Introduction: After Elijah had left Mount Horeb and returned to Israel, he seems to be out of the picture for a while. King Ahab, though, had been very busy with wars against Syria (see 1 Kings 20). After that, Ahab saw a vineyard belonging to someone else but Ahab wanted it anyway. He got it, all right, with the help of his wife Jezebel.
Then Elijah the prophet came, with a message directly for Ahab.
1 The Miscarriage of Justice
Text, 1 Kings 21:11-16, KJV: 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. 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. 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.
There’s some needed background to this story and it’s found in the first ten verses of this chapter. Ahab was king of the Ten Tribes (Israel); Jezebel of Sidon was his wife and the queen; and their neighbor was a man named Naboth who owned a vineyard in Jezreel, right next to Ahab's palace. This vineyard had been in Naboth’s family for quite some time, maybe even generations. Ahab offered Naboth money but Naboth said no to the offer.
To say the least, Ahab was very displeased. Verse 4 mentions Ahab was “heavy and displeased” or as the lexicon puts it, “sullen and vexed (https://biblehub.com/text/1_kings/21-4.htm)”. “Frustrated” is a word that comes to mind, and believe me, there are times I’ve felt like Ahab when I couldn’t get something I wanted! Many of us might feel or have felt the same way, no?
Jezebel, at least here, seemed to be a good wife (see verse 5) but she was always a bad person. She promised to get the vineyard from Naboth, money or no money, and as the story was told, she did exactly what she promised. All it takes is a bad person or two, a couple of false witnesses, and truth gets tossed out the window. Verses 11-14 have the record of, basically, a show trial in which Naboth was judged and executed without any mention of him pleading his own case.
Well, “justice” was served, at least as far as the alleged crime was concerned. The verdict was rendered, the sentence proclaimed, the punishment executed (as was Naboth), and the vineyard was (surprise, surprise) Ahab’s for the taking. Jezebel must have used some very soothing, or maybe encouraging words, possibly something like “I got it all fixed for you! Naboth is dead and the vineyard you wanted is all yours!”
So Ahab went down to Jezreel and the vineyard. I’ve sometimes wondered what Ahab may have been thinking as he took that journey: maybe he remembered how Elijah had run before him after the miracle of Mount Carmel, any number of miles in a blinding rain so Ahab could get safely to his palace. Maybe Ahab had a twinge of conscience, knowing his wife had caused an innocent man to lose his life just so he could claim the vineyard. Maybe he pondered if he should give credit to Baal (Jezebel’s god), Jeroboam’s calves, or the True God of Israel for this “gift!”
But no matter what he might have been thinking, there had been a serious miscarriage of justice and soon, no matter his thoughts, Ahab was soon to be face to face with none other than Elijah.
2 The Message to Ahab
Text: 1 Kings 21:17-24, KJV: 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.
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. 21Behold, 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.
Verses 17-19 contain the LORD’s message to Elijah, who seemed to be somewhere other than the immediate area (we’re not told where. This is another case, I think, where the LORD had hidden Elijah from his enemies). Now, however, this was the time for Elijah to bring another of the LORD’s messages directly to Ahab.
I can only guess at what Ahab thought when he looked up and saw Elijah standing in front of him, We’re told that he wasn’t happy that Elijah was there—I mean, how would you like if you were told to deliver a message and hear the words, “Did you find me, my enemy?” To copy from some British movies, the recipient might say something in reply to you like, “Ah, my enemy. Found me, did you?”
Elijah wasn’t fazed or upset in the least. He knew, of course, that Ahab was king and had plenty of power, and I think Elijah respected that. Elijah also knew that absolutely nothing would happen to him unless the LORD gave His approval. Elijah was thus ready to bring the LORD’s message no matter what.
He looked Ahab squarely in the eye, as I might think happened, and told him, “Yes, I did find you” and proceeded to give the rest of the message. Elijah cut Ahab to the quick when he reminded the king, “You sold yourself to work evil in the sight of the LORD” and that was absolutely true. Ahab might have been a powerful king in terms of war, and other things; but in matters of religion and faith, he was one of the worst to ever rule the Ten Tribes.
And Elijah didn’t stop there. He went on to announce the LORD’s judgments on Ahab and his family. First, he told Ahab that every male child of his would die (the wording in the KJV simply expresses the English vocabulary of the time). Then the LORD went on to say that Ahab’s “house” or dynasty would become extinct just as what had happened to Jeroboam, the first king (see 1 Kings 14 and 15) and Baasha, the king who had wiped out Jeroboam’s line (see 1 Kings 16:1-14 for those events).
The LORD wasn’t finished yet. He, through Elijah, added that Jezebel herself was going to die, and die a horrible death. He said Jezebel would be eaten by dogs by the wall of Jezreel. Several years later, that prophecy and promise was fulfilled when Jehu, son of Nimshi called for Jezebel’s death (2 Kings 9:30-37). All in all, the future looked grim and bleak as far as Ahab was concerned. Such was the message of judgment for going along with a very grievous sin and complete miscarriage of justice.
All wasn’t lost for Ahab, though. He took some corrective action, and God took notice. It wasn’t enough, though, to cause the “evil” or judgment of God to go away. It bears repeating that the LORD, God of Israel, is merciful and slow to anger. Had Ahab truly repented and walked away from his idols, the story might have been different. But, he didn’t, and he spent a good deal of time in misery. The next several verses describe this.
3 The Misery of Ahab
Text, 1 Kings 21:25-29, KJV: 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. 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.
The writer of this book, 1 Kings, echoes what Elijah said in verse 20 about how Ahab had sold himself to do evil the sight of the LORD. How much of that was his own decision and how much influence Jezebel had over him is something we may never know down here. What is important is that we do not let what happened to Ahab happen to us and become the slave of our own “gods” which would seek to control us!
Yet Ahab at least went through the motions to show some genuine remorse, misery, repentance; maybe a mixture of all three based on his (limited?) knowledge of the God of Israel Notice the various actions he performed as he humbled himself before the LORD.
First, he “rent’ or tore his clothes. Whether this means his royal robes, his undergarment, or anything else, we don’t know or need to know. Tearing one’s clothes was a sign of desperation, grief, or other strong emotions. Men as diverse as Reuben, Job, and Joshua all tore their robes when at a point of despair, one might say (see Genesis 37:29, Job 1:20; and Numbers 14:6).
Then he removed his undergarments and replaced them with sackcloth. Someone explained to me many years ago that sackcloth was almost like burlap (often used in the past for sacks of potatoes), a very rough fabric that is not at all comfortable. He also fasted, again a sign of humility. And he not only donned or put sackcloth on his flesh, he also “lay” in it or even wore it to bed (see https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7901.htm).
We’re not told how long this went on but it was enough for the LORD to give Ahab some measure of mercy. The judgment was sure, and the punishment was warranted, but the LORD promised, giving word to Elijah, that the promised evil would not come in Ahab’s own day but in his son’s day.
What can we take away from this? First, just because we want something doesn’t mean we have to scheme or take matters into our own hands if we don’t get it. Jezebel overstepped and Ahab did nothing to stop her—and the LORD was not pleased.
Second, even when we sin (and all of us do, let’s admit it), we don’t need to bluster like Ahab did when Elijah or any other godly minister approaches us. It’s better to plead for the LORD’s forgiveness than to bear the discipline or punishment we admittedly deserve. Sure, it’s true the LORD disciplines His children, but won’t it be better if we confess and make it right?
Third and finally, the LORD sees everything. He saw the make-believe trial where Naboth was sentenced to death and He saw all that went on to make it happen. He also saw that Ahab took at least some corrective action to humble himself. He sees us, too, inside and out.
And He loves us anyway! Don’t be an Ahab, be and Elijah instead!
Scripture quotations taken from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV)
