2 Kings 8-9

(August 8, 2014)

                There were two thoughts that I had as I read through these chapters – both of which focused on Jezebel.  The first was Jehu’s wise words concerning peace – “What is peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?”  We all seek out peace and happiness in our lives, but oftentimes we seek these things out in the wrong places.  We seek peace and happiness through sin, or through selfishness, or through control of our own life or the lives of others.  But the thing that we must each learn (and, in my case, learn over and over again until it hopefully finally sticks) is that wickedness never was happiness.  We will have no peace, and no happiness, except through the Lord – all other attempts to pursue peace and happiness except through the Lord do not increase our peace and happiness but rather numb or mask the pain of the absence of peace and happiness.

                The second thought again was raised by Jehu’s comment, “Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her:  for she is a king’s daughter.”  Even though she was horrifically wicked, and slaughtered the prophets, and brought the people to ruin, Jehu recognized the respect owing to her as the daughter of a king.  Likewise, each and every person that we meet is the son or daughter of a King, and regardless of how we might feel about that person it is important that we offer them each respect, so as to not disrespect their Father and Creator.  It is impossible to disrespect the creation without disrespecting the Creator.