Jehu seemed to appear to be obedient to the Lord, but then revealed his self-seeking and half-commitment to God. After killing Joram and Jezebel, Jehu confronted the leading men of Samaria either to choose a new king from among Ahab’s sons or to kill them all. They chose the latter and slew them all. Jehu also killed all the acquaintances of Ahab in Jezreel. Through Jehu, the prophecy of Elijah was fulfilled. Apostasy and idolatry call for God’s thorough judgment.

Jehu summoned all the worshippers of Baal into the temple of Baal and slaughtered them. His hypocrisy was revealed when he didn’t destroy the golden calves which King Jeroboam had set. Jehu probably believed that the Baal worship brought great harm to Israel and that they had to come back to God. Yet to him, it was sufficient to worship God at the temple of golden calves in Bethel and Dan. His half-commitment to God led his people to continue the idol worship. Jehu was a successful failure because he was not careful to keep God’s words (31). In his complacency, Jehu followed his own judgment and failed. Great success can tempt us to be proud and self-seeking. It is possible to be used by God greatly, but then to stumble into another sin. We ought to seek God’s way by following his words.
Application: Lord, help me cast out all the idols from my heart and humbly seek your way wholeheartedly.
One Word: Be careful to keep God’s words