Jehu - The King, The Prophet

Read 2 Kings 11, 2 Chronicles 22-24
 
2 Chronicles 22:7 But God had decided that this visit would be Ahaziah’s downfall. While he was there, Ahaziah went out with Joram to meet Jehu son of Nimshi, whom the Lord had appointed to destroy the dynasty of Ahab.
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1 Kings 16:1 This message from the Lord was delivered to King Baasha by the prophet Jehu son of Hanani.
 
IF you are as I am, you are confused about Jehu and even Jehoshaphat. It seems these men are in Israel and Judah, king and prophet at different times. Let’s first look at Jehu, who was the 11th king of Israel.
   2 Chronicles refers to Jehu son of Nimshi. “Son” sometimes meant a man in the lineage of a grandfather or even patriarch. Jehu’s family is clarified more precisely in 2 Kings 9:2 “and find Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi. Call him into a private room away from his friends.” Elisha was preparing Jehu to be king of Israel. His father is Jehoshaphat, but this is not the king of Judah.
   Nimshi, Jehoshaphat and Jehu lived in Israel. Jehu was one of Ahab’s guards. God had earlier instructed Elijah to anoint Jehu to his calling: 1 Kings 19:16 Then anoint Jehu (grand)son of Nimshi to be king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from the town of Abel-meholah to replace you as my prophet. 17 Anyone who escapes from Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and those who escape Jehu will be killed by Elisha! Jehu brought an end to Jezebel’s life and fulfilled God’s anointing to destroy Ahab’s family. Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat and grandson of Nimshi of Israel, was a king of Israel who came as close to obeying God as any king there. But old sins still blocked his full faith in God: But Jehu did not obey the Law of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He refused to turn from the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit. (2 Kings 10:31) Jehu did what had always been done.
   Now we turn to Jehu, the prophet. He was the son of Hanani, the prophet. Jehu spoke doom to Israel’s king Baasha in 2 Kings 16. He also was a prophet to King Jehoshaphat of Judah to denounce Jehoshaphat for his support of King Ahab. So Jehu, the prophet, spoke to the kings of Judah and Israel. Jehu is also credited for writing the history of King Jehoshaphat: 2 Chronicles 20:34 The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, from beginning to end, are recorded in The Record of Jehu Son of Hanani, which is included in The Book of the Kings of Israel. (The entire nation under God.)
   Why does this matter? It does so because the more we understand God’s Word, the more closely we connect God to our lives. Paying attention to the details enlarges our knowledge to know the great power of God’s Love Story. See how God used two different men to do his work. This enlarges our understanding of God’s grace. He has chosen multitudes of people throughout the ages – most we never hear about – so the world will know who he is. What has he given you to do?