“When he came in, he ate and drank; and he said, ‘See now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king’s daughter.’ They went to bury her, but they found nothing more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. Therefore they returned and told him. And he said, ‘This is the word of the LORD, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, “In the property of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel”’” (2 Kings 9:34–36).
Although this is one of the most gruesome stories in the Bible, it is in our Bible. The story reinforces yet again the inevitable outcome of the word of God spoken through the prophets. Since Elijah had prophesied that Jezebel’s corpse would be eaten by dogs (1 Kings 21:23), not a person on this planet could have stopped Jehu son of Nimshi from being the one through whom God fulfilled this prophecy (see 2 Kings 9:20; 10:10, 17).
No doubt, this story serves as a warning to anyone who seeks to establish a future different from the one foretold by the prophets. In this sense, the author of Kings urges his readers to “get with the game.” But this story about fulfilled prophecy can just as easily be transposed into a message of great comfort. For if Elijah’s negative prophecy about Jezebel had to come true no matter what, what of all the positive prophecies spoken by Israel’s prophets? Nathan the prophet prophesied that one of David’s sons would rule from David’s throne forever (2 Sam 7:12–16). Isaiah prophesied that the wolf would one day dwell with the lamb (Isa 11:6). Habakkuk said the earth would be filled with the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea (Hab 2:14). And if all the prophecies by Israel’s prophets are absolutely certain, how much more can we rest on the final prophecy in the Bible, spoken by the Messiah Yeshua, Israel’s greatest prophet?
“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen” (Rev 22:20–21).
