[XXXII. JEHU—THE ELEVENTH KING OF ISRAEL]
WE read of Jehu first in the time of Elijah, when God commissioned the Prophet to anoint Jehu as a future King of Israel, and announced that he would be used to punish Ahab and the Children of Israel for their idolatry and departure from the Lord.
For some reason which is not told us in the Bible, it was not Elijah, but Elisha, who was in the end sent to anoint Jehu. We read the story of this in the 9th chapter of the Second Book of Kings.
Elisha was now the Lord's Prophet in Israel.
One day he said to one of the younger prophets with whom he lived: "Prepare yourself for a journey, and take this box of oil in your hand, and go to Ramothgilead."
"When you get there, find Jehu, the son of Nimshi, and ask him to come with you into an inner chamber away from the rest of the company, and when you are there, take the box of oil and pour it on his head, and say: 'Thus saith the Lord, I have anointed thee king over Israel.' Then open the door and flee, and do not wait a moment."
So the young man went to Ramothgilead, and when he got there he found all the captains of the host sitting round Jehu.
So he said: "I have an errand to thee, O Captain!"
And when Jehu understood that the secret message was to him, he went into a private room.