Three blows from God's axe

God's judgment against Joram, against Ahaziah, and against Jezebel are God's righteous retribution against the wickedness of Ahab's house. In particular the way Jezebel died is intended to shock us, but it is clear that she died in fulfilment of the words of God spoken by Elijah. The sermon concludes by asking what are we to learn from these sad events? Four answers are given with explanations – if God did not judge the wicked he would not be worthy of our worship; we have no warrant for taking vengeance as Jehu did; God's judgment of the wicked should produce joy in the righteous; and, finally we are in a better position to understand the mercy of God revealed when Christ is made sin and bears the curse for sinners.