2 Kings 9:1-10:36 · 1 Kings 19 · 1 Kings 21 · 2 Kings 10:17 · 2 Kings 10:28-29 · Hosea 1:4 · 2 Kings 10:16
Enthusiasm Without Direction
In our religious zeal we cannot go beyond or do less than what God demands. This sermon examines Jehu's zealous but selective obedience, showing that God's boundaries are clear and not optional—we must know Scripture well enough to follow them exactly, neither blurring them nor adding our own.
Introduction
A. We like some boundaries. It is interesting how we can pick and choose which boundaries we like and how we can decide which boundaries are definite and which boundaries are flexible. When we are working for someone, we have clear beginning and ending times. But when someone works for us, we may blur the boundaries just a bit because we know the work which has to get done can’t always end at the prescribed time. This past Christmas my extended family on my mother’s side decided that we would exchange names for future Christmases. Having done name exchanges before, I know something about how that works. We agreed on a $20 limit. Some will stick with that boundary; others will choose to go beyond the boundary. For some the boundary is just an amount to aim for. For others the boundary is fixed. Who is right?
B. We see speed limits signs posted for 40 mph. Is that a fixed boundary? Depending upon the police officer, some will say yes and others will say within 5 miles or so. Who is right? A dating relationship progresses. A teen wants to know what the boundaries are? Who will decide and how flexible will those boundaries be? We tell our kids bedtime is at 9 p.m. As they are winding down they want to talk about a specific event in their lives that is bothering them. Is the boundary flexible? We announce that a van is leaving from here at a specific time. It leaves 10 minutes later. Was a boundary established or was it just a time to shoot at? Boundaries are kind of hard to pinpoint sometimes. But there are times when boundaries are definite.
C. When a survey is taken of a piece of property, those boundary lines cannot be adjusted without the consent of the two parties which are separated by that invisible boundary. Banks have very clear boundaries. If you write a check for $10 and you have only $9.69 in the bank, the bank will not make up the difference for you. They have very definite boundaries. Laws regarding marriage are very definite. In this country it is illegal to be married to two women at the same time. The boundaries are very definite.
D. What about God’s boundaries? Are they flexible or definite? Most want God’s boundaries to be flexible and indeed there are times when it seems as if they are. We sin and trust God to deal with that sin. I am not making a flippant statement, but recognize that the boundary we have crossed can indeed be forgiven, but does that mean the boundary is flexible or does it mean that God’s grace is sufficient? Unfortunately, the trend is to be flippant about God’s boundaries. So much flexibility in our world it just spills over into the spiritual world. We’ll look tonight at one man who went beyond boundaries and yet refused to do all God wanted. We’ll see what God thinks about boundaries.
Jehu’s Ministry
A. Remember back in 1 Kings 19 God had given Elijah the responsibility of anointing Jehu king of Israel. He didn’t complete his work. Elisha, however, will accomplish the task. In 2 Kings 9, Elisha sends a fellow prophet to anoint Jehu king of Israel. Jehu is given a ministry to perform. He is to destroy the house of Ahab. Joram is currently king of Israel. Jehu with the support of the army begins his ministry. Joram is in Jezreel recovering from wounds suffered in battle. Jehu is driving his chariot with great determination and aggressively. After sending out two messengers with no response, Joram goes out to meet Jehu face to face. Poor decision. Jehu kills Joram and the slaughter begins.
B. Ahaziah, king of Judah, who has been fighting alongside Joram in battle is also killed. Ahaziah married Ahab’s daughter; thus, he is considered part of Ahab’s family. Then he kills Jezebel. Then the 70 sons of Ahab who lived in Samaria are slaughtered by their guardians. Then Jehu kills all of Ahab’s advisors, friends, and advisors. It appears that if you knew Ahab your life would have been in danger. Then Jehu comes across those who are relatives of Ahaziah. They are not directly related to Ahab at all; yet, he kills all 42 of them because of their connection with Ahaziah who married Ahab’s daughter.
C. Then Jehu pretends to have a religious celebration honoring Baal. At the end of this religious ceremony all the prophets of Baal are killed. In just a matter of a few days, hundreds have died at the hand of Jehu. Did this fulfill God’s desire? Is this what God wanted. In 2 Kings 10:17, the statement is made that he is acting in accordance to God’s will. But notice that the commendation is given for destroying those of the house of Ahab. Did Jehu kill more than those who were part of Ahab’s house? Yes. Then in 10:28—29 he fails to complete the task. So what are we supposed to learn from these two chapters about God’s boundaries and his expectations?
Lessons
A. First, God has specific boundaries. This story actually begins back in 1 Kings 21 when Ahab has Naboth murdered and steals his vineyard. At that time God pronounces that Ahab and his family will not survive. Ahab stepped across the boundary. He went against the will of God. God could not and would not tolerate any longer his sin and his arrogance. God’s laws are not optional. I do believe God has a few less laws than we may think he does, but the laws which he clearly gives us are not optional. There isn’t a flexibility to them. We don’t get extra points because we are good people; God doesn’t just wink at our sin. When we go against God’s will, something has to be done. In Ahab’s case the consequence of crossing God’s boundary was not only his death, but the deaths of his entire family. We, too, deserve that, but God through Jesus has already paid the price for our sin. Such a gift is not cheap. The blood of Jesus paid the price. We should not presume upon it. His blood was not given so that we could do whatever we wanted, but so that we could be in relationship with the Father. Let’s not take it for granted.
B. Second, our religious zeal is not an excuse for going beyond God’s boundaries. Sometimes in our attempt to honor God’s boundaries we make a few extra. These extra boundaries can be designed to keep us from doing something wrong or they can be designed to allow what we think is greater freedom. Let me give you examples of both. In our haste to keep us from doing the wrong thing, we add boundaries. For instance, to increase spiritual disciplines some will insist on a certain amount of time for prayer and Bible reading as a means of guaranteeing spiritual maturity. Others think that the truly spiritual will engage in certain acts of service. While prayer, Bible reading, and service are all important aspects of our spiritual maturity none can be dictated or quantified. On the other hand, some of God’s boundaries are blurred in an attempt to gain more spiritual freedom. For instance, someone will say that attending an assembly is not necessary. All one must do is trust God and sleep in on Sunday mornings. This blurred boundary goes against the will of God. He certainly intends for us to meet together—this is not optional. Yet, we can think ourselves to be spiritually mature when we blur some boundaries.
C. In Hosea 1:4, Hosea is told to name his son, Jezreel because he is going to bring an end to Jehu’s dynasty because of his slaughtering innocent people at Jezreel. Notice in 2 Kings 10:16, Jehu’s boast about his zeal for God. But also notice that Jehu chose which of God’s boundaries he wanted to follow and which he wanted to be flexible. Kill lots of people—that is inviting to a military guy; don’t tear down the golden calves at Bethel and Dan—this is inviting to a political guy trying to pull a nation together. God was displeased with both.
D. God isn’t unloving. The problem is not with God’s boundaries but our hearts. The problem isn’t that God makes too many laws; the problem comes when we either presume upon God’s laws to go beyond them or make God out to be unloving and make more than he has. One thing is true—if God makes a law the boundary is clear. He establishes boundaries for our benefit. But when we ignore those boundaries; when we in our religious zeal blur them or make more, then we have made God in our image and that is idolatry. We need to be people who know the word of God so that the boundaries are clear; so that we neither blur the boundaries nor make more than God himself makes. Let’s pray.
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