the inhabitants of the land to wipe out cities to, you know, do a great slaughter in the land of Israel and we can wrestle with that as well.
But but what we need to understand is when God is giving these kinds of instructions, he is dealing with sin.
He is bringing judgment.
And he's chosen to use people.
To fulfill that judgment.
Now, if God called down fire from heaven, Sodom and Gomorrah style, that's also a form of judgment that God could bring.
But God is God, and he gets to choose the means and the methods that he wants.
And so sometimes he uses a nation going into a nation that has been before them that has been wicked and unrepentant, and God will use a nation to bring judgment and discipline another nation.
Sometimes God will use a jahu someone who is given this instruction by the Lord to come in and work in this way and fulfill the purposes and plans of God.
And so God works through people, but at the same time we understand people are people Jehu who is not perfect in all of his ways.
He has some weaknesses and his motives are somewhat questionable as we continue on you can see.
At first he's fulfilling the word of the Lord.
So again, verse 11, so J who killed all who remained of the House of Ahab in Jezreel.
He is continuing on.
The chorus that God set him on, but then the rest of verse 11 says, and all his great men and his close acquaintances and his priests, until he left none remaining.
And there seems to be an issue here with what J who did because.
Now he's not just.
Putting to death members of Ahab's family.
He has widened the circle now and it's his acquaintances that he's putting to death and all the great men.
So his advisers and and those who were close to him, his friends and and and the people who were around him.
He has widened the scope now and it's not just the family now gotta give specific instruction about the family.
And Jahu was to deal with them and he did, and that's good.
He gets a little bit carried away.
He's no longer.
Just addressing the issues with the family and so there can be some challenges here as we consider this.
One thing is hard enough to just consider the judgment of God by itself, but now the idea of God allowing for someone to.
Be overzealous in this judgment like Jehu, who is and and going above and beyond and broadening beyond what God has established and and that can be a challenge for us as well.
But but here's something to note and kind of ties back into verse one.
So God is going to deal with the.
Issue of Jehu as well.
Although he's an instrument of God, he's also going to be an instrument of judgment from God in.
In the future, and so we find this mentioned in Hosea, Chapter one, and so if you're wrestling with, this is a good passage to consider Hosea as he is about to have his first son, or sorry.
Yeah, first son the Lord gives him instruction about what to name the child.
So he takes Gomer in verse three of Hosea 1, the daughter of Diblaim.
She conceived and bore him a son.
And the Lord said to him, call his name Jezreel for in a little while.
I will avenge the bloodshed of Jezreel on the House of Jacob.
And bring an end.
To the Kingdom of the House.
Of Israel.
Here we get the indication J who went too far.
There is unjust blood that was shed by J who.
At Jezreel and so God says, call this boy's name Jezreel, because I'm about to bring about the justice for that.
So it's kind of an interesting domino effect, right?
So Ihab was wicked and needed to be brought to justice.
So then God raised up J.
Who and J?
Who brought justice?
To the House of Ahab.
But then he also got carried away, went too far.
And now there's justice that's needed again.
And later on God's gonna say, OK, I'm going to raise up someone else to come and bring justice in this instance of this bloodshed, that was.
Beyond what I had instructed Jahu.
Well, we can see that pattern continue in verses 12 through 14.
With J, who says he arose and departed and went to.
Samaria on the.
Way at Beth Echad of the Shepherds J who met with the brothers of as I a king of Judah.
And said who are you?
So they answered, we are the brothers of Isaiah.
We have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the Queen Mother.
And he said, take them alive, so they took them alive and killed them at the well of Beth Echod 42 men. And he left none of them.
First, he's killing the family of Ahab.
Then he goes to work on the acquaintances and great men.
And you know the the people surrounding Ahab.
Now he meets this other random group on the way and he decides well, I'm going to take them out too.
And there's a little bit of debate you could have between scholars about you.
Know whether or not this was in J who's.
Realm of authority.
Should he have done this?
Should he not have done it?
It's not clear.
You know, I don't know about you, but I like it when things are very nice and clear, clearly defined.
You know this is all good and this is all bad and there's no mixing of them.
But as you look at the account of Jehu who he's he's a mix of both, he's got some some obedience to the Lord aspects of his life, and he's got some disregard for the things of the Lord in his life as well. And so we find him as God's instrument but imperfect.
And that's OK. God's OK with that. God's able to use imperfect people to accomplish his purposes in God's perspective, right?
The the tool might be crooked, a little bit broken, but he's still able to use it to work out something right and good, and so God will accomplish.
Right and good through broken instruments through crooked tools like you and I.
Well verse 15 continues on.
Now when he departed from there, he met Jonadab, the son of Rechab, coming to meet him.
And he greeted him and said to him, is your heart right?
As my heart is toward your heart and Jonadab said it is Jehu who said if it is, give me your hand so he gave him his hand and he took him up into the chariot.
For 16 then he said, come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.
Word, so they had him ride in his chariot.
Then when he came to Samaria, he killed all who remained in Ihab.
2 we have in Samaria till he had destroyed them.
Notice how it ends in verse 17 according to the word of the Lord which he spoke to Elijah.
Now Jewish tradition tells us these two guys are friends.
Long before this.
Jonadab and Jehu who go way back and so he encounters his friend.
He says hey, are you with me?
Says I'm with you all right.
Come and see my zeal for the Lord.
Now it's a really cool saying here, right come and see my zeal for the Lord.
Come get on board with the the thing that God has set me on the path that he set me on and how I am zealously pursuing this course that God has given to me.
And kind of a cool saying.
But kind of a weird context of that saying right so.
So he takes him into some area and he continues the killing of Ahab's family there in some area until he had destroyed them and and verse.
17 again it points out this is all according to the word of the Lord Jehu, who is God's instrument accomplishing God.
Purpose in the family of Ahab.
And so we learn a very important lesson here.
God will work through imperfect.
Jehu, who killed some?
That he was supposed to kill got her dened and set up and established and Jehu, who was God righteous instrument for judgment or his instrument for righteous judgment.
But then we find that Jehu, who killed some that we don't know if he was supposed to kill them, did.
I don't know if that was in the parameters in which God gave him.
But then we also see Jehu who killed some, that he was definitely not supposed to kill that.
'cause the Lord to say later I need to go and bring justice to the bloodshed that was done by Jehu at Jezreel.
Whatever the case, God can use crooked tools to carve something straight to do something good.
To do something right.
We can see this again and we'll see it again as we continue on in second kings, the nation of Assyria is going to be God's instrument against the nation of Israel, but the king of Assyria is going to decide you know what? I don't just want.
The Nation of Israel.
I want the nation.
Of Judah
But God hadn't given the nation of Judah to.
Assyria, and so the king there is going to be fighting against God, and saying, I'm used by God to conquer Israel, to bring discipline to them.
And so I'm going to also much like Jehu who I'm just going to broaden the circle a bit and take Judah also.
And God says no.
Crooked stick.
The king of this.
Area the gods gonna use him.
To do.
His purpose is and accomplish what he wants.
In Habakkuk we find the Prophet wrestling with this idea.
In chapter one of Habakkuk.
He's wrestling and praying to God and saying, Lord, don't you see all of the wickedness and injustice that's happening in the nation around us?
And the Prophet is asking the Lord the question, when will you do something about this?
And God responds and says.
I'm working on it.
I'm sending Babylon and then evacuate.
Cancers, whoa whoa whoa whoa they're.
More wicked than us, how can you use someone more wicked than us?
To deal with our wickedness, and God says, don't worry about it, I can do it.
I I can tell you about it, but you wouldn't believe me even if I told you essentially is what God tells them.
God is able to accomplish his purposes.
He works through imperfect people.
He works through nations.
He works in a variety of ways.
However, he chooses and wants to.
To fulfill his word.
But the bottom line is the word of the Lord will be fulfilled.
And he is evil to use whatever means he chooses. Well, the third thing to consider verses 18 through 28 is that false religion will be destroyed. Verse 18 and 19 says this.
Then J who gathered all the people together and said to them.
He have served ball a little J who will serve him much.
Now therefore, me therefore call to me all the prophets of Baal and his servants, and all his priests.
Let no one be missing, for I have a great sacrifice for ball.
Whoever is missing shall not live.
But Jahu acted deceptively, and with the intent of destroying the worshippers.
Of ball, and so we're given the inside scoop here.
As we get into this portion, we understand Jehu, who is not trying to wish about all here, but he's playing a trick.
He's saying, alright, I'm going to worship, but all more than any king who's gone before me.
So everybody, let's let's throw a big worship to ball celebration.
Everybody come from far and wide and let's all gather together and have a big worship session here for the God the false God ball.
And so, Jehu who is executing this plan, he's setting a trap.
In verse 20 it says Jehu, who said proclaim his solemn assembly furrball, so they proclaimed it.
Then Jehu, who sent through all Israel all the worshippers of Baal come, came so that there was not a man left who did not come, so they came into the temple of Baal and the Temple of Baal was full from one end to the other.
So he searches out the whole nation, calls everybody to come.
They're all convinced he is going to really be fully committed.
To this idolatry to this worship of Baal that they have been involved in.
J who goes about this in a very strategic way. In verse 22, he makes sure to clearly identify all the worshippers of Baal and verse 22.
It says he said to the one in charge of the wardrobe, bring out vestments for all the worshippers of Baal, so they brought out vestments for them.
We don't know exactly what the investment was, but it was some type of wardrobe, right?
Maybe a scarf, maybe a vest, maybe a shirt, maybe a cap.
I don't know, but so they were to wear this in the worship of Baal, and in this way all the worshippers of Baal would be clearly identified.
And it would be easy to spot them in the midst of the crowd.
But then Jacob, who goes on in his strategy to make sure nobody who is not a worshipper of Baal, is in the group in verse 23.
Then Jahu and Jonadab the son of Rechab, went into the.
Temple of Baal.
And said to the worshippers of Baal Surgency, that no servants of the Lord are here with you.
But only the worshippers of Baal so clear out everybody else who doesn't belong.
Make sure that it we have, you know, really pure worship of this false God here, and then make sure there's no servants of the Lord here, and so they're searching out.
They're making sure they're pushing out anybody who is not fully committed to the worship of Baal.
And then he.
Brings about the execution verse 24 so they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings.
Now, Jehu, who had appointed for himself 80 men on the outside and had said if any of the men whom I have brought into your hands, escapes, whoever lets him escape, it shall be his life for the life of the other.
Now it happened as soon as he made an end of the offering, the burnt offering that Jehu who said to the guard and to the captains go in and kill them.
Let no one come out.
And they killed them with the edge of the sword.
Then the guards and the officers threw them out.
And went into the inner room.
Of the Temple of Baal.
Here, there's a great execution for those who are involved in this idolatry.
This false religion, the worship of Baal, who is the fertility God of the Canaanites before them, and so this.
Was Jehu who's plan all along gathering all altogether, making sure it's only worshippers of Baal inside, and then he sends in his guard?
He says like, have you let any of them go?
It's your life for their life.
He makes it very steep charges or stakes against the soldiers to make sure that this is complete and thorough.
The worshippers of Baal are taken out.
Then they destroyed the temple in verse 26 and 27 they brought the sacred pillars out of the temple of Baal and burned them.
Then they broke down the sacred pillar of ball and tore down the temple of Baal, and made it a refuge dump.
To this day a public.
Dump a public.
Bathroom essentially is what he turned the temple of Baal into to make sure that it was never used again.
Now this was something that he had had established.
He built this temple.
He established the worship of Baal, and so this falls under the same category of the things that God had called Jehu, who to bring down.
In the destroying of Ahab's house and the wickedness that he had brought into the land, and so verse 28 summer.
Guys is it Jehu who destroyed the all from Israel?
This is 1 instance of something that happened right.
That ball worship was destroyed, but it's also an indication a reminder that all false religion will be handled this way.
Maybe not exactly this same format with you know someone tricking people.
Into worship and then killing them all at once.
Like that's not the way that it's always going to take place, but.
The reality is false.
Religion will be destroyed as you.
Look forward into those things that are still yet future that have been prophesied.
There's a lot the Lord has to say about the future.
The coming world leader.
The casting down of other religions.
The establishing of a new religion that is above all other religions.
But then also that religion.
That is established by the Antichrist and the false prophet.
Will also be destroyed that this is what God has declared and we can rest and know without a shadow of a doubt every cult, every false religion, every false doctrine, every lie from the enemy will be thrown down and destroyed.
Whenever I think about this, I always.
For some reason have this connection in my mind to Isaiah Chapter 2.
It's just one of those passages that I taught a long time ago, but it has just stuck out to to me and I always remember this in light of the this idea of false religions.
I want to read to you a few verses here from Isaiah Chapter 2.
It says for the day of the Lord of hosts shall come upon.
Everything proud and lofty upon everything lifted up, and it shall be brought low.
Upon all the Cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of besian upon all the Heidi Mountain High Mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up upon every high tower, and upon every fortified wall upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all the beautiful sloops, the loftiness.
Of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low.
The Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
But the idols he shall utterly abolish.
There the Lord speaking through the prophet Isaiah, says.
There's a day coming the day of the Lord.
It's going to come up on everything that is proud and lofty.
Everything that is lifted up and exalted and he goes on to list a bunch of things that in their day in their time they celebrated and they thought that that you know that was the greatest testimony of how awesome they were there.
Their accomplishments and all that they had done.
But he says the loftiness of men shall be bowed down, but there is a day coming the day of the Lord, where the word of the Lord will be fulfilled, and every high thing will be brought down, so that Isaiah 217 the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. Every mountain will be brought low.
So that the Lord alone stands above every high and exalted thing every you know, high, highly esteemed.
Person every highly esteemed concept or religion.
Everything that man worships everything that man builds up and and celebrates it will all be brought low and the Lord alone will be exalted.
This is something we can count on and know for sure.
The word of the Lord will be fulfilled.
False religion will be destroyed every high thing.
Every loftiness of man shall be cast.
Jesus declared in John chapter 14.
I am the way, the truth and the life.
No one comes to the father except.
Through me
There is one way.
To be with the father, one way to eternity with God.
Jesus declares I'm it.
I'm the only way that's the only path, the way, the truth and the life every other way.
Every other proposed way or supposed way.
Every other high thing or exalted thing will be cast down.
And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
False religion will be destroyed.
Well, finally.
Looking at.
The closing verses 29 through 36. We get point #4 and that is that partial devotion will bring destruction.
Verse 29 says, however, J, who did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had made Israel sin, that is, from the golden calves that were at Bethel, and.
Dan verse 30 and the Lord said 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 to your sons shall sit on the throne of Israel, to the 4th generation.
First thirty one, but Jehu, who took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all of his heart, for he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam who had made Israel sin.
Again, I like it when there's clearly defined.
You know, this guy is good.
This guy is bad like this makes it so much easier for me and my brain can settle in that.
But here you have jahu
You have a verse in verse 29 saying.
J who involved himself in idolatry, not the worship.
Of Baal, but.
A different kind of idolatry that had been established by the 1st King of Israel, Jeroboam after Israel and Judah split Jeroboam, set up like golden calf in the north and in the South.
And said alright guys, let's worship the true and living God by worshiping these calves and so is.
A form of idolatry, a a worship of God, but in a wrong way.
An attempt to you know, worship God and keep people from going to Jerusalem.
But it was ideology.
It was another false religion that he had established and Jehu who participates in that he engages in the worship of these golden calves.
But then in the next verse, God says to Jehu, well done right now not well done in the worship of these golden calves, but well done in your execution of my word in regards to Ahab and his house.
So you did that part good, right?
God just kind of seeing those out the part he did good and says.
Good job on that and so because of that hey, your sons are going to hold the throne.
For four generations.
Your dynasty is going to last a while because you are faithful.
Notice what he says to do all that was in my heart to the House of Ahab. God, it was in God's heart to bring judgment to the House of Ahab and Jehu, who brought that forth.
So he did good.
But he worshipped these false gods and then verse 31 and he took no heed to walk in the law of God of Israel.
With all of his.
Heart he he didn't even contemplate.
How can I walk with God with all my heart?
He just.
Watch how he wanted to walk.
He didn't try to.
He didn't endeavor to be devoted to God, he.
He was obedient to God.
In this aspect of Ihab's family.
But that was the extent of how much he was interested in.
He didn't even bother to look further it well.
How can I be more obedient to God?
How can I develop and grow and be more faithful to God?
He worked hard against.
But all but not against all idolatry.
So he did all this to bring down the false religion of Baal worship, but.
He wasn't necessarily opposed to idolatry in general, just that particular kind of idolatry.
And so he was kind of picking and choosing what he would want to do and how he would desire to obey the Lord.
I like what Charles Spurgeon says about this, he says.
J who did obey.
God up to a.
Certain point it happened to be a profitable thing to him.
To exterminate the old Royal House of Ahab because it would confirm himself upon his own throne.
But anything beyond.
That did not pay and therefore jahu did not touch it.
Spurgeon is pointing out here.
It was very selfish obedience.
He was obedient to God, where it fit his agenda, where it fit, why this is really good for me.
If I do what God has said here.
And he liked it.
And so he said, alright, I'm going to obey it but but there's a difference between obeying God with all of our hearts and just obeying God in the areas where we agree.
And if we only obey God in the areas.
That we agree.
This is what I would call partial devotion.
It's partial devotion where we're the ones picking and choosing what we want to obey from God.
And if we're not in the.
Position of seeking to be more faithful to God and more submitted to God and more surrendered to God.
If we don't take any thought or consideration for that, we we're, we're in danger of this kind of partial devotion where we're just like, hey, where it aligns where it's just kind of a happy accident where God wants the same thing that I want.
It's good for me then that's great I'll do what God wants there.
But I'm not.
Really interested in.
Learning anything more about what God wants, I just I just like that this happens to line up with something that I want.
J who took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart.
He took no heat.
He did paid no mind to it.
No, no attention didn't contemplate.
Didn't consider, didn't meditate on how can I?
Know the Lord or walk with the Lord.
To serve the Lord.
Better he just did what he wanted to do.
But enjoyed and celebrated those times when what he wanted to do lined up with something that God wanted him to do.
And so his partial devotion brings about his destruction later on.
It begins to happen in his lifetime in his reign in verse 32. It says in those days the Lord began to cut off parts of Israel and has real conquered them in all the territory of Israel, from the Jordan eastward. All the land of Gilead, Gad, Reuben, Emma, NASA from Aurora, which is by the river.
Are non including Gilead and besian.
So Jehu who is now King, right?
He's established himself as king he has is ruling over the whole nation.
But his rule is diminishing.
And again I would attribute this to his partial devotion.
He's not.
Determined to seek the Lord and know the Lord and be faithful to the Lord.
And so God continues to bring discipline against the children of Israel, and so Hazul is now attacking and now taking territory from Israel.
Now let me give you just a quick.
Look at the geography here.
So Israel and Judah at one time there were one nation under David and Solomon, but after Solomon had split in two, we're just talking about the nation of Israel tonight in chapter.
10 and so the nation of Israel has been diminishing and diminishing, as the Kings have been pursuing their own wickedness and their own hearts.
And so probably it's less than what we see on the map here, but here specifically in verse 32 and 33, it tells us this is the time where the.
The area, the territory east of the Jordan, and so we're really focused on this one piece of the nation of Israel.
This is what has you know, conquered and took, and so this portion of Israel is no longer part of Israel as a result of their decay as a part of their ongoing destruction for their rebellion against God.
And so he's experiencing the taking away of his Kingdom as a result of his partial devotion unto the Lord.
But it's also interesting to consider this passage because it's the fulfillment of what we wrestle with or think about and talk about in the book of Joshua and the Book of Deuteronomy, where the Children of Israel.
Are about to crossover.
The Jordan and three tribes, Reuben, Gad and Manasseh say hey, you know what we really like this side of the Jordan River.
We don't want to crossover.
Why don't we take our inheritance here and the rest of you guys?
You can go inherit the rest of the land and there's some you know haggling that goes back and forth.
And finally Moses says, OK?
Well, send your soldiers over.
And help your brethren conquer and the land that God promised to you.
And then you can.
Come back afterwards.
But but they decided to inhabit this land a little bit.
We would suggest prematurely that.
Perhaps God would expand their territory in the future and give them this land.
But at this time.
Him God had been calling them across the Jordan River.
But you can kind of perhaps relate this to the point here.
Partial devotion will bring destruction, because this is the first big piece of the nation of Israel that is taken away captive.
And so perhaps there's some valuable lessons there you keep yourself on the other side of the Jordan.
You keep yourself separate.
There's devotion, but it's partial devotion.
I don't want to crossover all the way.
I don't want to fully be immersed, you know, in the plans of God and the things of God.
It leaves you vulnerable to these kinds of attacks, and partial devotion will bring full destruction.
Ultimately, it will lead to this kind of path, and so we see that played out in J whose life we see that played out in the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh.
Partial devotion will bring.
Destruction, well, it concludes the Kingdom of Jehu in the next few verses. I'll just read through those. Verse 34 says. 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?
So Jehu, who rested with his fathers and they buried him in Samaria. Then Jehovah has his son reigned in his place, and the period that Jehu who reigned over Israel in Samaria was 28.
J who had a pretty good rain 28 years he reigned in Israel, one of the longer times for the Kings of Israel.
He did some good, but was not fully devoted.
To the things of the Lord, and as a result, brought destruction into his life.
Partial devotion brought this destruction.
His zeal for the Lord that he boasted about earlier turned into, yeah, it's good enough.
He started off really strong right?
But then it's like, yeah, it's good enough.
That's I don't need to think about more how I can walk with the Lord to know the Lord.
There's an old saying.
What's important is not how high you jump.
But how straight you walk once you hit?
The ground.
And sometimes is.
Those who are.
Experiencing an encounter of the Lord, we jump high and we say, come and look at my zeal for the Lord.
And that's awesome to have that zeal for the Lord and to be engaged in an exciting work doing something that God is doing.
But the real question is, how straight are you going to walk once you land once you get past that initial excitement?
Will you be?
Devoted to pursuing God to knowing his heart, to seeking out his ways, and to wanted to accomplish his will.
With your Zillah, Zillah, zealousness turned into it's good enough.
I got enough change in my life and enough has turned enough has been transformed that that's it.
That's good enough.
I don't need more than that.
It's partial devotion.
I would caution you that it leads to destruction. One final thought here from FB Meyer.
He says do not be content to be strong against evil.
Be eagerly ambitious of good.
It is easier to be vehement against the abomination of others.
That's in judge and put away your own secret sins.
J who is strong against the worship of Baal.
But it wasn't eagerly ambitious of good.
He was vehement against you, know the idolatry of of those who worshipped at all.
But he wasn't opposed to idolatry in general, he.
He held onto and it was a blind spot to him.
You might say that that he was strong against particular kinds of sin.
But not strong against sin as a whole.
His own sins.
They're OK, not too bad.
Partial devotion.
It brings destruction, make sure.
As he says, don't be content to be strong against evil, but eagerly ambitious of good.
Because the word of the Lord will be fulfilled.
We will reap what we have sown.
And so let's sow seeds of righteousness.
Seeds of time, Energy, focus, devotion, and passion for the things of the Lord that we would reap everlasting life.
Let's pursue the things of the Lord, knowing that the word of the Lord will be fulfilled.
Lord, we thank you for your word.
This important reminder help us God to take it to heart may just be a strong beacon in our minds continually Lord sounding every few minutes.
The word of the Lord will be fulfilled, Lord, we can trust you to fulfill your word.
The promises of good, the promises, Lord, that we hold onto and hope for.
But Lord also the other side of that coin is your word of judgment.
Lord, your word of dealing with sin and repaying those who have disregarded you, and and dishonored you.
Lord, that word will be fulfilled as well.
And so Lord help us to be people who please you who pursue your glory and your honor.
Help us God to recognize those areas where we're.
Out of line.
And God bring us to that place of repentance.
Lord, that we would turn from sin and experience the glory of forgiveness as we get back in line.
But with you and your plans back in fellowship with you and all that you.
Have for us.
Lord help us to know.
Above everything else, your word will be fulfilled.
Help us.
To count on it.
And to base our lives upon it, we pray this in Jesus name.