Ahab And Jezebel
The Demonic Duo
1Kings 21
Last week our lesson was about the courage of the man of God named Elijah.
The name Elijah has this meaning "whose God is Jehovah"!
At the end of last weeks lesson we know that Elijah had fled from the wrath of Jezebel and during that time God had one simple question for Elijah.
1Ki 19:9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
In other words what are you doing here Elijah?
After such a great victory on Mount Carmel, Elijah could only think of a great revival in Israel and the possibility again of the united kingdom but he soon realized the government of Ahab and Jezebel was not going to allow that to happen.
***So, Elijah could only see his life's work for the Lord as a failure.
The proof that this was not true is the fact that the work of this great prophet of God has been preserved for all the world to read about and also the promise of his return.
Jesus said:
Mat 17:11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
When Elijah returns he will be even more dynamic in his work for the Lord.
***Next Elijah got the feeling that he was the only believer left in all of Israel.
1Ki 19:14 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
What was God response?
1Ki 19:18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.
Sometimes standing up for the Word of God places us in a lonely position but in reality that is never the case!
God said to Israel:
1Sa 12:22 For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.
God says to the Church:
Heb 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Heb 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
What is God's promise to every believer?
Php 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Once we have been accepted into the family of God, God will use us until the day we meet Jesus!
We will see that Elijah has gotten over his self pity and returned to the work of God before this lesson is over.
**Ahab was the son of another evil king named Omri.
Because of his idolatry, his lust, and his covetousness, Ahab is presented as a type of all wicked kings and rulers.
Mic 6:16 For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people.
1Ki 21:25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.
1Ki 21:26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
It is Ahab who is a "type" of all those who have made a bargain with the devil and made themselves slaves of Satan!
**Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal the king of the Zidonians.
Ezekiel tells us the end result of such people:
Eze 32:30 There be the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Zidonians, which are gone down with the slain; with their terror they are ashamed of their might; and they lie uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword, and bear their shame with them that go down to the pit.
Solomon had a wife of the Zidonians but Ahab was the first king of the Northern Kingdom to take such a wife.
Jezebel is a type of every woman in history that has a designing nature who is also crafty, malicious, revengeful and cruel!
Jezebel can be said to be the first great instigator of persecution against the people of God!
Jezebel had no principle in her beliefs.
Jezebel had no fear of God and no fear of men!
Jezebel was extremely zealous of her heathen and immoral worship in idolatry!
Jezebel spare no cost for the government to maintain her idolatrous and heathen practices.
Jezebel ruled Ahab, and two other of Ahab's sons that sat on the throne of Israel after Ahab's death.
Jezebel is remembered as someone who influenced the Church to do evil!
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.
Rev 2:21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
Rev 2:22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
Rev 2:23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
Let's see this demonic duo in action:
*****1Ki 21:1 And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
1Ki 21:2 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.
Jezreel was a city in Samaria where King Ahab had decided to build his ivory palace:
1Ki 22:39 Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he made, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
This palace was on the eastern side of the city and actually formed part of the city wall.
The vineyard owned by Naboth was just outside this wall.
Because no other information is given we can believe that this was the only piece of property that Naboth owned.
The one thing we will find out about Naboth is that he took a stand on the Word of God and it cost him his life!
King Ahab was a man that was used to having his way just by conveying his wants to others.
But God has explained to us all in terms that we can understand that we are not to covet what belongs to someone else.
Exo 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
From the fall of Adam the principle of sin is in the heart of every man!
Every moral law of God begins with covetousness!
Covetousness is the strong desire for worldly things!
Covetousness leads to a strong desire to gain and greediness!
Covetousness is cold-hearted worldliness!
And God says that worldliness is the downfall of every generation.
1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
These things describe Ahab but Jezebel was even more evil!
Naboth said no to the King.
*****1Ki 21:3 And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.
Had the Lord forbid Naboth to see his land?
Naboth understood what the Word of God said about this thing.
Lev 25:23 The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.
Naboth knew that the land was not his to sell because it all belong to the Lord and the Lord was allowing Naboth to use it in his generation!
To the Jew this meant that under certain circumstances the land could be sold as long as it could be redeemed in the year of the Jubilee.
If not then it could never be his again and could not be left as an inheritance for his own children which is the way he had come by the land.
Lev 27:20 And if he will not redeem the field, or if he have sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more.
Lev 27:21 But the field, when it goeth out in the jubile, shall be holy unto the LORD, as a field devoted; the possession thereof shall be the priest's.
Either way, Naboth knew he would have to go against the Word of God to sell this land to Ahab!
Ahab then acted like a spoilt child.
*****1Ki 21:4 And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.
Ahab was not used to the Word "no"!
Ahab knew enough about the Word of God to know that what Naboth had said was true to the believer.
That word "heavy" meant that Ahab resented what Naboth had said and he became angry that he did not get his way.
That word "displeased" meant that Ahab became offended and enraged because someone had stood up to him.
Just as Ahab lived in his own white house there is another one who occupies our own White House today that acts just like Ahab and I am not sure that he is not also married to a Jezebel!
No doubt that the servants to the king after witnessing these things went straight to this evil Queen and she had these words for her pitiful husband:
*****1Ki 21:7 And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
Jezebel was a full blooded politician. Get what you can no matter the cost!
Jezebel was raised in an absolute monarchy where her father King Ethbaal of the Zidonians took whatever suited him.
Naboth had a simple reason for not selling his vineyard. To Naboth he knew that it was Jehovah who owned all the land and it was Jehovah who had given the land to him for his use and it was not his to sell.
This was the truth of God to the nation of Israel and Jezebel hated the truth of the Word of God and she was not about to let the Word of God to stand in the way of what she wanted.
Her again we can see these things in our own government and our own judicial system.
God has an answer for the Jezebels of this world:
Mic 2:1 Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.
Mic 2:2 And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.
Mic 2:3 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil.
Thirty eight times the Old Testament uses the word "Woe" and they never pleasant!
God says there is only one place suitable for such people:
Isa 5:24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
*****1Ki 21:12 They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.
1Ki 21:13 And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.
1Ki 21:14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.
1Ki 21:15 And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.
All through the Bible, God emphasizes the importance of speaking the truth. In fact God has given us a commandment relating to speaking the truth.
Exo 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Ahab was already guilty of covetousness.
Truth is the basis of a working society. When truth is gone, everything else will begin to fall apart!
Not only had Jezebel and the government of Ahab intended to obtain the land of Naboth by any means, Jezebel had decided that Naboth was not the type of person she wanted in her kingdom only because Naboth was a God fearing man.
Today here in America it is those that break the law that are protected while the innocent are being punished just because they stand up for the truth!
Jezebel had no right to issue a death warrant on Naboth.
Christ Jesus teaches the Church with these words:
Mat 20:25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
Mat 20:26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
Mat 20:27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
Mat 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
It is these "type" of leaders we need to insure hold all our public offices!
The truth is, it is the Jezebels and the Ahab's that rule our world and we have allowed these things to happen!
A true leader will use his or her authority to build up the people while a tyrant will use people to build on their authority while the people are expendable!
Naboth died simply because he was a believer in the Word of God and he never said a harsh word to his government other than "no my land is not for sale, it was a gift of my Savior".
It was time for Elijah who had been re-energized by the Lord.
*****1Ki 21:17 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
1Ki 21:18 Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.
The one thing we owe our Savior is to be ready when He calls.
God will provide each of us certain opportunities!
Gal 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
We can be sure that Elijah had still been busy in the work of the Lord but Elijah also had a special purpose and it took a special man of God to stand up the evils of Ahab and Jezebel.
If we open our eyes to the truth we will be able to see that the Lord does not do anything that He has not already warned us about and He says so.
Amo 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
God has also provided nations with great opportunities.
God gave Rome an opportunity to teach nation building.
God gave Greece an opportunity to show the arts and philosophy and cultural things.
God gave Israel an opportunity to preserve the Word of God and the meaning of God-fearing worship.
These have been examples and lessons we were to learn from and grow from!
God has now given us the opportunity to tell the world what we can learn from the truth of God!
Elijah then answered the call of God and God gave Elijah the exact words to say!
*****1Ki 21:19 And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.
Ahab knew his wife very well and Ahab knew that Jezebel could not have obtained the land of Naboth except by evil means.
Ahab did not care for Ahab was like a child with a brand new toy!
Ahab had not ordered these things to take place but it is obvious who God held to blame.
As husbands and as parents, God will hold us responsible for many of the things that happen in our families if we have not followed the Word of God ourselves!
There is the sin of commission but there is also the sin of omission!
Jezebel had not only seen to it that Naboth was killed but she had also seen to it that Naboth's sons were killed so that no future claim could come for the land that Naboth had.
2Ki 9:26 Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the LORD; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the LORD. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the LORD.
Ahab had allowed for the innocent blood of Naboth and his sons to be shed and it would cost him his own life.
But God always has a special way for these things to be remembered!
Naboth had been murdered outside the city of Jezreel.
1Ki 21:13 And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.
This is where the blood of Naboth fell.
If at all possible it was a bad thing for blood to be shed on the city streets in that day.
And what was Ahab's future?
1Ki 22:37 So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria.
1Ki 22:38 And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; and they washed his armour; according unto the word of the LORD which he spake.
According to Josephus a Jewish historian who also was not a believer wrote that this pool of Samaria was the place used by harlots to bath and therefore considered to be unclean. This was the same place where the government equipment was taken to be cleaned so as not to spoil the drinking water of the city.
The blood of Ahab was added to the unclean waters of this pool and some mongrel dogs drank of this water just as God had said.
And how did Ahab accept the Word of God on this occasion?
*****1Ki 21:20 And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.
Just as suddenly as Elijah had appeared on his first occasion, Elijah reappeared before Ahab while he was gloating over his newly acquired property.
Ahab thought that his ordeal with Naboth was over but no doubt fear now came upon King Ahab at the sight of Elijah!
What is God's truth?
God is the God of the second chance!
Elijah was never Ahab's enemy!
Elijah was Ahab's friend, it was Ahab's own wife who was his true enemy!
No true man of God is an enemy of this world.
No true Christian is an enemy of this world.
The Church is not the enemy of this world, in fact the Church is the only true friend this world has left!
We all have the same purpose and that is to shine as Christ Jesus shines!
We are only to be a witness for the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
But what do we see today?
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
The world insists on having contempt for the Church and persecution of the Church is on a steady rise.
Ahab had thought he had escaped the consequences of the death of Naboth because it was Jezebel who had conspired to have him murdered by twisting the twisting the Word of God in her favor.
God always knows the truth.
In the eyes of God Ahab had surrendered his own wants and desires into the hands of others in this case Jezebel.
It was Ahab's sin of covetousness that had led to the death of Naboth, through the evil mind of Jezebel.
God is not fooled by our actions!
Ahab had been warned and he will now learn of the results of his sin.
*****1Ki 21:21 Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,
1Ki 21:22 And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.
God announced doom upon all the house of Ahab.
When we think our own sin will not affect our own household we are truly foolish!
That word posterity when used with the phrase "will cut off" means that every man, every woman, and every child, including Jezebel would die before their time.
Because of the foreknowledge of God, He knew that not one of the descendants of Ahab would ever come to know the Lord and was because of the influence that Ahab and Jezebel had on their lives.
Num 14:18 The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
As the unbelievers are so easy to remind us that we serve a God of love, it is because of God's love that He must punish evil!
All the family and descendants of King Jeroboam had died out most of them being murdered.
All the family and the descendants of King Baasha had died out most of them being murdered.
It would be the same for all the family and all the descendants of King Ahab!
Jezebel was part of the family of Ahab by marriage but Jezebel would meet a specific doom.
*****1Ki 21:23 And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.
To God it did not matter that Jezebel was a Queen of Israel.
To God it did not matter that Jezebel could paint herself up or fix her hair to be an enticing woman.
To God it did not matter that Jezebel came from a royal family and married into a royal family.
God is no respecter of persons in salvation and God is no respecter of persons in His judgement!
In the walled cities and towns in those days there was a space outside the walls but still uncultivated.
This is the space where the refuse of the city was cast until it was gathered and burned.
This was the place where the mongrel dogs roamed freely.
How does the Bible describe the end of Jezebel?
2Ki 9:30 And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window.
2Ki 9:31 And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?
2Ki 9:32 And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs.
2Ki 9:33 And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot.
The body of Jezebel was not gathered for a burial and nor was the bodies sons of Ahab!
*****1Ki 21:24 Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.
The Jewish people normally took great pains in the burying of the dead.
The body was covered in herbs and spices and then wrapped in linen clothes as it was still in the time of Jesus.
Joh 19:40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.
A proper burial of the dead was a great concern for those left behind.
Even the Bible still shows a specific reverence of the dead in Christ!
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
This does not mean that burial is the only way a Christian should be treated after death because can restore any body just as He created them to begin with.
These deaths of the descendants of Ahab are in fact a "type" of all those that die without Christ.
That dead body without Christ will be in the torments of Hell just as Ahab's dynasty would suffer from wild dogs, vultures and other beast that devour things that die and are left on the side of the road.
Why would all these things take place?
*****1Ki 21:25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.
Up until the time of Ahab there had been no other human being that knew God, and knew the Word of God, and had been warned by the Men of God but who rejected all the things of God and Jezebel was a great influence on the sinful life of Ahab.
Ahab was the perfect picture of sinful man!
2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Questions?
Let's Pray!
The Demonic Duo
1Kings 21
Last week our lesson was about the courage of the man of God named Elijah.
The name Elijah has this meaning "whose God is Jehovah"!
At the end of last weeks lesson we know that Elijah had fled from the wrath of Jezebel and during that time God had one simple question for Elijah.
1Ki 19:9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?
In other words what are you doing here Elijah?
After such a great victory on Mount Carmel, Elijah could only think of a great revival in Israel and the possibility again of the united kingdom but he soon realized the government of Ahab and Jezebel was not going to allow that to happen.
***So, Elijah could only see his life's work for the Lord as a failure.
The proof that this was not true is the fact that the work of this great prophet of God has been preserved for all the world to read about and also the promise of his return.
Jesus said:
Mat 17:11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.
When Elijah returns he will be even more dynamic in his work for the Lord.
***Next Elijah got the feeling that he was the only believer left in all of Israel.
1Ki 19:14 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
What was God response?
1Ki 19:18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.
Sometimes standing up for the Word of God places us in a lonely position but in reality that is never the case!
God said to Israel:
1Sa 12:22 For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.
God says to the Church:
Heb 13:5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Heb 13:6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
What is God's promise to every believer?
Php 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:
Once we have been accepted into the family of God, God will use us until the day we meet Jesus!
We will see that Elijah has gotten over his self pity and returned to the work of God before this lesson is over.
**Ahab was the son of another evil king named Omri.
Because of his idolatry, his lust, and his covetousness, Ahab is presented as a type of all wicked kings and rulers.
Mic 6:16 For the statutes of Omri are kept, and all the works of the house of Ahab, and ye walk in their counsels; that I should make thee a desolation, and the inhabitants thereof an hissing: therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people.
1Ki 21:25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.
1Ki 21:26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
It is Ahab who is a "type" of all those who have made a bargain with the devil and made themselves slaves of Satan!
**Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal the king of the Zidonians.
Ezekiel tells us the end result of such people:
Eze 32:30 There be the princes of the north, all of them, and all the Zidonians, which are gone down with the slain; with their terror they are ashamed of their might; and they lie uncircumcised with them that be slain by the sword, and bear their shame with them that go down to the pit.
Solomon had a wife of the Zidonians but Ahab was the first king of the Northern Kingdom to take such a wife.
Jezebel is a type of every woman in history that has a designing nature who is also crafty, malicious, revengeful and cruel!
Jezebel can be said to be the first great instigator of persecution against the people of God!
Jezebel had no principle in her beliefs.
Jezebel had no fear of God and no fear of men!
Jezebel was extremely zealous of her heathen and immoral worship in idolatry!
Jezebel spare no cost for the government to maintain her idolatrous and heathen practices.
Jezebel ruled Ahab, and two other of Ahab's sons that sat on the throne of Israel after Ahab's death.
Jezebel is remembered as someone who influenced the Church to do evil!
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.
Rev 2:21 And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
Rev 2:22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
Rev 2:23 And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
Let's see this demonic duo in action:
*****1Ki 21:1 And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
1Ki 21:2 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.
Jezreel was a city in Samaria where King Ahab had decided to build his ivory palace:
1Ki 22:39 Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he made, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
This palace was on the eastern side of the city and actually formed part of the city wall.
The vineyard owned by Naboth was just outside this wall.
Because no other information is given we can believe that this was the only piece of property that Naboth owned.
The one thing we will find out about Naboth is that he took a stand on the Word of God and it cost him his life!
King Ahab was a man that was used to having his way just by conveying his wants to others.
But God has explained to us all in terms that we can understand that we are not to covet what belongs to someone else.
Exo 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
From the fall of Adam the principle of sin is in the heart of every man!
Every moral law of God begins with covetousness!
Covetousness is the strong desire for worldly things!
Covetousness leads to a strong desire to gain and greediness!
Covetousness is cold-hearted worldliness!
And God says that worldliness is the downfall of every generation.
1Jn 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
These things describe Ahab but Jezebel was even more evil!
Naboth said no to the King.
*****1Ki 21:3 And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.
Had the Lord forbid Naboth to see his land?
Naboth understood what the Word of God said about this thing.
Lev 25:23 The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are strangers and sojourners with me.
Naboth knew that the land was not his to sell because it all belong to the Lord and the Lord was allowing Naboth to use it in his generation!
To the Jew this meant that under certain circumstances the land could be sold as long as it could be redeemed in the year of the Jubilee.
If not then it could never be his again and could not be left as an inheritance for his own children which is the way he had come by the land.
Lev 27:20 And if he will not redeem the field, or if he have sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more.
Lev 27:21 But the field, when it goeth out in the jubile, shall be holy unto the LORD, as a field devoted; the possession thereof shall be the priest's.
Either way, Naboth knew he would have to go against the Word of God to sell this land to Ahab!
Ahab then acted like a spoilt child.
*****1Ki 21:4 And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.
Ahab was not used to the Word "no"!
Ahab knew enough about the Word of God to know that what Naboth had said was true to the believer.
That word "heavy" meant that Ahab resented what Naboth had said and he became angry that he did not get his way.
That word "displeased" meant that Ahab became offended and enraged because someone had stood up to him.
Just as Ahab lived in his own white house there is another one who occupies our own White House today that acts just like Ahab and I am not sure that he is not also married to a Jezebel!
No doubt that the servants to the king after witnessing these things went straight to this evil Queen and she had these words for her pitiful husband:
*****1Ki 21:7 And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
Jezebel was a full blooded politician. Get what you can no matter the cost!
Jezebel was raised in an absolute monarchy where her father King Ethbaal of the Zidonians took whatever suited him.
Naboth had a simple reason for not selling his vineyard. To Naboth he knew that it was Jehovah who owned all the land and it was Jehovah who had given the land to him for his use and it was not his to sell.
This was the truth of God to the nation of Israel and Jezebel hated the truth of the Word of God and she was not about to let the Word of God to stand in the way of what she wanted.
Her again we can see these things in our own government and our own judicial system.
God has an answer for the Jezebels of this world:
Mic 2:1 Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.
Mic 2:2 And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.
Mic 2:3 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, from which ye shall not remove your necks; neither shall ye go haughtily: for this time is evil.
Thirty eight times the Old Testament uses the word "Woe" and they never pleasant!
God says there is only one place suitable for such people:
Isa 5:24 Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
*****1Ki 21:12 They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.
1Ki 21:13 And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.
1Ki 21:14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.
1Ki 21:15 And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.
All through the Bible, God emphasizes the importance of speaking the truth. In fact God has given us a commandment relating to speaking the truth.
Exo 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Ahab was already guilty of covetousness.
Truth is the basis of a working society. When truth is gone, everything else will begin to fall apart!
Not only had Jezebel and the government of Ahab intended to obtain the land of Naboth by any means, Jezebel had decided that Naboth was not the type of person she wanted in her kingdom only because Naboth was a God fearing man.
Today here in America it is those that break the law that are protected while the innocent are being punished just because they stand up for the truth!
Jezebel had no right to issue a death warrant on Naboth.
Christ Jesus teaches the Church with these words:
Mat 20:25 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
Mat 20:26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
Mat 20:27 And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
Mat 20:28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
It is these "type" of leaders we need to insure hold all our public offices!
The truth is, it is the Jezebels and the Ahab's that rule our world and we have allowed these things to happen!
A true leader will use his or her authority to build up the people while a tyrant will use people to build on their authority while the people are expendable!
Naboth died simply because he was a believer in the Word of God and he never said a harsh word to his government other than "no my land is not for sale, it was a gift of my Savior".
It was time for Elijah who had been re-energized by the Lord.
*****1Ki 21:17 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
1Ki 21:18 Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.
The one thing we owe our Savior is to be ready when He calls.
God will provide each of us certain opportunities!
Gal 6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
We can be sure that Elijah had still been busy in the work of the Lord but Elijah also had a special purpose and it took a special man of God to stand up the evils of Ahab and Jezebel.
If we open our eyes to the truth we will be able to see that the Lord does not do anything that He has not already warned us about and He says so.
Amo 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.
God has also provided nations with great opportunities.
God gave Rome an opportunity to teach nation building.
God gave Greece an opportunity to show the arts and philosophy and cultural things.
God gave Israel an opportunity to preserve the Word of God and the meaning of God-fearing worship.
These have been examples and lessons we were to learn from and grow from!
God has now given us the opportunity to tell the world what we can learn from the truth of God!
Elijah then answered the call of God and God gave Elijah the exact words to say!
*****1Ki 21:19 And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.
Ahab knew his wife very well and Ahab knew that Jezebel could not have obtained the land of Naboth except by evil means.
Ahab did not care for Ahab was like a child with a brand new toy!
Ahab had not ordered these things to take place but it is obvious who God held to blame.
As husbands and as parents, God will hold us responsible for many of the things that happen in our families if we have not followed the Word of God ourselves!
There is the sin of commission but there is also the sin of omission!
Jezebel had not only seen to it that Naboth was killed but she had also seen to it that Naboth's sons were killed so that no future claim could come for the land that Naboth had.
2Ki 9:26 Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the LORD; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the LORD. Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground, according to the word of the LORD.
Ahab had allowed for the innocent blood of Naboth and his sons to be shed and it would cost him his own life.
But God always has a special way for these things to be remembered!
Naboth had been murdered outside the city of Jezreel.
1Ki 21:13 And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.
This is where the blood of Naboth fell.
If at all possible it was a bad thing for blood to be shed on the city streets in that day.
And what was Ahab's future?
1Ki 22:37 So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria.
1Ki 22:38 And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; and they washed his armour; according unto the word of the LORD which he spake.
According to Josephus a Jewish historian who also was not a believer wrote that this pool of Samaria was the place used by harlots to bath and therefore considered to be unclean. This was the same place where the government equipment was taken to be cleaned so as not to spoil the drinking water of the city.
The blood of Ahab was added to the unclean waters of this pool and some mongrel dogs drank of this water just as God had said.
And how did Ahab accept the Word of God on this occasion?
*****1Ki 21:20 And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.
Just as suddenly as Elijah had appeared on his first occasion, Elijah reappeared before Ahab while he was gloating over his newly acquired property.
Ahab thought that his ordeal with Naboth was over but no doubt fear now came upon King Ahab at the sight of Elijah!
What is God's truth?
God is the God of the second chance!
Elijah was never Ahab's enemy!
Elijah was Ahab's friend, it was Ahab's own wife who was his true enemy!
No true man of God is an enemy of this world.
No true Christian is an enemy of this world.
The Church is not the enemy of this world, in fact the Church is the only true friend this world has left!
We all have the same purpose and that is to shine as Christ Jesus shines!
We are only to be a witness for the Word of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
But what do we see today?
Mat 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
The world insists on having contempt for the Church and persecution of the Church is on a steady rise.
Ahab had thought he had escaped the consequences of the death of Naboth because it was Jezebel who had conspired to have him murdered by twisting the twisting the Word of God in her favor.
God always knows the truth.
In the eyes of God Ahab had surrendered his own wants and desires into the hands of others in this case Jezebel.
It was Ahab's sin of covetousness that had led to the death of Naboth, through the evil mind of Jezebel.
God is not fooled by our actions!
Ahab had been warned and he will now learn of the results of his sin.
*****1Ki 21:21 Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel,
1Ki 21:22 And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.
God announced doom upon all the house of Ahab.
When we think our own sin will not affect our own household we are truly foolish!
That word posterity when used with the phrase "will cut off" means that every man, every woman, and every child, including Jezebel would die before their time.
Because of the foreknowledge of God, He knew that not one of the descendants of Ahab would ever come to know the Lord and was because of the influence that Ahab and Jezebel had on their lives.
Num 14:18 The LORD is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.
As the unbelievers are so easy to remind us that we serve a God of love, it is because of God's love that He must punish evil!
All the family and descendants of King Jeroboam had died out most of them being murdered.
All the family and the descendants of King Baasha had died out most of them being murdered.
It would be the same for all the family and all the descendants of King Ahab!
Jezebel was part of the family of Ahab by marriage but Jezebel would meet a specific doom.
*****1Ki 21:23 And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.
To God it did not matter that Jezebel was a Queen of Israel.
To God it did not matter that Jezebel could paint herself up or fix her hair to be an enticing woman.
To God it did not matter that Jezebel came from a royal family and married into a royal family.
God is no respecter of persons in salvation and God is no respecter of persons in His judgement!
In the walled cities and towns in those days there was a space outside the walls but still uncultivated.
This is the space where the refuse of the city was cast until it was gathered and burned.
This was the place where the mongrel dogs roamed freely.
How does the Bible describe the end of Jezebel?
2Ki 9:30 And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window.
2Ki 9:31 And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?
2Ki 9:32 And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs.
2Ki 9:33 And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot.
The body of Jezebel was not gathered for a burial and nor was the bodies sons of Ahab!
*****1Ki 21:24 Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.
The Jewish people normally took great pains in the burying of the dead.
The body was covered in herbs and spices and then wrapped in linen clothes as it was still in the time of Jesus.
Joh 19:40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.
A proper burial of the dead was a great concern for those left behind.
Even the Bible still shows a specific reverence of the dead in Christ!
1Th 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1Th 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
This does not mean that burial is the only way a Christian should be treated after death because can restore any body just as He created them to begin with.
These deaths of the descendants of Ahab are in fact a "type" of all those that die without Christ.
That dead body without Christ will be in the torments of Hell just as Ahab's dynasty would suffer from wild dogs, vultures and other beast that devour things that die and are left on the side of the road.
Why would all these things take place?
*****1Ki 21:25 But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.
Up until the time of Ahab there had been no other human being that knew God, and knew the Word of God, and had been warned by the Men of God but who rejected all the things of God and Jezebel was a great influence on the sinful life of Ahab.
Ahab was the perfect picture of sinful man!
2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Questions?
Let's Pray!
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