Lessons from Jehoram's response to Jehu?
What can we learn from Jehoram's reaction to Jehu's approach in this passage?

Scripture Focus

“Then Joram turned around and fled, calling out to Ahaziah, ‘Treachery, Ahaziah!’” (2 Kings 9:23)


Setting the Scene

• Jehu has been anointed to wipe out the house of Ahab (2 Kings 9:6–10).

• Jehoram (also called Joram) rides out with King Ahaziah of Judah to meet him, asking, “Is it peace, Jehu?” (v. 22).

• Jehu answers by exposing Jezebel’s sins, and Jehoram instantly grasps the danger.


Jehoram’s Snap Reaction

• He pivots and flees.

• He labels Jehu’s God-ordained mission “treachery.”

• He calls on Ahaziah for help instead of turning to the LORD.


Lessons on False Security

• Jehoram assumed his alliances (with Ahaziah) and military power guaranteed safety.

Psalm 20:7 reminds us, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God”.

• Earthly safeguards crumble when divine judgment arrives.


Calling Righteous Judgment “Treachery”

• Sinful hearts reinterpret truth as betrayal (Isaiah 5:20).

• By branding God’s justice “treachery,” Jehoram shows how rebellion flips moral categories upside down.

• Similar distortion: Ahab called Elijah a “troubler of Israel” (1 Kings 18:17).


The Futility of Flight

Proverbs 28:1—“The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion”.

• Jehoram’s desperate escape attempt ends moments later with an arrow in his heart (2 Kings 9:24).

Psalm 139:7–10 assures that no one can outrun God’s presence.


Opportunities Spurned

• Jehoram had witnessed Elijah’s ministry, Elisha’s miracles, and earlier judgments on his own family.

Hebrews 3:13 warns that sin’s deceit “hardens” if we ignore repeated calls to repent.

• Each unheeded warning intensifies accountability (Luke 12:48).


Personal Application

• Take sin seriously; seasons of tolerance end when God’s appointed time arrives.

• Do not redefine conviction as “betrayal.” Accept God’s corrective truth before it becomes final judgment.

• Real peace is impossible without repentance and submission to the King who confronts sin, just as Jehu confronted Jehoram.

How does 2 Kings 9:23 illustrate God's judgment against wickedness and idolatry?
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