II Kings 8-12

II Kings 11 traces how God, carefully yet powerfully, fulfills His purpose in the middle of generational chaos driven by evil palace intrigue. There is always a Jehu (9:2 ff) willing to be the hand of God in judgment, yet not necessarily willing to live righteously (10:29,30). Less common is a Jehosheba (11:2,3) and a Jehoida (11:4 ff) who can recognize God’s provision before others, and for years live their lives sacrificially to accommodate God’s purpose.

These stories tell us of good men doing bad things and bad men doing good things. We cannot always separate, but God can (Heb. 4:12,13). Our task is not to become Pentecostal pundits, condemning one or justifying the other, but to walk humbly before God lest we ourselves become like the evil we condemn.