Today, I am reading and commenting on  2 Kings 8-9.

I have read and re-read this passage multiple times trying to find something more interesting (to me) to write, but here goes with what I have today.  The first section of this story is a “confirmation” of the story about Elisha and the Shunammite woman.  It tells us that Gehazi, Elisha’s former servant, was telling the king about some of Elisha’s miracles when she returned to Israel and came to the king to appeal for the return of her house and land.

The account of Jehu killing King Joram and becoming king in his place contains some interesting tidbits.  So, King Joram had gone to war with Aram at Ramoth Gilead. where his father, King Ahab, had been killed in an earlier war.  King Joram was wounded in battle and retired to Jezreel to recover, leaving the army at Ramoth Gilead.  The army officers at Ramoth Gilead were gathered together when a prophet sent by Elisha arrived to anoint Jehu as king.  The prophet met with Jehu in private to do so, and fled the scene as soon as he had completed his mission.  Initially, Jehu tried to pass it off the prophet’s message as being that of a crazy man (we have numerous references in the books of Samuel and Kings indicating that the prophets were often viewed as insane), but the other officers were having none of that.  The point of going through all of this is that it suggests that the army officers were already debating (in their own minds, if not with each other) how to overthrow King Joram.  Note that Joram’s grandfather had become king after Zimri had killed the previous king, seized the throne ,and had the army revolt against him, which was followed by a short war between factions of the army.  The anointing of Jehu resolved the issue of who would lead the revolt against King Joram.  Then when King Joram sent messengers out to determine if Jehu was approaching peacefully, they fell in with Jehu as soon as they were offered the opportunity.  That suggests to me that the military force at Jezreel with King Joram also sought his overthrow.  Since I cannot imagine that King Joram approached Jehu with only King Ahaziah of Judah accompanying him when he did not know if Jehu approached in peace or to attack, I have to believe that when Jehu struck him down the rest of the military with him joined Jehu.  All in all suggesting that the army of Israel had had enough of the House of Omri.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.