Day 177: Serious Restraint

Welcome to Day 177 of the Bible 365 Podcast! I'm so excited you are joining me on this journey through the entire Bible this year. Reminder that each episode in 2026 will have a brand new devotional.

Today we'll be reading through 2 Kings 9:14-37, 10:1-31; Acts 17; Psalm 144; and Proverbs 17:27-28. Invite a family member or friend to join you as we grow in our knowledge of God through His Word.

I'm so glad that you are here!

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Welcome to Day 177 of the Bible 365 Podcast. My name is Randy Gudo and today we're going to be reading through 2 Kings 9 verses 14 through 37 and chapter 10 verses 1 through 31, Acts chapter 17, Psalm 144, and Proverbs 17, verses 27 and 28. The translation I'm using throughout this podcast is the Berean Standard Bible, also known as the BSB. Let's read. 2 Kings 9, verses 14 through 37. Thus Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshai, conspired against Joram. Now Joram and all Israel had been defending Ramoth Gilead against Haziel, king of Aram. But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he had suffered at the hands of the Arameans in the battle against Haziel, their king. So Jehu said, If you commanders wish to make me king, then do not let anyone escape from the city to go and tell it in Jezreel. Then Jehu got into his chariot and went to Jezreel, because Joram was laid up there. And Ahaziah, king of Judah, had gone down to see him. Now the watchman standing on the tower in Jezreel saw Jehu's troops approaching, and he called out, I see a company of troops. Choose a rider, Joram commanded. Send him out to meet them and ask, have you come in peace? So a horseman rode off to meet Jehu and said, This is what the king asked, have you come in peace? What do you know about peace? Jehu replied, Fall in behind me. And the watchman reported, The messenger reached them, but he is not coming back. So the king sent out a second horseman, who went to them and said, This is what the king asked, have you come in peace? What do you know about peace? Jehu replied, Fall in behind me. Again the watchman reported, He reached them, but he is not coming back. And the charioteer is driving like Jehu, son of Nimshai. He is driving like a madman. Harness, Joram shouted, and they harnessed his chariot. Then Joram, king of Israel, and Ahaziah, king of Judah, set out, each in his own chariot, and met Jehu on the property of Naboth the Jezreelite. When Joram saw Jehu, he asked, Have you come in peace, Jehu? How can there be peace? he replied, as long as the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound. Joram turned around and fled, calling out to Ahaziah, Treachery, Ahaziah! Then Jehu drew his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow pierced his heart, and he slumped down in his chariot. And Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, Pick him up and throw him into the field of Naboth the Jezreelite. For remember that when you and I were riding together behind his father Ahab, the Lord lifted up this burden against him. As surely as I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons yesterday, declares the Lord, so will I repay you on this plot of ground, declares the Lord. Now then, according to the word of the Lord, pick him up and throw him on the plot of ground. When King Ahaziah of Judah saw this, he fled up the road toward Beth Hagan, and Jehu pursued him, shouting, Shoot him too. So they shot Ahaziah in his chariot on the ascent of Gur, near Ibliam, and he fled to Megiddo and died there. Then his servants carried him by chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him with his fathers in his tomb in the city of David. In the eleventh year of Joram, son of Ahab, Ahaziah had become king over Judah. Now when Jehu arrived in Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it. So she painted her eyes, adorned her head, and looked down from a window. And as Jehu entered the gate, she asked, Have you come in peace, O Zimri, murderer of your master? He looked up at the window and called out, Who is on my side? Who? And two or three eunuchs looked down at him. Throw her down, yelled Jehu. So they threw her down, and her blood splattered on the wall and on the horses as they trampled her underfoot. Then Jehu went in and ate and drank. Take care of this cursed woman, he said, and bury her, for she was the daughter of a king. But when they went out to bury her, they found nothing but her skull, her feet, and the palms of her hands. So they went back and told Jehu, who replied, This is the word of the Lord, which he spoke through his servant Elijah the Tishbite. On the plot of ground at Jezreel, the dogs will devour the flesh of Jezebel, and Jezebel's body will lie like dung in the field on the plot of ground at Jezreel, so that no one can say, This is Jezebel. 2 Kings 10, verses 1 through 31. Now Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters and sent them to Samaria to the officials of Jezreel, to the elders, and to the guardians of the sons of Ahab, saying, When this letter arrives, since your master's sons are with you and you have chariots and horses, a fortified city and weaponry, select the best and most worthy son of your master, set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house. But they were terrified and reasoned, If two kings could not stand against him, how can we? So the palace administrator, the overseer of the city, the elders, and the guardians sent a message to Jehu, We are your servants, and we will do whatever you say. We will not make anyone king, do whatever is good in your sight. Then Jehu wrote them a second letter and said, If you are on my side, and if you will obey me, then bring the heads of your master's sons to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow. Now the sons of the king, seventy and all, were being brought up by the leading men of the city. And when the letter arrived, they took the sons of the king and slaughtered all seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel. When the messenger arrived, he told Jehu, They have brought the heads of the sons of the king. And Jehu ordered, pile them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning. The next morning Jehu went out and stood before all the people and said, You are innocent. It was I who conspired against my master and killed him. But who killed all these? Know then that not a word the Lord has spoken against the house of Ahab will fail, for the Lord has done what he promised through his servant Elijah. So Jehu killed everyone in Jezreel who remained of the house of Ahab, as well as all his great men and close friends and priest, leaving him without a single survivor. Then Jehu set out toward Samaria. At Beth-Eked of the shepherds, Jehu met some relatives of Ahaziah, king of Judah, and asked, Who are you? We are relatives of Ahaziah, they answered, and we have come down to greet the sons of the king and of the queen mother. Then Jehu ordered, Take them alive. So his men took them alive, then slaughtered them at the well of Beth-Eked, forty-two men. He spared none of them. When he left there, he found Jehanadab, son of Rekab, who was coming to meet him. Jehu greeted him and asked, Is your heart as true to mine as my heart is to yours? It is, Jehanadab replied. If it is, said Jehu, give me your hand. So he gave him his hand, and Jehu helped him into his chariot, saying, Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord. So he had him ride in his chariot. When Jehu came to Samaria, he struck down everyone belonging to Ahab who remained there, until he had destroyed them, according to the word that the Lord had spoken to Elijah. Then Jehu brought all the people together and said, Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him a lot. Now therefore, summon to me all the prophets of Baal, all his servants and all his priests. See that no one is missing, for I have a great sacrifice for Baal. Whoever is missing will not live. But Jehu was acting deceptively in order to destroy the servants of Baal. And Jehu commanded, Proclaim a solemn assembly for Baal, so they announced it. Then Jehu sent word throughout Israel, and all the servants of Baal came. There was not a man who failed to show. They entered the temple of Baal, and it was filled from end to end. And Jehu said to the keeper of the wardrobe, Bring out garments for all the servants of Baal. So he brought out garments for them. Next, Jehu and Jehanadab, son of Rechab, entered the temple of Baal, and Jehu said to the servants of Baal, Look around to see that there are no servants of the Lord here among you, only servants of Baal. And they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside and warned them, If anyone allows one of the men I am delivering into your hands to escape, he will forfeit his life for theirs. When he had finished making the burnt offering, Jehu said to the guards and officers, Go in and kill them, do not let anyone out. So the guards and officers put them to the sword, threw the bodies out, and went into the inner room of the temple of Baal. They brought out the sacred pillar of the temple of Baal and burned it. They also demolished the sacred pillar of Baal. Then they tore down the temple of Baal and made it into a latrine, which it is to this day. Thus Jehu eradicated Baal from Israel, but he did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam, son of Nebat, had caused Israel to commit. The worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan. Nevertheless, the Lord said to Jehu, Because you have done well in carrying out what is right in my sight, and have done to the house of Ahab all that was in my heart, four generations of your sons will sit on the throne of Israel. Yet Jehu was not careful to follow the instruction of the Lord, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit. Acts chapter 17. When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbaths he reasoned with them from the scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ, he declared. Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few leading women. The Jews, however, became jealous, so they brought in some troublemakers from the marketplace, formed a mob, and sent the city into an uproar. They raided Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas, hoping to bring them out to the people, but when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting, These men who have turned the world upside down have now come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his home. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king named Jesus. On hearing this, the crowd and city officials were greatly disturbed, and they collected Bond from Jason and the others and then released them. As soon as night had fallen, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true. As a result, many of them believed, along with quite a few prominent Greek women and men. But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that Paul was also proclaiming the word of God in Berea, they went there themselves to incite and agitate the crowds. The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy remained in Berea. Those who escorted Paul brought him to Athens, and then returned with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible. While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply disturbed in his spirit to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace with those he met each day. Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also began to debate with him. Some of them asked, What is this babbler trying to say? Others said, He seems to be advocating foreign gods. They said this because Paul was proclaiming the good news of Jesus and the resurrection. So they took Paul and brought him to the Areopagus, where they asked him, May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? For you are bringing some strange notions to our ears, and we want to know what they mean. Now all the Athenians and foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing more than hearing and articulating new ideas. Then Paul stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said, Men of Athens, I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and examined your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription, to an unknown God. Therefore what you worship as something unknown, I now proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth, and does not live in temples made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth. And he determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands. God intended that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, we are his offspring. Therefore, being offspring of God, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by man's skill and imagination. Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, he now commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead. When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some began to mock him, but others said, We want to hear you again on this topic. At that, Paul left the Aureopagus. But some joined him and believed, including Dionysius, the Areopagite, a woman named Demeris, and others who were with them. Psalm 144. Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. He is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer. He is my shield in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me. O Lord, what is man that you regard him, the Son of Man that you think of him? Man is like a breath, his days are like a passing shadow. Part your heavens, O Lord, and come down, touch the mountains that they may smoke. Flash forth your lightning and scatter them, shoot your arrows and rout them. Reach down from on high. Set me free and rescue me from the deep waters, from the grasp of foreigners whose mouths speak falsehood, whose right hands are deceitful. I will sing to you a new song, O God. On a harp of ten strings I will make music to you, to him who gives victory to kings, who frees his servant David from the deadly sword. Set me free and rescue me from the grasp of foreigners, whose mouths speak falsehood, whose right hands are deceitful. Then our sons will be like plants nurtured in their youth, our daughters like corner pillars carved to adorn a palace. Our storehouses will be full, supplying all manner of produce. Our flocks will bring forth thousands, tens of thousands in our fields. Our oxen will bear great loads, there will be no breach in the walls, no going into captivity, and no cry of lament in our streets. Blessed are the people of whom this is so, blessed are the people whose God is the Lord. Proverbs 17, verses 27 and 28. A man of knowledge restrains his words, and a man of understanding maintains a calm spirit. Even a fool is considered wise if he keeps silent, and discerning when he holds his tongue. Today's devotional is coming from Proverbs 17, verse 27. It says, A man of knowledge restrains his words, and a man of understanding maintains a calm spirit. You know, just because you can say some words doesn't mean you need to say some words. Just because you may feel justified and losing control if you're a man of understanding, you can still maintain a calm spirit. We need people today who can operate under some serious restraint. And you know who can do that? A man of knowledge. We need some people who can maintain in a crazy and dysfunctional world to be able to maintain a calm spirit. And you know who has the ability to do that? A man of understanding. So today, you know what we're gonna pray for? Knowledge and understanding, the ability to restrain our words and maintain a calm spirit. Let's pray. Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus, and today I'll lift up all of our listeners, and my prayer is that you help us to increase in knowledge and in understanding. May we be a people who are able to operate in restraint, and may we also be people who can maintain a calm spirit regardless of what's happening around us. Draw us close by the presence of your Holy Spirit and reveal your Son to us. We ask all these things in the precious name of Jesus. Amen. Well, I sure hope you enjoyed today's devotional. If you're getting something out of the Bible 365 podcast, consider sharing it with your family and with your friends. Please continue to pray for me. I am praying for you. Have a great day, and I'll see you tomorrow with day one seventy eight.