Consequences of Leading others Astray

 

    There are consequences for every choice and action that we make.  We tend to think small scale in the fact that it is not true or that it just affects yourself.   Very few consequences affect just one person.  They ripple out.  Most are not grand scale, but some can have permanent or long term affects.  This is why we need to pray and think through our life decisions.

    King Ahab as a man child leader.  They don't get much worse than him.  It doesn't help that he let his wife run his home, but the nation into ruin.  King Ahab had 70 sons that were just like him when he reigned in Samaria.  King Jehu wrote to the guardians of the princes to choose a warrior to fight on the behalf of the princes,  They would all fight and the lone survivor would fight the king for the throne.

    All the princes were afraid of King Jehu, so refused to oblige King Jehu.  It the survival instinct that kicking in.  This did not surprise King Jehu.  He sent a second letter ordering all of the princes heads brought to him the next morning.  Their inability to make a decision led to the death of all the princes.  The city officials in whom the princes were under their protection, did as King Jehu ordered.  There seems to be no love for King Ahab's family.

    The prince's heads were placed in baskets and taken to King Jehu and God's Word about King Ahab's family was fulfilled.  King Jehu may come across like a sociopath, but he did do as God commanded.  After the princes were killed, King Jehu killed off the rest of Ahab's family, officials, and closed friends.  Be careful in whom you work for and allow into your life.  Their choices could affect your life.  In this case, there were no survivors.  

    Next, King Jehu tricked the Baal worshippers into believing that he was going to make a great sacrifice to Baal.  He gathered all it's the prophets and priest along with a large crowd in Baal's temple.  There he slaughtered the prophets and priest, then destroyed all the sacred artifacts.  He made a display of it to say, if Baal was a real god, then he would have talked to his prophets or protected his people.

    Baal was removed from the Israel.  God was happy with his zeal, so He promised Jehu the throne for four generations if he followed His Word.  God knows how corruptible the human heart is.  He was not going to promise a never ending reign, but Jehu was not a Godly man.  The consequences of Israel's national sins led to the reduction of the nation's land.  

    King Jehu decided to reign in Samaria.  He reigned 28 years.  When he died, his son Jehoahaz became king.

2 Kings 10