"So the young prophet went to Ramoth Gilead. When he arrived, he found the army officers sitting together. 'I have a message for you, commander,' he said." (2 Kings 9:4-5a) In our last study session we discussed the opinion of many scholars that Jehu is currently the general of the entire army of the northern kingdom of Israel. All of these men seated together are commanders of companies of the army but Jehu is likely the highest ranking officer of them all. But the young prophet may not know for certain which of the men is Jehu. After all, he has never served in the army and may never have laid eyes on Jehu before. He may not know how to tell one officer from another. The reason I think he might not be sure which of them is Jehu is that he doesn't address him directly until Jehu speaks up, revealing his status as the highest ranking man in the group.
"'For which of us?' asked Jehu. 'For you, commander,' he replied. Jehu got up and went into the house." (2 Kings 9:5b-6a) Elisha had instructed the younger prophet to take Jehu into "an inner room". This anointing is to be done secretly. No warning is to be given to the dynasty of Ahab (whose second born son Joram is now king) that change is coming.
"Then the prophet poured the oil on Jehu's head and declared, 'This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'I anoint you king over the Lord's people Israel. You are to destroy the house of Ahab your master, and I will avenge the blood of My servants the prophets and the blood of all the Lord's servants shed by Jezebel. The whole house of Ahab will perish. I will cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel---slave or free. I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah. As for Jezebel, dogs will devour her on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and no one will bury her.' And he opened the door and ran." (2 Kings 9:6b-10) Elisha had told him to deliver the message and then run. I assume this was for the young man's safety, for prophets delivering messages weren't usually very welcome in the northern kingdom.
Jehu is to be the instrument of the Lord's judgment upon the house of Ahab. The Lord pronounced this judgment through the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 21 when Elijah said to King Ahab, "You have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord. He says, 'I am going to bring disaster on you. I will wipe out your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel---slave or free. I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have aroused My anger and have caused Israel to sin.'" (1 Kings 21:20b-22) If Ahab had repented at these words, this might not have come to pass. If Ahab's first born son and successor, Ahaziah, had repented at these words, this might not have come to pass. If Ahab's second born son Joram, who ascended to the throne after the early death of the sonless Ahaziah, had repented at these words, this might not have come to pass. But the Lord knew everything these men would ever do. He knew they would not be godly kings and therefore He was able to say with certainty that judgment must come upon the house of Ahab.
He also knew that the wicked Queen Jezebel would never change her ways either, so He said to Ahab through Elijah, "And also concerning Jezebel the Lord says: 'Dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.'" (1 Kings 21:23)
The Lord compares the dynasty of Ahab to the dynasty of King Jeroboam, which is no more, and to the dynasty of King Baasha, which is no more. The time is at hand for the house of Ahab to fall. But Jehu is reluctant at first to tell his fellow officers what the prophet said to him. "When Jehu went out to his fellow officers, one of them asked him, 'Is everything all right? Why did this maniac come to you?' 'You know the man and the sort of things he says,' Jehu replied." (2 Kings 9:11)
The prophets have come to be held in contempt by a great many people of the northern kingdom. Prophets are not revered as they were in former times. This is why the men refer to the young prophet as a "maniac". To idolaters, the messengers of the living God are babblers of nonsense. We can see why Jehu is reluctant to repeat the prophet's message to these men. I think he believes the message but I imagine it is difficult to repeat the words in the face of these men's mocking laughter, with them saying things like, "What did that crazy fellow have to say to you? He looked like a wild man, having run all the way here and then taking off and running all the way back home. Tell us what great wisdom he shared with you!"
Another reason he may not want to share the news right away is because he wants some time to think about it. He wants some time to plan how to attack the house of Ahab. He may also be unsure how many of the men would be on his side and how many would rather retain Joram as king. But the men keep insisting on hearing the message and he finally shares it. I think the longer they insist, the more they notice the serious expression on his face. I think they begin to be convinced that the prophet told him something very important---something he believes and something they very much want to hear now. He keeps saying vaguely, "Oh, you know the kind of stuff these guys say. Always messages of doom and gloom.", as if they should just forget the prophet was ever there. But they can tell that Jehu is disturbed and deep in thought. They reject his protest that the message was just like all the others the prophets typically give. "'That's not true!' they said. 'Tell us.' Jehu said, 'Here is what he told me: This is what the Lord says: I anoint you king over Israel.'" (2 Kings 9:12)
Do the officers believe that it is the will of God for Jehu to be king? Do they take the word of the Lord to heart for once? Or do they simply have more respect and admiration for their army general than for King Joram? Whatever their motivation may be, they waste no time declaring Jehu king. "They quickly took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, 'Jehu is king!'" (2 Kings 9:13) Considering their disdain for the prophet who came into their camp earlier in the day, I think these men are enthusiastically jumping on board the "King Jehu Train" not so much because they want to be within the will of God (they may care nothing about being obedient to His will at all), but because politically it suits them better to have General Jehu as king than to have Joram as king. They love the idea of their commander ascending to the throne. As a symbol of their loyal allegiance to him, they spread out their cloaks for him to walk on, blow the trumpets, and declare him king---their king. They have his back, so to speak, and he can count on them to help him attain the crown.
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