Ahab & Naboth's Vineyard (1 Kings 21)

Main Point: God is perfectly loving and perfectly just.

Key Verse:

I am the Lord God. I am merciful and very patient with My people. I show great love, and I can be trusted. I keep My promises to My people forever, but I also punish anyone who sins. - Exodus 34:b-7a CEV

Props: A large bunch of grapes

Background/Review (1 Kings 20)

Say: Last week we learned that God is a God of new beginnings. He seeks after us; He wants us to turn from our sin and follow Him. Even when the prophet Elijah gave up and ran away, God went after Him. God gently prodded Elijah to see that fearing the evil Jezebel and running away was sin. But Elijah did not repent. Once again, God displayed His power before Elijah’s eyes, but Elijah still would not repent. So God appointed a new prophet for Elijah to train up. Soon, Elisha would take Elijah’s place.

The next chapter of the Bible, 1 Kings 20, centers around two wars. King Ahab, King of Israel, was under attack by the King of Syria and 32 other kings combined! Though Ahab was an evil king, God was faithful to the promises He had made to His people, the Israelites (Deuteronomy 20:10-13). God sent a prophet to tell Ahab, "The Lord says, 'Do you see this huge army? I will hand it over to you today. Then you will know that I am the Lord.' " (1 Kings 20:13) Not once, but twice, God brought victory to Israel, even though the army they fought was almost twenty times larger than their own army.

But even though God showed incredible grace and mercy to Ahab, Ahab did not follow God’s law. God’s law said that when the Israelites defeated an enemy at war, every man must be killed (Deuteronomy 20:13). Ahab did what was right in his own eyes. He made a treaty with the enemy King of Syria and let him go free because he promised to give Ahab many cities. God sent a prophet to speak to Ahab once again. This time, the news was not good for Ahab.

He told the king, "The Lord says, 'You have set a man free. But I had said he should be set apart to the Lord in a special way to be destroyed. So you must pay for his life with yours. You must pay for his people's lives with the lives of your people.' "

The king of Israel was angry. He was in a bad mood. He went back to his palace in Samaria. - 1 Kings 20:42-43

King Ahab did not die right away, but his time was coming.

Ahab & Naboth’s Vineyard (1 Kings 21:1-16)

Now there was a man named Naboth, from Jezreel, who owned a vineyard in Jezreel beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. One day Ahab said to Naboth, “Since your vineyard is so convenient to my palace, I would like to buy it to use as a vegetable garden. I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or if you prefer, I will pay you for it.”

But Naboth replied, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance that was passed down by my ancestors.”

So Ahab went home angry and sullen because of Naboth’s answer. The king went to bed with his face to the wall and refused to eat! - 1 Kings 21:1-4 NLT

Say: Let’s try to picture this scene. King Ahab wanted a piece of land to plant a garden. He chose a vineyard right next to His palace. Ask: Who knows what a vineyard is used for? Growing grapes. Teacher: Hold up a bunch of grapes. Say: A vineyard is land that is used to grow grapes. But Naboth, the owner of the land, said he could not sell it. Naboth wasn’t just being stubborn here. He had a really good reason for refusing the King. Naboth was following God’s orders. Back when God handed out the land to the twelve tribes of Israel, He forbid them to sell or give their part of the land to another tribe or family (Leviticus 25:23).

King Ahab offered Naboth a better piece of land. Using human logic, Naboth would have been better off taking the King’s offer. But Naboth was not doing what was right in his own eyes; he was obeying God.

So King Ahab did not get what he wanted. We might imagine that a wealthy King might have shook the man’s hand, thanked him for his time, and rode off to find another piece of land. But instead, this grown man stormed off, pouting! He probably looked a lot like this. Teacher: Make a scowl face, sticking out your bottom lip with your arms crossed in a huff. Say: Okay - let’s see it. Everyone show me your best pouting face! Say: That’s it exactly! You all look like toddlers who didn’t get what you wanted! And that is exactly how King Ahab looked! He went home, crawled in bed and refused to eat! That was no way for a King to behave!

Soon, his wife, Jezebel, came in. She asked what had made him so upset. Let’s listen very carefully to Ahab’s answer.

PPT VERSE

“I asked Naboth to sell me his vineyard or trade it, but he refused!” Ahab told her. - 1 Kings 21:6 NLT

Ask: What was wrong with Ahab’s answer? Listen for answers. Say: Look carefully at what Ahab said. Ask: Was his statement TRUE? Yes. Ask: Was it the WHOLE truth? No. Say: Ahab left out the most important part of the story. He didn’t tell his wife why Naboth refused to sell the land. We will see that this is going to cause a whole lot of trouble!

Application: There are many times in our lives when we may be tempted not to tell the whole truth. If we have done something wrong, leaving out details might seem like a convenient way to

stay out of trouble. For example, what if you were playing baseball in your yard? When it was your turn to bat, you closed your eyes and swung your hardest. Immediately you heard glass breaking. The ball went right through your neighbor’s window, but no one was home at your neighbor’s, so you hid the bat and didn’t say a word. Later, your mom came and asked, “Honey, did you see what happened to the neighbor’s window?” Since your eyes were closed, you quickly reply, “No.” You may not have seen it, but you certainly knew what happened.

Or, at times, we might want to give a certain impression by leaving details out of our story. Little Jacob might point to his sister and scream, “She hit me!” But the part that Jacob left out is that he actually hit his sister first. Jacob wants to leave the impression that his sister is all in the wrong, and he is completely blameless. This was the case with King Ahab. He gave the impression that Naboth was just being stubborn, when the whole truth was that Naboth was obeying God.

We must understand that a half-truth is not the truth at all. Truth matters, and as believers in Jesus, who is “the Truth,” we should always tell the whole truth.

Say: With the impression that Naboth was stubborn and selfish, Jezebel decided to take matters into her own hands.

His wife Jezebel said, "Is this how the King of Israel acts? Get up! Eat something! Cheer up. I'll get you the vineyard of Naboth from Jezreel." - 1 Kings 21:7

Jezebel came up with an evil plan. She wrote a letter to the leaders of the town where Naboth lived. She ordered that the leaders to call everyone in town together for a day of prayer. She said to give Naboth a special seat, and then call in two bad men who would lie about Naboth, saying that he had cursed God and cursed the King. She said that the townspeople must stone Naboth to death. Jezebel signed the King’s name to the orders. She even stamped it with the King’s seal to make it look official.

Sadly, since the order had been sealed with the King’s seal, it had to be followed. The leaders did as they were told. The townspeople believed that Naboth had cursed God and the King. They stoned him to death.

When Jezebel heard the news, she said to Ahab, “You know the vineyard Naboth wouldn’t sell you? Well, you can have it now! He’s dead!” So Ahab immediately went down to the vineyard of Naboth to claim it. - 1 Kings 21:15-16 NLT

Note to Teacher: Jezebel’s plan is both ironic and disturbing. The irony is that she would falsely accuse a man of cursing God when she had spent her entire life cursing God, and even murdering His prophets. It is very interesting that even though she was not an Israelite, she knew enough about Israelite law to use it against an Israelite. She knew that blasphemy bore the punishment of death by stoning (Leviticus 24:14-16). It is indeed disturbing that she knows so much about the God of Israel, she has seen His hand at work, and her gods had been proven to be false, yet, she continued in her ways, without fear of the one true God.

Judgement On Ahab (1 Kings 21:17-26)

Say: God sent Elijah to Naboth’s vineyard to give King Ahab a VERY serious message. The Lord was going to punish Ahab for being a part of Naboth’s murder.

Ahab said to Elijah, "My enemy! You have found me!"

"I have found you," he answered. "That's because you gave yourself over to do evil things. You did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord says, 'I am going to bring horrible trouble on you. I will destroy your children after you. I will cut off every male in Israel who is related to you. It does not matter whether they are slaves or free... You have made me very angry. You have caused Israel to commit sin.' " - 1 Kings 21:20-22

Elijah told Ahab that Jezebel would also be killed. These are some very strong words, but Ahab had earned his punishment. God had blessed him with being made the earthly King of God’s own people, and Ahab turned his back on God and all this was right. The Bible says, “There was never anyone like Ahab. He gave himself over to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord. His wife Jezebel talked him into it. He acted in the most evil way. He worshiped statues of gods.” (1 Kings 21:25-26a)

AHAB REPENTS (1 Kings 21:27-28)

Say: Ahab took Elijah’s prophecy seriously. He tore his clothes and put on black clothes. This was a sign of mourning, as if someone had died. Ahab stopped eating and began to act very humble. God sent another message to Elijah about Ahab.

It said, "Have you seen how Ahab has made himself low in My sight? Because he has done that, I will not bring trouble on him while he lives. But I will bring it on his royal house when his son is king." - 1 Kings 21:29

God had already decreed a punishment - Ahab, Jezebel, and their sons would be destroyed. But because Ahab finally bowed down to the Lord, and acted with humility, God would not punish Ahab’s sons until after Ahab had died.

In time, all that God had spoken came to pass. Ahab died in battle when the Lord decided it should happen (1 Kings 22:20, 37). Jezebel died in the exact way Elijah had prophesied (1 Kings 21:23, 2 Kings 9:33-37). And eventually, all of Ahab’s descendants were killed (2 Kings 10:11).

I want you to know that the Lord has spoken against Ahab's royal house. Not a word of what He has said will fail. The Lord has done exactly what He promised through His servant Elijah." - 2 Kings 10:10

Application: In today’s story, we see that God is just, and He is also loving. Another word for just is fair. Like a good judge, God must punish sin. It would not be fair for a judge to allow someone to break the law and not punish him. In the same way, God must punish sin. But this makes God very sad (Genesis 6:6) because God loves people very much (1 John 4:8).

In the book of Exodus, God told Moses, “I am the Lord God. I am merciful and very patient with My people. I show great love, and I can be trusted. I keep My promises to My people forever, but I also punish anyone who sins.” (Exodus 34:b-7a CEV)

As we saw, God was very patient with Ahab and Jezebel. He gave them many, many opportunities to repent and turn to Him. But Ahab insisted on having things his way. He did not give a second thought to God’s command about the land. God’s way is always best, but Ahab and Jezebel thought that they knew better than God. Finally, the perfect and patient God had had enough. He decreed the punishment for this prideful, selfish, idol-worshipping couple. Notice that Ahab and Jezebel’s sin brought terrible consequences for their children. They lived wicked lives in front of their children. So their children followed their wicked behavior, and they too would be punished (1 Kings 22:52, 2 Kings 2-3). Our sin ALWAYS ruins things, and it almost always affects other people.

Yet, even after all of the horrible things that Ahab had done, God showed mercy to him because he repented of his sin. God did not bring punishment to Ahab’s sons while Ahab was alive. Even though God is just, and must punish sin because He is holy, He is also completely loving, giving us every opportunity to turn from our sin, and turn to Him.

There is no greater proof of this than the fact that God sent His Son, Jesus, to save us (John 3:16). Just like Ahab, each one of us has done evil in God’s sight, and we deserve to be punished by our just God (Romans 3:23). But God loves us so much, that He sent Jesus to pay for our sin. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves. Only our faith in Jesus takes our sin away and brings us back to God.

PPT KEY VERSE

Key Verse:

I am the Lord God. I am merciful and very patient with My people. I show great love, and I can be trusted. I keep My promises to My people forever, but I also punish anyone who sins. - Exodus 34:b-7a CEV

PPT MAIN POINT

Main Point: God is perfectly loving and perfectly just.

Ahab and Naboth

1 Kings xxi. 2, 3. And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better

vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. And Naboth said unto Ahab, The Lord forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.

You heard to-day read for the first lesson, the story of Naboth and King Ahab. Most of you know it well. Naboth's vineyard has passed into a proverb for something which we covet.

It is good that it should be so. We cannot know our Bible too well; we cannot have Bible words and Bible thoughts too much worked into our ways of talking and thinking about everyday matters. As far as I can see, the best days of England, the best days of every Christian country of which I ever read, have been days when men were not ashamed of their Bibles; when they were ready to live by their Bibles; to ask advice of their Bibles about buying and selling, about making war and peace, about all the business of life; and were not ashamed to quote texts of Scripture in the parliament, and in the market, and in the battle-field, as God's law, God's rule, God's word about the matter in hand, which was, therefore, sure to be the right word and the right rule. People are grown ashamed of doing so now-a-days; but that does not alter the matter one jot. We may deny God, but He cannot deny Himself. His laws are everlasting, and He is ruling and judging us by them now, all day long, just as much as He ruled and judged those Jews by them of old. The God of Abraham is our God; the God of Moses is our God; the God of Ahab and Naboth is our God; neither He nor His government are altered in the least since their time, and they never will alter for ever, and ever, and ever; and if we do not choose to believe that now in this life, we shall be made to believe it by some very ugly and painful schooling in the life to come.

What laws of God, now, can we learn from this story?

First, we may learn what a sacred thing property is. That a man's possessions (if they be justly come by) belong to him, in the sight of God as well as in the sight of man, and that God will uphold and avenge the man's right.

Naboth, you see, stands simply on his right to his own property. 'The Lord forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.' I do not think that he meant that God had actually forbidden him: it seems to have been only some sort of oath which he used. He may certainly have had reasons for thinking it wrong to part with his lands; hurtful, perhaps, to his family after him. Yet, as Ahab had promised him a better vineyard for it, or its worth in money, I cannot help thinking that Naboth's reason was the one which shows on the face of his words. It was the inheritance of his fathers, this vineyard. They had all worked in it, generation after generation; perhaps, according to the Jewish custom, they were buried somewhere in it; at least, it had been theirs and now was his; he had worked in it, and played in it-- perhaps since he was a child--and he loved it; it was part and parcel of his father's house to him, a sacred spot.

And so it should be. It is a holy feeling which makes a man cling to the bit of land which he has inherited from his parents, even to the cottage, though it be only a hired one, where he has lived for many a year, and where he has planted and tilled, perhaps with some that he loved, who are now dead and gone, or grown up and gone out into the world, till the little old cottage-garden is full of remembrances to him of past joys and past sorrows. The feeling which makes a man cling to his home and to his own land is a good feeling, and breeds good in the man. It makes him

respect himself; it keeps him from being reckless and unsettled. It is a feeling which should not be broken through. It is seldom pleasant to see land change hands; it is seldom pleasant to see people turned out of their cottages. It must often be so, but let it be as seldom as possible. One likes to see a family take root in a place, and grow and thrive there, one generation after another; and you will find, my friends, that families do take root and thrive in a place just in proportion as they fear God and do righteousness. The Psalms tell you, again and again, that the way to abide in the land, and prosper in it, is to trust in the Lord and be doing good; and that the wicked are soon rooted out, and their names perish out of the land. One sees that come true daily.

But to return to Naboth. He loved his own land, and therefore he had a right to keep it. We may say it was but a fancy of his, if he could have a better vineyard, or the worth of it in money. Remember, at least, that God respected that fancy of his, and justified it, and avenged it. When (after Naboth's death) Elijah accused Ahab, in God's name, he put two counts into the indictment; for Ahab had committed two sins. 'Hast thou killed, and also taken possession?' Killing was one sin; taking possession was another.

And so Ahab learnt two weighty and bitter lessons. He learnt that God's Law stands for ever, though man's law be broken or be forgotten by disuse. For you must understand, that these Jews were a free people, even as we are. They were not like the nations round about them, or as the Russians are now--slaves to their king, and holding their property only at his will. The law of Moses had made them a free people, who held their property each man from God, by God's Law, which had said, 'Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not covet. Cursed is he who removes his neighbour's landmark.' And their kings were bound to govern by Moses' law, just as our kings and rulers are bound to govern by the old constitutions of England, and to do equal justice by rich and poor. But the wicked kings of Israel were trying to break through that law, and make themselves tyrants and despots, such as the Czar of Russia is now. First, Jeroboam began by trying to wean his people from Moses' law, by preventing their going up to worship at Jerusalem, and making them worship instead the golden calves at Dan and at Bethel. For he knew that if he could make idolaters of them, he should soon make slaves of them; and he succeeded; and the kingdom of Israel grew more miserable year by year; and now Ahab, his wicked successor, was breaking down the laws of property and wrongfully taking away his subjects' lands. Perhaps he said in his heart, 'I am king; there is no law stronger than I. I have a right to do what I like.' If he did so, he found that he was mistaken. He found that though he forgot Moses' law, God had not; that the law stood there still, because it was founded on eternal justice, which proceeds for ever out of the mouth of God; and by the Law, which he had chosen to forget, he was judged; by the Law of God, which deals equal justice to rich and poor, which is, like God Himself, no acceptor of persons; but says, 'Thou shalt not covet,' to the king upon his throne as sternly as to the beggar on the dunghill.

And that Law stands still, my friends, doubt it not. Thanks to the wisdom and justice of our forefathers who built the laws of England on those old Ten Commandments, which hang for a sign thereof in every church to this day. Thanks to them, I say, and to God, the root of the law of England is, equal justice between man and man, be he high or low; and it is a thing to bless God for every day of our lives, that here the poor man's little is as safe as the rich man's wealth: but there is many a sin of oppression, many a sin of covetousness, my friends, which no law of man can touch. Make laws as artfully as you will, bad men can always slip through them, and escape

the spirit of them, while they obey the letter: and I suppose it will be so to the world's end; and that, let the laws be as perfect as they may, if any man wishes to cheat or oppress his neighbour, he will surely be able to work his wicked will in some way or other. Well then, my friends, if man's law is weak, God's is not;--if man's law has flaws and gaps in it, through which covetousness can creep, God's has none;--even if (which God forbid) man's law died out, and sinners were left to sin without fear of punishment, still God's Law stands sure, and the eye of the living God slumbers not, and the hand of the living God never grows weary, and out of the everlasting heaven His voice is saying, day and night, for ever, 'I endure for ever. I sit on the throne judging right; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of My kingdom. I judge the world in justice, and minister true judgment unto the people. I also will be a refuge for the oppressed, even a refuge in due time of trouble.'

O hear those words, my friends! hear and obey, if you love life, and wish to see good days; and never, never say a thing is right, simply because the law cannot punish you for it. Never say in your hearts when you are tempted to be hard, cruel, covetous, over-reaching, 'What harm? I break no law by it.' There is a law, whether you see it or not; you break a law, whether you confess it or not; a law which is as a wall of iron clothed with thunder, though man's law be but a flimsy net of thread; and that law, and not any Acts of Parliament, shall judge you in the day when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed, and every man shall receive the due reward of the deeds done in the body, not according as they were allowed or not by the Statute Book, but according as they were good or evil.

Another lesson we may learn from this story: that if we give way to our passions, we give way to the Devil also. Ahab gave way to his passion; he knew that he was wrong; for when Naboth refused to sell him the vineyard, he did not dare openly to rob him of it; he went to his house heavy of heart, and fretted, like a spoilt child, because he could not get what he wanted. It was but a little thing, and he might have been content to go without it. He was king of all Israel, and what was one small vineyard more or less to him? But prosperity had spoilt him; he must needs have every toy on which he set his heart, and he was weak enough to fret that he could not get more, when he had too much already. But he knew that he could not get it; that, king as he was, Naboth's property was his own, and that God's everlasting Law stood between him and the thing he coveted. Well for him if he had been contented with fretting. But, my friends--and be you rich or poor, take heed to my words--whenever any man gives way to selfishness, and self-seeking, to a proud, covetous, envious, peevish temper, the Devil is sure to glide up and whisper in his ear thoughts which will make him worse--worse, ay, than he ever dreamt of being. First comes the flesh, and then the Devil; and if the flesh opens the door of the heart, the Devil steps in quickly enough. First comes the flesh: fleshly, carnal pride at being thwarted; fleshly, carnal longing for a thing, which longs all the more for it because one cannot have it; fleshly, carnal peevishness and ill-temper, at not having just the pleasant thing one happens to like. That is a state of mind which is a bird-call for all the devils; and when they see a man in that temper, they flock to him, I believe, as crows do to carrion. It is astonishing, humbling, awful, my friends, what horrible thoughts will cross one's mind if once one gives way to that selfish, proud, angry, longing temper; thoughts of which we are ashamed the next moment; temptations to sin at which we shudder, they seem so unlike ourselves, not parts of ourselves at all. When the dark fit is past, one can hardly believe that such wicked thoughts ever crossed one's mind. I don't think that they are part of ourselves; I believe them to be the whispers of the Devil himself; and when they pass

away, I believe that it is the Lord Jesus Christ who drives them away. But if any man gives way to them, determines to keep his sullenness, and so gives place to the Devil; then those thoughts do not pass; they take hold of a man, possess him, as the Bible calls it, and make him in his madness do things which--alas! who has not done things in his day, of which he has repented all his life after?--things for which he would gladly cut off his right hand for the sake of being able to say, 'I never did that?' But the thing is done--done to all eternity: he has given place to the Devil, and the Devil has made him do in five minutes work which he could not undo in five thousand years; and all that is left is, when he comes to himself, to cast himself on God's boundless mercy, and Christ's boundless atonement, and cry, 'My sins are like scarlet, Thou alone canst make them whiter than snow: my sin is ever before me; only let it not be ever before Thee, O God! Punish me, if thou seest fit; but oh forgive, for there is mercy with Thee, and infinite redemption!' And, thanks be to God's great love, he will not cry in vain. Yet, oh, my friends, do not give place to the Devil, unless you wish, forgiven or not, to repent of it to the latest day you live.

And this was Ahab's fate. He knew, I say, that he was wrong; he knew that Naboth's property was his own, and dare not openly rob him of it; and he went to his house, heavy of heart, and refused to eat; and while he was in such a temper as that, the Devil lost no time in sending an evil spirit to him. It was a woman whom he sent, Jezebel, Ahab's own wife: but she was, as far as we can see, a woman of a devilish spirit, cruel, proud, profligate, and unjust, as well as a worshipper of the filthy idols of the Canaanites. Ahab's first sin was in having married this wicked heathen woman: now his sin punished itself; she tempted him through his pride and self- conceit; she taunted him into sin: 'Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth.' You all remember how she did so; by falsely accusing Naboth of blasphemy. Ahab seems to have taken no part in Naboth's murder. Perhaps he was afraid; but he was a weak man, and Jezebel was a strong and fierce spirit, and ruled him, and led him in this matter, as she did in making him worship idols with her; and he was content to be led. He was content to let others do the wickedness he had not courage to carry out himself. He forgot that, as is well said, 'He who does a thing by another, does it by himself;' that if you let others sin for you, you sin for yourself. Would to God, my friends, that we would all remember this! How often people wink at wrong-doing in those with whom they have dealings, in those whom they employ, in their servants, in their children, because it is convenient to them. They shut their eyes, and their hearts too, and say to themselves, 'At all events, it is his doing and not mine; and it is his concern; I am not answerable for other people's sins. I would not do such a thing myself, certainly; but as it is done, I may as well make the best of it. If I gain by it, I need not be so very sharp in looking into the matter.' And so you see men who really wish to be honest and kindly themselves, making no scruple of profiting by other people's dishonesty and cruelty. Now the law punishes the receiver of stolen goods almost as severely as the thief himself: but there are many receivers of stolen goods, my friends, whom the law cannot touch. The world, at times, seems to me to be full of them; for every one, my friends, who hushes up a cruel or a dishonest matter, because he himself is a gainer by it, he is no better than the receiver of stolen goods, and he will find in the day of the Lord, that the sin will lie at his door, as Jezebel's sin lay at Ahab's. There was no need for Ahab to say, 'Jezebel did it, and not I.' The prophet did not even give him time to excuse himself: 'Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession?' By taking possession of Naboth's vineyard, and so profiting by his murder, he made himself partaker in that murder, and

had to hear the terrible sentence, 'In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick thy blood, even thine.'

Oh, my friends, whatsoever you do, keep clean hands and a pure heart. If you touch pitch, it will surely stick to you. Let no gain tempt you to be partaker of others men's sins; never fancy that, because men cannot lay the blame on the right person, God cannot. God will surely lay the burden on the man who helped to make the burden; God will surely require part payment from the man who profited by the bargain; so keep yourselves clear of other men's sins, that you may be clear also of their condemnation.

So Ahab had committed a horrible and great sin, and had received sentence for it, and now, as I said before, there was nothing to be done but to repent; and he did so, after his fashion.

Ahab, it seems, was not an utterly bad man; he was a weak man, fond of his own pleasure, a slave to his own passions, and easily led, sometimes to good, but generally to evil. And God did not execute full vengeance on him: his repentance was a poor one enough; but such as it was, the good and merciful God gave him credit for it as far as it went, and promised him that the worst part of his sentence, the ruin of his family, should not come in his time. But still the sentence against him stood, and was fulfilled. Not long after, as we read in the second lesson, he was killed in battle, and that not bravely and with honour (for if he had been, that would have been but a slight punishment, my friends), but shamefully by a chance shot, after he had disguised himself, in the cowardice of his guilty conscience, and tried to throw all the danger on his ally, good King Jehoshaphat of Judah; 'and they washed his chariot in the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah the prophet.'

So ends one of the most clear and terrible stories in the whole Bible, of God's impartial justice. May God give us all grace to lay it to heart! We are all tempted, as Ahab was; rich or poor, our temptation is alike to give place to the Devil, and let him lead us into dark and deep sin, by giving way to our own fancies, longings, pride, and temper. We are all tempted, as Ahab was, to over-reach our neighbours in some way; I do not mean always in cheating them, but in being unfair to them, in caring more for ourselves than for them; thinking of ourselves first, and of them last; trying to make ourselves comfortable, or to feed our own pride, at their expense. Oh, my friends, whenever we are tempted to be selfish and grasping, be sure that we are opening a door to the very Devil of hell himself, though he may look so smooth, and gentle, and respectable, that perhaps we shall not know him when he comes to us, and shall take his counsels for the counsel of an angel of light. But be sure that if it is selfishness which has opened the door of our heart, not God, but the Devil, will come in, let him disguise himself as cunningly as he will; and our only hope is to flee to Him in whom there was no selfishness, the Lord Jesus Christ, who came not to do His own will, but His Father's; not to glorify Himself, but His Father; not to save His own life, but to sacrifice it freely, for us, His selfish, weak, greedy, wandering sheep. Pray to Him to give you His Spirit, that glorious spirit of love, and duty, and self- sacrifice, by which all the good deeds on earth are done; which teaches a man not to care about himself, but about others; to help others, to feel for others, to rejoice in their happiness, to grieve over their sorrows, to give to them, rather than take from them--in one word, The Holy Spirit of God,

which may He pour out on you, and me, and all mankind, that we may live justly and lovingly, as children of one just and loving Father in heaven.

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Lesson: Israel’s Northern Kings “King Ahab”

Oct 11th by Kelly Henderson --  PRINT -- EMAIL

In the divided kingdom, none of the northern kings were recorded as righteous in God’s eyes.  They were all wicked and led their people to sin.  Ahab is usually taught when covering the study of God’s prophet Elijah. From this lesson about Ahab students discover that God’s word reveals His truth and instructs people how to live a life that pleases Him.  Sin blinds a person to the truth and causes him to walk in darkness.

This lesson is only a guide to help you to prepare for your class.  It was created for older students but can be adapted for your individual needs.  Click here to see all the Bible lessons in this series.

Bible Story Title: Israel’s Northern Kings (Part 2 King Ahab)Bible Passage: 1 Kings 21Target Age Group: Age 9 – 11 (U.S. 3rd – 5th Grade)Learning Context: Sunday SchoolTarget Time Frame: 60 minutesPrinter Friendly Bible Lesson:  PRINT this lesson planYou Can Help: Please share your feedback and suggestions to improve this children’s Bible lesson. Click here to respond

Supply List:  Bibles for each student to follow along in the Bible lesson, sun glasses, clear glasses, (or scarves if you do not have the glasses), post-it notes, pen/pencil, lunch bag, slips of paper

Learning Goal: Students will learn that unless a person repents, sin blinds his/her heart from God’s truth leading to further darkness with each sinful choice.

Learning Activity #1: Object lesson of how sin blinds our heart.  Take a pair of sun glasses. (Another option is to use light-colored scarves that can be seen through.  Each time a sin is mentioned add another scarf causing it to be harder to see clearly.) Choose volunteer to wear sunglasses.  Ask students for examples of sinful choices (lying, stealing, etc.) Write the sin on a post-it note and place each example of sin on the lenses of the sunglasses.  Discuss how when a person chooses to sin and not turn from that sin it becomes easier to sin.  If a person lies then it becomes easier to steal.  Add more post-it notes of the effects of going deeper into darkness by continuing to disobey God’s truth.

God’s enemy Satan has blinded the eyes of those who have not been saved. (2 Corinthians 4:4) When a person repents and turns from their sins and puts their faith in Jesus God removes the blindness from their eyes. (2 Corinthians 3:15-16)  Remove the post-it covered sunglasses and replace with regular glasses.  Now the person can see clearly and walk in the Light of God’s truth.

When people become believers they still sin.  If he/she doesn’t repent and turn from that sin his/her heart becomes calloused to the Holy Spirit’s conviction. By continuing in sin it’s like exchanging the clear glasses to put on sunglasses.  At first you don’t really notice that you are not walking in God’s pure light.  Little by little each little sin keeps you from fully enjoying the life that God wants you to have.  The person that chooses to continue to allow sin into his/her life doesn’t lose the gift of eternal life.  He/she loses the power to effectively point others to Jesus and will miss out on the many blessings of walking in a close relationship with Jesus.  A true believer who continues to sin can expect God’s discipline.  God will discipline His child for their disobedience.  (Hebrews 12:5-11)

Learning Activity #2:  Grab bag with Ahab facts. The focus of the story is going to be in chapter 21.  This activity enables students to know that King Ahab’s past choices of disobedience led him to further walk in darkness instead of obedience to God. Make cards or slips of paper with the following facts about Ahab (add or subtract as many as you need for your class):

King Ahab did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of the kings before him. (1 Kings 16:30) King Ahab married Jezebel who was not an Israelite and an idol worshipper and practiced

witchcraft. (2 Kings 9:22) King Ahab built a temple in Samaria so the people could worship Baal. (1 Kings 16:32) King Ahab allowed Jezebel to kill the Lord’s prophets during the 3 ½ year famine. (1 Kings 18:4) King Ahab told Jezebel that Elijah killed all the false prophets with the sword and she planned to

kill him. (1 Kings 19:2)

Bible Lesson:  Israel’s Northern Kings (Part 2 King Ahab)

(Introduce lesson with Ahab grab bag facts.)

Let’s open our Bibles to 1 Kings 21. Choose volunteers to read 1-3.  What does Ahab want? (Naboth’s vineyard) Why?  (It was close to his palace and he wanted to make it into a vegetable garden) How was King Ahab going to pay for the vineyard?  (He was going to give him a better vineyard or pay whatever Naboth asked)

The story recorded in God’s Word starts out on a good note.  King Ahab wanted something and asked  for it.

Let’s read Naboth’s answer to King Ahab’s question in verse 3.  When God delivered His people from Egypt, He led them to the land He promised to give them. (Show a map ) All the tribes except the Levites were given a portion of land called an inheritance.  God recorded in His word the requirements of each tribe’s portion of land.  “No inheritance in Israel is to pass from tribe to tribe, for every Israelite shall keep the tribal land inherited from his forefathers.”  Numbers 36:7

Naboth’s response was out of reverence and obedience to God’s commands.  He was not being selfish in keeping his property so King Ahab could not have it. He had a God-given right to keep his land and not sell it.

King Ahab did respect God’s laws and had proven himself rebellious to God’s commands.  His disobedience darkened his perspective of how he should be living his life.

Read verse 4.  What was Ahab’s attitude about Naboth’s response? Sullen means showing irritation by a gloomy silence or reserve.  How many of you have ever been sullen because you didn’t get your way?  This attitude is common with very small children and with maturity a person should put off this poor attitude that doesn’t please the Lord.  Ahab was acting like a little child by pouting because he couldn’t have Naboth’s vineyard.

Because Ahab has added sin upon sin in his life his heart is blind to the truth of God’s word.  He is not able to recognize the main sin that is causing this childish attitude.  The main sin that Ahab is committing against God is covetousness.  (Exodus 20:17) The sin of covetousness was like a seed that was planted in Ahab’s heart.  He did not repent of that sin and turn away from it.  As a result the sin grew like a tree and brought forth fruit which were his words and his actions.

When sin is allowed to grow in our hearts it will come out in our words and actions. (Matthew 12:34-35, Luke 6:45)

(Verses 7-16) When Jezebel finds out why Ahab is in a bad mood she takes matters into her own hands.  She has Naboth (an innocent man) put to death.  Her husband can now own the vineyard he wanted.

Before this day arrived Ahab made sinful choices that placed him in a situation that caused an innocent man to be murdered so he could have his way.  The choice that led him on this sinful

path began when he married an ungodly woman (Jezebel) who was not an Israelite. (Deuteronomy 7:3-4)  God’s told His people not to marry anyone who was not an Israelite because they would turn their hearts away from the One True God and they would worship false gods.

As children you most likely aren’t planning on getting married any time soon. It is important to remember that when you are old enough that if you are a believer you should not marry someone who is not. (2 Corinthians 6:14-18) A truth that you can apply at any age of your life is who you choose to spend most of your time with. You should choose friends that walk according to God’s truth because “bad company corrupts good character.” 1 Corinthians 15:33

As we study God’s word we should always look for His attributes (character traits). We are going to finish our lesson by looking at two attributes of God that are seen in these last verses.

First, we see that God is a righteous judge.  Let’s look at verses 11-13.  Two men who did not have good reputations (scoundrels) falsely accused Naboth and he was put to death.  From a human point of view this seems so unfair.  It looks like the wicked get away with murder.  However, the good news is that God sees everything!  He saw what happened to Naboth and sent His prophet Elijah to Ahab to tell him what his punishment will be for his wickedness.  (Verses 17-19)

God can be trusted to take care of the unfair things that happen in our lives.

The second attribute we see again in our study of Israel’s kings is God’s mercy.  God showed Ahab kindness by being patient with him in all of his wickedness.  God did not have to allow Ahab to continue to live and lead the people of the Northern kingdom to sin.  God showed mercy by sending His prophets with His truth.  God’s truth was revealed to Ahab.  He was without excuse for living a wicked life because God was shining His light of truth to allow Ahab to turn away from his sin and live a life that pleased the Lord.

Each time we hear God’s word He is leading us to the light of His truth.  How we respond to His truth will determine if we will walk with a clear vision of a life that pleases God or a life that is darkened and continues to sin.

If you have never been saved God wants you to know that He loves you so much that He sent His Son Jesus to deliver you from your sins.  Jesus died on the cross, was buried and rose again the third day so all who believe in Him can be saved and have eternal life.

If you have been saved the power of the Holy Spirit will help you overcome the battle over sin in your life.  Whatever sin you struggle with repent (turn away), ask God to forgive you.  Ask Him to empower you with His Holy Spirit to overcome the sin you struggle with.

Close in prayer.  Father, help us to respond by obeying what you taught us today.  Help us to turn away from any sinful choices we are making so we can walk in Your light.  In Jesus Name we pray, Amen.

Memory Verse:   1 Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be misled:  “Bad company corrupts good character.”

Review Questions:

1. What did Ahab want from Naboth? (His vineyard)2. Why did Ahab want Naboth’s vineyard? (He wanted to make a vegetable garden)3. Why did Naboth say no? (The land was his inheritance and he was under no obligation to sell it)4. How did Ahab respond to Naboth’s answer? (He was sullen)5. What did Jezebel do so Ahab could have what he wanted? (She had Naboth murdered)6. What changes do you need to make so you are not allowing sin to blind you to God’s truth?7. How has God shown you mercy this week?

Ahab and Naboth Bible Story

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Old Testament

What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard Bible Story for Children and AdultsThis famous What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard Bible Story for Adults, Teens and Children about Ahab and Naboth is a free, printable Bible Study resource which can be read by teens or adults or used at Sunday School for Christian children and young kids. Enjoy this free, printable short Ahab and Naboth Bible Story for adults, teens, young children and kids taken from the Old Testament.

Free Bible Lessons on Bible StoriesPlease click Free Bible Lessons to access a Bible lesson on this Bible story for children.

Printable Ahab and Naboth Bible StoryWhat Ahab Paid for His Vineyard

What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard

Ahab and Naboth Bible Story

I Kings xxi: 1, to 29

King Ahab's home was at Samaria, the capital of the kingdom. But he had also a palace at Jezreel, which overlooked the great plain of Esdraelon. And beside Ahab's palace at Jezreel was a vineyard, belonging to a man named Naboth. Ahab wished to own this vineyard, and he said to Naboth, "Let me have your vineyard, which is near my house. I would like to make of it a garden for vegetables. I will give you a better vineyard in place of it, or I will pay you the worth of it in money."

But Naboth answered the king, "This vineyard has belonged to my father's family for many generations, and I am not willing to give it up or to leave it."

Ahab was very angry when he heard this. He came into his house, and refused to eat; but lay down on his bed, and turned his face to the wall. His wife Jezebel came to him, and said, "Why are you so sad? What is troubling you?"

And Ahab answered her, "I asked Naboth to sell me his vineyard, or to let me give him another vineyard for it, and he would not."

Then Jezebel said to him, "Do you indeed rule over the kingdom of Israel? Rise up, and eat your dinner, and enjoy yourself. I will give you the vineyard of Naboth." Then Queen Jezebel sat down, and wrote a letter in Ahab's name, and sealed it with the king's seal. And in the letter she wrote, "Let the word be given out that a meeting of the men of Jezreel is to be held, and set Naboth up before all the people. Have ready two men, no matter how worthless and wicked they may be, who will swear that they heard Naboth speak words of cursing against God and against the king. Then take Naboth out, and stone him with stones until he is dead."

Such was the fear of Queen Jezebel among all the people, that they did as she gave command. They held a meeting, and set Naboth up in presence of the people; then they brought in two men, who told lies, declaring that they had heard Naboth speak words of cursing against God and against the king; and then they dragged Naboth out of the city, and stoned him, and killed him. Afterward they sent word to Queen Jezebel that Naboth was dead, and Jezebel said to Ahab, "Now you can go and take as your own the vineyard of Naboth in Jezreel; for Naboth is no longer living; he is dead."

Then Ahab rose in his chariot from Samaria to Jezreel, and with him were two of his captains, one named Jehu, and another named Bidkar. Just as they were riding in the vineyard that had been Naboth's, suddenly Elijah, the prophet, with his mantle of skin, stood before them.

Ahab was startled as he saw Elijah, and he called out, "Have you found me, O my enemy?"

"I have found you," answered Elijah, "because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord. In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, shall dogs lick up your own blood. I will

bring evil upon you, and will sweep you away; and I will cut off every man-child from Ahab; and I will make your family like the family of Jeroboam, who made Israel to sin. And because your wife, Jezebel, has stirred you up to sin, she shall die, and the wild dogs of the city shall eat the body of Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel."

When Ahab heard these words of Elijah he saw how wickedly he had acted, and he felt sorrow for his sin. He put on sackcloth, and fasted, and sought for mercy. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah, saying, "Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before me, and shows sorrow for his sin? Because of this, I will not bring the evil in his lifetime, but after he is dead, I will bring it upon his children." .

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

Ahab and NabothBible Story

What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard from Hurlbut's Bible Stories For Children - The Bible Story of Ahab and NabothThis Ahab and Naboth Bible Story was written in simple words by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut and taken from Hurlbut's Bible Stories For Children which was published in 1904. The book is also known as Harbut's Story of the Bible (Told for young and Old). Harbut's Story of the Bible contains the famous and great stories in their connected order forming a continuous history of the Bible and its greatest stories, including the Ahab and Naboth Bible story, which is suitable for adults and teens, young children and kids, Catholic or Protestant. This What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard Bible Story is part of a series of famous Bible Stories. This Ahab and Naboth Bible Story from the Old Testament is independent of all the others and can be read separately enabling parents of Sunday School teachers to tell the stories randomly or in the order in which the stories appear in the Christian Holy Bible.

Ahab and Naboth Bible Story for Children, Teens and AdultsEnjoy this What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard Bible Story for adults, teens, children and young kids about Ahab and Naboth. The simple words used in the Ahab and Naboth Bible Story for Adults, Teens, Children and little kids about Ahab and Naboth are an ideal resource for Protestant or Catholic Christian parents and Christian Sunday School teachers to tell the famous and great stories of the Bible including What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard inspired from the scriptures of the Bible about Ahab and Naboth. The simple words of this great Biblical story about Ahab and Naboth may also be used for preschool kids. Tell the What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard Bible Story for Adults, Teens and Children about Ahab and Naboth found in the Holy Bible.

Ahab and Naboth Bible Story - A Free Christian Bible Study ResourceWe hope that  this free What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard Bible Story about Ahab and Naboth will provide useful for Bible Study ideas for adults, teens, children and young kids . This short Old Testament Bible Story about Ahab and Naboth for children and young kids together with tools, activities, aids and materials on this website  are designed to be used by an individual or a Christian Bible study group for Bible lessons for young children. This Old Testament Bible Story about Ahab and Naboth will also prove useful as the basis for fun Sunday School lessons for Christian children and small kids. All information on this What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard Bible Story about Ahab and Naboth is free to be used as an educational Christian Bible Study resource for adults, teens, young children and little kids.

Ahab and Naboth Bible Story

What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard

Ahab and Naboth Bible Story for Children

What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard Bible Story for young children and small kids - a free Bible Study resource

Read this story to young children or little kids Free activity for learning about the Bible the Ahab and

Naboth Bible Story for young children and small kids What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard Bible Story for

children by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut Hurlbut's Bible Stories For Children - What Ahab Paid

for His Vineyard Ahab and Naboth Bible Story from the Old Testament

What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard Bible Story

What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard Bible Story for Children and AdultsThis famous What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard Bible Story for Adults, Teens and Children about Ahab and Naboth is a free, printable Bible Study resource which can be read by teens or adults or used at Sunday School for Christian children and young kids. Enjoy this free, printable short Ahab and Naboth Bible Story for adults, teens, young children and kids taken from the Old Testament.

Free Bible Lessons on Bible StoriesPlease click Free Bible Lessons to access a Bible lesson on this Bible story for children.

Printable Ahab and Naboth Bible StoryWhat Ahab Paid for His Vineyard

What Ahab Paid for His VineyardAhab and Naboth Bible Story

I Kings xxi: 1, to 29

King Ahab's home was at Samaria, the capital of the kingdom. But he had also a palace at Jezreel, which overlooked the great plain of Esdraelon. And beside Ahab's palace at Jezreel was a vineyard, belonging to a man named Naboth. Ahab wished to own this vineyard, and he said to Naboth, "Let me

have your vineyard, which is near my house. I would like to make of it a garden for vegetables. I will give you a better vineyard in place of it, or I will pay you the worth of it in money."

But Naboth answered the king, "This vineyard has belonged to my father's family for many generations, and I am not willing to give it up or to leave it."

Ahab was very angry when he heard this. He came into his house, and refused to eat; but lay down on his bed, and turned his face to the wall. His wife Jezebel came to him, and said, "Why are you so sad? What is troubling you?"

And Ahab answered her, "I asked Naboth to sell me his vineyard, or to let me give him another vineyard for it, and he would not."

Then Jezebel said to him, "Do you indeed rule over the kingdom of Israel? Rise up, and eat your dinner, and enjoy yourself. I will give you the vineyard of Naboth." Then Queen Jezebel sat down, and wrote a letter in Ahab's name, and sealed it with the king's seal. And in the letter she wrote, "Let the word be given out that a meeting of the men of Jezreel is to be held, and set Naboth up before all the people. Have ready two men, no matter how worthless and wicked they may be, who will swear that they heard Naboth speak words of cursing against God and against the king. Then take Naboth out, and stone him with stones until he is dead."

Such was the fear of Queen Jezebel among all the people, that they did as she gave command. They held a meeting, and set Naboth up in presence of the people; then they brought in two men, who told lies, declaring that they had heard Naboth speak words of cursing against God and against the king; and then they dragged Naboth out of the city, and stoned him, and killed him. Afterward they sent word to Queen Jezebel that Naboth was dead, and Jezebel said to Ahab, "Now you can go and take as your own the vineyard of Naboth in Jezreel; for Naboth is no longer living; he is dead."

Then Ahab rose in his chariot from Samaria to Jezreel, and with him were two of his captains, one named Jehu, and another named Bidkar. Just as they were riding in the vineyard that had been Naboth's, suddenly Elijah, the prophet, with his mantle of skin, stood before them.

Ahab was startled as he saw Elijah, and he called out, "Have you found me, O my enemy?"

"I have found you," answered Elijah, "because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord. In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, shall dogs lick up your own blood. I will bring evil upon you, and will sweep you away; and I will cut off every man-child from Ahab; and I will make your family like the family of Jeroboam, who made Israel to sin. And because your wife, Jezebel, has stirred you up to sin, she shall die, and the wild dogs of the city shall eat the body of Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel."

When Ahab heard these words of Elijah he saw how wickedly he had acted, and he felt sorrow for his sin. He put on sackcloth, and fasted, and sought for mercy. And the word of the Lord came to Elijah, saying, "Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before me, and shows sorrow for his sin? Because

of this, I will not bring the evil in his lifetime, but after he is dead, I will bring it upon his children." .

♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦♦

Ahab and NabothBible Story

What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard from Hurlbut's Bible Stories For Children - The Bible Story of Ahab and NabothThis Ahab and Naboth Bible Story was written in simple words by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut and taken from Hurlbut's Bible Stories For Children which was published in 1904. The book is also known as Harbut's Story of the Bible (Told for young and Old). Harbut's Story of the Bible contains the famous and great stories in their connected order forming a continuous history of the Bible and its greatest stories, including the Ahab and Naboth Bible story, which is suitable for adults and teens, young children and kids, Catholic or Protestant. This What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard Bible Story is part of a series of famous Bible Stories. This Ahab and Naboth Bible Story from the Old Testament is independent of all the others and can be read separately enabling parents of Sunday School teachers to tell the stories randomly or in the order in which the stories appear in the Christian Holy Bible.

Ahab and Naboth Bible Story for Children, Teens and AdultsEnjoy this What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard Bible Story for adults, teens, children and young kids about Ahab and Naboth. The simple words used in the Ahab and Naboth Bible Story for Adults, Teens, Children and little kids about Ahab and Naboth are an ideal resource for Protestant or Catholic Christian parents and Christian Sunday School teachers to tell the famous and great stories of the Bible including What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard inspired from the scriptures of the Bible about Ahab and Naboth. The simple words of this great Biblical story about Ahab and Naboth may also be used for preschool kids. Tell the What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard Bible Story for Adults, Teens and Children about Ahab and Naboth found in the Holy Bible.

Ahab and Naboth Bible Story - A Free Christian Bible Study ResourceWe hope that  this free What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard Bible Story about Ahab and Naboth will provide useful for Bible Study ideas for adults, teens, children and young kids . This short Old Testament Bible Story about Ahab and Naboth for children and young kids together with tools, activities, aids and materials on this website  are designed to be used by an individual or a Christian Bible study group for Bible lessons for young children. This Old Testament Bible Story about Ahab and Naboth will also prove useful as the basis for fun Sunday School lessons for Christian children and small kids. All information on this What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard Bible Story about Ahab and Naboth is free to be used as an educational Christian Bible Study resource for adults, teens, young children and little kids.

Ahab and Naboth Bible Story for Children

What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard Bible Story for young children and small kids - a free Bible Study resource

Read this story to young children or little kids Free activity for learning about the Bible the Ahab and Naboth Bible Story for young

children and small kids What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard Bible Story for children by Jesse Lyman Hurlbut Hurlbut's Bible Stories For Children - What Ahab Paid for His Vineyard Ahab and Naboth Bible Story from the Old Testament

Is, Was and Will Be

The Unknown Character of Christ and His Word

Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty

The Spiritual Significance Of Naboth, His Vineyard, King Ahab And Jezebel - Properly Applying God's Word

To Whom It may Concern,   I have a question for Mr. Vinson.  Who does Naboth, his inheritance (the garden) and

Jezebel represent spiritually?  Thank you for your time!   J____ Hi J____,

Thank you for this question. This question reflects the fact that you are coming to see that God's Words are all to be understood as having an inward spiritual application which affects each and every person who reads and understands the spiritual meaning of those words. It is a simple question, but in light of all the lies of Babylon, it will take several scriptures to demonstrate what this story is all about.

The first principle we must remember before we answer any question, is that Christ and His Words are Is, Was and Will Be in their application and in their character.  They are never ever to be understood simply and primarily as a story about something which

happened in the past, or as prophecy of some future event. God's Words are indeed stories of past events and God's Words do indeed reveal future events, but whenever we make either of those aspects of His Words our primary focus, the beast within will be "sitting in the temple of God declaring that he is God" sitting on the throne of God in our hearts, smugly secure in the fact that no one is aware that he is sitting on Christ's throne in our body and is ruling  over our flesh.

2 Thess 2:3  Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day [the day that the

kingdom of God and the coming of Christ] shall not come [Christ will not come in our flesh], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed [the "carnal... babe in Christ 1 Cor. chapters 1-3], the son of perdition; 2 Thess 2:4  Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

They are unaware simply because God has not given them the eyes to see or the ears to hear the mystery that has been hid from the ages that "the kingdom of God is within you."

Col 1:26  Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from

generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

"Christ in you" is the King of "the kingdom within you." That is what Christ meant when He told the Pharisees that "the kingdom of God is within you."

Luke 17:20  And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Luke 17:21  Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

And what is it that Christ is so intent on keeping hidden from the multitudes who come to learn of Him?

Matt 13:2  And great multitudes were gathered together unto him , so that he went into a ship, and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. Matt 13:3  And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

Matt 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? Matt 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

It is "not given...to the multitudes to understand the mysteries of the kingdom of God." And what is that mystery? Why, it is the fact that all these parables are about the kingdom of God and they are all being fulfilled in God's elect. The mystery is "Christ in you." The mystery is that "the kingdom of God", with which all Christ's parables are concerned, "is within you."

Matt 13:34  All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and  without a parable spake he not unto them:

Why did He speak to them only in parables? It was because He had no intention of allowing them to see the mysteries of the kingdom of hea ven which is "the kngdom of heaven [Christ] is within you."

Now there are even those who want to forget the "Was" and the "Will Be" character of God's Words and focus only on the "Is," only on the present application of God's Words. This, too, is a snare of the Adversary and is all that is needed to miss out on the Truth of God's Words. This is true simply because Truth is but one thing. Portions of The Truth are not the Truth because the Truth is "the sum of thy word."

Psa 119:160  The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous

ordinances is everlasting. (NASB)

Matt 24:35  Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. Truth is not any part or any combination of parts which leaves out either the present or

the past or the future application of the Words of God. Jesus Christ really is "the same yesterday and today and forever." The fact that He did not reveal Himself as such before the New Testament was written, does not change the fact that He never changes.

Heb 13:8  Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. But not only is it important to realize that Christ, who is His Word, is present, past and

future, it is also equally important to notice that He always presents Himself primarily as "Is" secondarily as "Was" And last of all as "Will Be."

Rev 1:8  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

The "historical orthodox Christian world" has this order reversed and it is so to their own detriment.

How many ministers in "historical orthodox Christianity" see this story in its Is, Was and Will Be application in their own lives?

This story of Naboth's vineyard being taken away from him violently by a woman who was in bed with the leader of God's people is nothing less than the same theme that runs throughout God's word in parables like this one about King Ahab, his wife Jezebel and Naboth. It is the story of Christ being slain by His own people. Remember, "Jesus Christ [who is] the same yesterday today and forever" also tells us:

Matt 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

And He also tells us: Luke 13:33  Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for

it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem. What this tells those with spiritual eyes and ears is that the beast is within. He is not

outside. So when Cain killed his own brother Abel, we have God's own child killing God's chosen Son. When Enoch's life was being sought, it was God's own sons seeking the life of God's chosen Son. When the whole world rejected the preaching of Noah, they

were rejecting their own brother, God's chosen Son. So God baptised mankind in the flood of Noah, just so we could see that He will not be ignored:

1 Pet 3:21  The like figure [the flood] whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:

But our initial baptism is only the beginning of our rejection of Christ. "The man of sin is still on the throne "in the temple" of our hearts, still wanting God's chosen, dead (1 Cor. 1-3).

So after the flood, the principle of God's own people wanting His elect dead continues. When Ishmael, Abraham's seed, mocked Isaac, he was mocking Christ. When Esau wanted to kill his own brother Jacob, he wanted to kill Christ. When Joseph's brothers wanted to kill him, they wanted to kill Christ. When Joseph's own brothers sold Joseph into Egypt for twenty pieces of silver, his own brothers were selling Christ into slavery and death. When Judah lied to and defrauded his own daughter-in-law and wanted her dead, Judah was lying to defrauding and wanting to kill Christ. When the "Pharaoh which knew not Joseph" wanted to kill all the males of Israel, he was killing Christ. When He refused to "let my people go", he was withstanding Christ. When Israel rebelled against God in the wilderness, they rebelled against Christ. When Goliath withstood Israel, he was withstanding Christ. When Korah and all the "famous men of renown" withstood Moses and Aaron, they were withstanding Christ. When King Saul sought the life of David, he was seeking the life of Christ. When King David killed Uriah and took his wife, he was sinning against Christ.

Psa 51:1  To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet

came unto him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Psa 51:2  Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Psa 51:3  For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin [is] ever before me. Psa 51:4  Against thee [Christ], thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

And when King Ahab married a daughter of a Philistine king, King Ahab was rejecting Christ and committing spiritual fornication against Christ. This story of Jezebel killing Naboth for Naboth's vineyard is the same theme we find throughout God's Word. Naboth's own king, who was to "judge righteous judgment", turned on him and had him slain through the influence of the arch-typical "great harlot" who "causes my people to commit fornication."

Rev 2:20  Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou

sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.

"Things offered to idols" are false doctrines "which do not profit those who are occupied with them." And just look at what is right here where this truth is revealed:

Heb 13:8  Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Heb 13:9  Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing

that the heart be established with grace; not with meats [doctrines], which have not profited them that have been occupied therein. Heb 13:10  We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle.

"They which serve the tabernacle" are those Levites who are indeed called out of Israel, but they are not chosen as priests. Since they are "called but not chosen," they cannot minister to the people with the holy vessels:

Matt 22:14  For many are called, but few are chosen. Num 18:2  And thy brethren also of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring

thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minister unto thee: but thou and thy sons with thee shall minister before the tabernacle of witness. Num 18:3  And they shall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle: only they shall not come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar, that neither they, nor ye also, die.

Num 18:7  Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for every thing of the altar, and within the vail; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh [including Levites who are not priests] shall be put to death.

It is those who are "joined to us" but who are not permitted to "come nigh the vessels of the sanctuary and the altar," who will turn on us to take our inheritance and to kill us.

Our vineyard and our bodies are one and the same in scripture. We must never allow "the land to be sold to a stranger." We must always keep it within the family.

But we all, as Naboth, will not keep our inheritance. We must lose our inheritance before our inheritance can be redeemed. Naboth knew that he was not to sell his family's land. If we are forced to sell our land, as we all are, then when the true jubilee comes, Naboth's 'inheritance' will be redeemed and he will inherit much more than a physical vineyard.

Lev 25:10  And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout

all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.

This entire account is nothing less than the continuation of the divinely ordained struggle of the seed of the serpent bruising the heel of the seed of the woman.

Gen 3:15  And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy

seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. When Cain killed Abel, God gave Adam and Eve (mankind) Seth (Hebrew - "instead of")

to replace slain Abel. And when the great 'Jezebel' had Christ slain, God has given to this world His elect and has increased 'Christ's seed and has prolonged Christ's days' through us:

Isa 53:10  Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when

thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:

Christ has sent us out for Himself just as His Father sent Christ out for Himself: John 20:21  Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me,

even so send I you. Christ has His elect just as He is His Father's elect and "only begotten Son." This is how

God sees it: 1 John 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of

judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. In closing, I will remind you once more: Matt 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you,

Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

What separates God's elect from the masses of Babylon is that God's elect apply His word inwardly. They do not put it all off on someone else. God's elect realize that "the man of sin, the son of perdition" is within them and is not someone else. God's elect realize that it is they who must "live by every Word which proceeds out of the mouth of God." It is they who "turn to see the voice which is speaking unto them."

Rev 1:10  I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice,

as of a trumpet,

Rev 1:12  And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; Rev 1:13  And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle.

So this story about King Ahab, sheepishly following the lead of his spiritually fornicating wife, is not a story for someone else. It is an admonition for me and for you to understand that it is the King Ahab and his wife Jezebel who Is, Was and Will Be in us. It is King Ahab and Jezebel in us who at one time killed Naboth and took his vineyard and now ought to be "dying daily" and "decreasing as Christ is increasing" in us.  But this is something we see as being "behind us." And yet it is for our admonition:

Eph 2:2  Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world,

according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Eph 2:3  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Are God's elect, in their appointed time, "the children of wrath even as others?" Indeed they were "in times past." And so it must be. Paul tells us that we are God's temple:

1 Cor 3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

1 Cor 6:19  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

And what Is, Was and Will Be the Truth about what is necessary to enter into that temple of God?

Rev 15:8  And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled.

Until we, like Peter and all the apostles, have denied our Lord, until we, like them, are brought to "weep bitterly" at our own awareness of our own helplessness against our own fleshly desires to preserve and serve our flesh; until we come to see just how sinful is sin with us, "no man is able to enter into the temple, until the seven plagues of the seven angels are fulfilled" in each of us.

Here are the words of the apostle Paul as to how we are to understand all the stories of the Old Testament:

1 Cor 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

And just look at the next verse: 1 Cor 10:12  Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. So this is what should be the direction of our spiritual growth: John 3:30  He [Christ] must increase, but I must decrease. Those who are truly God's elect will grow past the natural reaction of putting all of God's

Words off on others. They will grow past looking down on those poor immature, spiritually carnal, spiritual babes in Christ who are still in Babylon. God's "very elect" are aware that it is not others but themselves who must "keep the sayings of the prophecy of this book" and "live by every word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

Matt 4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread

alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

Rev 1:3  Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

I hope you now see who Naboth and his vineyard and Ahab and Jezebel are spiritually. But I hope also that more than that, you are now able to see how to apply the "same yesterday and today and forever" words of our Lord when He said:

Matt 25:40  (b) ...Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me

Naboth's Vineyard

Sermon shared by Garth Wehrfritz- Hanson

Sermon:Sermon for 2 Pentecost Yr C, 13/06/2004Based on I Kings 21:1-21aBy Garth Wehrfritz-HansonPastor of Grace Lutheran Church, &Chaplain of the Good Samaritan Society’s South Ridge Village, Medicine Hat, Alberta

Today’s first lesson is basically a story about coveting, bearing false witness, killing and stealing. It appears to begin in a rather painless way with Israel’s King Ahab seeing Naboth’s vineyard adjacent to his palace and making, what seems, at first sight, a fair and just offer to purchase it to use for his vegetable garden.

But wait a minute right there! Ahab, being king, knew very well that such an offer was not fair or just. Why? Because for Naboth to sell off the land that his ancestors passed on to him would be the same as Esau selling his birthright to brother Jacob for a bowel of lentil soup. You see, by keeping the land of one’s ancestors meant not only that one honoured one’s own family history—it also meant that one was keeping covenant with the LORD God, who, we remember, included the land in the covenant with Israel. If one sold one’s land that one inherited from one’s ancestors and, originally, from the LORD himself, was not that an act of abandoning the LORD and the covenant? As long as one occupied one’s land, one was affirming and living under the LORD’s covenant.

So, what else could Ahab expect Naboth to say to him than a firm “NO, the LORD forbids me to sell my ancestral inheritance!” However, Ahab doesn’t stop there. He responds to Naboth’s refusal to sell by going back to his palace, fasting, and going to bed to nurse his resentment towards Naboth and to pout like an immature child who fails to get what they want.

Jezebel enters the narrative at this point. When Ahab tells her about Naboth’s refusal she asks him pointedly, “Do you now govern Israel?” Jezebel had an entirely different understanding about who has a right to what. Jezebel came from Tyre. She worshipped a Baal god whose name was Melkart. Baal means “owner” and Baalism is a religion of ownership. Originally the word came to be synonymous with the aristocracy, the land owners in the big houses. Baalism came to be a religion. When the owners needed supernatural sanction to support their system they came up with a god to fit that need. Baalism was more than a cult. It was an ideology about who had the right to own what.

Jezebel had come to Israel to wed Ahab when he was crown prince. Now she was Queen and she would become Queen Mother. She was a powerful force in Israel. She was a pusher of a new mentality for she brought with her a retinue of priests of her god. A (North) American axiom reads, “It doesn’t matter what you believe just so long as you are sincere.” But it does matter! This idea that some are born to rule and own others to be owned backed by power of Jezebel was making a difference to the poor in Israel. (See Micah 2:1-2.) Beliefs do matter and theology is important!

Jezebel did not share the religious traditions of Israel, but she knew how to get what she wanted through dirty tricks. She sent letters in Ahab’s name and signed with his seal to all the elders and free people of Naboth’s city. They were instructed to proclaim a fast, perhaps because of the famine mentioned in chapter 17. That was diabolically clever for a fast would suggest that someone’s sin is responsible. Naboth was being set up even as he wasushered to the seat of honor at the assembly. Jezebel also knew that cursing the king was a capital offense (Exodus 22:8) and that the property of convicted people reverted to the crown. That no one questioned indicates the clout of Ahab’s family.

This is the story that is history in microcosm. The names and places change but the plot remains the same, the more powerful coveting the inheritance of some poor Naboth and getting it one way or another. Ahab wanted vegetables out of Naboth’s garden. His successors have wanted other things out of the inheritances of other Naboths: land, gold, diamonds, tea, coffee, bananas, copper, tin, coal, iron, uranium, rubber, cotton, oil.

Enter Elijah, the prophet with the memory of a God who spoke through a burning bush on behalf of an oppressed people, a God of justice who knows and sees and cares, a God who will not tolerate the ways of predatory avarice, lying, and exploitation, a God whose judgement may seem to tarry yet is certain sure. The prophetic mission of the church suggests itself here. 1

The prophetic mission to be like Elijah in our contemporary context by speaking truth to power. By ensuring that the rights of the Naboths today are respected and protected. By calling the King Ahabs and Queen Jezebels of today to accountability when they have plotted and schemed to covet, bear false witness against, kill and steal from innocent and poor people. In our society, it may mean that we persist in holding governments accountable to us regarding things like the guarantee of healthcare and education and the proper stewardship of our natural resources not only for ourselves but also for future generations. It may also mean that we in the free, democratic world continue to be Elijahs for those who live under oppressive and evil regimes by insisting that the rights and dignity of the poorest of the poor are respected and protected. This may translate into exposing publicly the abuses of power of governments and corporate elites around the world who selfishly exist only to preserve their own wealth and interests by denying the majority of citizens freedom and democracy. In short, the role of prophet, the role of Elijah today is going to be as dangerous and unpopular now as it was back then in ancient Israel. May the LORD God preserve and defend the cause of today’s Elijahs just as he did in ancient Israel!

Shifting back now to our story’s conclusion, what do we learn? Well, I believe there are at least two “punch lines” to this story. First, we learn that we can all be so easily tempted to covet what does not belong to us—and, before we can say “Jack Frost,” such temptations can spread like a deadly cancer and escalate into further, more serious temptations and sins, until we, like Ahab and Jezebel can fall into plots and schemes and conspiracies which wrongfully ruin or destroy others and ultimately ourselves. Notice how this happens, first there is Ahab coveting Naboth’s vineyard. Then he fails to accept Naboth’s “NO” by allowing his inner resentments to grow. On the heels of his resentments come an evil conspiracy to bear false witness. Then, bearing false witness quickly escalates into the sins of murder

and stealing. The danger for us is to read this story as immune observers. God forbid that we saying to ourselves: “This was way back then, and can never happen to us!” NOT TRUE! IT CAN HAPPEN TO US TOO, BECAUSE WE TOO ARE SINNERS TEMPTED BY THESE SAME SINS AS AHAB AND JEZEBEL. THEREFORE, WE NEED TO BE EVER VIGILANT, EVER ALERT TO BRING ALL OF THESE SINS INSIDE OF US TO OUR LORD TO CONFESS THEM, SEEK HIS FORGIVENESS AND LEAVE THE SINS WITH HIM—NOT ALLOW THEM TO GROW LIKE CANCER INSIDE OF US.

The second “punch line” of this story is that crime does not pay! In the end, right and truth and justice do prevail. Notice in the story how Jezebel and Ahab believe they can get away with their secret evil conspiracy. They believe that they can hide their evil plot from everyone and use evil means to gain what they want, what rightfully does not belong to them. Yet, this does not happen. They fail to pull it off. Elijah the prophet has been given a message from the LORD revealing what they’ve done to Naboth and he confronts Ahab with this truth; proclaiming his prophetic oracle of the ultimate destruction of Ahab. In the end, we learn that the oracle is true—Ahab was killed at Ramoth Gilead by the Aramites and Jezebel is pushed out of a window, falling down to her death.

May the LORD preserve us from committing the sins of Ahab and Jezebel. May the LORD help us to be like Elijah and do what is right in all circumstances. Amen.

____________1 Cited from: Emphasis Vol. 25, No. 1, May-June 1995 (Lima, OH: CSS Publishing Co., Inc.), pp. 46-47.

Forgotten Men of the Bible: Naboth

By Rebecca Rushmore

We know much about many Bible characters. Such people are the subject of frequent studies and may even have whole books or chapters of books devoted to them and the lessons we can learn from them. There are other people mentioned in the Bible about whom we know very little. These people may only be mentioned in passing or are found in only one or two places in the Bible. Often these people are overlooked, yet they appear in our Bibles for a reason.

John 20:30-31 tells us that Jesus did many things that were not recorded in the Bible. The things that were recorded are to strengthen our faith. Second Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that everything in the Bible is from God and is for our learning. With this in mind, there can be no doubt that these little known, "forgotten" men and women of the Bible can teach us valuable lessons today.

Many people are familiar with the evil done by King Ahab and his wicked Queen Jezebel. Beginning in First Kings, many of their crimes are recorded, including the crime against Naboth. Often, people remember the story of Naboth and his encounter with the royal couple, but usually the focus is placed on the "bad guys." For a moment, let's take a look at the incident from the viewpoint of Naboth, the "good guy."

In First Kings 21 beginning with the first verse, the story of Naboth unfolds. Naboth owns a vineyard next to the palace that greedy King Ahab decides he wants. The king offers Naboth money or another vineyard and Naboth refuses both. Ahab, angry and disappointed to not get his way, returns to his rooms to pout. When Jezebel learns of the reason for Ahab's pout, she urges him to cheer up because she will get him what his heart desires. Using the king's seal, Jezebel sends a message commanding the magistrates of Naboth's village to put him on trial and accuse him of blasphemy against God and the king. To help ensure a guilty verdict, they are to use two false witnesses. Jezebel's instructions are carried out, Naboth is found guilty, executed and King Ahab claims the vineyard.

What can be learned from this brief encounter with Naboth? First, Naboth served the Lord even in times of great idolatry and wickedness. Ahab, King of Israel at this time, is recorded to be one of the most idolatrous leaders in Israel (1 Kings 16:29-33). Verse 33 states, "And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him." Queen Jezebel did her best to kill all of God's prophets (1 Kings 18:4). The prophet Elijah looked at the nation and felt that he was the only one serving God (1 Kings 19:10). God told Elijah that there were seven thousand in Israel that had not bowed down to the idol Baal, but Elijah apparently had trouble noticing them for all the rest who were doing evil (1 Kings 19:18). It was in these times of great wickedness that Naboth refuses his king's offer based on the commandment of God (1 Kings 21:3). In many ways, the era in which we live is no different. Many idols in the form of materialism, immorality and greed prevail in society. Like Naboth, we can still serve God.

In addition to serving God in a land overrun with idolatry, Naboth stood strong in his convictions and faith even when faced with potential harm. On the surface, Ahab's offer seems like a good deal. Naboth could exchange his vineyard for money or another vineyard. However, Naboth knew the laws of God. Leviticus 25:23-28 and Numbers 36:7 forbid the Israelites to sell any portion of the land they inherited. To sell the vineyard or exchange it for another at the request of the king would have been a sin. Naboth answered Ahab's request with, "The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee" (1 Kings 21:3). This faithful servant of God knew the kind of man Ahab was. It is reasonable to suppose that Naboth knew his life could be in danger by refusing the king, yet he did what was right in the sight of God. As Naboth did not let greed for money and land or fear of punishment stop him from doing what was right, we must also stand for our convictions. Our treasures are to be stored in heaven instead of earth (Matthew 6:19-21). When it comes down to obeying God or fellow man, we must choose to obey God (Acts 4:19; 5:29).

Notice the character of Naboth. When Jezebel instructed the magistrates to put Naboth on trial, part of her instructions included finding false witnesses. Under the Old Testament law, capital crimes required a minimum of two witnesses for a guilty verdict. Blasphemy of God was a

capital offense under the law (Leviticus 24:15-16). Blasphemy of the king was a capital offense by custom (2 Samuel 16:9; 19:21). Jezebel knew that the only way to convict Naboth of these crimes and ensure his death was to use false witnesses. The willingness of the magistrates to comply with the evil instructions of the queen again shows how corrupt and unrighteous the people of Israel had become and is a great contrast to the righteousness of Naboth.

We can learn another thing from Naboth that should give us great comfort. Because of the evil done by Ahab and Jezebel toward Naboth, God severely punished them. After Ahab claimed Naboth's vineyard, God sent his prophet Elijah to deliver a message to the king. God promised that he would wipe out the seed of Ahab; God also promised violent deaths for the pair. We need to remember that God will punish evil. He has promised eternal life to those who obey him and eternal punishment for those who chose to disobey (Matthew 7:21-22; Revelation 21:7-8). We may never see our adversaries punished in this life, but we should always remember, "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord" (Romans 12:19), and God always keeps his promises (2 Peter 3:9).

King Ahab – A Lesson in Grace

12Aug2012 Filed under: Sermons Author: Dave

This morning we’re going to take a look at one of Israel’s most notorious kings. Just like King David was known for his goodness – King Ahab was known for his badness. In fact, let me just read for you how the Bible introduces him. This is 1 Kings 16:29-33.

“Ahab son of Omri began to rule over Israel in the thirty-eighth year of King Asa’s reign in Judah. He reigned in Samaria twenty-two years. 30 But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, even more than any of the kings before him. 31 And as though it were not enough to follow the example of Jeroboam, he married Jezebel, the daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and he began to bow down in worship of Baal. 32 First Ahab built a temple and an altar for Baal in Samaria. 33 Then he set up an Asherah pole. He did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than any of the other kings of Israel before him.” 1 Kings 16:29-33

So basically, what the Bible is telling us, is that Ahab was the most evil king Israel had ever seen. He was the Adolf Hitler, the Joseph Stalin, the Osama Bin Laden of his time.

So what lessons could we possible learn from this guy? Well, I think the answer might surprise you. 

Now the Bible has a lot to say about King Ahab. He’s actually the fourth most talked about king in the Bible. Most people know of him because of his dealings with the prophet Elijah – the most

famous story being the big contest on Mount Carmel to see which God was the true God. If you don’t know that story, you can look it up in 1 Kings 18 later today. It’s a good one.

But the story that we’re going to look at this morning is found in 1 Kings chapter 21. If you have your Bibles with you, you can turn there with me. Starting at verse 1.

Now there was a man named Naboth, from Jezreel, who owned a vineyard in Jezreel beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. 2 One day Ahab said to Naboth, “Since your vineyard is so convenient to my palace, I would like to buy it to use as a vegetable garden. I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or if you prefer, I will pay you for it.”3 But Naboth replied, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance that was passed down by my ancestors.”1 Kings 21:1-3

Now let me just interrupt for a minute to explain why Naboth was so opposed to this deal.

At first glance, it seems like a pretty logical, fair proposal. After all, the vineyard was right beside the palace – it would certainly be convenient. And Ahab had offered to give him an even better vineyard in it’s place. And if he didn’t want that, Ahab was willing to flat out buy the vineyard – at a price which I’m sure would have been probably more than generous. So what’s the issue?

If you remember back when Joshua lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, God divided the land up among the 12 tribes, and then within each tribe, each family was given certain land. This was to be their permanent possession. They were never to sell their land to anyone else. God told them they could rent or lease their land out to others, but every 50 years, the land had to be given back to the original family. This would ensure that every family would always have an inheritance (from the Lord) to pass down to the next generations. It was their gift from God. It was their “Promised Land”.

So that’s why Naboth was so opposed to Ahab’s deal. If Naboth had sold this land to Ahab, that land would be permanently lost as a family inheritance to his sons and his grandsons and for all the generations beyond. They would no longer have their promised land from God.

It wasn’t that Ahab’s deal wasn’t financial sound, but it would disregard God’s instructions and God’s promise. So Naboth replied “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance that was passed down by my ancestors.” Let’s see how Ahab responds:

“So Ahab went home angry and sullen because of Naboth’s answer. The king went to bed with his face to the wall and refused to eat!” 1 Kings 21:4

It seems Ahab didn’t take rejection well. He’s a little bit of drama king, isn’t he? Well, before long, his wife, Jezebel shows up.

“What’s the matter?” his wife Jezebel asked him. “What’s made you so upset that you’re not eating?”

6 “I asked Naboth to sell me his vineyard or trade it, but he refused!” Ahab told her.7 “Are you the king of Israel or not?” Jezebel demanded. “Get up and eat something, and don’t worry about it. I’ll get you Naboth’s vineyard!” 1 Kings 21:5-7

Jezebel isn’t about to take “no” for an answer. While Ahab is sulking in bed with his face to the wall, Jezebel comes in and reminds him who’s king. And as king, she believes, he should get whatever he wants. And so, she sets out to get it for him. Verse 8

So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and other leaders of the town where Naboth lived. 9 In her letters she commanded: “Call the citizens together for fasting and prayer, and give Naboth a place of honor. 10 And then seat two scoundrels across from him who will accuse him of cursing God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.” 1 Kings 21:8-10

Jezebel’s plan was simple: If Naboth wouldn’t sell his property, then she would have him killed. Of course, she didn’t want to appear to be the one responsible, so she decided to frame him. She ordered the leaders of Naboth’s town to have a big gathering (for prayer and fasting even – being very religious) – giving Naboth a place of honor. And then she would have two worthless scoundrels – who would say anything for money – to falsely accuse Naboth of cursing God and the king – which, of course, was a capital offense. Then they would drag Naboth out of town and stone him for his crime. And by the way, it wouldn’t have just been Naboth that they would have stoned. They would have stoned his entire family. Back then, the entire family paid for the crimes of the father. Which would work perfectly for Jezebel’s plan – If Naboth and his sons were all killed, there would be no one to inherit the vineyard.

And that’s exactly what happened.

So the elders and other town leaders followed the instructions Jezebel had written in the letters.12 They called for a fast and put Naboth at a prominent place before the people. 13 Then the two scoundrels came and sat down across from him. And they accused Naboth before all the people, saying, “He cursed God and the king.” So he was dragged outside the town and stoned to death.14 The town leaders then sent word to Jezebel, “Naboth has been stoned to death.”15 When Jezebel heard the news, she said to Ahab, “You know the vineyard Naboth wouldn’t sell you? Well, you can have it now! He’s dead!” 16 So Ahab immediately went down to the vineyard of Naboth to claim it.1 Kings 21:11-16

Jezebel’s plan had worked. Naboth was dead. His sons were dead. Ahab could rightfully claim the vineyard. And no one else was the wiser. Except of course, God.

All the sins that we think we hide so well, God knows. He sees it all. We can deceive all the people around us, but we can never deceive God.

We read in verse 17:

“But the Lord said to Elijah, 18 “Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He will be at Naboth’s vineyard in Jezreel, claiming it for himself. 19 Give him this message: ‘This is what the Lord says: Wasn’t it enough that you killed Naboth? Must you rob him, too? Because you have done this, dogs will lick your blood at the very place where they licked the blood of Naboth!’” 1 Kings 21:17-19

God knew all along. He knew exactly what Ahab & Jezebel had done. And he wasn’t going to let their sin go unnoticed or unpunished. So he sent the prophet Elijah to confront Ahab. And look what happens when Elijah appears on the scene… Verse 20.

“So, my enemy, you have found me!” Ahab exclaimed to Elijah. 1 Kings 21:20

Its apparent that Ahab had gotten messages from the Lord through Elijah before, and he wasn’t too fond of what Elijah had to say! But Elijah says it anyway.

“Yes,” Elijah answered, “I have come because you have sold yourself to what is evil in the Lord’s sight. 21 So now the Lord says, ‘I will bring disaster on you and consume you. I will destroy every one of your male descendants, slave and free alike, anywhere in Israel! 22 I am going to destroy your family as I did the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat and the family of Baasha son of Ahijah, for you have made me very angry and have led Israel into sin.’23 “And regarding Jezebel, the Lord says, ‘Dogs will eat Jezebel’s body at the plot of land in Jezreel.’24 “The members of Ahab’s family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field will be eaten by vultures.”1 Kings 21:20-24

As you can see, this is not a a very nice message. You can see why Ahab doesn’t like to get messages from Elijah. He tells him – “You have sold yourself to evil. God is going to destroy you. God is going to destroy your family. The members of your family will be eaten by dogs and vultures.” Not a very nice message at all. But, as the next couple verses remind us, God had good reason for such a condemning message.

(No one else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the Lord’s sight as Ahab did under the influence of his wife Jezebel. 26 His worst outrage was worshiping idols just as the Amorites had done—the people whom the Lord had driven out from the land ahead of the Israelites.) 1 Kings 21:25-26

You see it wasn’t just this incident that God was condemning him for. Perhaps this was kinda like the last straw, where God said “ENOUGH”. But it wasn’t just this incident. Ahab had completely sold himself to doing what was evil in the Lord’s sight – more than anyone else! That’s incredible. How sinful do you have to be for the Bible to describe you as the worst sinner?! He had lived his whole life in opposition to God. And as king, he led the entire country to do likewise.

And so God said “ENOUGH.” No more. God would completely destroy Ahab and his entire family.

But then, something incredible happened.

“But when Ahab heard this message, he tore his clothing, dressed in burlap, and fasted. He even slept in burlap and went about in deep mourning.”1 Kings 21:27

What’s going on here? Ahab was repentant. He was humbling himself before the Lord. Tearing one’s clothes was a sign of deep sorrow. The burlap that he worn instead of his kingly robes was a sign of humility and submission and mourning. It seems that this sinful king – the worst of the worst – was truly sorry for what He had done and who he had become.

To put this in a more modern context, imagine that this was Adolf Hitler, or Joseph Stalin, or Osama Bin Laden. How would you react if you had learned that they had repented of all their sins? What if, at the end of their lives, they truly had a change of heart and humbled themselves before God and asked Him for forgiveness… After all that they had done. Would God wipe away the record of their sins? Would they find mercy and forgiveness?

The Scriptures answer that quite clearly.

“If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13

It doesn’t matter how long their criminal record is. It doesn’t matter how many years they’ve fought against God. With genuine repentance comes genuine forgiveness.

And this is what we see when King Ahab humbles himself before the Lord. Verse 28.

Then another message from the Lord came to Elijah: 29 “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has done this, I will not do what I promised during his lifetime. It will happen to his sons; I will destroy his dynasty.” 1 Kings 21:28-29

Because Ahab humbled himself before the Lord – God put off his promised destruction of Ahab’s family. His sons, who would not humble themselves before God, would be destroyed after Ahab’s lifetime.

And in this story we find many lessons that are very applicable to us.

Perhaps you don’t consider yourself to be the worst of the worst. Perhaps your list of sins is not as long as Ahab’s or Bin Laden’s or even the person sitting beside you. But the truth is – it doesn’t really matter.

The Bible is very clear that…

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

And that…

“The wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23

Those are the wages for any and all sin. We all deserve the same destruction promised to Ahab and his family. None of us have earned any favor from God at all. The Bible even describes our “good deeds” as filthy rags in God’s sight.

But that’s exactly what makes grace so amazing! While we’ve certainly done nothing to earn God’s favor – God has lavishly poured out his favor and his grace on us.

He sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to pay our debt – he paid the penalty of death that we deserved, so that all we must do receive mercy and forgiveness, is simply to humble ourselves before God.

As we read earlier, when we humble ourselves before God and we pray and seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways, God will hear from heaven and will forgive our sins.

If God has grace for Ahab – then God has grace for you too.

If you have never accepted God’s gift of grace and forgiveness, if you’ve never humbled yourself before God and repented of your sin, if you’ve never experienced the joy of knowing that your list of sins has been wiped clean, then I encourage you – why not do that today? God’s grace is available for you. After all, God made you and He loves you like crazy and He wants to be with you. Why not accept his grace today?

 

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Table of contents for Lessons from the Kings

1. The True Condition of King Saul’s Heart 2. King Hezekiah Sets the Bar for Obedience 3. Hezekiah Part Two – Going to God 4. Asa – Stick With God 5. King Asa – No Longer Fully Committed 6. King Ahab – A Lesson in Grace7. King Amaziah vs King David – A Matter of Heart

Tags: Ahab, Elijah, forgiveness, grace, king, lesson, Naboth

Ahab, Naboth, Jezebel, and Elijah: What a Story…

May 12, 2008 — timiekley

There are some very strange stories in the Bible. The passage I have been reading lately is found in 1 Kings 21. This story has four main characters: (1) Naboth, (2) Ahab, (3) Jezebel, and (4) Elijah. At first glance, this seems like a ridiculous story, hardly worth mentioning in the Bible in the first place. What lies within it though are important keys to ministry. The story basically goes something like this:

King Ahab wants to take possession of a vegetable garden owned by a respectable Jewish man named Naboth. Ahab offers Naboth another vineyard for the garden or states that he will pay a great price for it. Naboth says, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” Naboth basically says, “I am not interested – thanks but no thanks.” King Ahab, being a “sore loser,” marches home, goes upstairs to his room, slams the door and pouts like a 2-year-old child. When his wife, Jezebel goes to see him, she opens the door and sees Ahab, the King of Jezreel crying. When she asks why he is acting this way, he tells her that Naboth wouldn’t give him his garden.

Jezebel, seeing that Ahab is in a vulnerable position, says that she will get the garden for the King. She then takes the King’s seal, writes several letters and states that Naboth should be stoned. When she receives a letter that Naboth has been stoned and is dead, she tells the King to go and get his land. With that, he goes and possesses the land that was owned by Naboth.

What is interesting to me is that Ahab was the King of Jezreel pouted like a baby when things did not go his way. He then allowed his wicked wife to take the reigns and ultimately kill a man who was only minding his own business in taking care of the land he was given to take care of. I wonder how many men allow their wives to take the reigns when it comes to situations like that. I am not in full-time ministry at this point of my life, but I am not surprised when I talk to some of my friends who are pastors, that there are men who allow their wives to dictate their thoughts when things are not going their way. They cannot take the role of leadership for themselves and speak boldly given any situation. I had a pastor friend tell me that there was a time when he was talking to some guy on the phone about a specific issue and he could actually hear the guy’s wife telling him what to say. My friend wanted so badly to tell the guy to put his wife on the phone since he was not able to stand up and speak bolding to him about whatever the issue was at the time. This is a big issue in our churches today. We have a lot of men who are afraid to speak. This definitely needs to change.

The other thought I have rests of the faith and obedience of Naboth. Naboth was only doing what was commanded of him in Leviticus to not sell his land to another tribe but to pass it on to his children as it was passed on to him. He worked hard to produce a great crop in that garden. As I sit and think about Naboth, Why did Naboth have to die? If he was being obedient to the Word of God, why did Naboth have to lose his life? Wasn’t God looking after Naboth? There are, in fact, many stories that seem to happen this way. As many may know, my friend Michael and his fiancée Trish was killed by a drunk driver almost seven years ago this upcoming July. Michael was a talented artist and a great friend. Trish was a young girl who had fallen in love with a

godly man. Their plans included marriage, children, and the nice how with the picket fence and a dog. It seemed as though life had dealt them a great hand to play. Unfortunately, after worshipping God on a Wednesday night, they got in their car, began to make a left turn to go home, and were struck by a guy who had just been released from jail the day before for drinking. As I sit and ponder those events, which still run through my mind, I can only shake my head and wonder why God would allow two amazing people to go so soon. You see, ministry is hard, and confusing, and awkward, and strange, and hurts sometimes. It is not all “fun in the sun – life is good” stuff. There are great pains in ministry, which we all need to work through sometimes. And, though I do not have the answers I am looking for still, I know that God is faithful, He loves, and He is just. And, if that is all I knew about God, in this circumstance, that would be enough to place my trust in His hands. His perfect love and grace exceeds our own. That never makes ministry easy though. Naboth was a mere man who tended a garden near the palace of a King and honored God. In the mist of this story, he is now dead and King Ahab has taken possession of the garden Naboth owned.

It is then that we find out that God speaks to Elijah and tell him to go and talk to Ahab about this event. You can almost hear Elijah’s response as he hears the words of God. You see Elijah had been a true friend to King Ahab. He has given firm advice, helped Ahab win a few battles, and has never lied to him. For a period of almost ten years, Elijah has pleaded with Ahab to check his motives and to turn to God. For ten years Elijah has poured his life into Ahab. So, when Ahab sees Elijah, you would think his response would be positive. You would think his response would be something like, “Hey there, old friend. What are you doing in the neighborhood? Would you be interested in some cookies?” Unfortunately, we are told that the response of Ahab was not what we would have expected. Instead of saying several kind words to Elijah, Ahab says, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” What in the world is this about? One of the things I have been continually told concerning the ministry is that there will be people who love you and there will be people who hate you. No matter how much you invest in someone, his or her response could be something like Ahab’s response to Elijah. No matter what response we receive, we must still pursue the command and obedience of God. Elijah gave the Word of the Lord to Ahab and the word Elijah gave – that Ahab and his wife Jezebel would die – happened.

There are definite parts of ministry that are joyful and memorable. There are also parts of ministry that are difficult, hard, confusing, and hurtful, and just plain agonizing. No matter what the circumstance though, we must always be ready to give the Word of God boldly and without delay. God’s goodness and glory shows up when we are obedient to His calling for us. When we place our trust in God to lead us in the calling that He has for each one of us, we can be assured that He is with us. And, despite the lows of ministry, there are also many highs that we can and will experience when we listen and obey Christ and His Word.

Naboth's Vineyard and Ahab's Covetousness

G. E. Merrill.

1 Kings 21:2-16And Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs,

because it is near to my house…

The visitor to Potsdam in Prussia, from the terrace of the palace of Sans-Souci sees near at hand a gigantic windmill, the most conspicuous object in the landscape. He wonders that the bold miller should have dared to build so near. But on inquiry he learns that the mill was there before the palace. In it several generations of the same family had ground their grist and gathered their wealth ere the attention of the Prussian kings was directed to the town as a place of residence. When palace after palace arose, and the king came to see, behold! here was this ugly windmill, beating the air almost on the very border of his splendid gardens. Then Frederic the Great did what Ahab did in this Bible story. He tried to buy the mill. And the miller answered almost exactly as Naboth answered. The king raised his offer again and again, and ended by getting angry. The miller met the royal threats by an appeal to the court judges in Berlin. The judges supported him against the king; the mill went on grinding its corn; and to this day its great fans are whirled by every passing breeze. The whole nation has come to regard the mill at Potsdam at a symbol of the peace and prosperity of the poor under Prussian institutions. It has recently come into the possession of the royal family, but only with the proud consent, at last, of the descendants of the original owners. The world has got ahead. So far as concerns men who bear public rule and are subjected to the judgment of society, Ahabs must now be sought in darkest Africa or in equally benighted regions. Would that the spirit of Ahab were equally remote from all of us in our private lives and characters! Many of us, perhaps all, are too covetous, grasping, childish, weak in yielding to sin, even as was Israel's king.

I. THE COURSE OF TEMPTATION. It may seem to the casual reader that there was nothing wrong in Ahab's desire, or in the way in which he sought to gain it. So far as its terms were concerned, he proposed a strictly honourable bargain. The offer was even generous. Naboth might choose a better vineyard, or have cash. No hardship was involved except in respect to Naboth's principles and sentiments. But it was just here that the bargain failed as it deserved to. That Naboth merely loved the place would have been enough. Objects of affection are often beyond price. He did not want either the money or a better vineyard. The reason for his declining the bargain was deeper. Such a sale was an offence against the religious and statute law of Israel. It was carefully prescribed that inherited land should remain in the tribe where it was first owned. On this account a daughter to whom an inheritance fell was forbidden to marry outside her tribe. The theory was that the land all belonged to God, and that Be had parcelled it out as He wished it to remain. Now the king must have known this law; it is a stretch of charity to suppose that he did not. His proposal, therefore, showed a thorough lack of principle, a wicked contempt for the Mosaic code. Jezebel was virtually ruler of the realm. She said, "Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel?... I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth." So Lady Macbeth drives her husband on to the murder of Duncan. She mocks his halting courage; she provides suggestion and plan; she does all except strike the murderous blow. She says to him at first —

"He that's coming

Must be provided for; and you shall put

This night's great business into my despatch."

"If we should fail," objects Macbeth.

"We fail!

But screw your courage to the sticking place,

And we'll not fail,"

she answers. And after it is done, and he refuses to return to put the evidence of guilt upon the sleeping and drugged servants, she exclaims —

"Infirm of purpose!

Give me the daggers."Ahab is weaker than Macbeth, though not so wicked; but Jezebel and Lady Macbeth are not far apart. When woman goes into crime, she often plunges to the extreme quicker than man. Jezebel said, "I will give thee Naboth's vineyard." There are few events in a man's life that stand alone. Every special sin has its long preparation. The avalanche in Switzerland rushes down at last; but what of the melting snows all through the spring and summer, until every waterdrop has done its work and washed away the last pebble that supported the hanging mass of earth and ice? The lightning-flash is sudden; but what of the hidden electric forces that have been gathering in the atmosphere all through the heated months, so that at last the bolt must leap from the cloud to meet the discharge from the earth? So morally. Ahab started wrong, as he knew. It was not a question of one sin, but of sin. He would have his Zidonian wife, though it meant Baal-worship. His good resolutions failed one by one. When at last he coveted the vineyard, his evil genius was at hand as ever, and he let her go on to the end of the transaction. Through years he had been laying the fatal train that was to shatter his kingdom and seal his doom. Who can tell just what moment of an evil course will bring the sinner to his abyss? After the first step every step is a peril. Even quiet consent, passive yielding, is fatal. The only safety is in prompt, manly, uncompromising conversion — turning away from sin for ever.

II. GOD'S PATIENCE. Ahab's rebellion had been long and obstinate: an alien marriage; adopted idolatry; persecutions for conscience' sake; open disobedience in war; and now covetousness, leading him to break the most sacred obligations, and add robbery and murder to the list of his crimes. He had had many warnings from God. This triple crime of impiety, robbery, and murder settled the matter. God's word comes to Elijah, and Elijah comes to Ahab. The time had come for Ahab to receive a harder lesson than ever before. The prophet spoke Jehovah's decree, as Ahab's own signet had given authority to kill Naboth. As Naboth had died, so should Ahab die. As Naboth's family had been cut off, so should Ahab's race disappear. The awful curse brought him to his senses and to his knees. He rent his clothes, put sackcloth upon his flesh, fasted, lay in sackcloth, and went softly. God is always patient. We sin; He pleads and waits. We go on grasping after what is not our own: let my will, not Thine, be done, is the

prayer offered by every deed. God warns, instructs, shows us in a thousand ways that His will is right, and that it is in the very nature of things our destruction if we oppose it. He tempts us with every promise, and shows us the fair destiny awaiting those who love truth and are obedient to Him. At last some evil comes to us from our wrongdoing, and we are unfeignedly sorry; but it is more the sorrow of a frightened than of a truly penitent soul. But the Divine heart is yet patient. The story of God's patience with Ahab is wonderful, but it is the story of His patience with most of us. We, too, are covetous to the last degree. My comfort, my pleasure, my wealth, my home, my loves, my will, — all these will I have, though at the expense of every other man's comfort, pleasure, wealth, home, loves, and will. And to this desperate covetousness of ours God matches His infinite self-sacrifice.

III. THE CURSE UPON AHAB FELL AT LAST. Sin must meet its doom. Brief and selfish repentance is not enough. If sin is not slain, it will slay. God's patience after all has its conditions. Years pass by, Ahab still living. At last he undertakes a war, and is slain in battle. Whether soon or late, the soul that sinneth it shall die. It stands written that though the heavens pass away, the word of the Lord shall not pass away. It is the final verdict: "He that seeketh his life shall lose it."

IV. WHAT OF NABOTH AND HIS SONS? They were good men, so far as we are told, yet they died miserably. They were victims of injustice and cruelty, their very piety hastening their end and making them martyrs. Are we to conclude from this that what we have said concerning the doom of sin is untrue? Shall we draw the inference that the good and the bad are treated alike, so that there is no profit in godliness? It would be unfortunate to turn away from our lesson with this question unanswered.

(G. E. Merrill.)

The Most Wicked of all Israel’s Kings

Introduction

In light of the lessons so far we have been observing the leadership styles of the kings of Israel and Judah. The criteria for assessing the actions of each of the kings are based upon the book of Deut. Where God made it clear to Moses what type of king His people should follow. When the people asked Samuel for a king, it is significant that they asked for a king so that they could be like other nations and that the king fight their battles for them.

The effects of the people’s choice of a king were to haunt them in a successive downward spiral of politics and apostasy as told in the book of Kings. It is most interesting to note that scholars believe that Jeremiah was the one that compiled the material for the book of Kings. Given his mission to call the people to real repentance before the Babylonians come and destroy Jerusalem and take the nation captive, it is intriguing that such a history would be written to expose the depths of the nation’s rejection of God’s ways. The progressive nature of the rejection beginning with Solomon affords the reader the opportunity to see the real nature of how improper leadership can destroy a nation due to spiritual bankruptcy.

Personally, I am fascinated with the ways in which the kings are characterized in the book of Kings. The ways the kings are described as being wicked or righteous are exposed in more subtle manners than one might expect. Instead of portraying the moral character of each king in simple black and white terms, the reader is presented with events that reveal the underlying character weaknesses that led otherwise strong military leaders and seemingly competent political strategists, to destroy the effectiveness of God’s people as the spiritual salt of the earth.

Ahab: The Extreme Example of a Wicked King

The story of King Ahab has always been one that has been associated with wickedness and apostasy. With his marriage to Jezebel and his interaction with Elijah clearly he stands as a leader that exhibits traits that are opposed to God’s directives. Yet if the reader looks carefully at the Bible’s characterization of this king, he will find that Ahab is described as obeying the words of the prophet, of complying with God’s requests at times, much more than other kings before him who are considered less wicked than he. Why is this so?

History shows that Ahab was quite a military leader and politician. He strengthened positions in his kingdom and doubled urban centers. His attention to the army gave him distinction among his peers. But this is not what God wished Israel to be known for. Notice the way in which Ahab’s weakness of character is exposed.

Ahab’s Character Weakness

The "good"

Ahab was hostile to Elijah’s words but obeyed them Gathering together the people 1 Kings 18:19 Eating and drinking 1 Kings 18:41 Preparing his chariot 1 Kings 18:44 He complies with an unnamed prophet 1 Kings 20:13, 28 He rends his garment in a display of repentance. This is underscored by the Elijah’s comments of

God’s approval of Ahab’s sincerity by stating a stay of execution till the next generation. 1 Kings 21:20-29

The "bad"

Ahab is submissive to God and prophet but he is also submission to whoever confronts him regardless of politics or moral standards.

Jezebel’s persecution of God’s prophets; Ahab is silent 1 Kings 18:4 He fails to speak up at Jezebel’s threat on Elijah’s life 1 Kings 19:2 He accedes to an enemy for mercy against warning of a prophet. 1 Kings 20:35-43 The incident with Naboth is prime evidence of Ahab’s inconsistency Ahab wants Naboth’s land which is the latter’s inheritance Sale of which is forbidden outside of the family

Ahab shows his usual submissiveness but begins to reveal more

He represents Naboth’s rejection as a personal one and not based upon principle He substitutes "vineyard" (mere property) for the inheritance

He replaces Naboth’s "The Lord forbid it me" for "I will not give thee my vineyard" Thus Ahab conveys that he has been insulted. He portrays Naboth as saying, "Perhaps I would sell to someone else, but not to you."

Ahab is not concerned about how Jezebel will give him the vineyard. He is not interested in how Naboth dies (Jezebel doesn’t tell him Naboth was stoned) His repentance does not rehabilitate him. 1 Kings 21:27

Ahab’s Weakness and greatest sin

He is an opportunist who will follow whoever leads him, whether good or bad. He finally is confronted with a clear decisive choice in the battle, to follow God or inclination. He

chooses badly and dies for it.

Conclusion

The characterization of King Ahab reveals his lack of commitment to God and the truth given him. Too often we look at the actions of a person to determine a person’s character. We tend to list the good and the bad in two columns and see which list is longer. But this manner of characterization in the Bible reveals a much deeper criteria. Just as God told Samuel when he was sent to anoint David to not look on the outward appearance only but also upon the heart, so we are to assess the character. What is so displeasing to God is not just sins as we describe them. David committed some horrific acts as king, still God was said he was a man after His Own heart. This was not just a cover up on God’s part. He could say that because David had allowed God to cleanse his life. (See Ps 119:9-) David believed in salvation from sin not in sin. Ahab was completely at the opposite end of the spectrum

GoBible » Bible Studies » For Better or For Worse

Lesson 11

Ahab and Jezebel: Abuse of Authority

(1 Kings 16, 21 & 2 Kings 9)

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Introduction: Some things are hard to gauge. When I was dating I wanted to marry a girl who had religious beliefs and a religious zeal that was like mine. I remember one young lady I dated who was "on fire" for God. Her Sabbaths were a whirl of religious activities, from attending church, to attending other meetings to visiting nursing homes in the afternoon. I seemed to be her only "secular" activity! The level of fire in my religious life was not set that high - and that

worried me. This week we study a couple who have the opposite temperature problem. He is cold when it comes to a relationship with God and she is ice. Let's dive in and find out more about who not to marry!

1. Ahab

1. Read 1 Kings 16:28-30. What kind of guy was King Ahab?

2. Read 1 Kings 16:25-26. Omri was the father of Ahab. Are you seeing a pattern here? (Each generation gets worse!)

3. Read 1 Kings 16:31-32. Our lessons this quarter are about marriage. What does the Bible suggest about King Ahab's marriage to Jezebel? (This marriage is listed among his most memorable sins!)

1. I always thought that you had good marriage choices and bad marriage choices. Wise and foolish marriage decisions. Is it possible that a marriage decision could also be a sinful choice?

1. If so, how would you know in advance? What does our text suggest is the sin problem with this marriage? (With Jezebel came the practice of the worship of Baal.)

2. Read 2 Corinthians 6:14-16. Is it sin to ignore this Biblical advice? (At a minimum, this is advice to keep us from sin. The marriage of King Ahab to Jezebel led to the worship of Baal - which clearly was sin. Marrying an

unbeliever is going to take your affections from God and redirect them in another path.)

2. Why do Christians marry unbelievers? (In Ahab's situation, I doubt it was love - although it might have been physical attraction in part. The Bible Knowledge commentary informs us that one of the great "accomplishments" of King Omri's life was his military alliance with the Phoenicians (Sidonians) which was sealed by the marriage of Ahab to Jezebel (daughter of the Sidonian King). This marriage brought with it increased earthly power and authority.)

4. Read 1 Kings 18:4 & 1 Kings 21:25. Was Jezebel simply someone who did not believe in the true God? (No. She was an activist against God!)

2. Naboth's Vineyard

1. Read 1 Kings 21:1-3. Is the King making a reasonable offer? (Absolutely. A king might be tempted to take it from you - especially this king.)

1. Why does Naboth turn it down? (This land has been in the family for a long time.)

1. Is Naboth crazy? Why turn down the deal for sentimental reasons? (His reasons are not sentimental. According to Numbers 36:7, God required them to keep the land they inherited. Thus, Naboth most likely considered it a religious obligation that he refuse the king's offer.)

2. Was Ahab a gardener? Why would he care about how close his vegetable garden was unless he was tending it? (Apparently, this was King Ahab's summer house. Perhaps he enjoyed gardening. Perhaps he just wanted to easily supervise the workers.)

2. Read 1 Kings 21:4. What is the level of Ahab's emotional maturity?

1. How does this kind of maturity affect a marriage?

3. Read 1 Kings 21:5-7. Does Ahab tell his wife the truth? (Not the whole truth. He omits the reason why Naboth's refusal is reasonable. Otherwise, the refusal seems totally unreasonable.)

1. Leave the rest of what you know about Jezebel out of your mind. How is she acting as a wife now? (She is doing exactly what every spouse should do. First, she is not yelling at Ahab for acting like a little boy. Instead, she is sympathetic, but at the same time reminding him of his position of authority. It seems to be a gentle rebuke (although some experts in Hebrew might disagree). Second, she says "I'll take care of your problem." Wouldn't it be nice if our spouses always resolved those problems we cannot solve?)

4. Read 1 Kings 21:8-10. What does this reveal to us about Jezebel - other than she has a clear plan of action for cheering up her spouse?

1. Consider that she is a worshiper of Baal. How much does she know about Ahab's religion? (She knows the law requires at least two witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15)to establish a fact, she knew you could not blaspheme God or curse the ruler ( Exodus 22:28) and she knew that worshiping false gods was punishable by stoning. ( Deuteronomy 13:6-10))

2. Would she likely also know that it was improper for Naboth to sell his land to Ahab? (Yes.)

5. Read 1 Kings 21:11-14. In this context, consider again Naboth's refusal to sell Ahab his land for religious reasons. What kind of man was Naboth? What kind of people ruled his town? (The rulers were either very corrupt and evil, or they were frightened of Queen Jezebel. Naboth was a remarkable man of principle.)

1. Read 2 Kings 9:26. What evil element is left out of our story in 1 Kings 21? (That this evil plot required the death of Naboth's sons as well.)

6. Read 1 Kings 21:15-16. What does this story tell us about the marriage of Ahab and Jezebel and their relationship? (It tells us that Jezebel was strong-willed and evil. However, she did act to please her husband (or at least to preserve his authority as king over his subjects). It also tells us that Ahab was immature, weak-willed, and manipulated by his wife.)

7. Knowing what you do, should Naboth have traded or sold his land to King Ahab? (I would vote, "yes." The regulations on land were not a moral issue. They were practical rules to allow a family to support itself by the land through succeeding generations. Here, the practical goal of God's regulation is thwarted by the death of Naboth and his sons.)

1. Does God always intervene to protect the righteous from the evil here on earth?

8. Read 1 Kings 21:17-19. What level of guilt does Ahab have for the actions of his wife? (This shows that Ahab knew what she was doing.)

1. To what degree are we responsible for the sins of our spouse?

1. Does your answer turn on the level of authority you have over your spouse?

9. Read 1 Kings 21:20-24. If you do evil, will God find and punish you? (There is a false teaching that God never acts like a judge to execute judgment. This teaching says that because God is love He cannot execute judgment. That teaching has a very difficult time surviving a story like this. Notice the parallel between the crime and the punishment. God promises to cut off Ahab and his descendants just as Jezebel has cut off Naboth and his descendants.)

1. Given what Ahab and Jezebel did, do you want your God to execute judgment on them?

10. Read 1 Kings 21:27-29. What picture does this paint of our God? (He is a judge, but what He wants is for us to repent! His desire is to save even the most wicked, not to destroy them.)

3. Judgment

1. Read 2 Kings 9:6-10. Jehu was a commander of the army who had now been anointed the new King of Israel! What do you think about the prophet? (For background read 2 Kings 9:1-3.)

2. Jehu starts on his task by heading towards the palace of Ahab's son, Joram. Read 2 Kings 9:20. Is there a connection between the way you drive and your success in life?

3. Joram comes out to meet Jehu and Jehu kills him. Jehu had heard the prophecy spoken to Ahab, so he orders that Joram be tossed on Naboth's land. Jehu then continues on to the palace. Read 2 Kings 9:30-31. Why did Jezebel "paint her eyes?"

1. Would Jehu be enticed? Was this foolish vanity of an older woman? (Read 2 Kings 9:32-33. Jehu is not enticed. Notice they loyalty of Jezebel's household! They waste no time throwing her out the window.)

4. Read 2 Kings 9:34-37. Has justice been done?

5. Friend, make the right choices when it comes to God and your spouse. These choices will have consequences here and they certainly will have consequences eternally.

4. Next week: Hosea and Gomer: Forgiving the Unfaithful.