2 Kings 10 Devotional
By Pastor Lawrence

“Vengeance is mine, I will repay” says the Lord.” These vindictive words of God are just as certain as his words of salvation, and in both of these words the righteous rejoice.

Jehu overall does not appear to be a godly man; nevertheless, the Lord anoints him to act as his sword of vengeance against the house of Ahab and against the priests of Baal living in Israel. If you remember back in 1 Kings 21 that King Ahab had offered to buy the vineyard of Naboth at a very high price but when Naboth refused, Ahab conspired with his queen Jezebel to have Naboth killed. They called a solemn fast and placed Naboth at the head of the people in the seat of honor only to have two worthless men accuse him of cursing both God and the king. As a result, the people took him outside of the city and stoned him to death. Afterward, Ahab greedily claimed the vineyard as his own. He thought that he had gotten away with murder until the prophet Elijah showed up at his palace and prophesied God’s vengeance upon his house because of his evil deeds. Unexpectedly, upon hearing these words from the prophet, the wicked king humbled himself and repented, so the Lord delayed this devastating judgment until after his death so he would not have to witness it with his own eyes. Nevertheless, the Lord would still carry out this act of vengeance.

Many years had passed, though, since the death of King Ahab, and his sons were still living in sin and luxury having no fear of the Lord in their hearts. It would seem as if the Word of the Lord had failed, but the Lord raised up Jehu to bring about the fulfillment of this dreadful prophecy. And even though Jehu would lie and scheme his way to carry out his acts of vengeance, he would remind the people in v.10 of this chapter that “there shall fall to the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab.”

This expression concerning the word of the Lord not falling to the ground might remind us of what Jesus says to his disciples about not even a sparrow falling to the ground apart from God’s will. Of course, in that instance, he’s referring to the death of a sparrow, but in this case, Jehu is talking about the impossibility of the death or inactivity of God’s Word that in no way would it ever prove unfruitful, unpowerful and ineffective but would always actively work out according to God’s intended purposes. Even though the fulfillment of some of his words may tarry, they will always be carried out in full at the appointed time.

The author of Hebrews reminds us of the constant activity of God’s Word in Hebrews 4:12-13 saying, “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Even though, we may think that God’s Word has at times fallen to the ground, it is continually at work both within us and outside of us carrying out God’s perfect will, both in terms of justice as well as mercy.

In a fallen world when it seems as if the wicked run amuck unchecked, do not forget the promises of God concerning the judgment to come. Just as God brought vengeance upon the house of Ahab, Sodom and Gomorrah and the whole earth in the time of the Flood, so there is an appointed day to bring about his perfect justice in the future as well. And in the same way, just as God planted the seed of salvation within his people, causing the Holy Spirit to dwell within us, so he will continue to grow that seed as the Holy Spirit causes us to bear fruit over time. And just as God raised Jesus from the dead, so too will he give life to our mortal bodies through the Spirit who dwells within us.

So, when we hear the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation, let us remember that this word too will never fall to the ground, for the Lord has sealed this word to us through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that we might always know that the Lord keeps his Word. He never forgets his promises, he never reneges on his commitments, and he never fails to carry out every single word that He has spoken.