Chapter 41 Israeli military officer Jehu

One day, while he was walking with Elisha, a fire-breathing chariot dropped from the sky and took the old prophet to the place he longed for. This is what Elisha told the people when he came back from Bethel alone.They dared not doubt his words.Elisha inherited the supernatural abilities of his teacher and was already a formidable man. When the naughty children of Bethel village make fun of Elisha's baldness, two bears burst out of the bushes and eat the children, a warning to all.This is just a general example.Elisha is omnipotent.Like Elijah, he could stop a river with a single hum.He can make iron blocks float on water, and he can heal all sick people.Finally, he also has the uncanny gift of invisibility.

All these abilities put him in a good position at a time when he felt he had been able to purge Jezebel from the life of the Jewish people.He deliberately stood at the forefront of revolutionary action to overthrow the Omri family and to purge the wicked Sun Cult from both Israel and Judah. Elisha did not take part in a specific riot. He was not a warrior, but he was a firm man when it came to matters of principle.But he entrusted the fighting to a man named Jehu, who is the most vivid character in the Old Testament. Jehu was an officer in the Israeli army, known for his bravery.He is superb in riding skills and good at shooting arrows, and he can never give up on the enemy.It would be best for him to undertake the dangerous task of overthrowing the old dynasty.

He was lucky.When they acted, the kings of Judah and Israel happened to be together.The two of them are close relatives and maintain a friendly relationship on the surface. Jehoram, king of Israel, was the first to sense the danger.He heard that Jehu had come with an army and wanted to escape in an iron chariot.But it was too late.Yoram was shot in the heart by an arrow and died.His body was lying by the road, and Jehu's follow-up troops found it, and they threw it in Naboth's stolen field, to be eaten by wild dogs. Knowing what had happened to his companions, Jehoshaphat fled desperately to his borders.He was overtaken by the rebels near Ibraim in the tribe of Manasseh, and was seriously injured. He barely managed to reach Megiddo and died, where many Jewish kings died in battle.

After finishing off the two kings, Jehu turned around and dealt with Jezebel.The old queen knew that she would die, so she calmly met the arrangement of fate.She carefully dressed the queen's clothes, and then waited for the executioner's arrival.Jehu arrived at the palace and ordered Jezebel's servants to throw Jezebel out the window.A few attendants complied. Jezebel was thrown into the street.Jehu drove over her body and left without looking back. That night, some of Ahab's loyal servants did not forget their old kindness, and wanted to go out of the palace by night to find the dead ruler's body and bury it as the king's daughter.

But they couldn't find Jezebel's body. The wild dogs of Jezreel have torn the body to pieces. Next came the turn of the sons of Ahab.Most of them have fled to Samaria.Seeing that the whole nation supported Jehu, they realized that resistance was futile, so they surrendered on Jehu's terms.Jehu spared them all.Their heads were piled in two large piles outside the city gates as a warning to those who might try to rebel against the leader of the revolt. Not long after, the forty-two princes of the emperor of Judah were also killed. The priests of the Sun Cult remain.Jehu sent word that he had no enmity with them, and he had a slight liking for their religion.So he will meet them in their temple to discuss the aftermath together.They believed what he said.But once they all entered the temple, the door was closed.When night fell, every follower of the sun god was killed.

In one stroke Jehu ended the danger of foreign domination. The Omri family was wiped out. The priests of the sun god were purged. Elisha was overjoyed when Jehu became ruler of Israel. Jehovah has won a complete victory. However, people soon realized that building on killing and bloodshed is not good for the country. Yes, Jehu was brave, but he lacked wisdom and balance.He became the puppet of a group of religious leaders, and his followers followed him in order to realize their narrow ideal country. They are afraid of all foreign things, whether they are foreign gods or people, and they cannot even tolerate people in the kingdom who are not of pure Jewish blood.They erected imaginary barriers around Israel and Judah to keep out those who were born abroad.They frown on "alliances" with other nations, declaring that any treaty with other nations (that do not recognize Yahweh) is ugly in the eyes of their God.

However, both Israel and Judah are weak countries, and it is difficult to survive without the help of a few good friends in the East or West. The implementation of the policy of the prophets to draw lines by religion has proved disastrous, and it happens to be in all occupations. This strategy was implemented when the soldiers (children of the royal family) were wiped out and 80% of the senior officers were purged. Those believers believe that Jehu's revolution cleared Israel and Judah of barbarian influence.These two countries should therefore be truly "sacred places".It's a great ambition, but one that is unlikely to succeed.

In this world, nothing can be done by killing people alone. Even men as pious as the prophets Amos and Hoshea understood this shortly afterwards and expressed their sorrow at the shedding of so many innocent blood.But by the time they realized this, it was too late. Israel has been conquered by the kingdoms of the East.