2 Kings 10:16: “Then [Jehu] said, ‘Come with me, and see my zeal for the LORD.’ So they had him ride in his chariot.”

August 4th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Jehu, the new king of Israel, met a man named Jehonadab and asked him to ride with him in his chariot. We know very little about Jehonadab the son of Rechab, but Jeremiah mentions him and the Rechabites (35:1–16). At Jehonadab’s command, the Rechabites did not plant fields or drink wine, so they probably saw the Israelites as soft and materialistic. Jehonadab had heard that the new king was destroying Baal worship in Israel and wanted to meet him, and Jehu wanted to show Jehonadab his zeal for the Lord and that things were changing for the good in the northern kingdom. Maybe Jehonadab hoped the king’s zeal would lead the nation to national repentance.

Paul the apostle tells us in the Book of Romans that zeal for the Lord is a good thing, but it must be according to knowledge (10:1–3). How careful we must be in our zeal, because zeal without knowledge can lead to fanaticism, which brings out the worst in people and religion. While Jehu did remove the worship of Baal from the land, he did not destroy the idol worship instituted by Jeroboam. His zeal for God seems to have been more political than religious, and so, sadly, his agenda didn’t really include God.

There is an old story that illustrates zeal without knowledge that is both funny and instructive. When Dr. William Sangster was pastor of the large Methodist church in Scarborough, he had an eccentric member who tried to be a zealous Christian. The man was mentally deficient and usually did the wrong thing. While working as a barber, he lathered up a customer for a shave and then came at him with the poised razor, asking, “Are you prepared to meet your God?” The frightened man fled with the lather still on his face!

“LORD, please give us zeal along with knowledge for You today.”