The Slippery Slope of a Judgmental Spirit

Jehu, king of Israel was a man on fire. The Lord appointed him to wipe out the sin of Israel and he acted with intense zeal in accomplishing that task. At one point he boasted to an associate: “Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD.” 2 Kings 10:16. Yet there is a lesson for the modern church in the life of Jehu. Let us first recount his expedition of vengeance. 

Once anointed Jehu unleashed a torrent of God's wrath on the unfaithful royal families of both southern and northern Israel. Joram (Ahab's son), Jezebel, and all 70 of Ahab's sons were killed. He piled the heads of Ahab's sons at the gate in a proud display of his accomplishment. Ahaziah, the king of Judah and all his relatives were slaughtered at Jehu's command. Finally, Jehu coordinated a fake Baal worship ceremony in order to bring all the Baal worshippers into one place and he commanded his men to slaughter all of them as well. You could say Jehu was the John Wick of the Bible. 

Yet in spite of all his seeming zeal for the Lord, this is the final record of Jehu's reign as king of Israel:
2 Kings 10:28–31 (ESV) Thus Jehu wiped out Baal from Israel. 29 But Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin—that is, the golden calves that were in Bethel and in Dan. 30 And the LORD said to Jehu, “Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my eyes, and have done to the house of Ahab according to all that was in my heart, your sons of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel.” 31 But Jehu was not careful to walk in the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam, which he made Israel to sin.

What we see of Jehu we see very often in our world. There are many Christians who are fully committed to the judgment of God on others while ignoring their own sin. Jehu was committed to God's wrath poured out on others but failed to see the need for repentance in his own heart. 

It is entirely possible to have a long successful life only ever pointing out the faults of others. We live in a world that almost trains us to do it. Consider how news media polarizes us to see only the faults of the other side. Consider how easy we can watch television shows of other people sinning in disreputable ways in order to feel better about our own lives. Consider the "water cooler" conversation that turns quickly to gossip about some coworker or customer. There is something inherent in the human condition that gives us 20/20 vision for the sins of others and blindness toward our own. 

We must watch out for this spirit in us. For it can get out of control as I believe happened with Jehu. Remember, the Lord commanded Jehu to strike down the house of Ahab back in 2 Kings 9:
2 Kings 9:7–8 (ESV) And you shall strike down the house of Ahab your master, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD. 8 For the whole house of Ahab shall perish, and I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel.

But the tally shows us Jehu went much further, striking down friends, priests and chief men among the nation. 
2 Kings 10:11 (ESV) So Jehu struck down all who remained of the house of Ahab in Jezreel, all his great men and his close friends and his priests, until he left him none remaining.
Not only this, but Jehu struck down all the worshippers of Baal (as noted above) and the Shepherds of Beth-eked who were simply there to visit the queen (see 2 Kings 10:12-14). 

For this, the Lord pronounced judgment on Jehu's house in Hosea:
Hosea 1:4 (ESV) And the LORD said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.

The lesson of Jehu is a lesson for all of us. Be mindful of your own sins before you spend your life judging the sins of others. A judgmental spirit is a slippery slope that can get out of hand. Take for instance the manner in which the Pharisees looked upon the sinless Christ and condemned Him guilty! They were blinded by their own self-righteousness and missed seeing the righteous one. 

Let us learn from Jehu and take the log out of our own eye first. The Cross stands as a reminder that MY SINS were paid for. MY guilt was atoned for. MY Lord gave HIS LIFE for ME.

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