1 Kings 10
2 Kings chapter 10 covers the process by which Jehu, king of the northern kingdom of Israel, carries out God’s command to completely destroy the house of Ahab, along with the aftermath. It highlights the meaning of Jehu’s decisive actions and the political and religious reforms, conveying the themes of human obedience and God’s judgment.
1verseWhen the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the LORD’s name, she came to test him with hard questions.
2verseShe came to Jerusalem with a very great caravan, with camels that bore spices, very much gold, and precious stones; and when she had come to Solomon, she talked with him about all that was in her heart.
3verseSolomon answered all her questions. There wasn’t anything hidden from the king which he didn’t tell her.
4verseWhen the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built,
5versethe food of his table, the sitting of his servants, the attendance of his officials, their clothing, his cup bearers, and his ascent by which he went up to the LORD’s house, there was no more spirit in her.
6verseShe said to the king, “It was a true report that I heard in my own land of your acts and of your wisdom.
7verseHowever, I didn’t believe the words until I came and my eyes had seen it. Behold, not even half was told me! Your wisdom and prosperity exceed the fame which I heard.
8verseHappy are your men, happy are these your servants who stand continually before you, who hear your wisdom.
9verseBlessed is the LORD your God, who delighted in you, to set you on the throne of Israel. Because the LORD loved Israel forever, therefore he made you king, to do justice and righteousness.”
10verseShe gave the king one hundred twenty talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never again was there such an abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
11verseThe fleet of Hiram that brought gold from Ophir also brought in from Ophir great quantities of almug trees and precious stones.
12verseThe king made of the almug trees pillars for the LORD’s house and for the king’s house, harps also and stringed instruments for the singers; no such almug trees came or were seen to this day.
13verseKing Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, in addition to that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own land, she and her servants.
14verseNow the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred sixty-six talents of gold,
15versein addition to that which the traders brought, and the traffic of the merchants, and of all the kings of the mixed people, and of the governors of the country.
16verseKing Solomon made two hundred bucklers of beaten gold; six hundred shekels of gold went to one buckler.
17verseHe made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three minas of gold went to one shield; and the king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.
18verseMoreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the finest gold.
19verseThere were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were armrests on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests.
20verseTwelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other on the six steps. Nothing like it was made in any kingdom.
21verseAll King Solomon’s drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver, because it was considered of little value in the days of Solomon.
22verseFor the king had a fleet of ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram’s fleet. Once every three years the fleet of Tarshish came bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.
23verseSo King Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.
24verseAll the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart.
25verseYear after year, every man brought his tribute, vessels of silver, vessels of gold, clothing, armor, spices, horses, and mules.
26verseSolomon gathered together chariots and horsemen. He had one thousand four hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen. He kept them in the chariot cities and with the king at Jerusalem.
27verseThe king made silver as common as stones in Jerusalem, and cedars as common as the sycamore trees that are in the lowland.
28verseThe horses which Solomon had were brought out of Egypt. The king’s merchants received them in droves, each drove at a price.
29verseA chariot was imported from Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for one hundred fifty shekels; and so they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Syria.
Main Structure and Development
- Eliminating the descendants of Ahab (vv. 1–11): Jehu sends letters that lead the leaders of Samaria to execute seventy descendants of Ahab. In this process, all those belonging to Ahab’s family are put to death.
- Killing the house of Ahab, their associates, and the leading supporters in Samaria (vv. 12–17): Jehu kills the remaining members of Ahab’s family, as well as their friends and the remaining supporters connected with Ahab’s house.
- Overthrowing Baal worship (vv. 18–28): Jehu gathers those who worship Baal and wipes them out, and he thoroughly destroys Baal’s temple.
- Evaluation of the Jehu dynasty (vv. 29–36): This concluding section of the chapter considers the fact that Jehu did not remove Israel’s worship of the golden calves, and the resulting evaluation from God. Jehu rules over the northern kingdom of Israel for forty years.
Overall Meaning and Message
This chapter both shows obedience to and execution of God’s Word and also reveals human limitations. Jehu becomes an instrument of judgment connected to the prophetic word delivered through Elisha’s circle, cleansing the wicked dynasty and abolishing idol worship. However, he also was not completely obedient. While he followed God’s command, it shows that there were parts where he acted according to his own political interests and made compromises. Thus, you can see God’s judgment and grace intersecting with human imperfection.
Points to Ponder
- Am I rendering complete obedience before God regarding the work entrusted to me?
- As I work to remove evil and keep the truth, I should also examine whether any compromise has crept into my heart.
- Let’s think about how God’s justice leads human history and how it applies to my life.
Apply to Yourself
- Let’s check whether we need to make an effort to cleanly remove from within us the wrong things in life and habits that do not please God.
- Make it a habit to frequently check that all things are not based only on your ability and thoughts, but that you follow God’s will and His Word.
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