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Bibles to 1 Kings chapter 21. 1 Kings chapter 21. This morning I noted in our study 
in the book of Acts, Acts chapter 6, 8 to 15, the arrest of Stephen. Some have seen a parallel between 
what occurs with Stephen and what occurs with Naboth here 
in 1 Kings chapter 21. So we'll expound this section 
of scripture and then try and draw out some practical some 
practical applications, but I'll begin reading in 1 Kings chapter 
21 at verse 1. And it came to pass after these 
things that Naboth, the Jezreelite, had a vineyard which was in Jezreel, 
next to the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria. So Ahab spoke to 
Naboth, saying, Give me your vineyard, that I may have it 
for a vegetable garden, because it is near, next to my house, 
and for it I will give you a vineyard better than it. or if it seems 
good to you, I will give you its worth in money. But Naboth 
said to Ahab, The Lord forbid that I should give the inheritance 
of my fathers to you. So Ahab went into his house sullen 
and displeased because of the word which Naboth, the Jezreelite, 
had spoken to him. For he had said, I will not give 
you the inheritance of my fathers. And he lay down on his bed and 
turned away his face and would eat no food. Jezebel, his wife, 
came to him and said to him, Why is your spirit so sullen 
that you eat no food? He said to her, Because I spoke 
to Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to him, Give me your vineyard 
for money, or else, if it pleases you, I will give you another 
vineyard for it. And he answered, I will not give 
you my vineyard. Then Jezebel, his wife, said 
to him, You now exercise authority over Israel. Arise, eat food, 
and let your heart be cheerful. I will give you the vineyard 
of Naboth the Jezreelite. And she wrote letters in Ahab's 
name, sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders 
and the nobles who were dwelling in the city with Naboth. She 
wrote in the letters saying, proclaim a fast and seat Naboth 
with high honor among the people and seat two men, scoundrels, 
before him to bear witness against him saying, you have blasphemed 
God and the king. Then take him out and stone him 
that he may die. So the men of his city, the elders 
and nobles who were inhabitants of his city, did as Jezebel had 
sent to them, as it was written in the letters which she had 
sent to them. They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth with 
high honor among the people. And two men, scoundrels, came 
in and sat before him. And the scoundrels witnessed 
against him, against Naboth, in the presence of God and the 
king. I'm sorry, in the presence of the people saying, Naboth 
has blasphemed God and the king. Then they took him outside the 
city and stoned him with stones, so that he died. Then they sent 
to Jezebel, saying, Naboth has been stoned and is dead. And 
it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned 
and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession 
of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused 
to give you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead. So it 
was when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab got up and 
went down to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the 
Jezreelite. Then the word of the Lord came 
to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Arise, go down to meet Ahab, 
king of Israel, who lives in Samaria. There he is in the vineyard 
of Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it. 
You shall speak to him, saying, Thus says the Lord. Have you 
murdered and also taken possession? And you shall speak to him, saying, 
Thus says the Lord. In the place where dogs lick 
the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood, even yours. 
So Ahab said to Elijah, Have you found me, O my enemy? And 
he said, I have found you because you have sold yourself to do 
evil in the sight of the Lord. Behold, I will bring calamity 
on you. I will take away your posterity 
and will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel, both bond and 
free. I will make your house like the 
house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and like the house of 
Besha, the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which 
you have provoked me to anger and made Israel sin. And concerning 
Jezebel, the Lord also spoke, saying, The dog shall eat Jezebel 
by the wall of Jezreel. The dog shall eat whoever belongs 
to Ahab and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall 
eat whoever dies in the field. But there was no one like Ahab 
who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord, because 
Jezebel his wife stirred him up. And he behaved very abominably 
in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had 
done, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. 
So it was when Ahab heard those words that he tore his clothes 
and put sackcloth on his body and fasted and lay in sackcloth 
and went about mourning. And the word of the Lord came 
to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, See how Ahab has humbled himself 
before me? Because he has humbled himself 
before me, I will not bring the calamity in his days. In the 
days of his son, I will bring the calamity on his house. Amen. Well, let us ask God's blessing. 
Our Father, we thank You for the written Word. We thank You 
for all that Scripture instructs us. We thank You for the history 
of Israel and these prophets that show us the Word of the 
living God. We ask now for the ministry of the Holy Spirit to 
help us to understand the passage and help us to make some application 
of it and see to it that it affects our life for good. God, we ask 
this for the name and for the glory of Your Son, the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Amen. Well, Ahab is introduced 
in 1 Kings chapter 16. He technically reigned or he 
assumed the throne in the northern kingdom from 874 to 853 BC. And right away in chapter 16, 
we see that he's committed to doing evil. He's a wicked man. 
He's a wicked king. It's not enough. for him to walk 
in the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, he has to take 
it to the next level, if you will. And he marries this woman 
Jezebel. Now Jezebel comes from Sidon. Jezebel's father is Ephbaal, 
the king of the Sidonians. And so Baal worship is engaged 
in by Ahab outside of Israel, but then Ahab builds a monument, 
or an altar rather, to Baal within Samaria itself. And then, of 
course, in 1 Kings chapter 17 and 18, we see Elijah take him 
to task. And then in 1 Kings 20, we see 
the beginning of the end for Ahab. In fact, you're there. 
You can look up just a little bit in your Bibles. Notice in 
1 Kings chapter 20 at verse 42. Then he said to him, thus says 
the Lord, because you have let slip out of your hand a man whom 
I appointed to utter destruction, therefore your life shall go 
for his life and your people for his people. That was the 
beginning of the end. Ahab should have killed Ben-Hadad, 
the king of the Syrians, but rather Ahab spared his life and 
let him go, and now God the Lord says, you're gonna die. Ahab 
does die and he will die in 1 Kings chapter 22. But before we get 
there, what Ahab does is he adds murder, he adds theft, he adds 
a whole host of other crimes and sins to his already very 
well padded resume of wickedness and evil in the sight of Yahweh. 
So I want to look at two things as we consider this particular 
chapter. First, the murder of Naboth in verses 1 to 16, and 
then secondly, the condemnation of Ahab in verses 17 to 29. But in the first place, note 
this desire. Ahab wants this man Naboth's 
vineyard because it'll make a good vegetable garden. I mean, this 
is this man's inheritance from Yahweh. It's something given. 
It's something passed on within the particular tribe or family 
or clan. And so Ahab is musing, and Ahab 
says, wouldn't this man Naboth's vineyard make a wonderful vegetable 
garden? And so he gives him this offer 
in verse 2. Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, 
Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, 
because it is near, next to my house, and for it I will give 
you a vineyard better than it. Or, if it seems good to you, 
I will give you its worth in money. Now, you need to understand 
something about Naboth's reply. He's not being harsh, he is being 
biblical. He is not being unkind, he is 
being covenantal. Notice in verse 3, Naboth said 
to Ahab, the Lord forbid that I should give the inheritance 
of my fathers to you. He invokes the name of Yahweh 
as he says no to Ahab. These inheritances came from 
God. The inheritance of the land came 
from God. The allotment of specific portions 
of that land came as a gift from God. There were strict inheritance 
laws, and there were certain instances where persons could 
sell, for a time, their particular parcel of land. But Naboth wasn't 
facing one of those extremities. Naboth wasn't facing anything 
like that and so he invokes the name of God and he refuses to 
have dealings with Ahab with reference to this sale of the 
land. Davis says that he treasures Yahweh's land gift passed down 
via his ancestors more than making bucks or placating kings. Naboth 
is not nasty but definite. His refusal is couched in strong 
language, but one cannot say he is obnoxious. He had a perfect 
right to refuse Ahab's offer. He did so because his thinking 
was covenantal rather than pragmatic. Note that in his reply, Naboth 
identifies himself as a man subject to God and caring for his law. So that's the basis upon which 
Naboth refuses the king's offer. Now notice the king's response 
and his conversation with Jezebel. I think Matthew Henry is right 
when he says, nothing but mischief is to be expected when Jezebel 
enters the story. I mean, we can't say enough bad 
stuff about her. I mean, she is just the epitome 
of evil and wickedness. Certainly Ahab was no sterling 
character or virtuous person, but the fact that he took on 
as his wife this woman Jezebel, I mean, the story will demonstrate 
and evidence to you just how nasty a piece of work she really 
is. But notice in verse 4, So Ahab 
went into his house sullen and displeased. Go back to chapter 
20. After that announcement by God 
through the prophet that his life was going to end, he engaged 
in the same sort of a response. Verse 43 of chapter 20. So the 
king of Israel went to his house sullen and displeased and came 
to Samaria. You get the distinct impression 
that when Ahab doesn't get what Ahab wants, he gets all sullen 
and displeased. He's a powder, he's a whiner, 
he's a grumbler. And that is precisely what happens 
after Naboth refuses his offer. And he tells Jezebel what's happening, 
and then Jezebel says in verse 5, she came to him and said to 
him, why is your spirit, or rather he is this way, she sees this 
and says, why is your spirit so sullen that you eat no food? 
Intriguingly, Ahab responds that Naboth said no. He doesn't say 
that Naboth said no in the name of Yahweh, probably because he 
knew that she didn't care one bit about the name of Yahweh. 
She didn't care one bit about the inheritance laws of Israel. 
She didn't care one bit as to why Naboth said no. All he told 
her was that Naboth said no. And now let's look at Jezebel's 
plan. Notice, specifically, what she says. Verse 7. Now, you have 
to understand something about Jezebel. Who was her father? 
Ephbaal, king of the Sidonians. Well, Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians, 
didn't sort of try to barter with persons in his kingdom for 
their land. If Ethbaal wanted something, 
Ethbaal took it. So Jezebel just cannot perceive 
or conceive of the reality that Ahab is a king. Ahab wants a 
particular vineyard so that he can make it into a vegetable 
garden, and Ahab is going to go away frustrated. She will 
not have any truck with a weak, spineless, sort of a man like 
that. She tells him, you go ahead and eat. Mama's going to take 
care of everything. I will make sure you get this 
parcel of land. I will make sure, Ahab, that 
you're not frustrated. I will make sure that heads roll, 
specifically Naboth and his sons. Now, the text here in 1 Kings 
21 does not stipulate that his sons died, but 2 Kings 9 highlights 
that his sons died. And that needed to happen, because 
if the man, the husband, the father died, the land would naturally 
pass to his heir. If the heir is gone, then it 
will pass to the crown. Ultimately, this is a case of 
eminent domain gone very, very wrongly. But this is what Jezebel 
does. She tells him that she is going 
to take care of the situation. One man said, she has been trained 
in the absolutistic traditions of the Phoenician city-states. 
To her, Ahab seems a weakling. Now, brethren, Ahab is a weakling, 
and this passage demonstrates that. It tells us later, the 
narrator, a narrator, makes an observation about his increasingly 
or exceeding wickedness, and it tells us that Jezebel incited 
him to do evil. Now, the narrator is not telling 
us that to relieve him of his responsibility, but rather it 
exacerbates his responsibility. He's not only wicked, but he's 
weak. He's not only somebody that is 
evil in the sight of Yahweh, he's somebody that can be bossed 
around by his own wife. And the narrator says to us that 
this man is in fact wicked. Now note, with reference to her 
particular plan, it's outlined there in verses 8 to 10. The 
plan has royal authority. Notice what she says. Verse 8, 
she wrote letters in Ahab's name, sealed them with his seal, and 
sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who were dwelling 
in the city with Naboth. Notice as well, there's a religious 
guise. in which she quotes this particular 
plan. Notice, proclaim a fast and seat 
Naboth with high honor among the people. It was commonplace 
in these days if there was a religious problem or there was some sort 
of an issue in society, you would proclaim a religious fast in 
order to deal with it. So she's got the king's backing, 
she's got the religious cloaking, she's got all that in place. 
Notice as well, it's got a judicial appeal, or at least it has the 
sense of being legitimate when it comes to the judicial process, 
and seat two men, scoundrels, literally sons of Belial, worthless 
ones. But there are two, because the 
biblical stipulation for a capital crime demands two or three witnesses. You couldn't just have one witness. You had to have at least two 
witnesses, according to Deuteronomy 17 and Deuteronomy 19. So she 
is dotting her I's, crossing her T's, and then notice the 
seriousness of this particular plan. See, two men, verse 10, 
scoundrels before him to bear witness against him saying, you 
have blasphemed God and the king. Just like we saw this morning, 
this is a capital offense. Leviticus 24 tells us specifically 
that blasphemy was punishable by death. Jezebel knows precisely 
what she is doing. Jezebel knows that the only way 
to get Naboth's vineyard is to liquidate Naboth, to get rid 
of his sons, to destroy all the heirs so that Ahab can now have 
a bigger vegetable garden. This woman is, in fact, ruthless, 
this woman is, in fact, wicked, and Ahab is just as ruthless 
and just as wicked. And then notice the very end 
of verse 10. This plan ultimately rejects due process. Summary 
execution is never allowed. Can't just say he's a blasphemer 
and then take him out and execute him. That's what they do to Stephen. 
That's what they will do to Stephen. When we get to that section in 
Acts chapter 7, 54 and following, it's a summary execution. They 
just hear him, they're incensed and outraged, and they go and 
prevail upon him with stones. And the same thing is outlined 
here in Jezebel's plan. Now note, with reference to the 
execution of her plan in verses 11 to 16. Now this is where the 
story gets a little sad. Not that it isn't sad that Ahab 
is the way Ahab is, and that Jezebel is the way Jezebel is. 
But, you know, once in a while you get a royal couple that's 
a one-off. They're just exceedingly wicked, and exceedingly horrible, 
and exceedingly bad. The verse 11 tells us that Jezreel 
is no better. Now, of course, they're kowtowing 
perhaps to royal pressure, but that there's not one man that's 
going to resist this plan, that there's not one person that's 
going to stand up and say, this is wrong. Look at verse 11. So 
the men of his city, the elders and nobles who were inhabitants 
of his city, did as Jezebel had sent to them as it was written 
in the letters which she had sent to them. Again, I realize 
the royal pressure is probably heavier than stuff that we know. 
But the idea is that persons ought to do the right thing because 
it's the right thing. And I think that this particular 
story, this narrative, this account, rather, of Naboth highlights 
that. John Gill makes this observation 
on the text. He says that Jezebel should contrive 
so execrable a scheme, that means something really bad, and that 
there should be such sons of Belial among the common people 
to swear to such falsehoods need not seem strange. But that the 
elders and nobles of the city, the chief magistrates thereof, 
should be so sadly and universally depraved as to execute such a 
piece of villainy is really surprising. Idolatry, when it prevails, takes 
away all sense of humanity and justice. It's one of the lessons 
that I want to make at the very end of our study tonight, but 
I'll go ahead and introduce it so you can think through it. 
When idolatry is adopted societally, when idolatry is the norm, the 
rest of God's law goes the way of all flesh. In other words, 
if we reject the first four commandments, we reject having no other gods 
before me, not making idols, not blaspheming, not breaking 
the Sabbath. When we reject the first table of the law, the second 
table is rejected. In other words, the problem with 
Jezreel is not necessarily weak-willed leaders. The problem with Ahab 
is not necessarily spinelessness. The problem with Ahab is idolatry. When men worship that which is 
not God, they have no reason for treating others with respect 
and dignity. And in this particular instance, 
these elders are towing the line. Davis says, the text is telling 
us that injustice flourishes not only by wickedness, but by 
weakness. Not merely from a lack of goodness, 
but by a lack of guts. I'm sure you've all seen the 
quote from Cicero. Cicero was a Roman politician 
and lawyer who lived in 106 to 43 BC. And he said, there are 
two kinds of injustice. The first is found in those who 
do an injury. We all agree with that. Two kinds 
of injustice. The first is found in those who 
do an injury. The second in those who fail 
to protect another from injury when they can. There's a wonderful 
illustration, not wonderful in the sense that it's good, wonderful 
in the sense that it's powerful, in Judges chapter 15. In Judges 
chapter 15, the Philistines want to take Samson. The Philistines 
want to destroy Samson, because Samson had already destroyed 
some Philistines. They want to exact their pound 
of flesh. And so they come after Samson, 
but they meet the men of Judah first. And the Philistines tell 
the men of Judah that we want Samson because he's done thus 
and thus to us. So the Judahites take 3,000 men 
to go to Samson. Think about that. Not three men. Not 6 men, but 3,000 men. Why? Because they know what Samson's 
capable of. They are afraid of him. But when 
the Judahites go to Samson, they side with the Philistines. They 
say, don't you know, Samson, that what you're doing affects 
me, us, Judah? They sigh. They put themselves 
in line with the Philistines. And then they tell Samson, we're 
only going to capture you. We're not going to kill you. 
We're just going to capture you and turn you over to the Philistines. 
And of course, they're going to kill you, to be sure. It shows 
the spinelessness and the gutlessness of those men of Judah, which 
is all the more exacerbated by the very first two chapters of 
the book of Judges. Who's the first tribe that goes 
out conquering and to conquer? It's Judah. By the time we get 
to chapter 15, they have so assimilated Philistine culture. They have 
so identified with their captors that now a man who poses resistance 
to these masters is the danger and the menace to society. So 
that's when they turn Samson over to the Philistines. But 
lo and behold, the Philistines don't kill Samson. Samson rather 
picks up the jawbone of an ass and he dispatches a thousand 
Philistines in that particular exchange. So all of their gutlessness 
and all of their spinelessness, turning this man over to their 
enemies, nevertheless results in him killing Philistines like 
it's his job. That is a big problem, brethren, 
when good men don't do what they're supposed to do. There are two 
kinds of injustice. The first is found in those who 
do an injury, the second in those who fail to protect another from 
an injury when they can. And then notice, the execution 
of her plan, it goes just according to the way she wanted it to go. 
The proclamation of the fast, the seating of Naboth, the presence 
of the sons of Belial, you've got the false witnesses, you've 
got the assertion that he has committed blasphemy. Notice, 
verse 13, two men, scoundrels, came in and sat before him, and 
the scoundrels witnessed against Naboth in the presence of the 
people, saying, Naboth is blaspheming God and the king. Then they took 
him outside the city and stoned him with stones, so that he died. 
Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth has been stoned and is 
dead." Again, Davis says, the appropriate penalty followed. 
That motionless form, that penalty of execution by stoning on the 
conviction of blasphemy. Again, it was carried out in 
summary execution fashion, but that is the consistent punishment. He says, the appropriate penalty 
followed. That motionless form, that pulverized mass of flesh 
and bone is mute testimony to what happens to those who won't 
play ball with the government. And again, I think we need to 
contemplate this. You know, the state works with 
coercion. So, obviously, Jezebel's a happy 
camper, and she goes back now and tells Ahab. Look at verse 
15. It came to pass when Jezebel 
heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, that Jezebel said 
to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, the 
Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, for Naboth 
is not alive, but dead. So it was when Ahab heard that 
Naboth was dead that Ahab got up and went down to take possession 
of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. I've already mentioned, 
it's the sons of Naboth that died as well. Now the inheritance 
laws are pretty tricky, not tricky, but detailed in the Old Testament. 
And at some point, the land would eventually pass to the crown. 
But it's not lawful in this instance, because when the Tishbite comes, 
he not only indicts Ahab for murder, but for taking the land. He did not have the right of 
eminent domain at this particular juncture. He is engaged in governmental 
overreach. This was a gross abuse of his 
power. And I just want to say, before 
we move on, the apparent success for Ahab I mean, if we stopped 
and only preached half the message tonight, it would be pretty bleak, 
wouldn't it? It'd be pretty depressing. I mean, we get to verse 16 there, 
and Ahab got what he wanted. Everybody did what Jezebel said. 
It's kind of like that story or that account with reference 
to King David. After David engages in adultery 
with Bathsheba, and then he covers up by having Uriah put to death, 
there's no mention of God at all until the very last verse 
in that chapter. It says, but the thing that David 
did displeased Yahweh. So there might have been a time, 
at least in the mind of David, that he had committed the perfect 
crime. There might have been in the thought of Ahab at this 
particular juncture that he had accomplished the perfect crime. 
Nobody should cross me. I'm the king of Israel. I'm married 
to this little pistol of a woman here. Boy, she's able to get 
stuff done. This will be published and nobody 
will ever make the mistake of not giving me their vineyard. 
He probably thought that everything was a done deal. It was a slam 
dunk. Everything was going according to plan. You see, this is what 
sinners never reckon with. The thing that David did displeased 
Yahweh. The thing that Ahab did displeased 
Yahweh. There's a lesson, an encouragement, 
an exhortation for the people of God. We oftentimes think that 
when we face injustice, nobody really knows or nobody really 
understands. Nobody's able to appreciate. 
Well, the Lord God Most High sees. The Lord God Most High 
knows. And the Lord God Most High will 
vindicate His people and punish the guilty. You must be convinced 
of that. This is a sin-sick, twisted world 
where a whole host of bad things happen to a whole host of good 
people. And I mean redeemed people. And 
this is an encouragement that the Lord God does not close His 
eyes to the suffering and the travail and the trial and the 
affliction of His people, but will rather vindicate their holy 
names and will rather vindicate His holy name by vindicating 
them and will bring punishment to bear upon evildoers. So let's look now at the condemnation 
of Ahab, verses 17 to 29. Notice God's response to this 
ordeal. Nobody told God. The elders didn't 
have a, you know, a session of fasting and prayer, communicate 
to Yahweh. Tragic things have happened. 
We were complicit and this poor Naboth and all of his sons are 
now dead and bloodied and buried. They didn't say that. As I said, 
God knows what's happening. God sees. God observes. Then 
the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, verse 17, 
saying, Arise, go down to meet Ahab, king of Israel, who lives 
in Samaria. There he is in the vineyard of 
Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it. You 
shall speak to him saying, Thus says Yahweh. Have you murdered 
and also taken possession? And you shall speak to him saying, 
Thus says the Lord. In the place where dogs lick 
the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood, even yours. 
the instruction to reprove Ahab, and the instruction for Elijah 
to announce the impending death of Ahab. So you see that. Chapter 
20, verse 42. Ahab, you're gonna die. We see 
it here in chapter 21. And yet, Ahab still marches into 
battle in chapter 22. I mean, I guess some people just 
never get the message. They just continually harden 
themselves. When God tells you you're going 
to die, it's probably best that you just pull the covers up and 
wait for it to happen. Don't go into battle. That's 
just, you know, insanity, but that's precisely what Ahab ultimately 
does in chapter 22. But notice, Elijah comes to Ahab. Verse 20, so Ahab said to Elijah, 
have you found me, O my enemy? You really got to appreciate 
this because in 1 Kings chapter 18, when Ahab finally meets up 
with Elijah, Ahab has the gall to call Elijah the troubler of 
Israel. The implication is we are experiencing 
drought now, Elijah, because of you, you Tishbite. You're 
the problem. You're the trouble. You're the 
calamity. Well, Elijah does not stand for that at all. Elijah 
says, you're the idolater. You have brought this judgment 
upon yourself. And the same thing is here. Have 
you found me? Oh, my enemy. Isn't it just like 
the wicked to look at the prophet as if the prophet is the enemy? 
That person who tells you the truth is not your enemy. That 
person who tells you the truth, even if it's truth you don't 
want to hear, is your friend. The enemy will lie. The enemy 
will pad. The enemy will sue. The enemy 
will tell you things that you want to hear. The true prophet 
of God tells you the things that God has commanded. You'll see 
it with Micaiah the prophet, with reference to Ahab. When 
Jehoshaphat says, isn't there any more prophets? Ahab says, 
yeah, there's one more, but I don't like him because he never tells 
me what I want to hear. For all of his faults, at least 
Ahab gives us an honest moment there. I don't like Micaiah because 
he tells me the things that I don't want to hear. And so when Micaiah 
comes on the scene, he tells him, go into battle, you're going 
to win. He's saying that sarcastically. He is saying it facetiously. 
Never think that the prophets of God lacked a sense of humor. 
That is precisely what Micah does. And then Ahab says, how 
many times have I told you to tell me the truth? Really? And 
then he tells him that you're going to die in battle. You see, 
your friend is those who tell you the truth. Your friend is 
the one who speaks the Word of God to you. They're not enemies. Now, certainly people can be 
obnoxious when they can communicate the truth. They can be unkind. They can be a whole lot of things. 
The bottom line is, when persons convey to you the truth, you 
have a friend. But not in the world of Elijah. 
In fact, Matthew Henry says, that man's condition is very 
miserable that has made the word of God his enemy. And his condition 
is very desperate that reckons the ministers of that word, his 
enemies, because they tell him the truth. So Elijah reproves, 
Elijah rebukes in 20b. I have found you because you 
have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord. And 
now he highlights the specifics that are going to come to Ahab. 
Verse 21, Behold, I will bring calamity on you. This is in Elijah. It's not the private word of 
the prophet. This is God the Lord through Elijah the Tishbite. Behold, I will bring calamity 
on you. I will take away your posterity and will cut off from 
Ahab every male in Israel, both bond and free. I will make your 
house like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and like the 
house of Basha, the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with 
which you have provoked me to anger and made Israel sin. There were two other kings that 
God decimated, not only those men, but all of their heirs. It was the end of a dynasty. 
It would be the end of Ahab's dynasty. This will ultimately 
be realized by Jehu as he goes about on that particular path 
to eliminate all the sons of Ahab from ever taking the throne. In Israel, God's Word proves 
to be sure. And then notice, with reference 
to the comment, or well, just continue, hear what he says concerning 
Jezebel. Verse 23, And concerning Jezebel 
the LORD also spoke, saying, The dog shall eat Jezebel by 
the wall of Jezreel. The dog shall eat whoever belongs 
to Ahab and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall 
eat whoever dies in the field. Now, I would imagine, you know, 
people that are new to the Bible read such things and they say, 
well, you know, how barbaric? I mean, you know, this poor woman 
is going to actually be dead and her blood's going to be on 
the ground and these poor dogs or these vicious dogs are going 
to lick up the blood. Dogs got to eat too. And this 
woman is a terrible specimen of a human being, and she met 
the end ordained for her by God Almighty. Brethren, this is justice. This is righteousness. This is 
the execution of God's holy will. And you can read about it with 
Jehu. What happens after he dispatches 
her? He goes and he eats. I mean, just a great picture 
of a man. I just picture him making a bologna 
sandwich after this is all done, putting his feet up after a hard 
day at work. But God the Lord tells him, not 
only Ahab's going to meet his demise, but also Jezebel. And then as I mentioned, 25 and 
26 highlight or give us the narrator's sort of a bird's eye view. Verse 
25, but there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness 
in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel, his wife, stirred him 
up. She enticed him. She incited 
him. And he behaved very abominably and following idols, according 
to all that the Amorites had done, whom the Lord had cast 
out before the children of Israel. Again, the reference to Jezebel 
stirring him up or inciting him to do evil does not mitigate, 
but rather it exacerbates his evil, his viciousness. Davis 
says that Jezebel incited Ahab to evil does not lessen, but 
aggravates Ahab's guilt, for it shows that he was not only 
wicked, but weak, not simply sinful, but spineless. Men ought to stand up to their 
wives if the wives are commanding them to do vicious things like 
kill poor Naboth. Now, what is most surprising 
about this chapter is verses 27 to 29. What is most surprising 
about this chapter is verses 27 to 29. Now notice at verse 
27. So it was when Ahab heard those 
words that he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his body 
and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about mourning. He really 
doesn't strike one as the kind of guy who would do such thing 
under the preaching of the Word of God. He doesn't really strike 
one as the sort of fellow that would actually, at least outwardly, 
humble himself and show some degree of remorse. This isn't 
repentance, because in repentance, he would confess his crime, he 
would try to make good on the crime that he had committed, 
he would return the land or, you know, make sure that the 
appropriate parties got the land. So, this isn't repentance, and 
I don't want us to be deluded or faked into thinking that it 
actually is, but there is some sort of outward a pang of conscience. There's some sort of a turmoil 
in the man's soul. There's some sort of humbling 
of himself going on in this particular section. So the king humbles 
himself at God's Word. The indictment made an impression 
upon him. That's what verse 27 tells us. When Ahab heard those words, 
the words from the prophet Elijah the Tishbite, that he tore his 
clothes and put sackcloth on his body and fasted and lay in 
sackcloth and went about mourning. I mean, in some sense, he does 
more in terms of an outward show of repentance than many of God's 
people actually engage in with genuine and true repentance. 
So this repentance, again, probably more like remorse, is sincere, 
but it's not lasting. It's not that this carries him 
on to his grave. But for the moment, it is pretty 
amazing that this kind of a fellow, who we've just been told sort 
of up the ante in terms of wickedness in the Northern Kingdom. I mean, 
Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, was the benchmark of evil. But Ahab 
out-Jeroboam's Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. He takes wickedness 
to a new level. You know, you hear that sometimes. 
We want to take our business to the next level. It's almost 
as if Ahab said, I want to take wickedness and corruption to 
the next level. And he does that very thing. 
Now, so that's surprising. But God's response, I think, 
is what's most surprising in the entirety of the chapter. 
And that's verse 28. And the word of the Lord came 
to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, See how Ahab has humbled himself 
before me? Because he has humbled himself 
before me, I will not bring the calamity in his days. In the 
days of his son, I will bring the calamity on his house. So, 
God says, I'm going to suspend judgment. It's not going to directly 
fall upon Ahab. He's going to die in battle, 
but it's not the case that all of his sons are going to die 
right away. We will stay that for a coming 
son. So, in one sense, God sees this 
outward remorse of this man, and he says to Elijah, did you 
see that? Not that God is surprised, not 
that God moves from one state to another, but remember the 
Bible is a document that accommodates itself to us. It speaks in the 
manner of man so that we can appreciate something of the heart 
of God. And I would suggest to you that 
if God looks upon this kind of outward remorse, it's not repentance. He looks upon this kind of an 
overture of humbling oneself before God, if he says to the 
prophet Elijah, see how Ahab has humbled himself before me? And then God actually stays the 
execution, at least for a few years, I would suggest that those who 
come to God through Christ with repentance, he is never going 
to cast out. If he says to Elijah, hey, did 
you see Ahab? What's he going to do with one 
in our midst that can't even lift up his eyes to heaven, but 
beats his breast and says, God, be merciful to me. Is he not 
going to receive? Is he not going to forgive? Is 
he not going to pour out grace? Of course he is. If He is surprised 
by, again, in the manner of man, and He's impressed by, again, 
in the manner of man, this repentance of Ahab, what is it when one 
of us, by grace, comes to Him repentant? He's going to receive 
us. He's going to forgive us. He 
is going to confer blessings upon us. He is going to convey 
that forgiveness of sins that is His handy work. Truly, it is an amazing picture. See how Ahab has humbled himself 
before me? Because he has humbled himself 
before me, I will not bring the calamity in his days. In the 
days of his son, I will bring the calamity on his house. Well, 
in conclusion, I want to highlight just a few things by way of application. First, the fact that God's people 
face injustice in this world. The fact that God's people face 
injustice in this world. Naboth faced injustice. Naboth was executed so that somebody 
could steal his vineyard and turn it into a vegetable garden. 
Not just somebody, not some villain, not some thot, wasn't home invasion, 
it was the very crown. They come and they purge and 
they take from him. There is injustice in this world, 
brethren, and you need to be able to see that this is not 
uncommon. We see it with the Lord Jesus 
in Matthew chapter 26. What did the Sanhedrin do? They 
sought out false testimony. They sought out perjurers. They 
sought out liars and false witnesses so they could build a case against 
the Messiah. We saw it this morning in Acts 
chapter 6. They couldn't best Stephen in 
disputation. They couldn't best Stephen in 
rational exchange. They couldn't win Stephen when 
it came to the interchange of ideas and doctrines. So what 
do they do? They subtly induce men to say 
that he was a blasphemer. They stir up the crowds so that 
everybody will have this anti-Steven sentiment. They then arrest Steven. They then take Steven to the 
Sanhedrin, and then they set up false witnesses. It was a 
rigged trial. Everything was calculated for 
a guilty verdict and ultimately execution. Again, that's not 
uncommon in the world. It's certainly not uncommon for 
people in Pakistan. It's certainly not uncommon for 
people in China. It's not uncommon for people 
in North Korea. It's not uncommon, brethren. 
And we need to face the reality that God's people oftentimes 
face injustice in this world. The health, wealth, prosperity 
idea, I won't call it a gospel because it's not, is more lies. that you'll never have any trouble, 
you'll never have any affliction, everything will only ever go 
your way, is completely contrary to what we find with reference 
to Naboth, with what we find with reference to the Savior, 
with what we find with reference to Stephen, godly Stephen, Christ's 
martyr. It is completely contrary to 
Paul's words. All who desire to live godly 
in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. It's contrary to those people 
that heard Paul's preaching in Acts 14, when he said, we must, 
through many tribulations, enter the kingdom of God. Notice that 
there was no interchange from the crowd saying, well, what 
do you mean by that? Paul had just been stoned. He 
probably limped to the pulpit. He was probably helped to the 
pulpit. We know that bit in Galatians 6 where he says, from now on, 
let nobody trouble me, for I bear in my body the brand marks of 
Jesus. What's he mean? He means that 
God's people face injustice in this world. Peter tells us when 
these things happen, don't flip out. Don't think it a strange 
thing. You're living as a godly man 
or woman in an ungodly world. There's Ahab's and there's Jezebel's. They liquidate people simply 
to make vegetable gardens. That's the kind of corruption. 
That's the kind of wickedness. That's the kind of evil that's 
in this world. As I said, look through it and 
realize that ultimately God vindicates His people. Secondly, the fact 
that governments may administer injustice. The fact that government... I know it's a bizarre thing to 
even contemplate, but just ask people under Mao. Just ask people 
under Pol Pot. Just ask people under Hitler. 
Just ask people under Joseph Stalin. I mean, in many ways, 
Stalin made the rest of them look like pikers, made them look 
like amateurs. Stalin was vicious and vile and 
wretched. What, 20 million people executed 
in those purges? That is inconceivable, brethren. But your government may at times 
administer injustice. There is unlawful confiscation 
of property, eminent domain. That's my property. You shouldn't 
take it. That's just not right. Private 
property is protected by the Eighth Commandment. I've said 
it before. I'll say it again. It always 
amazes me when people say, you know, it's all about economics. 
That's not morality. Economics is morality. When men 
steal from you, that is immoral, and governments are not allowed 
to confiscate private property. As well, the unlawful rejection 
of due process. I'd like to think our lives have 
a bit more protection than some terrible woman writing a letter 
and sending it to the elders of our city, proclaiming a fast 
and calling us blasphemers, and then taking us out and stoning 
us. and the unlawful use of lethal force. Again, the government 
has been given the sword. It has been given that capacity 
or that capability by God the Lord. But they have to wield 
it responsibly. They can't wield it however they 
want. They can't wield it capriciously 
or arbitrarily. It must be governed by the Word, 
the Law of God Almighty. Davis, again, makes this beautiful 
pithy comment. He says, ordinarily, we are to 
submit to government. Always, we should beware of it. Ordinarily, we are to submit 
to government. Always, we are to beware of it. And that doesn't mean, you know, 
march in there and see for them and all that sort of thing. But 
realize that the government may administer injustice. Thirdly, 
the fact that God intervenes in the affairs of men. The Lord 
takes notice of what His people endure, and the Lord renders 
justice. Those dogs licking up the blood 
of Jezebel are God's agents of judgment. That's why we should 
never be offended or say, oh, that's unsavory, the thought 
of dogs licking up the blood of Jezebel. If you know anything 
about Jezebel, you'll praise God, from whom all dogs flow 
that lick up the blood of such terrible people. And we might 
ask the question, why didn't God intervene earlier? Why didn't 
God send the Tishbite before Naboth met his end? I don't know. God has His ways, God has His 
purposes, God has His will, and it will be done. Fourth, the 
fact that idolatry leads to manifold social ills. I think this is 
the emphasis in Romans 1. We look at Romans 1, and it's 
a typical vice list. It's a list of vices that sinners 
commit. But we need to see the connection 
in Romans chapter 1. The vice list follows the religious 
comment. In fact, verse 18 says, the wrath 
of God is revealed from heaven against all what? Ungodliness 
and unrighteousness of men. Some say, oh, you're not supposed 
to take that as a priority statement. John Murray argues that it is 
a priority statement, and I think he's right. Ungodliness precedes 
unrighteousness. In other words, what we think 
concerning God affects the way we live in society. And then 
the apostle highlights that. He says they knew that God is, 
because God made it manifest to them, but they suppressed 
the truth and unrighteousness. He says that they were not thankful 
to God, and they did not honor God as God. Professing themselves 
to be wise, they exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God 
for creeping things and four-footed animals. In other words, they 
exchange the glory of the Creator and they start to bow down to 
the creature. It's on the heels of that religious 
commitment that all the vices then flow. All of the social 
ills that we currently witness today, it's a result of idolatry. What does a homosexual need to 
hear? He needs to hear the gospel. 
What does a murderer need to hear? He needs to hear the gospel. What does a thief need to hear? 
He needs to hear the gospel. In other words, when he moves 
from Baalism to Yahweh, he'll stop murdering. He'll stop perverting 
himself in sexual immorality. He'll stop being a thief. We 
need to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to sinners everywhere. Again, that doesn't mean we don't 
say, you shouldn't do that, or you shouldn't do that. The answer 
for societal ills is ultimately the gospel of Jesus Christ our 
Lord. Because when men turn from their 
useless idols to the true and living God. When they embrace 
the first table, then they'll embrace the second table of the 
law. When men reject the first table, 
they'll always reject the second table. You see a society debauched. You see a society godless. You see a society wicked. What's 
at the core? The core is lack of faith. in 
the Lord Jesus Christ. John Gill says, idolatry, when 
it prevails, takes away all sense of humanity and justice. See, when you worship Baal, it 
doesn't matter if you murder Naboth. When you worship Baal, 
it doesn't matter if you euthanize old people. When you worship 
Baal, it doesn't matter if you murder babies in their mother's 
wombs. If you worship Baal, it doesn't 
matter because Baal doesn't come down on you and judge you for 
your having done those particular evils. But when you worship Yahweh, 
you have respect for the first table, you embrace the second 
table, and you treat men with dignity and with respect. Proven 
says abandonment of God inevitably leads to abandonment of righteousness. We see the reality of this in 
1 Kings 21. In this society given over to 
idol worship, covetousness leads on to false testimony, murder, 
and theft. And then the last point is that 
found in verse 29, the fact that God is indeed a merciful God. The worst king, verses 25 and 
26, highlights the merciful God. It's no accident. The author 
is writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He knows 
that when he puts in 25 and 26 to tell us just how bad Ahab 
really is, and then he comes to verse 27 to tell us even this 
man who's as bad as I just described, he gives this outward show of 
remorse or of a humbling of himself, but notice the great mercy and 
the goodness of God Almighty. John Gill says, this was not 
a pardon, only a reprieve. The sentence pronounced on him 
and his family was not taken off nor countermanded, only the 
execution of it prolonged. It is promised that the destruction 
of his family should not be in his lifetime, but after his death, 
in his son's days. Otherwise, he himself died a 
violent death and the dogs licked his blood, as were foretold. 
However, this may be an encouragement to those who are truly humbled 
for their sins and really repent of them, that they shall receive 
forgiveness at the hand of God, since He showed so much regard 
to an outward humiliation and repentance. In other words, brethren, 
I think what Gil is saying in a quote I'm going to read from 
Matthew Henry in just a moment is, we can preach the gospel 
from 1 Kings chapter 21. We can show sinners how merciful 
our God is. We can show sinners how good 
our God is. Because that's the rub, isn't 
it? We go out and we tell sinners, you're a sinner. You're lawless. 
You've transgressed God's law. You have lacked conformity under 
God's law. You are justly liable to the wrath and fury and judgment 
and punishment of God. But lo and behold, the good news 
is that Christ is the mediator. The good news is that Christ 
is the one in whom, if sinners look, they will find forgiveness 
and they'll receive the righteousness of God. This God is good. He 
not only says that He does these sorts of things, but He also 
demonstrates that He does these sorts of things. Because even 
when this Ahab, this most wicked of the kings, actually humbled 
himself in some outward sort of way, God says to Elijah, hey, 
did you see that? Did you see what he did? He actually 
humbled himself. And God deals mercifully with 
Ahab. Will not God deal mercifully with you? Matthew Henry says, 
this encourages all those that truly repent and unfaintedly 
believe the Holy Gospel. If a pretending partial penitent 
shall go to his house reprieved, doubtless a sincere penitent 
shall go to his house justified. And I think that's a great take-home 
message. If you have not come to Israel's God through the Lord 
Jesus Christ, then may I say, please do so. Because God the 
Lord says to Elijah, did you see that? This outward show of 
remorse is nevertheless blessed by God. Again, not salvation, 
not the lifting of the curse, but a staying at least of the 
execution that was going to come. So go to the Lord Jesus Christ, 
and you will, as Henry says, as Jesus says, this one went 
to his house justified. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You for Your Word. We thank You, Father, that in 
the midst of a world where there is such injustice, we have a 
God of justice, a God of righteousness, a God who does take note of the 
sufferings of his people. I ask or I pray that you would 
help us to see the lessons in this particular chapter. Give 
us grace to persevere by grace in this world and to bring glory 
to you. And do bless the persecuted church. 
Be with those who are presently suffering under godless regimes 
and grant them help and strength to persevere in the midst of 
these things. And we pray this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. 
Amen. Why don't we stand and sing the 
doxology in praise to our God? Praise God from whom all blessings 
flow. Praise him, all creatures here 
below. Praise him, our loving and Praise 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The Lord bless you and keep you. 
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. 
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. 
Amen. Father, go with us now. May these 
things be true in each of our hearts and lives. May you grant 
us the grace to glorify you in this coming week. May you watch 
over your people. May you protect us and may you 
cause us to bring honor and praise to your great name. And we ask 
this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.