2 Kings 9:11 Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, Is all well? wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the man, and his communication. 12 And they said, It is false; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus spake he to me, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I have anointed thee king over Israel. (KJV) This took place in Ramoth Gilead.

God’s love of Abraham and the covenant in Genesis 15 that extends to the Children of Jacob is the foundation for this story of obedience, fear, and respect for the Holy One of Israel. This story in 2 Kings 9:1-13 is God using His prophets to bring the land of Israel back to Himself. Elisha starts by getting a prophet with the courage to go and deliver one serious message to a leader in the king’s army. He is not the only prophet at this time, Micaiah plays an important role in the first defense of Ramoth Gilead, and the unnamed prophet in 1 Kings 20, plus the school of prophets.

The Young Man

No pressure here, right? Elisha the Man of God tells you to go and anoint the next king and gives you some very specific instructions. I can see that verses 2 + 3 were for his safety. Verses 11 + 12 give me the impression that this young man was personally known to the officers and not just a “crazy” man of God. If Elisha was at Mt. Carmel this young man walked more than seventy miles to Ramoth carrying that flask of oil. There was a war going on at the time, so tension had to be high.

It is hard to not notice that his message was much more detailed than what Elisha had said. I firmly believe that when he was obedient to the first part of his mission God poured through him the rest of the message that had started with Elijah in 1 Kings 19.   

The young man is called a “crazy fellow” or meshuga.  Strong’s Hebrew: 5288. נַ֫עַר (naar) — a boy, lad, youth, retainer (biblehub.com) and Strong’s Hebrew: 7696. שָׁגַע (shaga) — to be mad (biblehub.com)   Jehu referred to his speech as babbling or a complaint. Strong’s Hebrew: 7879. שִׂ֫יחַ (siach) — complaint, musing (biblehub.com)

The Message

Three people heard the message and repeated it to three different audiences. The reactions of those who heard are worth looking at. God spoke and things happened.

• Elisha heard and spoke to the prophet, who believed and did what he was told, the way he was told to do it.
• The prophet heard Elisha and more from God and spoke it out to Jehu son of Nimshi. (Once he showed his obedience the Spirit gave him more to say.) The prophet running was for his safety as those other officers may have been an issue, also he was not there to get any recognition. Jehu was dripping with oil that may have smelled nice. Did he believe? I think he did, but he did not know how the other officers would receive the message so he downplayed it. They called him a sheker or a liar. Strong’s Hebrew: 8267. שֶׁ֫קֶר (sheqer) — deception, disappointment, falsehood (biblehub.com)
• Jehu heard the message and tells the soldiers. They quickly responded to the message by proclaiming him king. That conversation needs to be looked at. There was no hesitation because they “knew” the prophet and that he would speak the words of God.   

I found Jehu’s exchange with the other soldiers interesting.

• 9:11 – One said, “Why has this meshuga come to you.” He knew him or could at least tell he was a prophet.
• Jehu played off who he was and what he said, again (compare with 5 + 6). He may have been wary of the officers because they could have been loyal to the king and not the word of the Lord.
• 9:12 – The group then called Jehu or at least what he said – sheker. There was a belief in the prophets, even in the north, that they did speak God’s word. Again, they knew him or at least associated him with Elisha. Remember that Jehu was dripping with oil and that may have smelled nice. 

Jehu son of Nimshi

His story should have started right after 1 Kings 19:16. It is not recorded that Elijah did all three (or four) of the things God told him to do. He did anoint Elisha. Please take this as an example of grace and mercy for Elijah, but God still had Jehu in His plan. 1 Kings 21 is the story of Naboth’s vineyard where Jehu received a prophecy that he talks about in 2 Kings 9:25 concerning Ahab. God was preparing Jehu even though Elijah did not anoint him. For a record of all Jehu did read 2 Kings 9 and 10. In this post, I will focus on his dynasty.

Jehu belongs to a small group of leaders who were offered a dynasty of rulers. The length of his dynasty was only four generations.

• Jehu – 2 Kings 9 – 12. 2 Kings 10:31 records that he did not get rid of the sin of Jeroboam.
• Jehoahaz – 2 Kings 13 He was challenged by Amaziah king of Judah to battle, 2 Chronicles 25:17.
• Jehoash – 2 Kings 13:10 Elisha died during his reign.
• Jeroboam – 2 Kings 14:23 Jonah was a prophet during his time as king.
• Zechariah – 2 Kings 15:8 Isaiah, Hosea, and others were prophets by this time.

The references to this promise of a dynasty are 2 Kings 10:30+31, 15:12.

The other rulers who were offered a dynasty:

• King Saul, 1 Samuel 13:13. He did not keep the Lord’s commands, if he had it would have been a lasting kingdom.
• David, 2 Samuel 7:13-16. Verse 15 talks about God not removing His love from Solomon. Yes, this goes on to have meaning for Jesus. In my 2 Chronicles 911 post, I stated some doubts about Solomon, verse 15 does cover some of them. Isaiah 55:3 is a reference to God’s promise to David.
• Jeroboam, 1 Kings 11:38. He was promised a dynasty to match David’s if he did right in the eyes of the Lord. He did not, he caused Israel to sin. He made idols and selected priests from anyone who wanted to be one; this practice continued in the Northern Kingdom and is one reason for its fall and deportation.

Hosea 1:4 And the Lord said to him, “Name him Jezreel; for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the bloodshed of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. (NASB)

This is the last reference to Jehu and it talks about his excessive bloodshed. 2 Kings 10:11 tells of the killing of the house of Ahab, as he was commissioned to do. I did not think that would qualify for the prophecy in Hosea. 2 Chronicles 22:8 is a related but different story. He kills the princes of Judah, which leads to Athaliah (she was related to Ahab) taking the throne of Judah. This should be the bloodshed that is referenced, he was not ordered to kill them.

Ramoth Gilead

This city and region were the first conquered by Israel while wandering in the desert. This is also the region that Jacob traveled through to go to Laban. It is on the east bank of the Jordan River Valley (Numbers 21:33, Deuteronomy 4:43). One of its “guard cities” is Lo Debar. Ramoth Gilead was also a refuge city (Joshua 21:38). This area is also known as the Bashan, word search that name in your favorite Bible app, it was known for its cattle and trees. If you watch The Chosen it is where the S2E2 scene of meeting Philip takes place.

The area has been a source of contention and attack since Judges 10:8, 1 Kings 22, and 2 Chronicles 18. The reason Jehu was anointed there is he was a leader in the defense of the region from northern invaders.

Ahab and Jezebel

This power couple from the Northern Kingdom is the perfect example of what not to be. Many times, I look up names and find interesting information, but trying to build your study off of just a name is not a great idea. These two are the case in point: Ahab means brother or friend of father, H256. Jezebel means chaste, H348; and G2403 gives a metaphorical meaning to her name in Revelations because of her treachery. So, the Hebrew meanings are not going to build much of a case for how bad they were. With that said I will bring Ahab’s father into the study.

Not much is said about Omri in the Bible and none of it is good, use the websites to explore more on this unrighteous man. Ahab was his son, but Athaliah was his granddaughter (apparently by another child), so in just those two he produced more evil than the kings before him (LOL). 1 Kings 16:30 has Ahab doing more evil than his father. Omri, however, had put his DNA and disregard for God into the royal line of David and the kings of the south. Yes, some kings of Judah chose to walk in the path of David, but many followed in Omri’s path away from the God of Israel.

These are some references that are for the Northern Kingdom.

• 1 Kings 16:21 is Ormi’s start. Verse 29 begins Ahab.
• 1 Kings 17 is the first we see of Elijah.
• 1 Kings 19 is Jezebel’s threat to Elijah and his running away.
• 1 Kings 21 is the story of Naboth’s vineyard.
• 1 Kings 22:51 Ahab’s son becomes king.
• 2 Kings 9:30 is when Jezebel was killed and eaten by dogs.
• 2 Chronicles 22 – 23 is Athaliah’s brief and bloody rule over Judah.

Omri – Wikipedia

Who Was King Omri in the Bible and What Made Him He So Evil? – Topical Studies (biblestudytools.com)