READ: 2 Kin. 10:1–36: … The LORD has done what He spoke by the hand of His servant Elijah … until he had wiped it away, according to the word of the LORD …
After Jehu has killed Joram, king of Israel, Ahaziah, king of Judah, and Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, he intends to kill all the male offspring of Ahab and Jezebel. For that purpose, he sends letters from Jezreel to prominent men in Samaria who are responsible for the seventy sons of Ahab. He tells them to choose the most suitable son for the kingship.
But the recipients of the letter are afraid of Jehu; they do not want to choose a king, but rather desire to become servants of Jehu. Then they receive the command to behead all the sons and to send the heads to him, which they do.
When the people see the heads lying at the gate of the palace in Jezreel, Jehu declares that the LORD has done this, referring to His word to Elijah after the murder of Naboth by Ahab (v.10; 1 Kin. 21:19,21,29).
After this, Jehu also kills all the officials, advisers, and priests of Ahab in Jezreel. No one of Ahab’s house remains. He also kills forty-two relatives of Ahaziah. Finally, in Samaria, all the relatives of Ahab are killed. Thus the whole house of Ahab with Jezebel is wiped away.
Under the pretense that Jehu wants to serve Baal, all Baal worshipers, without exception, gather in the house of Baal. Jehu ensures that no one is present there except the servants of Baal and then, after the offering of a burnt offering, has everyone killed.
After that he destroys the sacred pillars and the whole house of Baal. They make it into a place for refuse. Thus also the whole Baal service is wiped away.
In all this Jehu shows himself obedient to the LORD. But as soon as he becomes king, he goes in the same way as Jeroboam, who caused Israel to sin. He is not careful in the service of the LORD, because his heart is not fully directed to the LORD.
There come warnings through invasions of Hazael, spread throughout Israel. But we do not read of repentance. After a reign of twenty-eight years, Jehu dies.
Why do people want to serve idols?
Sing: Ps. 135:7,8