Jehu turns out to be an instrument of God in His riddance of Ahab. His life summary seems to be that of a Bible hero, yet in the end we will find that even Jehu had some failures.
This passage records the reigns of five kings of Israel and one king of Judah (in addition to the reign of Azariah of Judah in the first seven verses of the chapter). It is mostly a story of conspiracies and short reigns.
In 2 Kings 9, Jehu killed Jehoram king of Israel, Ahaziah king of Judah, and Jezebel. But he is not through. In this chapter we see the destruction of the children of Ahab, the brethren of Ahaziah, and the worshippers of Baal. In the end, Jehu is not a godly king. However, he portrays one aspect of the divine character – that of complete and total justice in the end. As Jehu brought all those guilty to justice, so will God do in the end. This story stands as a solemn warning to those who take the judgment of God lightly.
This chapter shows us what happens when the covetous heart runs free. The righteous Naboth paid the initial price of Ahab’s covetousness. We should beware the evil results of a covetous heart.
The price for serving other gods will not be furnished by God. Taxation of the people must be accomplished. This lesson shows the folly of a compromising nation who has turned from serving The Lord God Jehovah.
