Years before, Elijah had prophesied that the line of godless King Ahab would come to an end and that every last descendant of Ahab would be slain (1 Kings 21:20–29). The Lord gave this mission to Jehu when He anointed him king of Israel (2 Kings 9:6–10). Even though the nation was divided into two kingdoms, the Jews were still God’s covenant people and their kings couldn’t do whatever they pleased. Ahab and Jezebel had promoted Baal worship in Israel, and when Jehoram, king of Judah, married Athaliah, a daughter of Ahab, he encouraged Baal worship in Judah (8:16–18). By this evil marriage, Jehoram not only corrupted Judah with idol worship, but he corrupted the line of David and jeopardized the fulfillment of the messianic promises.
Jehu had already killed Joram, king of Israel, and Ahaziah, king of Judah (9:14–29), and he had also slain Jezebel, the evil wife of Ahab (9:30–37). Now Jehu was on a “search and destroy” mission to find and kill every one of Ahab’s descendants. His first challenge was to get control of the capital city of Samaria where Ahab’s male descendants were being protected and prepared for places of leadership in the government. Jehu knew that his forces couldn’t easily take a walled city like Samaria, but being a clever strategist, he knew how to get his enemies to surrender. Once he had taken Samaria, the other key cities in the land would also surrender.
Samaria accepts Jehu’s rule (vv. 1–5). Jehu was in Jezreel (9:30), about twenty-five miles north of Samaria, and from there, he communicated with the leaders in Samaria—the palace administrators, the military leaders, and the tutors and guardians of the princes. He knew that if he could intimidate these respected leaders, he could take over the city without a fight. His first challenge was that they choose one of Ahab’s male descendants, put him on the throne and then defend his right to reign. This was probably a suggestion that the new king or a champion of his choice fight Jehu one-on-one and the winner take all. (See 1 Sam. 17:8ff. and 2 Sam. 2:9.)
Jehu even pointed out their advantages: they were in a walled city and they had armor and weapons as well as chariots and horses. Jehu was using a technique that revolutionaries have used successfully for centuries: making a bold proposal and letting the leaders’ imaginations create fear in their hearts. Adolf Hitler wrote, “Mental confusion, contradiction of feeling, indecisiveness, panic: these are our weapons.” Three different groups of leaders had to unite on this decision, and these men knew that Jehu had killed two kings and disposed of Jezebel. Furthermore, he seemed invincible, for nobody had stood in his way. The message they sent to Jehu at Jezreel was one of complete unconditional surrender. They promised to do whatever he commanded and they agreed not to name a new king. In short, they accepted Jehu as their king.
Samaria obeys Jehu’s orders (vv. 6–10). Now Jehu shows himself to be the master of political double-talk. He accepted their submission to his rule and then ordered them to “take the heads” of the seventy descendants of Ahab and bring them to Jezreel. This could mean “bring the leaders among the group to me and we’ll discuss matters,” or it could mean “behead all seventy and bring me their heads.” It was the second interpretation that the leaders followed, so they immediately killed Ahab’s descendants and sent messengers to Jezreel with the heads. When they arrived that evening, Jehu ordered the messengers to stack up the heads at the entrance of the city, certainly a grisly reminder to the people of Jezreel that it didn’t pay to get in Jehu’s way.
But the next morning, Jehu again showed himself a master politician by absolving himself of any guilt! He admitted that he had killed Joram, the former king of Israel, but since he had not left Jezreel, he couldn’t have murdered the seventy young men. Then he reminded them of the divine promise that all of Ahab’s descendants would be eliminated, so the responsibility ultimately lay with the Lord and His prophet Elijah. In one brief speech, Jehu washed his hands of the mass murder and also allied himself with the Lord and the prophet Elijah!
Jehu practiced what is today called “double-speak.” Taxes are now “revenue enhancement” and potholes are “pavement deficiencies.” People are no longer bald; they are only “follicularly deprived.” Hospital technicians gave a fatal dose of nitrous oxide to a mother about to deliver and killed both the mother and the child. They called the tragedy “a therapeutic misadventure.” Poor people are now “fiscal underachievers,” and soldiers no longer kill the enemy, they “service the target.” David was right when he wrote, “They speak falsehood to one another; with flattering lips and with a double heart they speak” (Ps. 12: nasb).