Are You Serious? (Lesson 2)

Exploring God’s Judgment

2 Kings 9:21-28 NASB

(21)  Then Joram said, "Get ready." And they made his chariot ready. Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu and found him in the property of Naboth the Jezreelite.

(22)  When Joram saw Jehu, he said, "Is it peace, Jehu?" And he answered, "What peace, so long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?"

(23)  So Joram reined about and fled and said to Ahaziah, "There is treachery, O Ahaziah!"

(24)  And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength and shot Joram between his arms; and the arrow went through his heart and he sank in his chariot.

(25)  Then Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, "Take him up and cast him into the property of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite, for I remember when you and I were riding together after Ahab his father, that the LORD laid this oracle against him:

(26)  'Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons,' says the LORD, 'and I will repay you in this property,' says the LORD. Now then, take and cast him into the property, according to the word of the LORD."

(27)  When Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu pursued him and said, "Shoot him too, in the chariot." So they shot him at the ascent of Gur, which is at Ibleam. But he fled to Megiddo and died there.

(28)  Then his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem and buried him in his grave with his fathers in the city of David.

God’s judgment is sure

We will continue our study of Jehu.  You will remember from last week that Jehu is heeding God’s call.  Here we see Joram the present King of Israel and Ahaziah the King of Judah riding to meet Jehu the commander of Joram’s army.  As they get closer, they see things have changed and they try to run.  Jehu kills Joram himself and orders that Ahaziah be killed as well.

Now for God’s judgement in this lesson, Ahab who was Joram’s father took Nabath’s land.  He did this with his wife Jezebel planning and lying.  She had men falsely accuse Naboth and as a result, Naboth and his entire family was executed. 

You can read God’s judgment in verse 26 above. You can also read the entire story of Naboth in 1 Kings, Chapter 21.  This is by no means all of God’s judgment against Ahab.  We will cover more as we go through this series.

God asks for our obedience and as a result, he has promised to bless us in everything we do.  How much more does out heavenly Father want to give us every good thing?  God would that we were obedient.  When we are not we must face God’s judgment.

Ahab felt he was above God.  He did what he wanted and God promised His judgment even to his sons. 

Seeing that God’s judgment is sure, it just makes good sense to be obedient to God.