there as sheep gathered together for the slaughter. All this, we a.re told, "Jehu did in eubtilty, to the intent tbo.t be might destroy the worshippers of Baal." It is impos-- eible to condone this flagrant hypocrisy, which even went the length of offering up a sacrifice to the false god. How unlike the open challenge of Elijah, who gave orders, indeed, for the destruction of Baal's prophets, but only after they bad been publicly convicted of imposture (1 Kings xviii.) I We must not do evil, even that good may come. We see, how~ver, how sometimes the wicked are on the very brink of their destruction when their hearts are most lifted up (li:stb. v. 11, 12; Ps. lxxiii. 18-20). Things are not always what they seem. It is no uncommon thing to see the haters of truth given up to believe a delusion, that they may be destroyed. III. BAAL ROOTED OUT. 1. The guards posted. While the festal throng is rejoicing within, eighty strong guar,ls are posted without by t~e wily Jehu, to secure that none shall escape. 'l'o the captains and guard are committed the ta.sk of actual slaughter. 2. Jehu'& sacrifice. Proceeding to the interior, J ehu takes part in the various solem- uities. At length the worship reaches its climax in the offering of the great burnt offering of the king. This, as remarked above, wa.q an act not to be justified. It showed how little Jehu understood the spiritual nature of God, or was sincerely desirous of serving him, when he could bring himself to promote God's cause by going through this idolatrous farce. Is it, however, worse than many other things that are professedly done in the Name, and ostensibly for the honour, of God? 3. A promis- cuous slaughter. When the festivity was thus at its height, Jehu gave the word, and, the soldiers entering, an indiscriminate and merciless slaughter took place. Not one of Baal's worshippers was allowed to escape. It was a fearful massacre, but seems effec- tually to have rooted Baal-worship out of the land. The slaughter of the deluded votaries was followed by the breaking down of the house of Baal, with its pillars, images, etc. 'l'he retribution in itself was righteouB, and shadows rortb the terrible, sudden, and overwhelming ruin that shall yet overtake all God's enemies. But the deed of vengeance is sadly stained with human passion, deceit, and wrong.~. 0. Vcrs. 29-36.-The reign of Jehu. Under this head we note-- I. JEHu's REWARD, 1. Four generations on the throne. Jebu had outwardly ful- filled the commission given him by God, and had wrought a great deliverance for Israel. This public service God acknowledged by the promise that his sons should sit upon the throne to the fourth generation. The service was outward, and the reward was outward. Approval of Jehu's deeds did not extend to approval of every detail in his conduct. The limit-" fourth generation "-already implies that Jehu was not all he should have been, and anticipates that his sons would not be morally better, else the line would have been continued. 2. The stain ef blood. Jehu had shed much blood. Guilt could not be imputed to him in this, so far as he was acting under an express Divine command. He " delivered his soul" (Ezek. xxxiii. 9), however, only if this Divine command furnished the actual motive of his conduct. If the Divine mandate but covered designs of selfish ambition, the staiu of blood came back on him. Hence the different judgment passed on these deeds in Hos. i. 4, "I will avenge the blood of Jezrcel upon the house of Jehu." In 2 Kings Jehu's acts ore regarded on their outward side, while in Hosea they are considered on their i11uer and spiritual side. His real character was made apparent by bis subsequent deeds. He obeyed God only so far as he could at the same time serve himself. He would willingly have shed the same amount of blood to secure the throne for himself, had there been no Divine command at all. It hence became impossible to exonerate him from a measure of blood-guiltiness. By making himself one with Ahab in his sins, Jehu fell back to the position of an ordinary manslayer. II. Jmru's FAILURE. 1. His sin. Generally it is affirmed that, after his elevation to the throne, "he took no heed to walk in the Law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart," and particularly it is charged against him that he did not remove the golden calves of Jeroboam, He continued that idolatrous and schismatic worship at l:lethel and at Dau, This means that his "zeal for the Lord" stopped short at the point needed for the consolidation of his own power. Once seated on the throne, with no more blood of Ahab's house to shed, he became iudifftJrent to religious reform. The self-will that underlay his pretended zeal for God thus became apparent. It seemed to ll, KINGS, Q 226 THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS. [en. XI, 1-21.
him politically prudent to keep up the division of the kingdoms by perpetu&ting the calf-womhip of Jerobo11m; eo, though he knew it was wrong, he refrained from inter• fering with it. We see in this the distinction between true and false zeal. Truo zeal for God is careful above all things to walk in God's ways. It honours his command- ment above considerations of expediency. It is not spasmodic, but persists in well- doing. l<'alse zeal, on the contrary, is fitful and wilful. It is moved when self-interest, or private passion, or inclination, or the praise of men, coincides with the Divine com• mand; it throws off the mask when religion and interest point in opposite directions. It is time alone can test the quality of zeal. 2. Hu punishment. We find that after his declension Jehu suffered severe losses of territory. Hazael and the Syrians pressed in, and took from him most of the land on the east side of Jordan. It is not difficult to connect the two things as cause and effect. Had Jehu remained faithful to God, It is not to be thought that he would have suffered these losses. Because he did not remain faithful, he was scourged more severely than perhaps another man would have been. He was raised up t.o punish others, and, foreseeing his declension, an instrument had been prepared to punish him (eh. viii. 12). When God was age.inst him, his generalship and valour were of no avail. We are thus taught that true self-interest and irreligion do not coincide. Jehu sought his own ends, and, as a politic ruler, thought it wiser to disobey God than to run the risk of putting down a popular idolatry. The result showed how short-sighted his calculations were. The wisest course, even for oar own interests, is to do what God requires. Nothing more is told of the twenty-eight years' reign of Jehu. He was buried in Samaria., and his son Jehoa.haz succeeded him.-J. 0.