Thought from today’s Bible reading from 2 Kings 9-11.
When Elisha anointed Jehu as king over Israel, he revealed a specific mission which God had for him.
“You shall strike the house of Ahab your master, that I may avenge the blood of My servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male person both bond and free in Israel” (2 Kings 9:7-8).
Jehu faithfully executed God’s judgment against the house of Ahab. When he met Jehonadab, the record shows Jehu’s completion of this work and why he was successful in carrying it out.
“He said, ‘Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.’ So he made him ride in his chariot. When he came to Samaria, he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, until he had destroyed him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to Elijah” (2 Kings 10:16-17).
Jehu was certainly not without his faults. Though he completed this mission and “eradicated Baal out of Israel” (1 Kings 10:28), he did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam (1 Kings 10:29). But his statement to Jehonadab teaches us an important lesson: zeal is something that can be seen in our actions.
As Christians, we are to be “zealous for good deeds” (Titus 2:14). This does not mean that we merely know which deeds are good deeds, prefer good deeds, and talk about good deeds. To be zealous for good deeds means that we do good deeds.
A Christian’s actions should make it apparent that he is working hard to faithfully serve the Lord. Can people see this zeal in our lives?
Tomorrow’s reading: 2 Kings 12-13; 2 Chronicles 24
[I’m using the Chronological reading plan on the Bible Gateway website if you’d like to follow along, too.]
Daily Notes & Observations contains all 365 articles from this series and is available in paperback from Gospel Armory.
