2 Kings 9:4

THE PROPHETIC ACT OF ANOINTING JEHU AS KING

"So the young man, even the young man the prophet went to Ramoth-gilead. And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of us all? And he said, To thee, O captain. And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, I have appointed thee king over the people of Jehovah, even over Israel. And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of the servants of Jehovah, at the hand of Jezebel. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; and I will cut off from Ahab every man-child, and him that is shut up, and him that is left at large in Israel. 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 portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her. And he opened the door and fled."

"And Jehu said, Unto which of us all" (2 Kings 9:5)? The fact of Jehu's responding to the prophet's addressing a group of men as, "O captain," instead of some other doing so apparently corroborates the statement of Josephus that, when Joram left Ramoth-gilead because of his wound, he left Jehu as "his general in charge"[8] of the entire army at Ramoth-gilead.

It is evident from this that only a summary of Elisha's instructions to the young prophet was given in 2 Kings 9:1-3. The entire charge of Elisha is revealed in the words of the young prophet to Jehu (2 Kings 9:7-10).

"Him that is shut up, and him that is at large in Israel" (2 Kings 9:8). These words are somewhat ambiguous, but they apparently mean infant children as well as those old enough to be out on their own. "It is the intention of these words to include all of Ahab's posterity,"[9] in God's order to destroy them.

"I will make the house of Ahab like that of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah" (2 Kings 9:9). The destruction of the house of Jeroboam is recorded in 1 Kings 15:29, and that of Baasha in 1 Kings 16:9-12. "Thus the house of Ahab had been given a double warning of the fate of those who deserted the religion of Jehovah."[10]

Also, Ahab had received a strong personal and specific warning of what would happen to his dynasty in 1 Kings 21;21-26. The extermination of Ahab and his posterity would have occurred much sooner than it did, if it had not been delayed by Ahab's repentance (for a season). Because of that change of heart, God brought the punishment upon him, not during his lifetime, but in that of his son Joram (1 Kings 21:29).