From Ramoth Gilead To Jezreel

From Ramoth Gilead to Jezreel 

II Kings 9:14-15 NKJV

[14] So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, conspired against Joram. (Now Joram had been defending Ramoth Gilead, he and all Israel, against Hazael king of Syria. [15] But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds which the Syrians had inflicted on him when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, “If you are so minded, let no one leave or escape from the city to go and tell it in Jezreel.” 

It is possible to fight in battles you didn't start, but there's something exciting about the battles you are commissioned to execute. Jehu was divinely commissioned by God to clean up the mess of Ahab's dynasty. Thats what Jehu went to Jezreel for. The battle with Syria was not the center of the conflict. The center was spiritual and in Israel. So Jehu could have spoken like Paul in 2 Corinthians 7:5, which describes being troubled on every side, with conflicts on the outside and fears within. He was focused on cleansing the fears within, that was Joram. 

   Bishop Mike Okonkwo is very particular about winning one's life battles. " You must choose your battles in life. It is not every battle that you must fight. Many people are trying too hard to defend themselves in times of challenge, in times of difficulties, in times of pressure and they are distracted and they lose focus on what God is planning for them. They end up fighting the wrong battle and spend energy in the wrong places. You must choose your battles. This is one of the things that I found in the scripture. I remember when David’s brothers tried to discourage him from fighting Goliath. David didn’t chastise them or continue to argue with them trying to make them believe in him, he simply walked away. There are battles you walk away from; you don’t stay there to fight. The fight that you fought does not make you superior, it does not elevate you, promotion only comes from God. It’s only God that elevates". So it was strategic that Jehu walked away from the Syrian battle, to set the home front right.

   Naboth's vineyard, ironically was at Jezreel. God knows how to rewrite our life stories. The stage is set to fulfill prophecies. Stay with us in the next episode and enjoy the fulfillment of God's prophecies. Good morning.