Do you have an idol in your heart?
In 841 BC, the prophet Elisha’s messenger came to Jehu’s house and anointed him the next king of Israel. According to the Lord’s purpose, Jehu was to destroy the house of Ahab so that God might avenge the blood of His prophets. Jehu executed this divine mandate with unprecedented zeal. His zeal to destroy those the Lord commanded be destroyed, including all the prophets of Baal, was astonishing. Unfortunately, Jehu was not zealous against all idolatry (2 Kings 10:29). For almost a century, two abominable golden calves had stood in the land to ensure the Israelites did not travel south to worship in the temple and re-unify the kingdom. Rather than completing his eradication of idolatry, Jehu left these two graven images primarily to protect his own political interests. This lesson from Jehu warns that we can be zealous against idolatry and even purge idols from our lives while still protecting our most cherished ones. As we close this series, we consider how Christians can be zealous ag...