"Jehu's Vision Problem"

BIBLE READING:  2 Kings 9-11

                What a great victory Jehu must have thought he had accomplished in destroying all the prophets of Baal along with their temple in 2 Kings 10.18-27.  Not only did they destroy it, but the Bible said that they made it a “latrine” or “sewer”.  I am sure this was an event that was spoken of for months and years after the fact and considered a great accomplishment.  As it was a great accomplishment, it may have also served as an accomplishment of Jehu.  Could it be that Jehu felt good about his accomplishment; so good maybe that he thought he did not have to do anything else? Sadly, in 2 Kings 10.29, we read that “Jehu did not turn aside from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin.  How could a man do so much good, while at the same time do so much evil?  Maybe Jehu had a vision problem?  Maybe Jehu could see very clearly to notice the sins of others but failed to see his own shortcomings.  It was very easy for him to see the sins of the prophets of Baal. In fact, it almost seems that he enjoyed seeing them be punished for their evil deeds.  Yet, at the same time, not notice the evils that he continued to practice within his own life.  This type of vision problem is all too common amongst Christians today.  It is so easy for us to criticize, judge and sometimes even punish those who do not fully obey the Word of the LORD. However, when we look in the mirror we can’t see (or maybe we choose to ignore) our own faults.  Jesus address this all too common disease in His Sermon on the Mount,

"Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.”-Matthew 7:1-5

Because Jehu was not willing to address his own sin issues, the LORD begins to punish him by cutting off part of Israel and turning into the hands of their enemies.   We must be careful that we don’t fall into the same trap of being quick to point out other’s faults, ignoring our own. If we fail to address our own issue, the LORD will cut us off too and that isn’t something that we want to happen. Look in the mirror; address your own sin before you begin to address others.

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