Kingdom Come

The biblical account of the fall of the house of Ahab meets the high standards of any episode of Game of Thrones. I dare you to be bored with this historical account.

We have more records on Ahab and Jezebel than on any other kings besides David and Solomon for a reason. Jezebel is readily acknowledged to be the prototypical religious Whore of Babylon who rides / controls the political Beast during the greatest tribulation ever, driving God’s people to quit playing church and seriously seek a saving relationship with him. Many Israelites fled pagan Israel south to YHVHist Judah, as documented when King Josiah celebrates Passover for the first time in many generations with all Judah and Israel that were present.” (II Chronicles 35:17)

“And Elisha the prophet called one of the children [trainees] of the prophets, and saidunto him…go to Ramothgilead…look out there Jehu the son of…Nimshi, and go in, and…say, Thus saith the LORD, I have anointed thee king 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 all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel. For the whole house of Ahab shall perish…And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her…

And Joram king of Israel…went out against Jehu, and met him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite [remember the vineyard incident]…he said, Is it peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?

And Joram turned his hands [on the reigns], and fled…And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot.”

Some fantastic shooting from a bouncing chariot or else another guided missile like the one that hit Ahab. 

“Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the LORD laid this burden upon him; Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the LORD; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the LORD. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the LORD.

And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window. And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?

And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs. And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot. And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king’s daughter. And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands a pagan practice at that time.] …This is the word of the LORD…shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel. (2 Kings 9)

What emerges at this time is a pattern of half-hearted faith by the next rulers, neither hot nor cold, crying out for help under duress but not fully allying with the God who saves. The result is the nation’s slow but inevitable cannibalism of its own body. 

1. Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart. In those days Hazael king of Syria smote them in all the coasts of Israel. (II K 10:3-33)
2. Jehoahaz the son of Jehu reigned seventeen years in the hand of Hazael king of Syria, and Benhadad the son of Hazael, all their days. And Jehoahaz besought the LORD…And the LORD gave Israel a saviour, so that they went out from under the hand of the Syrians.” (II Kings 13:1-5)
3. Jehoash the son of Jehoahaz reigned sixteen years took again out the cities, which he had taken out of the hand of Jehoahaz his father by war.” (II Kings 13:10-11, 25)
4. Jeroboam the son of J[eh]oash reigned forty and one years. He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the [Dead] sea of the plain, according to the word of the Lord God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet...For the LORD saw the affliction of Israel, that it was very bitter. And the LORD said not that he would blot out the name of Israel from under heaven.” (II Kings 14:23-27)
5. “Zachariah the son of Jeroboam reign over Israel in Samaria six months…

But when Jehu’s dynasty refused to give YHVH his due credit, honor and worship, Israel’s powerful protective military fractured into militias waging civil war with constant disruption of govnments.

1. And Shallum the son of Jabesh conspired against Zachariah, and smote him and reigned in his stead a full month in Samaria. [Does anyone besides me find that “full” a sarcastic commentary?] For Menahem the son of Gadi…slew him, and reigned in his stead.” (II Kings 15:8-14)
   1. “Menahem the son of Gadi…reigned ten years in Samaria.And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not all his days from the sins of Jeroboam…Menahem smote…the coasts thereof from Tirzah: because they opened not to him…and all the women therein that were with child he ripped up…And Pul the king of Assyria came against the land: and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver, that his hand might be with him to confirm the kingdom in his hand. And Menahem exacted the money of Israel, even of all the mighty men of wealth.” (II Kings 15:16-20)
   2. “Pekahiah the son of Menahem reigned two years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam. But Pekah the son of Remaliah, a captain of his, conspired against him, and smote him in Samaria.” (II Kings 15:23-25)
2. Pekah the son of Remaliah reigned twenty years. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD: he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam. Tiglathpileser king of Assyria took Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria, leaving Pekah behind as a client king.
3. And Hoshea made a conspiracy against Pekah and slew him and reigned in his stead nine years. Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria and found conspiracy in Hoshea for killing a client king, and carried Israel away into Assyria. .” (II Kings 15:27-30)

This takes Israel completely out of the Promised Land, beyond the eastern border of the Euphrates River.

And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof…every nation made gods of their own, and put them in the houses of the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in their cities wherein they dwelt.

• And the men of Babylon made Succothbenoth,
• the men of Cuth made Nergal,
• the men of Hamath made Ashima,
• And the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak,
• the Sepharvites burnt their children in fire to Adram-melech and Anam-melech.” (II Kings 17:1-41)

These of course, are the Samaritans of the New Testament.