Bible Lesson 12 – 2 Kings
Just for your thoughts:
Bible Lesson 12 – 2 Kings
We should not perform the responsibilities and ministries God gives us merely out of obligation.
We are called to carry them out carefully and with all our heart.
This is what we can learn from the life of Jehu.
Jehu was one among the 19 kings who ruled over the northern kingdom of Israel.
After Solomon, the unified kingdom of Israel was divided into two – the northern and southern kingdoms.
The northern part was called Israel, and the southern part was called Judah.
Israel was ruled by the tribes that broke off – nine tribes in total.
None of their kings walked in a way that pleased the Lord. Jehu was the only partial exception.
He alone was anointed by the prophet Elisha, according to the command of God.
God’s purpose in choosing him was to destroy the entire house of Ahab,to avenge the blood of all the Lord’s servants and prophets shed by Jezebel.
— 2 Kings 9:7
Jehu reigned as king for around 28 years.
— 2 Kings 10:36
He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and completely fulfilled all that God had commanded against Ahab’s family.
— 2 Kings 10:30
However, he did not walk in the law of the Lord with all his heart.
He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam, who caused Israel to sin.
— 2 Kings 10:31
Because of the good he did, God blessed him by allowing four generations of his descendants to sit on the throne of Israel.
Lessons God Teaches Us:
What matters is not how much of God’s work we have done, but how we do it.
Are we doing ministry just because we have been given the responsibility by God?
Or are we doing it wholeheartedly and joyfully?
If we perform ministry merely out of duty,
we might receive its reward in this world,
but it is uncertain whether we will receive a reward in heaven.
It is a privilege to receive a calling from God to do His work.
We are invited to do it with joy.
Like Jehu, we should not do the Lord’s work without joy.
When fulfilling our ministry,
we must also show our love for God and remember the responsibility we have to carry it out faithfully.
The next lesson is this:
To bring justice for the injustices that happened to God's people in Israel,
God did not raise anyone from Judah.
Instead, He chose a man who did not follow God with all his heart.
God can use anyone to accomplish His purposes –
they don’t have to be His children.
Meditate on: Matthew 7:21–23