Wicked and Corrupt Rulers

 Dealing With Wicked Rulers

 Book of 1 Kings Chapter 21

 A ruler is someone who is in authority over other people. Here in our church our Pastor is the ruler because he is the man God called to lead us.

 Can someone be so evil that Jehovah will condemn that person to hell?

 We had better be clear on this question.

 Jhn_3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

 Many people do not believe this because they do not believe in a Divine Creator. They deny the existence of a Holy God.

 Many people say they believe in a God, but they do not believe He will hold people accountable in a day of justice.

 Many people believe that if there is such a day that they have done enough good to overcome the bad things they have done.

 If we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation, then we need to believe what He says about these things.

 Sixteen times in the New Testament the Lord Jesus Christ says the word Hell as in a place that exists.

 This is more than any other person.

 There is a coming judgment for everyone who has ever lived!

 One of the major teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ is that there is a place called Hell, and we are condemned to this place called Hell already unless we repent and turn towards Him and His ways.

 Today we will meet two of the most wicked people in the Old Testament. In fact, Jezebel may have been the most wicked woman to have ever lived.

 In fact, the Word of God lists his marriage to Jezebel as the worst sin of King Ahab.

 Jezebel is the first of the persecutors of the people of God.

 This woman had four hundred and fifty false prophets who ministered under her care beside four hundred more false prophets who maintained her groves.

 A grove was a wooden image or large idol of the goddess Ashtoreth.

 She had other names which included Ishtar, Astarte, Alytta, Diana, the goddess of love to many people.

 This Jezebel felt that she was the Living Goddess in her day.

 The Lord Jesus Christ mentions this wickedness in the last of the Church Age.

 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.

 In our world today we see far too many people trying to tolerate what God hates, and they say it is because of His great love for all people.

 We are never to tolerate what God say He hates!

 We are to never allow this false teaching into the Church.

 We are never to allow the teaching of this seductress into our Church.

 What does the Lord Jesus promise about the teaching of Jezebel?

 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.

 *****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.

1Ki 21:3 And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.

 King Ahab was a wicked and evil man and the seventh king of the Northern Tribes of Israel.

 His wife Jezebel had a very evil influence over him.

 We first met the prophet Elijah in his dealings with King Ahab.

 It seems that every king who heard from Elijah then wanted to kill him.

 You cannot kill the Word of God!

 He had warred with Ben-Hadad of Syria and in the end, defeated him with the help of Jehovah.

 It was a time of peace that King Ahab had gone to his palace in Jezreel that he looked out his window which was upon the city wall, and he could see a vineyard that belonged to Naboth.

 King Ahab had a love for herbs, and he wanted to turn the vineyard of Naboth into a garden for herbs and so he approached Naboth and attempted to buy or trade for this piece of land under his window.

 Naboth responded to this king with an absolute no, but he explained himself.

 Naboth still clung to the Word of God and God had told the Hebrews when they entered into the promised land that they were to keep that land in their families.

 Num 36:7 So shall not the inheritance of the children of Israel remove from tribe to tribe: for every one of the children of Israel shall keep himself to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.

Num 36:8 And every daughter, that possesseth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Israel, shall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Israel may enjoy every man the inheritance of his fathers.

Num 36:9 Neither shall the inheritance remove from one tribe to another tribe; but every one of the tribes of the children of Israel shall keep himself to his own inheritance.

 If we are deep enough in our convictions we will not give in to the ways of the world.

 It may be that this thing might have ended at this point if not for the interference of Jezebel.

 *****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.

 King Ahab had done nothing wrong in trying to buy the vineyard of Naboth.

King Ahab had done nothing wrong in trying to trade a better vineyard for the land of Naboth.

 His sin was covetousness.

 Greed and covetousness are forbidden sin!

 Covetousness is an inordinate desire for worldly possessions. It is the desire to increase the things you have by taking what others have.

 It is a disorder of the heart and is associated with selfishness.

 It is an irresistible desire to have what others own!

 King Ahab showed childlike behavior when Naboth refused his offers.

 Covetousness comes from the heart where all lustful and sinful desires are located!

 Jas 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

Jas 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Jas 1:16 Do not err, my beloved brethren.

 The Lord Jesus said it like this: Luk 12:15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

 1Ti 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

1Ti 6:7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

1Ti 6:8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

1Ti 6:9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

 Here comes Jezebel to save the day for Ahab.

 *****1Ki 21:5 But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?

1Ki 21:6 And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard.

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.

 King Ahab is one of those people in this world who always have to have their way.

 He is a weak man who acts like a spoiled child.

 Jezebel is a wicked tyrant who does not allow anyone to question her authority.

 She promises her husband that she will get him the land of Naboth.

 King Ahab could have had almost any piece of land in all his kingdom but not that one small piece of land that belonged to Naboth.

 He was miserable because he could not get that one piece of land.

 It should be obvious that it was Jezebel who had the true authority in the kingdom of Ahab.

 Jezebel's sin was the sin of Ahab. Ahab did not try to stop Jezebel even though he knew she would have an evil plan.

 We know that Adam did not pluck the fruit from the forbidden tree, but he was still guilty when he took a bite from it in the hand of Eve.

 Gen 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Gen 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Gen 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

 We are trying to be like God when we make up our own rules and ignore the Word of God.

 Jezebel devised a plan for the neighbors of Naboth to end his life making herself and King Ahab free from guilt.

 It did not bother her to take a man's life!

 She paid for two false witnesses according to the Word of God.

 Num_35:30 Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.

 She sent letters to the elders and nobles of the city in King Ahab’s name using his signet ring to seal them.

 They proclaimed a fast.

 *****1Ki 21:12 They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.

 In ancient times a day of fasting was sometimes set aside in order to show concern that a criminal or some evil threatened the city, but this did not come from Jehovah.

 Fasting is for one purpose only and that purpose is to open the ear of God to a special need.

 Isa 58:4 Behold, ye fast for strife and debate, and to smite with the fist of wickedness: ye shall not fast as ye do this day, to make your voice to be heard on high.

 It is a sad thing but wicked and corrupt leaders can always find someone to do their bidding.

 Today we see godlessness and corruption in our courts are like poison to our nation and I hope it is finally put aside for the truth.

 Some high officials ask certain people to do things, and they just do them without asking for what reason.

 What is going on in America today should not be happening, yet it is going on in the Church also.

 There is coming a day soon where God says He has had enough!

 It is the innocent who suffer just as Naboth.

 Naboth was murdered under the cover of religion instead of covetousness.

 Religion has been used and continues to be used today to cover up wickedness and terrible sin!

 It was not just Naboth in this instance but his entire family.

 Today innocence will not always be our security, but we have assurance that there is a judgment coming to the wicked.

 *****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.

 Naboth was accused of treason against the kingdom and blasphemy against the gods of Israel, which we know were golden bulls.

 Naboth was innocent of both charges.

 Naboth was stoned to death for being innocent.

 We see a type of Christ in Naboth in this passage.

 Naboth is a type of Christ, which means he is a foreshadowing and representation of Jesus Christ.

 Naboth's vineyard is seen as a representation of salvation.

 Naboth's story is an example where we can see Jesus Christ. Both Naboth and Jesus owned a vineyard.

 God saw what happened to Naboth.

 Naboth was killed simply because wicked people wanted what belonged to him -- and not just any people, but the king and queen of Israel.

 This thing, of course, displeased the Lord very badly.

 God Himself would condemn Ahab for what he had done.

 God condemned Ahab's wickedness, in that he coveted, killed, and took possession of his victim's land. 

 "So, [Ahab] died, and was brought to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria. Then someone washed the chariot at a pool in Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood while the harlots bathed, according to the word of the Lord which He had spoken."

 God knew what happened and God did not let such injustice slip away.

 What does Naboth teach us? Here are two things we can learn from him:

 1) We must stand up for what is ours in Christ

 Of course, this does not mean we should be stingy hoarders. What this means is that we must never let go of our inheritance in the Lord.

 Many of us Christians today easily let go of our inheritance, trading it for some temporal pleasure and comfort. We do not stand up and rise as God's children, we don't fight for the salvation of our families, we stop praying for the will of God to happen in our nation and wherever we are.

 We must take hold of our inheritance in Christ and never let it go.

 2) Injustice may happen to us, but God sees it all

 God saw the injustice done to Naboth and didn't let it slip. No injustice can ever be hidden from God's eyes, and we can rest our hopes on that.

 We might feel angry at God for allowing bad people to do bad things to us, but the truth is that God is good and that He's not our enemy. He's watching us closely and is taking note of all that happens to us.

 He will always ensure that justice will be served according to His way.

 *****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.

1Ki 21:16 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

 There are three villains in this passage.

 1) Ahab who is a wicked and weak man.

2) Jezebel who is a wicked and strong woman.

3) The elders of Israel who were wicked and useful to promote wickedness in the government of Ahab.

This shows us that if our leades are wicked and corrupt then these things will spread throughout our nation.

 We should be clear, just because Naboth had been murdered, that land did not belong to King Ahab.

 It still belonged to the family of Naboth.

 Ahab probably claimed the land because the crown at that time, could seize the land of an executed criminal.

 None of these things were hidden from the Almighty Living God.

 *****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.

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.

 You could substitute the word "wickedness" with the name "Jezebel".

 Ahab may not have known what happened to Naboth, but he certainly knew that Jezebel said she would take care of this matter.

 This made Ahab just as guilty of the death of Naboth as was his wife and those elders.

 God has this saying: Num_32:23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: "and be sure your sin will find you out".

 No sinner can escape the judgment of God!

No sinner can escape the consequences of sin.

 Sin will search and find us no matter where we are at.

 What did God tell Cain after he had killed his brother Abel? Gen 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? "and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door". And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

 Every sin brings its own punishment and there has never been any deviation of it!

 It is only a question of time!

 There is no getting away from these words of the Holy Spirit!

 Jehovah called upon Elijah to deliver another message to King Ahab.

 Ahab did not think of himself as some murderer or guilty of anything other than being king and able to do as he pleased.

 Ahab hated Elijah even though he had no real reason to do so.

 What was God's message to Ahab? "In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine".

 Why was Elijah so hated? Elijah only spoke the truth of God.

 *****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.

 Ahab was standing right in the middle of Naboth's vineyard, a place Ahab had wanted so much.

 Ahab even though he wqas King of Israel had no power over the man of God and he knew it.

 Elijah possessed the power of a righteous man.

 Ahab was a weak and wicked man.

 Ahab was guilty of murder and stealing an innocent man's property.

 Jezebel and the elders of Samaria were all guilty of the same crime.

 Not many would have stood alone against such wickedness, but the man of God was just being obedient to the Lord.

 What did Jehovah have to say?

 *****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.

1Ki 21:23 And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.

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.

 This prophecy of Jehovah took place in the time of Jehu.

 Jehu was made King of Israel by Jehovah and God used Jehu to punish the house of Ahab.

 2Ki 9:23 And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah.

2Ki 9:24 And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot.

2Ki 9:25 Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the LORD laid this burden upon him;

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.

 There is no escaping the "judgment of God"!

 Ahab and Jezebel are suffering the "judgment of God" today and they will throughout eternity.

 They are joined by all such people today.

 Once we are born into this world we never cease to exist.

 First, we exist upon this earth then at our death we continue to live in God's presence, or we will live in a place that the Lord Jesus Christ called Hell.

 Mat_10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

 Where we spend eternity depends upon how we live our lives upon this earth!

 Mat 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

Mat 3:12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

 *****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.

 There was not a more godless king than King Ahab. He allowed his wife Jezebel to lead him straight to Hell.

 In fact, his wickedness reached its lowest point because he listened to his even more wicked wife.

 Jezebel did all she could to stamp out the truth of Jehovah and Ahab knew this was wrong.

 King Ahab should have recognized Elijah as his best friend and Jezebel as his worst foe.

 We cannot ever be on the side of the world and think we are on the side of God!

 Amen

God's Man Elijah

 Elijah-The Courageous Prophet

 Book of 2 Kings Chapter 1

 God's Prophet Elijah.

 The Hebrew name Elijah means "My God is Jehovah."

 We are all called to be Elijah's today.

 Elijah was a sight to behold. His hair hung down his back, and he wore a girdle of skin around his loins; sometimes, he placed a mantle over it.

 A mantle would normally be a sheepskin worn like a cape.

 We first meet Elijah when he confronts King Ahab of the Northern Tribes of Israel.

 We know that Elijah had gone to King Ahab with a message from Jehovah.

 1Ki 17:1  And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. 

 Elijah then escaped the vengeance of Jezebel.

 1Ki 19:2  Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time. 

 God provided the needs of Elijah with this small brook while ravens brought him meat to eat.

 Next, God sent Elijah to Zarephath to the house of a widow woman where God prolonged her oil and meal until the drought was over and where Elijah restored the life of her son.

 God used Elijah on other occasions

 This is the Ahab who had as his wife Jezebel. Jezebel was the daughter of the king of the Zidonians whose name was Ethbaal.

 The name Ehtbaal means enjoying the favor and protection of Baal.

 Jezebel did everything she could to stamp out the worship of Jehovah.

 She was a wicked woman.

 She also had a daughter named Athaliah who married the King of Judah named Jehoram who was also the only woman who occupied the throne of Judah.

 We will see the great influence these two wicked women had on the children of Israel.

 Elijah was one of those people that if you ever met him, you would certainly never forget him.

 Elijah may be the weirdest figure among the prophets of Israel.

 One moment Elijah was a powerhouse for God and the next he was running for his life afraid of Jezebel because he had caused the death of her false priests who could not get their false god to cooperate with them.

 Jehovah had special patience with Elijah and now he was serving the Lord with passion again.

 It is probably three or four years or more before we see Elijah in our lesson today.

 *****2Ki 1:1  Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. 

 As the tribes of Israel divided the Moabites came under the control of Jeroboam but they had revolted as they saw the weakness of Israel.

 King Omri of Israel regained control over them, and they were tributaries to King Ahab.

 They now saw weakness in King Ahaziah and revolted again against Israel.

 Ahaziah was another King of Israel who rebelled against the Lord God Jehovah.

 Jehovah then sends a rejuvenated Elijah.

 *****2Ki 1:2  And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease. 

2Ki 1:3  But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? 

 For some reason, King Ahaziah had fallen through latticework or a trellis work on a window or balcony in his upper chamber.

 This means it was probably not the flat roof of the house, but it was high enough to cause him serious trouble.

 His sickness was caused by the wounds he had received from the fall. Probably infection.

 We know that this is the son of Jezebel, and he follows his mother in requesting help from her false gods which of course could not help him.

 There was a noted chamber for Baal-zebub, the Lord of the Flies, at Ekron.

 In the New Testament the Lord Jesus Christ was accused of serving Baal-zebub by the Pharisees.

 Mat 12:24  But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 

Mat 12:25  And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 

Mat 12:26  And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? 

Mat 12:27  And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. 

Mat 12:28  But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 

 Who in the world would go to the Prince of Dung, or the Lord of the Flies to seek medical help?

 This is why Jehovah said they became fools for turning away from the true God.

 This still applies today!

 We know that Elisha was often found on Mount Carmel where there was most likely a school of the prophets.

 It seems that Elijah may have also resided at this location.

 The city of Samaria had been built and made the royal residence of the King of Israel.

 We will even see that Samaria may be substituted and used as Israel for the kingdom of the ten tribes of Israel.

 Elijah met these messengers from King Ahaziah, and he asked them "Is it because there is no God in Israel that you go and enquire of Baalzebub?

 This is a good place for us to learn about our Savior.

 If we consult with someone besides the Lord on important matters such as our health, we will never get the answer we seek.

 We will consult with doctors, but we should not consult with anyone until we have talked it over with the Lord.

 Elijah gave these men the answer that Baalzebub would give, there would be no healing of the King.

 Jehovah would certainly not heal him.

 *****2Ki 1:4  Now therefore thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed. 

2Ki 1:5  And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye now turned back? 

 No matter who you are, when you are sick or have been in an accident, causing bodily harm, you will want some help.

 Ahaziah was a man whose health was leaving him, and he knew it.

 He did not have a personal relationship with Jehovah, so he sent for help from a false god.

 Who in the world would go to someone called the “lord of the Flies” or the “prince of dung” and expect to be healed?

 Baalzebub seemed to be his only help which meant he had no one to help him.

 Deu_4:28  And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.

 When we ignore Doctor Jesus, we deserve whatever calamity we are suffering because we dishonor Jehovah who only has the power to heal.

 He made us and He knows what makes us tick!

 God will vindicate Himself, in His own time before all unbelievers!

 Notice also that almost every human will seek some higher power when they are too weak to help themselves.

 Even atheism is a religion whether they agree or not. Even they believe in something!

 Like almost everyone on a sickbed, this king wanted to know how this thing would turn out. I know I did, and I know where I am going when I die.

 Jehovah is so much more than some fortune teller!

 Ahaziah may not have ever met Elijah, but he had heard of him through his father, and he knew that the things he said would come to be true.

 *****2Ki 1:6  And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. 

2Ki 1:7  And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words? 

2Ki 1:8  And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite. 

 It seemed to Ahaziah that the only way to stop the truth of Elijah was to kill him.

 It should be clear to us that anyone who rejects the LORD and turns to a false god is foolish.

 This is the biggest mistake that any person can make. All the world knows of the GRACE of the LORD even though they may not believe Him.

 All the leaders of false religion know they serve false gods all tied to Satan, the Devil.

 Those false gods have no life, no consciousness or power to help anyone so they are trusting fate.

 Jehovah has a love that no one understands for all the people on this earth, but He also has His requirements.

 Joh 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

Joh 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 

Joh 3:18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 

 God loves us all enough that He would never leave us in the dark, grasping and groping around to find our way in the dark.

 Jehovah tells us only the truth in a world that is full of lies.

 As time goes by, we see more and more of the truth of God come out into the open.

 He is the only God who can help us and meet our needs!

 In fact, Jehovah promises to meet all our needs!

 King Ahaziah had been duped by his mother and his father was a weak man who was controlled by Jezebel.

 Pro 1:24  Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 

Pro 1:25  But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: 

Pro 1:26  I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 

Pro 1:27  When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. 

Pro 1:28  Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 

Pro 1:29  For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:

 Where Jezebel, his mother had failed Ahaziah hoped to succeed. He sent a captain of his army with fifty soldiers to hunt down Elijah.

 *****2Ki 1:9  Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down. 

2Ki 1:10  And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. 

 We should know that when Jehovah tells us something then we can rest that it is fact and unchangeable.

 If Ahaziah had repented, then Jehovah may have helped him, but to react with more stubbornness could not help him at all.

 Fifty soldiers seemed like an awful lot of men just to kill one man, but Jehovah would not have allowed a thousand soldiers to take Elijah on this day.

 It did not take long to find Elijah because he was not hiding.

 He may have hidden from Jezebel, but his confidence had been restored.

 We are only humans so, we can go through periods of weakness, but our strength is in the Lord!

 No one was going to force this man of God to be arrested unless he chose to do so.

 Fire came down from Heaven and destroyed this group of men.

 The king would try this again.

 *****2Ki 1:10  And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. 

2Ki 1:11  Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly. 

2Ki 1:12  And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. 

 It should be very clear God allows us to come boldly to the Throne of Grace, but we had better not make demands when we get there.

 It should have been very clear to King Ahaziah that Jehovah was not going to help him. He had been offered Ahaziah a path to repentance and he rejected it,

 We should remember what God had said before He sent a worldwide flood.

 Gen_6:3  And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man

 We may not know how many times we can reject the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit knows when He is wasting His time on us.

 Today we must understand that God's help will come from the places where He says we can find it!

 Joh 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. 

Joh 14:7  If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 

 Act 4:12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. 

 When God has spoken, He cannot then change His Word unless the sinner changes his ways!

 The only strength we have to change Heaven lies in our direct contact with Heaven through our prayers.

 This will not work if we have sin in our lives.

 Psa 66:18  If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

 Another thing we must consider is that when God has told us to do one thing then we have no obligation to give in to the world.

 Elijah knew he did not have to come down off that mountain under the threat of some king.

 God will not do for one what He will not He will not do for another, and He will protect us in the same way as He did Elijah under the right circumstances.

 Elijah was a powerful prophet who had the ear of God!

 2Ti 4:18  And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

 Elijah called down fire from Heaven and fifty more soldiers and their captain perished.

 There is a proper way to approach the man of God!

 *****2Ki 1:13  And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight. 

2Ki 1:14  Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight. 

 Does God care about life?

 Isa 66:2  For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word. 

 We can be sure that Jehovah holds our life in His hands!

 We already know that God loves all His creations, especially those made in His image, but God still insists that we believe what He has to say.

 Luk 13:1  There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 

Luk 13:2  And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? 

Luk 13:3  I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. 

Luk 13:4  Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? 

Luk 13:5  I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

 We seem to dwell upon all those who died in the Old Testament when we should concentrate on those who were spared.

 God loved us enough to send His only begotten Son to die in our place just so we can live with Him throughout eternity. How can the world say God has no love for life?

 The blood of Jesus was the full price for our salvation!

 Psa 49:8  (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:)

 Heb 9:12  Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. 

 There should be no doubt in our minds that God will receive each of us if we just believe what He says!

 There should also be no doubt that God will reject us if we refuse to be like Jesus Christ in valuing the lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

 Jesus came to save life and not to destroy life! Life is precious to our Heavenly Father!

 Now we may not know what Elijah would have said but we do know what this angel from Heaven said.

 *****2Ki 1:15  And the angel of the LORD said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king. 

 What is one of the jobs of angels? To comfort and assure God's people.

 Act 27:23  For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, 

Act 27:24  Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. 

Act 27:25  Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me. 

 Angels will also watch over our children.

 Mat 18:10  Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

When we are in the will of God, He will protect us even from corrupt governments.

It works best for us when we go boldly to the Lord at any sign of trouble.

We can ask great things of God if we do it properly.

God loves us so whatever happens to us is the concern of our Heavenly Father!

No matter the trial or the temptation, the hardship or the misfortune He will not allow us to go through these things alone.

Elijah did not need to fear this armed guard or King Ahaziah.

What was God's message to this king?

*****2Ki 1:16  And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to enquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.

There is only one escape from the "judgment" of God, and it is through the blood of Jesus Christ!

Sin causes death!

The things we get the most from the Old Testament are God's holiness, God's justice, God's righteousness, and God's severity against sin stands out.

Elijah was God's messenger to King Ahaziah, and he had no malice against this king, he simply gave him God's message and the reason why.

We can be sure that the Gospel of Jesus Christ will never change just because people do not want to hear it!

Psa 1:5  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 

Psa 1:6  For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish. 

King Ahaziah died just as the Lord had said. He never came off his sickbed.

Amen

King Jehu God's Tool Of Retribution

Jehu--God's Tool Of Retribution

2 Kings 9-10


There are many things that are certain in the Word of God and despite what liberal theologians try to teach Jehovah God has a side of wrath.

God will avenge the things that have happened to His people.

This is a sure thing for the Church and also a sure thing for the little nation of Israel!

In fact God says so!

Rom 12:19  Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Now this does not mean that we are to be the floor mat for the world to walk upon because God says we are to dress for war.

Eph 6:13  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

And God also says there may be times we will have to go to war!

Pro 20:18  Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war.

War should never be an easy way out for the Christian soldier!

After all we are all tools in the Masters hands!

Before Elijah was taken into Heaven, he had been given many great task by the Lord but some of those could only be fulfilled by Elisha who had taken the mantle of Elijah and resumed the work of Elijah.

Elijah could not have done all these things himself because some of the people who were to perform these things had not yet been born.

1Ki 19:15  And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:
1Ki 19:16  And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.
1Ki 19:17  And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.

Today we will learn of the task given to Jehu.

Jehu was the son of Jehoshaphat who was the son of Nimshi.

When we see these names written in such a way it is so we can determine the true identity of each individual.

There was also a Jehoshaphat who was King of Judah and Jehu was of no relation to him!

There are also at least 4 men named Jehu that are mentioned in the Bible and each one a separate man!

God had chosen this Jehu to be the tool to fulfill prophecy!

Lets see these things of this Jehu unfold:

*****2Ki 9:5  And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain. And Jehu said, Unto which of all us? And he said, To thee, O captain.

At this time Jehoram, the son of Ahab and Jezebel was the sitting King of Israel but his time and his family were just about to feel the full affects of the vengeance of God and the fulfillment of prophecy.

It should be very clear to us all, that God says what He means and God means what He says!

We are very wrong when we do not accept the Bible as the literal spoken Words of God!

This Jehu was the captain of captains of the army of King Jehoram, King of Israel and the dynasty of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel was about to meet the full effect of God's Word!

We have no way of knowing why Elisha did not make a personal visit to Jehu and it is always wrong to speculate on why but we do know that Elijah had prophesied that many people would be killed once Jehu was anointed to be the new King of the Northern Tribes of Israel.

Elisha told his young student to anoint Jehu as the new King of Israel, give him the message of the Word of God and then flee from his presence.

In most all cases this always means we are not to question the Word of God we are simply to obey what God says for us to do!

If Jehu needed any other information then he could have and should have asked God himself for guidance.

This young prophet sent by Elisha then requested a private conversation with Jehu!

We should also realize it was only those Kings that were anointed by God, that were to be the true kings of Israel and Judah.

There is a purpose behind everything that God does in this world!

And God's one purpose is spelled out for us!

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

But it is also important for us to know that God has His limits!

Gen 6:3  And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

God gave those before the great flood 120 years to repent.

God had now allowed a certain time for Jezebel and the remaining family of King Ahab to repent and that time was over.

*****2Ki 9:6  And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the LORD, even over Israel.
2Ki 9:7  And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel.

Remember there were still 7000 even at this time in Israel that still followed the Word of God.

In the Bible retribution means the punishment for sin!

Jehu was a ruthless and crafty and a very cruel man.

He murdered his own King and he had his own Queen murdered, and he was the cause that exterminated all the family of King Ahab.

These are not pleasant things things but we must realize that the torments of Hell for the lost sinner will most of the time, begin while they are still alive and increase at the moment of death.

There is no such thing as lying in the grave until the Great White Throne of Judgment.

Luk 16:22  And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
Luk 16:23  And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

Hell is a real place and in the Burning Lake of Fire it will only get worse and for an eternity.

There is now not one un-believer in Hell as we notice this rich man as he finds himself in Hell but "his eyes are now focused on the thoughts of his mistakes that kept him from going up to Heaven"!

It was now time for all of Israel to witness the full wrath of God poured out on the evil house of Ahab!

And verse 7 tells us why.

Jezebel was the ISIS of her day and Ahab had allowed her to murder, maim and mutilate, the servants of God!

God will appoint whatever instruments He chooses to carry out His plans!

What the world refuses to realize is that when things happen that simply cannot be explained, then it is best to just look up because the plan of God is ever working toward His final results, which are written in the Book of Revelation!

Sometimes the Word of God can come from those who are completely unexpected!

If Elisha had shown up with this message, he may not even have been allowed an audience with such a high ranking officer of the government of King Jehoram but this young prophet walked right into the presence of Jehu because no one feared his message.

As this young prophet fled, Jehu returned to his own army and informed them of what had taken place and they immediately proclaimed him their new King!

2Ki 9:13  Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king.

And Jehu immediately made plans to fulfill the Word of God that had been given to him:

2Ki 9:14  So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. (Now Joram had kept Ramothgilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria.
2Ki 9:15  But king Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.) And Jehu said, If it be your minds, then let none go forth nor escape out of the city to go to tell it in Jezreel.

It was the right time for Jehu because his king had been wounded in a war with Syria and was healing in Jezreel and unable to escape the wrath and the might of Jehu.

And as only God could have caused, it just so happened that the wicked King Ahaziah of Judah was visiting King Jehoram at this very same time.

Again we see that God is never late because God is always on time!

2Ki 9:16  So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come down to see Joram.

By the time King Jehoram realized what was happening, it was too late and he and the King of Judah decided to face Jehu as best they could and we again see the hand of God, because of the location of this meeting.

*****2Ki 9:21  And Joram said: Make ready the chariot. And they made ready his chariot: and Joram, king of Israel, and Ochozias, king of Juda, went out, each in his chariot, and they went out to meet Jehu, and met him in the field of Naboth, the Jezrahelite. 

Not many realize it but King Joram, which is Jehoram of Israel and King Ochozias, which was Ahaziah of Judah, were actually family one the uncle and the other the nephew. This is true because the daughter of Queen Jezebel, Athaliah, had wed to Jehoram, King of Judah.

Humanly speaking it was accidental that this meeting took place at the field that had been taken from Naboth.

Had the king started sooner or Jehu had driven his chariot a little slower, they would have met at some other place but God had known this all along!

God had said this would happen and it had been written down in the Scriptures and all Scriptures will be fulfilled to the letter!

Jesus said:

Mat 5:18  For amen I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot, or one tittle shall not pass of the law, till all be fulfilled.

*****2Ki 9:22  And when Joram saw Jehu, he said: Is there peace, Jehu? And he answered: What peace? so long as the fornications of Jezabel, thy mother, and her many sorceries, are in their vigour.

Is there peace?

If there were one main concern for the average person in our world it would be, "do we see the things that are happening in our world finally bringing peace?"

Why?

Because the heart of all men that do not know God, are never at peace!

If things are quiet for any period of time they all wonder when the next turmoil will begin!

The only way to have peace in this world is to first have peace with God!

If you notice most all people are looking for the next war, or the next earthquake, or the next flood, or the next ice age or now the results of the next climate change!

We may ask why but the answer is very simple.

Luk 6:47  Every one that cometh to me and heareth my words and doth them, I will shew you to whom he is like.
Luk 6:48  He is like to a man building a house, who digged deep and laid the foundation upon a rock. And when a flood came, the stream beat vehemently upon that house: and it could not shake it: for it was founded on a rock.
Luk 6:49  But he that heareth and doth not is like to a man building his house upon the earth without a foundation: against which the stream beat vehemently. And immediately it fell: and the ruin of that house was great.

There is only one foundation that can bring the peace of God!

1Co 3:11  For other foundation no man can lay, but that which is laid: which is Christ Jesus.

Rom 5:1  Being justified therefore by faith, let us have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Because there can be no peace in a world that has replaced the true God with the false idols of Jezebel!

The name Jezebel means "a vacant island that can be occupied by anyone who claims it" but is truly an enticing witch!

By definition a witch is a woman who has made a compact with the Devil and practices sorcery and enchantment!

What's wrong with our world today?

Rev 18:3  For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

Jehu was not bringing peace to these two kings on this day!

Jehu began to execute the program that God had handed to him through the words of that young prophet!

Many saw this a only as a revolt of the military against it's own government but in fact it was the "Judgement of God"!

Once Jehu was anointed King of Israel, he became a sword from Heaven!

Revolt and revolution had come to the Northern Tribes of Israel and Judah would also be affected.

*****2Ki 9:23  And Joram turned his hand, and fleeing, said to Ochozias: There is treachery, Ochozias.
2Ki 9:24  And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot.

"There is treachery" would be the last words spoken by King Joram because the allegiance of Jehu was no longer to his king.

As the arrow of Jehu found it's mark, King Joram fell dead near the land that had once belonged to Naboth but that would not have fulfilled the Word of God.

What this world needs to clearly understand is, yes God is a God of love but He is certainly also a God of "Judgement"!

Psa 9:16  The LORD is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah.
Psa 9:17  The wicked shall be turned into hell, and "all the nations that forget God".

And, God had caused Jehu to remember the things of Naboth.

*****2Ki 9:25  Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the LORD laid this burden upon him;
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.

It seems obvious that Jehu had been with King Ahab that day in Naboth's vineyard and had heard the words of the prophet Elijah.

Jehu could not have known that day  that it would be by his own hands that this prophecy would be fulfilled!

But also on this day Jehu had realized that he was a weapon in the hands of God.

We should also realize that the fulfillment of prophecy will not be somewhat as the Lord has said but the fulfillment of prophecy will be exactly like the Lord has said, down to the most minute detail!

Many will try to convince you today that the Bible has more terror and murder in it than the Koran but you will never see in the Bible where it is the innocent who receive the "Judgment of God"!

Do the innocent die in their work for the Lord? Sure and the purpose of that is to show us that we are no better than our Savior.

Joh 15:18  If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
Joh 15:19  If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

God's judgment will come on all those that hate the Lord but also those that love the Lord, at the Judgment Seat of Christ!

Rom 2:5  But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
Rom 2:6  Who will render to "every man" according to his deeds:

King Joram had followed in the steps of his father Ahab and he would certainly see the same judgment of his father just as God had said.

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,

Jehu did not stop here because on this day the King of Judah, who was also the grandson of King Ahab was with the King of Israel.

God does truly work in mysterious ways!

*****2Ki 9:27  But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot. And they did so at the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there.

What is the truth of the Word of God?

2Co 6:17  Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

No doubt the whole family of King Ahab knew of the prophecy of Elijah!

King Joram did not meet Jehu near the land of Naboth by accident!

King Joram's body did not end up on the land of Naboth by accident!

And it was no accident that the King of Judah was with King Joram that day!

God says:

Pro 13:20  He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.

The truth is that knowing the coming judgment of God, why are we such fools to hang out with those to whom that judgment will come?

What is the truth of King Ahaziah of Judah?

2Ch 22:7  And the destruction of Ahaziah was of God by coming to Joram: for when he was come, he went out with Jehoram against Jehu the son of Nimshi, whom the LORD had anointed to cut off the house of Ahab.

There are really no accidents that happen in this world!

What is the truth of the Bible?

All those that forsake the divine guidance of the Scriptures, and reject the calling of the Holy Spirit, "destroy themselves"!

When we follow the ways of the world, we will all get burned!

2Ch 22:4  Wherefore he did evil in the sight of the LORD like the house of Ahab: for they were his counsellors after the death of his father "to his destruction".

Ahaziah died and was buried in Jerusalem.

Joram was cast into the field of Naboth and his body was eaten by vultures and wild animals and never reached the grave!

But then there was 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.

Queen Jezebel was probably in her fifties by this time but she was still an enticing woman when she painted herself us and tired her hair, or at least she thought so.

There were certainly things used by the women of those days that we would call "make-up" today.

That phrase "tired her hair" means that Jezebel fixed her hair in what she thought was her most beautiful and most pleasing manner.

Today most women would go to the beauty shop before a very important day.

Queen Jezebel dressed in full royalty not to captivate Jehu but over awe him.

It was important to her that Jehu knew she was the royal Queen of Israel.

What we should notice is that, she had lost her husband because he had defied the Word of God!

She had lost her sons, because they had defied the Word of God!

By God's prophecy she would soon loose her whole family for the same reasons, yet she showed no remorse or no regret for the way she had lived her life!

Jezebel had been the instigator of evil in Israel for near 40 years and she still thought she could defeat the Word of God!

The Bible says these things of Satan:

Eze 28:16  By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
Eze 28:17  Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
Eze 28:18  Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
Eze 28:19  All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.

We can see that Jezebel was herself a daughter of the Devil!

And she asked of Jehu these things.

*****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.

Zimri was another one who was a captain of the chariots and who had served King Elah until he rebelled and murdered him.

Zimri had made himself the new King of Israel but ruled only seven days before he himself died.

Zimri had no peace because he set his own palace on fire and remained on the inside, killing himself and Jezebel used these words to try to convince Jehu that the same thing could happen to him.

It is a fact that treason is the highest crime of a civil nature that a man can be guilty of.

Any attempt to over throw a government is usually a bad thing but it was Jehovah God that was directing Jehu and if Jehu had faltered in this thing God would simply have used someone else!

The truth is that a world that is lost in sin "look upon the followers of Christ Jesus as mad men"!

How did Jehu appear?

2Ki 9:11  Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, Is all well? wherefore came this "mad fellow" to thee? And he said unto them, Ye know the man, and his communication.

Those that first met Jesus said:

Mar 3:21  And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, "He is beside himself".

They also said:

Joh 10:20  And many of them said, "He hath a devil, and is mad"; why hear ye him?

And of the Apostle Paul:

Act 26:24  And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, "thou art beside thyself"; much learning doth make thee mad.
Act 26:25  But he said, "I am not mad", most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness.

Jehu was a man on a mission and nothing Queen Jezebel could say could change these things.

Jezebel had triumphed for many years but on this day she would meet her bitter end.

No doubt those eunuchs had even been a victim of the cruelty of this evil woman.

We live in the day of "Grace" but it is a fact that God's "Judgments Are Also Certain"!

Isa 3:10  Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
Isa 3:11  Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.

This day, the judgment of Jezebel was fulfilled.

*****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.

At this point in her life Jezebel was the most powerful person in all the Northern Kingdom, yet her power was useless to her on this day.

God sees us as we are and to Him, Jezebel was just a sinner in need of a salvation that she had totally refused and rejected!

To Jehu, Jezebel was the most wicked woman to have ever lived and the Bible confirms that she certainly was in her day.

There was no respect offered to this Queen. Only the command to throw her down from a window that was high enough to cause her a sure death as she bounced off the side of the tapered wall and into the road.

Jezebel was bleeding and helpless and Jehu took his chariot and road over her as just another bump in the road to cross before he could be the new King of Israel.

As Jezebel had murdered, mutilated and maimed so many of God's prophets, so was the vengeance of the Lord upon her!

Mic 7:10  Then she that is mine enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the LORD thy God? mine eyes shall behold her: now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets.

What is the truth of the Day of the Lord?

Mal 4:3  And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts.
Mal 4:4  Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
Mal 4:5  Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

It will be under similar circumstances as these of Jezebel and Jehu, when the Prophet Elijah will return!

Jezebel is a "type" of "Babylon the Great". (Babylon has fallen, has fallen)

Rev 14:8  And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.

Jehu is a "type" of the wrath of God on this evil world.

Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

*****2Ki 9:34  And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king's daughter.
2Ki 9:35  And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands.

After such a deed, the first thing Jehu did was to establish himself in the royal palace and he had his first banquet.

It was only then that Jehu considered Queen Jezebel, but notice not as Queen Mother of the Northern Tribes of Israel but only as daughter to King Ethbaal of Zidon.

What had taken place would surely be an insult to her family who was a national leader who was on friendly terms with Israel at that time.

Sure Jezebel was cursed of the Lord and the Word of God would certainly be fulfilled but Jehu had thought to change things that he actually had no control over!

To be denied a burial would have insulted the government of Zidon but God had no respect for another pagan leader.

God's Word will stand up in this world as being infallible!

When those that went to bury Jezebel returned with this news, Jehu remembered what the Prophet of Elijah had said.

*****2Ki 9:36  Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel:
2Ki 9:37  And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.

What is the truth of the Scriptures?

**God will reward everyone to their own works!

Psa 62:11  God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.
Psa 62:12  Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.

If there was no retribution for sin, then the Atheist would be right, there would not be a Loving God, but we see that they are again proven wrong.

**Every person refusing to repent of their sin will personally witness the wrath of God!

Rom 2:8  But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
Rom 2:9  Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

This is every soul that does evil and ALL things are evil that go against the Word of God!

**There will also be a final judgment at a set time on all those that have rejected the Word of God and every record of good or bad will be exposed because God keeps good records!

Dan 7:10  A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

Rev 20:12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

**The torments to that lost soul, will begin in this life, continue in a greater fashion as that of Jezebel in her death, and increase and only increase on the day of the White Throne Judgment!

Why would anyone want to be a part of these things when God has made salvation such a simple thing!

2Co 11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Jezebel had caused terror in the land of the living and there are those today who are doing the same thing and God has only one answer for such things!

There would be no place for the family of Jezebel to go to pay their respects at her death except at the very wall of the city where she had met her doom according to the Word of God.

There was no grave or monument erected, the body of Jezebel was as the dung upon the face of a field as the dogs relieved themselves.

There was only one thing that remained.

Would Jehu fall into the trap of riches and power or would he follow the Word of God?

*****2Ki 10:31  But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD God of Israel with all his heart: for he departed not from the sins of Jeroboam, which made Israel to sin.

Jehu had been earnest in removing the government sponsored Baal-worship from the life of those of the Northern Kingdom.

BUT, Jehu was slack in any attempt to remove the false religion that had begun at the whim of Jeroboam.

The lesson for us is this. We have no problem seeing the terrible sin in the lives of others but we simply do not look at our own sin in the same fashion!

To Jehu those calves made by Jeroboam were a symbol of the independence of the Northern Tribes and he did not look upon this as sin!

And King Jehu had no intention of walking in the ways of the Lord!

And what were the results of Jehu's rebellion?

*****2Ki 10:32  In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel;

The glory of all of Israel began to grow dim and we see that another of prophesies of God began to take affect.

Elisha had said these words:

2Ki 8:12  And Hazael said, Why weepeth my lord? And he answered, Because I know the evil that thou wilt do unto the children of Israel: their strong holds wilt thou set on fire, and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword, and wilt dash their children, and rip up their women with child.
2Ki 8:13  And Hazael said, But what, is thy servant a dog, that he should do this great thing? And Elisha answered, The LORD hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria.

Israel never recovered from these days of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel and no national leader from their time forward walked in the ways of the Lord!

Until we have national leaders that truly walk in the name of the Lord and follow the Word of God, America will continue down this path of destruction that we are on now!

Questions?

Let's Pray!

The Demonic Duo, Ahab and Jezebel

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?

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