National Standards V: The triple government of order

Bringing order to a chaotic environment

God is concerned about order, decorum and the rule of law. A government under God must conform to His standard, which is why God gave the laws before handing over the keys of the Promised Land.

The marvel of the 40 Years in the Wilderness was that God gave laws that would be the foundational stones for Israel. Over time, these laws were largely upheld by the judges and even the first three kings. But the coming of Jezebel/Ahab wrecked havoc bringing murder, violence and anarchy.

So we know that after Elijah ranted to God, God, in his mercy, responded to Elijah and unconventionally revived him. He gave Elijah an instruction about what to do in 1 Kings 17:15-17

Then the Lord said to him: “Go, return on your way to the Wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. Also you shall anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi as king over Israel. And Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel Meholah you shall anoint as prophet in your place. It shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill.

This instruction is what I call the 'triple government of order'; these three men were chosen to complete the sanitisation work of heaven and bring order to the region. Why? Because Ahab and Jezebel's sins were far-reaching, leading so many people of Israel and Judah to be plunged into sin. The judgment seat of heaven had declared its verdict to restore order, and these three 'not-so-gentlemen' would make it happen. Let’s see what they did.

Hazael

God used him to begin the judgment on the house of Ahab (2 Kings 8:28-29), wounding Joram, son of Ahab, at war. This war between Hazael and Joram also involved Ahaziah, son of Jehoram (son of Jehoshaphat), who had also been influenced by the house of Ahab by going into sin. And so God used Hazael to begin his judgment of eliminating the sins of Jezebel and Ahab.

Jehu

He took this work beyond Hazael by declaring war on Joram, son of Ahab. Jezebel and Ahab did not repent, and their son continued from where his parents left off. These were the words of Jehu to Joram,

“How can there be peace,” Jehu replied, “as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?” 2 Kings 9:22

Joram was king of Israel and he had an alliance with Ahaziah king of Judah. Jehu dealt continued his mandate by ending the reign of Joram as well as Ahaziah, making sure that the sin of Ahab on the house of Naboth was avenged (2 Kings 9:25-26).

But most importantly, Jehu stood against Jezebel ending her evil days as spelt out in 2 Kings 9:30-37 and destroying the entire house of Ahab and Jezebel.

Elisha

He is the chief orchestrator of everything. Though the prophecy of 1 Kings 17:15-17 was given to Elijah, Elisha was the one that anointed Jehu and prophesied to Hazael of His kingship.

Elisha continued the work by doing some key works,

1. Championed the school of the prophets. 2 Kings 2:3,5; 4:38; 5:22.

2. Built a reputation between the prophetic and the executive palace.

3. Became a pastoral figure using his prophetic gifts to restore faith in God.

What do we then learn from all these? That the sins of the fathers and mothers last for generations, and that, for order to be restored, we must seek to correct the sins of yesteryears. Considering that God committed so much resources to bring order to a nation means that God is truly concerned about law and order.

A nation that is moulded to God's standard is a nation with law and order. Therefore, we must be a nation with men and women driving law and order like Elisha, Jehu and Hazael did.

What sacrifices can we make today to ensure law and order are restored? If we focus on these sacrifices, we will build a nation that rises to God's standards.

Previously: Testimonies of the Magnificent Seven