2 Kings 9. I'm going to read the entire chapter. It's a lengthy one. It's difficult for you to stand that long. You certainly do not have to. You may be seated during that reading of Scripture. Please stand with me as we hear not the words of men, but the word of the living God. Then Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, tie up your garments and take this flask of oil in your hand and go to Ramoth Gilead. And when you arrive, look there for Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi, and go in and have him rise from among his fellows and lead him to an inner chamber. Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel. Then open the door and flee. Do not linger. So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth-Gilead. And when he came, behold, the commanders of the army were in council. And he said, I have a word for you, O commander. And Jehu said, To which of us all? And he said, To you, O commander. So he arose and went into the house, and the young man poured oil on his head, saying to him, Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, I anoint you king over the people of the Lord over Israel. And you shall strike down the house of Ahab, your master, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants, the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond, or free in Israel, and I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Bashal the son of Ahijah. The dog shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her. Then he opened the door and fled. When Jehu came out to the servants of his master, they said to him, Is all well? Why did this mad fellow come to you? And he said to them, You know the fellow and his talk. And they said, That is not true. Tell us now. And he said, Thus and so he spoke to me, saying, Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel. Then in haste every man of them took his garment and put it under him on the bare steps, and they blew the trumpet and proclaimed, Jehu is king. Thus Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. Now Joram, with all Israel, had been on guard at Ramoth Gilead against Hazael, king of Syria. But King Joram had returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Syrians had given him when he fought with Hazael, king of Syria. So Jehu said, If this is your decision, then let no one slip out of the city to go and tell the news to Jezreel." Then Jehu mounted his chariot and went to Jezreel, for Joram lay there, and Ahaziah king of Judah had come down to visit Joram. Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel, and he saw the company of Jehu as he came and said, I see a company. And Joram said, Take a horseman and send to meet them and let him say, Is it peace? So a man on horseback went to meet him and said, Thus says the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said, What do you have to do with peace? Turn around and ride behind me. And the watchman reported saying, A messenger reached them, but he is not coming back. Then he sent out a second horseman who came to them and said, Thus the king has said, Is it peace? And Jehu answered, What do you have to do with peace? Turn around and ride behind me. Again the watchman reported, He reached them, but he is not coming back. And the driving is like the driving of Jehu, the son of Nimshi, for he drives furiously. Joram said, Make ready, and they made ready his chariot. Then Joram king of Israel and Isaiah king of Judah set out each in his chariot and went to meet Jehu and met him at the property of Naboth the Jezreelite. And when Joram saw Jehu, he said, Is it peace, Jehu? He answered, What peace can there be so long as the whorings and the sorceries of your mother Jezebel are so many? Then Joram reigned about and fled, saying to Ahaziah, Treachery, O Ahaziah! And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength, and shot Joram between the shoulders, so that the arrow pierced his heart, and he sank in his chariot. Jehu said to Bidkar his aid, take him up and throw him on the plot of ground belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. For remember when you and I rode side by side behind Ahab his father, how the Lord made this pronouncement against him? Surely, as I saw yesterday, the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons declares the Lord, I will repay you on this plot of ground. Now therefore, take him up and throw him on the plot of ground in accordance with the word of the Lord. Then Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, or when he saw it, he fled in the direction of Beth-hagan, and Jehu pursued him and said, Shoot him also. And they shot him in the chariot at the ascent of Ger, which is by Iblium, and he fled to Megiddo and died there. His servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem and buried him in his tomb with his fathers in the city of David. In the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahaziah began to reign over Judah. When Jehu came to Jezebel heard of it and she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out of the window. And as Jehu entered the gate, she said, Is it peace, you Zimri murderer of your master? And he lifted up his face to the window and said, Who is on my side? Who? Two or three eunuchs looked out at him. He said, Throw her down. So they threw her down, and some of her blood splattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled on her. Then he went in. and ate and drank, and he said, See now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king's daughter. But when they went to bury her, they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. When they came back and told him, he said, This is the word of the Lord which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite. In the territory of Jezreel the dog shall eat the flesh of Jezebel. corpse of Jezebel shall be as dung on the face of the field in the territory of Jezreel, so that no one can say, this is Jezebel." May the Lord bless the reading and the preaching of His Word this morning. Please be seated. Let's pray. Father, your Word is reality. It is truth. It tells it like it is. It tells it like it should be told. You are a God of holiness and men act as if that is not true. They believe things about you that they want to believe, and they set aside in their minds those things that do not favor them. Yet, Lord, your angels cry out to you, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, the Lord of hosts. Father, teach us that this day. that your patience lasts only so long, and then your judgment is to follow. And we know that someday, even as we sang in the hymns and psalms this morning, and as I read in the 149th Psalm, that there will be a day of judgment. And so what kind of people ought we to be, but wholly, upright, set apart unto you? Make us that, Father. Help us to faithfully study the Word of God, to believe it, and to walk in its principles, in its statutes, even this week that is ahead. Grant us abundant grace, we pray, in Jesus' name. Amen. What do we say about leadership? that would lead its people deeper into debt, a nation that has been going deeply into debt over the last three decades at least. What do we say about a government that puts more money into the system to try to revive it by, in fact, printing new dollars on a regular basis? A government that believes that by fiat it can create wealth? You know, in the past year the government has assumed about 7.4 trillion, and those are numbers that are well beyond us, trillion in direct and indirect financial obligations. Now, they put those obligations on the backs of the American people. that is equal to about, get this, that's equal to about half the size of the nation's entire economy. And far eclipses the $700 billion that Congress authorized for the Treasury's financial rescue plan. What do we do? What ought our leaders to be doing? What should characterize godly leadership, not just in government, but in the home, in the family, in church, in the workplace? Where are we going? What do you say about a government that the leadership looks at a particular piece of property and says, I want that for my own, and The person who responds says, it is not lawful for me to sell this plot of ground to you. In essence, it's contrary to the law of God. And the king's wife says, don't you know you're the king in Israel today? I'll get you that plot of ground. And so she plots against a godly individual in Israel and he is murdered. And the king takes over his property. You know the story. It's King Ahab and it's Naboth and his vineyard and what this story, what this historical account that we've read today, that's the day of judgment. You see, judgment has come due. So, if you don't think God sees governments and God judges in time and history, He does judge in various ways. He raises men up, governments up, and He brings them down. We should take hope in that. We should be encouraged even by this passage that yes is covered in blood. Those in leadership have greater responsibility no matter what area of leadership you or I are in. We have greater responsibility because of power, authority, wealth, respect, whatever might be. Ahab should have been a man who was characterized by justice, by mercy, and humility. And those principles ought to guide and govern your life and mine. And that's the proposition statement. He has told you, recognize these words, O man, we sing them, Micah 6.8. What is good and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. By way of context, you need to turn with me back to 1 Kings chapter 19. We looked at this a couple of weeks ago. There is a prophecy there. God spoke to Elijah and He mentioned three different men that were going to be anointed and put into ministry under the Lord God Himself. We looked at the first one, 1 Kings 19.15. The Lord said to him, go return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. Then when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. Remember the message? He did that. And Hazael went forth and murdered Ben-Hadad, his king, and now he's king of Syria and he's giving Israel fits. God is disciplining his people through the sword of Hazael. And Jehu, that's the person today in our text, the son of Nimshi, you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and then Elisha as well. And these men are going to carry out my purposes. And notice verse 18, Yet I will leave 7,000 in Israel, all the knees, that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him. God is in control. And He can discipline governments and deal with governments and leaders. And He can also keep a people. Even if there's only a remnant, He says there's 7,000 in Israel. I mean, we may be at a very low time in the history of the church, but God has His people in the places that He has put them. And we ought to be encouraged by His sovereign hand. Now, turn over to 1 Kings 21. couple pages over, we read about Naboth's vineyard, and in 1 Kings 21, after Naboth is murdered and Ahab is looking at his new vineyard, Elijah is sent to him and he pronounces judgment upon Ahab and his entire family. That's what's taking place in that text. In fact, Ahab has corrupted all of Israel and his corruption now spills over even into Judah, the tribe of Judah, south of them through marriage. Notice, keep turning with me over to 2 Kings 8. Verse 25, "...and the twelfth year of Joram, the son of Ahab, king of Israel." So, Joram is over Israel. Ahaziah is the king of Judah. Ahaziah was 22 when he began to reign. He reigned one year in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Athaliah. She was a granddaughter of Omri. Who was Omri? Omri was the father of Ahab. And you see how these two families are bound together through marriage ties. Not a good idea. And so Ahab's impact, or we might say Jezebel's, because she's in our text as well, is shown greatly in this period of Israel's history. It's in this context that Elisha, And Elisha is not on the front page this morning. He's in the background. Elisha sends a young prophet to anoint Jehu, who is the general at that time, or one of the leaders of the army, to anoint him to be king over Israel. You see, Jehu becomes a sword in the hand of the Lord to cut off the wicked house of Ahaz. If this were a movie, and boy, it would really make some kind of movie, it wouldn't be a chick flick, I'll tell you that. It would be a guy movie, you know, one of those get-even justice kind of movies. But this is a holy portion of the Word of God. God's Spirit has put it here for us to be edified by, to be warned by, to be encouraged by. And you see the reality of sin. Sin will be punished in this life and especially at the end of time at that great throne judgment. And so what is your relationship with the Lord and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ? That is most important that we know and love and we are servants in His kingdom. Point number one, Elisha's word is carried out. We see it in chapter 9 in the first few verses. He gives instructions to this young prophet. Gird up your loins. You're going to take a trip. It's an urgent trip. You need to move out. I want you to anoint Jehu as king. Tell him these exact words. And as soon as you're done, I don't want you to stop for a moment. You turn and you run. Because who knows what those men, how they will respond to the Word of God in this situation. And so that's exactly what he does. The commanders we see are all together there and he walks into the room and he is obedient to his master, Elisha. Now anointing In the Old Testament, in the biblical context, it means to set apart something as holy, and it gives a certain specific authority by God for a particular task, you see. The oil is a picture of receiving of the Spirit of God who carries out. God's holy will. That's why David would not strike down Saul because he always described him as the Lord's anointed. I'm not going to touch the Lord's anointed. God has set him apart. Even though I disagree with his leadership and the fact that he's trying to murder me, I will not take his life. I leave that to the Lord. And so he goes to see Jehu. Verse 5, the commanders are seated together, and he walks in and says, I have a word for you, O commander. And Jehu says, which one of us? So it's a room full of commanders. Jehu is not necessarily the head guy. He's one of the men. But he obviously, as you read the text, is a strong, dominant leader. And he takes him in the back room. And he speaks the words of God to him. You see, at that time, these men are waiting for further orders from their king. They have just taken Ramoth Gilead, a pivotal prime city in Israel. Hazael, the Syrian king, wants that city as well. They've won a battle. Joram, the king of Israel, is supposedly wounded, although I don't think he's wounded that badly. As you go on, it appears that he is not. But they're fighting for this with Hazael. Ahab lost this portion of his kingdom. And in losing it, he lost his very life. That's where he died. If you go back to, I think, the last chapter of 1 Kings, you read about it there. And so he takes him into the inner room. He speaks to him. He set apart for God's work. He is the instrument of God's vengeance. God gives the state the sword. That's true. And it's true even to this day. to punish evildoers and to protect law-abiding citizens. In this context, he becomes a minister of God's justice. Now, the prophecy, if you remember it, he opens it up for Jehu, although Jehu, I think, remembered it very clearly in his mind. It has to do in verse 7 about vengeance for the blood of my prophets and my servants that Jezebel had murdered. Judgment is over the entire house of Ahab, bond and free, verse 8. And like Jeroboam and Basha, he is going to be judged. You see, they were symbols in that day of extreme evil. Symbols of evil in our day. Who do you think of? We oftentimes go to Hitler as a picture of evil. And now in our day, Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden. There are certain names that are out there. These are evil men. And then he also speaks of Queen Jezebel. She will not receive an honorable burial. that she will be eaten by dogs. That's the prophecy. Jehu hears it again. So, Elisha, again in Israel, this time behind the scenes, though it's the Word of the Lord to him, to this young prophet, is a mouthpiece of the Lord. God speaks His judgment. And you know what? God does the very same thing today. We have His Holy Word. He sends out His ministers. And ministers of the Gospel are to be faithful to every word of this book, even the Word of God. Where is the church today? You stop and think about it. A number of years ago, it was August of 2000 to be exact, I read an article by James Boyce who went to be with the Lord, what is it, three, four years ago now, and he calls it the new pragmatism. And he evaluates the church and where it's going, especially the evangelical church of the day. He writes, I returned to the United States from Europe in 1966 to work at Christianity Today. Remember that magazine? The 1960s were a time of rising influence for evangelicals. Under the leadership of Carl F.H. Henry, Christianity today challenged the theological trends in liberal churches. That's in the 60s, 66 approximately. In 76, Newsweek magazine would call that year the Year of the Evangelicals. That's how prominent the evangelical church had become. From 68 to 80, I was part of a mainline church. Like other churches, it was declining because it had adopted the world's ways in the four following areas. As the church, and we need to be very careful about ourselves and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, as the church adopted the world's wisdom. Evangelicals, he says, are not consciously heretics. Is the Bible God's Word? Of course. Is it authoritative? Yes, that too. Inerrant? Most evangelicals will affirm inerrancy. But many do not think the Bible adequate to meet today's challenge or sufficient for winning people to Christ. They have turned to felt-need sermons, entertainment, or signs and wonders. So it isn't so much that the Bible has been set aside, although oftentimes in churches today people only read a New Testament. Well, I'd say that's a major part of the Bible being set aside. But the Bible seems not to be enough. It's not enough for the heart and soul and core of a minister, you see. He says, The evangelical church is slipping into the world's theology. Like the liberals, evangelicals are giving new meaning to the Bible's words, pouring secular, therapeutic content into spiritual terminology. Sin has become dysfunctional behavior. Did you have any dysfunctional behavior this week? Salvation, self-esteem, or wholeness. And Jesus, an example for right living. Sunday by Sunday, people are told how to have happy marriages and raise nice children, but not how to get right with God. And it's good to have a good marriage. We ought to. And we ought to raise godly children, no doubt. But it starts with the gospel at the core. And what about the world's agenda? He says the world's agenda is to be happy, affluent, But is not this the message of much evangelical preaching today, to be happy, to be satisfied, though its most extreme expression is found in health, wealth, and prosperity preachers? The gospel of the good life permeates evangelical preaching, failing to expose sin and to drive men and women to the Savior. True, discipleship is hard. It's not easy to be a Christian. You know that, and I know it. Why should I lie to you? You become a follower of Jesus Christ and you'll know great trials and tribulation. It's part of it, you see, if you really belong to Christ. And then the world's methods, he says, many are following them. Evangelicals now emphasize numerical growth, physical plants, and money. Pastors tone down the hard edges of biblical truth and use bizarre evangelistic methods and entertainment to attract more people. Many support a national association of evangelicals lobby in Washington and social action groups to advance specific legislation. There's nothing wrong with being involved in government. May God raise up some in our midst to do it. But when the focus of the church shifts over to, now we're going to change government and impact society, then the preaching of the word is laid aside. Something is desperately wrong with the church. Well, it was wrong in Elisha's time, but it wasn't Elisha's fault. Elisha was faithful, and this young man, the prophet, was faithful to deliver the message literally, clearly, as it was given to him. Jehu was anointed for a work of justice. It's interesting. If he, in a certain sense, is a type of Christ, Jesus Christ was anointed as well. He was anointed with the out measure by the Holy Spirit of God. And He, if you read Luke chapter 4, came and He preached peace. And He brought the Gospel. But He also brought justice. And I ask the question, I've got to ask the question of myself. I wear different hats every week. And many of you do as well. How are we doing? You know, we can criticize everybody all around us all we want. That doesn't advance anything. But I hope we are a little enlightened. But how are you doing in terms of justice and mercy and humility? The Micah mandate, as I think it was Roosevelt who gave it that title. Are we leaders in our homes, dads? Do we open the Word of God? And do we pray with and for our children? Or have we compromised? And have we given in to the easier road? I'm tired. I'm busy. Let's just turn the television set on and sit together. No words with one another. This is the television set. That's an uneasy, sad compromise. Point number two, the captain's response to the anointing. Verse 11, Jehu came out to the servants of his master, and they said to him, Is all well? Why did this mad fellow come to you? And he said to them, You know the fellow and his talk. Is it well? Is it peace? That ongoing question throughout the whole chapter. This mad fellow, was he crazy? Is that how they saw him? No, not at all. But they did see him as different. much different than themselves in his manners, his speech, maybe his dress of that day, his zeal for heaven. And oftentimes in our day and age, even family members think us a little strange if we're really serious and we really believe the Bible is the Word of God. We really believe it. And we live it. And our lives are consistent with it. And we worship. And we love the gospel. We know it's the power of God and the salvation, and we live for that. That's what our life just rotates around. Christ is the heart and center, not of just Sunday morning for an hour or two, but of all things. That really sets you apart. That marks you as a little strange. In this generation, in our culture, and oftentimes non-believing family members just kind of go, boy, you know? And you tend to be the one who always prays at family dinners, don't you? I mean, I do because I'm the paid professional. Of course, I'm the one who prays all the time. But I'll bet a number of you men, if you're in that context with non-believing family members, they look over to you at the dinner table and they ask you to give the blessing. They know! And he says, oh, he's a strange fellow. You know his talk. But you know what? Those generals didn't think him so strange. They respected the word of the Lord through this young prophet. And so with oil dripping off his head and down his beard, Jehu says, here's what he said. I now anoint you king over Israel." And you notice in verse 13, their response is, oh, get out of here. Give us a break. You know, what are you talking about? We're all on equal footing with you. Why are you going to be anointed? Why were you anointed king over Israel? They didn't respond that way. Then in haste, it says, every man Not two or three of them. Every single man there took off his garment and he put it underneath and he put it on the floor. And they blew the trumpet. And they proclaimed immediately, Jehu is king. That's interesting. It's the same picture when you see other men becoming king in Scripture. In 1 Kings 1, Solomon rode on the king's mule. He was anointed with oil and they blew the trumpet and the people proclaimed him as king. Why this quick, positive, immediate response? Because, you see, the Word of God went forth and, you know, we may be afraid no one's going to hear the Bible, no one's going to respect that, but guess what? That isn't true. When God sends His Word forth, He can send it forth, and He does, with power. And you might be amazed, if you and I are faithful to His Word, what He can and what He will do. Also, you've got to think about it, Joram's awful leadership, his selfish leadership, I don't think they cared much for the king and respected him. They were probably in that very meeting talking about the future of Israel. And then, this is perfect timing, as God's timing is always perfect. They saw it, you see, and they responded positively. They laid those garments down signifying their submission to the cause of justice. It's interesting to compare this with the triumphal entry of the Lord Jesus himself into Jerusalem. He is, and if you care to look at it, it's in Luke chapter 19. He comes and it's spoken of him in verse 38, blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord, peace in heaven and glory in the highest. He comes and they lay down their garments and palm branches and they're waving them and they're singing and proclaiming him as king, you see. And he is seen as the king who brings peace. And that's so important. In our text this morning, how many different times? Think about it. How many different times? Is it peace? Is it peace? That's important. It's important today. In our nation, people are concerned about that. The peace and the prosperity. That's what people live for. Jesus is the one who brings peace. But in verses 43 and 4, we see him as one who brings judgment. In 45, he leaves that particular place and goes in and he cleanses the temple. Yes, it is the zeal of the holy temple of God that consumes him. And then he goes even to that awful, heinous death of the cross, humbling himself. Humbling himself. And so we see justice and mercy and humility. even in the life of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so, brothers, especially brothers, but brothers and sisters, are we those who walk in these principles? Is there any part of your life or mine that grieves or quenches the Holy Spirit of God? You see, the oil is the picture of the Spirit of God. Oil is meaningless. It's the Spirit of the living God within us that will enable us. We have His filling. We have His very presence, you see. Do we drive Him away by our own sins or do we worship Him and receive Him and find grace from Him so that we might turn from our sins and walk according to His Holy Word, be examples in our own households and then beyond. A final point, and I'm just going to touch on, there's a lot of verses here, I'm going to just touch on the tops of the trees, you might say, because next week we're going to come back to this and look at certain details with a little more time. God's holy vengeance poured forth. Jehu is a leader. He's a trained leader. He knows how to make decisions on his feet. He's a military commander. And now he's the king of Israel. And he immediately says, you're with me? Okay. Close the gates of the city. Don't let anybody go to Jezreel. And so they do that. And he makes his way toward them. And the kings hear that someone is coming toward them. They're in Jezreel. Supposedly, Joram is being healed. Jezreel was like a summer house. It was a place where they ate and drank and had a fun time. That's what it was. If he was so injured, why did he, in the text, immediately get in his chariot and drive it out there toward Jehu? And then when he realized something bad was going to happen, he turned that thing around and ran for his life. Didn't seem like he was that injured after all. But the watchman, the guy with the best eyes, I guess, was telling the king what was taking place. And twice messengers are sent out and they ask the question. It's the big question. Is it peace? And he says, what do you have to do? If you're with that guy, there's no such thing as peace. Get behind me and be quiet. Let's get going or let's continue to go. And finally, it's kind of interesting, in verse 20 of our text, the guy with the good eyes says, and the driving of this guy, he's driving fast, it's like the driving of Jehu. Now, Jehu must have had a reputation. And when you're going down the freeway and people are passing you like crazy, you can now use this phrase. That's the driving of Jehu as they're going 85, 90 miles an hour down the freeway. That's what Jehu was doing. The son of Nimshi. For he drives furiously. So remember that phrase. That'll take you back to the Bible and the Lord and you won't lose your sanctification at that moment. Okay? That's application. And so he drives toward them and look at where they are. Look at the geography. Look at the location here in verse 21. They're at the property of Naboth, the Jezreelite. Isn't that interesting? It all fit together. Those two kings are there. They had no thought of what was going to take place an hour or two later on. And Jehu goes there and he meets them right there on that property. Rehoboth's righteous blood was spilt. God saw and God did not forget. And Joram asked the question, it's the question of the day, is it peace Jehu? And he says, so long as the whorings and the sorceries of your mother Jezebel are so many, how can you talk about peace, O king? And Joram at that moment realized this is a dangerous situation. He reined his horses, turned that chariot around, and drove for his life. But who was driving behind him? You see, Jehu. Nobody drove faster in Israel than Jehu. And Jehu executed King. And then King Ahaziah, who is the King of Judah, who through marriage, his mother and family, their families are bound together. He sees what's going on. He turns around and you see it in verses 27 and 8. He is shot. He is executed. He is buried in Jerusalem. And we're going to talk about next week the zeal of Jehu, what is right and what is wrong in this kind of a context. And we'll look at another text that gives a little commentary on Jehu himself, you see, and his life. You see, God knows that even the executioner, the hand of the state, is not in and of itself righteous or pure. And we'll look at that next week. But notice the last verses of the chapter. 30-37, Jehu enters Jezreel, and you know who is there. You know who is looking out the palace window up above, watching this stuff go on down below in Naboth's vineyard. And what does she do? She doesn't hide in the closet. She doesn't skip out the back door. No, she, and it's interesting how it's put, she paints her eyes. She doesn't dab a little bit. She probably doesn't use a little tiny brush, you know. She gets ready. I'm the queen. I'm not afraid of Jehu or anybody else. This is my rule. She paints her eyes. She puts on this headdress, whatever it looked like, setting her apart as the queen of Israel in authority. And she, with a brazen face and a hardened heart in verse 31, she looks down and she asks the question of the day, is it peace? You, Zimri, murderer of your master. Now, I thought the guy's name was Jacob. Who is Zimri? She's being sarcastic. Zimri is the murderer of King Asa. He murdered his king and became king in his place. And she's saying, you've just murdered your king and are attempting to be king in his place. You're Zimri. You're just like Zimri, that evil usurper. Well, Jehu doesn't have to listen to her word. He's been anointed. God has called him. He knows what he is doing is what God has commanded him to do. He doesn't even respond to her. He simply says, Who's on my side? They cast her down and she dies. And she is not even buried because they cannot find her body. verses 36 and 37 essentially underline all that has preceded. Jehu remembers that this is the word of the Lord which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite in the territory of Jezreel, the dog shall eat the flesh of Jezebel. And they won't even be able to say, here is where Jezebel the queen was buried. She just disappeared. God's Word is fulfilled. And we think we have a long time to live, and we oftentimes live lives that are not that pleasing to the Lord, and we think no one notices. And that isn't true. God sees our lives. He knows us. And we really need to ask ourselves the question, how am I living? How am I living? Jesus judges His church through Jehu at this time. At His second coming, Jesus' judgment will be perfect. And either you will be baptized with the Spirit of God, you see, as John the Baptist said, He will baptize you, or with fire in judgment. Is it peace? Six times that's asked in the text. Is it peace? Men want prosperity, peace, the blessings of this life. And we do too. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be happy and living a good life. But you know what? They come from a relationship with the Lord They are more than just material blessings. They are spiritual blessings. They are eternal blessings. But they will not flow to us if we do not believe in justice and mercy and humility before our God. That's what God has called the godly man and the godly woman to exhibit. and dads and husbands, especially in this room, or leaders in different places. Does this mark our lives? Are we fair, consistent, men of integrity? Do we offer mercy to those who are in need? Are we kind and gentle? And do we walk as leaders in humility? How important that is. And we've got to start here. In our own households, in Christ's church, yes, in leadership positions out in the world, whether it be government or business or wherever God might place you, be faithful. Be the very opposite of an Ahab and a Joram and all the rest of these people that were judged by the Lord. And will be judged. In 1917, when American troops were preparing to sail across the seas in order to take to the battlefields of France and Belgium, in the First World War, the New York Bible Society asked former President Theodore Roosevelt to inscribe a message in the pocket New Testaments that each of the soldiers would be given. Remember this? The great man happily complied. And I can picture him sitting there thinking about that. Boy, this is important. God's Word is going to be given out. These men are going to be going into battle. What do I say to them? How do I introduce this? Well, he began by quoting Micah's striking triune call for biblical balance. And he called it the Micah Mandate. Why this passage? He said, well, the whole teaching of the New Testament is actually foreshadowed in Micah's verse and the Old. In this brief message, he explained to the soldiers, do justice and therefore fight valiantly against those that stand for the reign of Moloch and Beelzebub on this earth. Love mercy. Treat your enemies well. Succor the afflicted. Treat every woman as if she were your sister. Care for the little children and be tender with the old and helpless." And I don't know how accurate the reports are about our service men and women in other nations, but I'm grateful for the little bit they do show us about how kind and gentle our men are out there on the front lines with little children and the people in need. I think we're noted for that. How important that is. And then he says, walk humbly. You will do so if you study the life and teachings of the Savior, walking in His steps, trusting in Him. That's what we need, brothers and sisters. That's what was needed in this context of history in which we just studied. And it's needed today. Men and women who believe in justice and in mercy and walk humbly with their God. May He grant us that grace. Let's pray. Father and God, we thank You for the reality, the dose of reality that we received in this passage of Scripture. It's awful, but how awful sin is. It's better to be awakened now then awaken too late. May each person in this room take seriously your holy word and rejoice, not only in the example of the Savior, but in his life given for sinners. And may each person here truly embrace him, not just to get to heaven, but embrace him each and every day. that He might live His holy life within us and through us. Oh God, we need to be a constant witness. And so again, we pray, raise up godly men and women, even out of our own families, our own children, to lead in the decades to come. Desperately does this nation need self-control, restraint. We have become an immoral people. We have become a people that lusts after material things and will do anything, will go into any kind of debt to get them. As if it's a way of life, it has become a way of life. Father, grant us the grace and the self-control and the wisdom and the discipline to live in a godly fashion. For we will stand out just like that young prophet stood out before those generals. They knew he was different in a holy sort of way. Make us like him, Lord. Make us like Elisha. Please conform us to the image of our Savior. In his name we pray. Amen.