Womeninthechurch22

Women in the Bible

Lesson Twenty-Two: by turtle

This week we are finally getting to the point of seeing how wicked Queen Jezebel really is. We
know she follows false prophets and hates Elijah. Last week we seen Israel almost destroyed by
Ahab own mistakes of turning everything over to the enemy. Today we will see how poor
decisions and wicked ways will lead to destruction. How power used wrongly is evil. How greed
and envy causes your own destruction.

The story starts out with Ahab wanting a vineyard He can not have. It belongs to His neighbor.
He wants this vineyard so much because it is near to is house. He is willing to give fair market
value for it and even exchange it for another vineyard. Naboth who lives in Jezreel and a
Jezreelite tells the King, no. The reason why is this land was his inheritance, a piece of land that
belong to his ancestors.

The land that was Naboth ancestor’s would of been a value to him for it would of been part of
the promised inheritance to his tribe. Now one must remember Samaria was part of Israel
before the split of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. The inheritance land could never be
completely sold. If a poor man held a piece of property and need money He could do so by this
Levitical law, but property which one grew crops on could not be sold.

Leviticus 25:24-31 KJV
(24) And in all the land of your possession ye shall grant a redemption for the land.
(25) If thy brother be waxen poor, and hath sold away some of his possession, and if any of his
kin come to redeem it, then shall he redeem that which his brother sold.
(26) And if the man have none to redeem it, and himself be able to redeem it;
(27) Then let him count the years of the sale thereof, and restore the overplus unto the man to
whom he sold it; that he may return unto his possession.
(28) But if he be not able to restore it to him, then that which is sold shall remain in the hand
of him that hath bought it until the year of jubile: and in the jubile it shall go out, and he shall
return unto his possession.
(29) And if a man sell a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole
year after it is sold; within a full year may he redeem it.
(30) And if it be not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the
walled city shall be established for ever to him that bought it throughout his generations: it shall
not go out in the jubile.
(31) But the houses of the villages which have no wall round about them shall be counted as the
fields of the country: they may be redeemed, and they shall go out in the jubile.

Basically the God fearing man that Naboth land could not allow Him to sell it, but he could of
rented it to the King. We must remember King Ahab is not God fearing and his wife definitely
was not. So with the stage set for this story. Let us begin.

1 Kings 21:1-4 KJV
(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.
(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.
(3) And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my
fathers unto thee.
(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.

Now Ahab was distressed like a two year old would be if he can not have that toy he seen in the
toy store, or a teenager who can not have that new cd player. He just upset because he can not
buy what he wants. No doubt we all have been upset at one time or another about what we can
and can not buy.

Jezebel, Ahab’s wife, wants to know why He does not just claim it for himself, after all he is
king. Jezebel fait will be determined by her since of injustice verse common sense and her plot
to do a man of God in for is unwillingness to sell. Jezebel has Naboth killed by spreading lies
about him.

1 Kings 21:5-11 KJV
(5) But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou
eatest no bread?
(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.
(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.
(8) So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto
the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.
(9) And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the
people:
(10) And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou
didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.
(11) And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his
city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent
unto them.

Now I will be honest, you got to be very dirty person to cause this much destruction on
someone. To plot evil to cause someone harm. Some people are just that dangerous and
vindictive.

The town elders set up a feast in Naboth honor and have two witness tell lies about Naboth.

1 Kings 21:12-13 KJV
(12) They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.
(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.

What amazes me about Naboth death, is why did the town believe these two liars of Belial.
Belial would of been a pagan god. Was Naboth such an odd fellow that no one cared about him.
No I think it had to do with who started the rumor. I think it had to do with the fact Naboth
was a godly man, and the only way to justify killing him was to say he blaspheme God. It is sad
when people are so eager to not fight for just over the will of Queen Jezebel for a god-fearing
man. Only people that would do this is people that do not fear God but follow idols themselves.
It can be money or greed, or desire to have much. So now that Naboth is stoned to death the
story continues.

1 Kings 21:14-19 KJV
(14) Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.
(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.
(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.
(17) And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
(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.
(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.

Every good Bible story has to have a prophet in it that arrives on time. I have to admit that that
was the icing on this story. For see Elijah is a man of God and is willing to obey the voice of
God at all cost. Elijah runs into Ahab on the way to Naboth vineyard with a prophecy of his
destruction. Ahab is upset. But would you not be as well if a prophecy comes to pass.

1 Kings 21:20-27 KJV
(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.
(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,
(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.
(23) And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of
Jezreel.
(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.
(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.
(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.
(27) And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put
sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.

One got to remember Ahab’s mercy in last weeks lesson. I think it if had not been for the mercy
that Ahab shown the enemy of the Lord, the Lord would not of shown Ahab mercy now. See we
can not ever out do God. God shows mercy everyday that we live and everyday that one does
not live for God. We are only a breath away from destruction, yet in God’s mercy to forgive us
our sin. He loves us so much. God speaks to Elijah’s heart.

1 Kings 21:28-29 KJV
(28) And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
(29) Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before
me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.

Though Ahab was a wicked king, he just found grace in God eyes. He found love of God,
because of his repented heart. Ahab was still working on Ahab, Ahab seem through out this
course to be swayed by God and his evil wife, yet God still ministered to Ahab, because of his
willingness to repent. We can not sell someone short for their willingness to repent. We do not
know their heart, but God does.

Where are you in your life and relationship to God. Do you feel you are on the outs or just
passing by life desiring the things of your heart and flesh and not the things of God. Do you
desire to live for the Lord and do His will, then just repent and ask God to forgive you. Jesus
paid the price for you sins already all you got to do is receive Jesus as Lord. If you are
backslidden repent and ask Jesus into your heart.