Useful Bible Studies > 2 Kings Commentary > chapter 10
Jehu had completed the task that God had given to him (9:6-10). He had carried out the judgment that God made against the evil family of Ahab (1 Kings 21:21-24). So, God declared that he would reward Jehu: four kings would come from his family. However, Jehu did not rule Israel in the way that God wanted. He did not obey God’s laws, God’s instructions about how his people should behave. So, neither Jehu nor his nation truly turned back to God. It they had done, they would have prevented God’s punishment for their evil deeds. However, in fact, they merely delayed that punishment.
God counted the time of that delay as the number of kings who would rule from Jehu’s family. There would be four kings: Jehoahaz, Jehoash, Jeroboam and Zechariah. Each of these kings would be the son of the king before him. More kings came from Jehu’s family than any other royal family that ruled northern and central Israel. They were also Israel’s last important royal family. After them, a series of kings from different families ruled for short periods of time. The nation that Jehu had ruled only existed for about 40 years after the death of the last king from his family.
God had delayed that final punishment, but he still dealt firmly with Israel’s people during Jehu’s rule. God allowed them to have a powerful and fierce enemy, Hazael, the king of Aram, also called Syria (8:12-13). God chose Hazael to be Jehu’s enemy at the same time that he chose Jehu himself (1 Kings 19:15-17). Hazael took possession of the land that Israel had ruled on the east side of the Jordan river. God allowed Hazael that success in battle because of the evil deeds of Israel’s people and of Jehu, their king.
Next part: The parts of Israel on the east side of the Jordan river (2 Kings 10:32-33)
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