2 Kings 9-12
Doing the Right Thing for the Wrong Reason

Jehu entered the pages of scripture with the roar of a lion. Appointed as king of Israel, he was ordained with a mission to accomplish. "Thus says the Lord the God of Israel, I anoint you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel. 7 And you shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord. 8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. 9 And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah. And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and none shall bury her. Then he opened the door and fled" (2 Kings 9:6-10).

With these words, he began a tear throughout the land that didn't stop until all that remained of Ahab's family was dead. First, he killed Joram, king of Israel (Jehu's predecessor), which was a legitimate action. But he also killed Ahaziah, king of Judah, who was with Joram at the time of the assassination. This was outside of his directive, but perhaps still acceptable punishment for Ahaziah's association with the wicked king? Then, he turned his sights on Jezebel. She died by His command, pushed out of a window and, as the prophesy of 9:10 said, eaten by dogs until there was nothing left. Again, this was under the purview of his divine instructions. In chapter 10, he killed the remaining sons of Ahab by demanding they be beheaded (v. 1-11). In v. 17, he killed the remaining family members of Ahab, then he killed the prophets of Baal (v. 18-27.

But, there are two things in chapter 10 that tell us we have witnessed a man driven by something other than the pleasure of the LORD. In v. 12- 14, he brutally killed 42 relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah, which apparently was not one of God's decrees. But, most telling, from the man who boasted at one point, "Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD," after his killing spree, scripture tells us, "But Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin—that is, the golden calves that were in Bethel and in Dan. And the Lord said to Jehu, 'Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.' But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the Lord the God of Israel with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin" (10:29-31). You see, Jehu did all the right things, but he did them for the wrong reasons. The challenging thing is he may not have even realized it. While he thought he was serving the LORD, that was not his true motivation, else he would have removed the golden calves as well. No, he likely served the LORD outwardly because it helped him accomplish his own goals—but he could feel good about doing them. "But, wasn't God pleased with Jehu?" No, notice that God's statement merely commended Jehu for obeying; it was not a commendation of his heart—the thing God truly wanted (and still wants (Psalm 51:16-17).

Do you go through all the right actions, but for all the wrong reasons? Are you doing the things the LORD asks (giving, worshipping, visiting, etc.) for status? To make your parents or spouse happy? To feel better about yourself as a person? To keep people off of your back? People pleasing to the LORD are those who, as Jesus said, "…worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

So, do all the right actions. Fulfill His word. Serve God with all the energy of Jehu. But, just make sure you do it for the right reasons.