Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: 1 Kings 16 and Psalm 116

During the 41 years of King Asa’s reign in Judah (the southern kingdom) multiple kings came to power in the northern kingdom of Israel. Baasha (24 years), Elah (2 years), Zimri (7 days), Omri (12 years) and Ahab, who eventually ruled well beyond the time of King Asa in the south. He lasted a full 22 years.

Although these varied “terms of office” don’t seem too unusual in our democratic age, the ways these kings came to power and were then removed from the throne seems very primitive to us. In this one chapter we read of a murder, a coup, a suicide and a whole lot of killing in the interests of establishing power more firmly once the new king was enthroned. The northern kingdom of Israel appears to have been functioning no differently to the pagan nations around them.

One very brave light shining in all this darkness is, however, the prophet Jehu. If I was asked yesterday to name the famous prophets of the time of the kings of Israel, I would have suggested names like Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah and Jeremiah. To be honest, Jehu would not have made it onto that list. And yet a bit of closer research picks up that Jehu prophesied in the background of Jewish history for at least 50 years. This is the first mention of Jehu, son of Hanani, but the same Jehu appears about 50 years later in 2 Chronicles 19, ministering to Jehoshaphat. That implies that he was very young when he confronted Baasha with his wickedness and news of God’s judgment, and that he remained a faithful prophet of the Lord for all those years.

The times, the powers-that-be, and the pet sins of society shift and change over the years, but the calling of the people of God remains the same. We are called to remain faithful to the Lord, true to His Word, godly in our thoughts, words and deeds, bold in resisting ungodliness in society, even when that means speaking truth to power. May the Lord help us to be more like Jehu in these ways, in our own day and age.

In the words of the classic hymn by James Edmeston (1821) we pray: Lead us Heavenly Father, lead us, over this world’s tempestuous sea. Guard us, guide us, keep us, feed us, for we have no help but Thee. Amen.