2 Kings 9:1 - Meaning and Application

Here we have the anointing of Jehu as king. At this time he was a commander, likely the chief commander, of the forces at Ramoth-Gilead (2 Kings 9:14). He was fighting there for his earthly king, yet he received orders from a higher King to rise against him. Jehu does not seem to have been aiming at the throne, or even thinking about it. The command came to him as a complete surprise.

Some think Elijah had anointed Jehu earlier, by God’s command, but only in private and with the warning that he must wait for later orders, as Samuel anointed David long before David took the throne. That is not very likely, because then we would also have to suppose Elijah anointed Hazael. No, when God told Elijah to do these things, he also told him to anoint Elisha as prophet in his place, so Elisha could carry them out later, as God directed.

Here we see the commission sent. Elisha did not go himself to anoint Jehu, because he was old and unfit for such a journey, and he was too well known to do it secretly. So he sent one of the sons of the prophets, that is, a young man from the group of prophets under his care (2 Kings 9:1). They honored Elisha as their father (2 Kings 2:15), and they also listened to him and obeyed him as their father. This task had danger in it (1 Samuel 16:2), so it was not fitting for Elisha to expose himself. A son of the prophets, whose life was of less value, could do it with less risk.

The work also needed strength, so it suited a young man in full vigor. Let youth work and age guide. Even so, it was an honorable service to anoint a king, and the one who did it might later be rewarded. To encourage the young prophets, Elisha gave this duty to one of them. He would not keep all the honor for himself, or begrudge them a share in it.

When he sent the young prophet, Elisha put the oil into his hand, saying, Take this flask of oil. Solomon had been anointed with oil from the tabernacle (1 Kings 1:39). That was no longer available, but oil from a prophet’s hand was as good as oil from God’s house. It was probably not the regular custom to anoint kings, except when the succession was disturbed, as with Solomon, or interrupted, as with Joash (1 Kings 11:12), or when rule passed to a new family, as here and in David’s case.

Elisha also put the words into his mouth, telling him what to say (2 Kings 9:3). He was to declare, “I have anointed you king,” and no doubt Elisha told him everything else he should say as well (2 Kings 9:7-10). Those whom God sends on his errands do not go without full instructions.

Elisha also told him to do it privately, choosing Jehu from among the other captains and anointing him in an inner room (2 Kings 9:2). In this way Jehu’s trust in his commission would be tested, since no one else would be there to confirm it. If he was suddenly stirred up for the work, that would prove enough that he had been anointed for it. The thing shown would be the best proof of the sign.

He also told him to act quickly. When he set out, he was to gird up his loins, that is, gather up his garments for speed and work. When he finished, he was to leave at once and not stay for payment, a meal, or to see what Jehu would do. It is fitting for the sons of the prophets to be brisk and eager in their work, moving like people who hate delay and waste. They should be like angels, who fly swiftly.

The commission was delivered. The young prophet did his work quickly and was at Ramoth-Gilead at once (2 Kings 9:4). There he found the senior officers sitting together, either at dinner or in a war council (2 Kings 9:5). With the confidence of a messenger from God, though he looked very ordinary, he called Jehu out from the others. He did not wait for Jehu’s convenience or apologize for interrupting him, but spoke like one who had authority: “I have a message for you, captain.”

Jehu may have had some idea why he was being called. So, to avoid seeming too eager for honor, he asked, “For which of us?” In this way it would not later be said that he gained the position by speaking first, but all would know he was truly the one chosen. When the prophet had him alone, he anointed him (2 Kings 9:6). The anointing of the Spirit is a hidden work, that new name known only to those who receive it.

With this act, the prophet gave him royal authority. “This is what the Lord God of Israel says, I have anointed you king over the people of the Lord.” Jehu now had a clear and lawful title, but he was reminded that he had been made king by the God of Israel. From him he must understand where his power came from, since by him kings rule, and to him he must answer. Rulers are God’s servants, and so they must depend on him and devote themselves fully to him and his honor.

Jehu was also set over the people of the Lord. Though Israel had become badly corrupted and had lost the honor of belonging to God in a moral sense, they are still called the people of the Lord, because he still had a claim on them and had not yet given them a certificate of divorce. Jehu was to remember that the people under him were the Lord’s people, not his slaves. They were God’s free people, his sons, his firstborn, and must not be abused or ruled harshly. They were God’s people, and therefore were to be governed for him and according to his laws.

The prophet also told him his present duty, which was to destroy the whole house of Ahab (2 Kings 9:7). This was not so Jehu could clear his own path to the throne or secure his rule, but so he could carry out God’s judgment on that guilty family. Ahab is called his master, so the personal bond would not be an excuse. “He was your master. To raise your hand against his son and heir would be base ingratitude, and more, it would be treason and rebellion, if God had not directly commanded it. But you are under greater obligation to your Master in heaven than to Ahab. He has decided that Ahab’s whole house will perish, and that it will be by your hand. Do not be afraid. Since he has commanded you, his command will justify you and support you. Do not fear danger either, for his command will protect you and make you prosper.”

To help Jehu carry out this great judgment wisely and rightly, the prophet told him what their guilt was and why God had quarrel with them. It was for the blood of God’s servants, the prophets, and other faithful worshipers, which they had shed. That blood was now to be demanded from Jezebel’s hand. Their idolatry was very evil and deserved all that came on them, but that is not what is named here. The main charge is their persecution, not merely their tearing down God’s altars, but their killing his prophets with the sword.

Nothing fills up the measure of the guilt of any prince or people more than this, and nothing brings a surer or harsher ruin. This was the sin that brought first destruction on Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 36:16), and it also brought its final ruin (Matthew 23:37-38). Jezebel’s sexual sins and sorcery were not as provoking as her persecution of the prophets. She killed some and forced the rest into hiding places and caves (1 Kings 18:4).

The sentence on them was total destruction. They were not to be corrected, but cut off and uprooted. Jehu needed to know this so that he would not let pity, favor, or personal affection soften his hand. Everyone who belonged to Ahab was to be killed (2 Kings 9:8). He is given a pattern of what this destruction would look like in the wiping out of Jeroboam’s and Baasha’s families (2 Kings 9:9), and he is told especially to throw Jezebel to the dogs (2 Kings 9:10). The whole royal line was little enough, and still too little, to make up for the blood of the prophets, saints, and martyrs, which God values highly.

After the prophet finished this message, he hurried home and left Jehu alone to think carefully about what he must do and to ask God for guidance.