A friend of mine told me of the kings of the Old Testament this really good insight: “There’s never a period in your life where you cannot identify with some stage of one of the kings of Israel or Judah.”
I’m going to need some volunteers later this evening, volunteers with a neat handwriting. There is a lot of moving pieces to this study but we are going to watch God bring judgment upon some wicked people.
God will do His act of judgment in a boomerang sort of fashion. Let me explain. In 1918, a small British Hull steamer named The Flixton was making its way up the English Channel. The look-out man spied a white line darting toward the ship and He knew what it was almost immediately, a torpedo from a German submarine At that very moment, the German submarine surfaced in order to relish the disaster its missile would bring. The lookout gave a shout and everyone ran to that side of the ship, but it was hopeless. It was too late to turn the vessel because in a matter of seconds they would be blown up. Then one of the strangest things happened. Within yards of its target, something went wrong with the torpedo mechanism. The torpedo reared its nose above the water, abruptly turned in its course, and shot straight back on the path it had just crossed. It completely reversed its course! The doomed British seamen saw the torpedo slam the German sub and blow up!
We are going to see the very people God has selected to judge the evil dynasties will themselves by judged.
Quick Review
Week One: The People Demanded a King Like Every Other Nation Week Two: we examined the lives of Saul, David, and Solomon Week Three: we examined the divided monarchy and the lives of Rehoboam and Jeroboam Tonight, we advance our study of the time when Israel has torn apart into two nations.
Quick Overview
The Southern Kingdom has twenty kings over its history. These twenty kings will reign from around 930 BC to 587 BC, or The Northern Kingdom will have nineteen kings (with a caveat) from around 930 BC to 722 BC. The Southern Kingdom is known a Judah and will last for around 345 years. The Northern Kingdom is known as Israel which is confusing. This would be similar to our Civil War and had the confederate states won, the northern states may have very well called themselves the United States. So Israel is the name of the nation when it is united and it’s the name of the northern kingdom when the nations are divided. The Northern Kingdom will last for around 210 years (less than the length of the US).
Now, Judah’s kings are all sons of King David were in Israel (Northern Kingdom), none of the kings are the sons of David. Judah is the unbroken succession Davidic dynasty were in Israel (Northern Kingdom), you have a series of mini-dynasties. Only four kings in Judah’s history are godly men (Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah) while none of the kings in Israel (Northern Kingdom) are godly men. Asa, Jehoshaphat, Hezekiah, and Josiah are all men you want to take home to meet your mother.
We have included a map (in the handout) that may help you put this period of time together in your mind as well.
All this happened around 35 years after the death of Solomon and the division of the kingdom into north and south. My friend, professor, and now fellow church member with you, Malcolm McDow writes of this period when he says: “During the last years of Solomon’s reign, the nation’s spiritual resolve drastically declined. Solomon amassed wives and concubines as readily as he amassed wealth. In attempts to appease these women, he defected from the worship of God and implemented pagan practices throughout the land. He started his reign so rightly and ended it so wrongly. He started it with deep spiritual commitment and ended it in worldly compromise. Solomon had the wisdom to astound the world, but he did not have the wisdom to control his life. The nation of Israel paid an enormous price for Solomon’s lack of resolve and discipline.”
1. “Flip Flop” King Asa
I don’t mean that King Asa wore flip flops under his royal robe. Asa started out strong from God but ended up altogether different – he flip-flopped. I’m getting ahead of myself.
Asa is the third king of the Southern Kingdom. King David would have been his great, great grandfather. It’s likely he is just a boy of around 10-12 years of age when he ascends to the throne. Remember that Asa came to the throne just after his father, Abijam (or Abijah), had reigned only briefly (913–910 BC). In fact, the Bible says this about Asa: “And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as David his father had done” (1 Kings 15:11). And to add those beautiful words, listen to this: “…the heart of Asa was wholly true to the LORD all his days” (1 Kings 15:14b). Only two other kings (Hezekiah and Josiah) receive higher commendations than Asa. Here was a man that honored God, feared God, and pleased God.
Here was a man who started out strong for the Lord but in the second half of his life, he swerved away from the Lord. To highlight his lack of loyalty to the Lord in his later years, one author called him the “flip-flop” king. To call him a “flip-flop” king may be a little harsh but it does highlight how he departed from the Lord in later life. He reigns from 911 to 870 BC or for forty-one years he was king. He inherited a really vulnerable kingdom and he comes to power when Judah is really hurting.
The first decade of his reign was a period of peace: “Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And Asa his son reigned in his place. In his days the land had rest for ten years” (2 Chronicles 14:1). During those ten years, he built new cities, fortified existing ones, and developed an army of 580,000 soldiers. After some two decades of apostasy in Judah, a dedicated worshiper of Yahweh has finally taken the throne. King Asa would lead the first of five great reformations in the nation of Judah. Let’s dig in for a moment to learn about the successes and failures of King Asa.
1.1 Asa Against the Ethiopians
It’s around 900 BC and watch how Asa responds to the threat of the Ethiopians: “Zerah the Ethiopian came out against them with an army of a million men and 300 chariots, and came as far as Mareshah. 10 And Asa went out to meet him, and they drew up their lines of battle in the Valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. 11 And Asa cried to the LORD his God, “O LORD, there is none like you to help, between the mighty and the weak. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name, we have come against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you.” 12 So the LORD defeated the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled. 13 Asa and the people who were with him pursued them as far as Gerar, and the Ethiopians fell until none remained alive, for they were broken before the LORD and his army. The men of Judah carried away very much spoil. 14 And they attacked all the cities around Gerar, for the fear of the LORD was upon them. They plundered all the cities, for there was much plunder in them. 15 And they struck down the tents of those who had livestock and carried away sheep in abundance and camels. Then they returned to Jerusalem” (2 Chronicles 14:9-15).
In more recent days, people are reluctant to call Zerah’s group as Ethiopians but Cushites. No matter, Asa has a small army against a larger army. He prays for the Lord to help the weak (verse 11). Note that he also tells the Lord that he is depending on the Lord in order to prevail (verse 12). The King James says verse 12 in a beautiful way that I want to highlight for us all: “We rest on thee, and in thy name we go.” The king prayed one of the greatest prayers of Scripture. He confessed his total dependence on Yahweh. His prayer ends with these words: “O LORD, you are our God; let not man prevail against you” (2 Chronicles 14:11). In all that you see from Asa at this point of his life, he is a model king.
1.2 Asa and the Prophet
Asa has been king for around fifteen years when we read this: “The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, 2 and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 3 For a long time Israel was without the true God, and without a teaching priest and without law, 4 but when in their distress they turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him, he was found by them. 5 In those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for great disturbances afflicted all the inhabitants of the lands. 6 They were broken in pieces. Nation was crushed by nation and city by city, for God troubled them with every sort of distress. 7 But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded” (2 Chronicles 15:1-7).
This is one of two prophecies that are made about Asa. This first one, Asa is happy to hear and receive while the second prophecy will make him angry. Note that the prophet is not only speaking to King Asa but all of Judah and Benjamin (verse 1). His message is really straight forward and simple: “If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you” (2 Chronicles 15:3). The prophet then reminded Asa of the past. He was reminding Asa that there had been a time in Judah's past that God had been forsaken, and anything to do with God had been abandoned and absent. He reminded Asa in verses 4-6, that this had been a time of trouble and turbulence. There had been no peace and there had been no prosperity. Then the prophet tells the king to take a stand: “But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded” (2 Chronicles 15:7). Asa responds in a powerful way: “As soon as Asa heard these words, the prophecy of Azariah the son of Oded, he took courage and put away the detestable idols from all the land of Judah and Benjamin and from the cities that he had taken in the hill country of Ephraim, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that was in front of the vestibule of the house of the LORD. 9 And he gathered all Judah and Benjamin, and those from Ephraim, Manasseh, and Simeon who were residing with them, for great numbers had deserted to him from Israel when they saw that the LORD his God was with him. 10 They were gathered at Jerusalem in the third month of the fifteenth year of the reign of Asa. 11 They sacrificed to the LORD on that day from the spoil that they had brought 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep. 12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and with all their soul, 13 but that whoever would not seek the LORD, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman. 14 They swore an oath to the LORD with a loud voice and with shouting and with trumpets and with horns. 15 And all Judah rejoiced over the oath, for they had sworn with all their heart and had sought him with their whole desire, and he was found by them, and the Lord gave them rest all around” ( 2 Chronicles 15:8-15).
Asa hears this mighty prediction from the prophet and he sets about reforming the religious practices of his nation. Some 700 oxen and 7,000 sheep were sacrificed to Yahweh. During the Pentecost festival in the third month of the fifteenth year of his reign, Asa summoned the people of Judah to Jerusalem for a great celebration. The people entered into a covenant to seek the Lord with all their heart. They even agreed that whoever would not seek Yahweh should be executed.
1.3 Going Against His Mother
Many of you are familiar with the movie, The Godfather, where Don Corleone says, “Never go against the family!” I’ll spare all of us my Godfather impersonation. Evidently, Asa didn’t learn this nugget from Don Corleone. Look at the remarkable courage of King Asa with me in 1 Kings 15:9: “In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah, 10 and he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom. 11 And Asa did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, as David his father had done. 12 He put away the male cult prostitutes out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. 13 He also removed Maacah his mother from being queen mother because she had made an abominable image for Asherah. And Asa cut down her image and burned it at the brook Kidron. 14 But the high places were not taken away. Nevertheless, the heart of Asa was wholly true to the LORD all his days” (1 Kings 15:9-14).
Asa had no use for idols – none whatsoever. He removes the idols that his father had made as stated in 2 Chronicles 15:16: “Even Maacah, his mother, King Asa removed from being queen mother because she had made a detestable image for Asherah. Asa cut down her image, crushed it, and burned it at the brook Kidron”( 2 Chronicles 15:16).
He even removes his mother from being Queen because such continued to worship an idol using Asherah poles. The Asherah symbol was a wooden pole here described as “repulsive.” This was broken up and burned in the Kidron Valley, which runs north-south on the eastern side of Jerusalem between the city and the Mount of Olives. Asa’s mother’s name was Maacah and he stripped his mother of her crown and position as queen because she had an idol and a place where she worshipped that idol. In fact, his actions with his mother were really part of what he was doing everywhere in Judah: “He took away the foreign altars and the high places and broke down the pillars and cut down the Asherim 4 and commanded Judah to seek the LORD, the God of their fathers, and to keep the law and the commandment. 5 He also took out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars. And the kingdom had rest under him” (2 Chronicles 14:3-4). To do what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord ought to the passion of our lives. This should be the pursuit of our lives, as well as the priority of our life.
Quick Note:
Asa’s failure to remove the high places from Israel (v. 17) appears to be a contradiction of 2 Chronicles 14:2, which states that he did remove the foreign altars and high places. Instead of seeing this as a contradiction, the two statements reflect the events religious preferences over thirty years apart. Since 2 Chronicles 15:17 refers to the latter part of Asa’s life while 2 Chronicles 14:2 refers to early reforms, the two statements simply indicate a state of affairs up to 30 years apart.
1.4 Asa’s Failure to Rely on God
Later in his reign, Asa abruptly abandoned his trust in God: In the thirty-sixth year of the reign of Asa, Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and built Ramah, that he might permit no one to go out or come in to Asa king of Judah. 2 Then Asa took silver and gold from the treasures of the house of the LORD and the king’s house and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Syria, who lived in Damascus, saying, 3 “There is a covenant between me and you, as there was between my father and your father. Behold, I am sending to you silver and gold. Go, break your covenant with Baasha king of Israel, that he may withdraw from me.” 4 And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the store cities of Naphtali. 5 And when Baasha heard of it, he stopped building Ramah and let his work cease. 6 Then King Asa took all Judah, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its timber, with which Baasha had been building, and with them he built Geba and Mizpah’ (2 Chronicles 16:1-6).
We have not spoken of the Northern Kingdom’s new king, Baasha. He represents the second family or the second dynasty of the Northern Kingdom. Baasha killed the son of Jeroboam around 908 BC and took the throne. He even killed every known relative of Jeroboam’s family which was customary. Baasha and Asa will simultaneously ruled their respective nations for 24 years. Around 894 BC, Baasha attacked Judah and remember there were always border skirmishes during this time. Baasha is seeking to recover lost territories by the previous administration so he attacked Ramah, which is only 5 miles from Jerusalem. Asa withdrew silver and gold from the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad, king of Syria, to encourage him to break the treaty he had with Baasha. However shrewd this scheme was politically, it displayed a lack of trust in the Lord. Ben-Hadad, king of Syria did attack some towns along the northern border of Israel.
1.5 The Second Prophetic Announcement
It’s here we read about the second prediction the prophets made about Asa. Asa isn’t too happy to hear this prophecy: “At that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah and said to him, “Because you relied on the king of Syria, and did not rely on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Syria has escaped you. 8 Were not the Ethiopians and the Libyans a huge army with very many chariots and horsemen? Yet because you relied on the LORD, he gave them into your hand. 9 For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him. You have done foolishly in this, for from now on you will have wars.” 10 Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in the stocks in prison, for he was in a rage with him because of this. And Asa inflicted cruelties upon some of the people at the same time. 11 The acts of Asa, from first to last, are written in the Book of the Kings of Judah and Israel. 12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was diseased in his feet, and his disease became severe. Yet even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but sought help from physicians” (2 Chronicles 16:7-12).
To summarize the second prophet, he essentially says, “King, you could have defeated the Northern Kingdom’s attack just like you did the attack from Ethiopia. Instead, you relied on you and your wisdom.” Asa’s sin was to rely on the king of Syria rather than on the Lord. Because he relied on himself, the king of Israel escaped him and would plague Judah for generations to come.
You’ve heard about those who shoot the messenger – well, that was Asa. God send a foot disease and Asa still doesn’t repent. In fact, the Bible tells us that “even in his disease he did not seek the LORD, but sought help from physicians” (2 Chronicles 16:12b).
Matthew 1:7–8 lists Asa among Jesus’ ancestors.
1.6 Robert Robinson
Robert Robinson, the author of the great hymn, Come, Thou Fount, was just a small boy when his father died. Without a father to guide him, the young Robert ran around with some bad kids. One day his gang of friend harassed a drunken gypsy by pouring liquor into her. They demanded she tell their fortunes for free. It was then she pointed her finger at Robert she told him he would live to see his children and grandchildren. This struck a tender spot in his heart: “If I'm going to live to see my children and grandchildren,” he thought, “I’ll have to change my way of living. I can’t keep on like I’m going now.” Robinson was saved under the ministry of George Whitefield. Robinson later became a Baptist preacher and pastor and was known as an able theologian through his writings of many theological works and hymns. The hymn, Come, Thou Fount was written when he was 23 years old. An expression in the third verse, “Prone to wander - Lord, I feel it, -- Prone to leave the God I love,” seems to have been prophetic of the later years, as once again his life became characterized by lapses into sin. The story is told that Robinson was one day riding a stagecoach when he noticed a woman deeply engrossed with a hymnbook. During an ensuing conversation the lady turned to Robinson and asked what he thought of the hymn she was humming. It is said that Robinson burst into tears and said, “Madam, I am the poor
unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I
had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then.”
1. The Flip Flop King Asa
2. Don’t Blink: Israel’s Succession of Kings
When Asa is king of Judah, the Northern Kingdom has 6 different king during this time. It was a remarkable time of instability for Israel.
2.1 Nadab
Nadab represents the 2nd ruler of the Northern Kingdom around 909 BC. Jeroboam’s immediate successor was his son Nadab, who lasted for around one year (1 Kings 15:25-32). He was Jeroboam, Jr., as far as his religious policy went (1 Kings 15:26). Next up is Baasha who comes to power in 1 Kings 15:27. Baasha kills off Nadab as Nadab is warring against the Philistines. Remember the prophecy back in 1 Kings 14:10 that foretold of the end of Jeroboam’s reign. So Baasha’s violence was God’s punishment for this evil family.
2.2 Baasha the Butcher
Baasha reigned for a total of 24 years and he is the third ruler of the Northern Kingdom. God sends a prophet to tell Baasha this in 1 Kings 16:1: “And the word of the LORD came to Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha, saying, 2 “Since I exalted you out of the dust and made you leader over my people Israel, and you have walked in the way of Jeroboam and have made my people Israel to sin, provoking me to anger with their sins, 3 behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 4 Anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the field the birds of the heavens shall eat” (1 Kings 16:1-4).
Notice God says He lifted him “out of the dust” in verse 2. He would war against Judah for most of his reign as I outlined for you earlier. God says of Baasha: “He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel to sin” (1 Kings 15:34). He took over Jeroboam’s throne and kept practicing Jeroboam’s religion. One evil king knocked off another evil king. Since Baasha had led Israel into sin and had angered God, dogs would eat the members of his family who died in the city; birds would eat those who died in the field. Baasha died and was succeeded by his son Elah.
2.3 Elah
Elah is the fourth king of the Northern Kingdom and he reigns for just two years. He is the son of Baasha. Within just two years Elah was assassinated, and all the rest of Baasha’s heirs were put to death by another usurper, Zimri: “In the twenty-sixth year of Asa king of Judah, Elah the son of Baasha began to reign over Israel in Tirzah, and he reigned two years. 9 But his servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. When he was at Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household in Tirzah, 10 Zimri came in and struck him down and killed him, in the twenty-seventh year of Asa king of Judah, and reigned in his place.
11 When he began to reign, as soon as he had seated himself on his throne, he struck down all the house of Baasha. He did not leave him a single male of his relatives or his friends. 12 Thus Zimri destroyed all the house of Baasha, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke against Baasha by Jehu the prophet, 13 for all the sins of Baasha and the sins of Elah his son, which they sinned and which they made Israel to sin, provoking the LORD God of Israel to anger with their idols” (1 Kings 16:8–13).
I know not everyone is a Elah when it comes to drinking. Many people don’t abstain from alcohol and can control their drinking. I have chosen not to drink as has my wife. I pray drinking is not part of my three children’s lives. We have alcoholics in our family history and stories have been passed down to us how much of disaster this can bring to a family. It’s easy to see what fool Elah had become all because he had no self-discipline.
Zimri assassinates Elah in a military coup. There’s a lot of assassinations going on here so let’s put these two kings together. Nadab is killed by Baasha: “And as soon as he was king, he killed all the house of Jeroboam. He left to the house of Jeroboam not one that breathed, until he had destroyed it, according to the word of the LORD that he spoke by his servant Ahijah the Shilonite” (1 Kings 15:29). Elah kills Baasha: “Anyone belonging to Baasha who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the field the birds of the heavens shall eat” (1 Kings 16:4).
Where is God in all this? Yahweh uses evil men to punish other evil men and later judges the evil instruments he used for their own evil. Sometime later, God judges Judah by having the Babylon conquer it. Here’s God’s explanation of His actions: “It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth, with the men and animals that are on the earth, and I give it to whomever it seems right to me. 6 Now I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him also the beasts of the field to serve him. 7 All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes. Then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave” (Jeremiah 27:5-7).
God is having one evil man take out another evil man. God is judging evil in successive generations. Let’s watch it. First, God says He will eliminate all of Jeroboam’s family for their evil (1 Kings 14:10-11). Second, Baasha does exactly what God predicts would happen (1 Kings 15:27-29). Third, God predicts Baasha and all his family will be destroyed because of their evil against the family of Jeroboam (1 Kings 16:7). Baasha is judged for having the first family killed and Baasha is responsible for his evil actions.
Jesus predicted this of Judas: “For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born” (Mark 14:21). Jesus’ death is a matter of God’s sovereign plan (‘as it is written’) assisted by man’s wicked deed (‘betrayed’), and this is terrifying (‘It would have been better …’). Judas is responsible for his actions even if God used him as part of His Almighty plan. I spoke of God using Babylon earlier but listen to how He judged the nation of Babylon for their actions:
“I was angry with my people;
I profaned my heritage;
I gave them into your hand;
you showed them no mercy;
on the aged you made your yoke exceedingly heavy” (Isaiah 47:6).
2.4 Zimri
Zimri is the fifth king of North Israel but he only was king for 7 days (1 Kings 16:15). Zimri, a chariot captain in Israel’s army, assassinated King Elah and took control of the palace of Tirzah (1 Kings 16:8–15) Zimri commits suicide because Omri is marching against him in a coup: “And when Zimri saw that the city was taken, he went into the citadel of the king’s house and burned the king’s house over him with fire and died, 19 because of his sins that he committed, doing evil in the sight of the LORD, walking in the way of Jeroboam, and for his sin which he committed, making Israel to sin” (1 Kings 16:18).
Why is this part of the Bible so boring? Monotony is a trademark of evil. I love what Ralph Davis says of this section of Scripture: “Have you ever wondered why parts of the Bible are boring? Like this text? They’re boring because they are the records of sinful men who simply repeat the sins and evil of those before them. Sin is never creative but merely imitative and repetitious. Maybe you can sin with a flair but you can’t sin with freshness… Evil can distort and ruin and corrupt and do re-runs, but it can’t be original, nor even scintillating. Evil carries a built-in yawn.”
2.5 Tibni
Tibni is king of about half of Israel because the other half wanted our next king, Omri: “Then the people of Israel were divided into two parts. Half of the people followed Tibni the son of Ginath, to make him king, and half followed Omri. But the people who followed Omri overcame the people who followed Tibni the son of Ginath. So Tibni died, and Omri became king.” (1 Kings 16:21-22).
Tibni might have been an army officer. Tibni ruled over half of Israel from 885–880 BC before Omri defeated him in a civil war.
2.6 Omri
The sixth king of the Northern Kingdom and he marched against Zimri as you just learned moments ago. He reigned for twelve years from around 885-874. Your Bible says very little about Omri for he was even more wicked and irreligious than any of his predecessors. Omri and his son, Ahab strengthened the Northern Kingdom’s position with a number of new alliances and fresh conquests. They put an end to the long-standing but pointless warfare with Judah, and this led to a new period of prosperity and peace in the southern state also. “Omri did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and did more evil than all who were before him” (1 Kings 16:25).
2.7 Ahab
Ahab is known as the most wicked king of the Northern Kingdom: “(There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. 26 He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the people of Israel)” (1 Kings 21:25–26).
Ahab is the seventh king of Samaria, also known as Israel, the northern Kingdom. He reigned for twenty-two years but his reign was all about compromise and failure. Pastor R. G. Lee says of King Ahab, “[He] had command of a nation’s wealth and a nation’s army, but he had no command of his lusts and appetites.” He is married to none other than Jezebel and these two introduced Baal worship to the Northern Kingdom. There two incited God’s anger more than any of Israel’s previous kings. Ahab’s marriage to Jezebel, a Phoenician princess, had both commercial and political benefits. Commercially, it brought desired goods to Samaria and opened the way for expanded sea trade. Politically, it removed any military threat from Phoenicia.
2.7.1 Ahab’s Life
You may find it interesting to know that 1 Kings 22:39 says he built an ivory house for his wife and Harvard excavations have discovered the very site. Ahab was successful in two major campaigns against the Syrian king, Ben-hadad, but was mortally wounded in the third. His participation in the great battle of Qarqar (853 BC) is not mentioned in the Bible but it was recorded on an inscription of Shalmaneser III of Assyria. He likely worshipped the God of the Bible along with other gods.
2.7.2 Naboth’s Vineyard
2.7.2.1 Naboth
Meet Naboth the famer: “Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria” (1 Kings 21:1). Yes, Naboth owned a vineyard in the little village of Jezreel around 8 miles from Megiddo. Megiddo is the site of Armageddon of Revelation so this is an important piece of land. In fact, locals will tell you this is the “bread basket of Israel” – it is still a really important piece of land to this day. His vineyard was right next to the King’s royal gardens so when the king looked to expand his garden, he wished to have Naboth’s vineyard. Naboth could hear the loud music from every shindig the king and queen put on over the years. He was aware of the rumors of what when on behind closed doors and behind the tall walls. And what he had not heard, he certainly had seen enough to write a “tell-all” over the years.
The king wants Naboth’s little vineyard (1 Kings 21:2). Like a Texas rancher, Naboth’s land has been in his family for years and he has no desire to sell it but to pass it along to his children. He could remember his father and his grandfather working the land. He had fond memories of his mother and grandmother raising their family right there on the land. He could reach down into the soil and grab dirt that generations had walked on – the land meant a great deal to him. Now, Naboth is a father and a husband (2 Kings 9:26). Most importantly, he is a man of principle – a man of the Word.
Listen to the first words Scripture records from Naboth’s mouth: “But Naboth said to Ahab, ‘The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers’” (1 Kings 21:3). Naboth’s reply to the king left no wiggle room for haggling – this land wasn’t for sale for any price. Naboth was a man of conviction. Naboth was a good man.
2.7.2.2 The Land
Let me circle back to his vineyard for a moment. You need to know the land of Israel was different in Naboth’s day and he knew it. When I was young boy, in our school we sang this song in music class:
“This land is your land, this land is my land
From the California to the New York island
From the Redwood Forest, to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me.”
That maybe true of America but in Naboth’s day, the land belonged to God. And Naboth remembered his Sabbath school teachers teaching him the third book of the Bible, the book of Leviticus. He knew the land of Israel belonged to the Lord at this time (Leviticus 25:23). He knew the land of Israel could not be sold permanently (Leviticus 25:23). At best, Naboth could only have leased his land to someone else. Naboth believed in sacred places that were not for sale. Naboth was a man of conviction and how we need more men and women of conviction. Naboth loves God, loves his nation, and loves his family.
2.7.2.3 Ahab’s Greed
Ahab badly wanted Naboth’s vineyard. In fact, he makes Naboth an offer: “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house, and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money” (1 Kings 21:2b). When Naboth refused to sell, we witness the king pouting. Servants brought him his meal but he had no appetite for it: “And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and would eat no food” (1 Kings 21:4b). The king of the nation is a spoiled, sulking brat who pouts when he cannot get his way. Here is a child with a million toys to play with but it angry because just one toy is kept from him.
Naboth believed in sacred places that were not for sale. Ahab believed everything was for sale. And watch greed’s signature ploy in our friend, Ahab – greed is to blind to itself. It’s easy to spot when the serpent called greed has bitten someone else but it is nearly impossible to feel its fangs in me. Greed likes to hide in the shadows away from your plain sight. Look carefully at Ahab for here is a man who could whip the Syrians but he could not whip himself into shape. Even though he had many homes, he couldn’t rest until he owned one more piece of property. Yes, Ahab didn’t have the necessary discipline to govern himself much less govern others. Naboth was a good man but Ahab was a wicked king.
2.7.2.4 Jezebel
Jezebel sought to convert Israel to Baal worship. To do this, she went about doing her best to silence the prophets of God. These prophets felt the sword of persecution as Jezebel systematically martyred all that she could locate (1 Kings 18:4). A few survived only because Obadiah, a court official, spared them and provided for them. Jezebel goes into the king’s private chambers to meet her sullen husband: “But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, ‘Why is your spirit so vexed that you eat no food’” (1 Kings 21:5)? Not only was Jezebel was the queen of Israel, she was also the daughter of the king of Tyre. She knew instinctively how a king should act. Unlike her wimpy husband, her father seized what he wanted. She looked at this whipped pup of a husband and wondered who had neutered him of his courage: “And Jezebel his wife said to him, ‘Do you now govern Israel? Arise and eat bread and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite’” (1 Kings 21:7).
She felt that no king was subject to a law. Instead, the king’s wishes were the law. Here was a woman with no scruples. Here was a scary woman and rotten to the core. Jezebel says, “I’ll give you the land.” The queen gets busy in verse 8: “So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city” (1 Kings 21:8). In verse 9, we discover what she wrote: “And she wrote in the letters, ‘Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people. 10 And set two worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death’” (1 Kings 21:9–10).
The queen in essence functions like the king. Watch the irony now: Naboth used the law to protect his land but Jezebel weaponizes the law. She had earlier attempted to destroy all of God’s prophets (1 Kings 18:4). She perverts the law and turns it inside out like a sock from your dryer. Jezebel no more than puts her pen to paper than men leap to their feet: “And the men of his city, the elders and the leaders who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. As it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, 12 they proclaimed a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people” (1 Kings 21:11–12).
Look what happens next: “The two wicked men came in and sat opposite him. Then the wicked men testified against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, ‘Naboth has cursed God and the king!’ So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones. 14 Then they sent word to Jezebel: ‘Naboth has been stoned to death’” (1 Kings 21:13–14).
Jezebel wastes no time for as soon as she hears of the report, she leans over to tell her husband in the middle of verse 15: “‘Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite who refused to give it to you for silver, since Naboth isn’t alive, but dead.’ 16 When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite to take possession of it” (1 Kings 21:15–16).
Naboth believed in sacred places that were not for sale. Ahab believed everything was for sale. Jezebel believed there was no price too high.
2.7.2.5 Elijah
The whole story rises to the tension narrative when Elijah enters. The man of God gets a word from God. So close to God was Elijah that he didn’t die but was translated right into the presence of God (2 Kings 2:1-12). Remember he called down rain during a time of tremendous drought at Mount Carmel and raised the widow’s son from the dead. Elijah’s only home is the equivalent to the foyer of Ahab’s summer home. Listen to God’s words to His prophet: “Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: 18 “Get up and go to meet King Ahab of Israel, who is in Samaria. He’s in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. 19 Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you murdered and also taken possession?’ Then tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where the dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, the dogs will also lick up your blood’” (1 Kings 21:17–19)! These two had a history together. Ahab says to Elijah in verse 20: “Have you found me, O my enemy?” Elijah might have said, “Don’t shoot the messenger” but he said none of this. Elijah possessed an unusual courage.
2.7.2.6 The Judgment
Now, Ahab does tear his clothes in verse 27 in an attempt to make things right. And God does delay His judgment until the king’s death (1 Kings 21:29) but some respects it was “too little, too late.” The die had been cast of lifetime of evil actions.
One chapter later, God delivers on His word when Ahab dies in battle: “So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria. 38 And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes washed themselves in it, according to the word of the Lord that he had spoken” (1 Kings 22:37–38).
Elijah then turns his attention to Jezebel when she too will die for her sins. In fact, dogs will eat her and she doesn’t even have a decent burial. Naboth believed in sacred places that were not for sale. Ahab believed everything was for sale. Jezebel believed there was no price too high. Elijah believed life was more precious than land.
Sometimes greed and greedy people will run right over your life. Not everyone can succeed at the American dream. There are some righteous Naboths of the world whose lives and families get run over by the greed of Gordon Gekko’s of the world. We must remember that the great act of justice this world has seen was produced by two false witnesses: “Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward 61 and said, ‘This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days’” (Matthew 26:59–61).
1. The Flip Flop King Asa
2. Don’t Blink: Israel’s Succession of Kings
