1 Kings - Lesson 21

• Last week we witnessed the power of the Lord mightily at work through the defeat of Ben-Hadad’s army, not once but twice.

  • God, on two occasions, provides Ahab with victory over a mighty army.

    • One would suspect the Lord’s mercy and demonstration of His love would have gained Ahab’s heart’s attention.

    • Yet, it did not, as Ahab simply sought the protection of Ben-Hadad rather than relying upon the protection of the Lord.

  • Ahab continued to ignore the words of the Lord through the prophet of the Lord which ultimately led to a judgement against Ahab.

    • This constant back and forth between the word of the Lord and Ahab could only last for so long, however.

    • Because there would have to come a time in which Ahab would have to “face the music”.

    • It’s in tonight’s chapter, Chapter 21, that we find this decision of Ahab’s adherence to the Lord take place.

  • If I were to outline our time in the text tonight, it would be the following:

    • 1. Naboth’s Refusal (vv.1-7)

    • 2. Jezebel’s Influence (vv.8-16)

    • 3. Ahab’s Rebuke (vv.17-24)

    • 4. Ahab’s Repentance (vv.25-29)

  • If I were to put a tag on our text tonight, it would simply be: You Always Have A Choice.

    • With that being said, I invite you to meet me in 1 Kings 21 beginning in verses 1-7 for the reading of the word of the Lord.

1 Kings 21:1 Now it came about after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
1 Kings 21:2 Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden because it is close beside my house, and I will give you a better vineyard than it in its place; if you like, I will give you the price of it in money.”
1 Kings 21:3 But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid me that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”
1 Kings 21:4 So Ahab came into his house sullen and vexed because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and ate no food.
1 Kings 21:5 But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “How is it that your spirit is so sullen that you are not eating food?”
1 Kings 21:6 So he said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it pleases you, I will give you a vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’ ”
1 Kings 21:7 Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now reign over Israel? Arise, eat bread, and let your heart be joyful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

• The writer now documents a sudden change of scene and setting at the start of Chapter 21.

  • And what we know from the writer of Kings is that, when he abruptly shifts the narrative, there are character threads or themes that intertwine throughout.

    • In other words, the writer is wanting the reader to pick up on common themes, flaws, or points that speak to certain implications.

  • In this case, we find that after some time has passed with the war between Ben-Hadad and Ahab, that war has ceased and a “new issue” arises.

    • This issue deals with Ahab’s close neighbor who possesses something that he desires.

    • Jezreel was a valley south of Galilee but north of the hill country of Ephraim.

  • The neighbor’s name is Naboth, a Jezreelite from Jezreel who owns a vineyard which Ahab desires to turn into a vegetable garden.

    • So Ahab offers to purchase this piece of property one or two ways:

    • 1) He would, in exchange for the vineyard provide a better property for Naboth or –

    • 2) He would compensate him monetarily for the value of the land.

    • So far, this seems like a good deal and is amicable for both parties, however, Naboth’s response takes Ahab for a loop.

  • Naboth responds by saying, “The Lord forbid me that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”

    • Notice, the word Lord is capitalized meaning that Naboth was a God-fearing Israelite, unlike what he was surrounded by.

    • That where some may have acquiesced to the request of an unruly and unbridled king, Naboth stands his ground and doesn’t relent.

  • Now, you might be asking, “What exactly is Naboth “standing on” ethically or morally so that he does not compromise what has been given him?”

    • Well, being that Naboth knows Yahweh as His God, means that Naboth is obedient to Torah, which means he knows the Law.

    • And according to the Law in Numbers 36:7, we find what Moses documents under the leading of the Spirit of God. Check out the text.

Numbers 36:7 “Thus no inheritance of the sons of Israel shall be transferred from tribe to tribe, for the sons of Israel shall each hold to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.

• Naboth understood that what was given to him by his fathers was an inheritance of stewardship not transaction.

  • In other words, “I cannot give away what doesn’t belong outright to me.” This land is the Lords!

  • Secondly, because Naboth honored the Lord and His word, he outright refuses the king’s offer with a definite “No!”

  • So with Ahab having been told no by the land owner, Ahab, in few short words throws a pity party with himself.

    • And like any child that doesn’t get their way, he threw himself on the bed “sullen and vexed”.

  • Here we should pick up what the writer is trying to do here because we saw this very phrase “sullen and vexed” in Chapter 20 verse 43.

    • That when the Lord spoke to Ahab through the prophet the judgement that was coming his way, Ahab responded in a “sullen and vexed manner”.

    • It becomes clear that Ahab is really struggling with what the Lord commands and desires versus what Ahab himself wants and desires.

    • And every time Ahab is confronted with God’s truth, he retaliates in a manner of a child – unbecoming and selfishly instead of submitting.

  • And isn’t that how we can be sometimes with the Lord?

    • That because he didn’t show up the way we wanted or responded to our prayer the way we would have liked, we throw the melodramatic act.

    • Perhaps the Lord’s lack of response to our requests is not that He doesn’t care but that He wants us to see things the way He needs us to see them.

    • Sometimes our wants and desires can cloud our need to hear the Lord for what He desires to reveal for our good.

  • This would have been the perfect opportunity for Ahab to be introspective and seek the Lord, not just because he didn’t get the Land, but because his feelings of being sullen and vexed have appeared again.

    • Herein lies the dangers of feelings becoming the drivers in our lives.

    • Our feelings are simply indicators that something is off and that realignment in some way needs to be addressed.

    • And in both instances, Chapter 20 and now 21, Ahab doesn’t want to see things from God’s view, rather he sees what he was refused.

    • And it’s that reality that moves him to sulking in his feelings to the point that he doesn’t eat.

  • Well, it’s at this sight in which Jezebel notices Ahab’s demeanor and asks him, “What’s the matter?”

    • To which he replies, in few short words, “I didn’t get my way and I’m sad about it!”

    • You can almost hear this conversation played out in real time – her sitting on the bed rubbing his shoulders trying to confide in him.

  • After hearing his saddened news, it almost seems as if Jezebel is a bit perplexed at his demeanor versus his position as king.

    • To which she asks the question out loud, “Do you now reign over Israel?”

    • In other words, your position as King should trump a refusal of those underneath you.

  • This sort of response spoke to the reality that Jezebel’s understanding of rule and leadership was contrary to what leadership looked like in the Kingdom.

    • That leadership as a King of Israel was not a matter of servitude and slavery, but rather service to those under your care.

    • The King served as a steward and representative of the Lord God and there were rules established in which the King was to abide by.

    • This both provided a sense of humility for the king to know that He was simply a steward over what God had given him, not the other way around.

  • So where Ahab was to refrain from “lording” his role and rule over the people, he was to remain humble and observant of the Law of God.

    • However, because Jezebel was not an Israelite and an idolatrous worshipper, she had no loyalty to the ways of Israel or to Torah.

    • Therefore, as we will find in verses 8-16, she will take matters into her own hands to make Ahab’s desire come through.

    • And she will do so by falsely forging documentation and weaponizing the law of the land (Torah) to get her way. Check out verses 8-16.

1 Kings 21:8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and sent letters to the elders and to the nobles who were living with Naboth in his city.
1 Kings 21:9 Now she wrote in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast and seat Naboth at the head of the people;
1 Kings 21:10 and seat two worthless men before him, and let them testify against him, saying, ‘You cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”
1 Kings 21:11 So the men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them, just as it was written in the letters which she had sent them.
1 Kings 21:12 They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the people.
1 Kings 21:13 Then the two worthless men came in and sat before him; and the worthless men testified against him, even against Naboth, before the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones.
1 Kings 21:14 Then they sent word to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned and is dead.”
1 Kings 21:15 When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.”
1 Kings 21:16 When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

• Jezebel orchestrates a scandalous ploy to wrongly accuse Naboth of a crime in which he did not commit.

  • She takes Naboth’s words and twists them in a way to comply with her narrative.

    • She writes a letter, as if from the hand of the king, to the elders and nobles of the city to proclaim a fast and to seat Naboth at the head of the table.

    • And in doing, seat two worthless men before Naboth to testify that he “cursed God and the king”.

  • Jezebel does several things here that are to be noted:

    • 1. She covertly uses the king’s seal and authority to write a letter on his behalf that was not of his own volition.

    • 2. She has men falsely testify about an innocent man who stood firmly on the Mosaic Law and did not compromise.

    • 3. And the fact that she speaks about Yahweh in a general sense rather than a specific sense and equates the king’s position with Yahweh’s preeminence shows blatant disregard for Yahweh altogether.

  • And the unfortunate consequence from this situation is that an innocent, God-fearing man becomes the casualty of the adversary.

    • Jezebel shows to be quite manipulative and conniving, especially with how she uses Torah to her advantage.

  • Notice how many men she uses as a witness to testify falsely against Naboth – 2 witnesses.

    • Scripture tells us in Deuteronomy 17:6-7 the following regarding putting someone to death and the process by which this is done.

    • Check out the text.

Deuteronomy 17:6 “On the evidence of two witnesses or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness.
Deuteronomy 17:7 “The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.

• • Moreover, cursing God was deemed a crime which was punishable by death. Check out Leviticus 24:16.

Leviticus 24:16 ‘Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The alien as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.

• What becomes an interesting point of the text is how Jezebel seeks to use the Law to her advantage yet does not apply the Law to herself!

  • This becomes a spotlight for all of us to be shined upon and that is the tendency to not put the weight of the word of God upon ourselves as we should.

  • Yet at the same time hold someone else accountable to the same standard!

  • The reality is, if it were not for the grace of God, we all would be damned for eternal darkness and separated from the love of God.

    • Yet, in His kindness and grace, the Lord took upon Himself our hypocrisy, or foolishness, our faults and failures, and died for us!

    • And when we look upon the reality of the cross, we can’t help but to be sobered by the saving reality of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection!

  • So, Jezebel sends this letter out to the men of the city, the elders, and the nobles as if King Ahab had sent it by his hand.

    • And being that it carried his seal, meant that it carried his authority and weight to execute the task at hand.

    • And of course, as we see, the people who had received this notice complied with the action.

  • Might this be a peek into how far gone the Northern Kingdom had fallen away from Torah.

    • Where were the individuals who, after reading it, would say, “We can’t put an innocent man to death nor conspire against him in this way.”

    • The fact that it came from the king meant that there was royal authority behind it. And as says the king, so the people do.

  • Word eventually gets back to Jezebel that the deed was done to which she relays the message to the king telling him the deed is done, “go and take possession of your land.”

    • Some might stop here and say, “There goes evil again, winning over those who have been done wrong. Where is the Justice?”

    • And to that response I say this: “Vengeance is the Lord’s!”

  • We never have to worry ourselves about how the Lord will eliminate evil, once and for all, and vindicate those who have trust in Him.

    • Check out how the Lord will resolve this matter regrading an innocent man being treated unjustly. Look at verses 17-26.

1 Kings 21:17 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
1 Kings 21:18 “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth where he has gone down to take possession of it.
1 Kings 21:19 “You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Have you murdered and also taken possession?” ’ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth the dogs will lick up your blood, even yours.” ’ ”
1 Kings 21:20 Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” And he answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord.
1 Kings 21:21 “Behold, I will bring evil upon you, and will utterly sweep you away, and will cut off from Ahab every male, both bond and free in Israel;
1 Kings 21:22 and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and because you have made Israel sin.
1 Kings 21:23 “Of Jezebel also has the Lord spoken, saying, ‘The dogs will eat Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.’
1 Kings 21:24 “The one belonging to Ahab, who dies in the city, the dogs will eat, and the one who dies in the field the birds of heaven will eat.”
1 Kings 21:25 Surely there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife incited him.
1 Kings 21:26 He acted very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the sons of Israel.

• Elijah now comes back into the picture as he will be the instrument of choice used to communicate condemnation towards Ahab.

  • Remember, just two chapters before, Elijah fled to the wilderness seeking to escape the clutches of Jezebel’s hands.

    • Yet now he finds himself going, in the strength of the Lord, to confront Ahab, and Jezebel by default, once again.

    • So he is to go to Samaria and meet Ahab at the land that was unjustly taken from Naboth and the Lord gives him the words to speak.

  • Notice how the Lord will approach Ahab – he will approach Ahab in a direct way.

    • The Lord tells Elijah to tell Ahab, “Have you murdered and also taken possession?”

    • This statement is powerful because the reader is probably thinking, “Wait…Jezebel killed Naboth, not Ahab.”

    • However, the Lord brings accusation against Ahab.

    • The question becomes why? This should begin to sound similar to the “tale as old as time”.

• As I mentioned last week, when we read Genesis 3, we see that although Eve ate the fruit first, it was Adam who was held responsible.

  • In the same manner, although Jezebel committed the murder and did the “evil deed”, the Lord holds King Ahab responsible for its outworking results.

    • Why? Because Ahab is complicit in the act and does not rebuke his wife for her misdeeds, but rather conforms to it as we saw in verse 16.

    • Therefore, Ahab has both murdered Naboth as well as having taken custody of land that was never his to begin with.

  • There is an applicational point to be made here which is: All manners of sin, if not dealt with at the root, give way to growth.

    • The issues of the human condition both begin and end in the heart.

    • Ahab had an opportunity to respond appropriately to this task but he doesn’t, plays victim, and wipes his tears as he claims his prize.

  • So, in the same manner that this action was committed against Naboth, so does the judgment of the Lord come swiftly.

    • The Lord tells Elijah that the same place in which the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth would be the same place in which his blood would be licked.

    • In other words, the same measure of cruelty given to Naboth was the same measure which would be returned to him.

    • It’s the very principle that Paul mentions in Galatians 6:7-8, where he says:

Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
Galatians 6:8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

• In other words, the investments of the flesh or the Spirit, which are consistently made by one’s volition will become the result of one’s life.

  • Plainly put, our choices matter! And Ahab had plenty of opportunity to turn to the Lord in humility, yet he continued in his ways.

  • We always have a choice as to where we will invest our efforts spiritually – Will it be the things of the flesh or things of the Spirit?!

  • This is ultimately determined by what worldview you are operating in: If in a secular worldview, all you can see is the tangible temporal things.

    • This leads to a self-gratifying, me-centered, self-glorifying life absent of truth.

  • On the other end is the biblical worldview. This view centers around what is deemed absolute truth – the Word of God.

    • One asks the question: What does the word say versus what I want.

    • The Spirit of God is our guide and teacher, illuminator and corrector, therefore we seek what does “Thus saith the Lord”.

    • Ou motivations and affections are not moved by the times, but our eyes are set on eternity!

  • And it’s in verses 20-22 that the Lord reveals that the ways of Ahab were consistently set on the ways of the flesh.

    • Ahab address Elijah in verse 20 as, “an enemy”. This means that Ahab was hostile against the very things of God.

    • And the reality, at one point, we were all alienated from God and enemies of God.

  • The Lord mentions through Elijah that Ahab had “sold himself” to do evil in the sight of the Lord!

    • The phrase “sold yourself” in Hebrew means to “give oneself up” meaning that Ahab gave in to the ways of his flesh.

    • This was something that gradually worsened over time. This is why I say that sin doesn’t just affect you and then it’s over – No!

    • Sin is constantly creeping and lurking at every moment given to our weaknesses.

    • However, the question is are you going to give into it or will you seek to depend upon inner power of the Holy Spirit to overcome.

  • We have been given the Holy Spirit who aids us in overcoming the power of sin over our lives in the second tense of our Salvation (Sanctification).

    • And this relationship, in the second tense, requires our engagement and submission to the Lord in partnership with His Spirit.

    • Ahab was simply required to trust the Lord’s word, even after seeing Him make ways out of no ways!

  • So because of Ahab’s constant choices, the Lord would now deal accordingly.

    • It’s in verses 21-22 that the Lord says he will now “cut-off” every male of Ahab, both bond and free.

    • And if that weren’t enough, the Lord says he will make Ahab’s house like Jeroboam and Baasha – both individuals whose lines were wiped out!

    • All of this would be done because of Ahab’s refusal to submit to the Lord and steward well the people of Israel.

  • I’m sure this next part did Elijah well because the Lord would include Jezebel in this proclamation of condemnation.

    • The Lord says that Jezebel would be eaten by the dogs in the district of Jezreel.

  • These coming deaths would bring dishonor to Ahab and his reign and would cease his lineage.

    • We see that, in verse 26, the ways of Ahab were so evil that the Lord says there was none like Ahab who had given themselves over.

    • He was one in a million in this sense – and not in a good way.

  • We are then told the instigator behind the speedy decline of Ahab’s evil ways – it was through the encouragement of his wife.

    • There becomes a point of application which is the influence of marriage for the life of a believer.

    • That to have someone who you are equally yoked with and aids you in your walk with the Lord is vitally important.

    • His or hers looks and vocation aren’t enough: What does their spiritual life look like? Do they spend time with the Lord?

  • Ahab was more moved by the appeal of Jezebel that he overlooked her ways but most importantly ignored the instructions of the Lord according to Deuteronomy.

    • That rather than following Yahweh and submitting to the Word of God, Ahab gave himself over to idolatrous Amorite gods.

  • It was after hearing these words from the Lord a final time that the text provides us with a turn of events. Check out verses 27-29.

1 Kings 21:27 It came about when Ahab heard these words, that he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about despondently.
1 Kings 21:28 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
1 Kings 21:29 “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days, but I will bring the evil upon his house in his son’s days.”

• Hearing these words from the prophet Elijah almost immediately move Ahab’s position of arrogance to humility.

  • The writer mentions that Ahab tore his clothes and put on sackcloth which is a sign of humility and mourning that deals with repentance.

    • And from the repentant heart of Ahab came the relenting mercy of the Lord’s judgement upon Ahab and his family.

    • And this is noted by the writer because the Lord speaks to Elijah saying, “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before me?”

• This reminds me of how our parents would teach us about the dangers of the stove.

  • They would put the stove plate on high heat and have you wave your hand 2 feet over the stove plate to the point that you can “feel the heat”.

    • Ahab was able to feel the heat of the judgement that was coming his way if he continued in his ways.

    • And this reality moved Ahab from the ways in which he was walking to the sobering reality of what was before him.

  • And what an amazing biblical principle of the power of repentance based upon a “change of mind”.

    • That when one is faced with the reality of the judgement of God based upon the justice of God, it will either get us in the right frame of mind or not.

    • You see, we all have choices, and what you choose based upon what you know matters.

  • The Lord notes to Elijah the humility that Ahab demonstrates to which the Lord relents from His judgement on Ahab, yet Ahab must still face his consequence.

    • Notice verse 29b. The Lord says, “I will not bring the evil in his days, but I will bring the evil upon his house in his son’s days.”

  • How merciful that the Lord would extend Ahab’s lineage some years where his son, Jehoram would face this charge.

    • Now the question you might be asking is, why Jehoram? He did nothing wrong at this point.

    • Here is yet another way in which the mystery of God’s Sovereignty shows itself.

  • How can the sins of the father impact the sins of the son?

    • As we have discovered before we are all given a choice (opportunity) as to how one responds to the word of God.

    • The unfortunate reality is that the Lord knew down the line that Ahab’s son, Jehoram, would not continue in the ways of the Lord.

    • Perhaps we can take understanding to how the Lord prevented Jeroboam’s unborn son from entering into the world as in 1 Kings 14.

  • Because it’s in 2 Kings 9:24-26 that we see the Lord’s word played out regarding Ahab’s son’s death on Naboth’s property. Check out the text:

2 Kings 9:24 And Jehu drew his bow with his full strength and shot Joram between his arms; and the arrow went through his heart and he sank in his chariot.
2 Kings 9:25 Then Jehu said to Bidkar his officer, “Take him up and cast him into the property of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite, for I remember when you and I were riding together after Ahab his father, that the Lord laid this oracle against him:
2 Kings 9:26 ‘Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons,’ says the Lord, ‘and I will repay you in this property,’ says the Lord. Now then, take and cast him into the property, according to the word of the Lord.”

• The reality is we may not ever know the results of why the Lord settled things in this manner and why Ahab’s son had to be impacted.

  • I could say, according to 2 Kings 8:18 that Jehoram, continued in the former ways of his father, doing evil in the sight of the Lord and never repented. That could most definitely be a possibility!

  • But we can know for certain that God knows and is Sovereign over all things, and we are to trust in that!

  • The writer has us see that what Ahab rightfully deserved and what judgement would befall his dynasty was relented against.

    • And that is in fact the mercy of God in the story of our salvation.

  • That God, who at one point was at enmity with us and we with Him, sent His Son, Jesus Christ to be our sin-bearer.

    • And at the right time, made Himself known to us that through Christ we would find freedom from the bondage of sin, power of sin, and ultimately removed from the presence of sin.

  • But the means this freedom first began with the reality of a “change of mind” – Repentance.

    • We would have to come to the realization, through the illuminating power of the Holy Spirit, that Christ was the only means of provision from death to life!

    • And upon belief in the provision in which the Lord has provided according to His Word, we would be saved.

  • That the security of our salvation is not found in the meritorious work of ourselves or even keeping the Law.

    • Rather, our salvation is upheld, eternally, through the finished work of Jesus Christ.

    • Ahab understood, although not perfect as no one is, that the judgement of God and His wrath was indeed real and that change needed to commence.

  • My prayer for those who do not know Jesus is that their eyes will be open to see that there is no other means by which men can stand stand righteous before a Holy God.

    • Let’s Pray.