Jul 4 – 2 Kings 8:16-29, 2 Kings 9 Acts 23:12-35 Psalm 80:1-7

2 Kings 9:30-35

When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. And she painted her eyes and adorned her head and looked out of the window.

And as Jehu entered the gate, she said, “Is it peace, you Zimri, murderer of your master?”

And he lifted up his face to the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked out at him.

He said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down. And some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, and they trampled on her.

Then he went in and ate and drank. And he said, “See now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king’s daughter.”

But when they went to bury her, they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands.

This is pretty brutal and graphic stuff. But what i find interesting about it, is that Jehu’s plan would not have worked, had Jezebel been a good boss. 

But Jesu was going to show honour to her. She’d done terrible things, so much so that she’s become a byword for feminine evils, but Jehu still wanted to show honour. He wanted to give her a Good buried and she was the daughter of a king. We’d do well to live like that. Even to the worst of people, we can’t condone what they do but we can show honour. Now, as it happens the Good burial wasn’t possible. There wasn’t enough left to bury… which is a disturbing picture. 

Acts 23:12

When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. 

There was a group of Jews who made a vow that they would neither eat or drink until they had killed Paul. Yet because of the threat Paul is transferred to Caesarea. 

So they didn’t get him. I winder what happened to them? Did they break their vow? Did they die from thirst?

I don’t know. What I do know is this, their threats moved Paul on, and actually resulted in him being saved from their hands. God really does work all things together for good.