2 Kings 10:11-15: a reflection

11So Jehu struck all that remained of Ahab’s house in Jezreel, with all his great men, his familiar friends, and his priests, until he left him no one remaining. 12He arose and departed, and went to Samaria. As he was at the shearing house of the shepherds on the way, 13Jehu met with the brothers of Ahaziah king of Judah, and said, “Who are you?” They answered, “We are the brothers of Ahaziah. We are going down to greet the children of the king and the children of the queen.” 14He said, “Take them alive!” They took them alive, and killed them at the pit of the shearing house, even forty-two men. He didn’t leave any of them. 15When he had departed from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him. He greeted him, and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart?” Jehonadab answered, “It is.” “If it is, give me your hand.” He gave him his hand; and he took him up to him into the chariot.

As Jehu carries out his commission, he meets Jehonadab, a man known for his devotion, and puts to him a searching question about whether they are truly of one heart: Is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart? When Jehonadab answers that it is, Jehu says, If it is, give me your hand, and takes him up beside him. The joining together, the giving of the hand, the taking up into partnership, rests on a shared heart, a genuine agreement between them. Jehu did not simply assume alliance; he asked whether their hearts truly agreed, and on the basis of a shared heart, joined hands with Jehonadab.

Notice the ground of their joining: a genuinely shared heart. Jehu did not simply presume that Jehonadab was with him; he asked, Is your heart right with mine? The partnership, the giving of the hand, rested on a real agreement of heart between them, not a mere outward alliance. Where their hearts truly agreed, they could join hands and go together. The question probed for a genuine sharing of heart before the joining; the partnership was grounded in real agreement, not mere convenience or appearance. Give me your hand, Jehu said, once the shared heart was established; the joining rested on hearts that truly agreed.

That is worth taking to heart, for genuine partnership is grounded in a truly shared heart, not mere outward alliance. We can enter partnerships and alliances on the basis of mere convenience or appearance, without a real sharing of heart and purpose; but Jehu asked whether their hearts truly agreed before joining hands. Genuine partnership rests on hearts that truly share the same heart and aim, not merely on outward alliance. Seek, in your partnerships, a genuine sharing of heart and purpose, not mere convenience or appearance, as Jehu asked Jehonadab whether his heart was right with his. Ground your partnerships in a genuinely shared heart and purpose rather than mere outward alliance or convenience, as Jehu asked Jehonadab, is your heart right with mine, before joining hands with him; for genuine partnership rests on hearts that truly agree, and it is better to join with those who share our heart and aim than to ally merely for convenience.

Lord, as Jehu carries out his commission, he meets Jehonadab, a man known for his devotion, and puts to him a searching question about whether they are truly of one heart: is your heart right, as my heart is with your heart? When Jehonadab answers that it is, Jehu says, if it is, give me your hand, and takes him up beside him. The joining together rests on a shared heart, a genuine agreement between them. Show me the ground of their joining: a genuinely shared heart. Jehu did not simply presume that Jehonadab was with him; he asked, is your heart right with mine? The partnership, the giving of the hand, rested on a real agreement of heart between them, not a mere outward alliance. Where their hearts truly agreed, they could join hands and go together. The question probed for a genuine sharing of heart before the joining. Take that to my heart, for genuine partnership is grounded in a truly shared heart, not mere outward alliance. I can enter partnerships and alliances on the basis of mere convenience or appearance, without a real sharing of heart and purpose; but Jehu asked whether their hearts truly agreed before joining hands. Genuine partnership rests on hearts that truly share the same heart and aim. Help me seek, in my partnerships, a genuine sharing of heart and purpose, Lord, not mere convenience or appearance, as Jehu asked Jehonadab whether his heart was right with his, that I may join with those who truly share my heart and aim.