I wrote after the debate that God is in control. These days, in the United States, to change rulers, God has to control an election. All those millions of votes! In the old days, it was a bit easier. To get rid of a king and his family, you just had to anoint someone from a different family:

One day Elisha the prophet ordered a member of the guild of prophets, “Get yourself ready, take a flask of oil, and go to Ramoth Gilead. Look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi. When you find him, get him away from his companions and take him to a back room. Take your flask of oil and pour it over his head and say, ‘GOD’s word: I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and get out of there as fast as you can. Don’t wait around.”

The young prophet went to Ramoth Gilead. On arrival he found the army officers all sitting around. He said, “I have a matter of business with you, officer.” Jehu said, “Which one of us?” “With you, officer.” He got up and went inside the building. The young prophet poured the oil on his head and said, “GOD’s word, the God of Israel: I’ve anointed you to be king over the people of GOD, over Israel. Your assignment is to attack the regime of Ahab your master. I am avenging the massacre of my servants the prophets—yes, the Jezebel-massacre of all the prophets of GOD. The entire line of Ahab is doomed. I’m wiping out the entire bunch of that sad lot. I’ll see to it that the family of Ahab experiences the same fate as the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat and the family of Baasha son of Ahijah. As for Jezebel, the dogs will eat her carcass in the open fields of Jezreel. No burial for her!” Then he opened the door and made a run for it. (2 Kings 9.1 – 10, MSG)

And Jehu gets after it:

Then Jehu mounted a chariot and rode to Jezreel, where Joram was in bed, resting. King Ahaziah of Judah had come down to visit Joram. A sentry standing duty on the watchtower in Jezreel saw the company of Jehu arrive. He said, “I see a band of men.” Joram said, “Get a horseman and send him out to meet them and inquire, ‘Is anything wrong?'” …The sentry said, “The messenger reached them, but he’s not returning.” The king then sent a second horseman….The sentry said, “The messenger reached them, but he’s not returning. The driving is like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi—crazy!” (2 Kings 9.16 – 20, MSG)

King Joram of Israel goes out to meet Jehu, realizes Jehu means to kill him, and attempts to flee:

Jehu pulled on his bow and released an arrow; it hit Joram between the shoulder blades and went right through his heart. He slumped to his knees in his chariot. (2 Kings 9.24, MSG)

Ahaziah, king of Judah, was visiting Joram, and Jehu had him killed, too. That’s material for the next story. Meanwhile, Jezebel, wife of Ahab is still around, but not for long:

When Jezebel heard that Jehu had arrived in Jezreel, she made herself up—put on eyeshadow and arranged her hair—and posed seductively at the window. When Jehu came through the city gate, she called down, “So, how are things, ‘Zimri,’ you dashing king-killer?” Jehu looked up at the window and called, “Is there anybody up there on my side?” Two or three palace eunuchs looked out. He ordered, “Throw her down!” They threw her out the window. Her blood spattered the wall and the horses, and Jehu trampled her under his horse’s hooves. Then Jehu went inside and ate his lunch. (2 Kings 9.30 – 34, MSG)

During lunch(?!) Jehu orders Jezebel buried, but they can’t find her per the word of Elijah:

They went out to bury her, but there was nothing left of her but skull, feet, and hands. They came back and told Jehu. He said, “It’s GOD’s word, the word spoken by Elijah the Tishbite: In the field of Jezreel, dogs will eat Jezebel; The body of Jezebel will be like dog-droppings on the ground in Jezreel. Old friends and lovers will say, ‘I wonder, is this Jezebel?'” (2 Kings 9.35 – 37, MSG)

Nasty stuff, and in 2 Kings 10, Jehu kills all 70 of Ahab’s sons and all the remaining prophets of Baal. Mercy! Among other things, it’s a picture of being a bit more ruthless with our own sin than we are used to:

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Romans 8.13, ESV)