To Look Beyond the Makeup #1

Friday, August 21, 2020

“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” (2 Kings 9:30 KJV).

Removing her “paint,” what do we see?

Over eight centuries before Christ, Joram (Jehoram) reigned for 12 years as the King of Israel. Like his father King Ahab, he has encouraged pagan idolatry among the Jewish people of these northern 10 tribes. At the close of chapter 8 of 2 Kings, Joram was injured in battle with the Syrians. With chapter 9 opening, the Prophet Elisha directs one of the children of the prophets to travel to Ramothgilead (east of the Jordan River) and anoint Jehu as Israel’s new king. Jehu is captain of Israel’s army under Joram’s command.

Let us read from the context of today’s Scripture: “[6] And he [Jehu] arose, and went into the house; and he [the son of the prophet] 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. [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. [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: [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: [10] And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he [the son of the prophet] opened the door, and fled.”

This is certainly a bizarre passage, is it not? Jehu has been given a Divine commission. As the new monarch, he is to purge Israel of all Ahab’s descendants and idolatry. This elimination of evil religion amongst the 10 northern tribes includes doing away with Ahab’s widow, “beautiful” Jezebel….

*Note: If you are curious as to why “pisseth” appears in the King James Bible, be sure to read this informative study!

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