12 Then he arose and departed and went to Samaria. On the way while he was at Beth-eked of the shepherds, 13 Jehu met the relatives of Ahaziah king of Judah and said, “Who are you?” And they answered, “We are the relatives of Ahaziah; and we have come down to greet the sons of the king and the sons of the queen mother.” 14 He said, “Take them alive.” So they took them alive and killed them at the pit of Beth-eked, forty-two men; and he left none of them.
15 Now when he had departed from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him; and he greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart?” And Jehonadab answered, “It is.” Jehu said, “If it is, give me your hand.” And he gave him his hand, and he took him up to him into the chariot. 16 He said, “Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord.” So he made him ride in his chariot. 17 When he came to Samaria, he killed all who remained to Ahab in Samaria, until he had destroyed him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to Elijah. (II Kings 10)
As mentioned yesterday, besides all the amazing things God called on Elisha to do, He used him to call others to serve God whole-heartedly. On such man was Jehu. God had raised him up to deal with the aftermath of Ahab's wickedness. He had many descendants, and had left a houseful of evil in the palace of Israel. God was cleaning house through Jehu. Upon meeting Jehonadab, he gave him the choice: "are you with me or against me?" There was no sitting on the fence or standing in the road. Riding with Jehu was not for cowards; it was the ride of your life. (Elsewhere it is said that Jehu drove his chariot like a madman, furiously) In a very real sense, this is the kind of life Christ calls us to. It is all-or-nothing, reckless abandon, whole-hearted commitment. It is nothing like what we often settle for. Christ is stopping today and asking: "Are you ready for the ride?"
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