8. Judgment. Jehu was carrying out a divine commission (2 Kings 9:7-9).
God works in various ways to punish sin. If men could carry out their lawless deeds with impunity they would be greatly emboldened in their iniquity. The purpose of civil penalty is to put a deterrent upon the transgressor. God Himself dictated the civil penalties to be meted out to the transgressors of Israel’s ancient code. The governments of the nations that today impose civil penalty do so under the charter of Heaven, so that whosoever “resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God” (Rom. 13:2; Rom. 13:1, 3-7).
Because of the limitations of civil government, God sometimes works through other means to punish sin. Sometimes the natural consequences of evil acts are in themselves sufficient punishment, and no other action is necessary. At other times God removes His restraining hand in a measure from the agencies of evil, so that a train of circumstances arises that will punish sin with sin (see PP 728). Then, again, He intervenes directly as in the case of Uzzah (2 Sam. 6:7), and of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11), or appoints certain individuals to carry out sentences upon evil, as in the case of Jehu.
The fact that the commission to Jehu to punish the wicked crimes of Ahab and his house came from Heaven does not mean that Heaven sanctioned all the details of the procedure by which Jehu carried out the command. Likewise, when God removes His restraining hand and permits sin to punish sin, it must not be concluded that He prompts the wicked acts that follow (PP 739). See further PP 324-326.
Sons of the brethren of Ahaziah. See on 2 Kings 10:13, 14. If these were the sons of the king’s literal brothers, they were small children escorted by these “princes of Judah.” But it is probable that the term “brethren” is here employed in a broad sense to include such relatives as cousins as well as nephews of the king. There were 42 persons in this group who were slain.
