The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-01-23
Extracts from the Christian Neighbor.
Jehu, the Son of Ninshi.


About SS4 years before Christ Jehu
was anointed king over Israel 1.-The
ten tribes. The principal business of
his reign was the destruction of the
house Of Ahab who himself was slain
in battle with the Syrians at Ramoth
--Gilead. Ahab went into the battle
disguised as q common soldier think
ing he would be less target for the
enemy than if he appeared on the bat
tle-feld in his royal apparel. But he
did not escape; for "a certain man
drew bow at venture and smote the
king of Israel between the joints of
the harness wherefore he said unto
the driver of his chariot, Turn thine
hand, and carry me out of the host J for
am wounded?" From thatwound the
king died that evening. The famous
Jezebel wife of Ahab, was slain at
Jezreel at the command of John and
after that her body was eaten by the
dogs. Jehu also "slew all that remain
ed of the house of Ahab in Jezreel,
and all his great men, and his kins-
folks, and his priests, until he left him
none remaining" Jehu also broke
down the image of Baal, and broke
down the house of Baal." Immediate
ly preceding this was the slaughter
of all the worshippers of Baal in the
land. They had been assembled in the
house of Baal by the order Of Jehu,
professedly for worship, but really
that he might have them all slain at
once by the eighty men whom he had
appointed to the task.
Thus did Jehu rid the land of the
house of Ahab and of the worshippers
of Baal and the images, and house Of
Baal and the idol Baal itself.
But what of the Jealous, fast driv-
ing and furious Jehu himself, who on
one occasion invited Jehonadab to take
a seat with him in his chariot, saying,
"Come with me, and see my zeal for
the Lord"
After his furious and utter destruc-
ton of idolaters and idolatry it is said
of him: "But Jehu took no heed to
walk in the law of the Lord God of
Israel with all his heart : for he de-
parted not from the sins of Jeroboam,
which made Israel to sim"
l. Jehu's zeal was more for his own
fame or glory than for the extinction
of idolatry and idolaters.
2. AS the destruction of the golden
calf in Bethel and the one in Dan
would have made him unpopular with
the ten-tribe nation at large he left
them just as Jeroboam had established
them when he led the. ten-tribes in the
rebellion under Rehoboan the son and
successor of King Solomon.
8. Jehu was so absorbed in the pun
ishment of evil-doers that he "took no
heed to his own heart and personal
life. He was eager and swift to pun
ish others, but neglected to correct or
reform himself.
4. He was vainglorious: he was
doubtless anxious that others besides
Jehonadab should see and talk about
his zeal for the Lord.
While all those proceedings under
the reign of Jehu have been "loosed"
or abolished as utterly Incompatible
with the reign of the Prince of Peace,
vet there is "admonition" in the
course of Jehu.
/. Religious reformers should be
sure that their zeal is for the Lord rath-
er than for self or sect.
2. That reformers or teachers should
not be so concerned about others as to
neglect their own reformation or sal
vation. Rather first the "beam," then
the "mote.n There is nowadays no
little zeal which is neither according
to knowledge" nor consistency, nor
refusal of money---all pretences to the
contrary notwith standing.