As Jehu entered the gate, she said, “Is it well, Zimri, your master’s murderer?” (2 Kings 9:31). 

Why does Jezebel call Jehu "Zimri"?

Evidently, Jezebel learned that Jehu, a captain in Israel's army (2 Kings 9:5), had killed Joram (or Jehoram), presumably her son (cf. 2 Kings 8:16), the current king of Israel, and declared himself king. This was very much like what Zimri, a former military official, had done to his master, Elah, who was king of Israel (1 Kings 16:8-14). It may be simply coincidence that the prophet that prophesied the death of Elah was also named Jehu (1 Kings 16:12). Just like Zimri, Jehu had usurped the throne of his master.

What is more, perhaps unbeknown to Jezebel, Jehu would wipe out the entire house of Ahab in keeping with the prophecy of Elijah (2 Kings 10:10-11; 1 Kings 21:20-22), just like Zimri wiped out the entire house of Baasha (1 Kings 16:11-13). 

Was Jezebel trying to honor or disparage Jehu by her allusion to Zimri? 

Jezebel was likely trying to disparage Jehu. Her comparison of Jehu with Zimri does not highlight accomplishment so much as treachery: "your master's murderer" (2 Kings 9:31).

Her question "Is it well, Zimri?" (NAS) has also been translated "Have you come in peace, Zimri?" (NIV) and "Was there peace to Zimri?" (Young's Literal Translation; King James Version). While the former translations suggest a neutral tone, the latter clearly suggests that even though Zimri succeeded in usurping the throne of his master, it did not go well, for his reign was shortlived ("seven days") and he ended up killing himself (2 Kings 16:15-20). The latter translation is more literal and befits Jezebel's allusion to Zimri. She was not complimenting Jehu. She was warning him that his fate would be the same as Zimri's.

Now, contrary to her prediction, Jehu would have one of the longer reigns and the longest dynasties of all the kings of Israel (4 generations by God's promise to him, 2 Kings 10:30; 15:12). On the other hand, in keeping with the propecy of Elijah (2 Kings 9:36-37; 1 Kings 21:23), Jezebel was thrown out of a window, trampled by horses, and eaten by stray dogs (2 Kings 9:33-35).

Thus, Jezebel's general prediction about Jehu was wrong. Just the opposite happened. Yet, Elijah's prophecy concerning Jezebel was completely fulfilled to its every gory detail. 

Friends, the simple lesson is that the prophetess of Baal is false while the prophet of God is true, that Baal is no god while the LORD is the only true God.

Yet, for us, who believe, there is more to be learned. We can fully trust in the words of our God. We can trust His Word in every detail. Therefore, His promises to us are fully reliable, so that we can have a real hope for our salvation. Therefore, we do not need to feel burdened by worldly anxieties and cares but can live boldly for the Lord in full confidence of our eternal inheritance in Christ. 

Jehu carried out God's command faithfully and killed everyone who belonged to his predecessor.  What made me wonder this morning is how come he didn't remove the golden calves that made God's people sin.  If Jehu had a genuine zeal for the Lord, how could he be partially faithful like that?  I thought that Jehu might have had intention to kill Ahab's family anyway to thwart any attempts of later rebellion whether he was commanded by the Lord or not.  History tells us about many stories of massacre committed during the transition of kingship, esp., when one's replaced by another that shares no blood with him.  Wouldn't it be possible that God may have used Jehu's selfish motive to be a king to accomplish His sovereign purpose? 

TheLord said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in executing 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.” But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart; he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel sin (2 Kings 10:30-31).

Whenever the history of the kings of Judah and Israel are taught, the kings of Israel are almost always characterized as being all evil, whereas, the kings of Judah are described as a mixed bag of good and evil kings. If any might be considered "good" in the northern kingdom of Israel, it would have to be Jehu, who faithfully and zealously obeyed the LORD in wiping out the entire house of Ahab. The above citation records the LORD's favor in light of Jehu's obedience. 

Yet, in spite of all that he did, he is not remembered for his faithfulness but that he did not serve the LORD "with all his heart." He did not "depart from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel sin." This sin, of course, was the replacing of the place of worship from the Temple in Jerusalem to the altars he set up in Bethel and Dan. He had also replaced the Levitical priests with ones he himself appointed. Let us understand that Jeroboam did not introduce idolatry per se or the worship of other gods but he violated the Word of the LORD in the proper manner of worshipping Him. Jeroboam did this for political reasons, but it also led the northern kingdom of Israel to sin and to fall farther away from the LORD.

As I reflect on the kings of Israel, like Jehu and Jeroboam, I realize more and more how important it was for the people of God to carefully obey the whole counsel of God in Scripture. It was not enough that they "worshipped the LORD." They had to worship the LORD in the right way, with the right priests, and even in the right place. 

Today, let us take this lesson to heart. Let us not merely pick and choose the Scriptures we want to apply to our lives. Let us not merely teach about the love of God but neglect to teach on the wrath of God. Let us not simply speak of unity in the faith without also teaching the command to separate ourselves from false doctrine and false prophets. Let us not merely preach faith without also teaching repentance. Let us not simply preach the Old Testament without explaining the New Covenant has replaced the Mosaic Law. This is preaching the whole counsel of Scripture. 

Let us not be like Jehu, faithful and zealous in part but coming short of obedience, because we were not careful to obey the whole counsel of God's Word. 

Nonetheless the LORD said to Jehu, “You have done well in following my instructions to destroy the family of Ahab. Therefore, your descendants will be kings of Israel down to the fourth generation.” (2 Kings 10:30 NLT)

Jehu faithfully and zealously destroyed the house of Ahab and all who were near to him. For this, Jehu is allowed to retain the throne of Israel to the fourth generation. Just as Unmi shared last year with respect to God's supernatural preservation of the Davidic line on the throne of Judah through a sole surviving heir, Joash, even so God protected the line of Jehu up to the fourth generation of the kings of Israel. What are we to understand from this? God is sovereign. The rising and falling of kings are in His hands. Just as Daniel would declare to Nebuchadnezzar, the great Babylonian king:

The Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world. He gives them to anyone he chooses—even to the lowliest of people.” (Daniel 4:17 NLT)

Again, listen to the song of Asaph, the choir director of Israel:

It is God alone who judges; he decides who will rise and who will fall. For God says, “I will break the strength of the wicked, but I will increase the power of the godly.” (Psalm 75:7, 10 NLT)

Now if God is sovereign and does as He pleases in promoting and demoting, and He favors the godly over the wicked, what does wisdom advise? This is why Solomon writes repeatedly that "the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 1:7; 3:7; 9:10; 15:33). As the Psalmist also declares,

The fear of the LORD is the foundation of true wisdom. All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom. Praise him forever! (Psalm 111:10 NLT)

Friends, today, I remind you of the sovereign greatness of our God, who is in control of all things and does just as He pleases. Consider this neat little video from Francis Chan to give you perspective of just God's creative greatness (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpChZxPfa-c). 

Understanding this, why are we so busy with our daily lives, our daily cares, and our daily wants? Why do we give such attention to our material well-being, our appearance, and our ambitious pursuits. Are we not found to be trying to justify ourselves before this holy God, as if all these things were really priorities He is interested in for our insignificant lives?

Do I sound preachy? I am preaching to myself as well as to any one of you. They say failure can be a handicap, because it can discourage you from trying, but success may be an even greater handicap because it can blind us from what is truly important.

Now, I wonder what images come to your mind when I speak of failure and success. Did you think of financial success and failure, or moral success and failure, or relational success and failure, or perhaps spiritual success and failure? But the wise and true way of thinking is not in terms of success and failure but simply on the basis of our fear of God; that is, how we can align every word, thought, and action to trust and obey God. It is not in the result, whether success or failure, but in the pursuit. The command is to "seek," not to find. God supplies the result, for Jesus says, "Seek and you will find." Therefore, our business is not in generating outcomes but simply following the principles of God in everything. 

Why do I spend so much time ensuring that my kid gets the best education? We are just commanded to instruct them in the fear of the LORD. Why do I so spend so much effort to get the best deal on a car or television, etc? Jesus commands us not to worry about any of these things. Why are all the routines of my life so very self-centered? Yet, Jesus says that those that would follow Him should deny themselves. Even the "spiritual" among us, why are we so concerned with doing something "big" for God? Where in the Bible is He ever concerned with His people doing something big for Him, for over and over again God says He is simply concerned with us being faithful from our hearts?

Friends, more and more I'm convinced that we are thinking wrongly about things. We have taken centuries to create a kind of Christianity that has insulated professing believers from true and wholehearted faith and obedience. For a contemporary analogy, our modern church is like the matrix, where the reality of God's sovereignty has been shrouded by a theology of convenience that makes us blind to anything in God's Word that would cause us to question this matrix.

The wisest person in the world wrote in Ecclesiastes, the book of wise perspectives, that there is only one preoccupation that should concern every person in the world of any time:

That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad. (Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14 NLT)

Fulfilling the words of this prophetic message, all of Jehoram's son were killed by raiders except his youngest, Ahaziah,  Jehoram himself dies a painful death from his bowel ailment. After Jehoram's death, Ahaziah becomes the next King of Judah (The Southern Kingdom). He too followed the ways of the house of Ahab, for his mother encouraged him to act wickedly. He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, as the house of Ahab had done, for after his father’s death they became his advisers, to his undoing. (2 Chronicles 22:3-4)