312. JUDGMENT ON THE HOUSE OF AHAB
"Evil doers shall be cut off, but those who wait upon Yahweh shall inherit the earth"
Ahab was a man who lacked strength and decision. He knew what was right in the sight of Yahweh but he failed to put it into practice. The main reason for this was his wife Jezebel. She was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Zidonians, and a Baal worshipper. She had no respect for the God of Israel and because she had a strong character she was able to mastermind and manipulate Ahab to do things against his own conscience.
In this lesson we shall go back to the days of Elijah to see the lengths Jezebel and Ahab were prepared to go to persecute the servants of Yahweh. Then we shall look at a later time when the terrible judgment that such actions reap were unleashed at the hand of Jehu.
The aim of this lesson is to show that the prosperity of sinners is short-lived, for they will ultimately be consumed out of the earth.
1 Kings 21; 2 Kings 9
NABOTH IS SLAIN BY JEZEBEL (1 Kings 21:1-14).
King Ahab loved luxury and pleasure and he desired to make a garden of herbs. To do this he needed more land and the most suitable piece was a vineyard alongside his palace on the hill of Jezreel. So he approached the owner, Naboth, with what appeared to be a very reasonable request: "Give me thy vineyard... 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" (v.2). But Naboth refused for religious reasons: "Yahweh forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee". The Law strictly forbade the disposal of a man's inheritance unless there were circumstances compelling him (Num. 36:7-9). Even then the land had to be returned to its original owner in the year of jubilee (Lev. 25:13-16).
Ahab's reaction to this rebuttal is an index to his character. He knew that the law made such stipulations and he did not attempt to argue against the words of Naboth, but he became sullen and sulky: "he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would not eat" (v.4). It was not long before Jezebel his wife perceived that he was melancholy. Upon her enquiry he told her the story, but he made no mention of the reasons Naboth gave for not giving up his vineyard. Breaking Yahweh's Law mattered not to Jezebel. Knowing this, Ahab did not bother to explain Naboth's reasons. Jezebel scorned Ahab for his weakness, "Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel?" and she called upon him to cast off his woes and be merry for she would see to it that his wishes were fulfilled (v.7).
Jezebel devised a plot in which false witnesses were to accuse Naboth of blaspheming God and the king before the people. The intimidated elders of Jezreel were to carry out this plan. Naboth was accused and then carried forth out of the city and stoned, along with his sons (v.13; 2 Kgs. 9:26). Thus Naboth died for his faith and he is no doubt one of the faithful referred in Hebrews 11:37, who through faith "were stoned".
Unlike Ahab, Jezebel had no scruples and did not hesitate to act. She cunningly plotted the cold-blooded murder of one of the faithful in Israel in a way which left her free of suspicion in the eyes of the people. Triumphantly she received the news that her intrigues had been successful.
CONFRONTATION WITH ELIJAH: THE HOUSE OF AHAB DOOMED (1 Kings 21;15-24).
It was with a great deal of satisfaction that Jezebel, on hearing of the success of her scheme, called upon Ahab to "Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth... which he refused to give thee for money" (v.15). Jubilantly Ahab arose in order to formally take possession (v.16). But Ahab had put out of his mind one important fact € Yahweh had seen all the evil that had taken place. Because of this he had determined to utterly destroy Ahab's house. Herein lies a great lesson for us all. We cannot hide any deed or even any thought from God (1 Pet. 3:12; Psa. 66:7; Jer. 17:10). This realisation should always be with us for it will help us put away evil thoughts and keep us from sin.
Yahweh informed Elijah of all that had happened and put in his mouth the words with which he was to convict Ahab: "Thus saith Yahweh, Hast thou killed and also taken possession? ... In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine" (v.19).
Ahab's pleasure was soon to be turned into fear. When he saw Elijah coming to meet him his conscience began to stir and he said, "Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?" (v.20). Elijah proceeded to pronounce solemnly the most terrible judgment imaginable upon Ahab and his house. The reason is given first € he had sold himself to work evil in Yahweh's sight € he knew what was right, but he had deliberately become the tool of the forces of evil. In the light of this statement we do well to ask ourselves the question, to whom have we sold ourselves, to God or to Sin? We can only serve one master. If we are not serving God in working for His Truth, then we must be serving Sin (Rom. 6:16-17; Matt. 6:24). Ahab was told that his posterity would be utterly destroyed and none would be left; in order to emphasise this he was told that his house would be made like that of Jeroboam and Baasha, both of which were brought to an abrupt and violent end (1 Kgs. 16:3, 11). So far as Jezebel was concerned, a particularly revolting end was decreed. Because she had incited her husband to do evil in the sight of the Lord, "the dogs would eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel".
AHAB REPENTS (1 Kings 21:25-29).
Because Jezebel was a stronger character than Ahab, she dominated him and caused him to do evil. She overrode his conscience when she sought to kill Elijah (19:1-2), and also in the case of Naboth. Through her influence Baal worship was introduced into Israel and the immoral practices of the Amorites were brought back. These abominable iniquities had been the cause of Yahweh casting the Gentile nations out before the children of Israel in the days of Joshua (vv.25-26; Gen. 15:16; Lev. 20:23-24). Ahab had, however, a lingering fear of Yahweh and this is clear from his reaction to the dreadful sentence passed on him: "he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly" (v.27). The amazing grace and mercy of God is seen in His response to Ahab's repentance € there would be a partial stay of judgment: "I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house". This amazing mercy shows how true it is that Yahweh has "no pleasure in the death" of the wicked, but will have all men come to repentance and be saved (Ezek. 18:23, 32; 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9; Ex. 34:6, 7).
JEHU DESTROYS THE HOUSE OF AHAB (2 Kings 9, 10).
The judgment upon the house of Ahab was deferred until after his death. Ahab was slain in battle by the Syrians at Ramoth-gilead. His blood-stained chariot was brought back and washed in the pool of Samaria along with his armour. There the sure and certain word of Yahweh was vindicated € "dogs licked up his blood" (1 Kgs. 22:38; 21:19).
There was to be poetic justice in every way; seeing Ahab had slain both Naboth and his sons, so he and his descendants would be annihilated. The man God raised up to carry this out was Jehu, the son of Nimshi. He was anointed king by one of the children of the prophets and given the solemn task of exacting Yahweh's retribution upon the whole house of Ahab. With great skill and cunning he ruthlessly and systematically eradicated all the family of Ahab.
The following list shows how completely Jehu carried out this commission:
1. 2 Kings 9:26. He slew Jehoram the son of Ahab, and cast him in Naboth's field, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Elijah (1 Kgs. 21:29).
2. 2 Kings 9:27. He ordered the slaying of Ahaziah, King of Judah, the son of Athaliah who was the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel.
3. 2 Kings 9:30-37. He slew Jezebel in Jezreel and trod her under foot.
4. 2 Kings 10:1-10. He terrified the men of Samaria, killing 70 of the sons of Ahab.
5. 2 Kings 10:12-14. He killed 42 princes of the court of Ahaziah, King of Judah, all relatives of Ahab through Athaliah who had married the King of Judah.
6. 2 Kings 10:17. He slew all those in Samaria connected with Ahab.
7. 2 Kings 10:18-28. He completely wiped out the worshippers of Baal in Israel.
THE SPIRIT OF JEZEBEL IN THE ECCLESIA (Revelation 2:20-23).
It is with the history of this period in mind that Revelation 2:20-23 makes mention of Jezebel. She accelerated the spread of false worship in Israel and persecuted the prophets of Yahweh, but at length she and her children were utterly destroyed. In the days when the Apocalypse was given false teachers were making inroads into spiritual Israel and corrup ting true worship: "seducing my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols". Collectively these apostates were called "that woman Jezebel". The fate of Jezebel and her children is the same as that decreed for these apostates: "I will... cast them into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation... And I will kill her children with death..." (Rev. 2:22-23). Thus we learn the lesson to cleave fast to the Word of our God, and not to be led astray by false theories and philosophies which have their source in the fallible human mind (1 Thess. 5:21; Acts 17:11).
With the passing of time false teachers gained the upper hand in the midst of the ecclesias; and the Truth was corrupted and lost, except for a small and persecuted remnant. The Jezebel-class developed further and matured with the emergence of the Roman Church as head over all churches and a persecutor of the true witnesses. In the hour of her judgment she (like Jezebel, cp. 2 Kgs. 9:30) is likened to a woman arrayed in purple and scarlet and she is called the "Mother of Harlots". As in the case of Jezebel, the latter-day Jehu, the Lord Jesus Christ, will swiftly and completely destroy this evil system (Rev. 18:21-24).
JEHU ASSESSED € A FAILURE (2 Kings 10:19-36).
Although Jehu was used to destroy the whole house of Ahab, he was not himself a man of upright character. He was a negative man, quick to judge others, but who himself walked in "the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin" (v.29). While we, too, are required to act against evil, it is equally important to purge fleshly ways from our own lives. Only then may the balance of the "goodness and severity" be seen in us. Jehu could find fault in others, but could not implement the Truth in his own life.
LESSONS FOR US:
€ We must be stable and steadfast as we walk towards the Kingdom. Ahab was easily manipulated by his evil and idolatrous wife and so ruin was brought on him, his house and Israel.
€ Marriage with one of likemind avoids this evil (Prov. 19:14; Eph. 5:25-33). It produces stability and harmony.
€ Yahweh does observe those who suffer for righteousness' sake and will bring just retribution upon those who afflict them. The prosperity of the wicked is but for a moment (Psa. 37:1, 2; 73:3-19).
€ Yahweh is just and merciful. His incredible mercy is seen when He deferred judgment on the house of Ahab because he humbled
himself. But though He is longsuffering, those who reject His mercy will be swiftly destroyed.
REFERENCE LIBRARY:
"The Story of the Bible" (H.P. Mansfield) € Vol. 5, No. 2, 6-7
"The Ways of Providence" (R. Roberts) € Chapter 20
"The Visible Hand of God" (R. Roberts) € Chapter 27
"Elijah the Tishbite" (J. Martin) € Chapter 9
PARAGRAPH QUESTIONS:
1. Describe the incident concerning Naboth the Jezreelite, showing briefly how his character contrasted with the character of Ahab and Jezebel.
2. When did Elijah announce God's punishment on Ahab and what was this punishment?
3. Jehu carried out God's judgments on the house of Ahab, but God was not pleased with him. Why was this and what lesson do we learn from it?
ESSAY QUESTIONS:
1. Write a character study on Ahab.
2. Jezebel is the name given in the book of Revelation to the false teachers who crept into the first century ecclesias. Show how appropriate this is by reviewing her life as revealed in the Book of Kings.
3. Outline the main lessons we learn from the lives of Ahab and Jezebel and the destruction of their house by Jehu.