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.

Opening Prayer

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.

Introduction

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.

The Murder of Naboth

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.

Ahab's Desire for Naboth's Vineyard

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.

Jezebel's Wicked Plan

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.

Execution of the 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.

Naboth Stoned and Seized

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.

The Condemnation of Ahab

So let's look now at the condemnation of Ahab, verses 17 to 29.

God's Word Through Elijah

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.

Ahab's Remorse and God's Mercy

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.

Application

Well, in conclusion, I want to highlight just a few things by way of application.

God's People Face Injustice

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.

Governments May Administer Injustice

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.

God Intervenes in the Affairs of Men

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.

Idolatry Leads to Social Ills

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.

God Is a Merciful God

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.

Closing Prayer

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.

Scripture References

• Exodus 20:1-11; 20:15
• Leviticus 24
• Deuteronomy 17; 19
• Judges 15
• 1 Kings 16; 17-18; 20; 20:42; 20:43; 21; 21:2; 21:3; 21:7; 21:8-10; 21:10; 21:11; 21:13; 21:15; 21:17; 21:20; 21:21; 21:23; 21:25-26; 21:27; 21:28; 21:29; 22
• 2 Kings 9
• Matthew 26
• Acts 6:8-15; 7:54; 14:22
• Romans 1:18
• Galatians 6:17
• 2 Timothy 3:12