And the time that Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria was twenty and eight years.
The twenty-eight years Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria close the account of his kingship, placing him in the succession of Israel's kings as the founder of a new dynasty. The length and place of his rule are twenty-eight years from Samaria, and the chapter of his fierce judgments against Baal worship also records that he failed to turn Israel from false worship because he worshiped himself. His reign closes after he was anointed king over Israel, slew Joram and took the kingdom, slew Ahaziah of Judah with Joram, and slew Jezebel.
The account belongs to the history of Elijah and Elisha and to the end of Ahab's house, for Jehu was raised up to destroy Ahab's family. He was anointed king and slew Joram to take the kingdom, slew Ahaziah of Judah with Joram, and slew Jezebel. He might have redeemed Israel had he not worshiped himself.
He exterminated the worship of Baal from Israel with fierce, thorough, and unsparing judgments, smiting right and left. Baal's religion was destructive and put the innocent to death in its rites, so punishment of its worshipers checked that evil. Ending Baal worship was in harmony with the Lord's purpose.
His zeal was mighty but unconsecrated and rash, reflecting too much of his own character and self-worship, as his later life showed. His zeal therefore does not mean all his actions were approved. He failed to turn Israel from false worship because he worshiped himself, though he might have redeemed Israel had he not done so.
He was not faithful to God but turned to calf worship and cleaved to the sin of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. By destroying Baal out of Israel he returned from Ahab's setting aside of the first commandment by choosing Baal in place of the God of Israel, yet by worshiping the true God under the representation of a golden calf he set aside the second commandment. His reign thus displays the distinction that Jeroboam's sin of making a representation of the God who brought Israel out of Egypt laid the foundation of Israel's ruin, while Ahab's still greater rebellion of rejecting that God entirely carried their sin to its greatest height.
His reign ranks with the kings of Israel who were invariably deplorably weak or altogether bad, in contrast to the occasional good kings in Judah.
The twenty-eight years Jehu reigned over Israel in Samaria close the account of his kingship, placing him in the succession of Israel's kings as the founder of a new dynasty. The length and place of his rule are twenty-eight years from Samaria, and the chapter of his fierce judgments against Baal worship also records that he failed to turn Israel from false worship because he worshiped himself. His reign closes after he was anointed king over Israel, slew Joram and took the kingdom, slew Ahaziah of Judah with Joram, and slew Jezebel.
The account belongs to the history of Elijah and Elisha and to the end of Ahab's house, for Jehu was raised up to destroy Ahab's family. He was anointed king and slew Joram to take the kingdom, slew Ahaziah of Judah with Joram, and slew Jezebel. He might have redeemed Israel had he not worshiped himself.
He exterminated the worship of Baal from Israel with fierce, thorough, and unsparing judgments, smiting right and left. Baal's religion was destructive and put the innocent to death in its rites, so punishment of its worshipers checked that evil. Ending Baal worship was in harmony with the Lord's purpose.
His zeal was mighty but unconsecrated and rash, reflecting too much of his own character and self-worship, as his later life showed. His zeal therefore does not mean all his actions were approved. He failed to turn Israel from false worship because he worshiped himself, though he might have redeemed Israel had he not done so.
He was not faithful to God but turned to calf worship and cleaved to the sin of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. By destroying Baal out of Israel he returned from Ahab's setting aside of the first commandment by choosing Baal in place of the God of Israel, yet by worshiping the true God under the representation of a golden calf he set aside the second commandment. His reign thus displays the distinction that Jeroboam's sin of making a representation of the God who brought Israel out of Egypt laid the foundation of Israel's ruin, while Ahab's still greater rebellion of rejecting that God entirely carried their sin to its greatest height.
His reign ranks with the kings of Israel who were invariably deplorably weak or altogether bad, in contrast to the occasional good kings in Judah.