The words jealous and zealous mean the same in both Hebrew and Greek languages. Zeal is holy jealousy! Jesus was zealous/jealous for the House of God when He overturned the tables of the profiteering temple moneychangers. Jealousy is often mistaken for envy, but we are entitled to be jealous of what rightfully belongs to us. Envy is different in that it moves us to wish we had what others have.
Jehu knew only one way to drive a chariot — furiously! His driving was a sign of his dissatisfaction with things as they were and his intent to do whatever it took to bring about much-needed change in the leadership of his nation. God saw his zeal and used it to destroy the manipulative and murderous Jezebel.
A holy zeal for the Lord has these elements:
1. A strong desire that finds its release through the anointing (2 Kings 9:3). The anointing sanctioned the desire in Jehu’s heart to avenge the blood of the prophets slain by Jezebel. The prophet who anointed Jehu was instructed to anoint him and run! Jehu was dangerous. We Christians need more zeal in our passion for Christ, and in our desire to right the wrongs around us.
2. An urgency that turns questioners into followers. (2 Kings 9:16-19) “Get behind me!” — “Follow me!” Either get involved with a “Jehu”-style ministry or get out of its way!
3. A driving force that can be identified at a distance (2 Kings 9:20). Jehu was known for driving “furiously”! He knew only one speed — flat out! (And I don’t mean like a lizard drinking.) A Jehu-like ministry zeal will identify you as one that’s dissatisfied with things as they are and wants change. It’s no ministry for the faint-hearted.
4. A passion that pulls others into your life’s mission (2 Kings 10:15, 16). “My heart is with you — is your heart with me?” Get on board a Jehu-type ministry for what will likely be the most exciting ride of your life! But accept that you will never hold the reins that direct it.
Jehu went too far in his zeal to put everything right, but most Christians don’t go far enough. I was in the Philippines before just after the fall of President Marcos, and in East Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall. In both cases it was liberal Christians rather than conservatives who sparked the much-needed changes. Christians need to be to less accepting of the status quo. The prophets of old warned of future events but also spoke out against social injustices. It takes the zealous spirit of a Jehu to eliminate the murderous spirit of a Jezebel.
Western societies need more Christians whose driving ambition is to eliminate the moral and political corruption that’s preparing people for God’s certain judgements. And preachers need to speak out against shameless nudity, sexual perversion, political corruption, film and sporting ‘star’ idolatry, and amoral trash on free-to-air television.
If these things do not stir you, and the driving force in your life is not furious enough to unsettle those who see your arrival, you’ll have little hope of changing them.