Jehu Reigns over Israel
9 Now Elisha the prophet called one of the sons of the prophets and said to him, “Gird up your loins, and take this flask of oil in your hand and go to Ramoth-gilead. 2 When you arrive there, [a]search out Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in and [b]bid him arise from among his brothers, and bring him to an inner room. 3 Then take the flask of oil and pour it on his head and say, ‘Thus says the Lord, “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’ Then open the door and flee and do not wait.”
4 So the young man, the servant of the prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. 5 When he came, behold, the captains of the army were sitting, and he said, “I have a word for you, O captain.” And Jehu said, “[c]For which one of us?” And he said, “For you, O captain.” 6 He arose and went into the house, and he poured the oil on his head and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I have anointed you king over the people of the Lord, even over Israel. 7 You shall strike the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel. 8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male person both bond and free in Israel. 9 I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. 10 The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her.’” Then he opened the door and fled.
11 Now Jehu came out to the servants of his master, and one said to him, “Is all well? Why did this mad fellow come to you?” And he said to them, “You know very well the man and his talk.” 12 They said, “It is a lie, tell us now.” And he said, “Thus and thus he said to me, ‘Thus says the Lord, “I have anointed you king over Israel.”’” 13 Then they hurried and each man took his garment and placed it under him on the bare steps, and blew the trumpet, saying, “Jehu is king!”
God has a plan, and He is in control. It may not be all sunshine and roses, and in fact it never is all sunshine and roses. While God loves to make beautiful things (like sunshine and roses), He gives us free will, and so His plan must account for (and indeed allow for) bad people to do terrible things.
As I’ve said many times, He allows storms and trials in our lives to make us strong, bring us closer to Him, and to shape our character (among other reasons I’m sure). And likewise, someone must be instrumental in those storms, whether unwitting, or at the direction of God himself like the word of the prophet delivered to Jehu in this passage.
God had promised destruction for the house of Ahab, and Jehu was the man to bring it about. That doesn’t mean Jehu was a godly man, but he was used by God nonetheless. In our world, we may wonder how God could use this leader or that one. But whether it is to bring about good for His people, to motivate them to action due to injustice, or some other purpose, God has a plan, and He is in control.
For those who love Him, that is a tremendous comfort, and for those that defy God, it can be absolutely terrifying. Choose who you will serve, God or the powers of this world. There is no middle ground, so choose wisely, and commit to serving God for all your days.