April 10, 2025 - 2 Kings 9-11

Such depictions of evil and brutality here. But the overthrow of Joram by Jehu was the plan and desire of the Lord. Jehu had Jezebel killed as well and that was prophesied about by Elijah. Jehu killed seventy of Ahab’s descendants and the prophets of Baal and the Lord’s response was this: “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” The Lord was obviously behind the scenes allowing all these things to happen.

More positively, he protected Joash from the wicked Athaliah reigning in Judah for six years and eventually allowed him to be king, protecting the line of David.

The application to reflect on today is the fact that the Lord is in control over daily events whether rise and fall of kings and countries or market crashes and tariffs. We may not see why certain things happen, sometimes terrible things, but they are all working together for our good and God’s glory.

The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will. - Proverbs 21:1