1 Kings 21

Scripture Reading: Romans 11:22-23

Introduction

In Our Scripture Reading…

We Read of the Kindness/Goodness of God…

And the Severity/Relentlessness of God

God is Severe & Relentless to Those Who Disobey & Rebel Against Him

But God is Kind & Good to Those Who Obey & are Faithful to Him

Those Who are Obedient But Then Turn to Disobedience…

Will Face God’s Severity & Be Cut Off

But the Opposite is Also True

If Those Who are Disobedient & Rebellious…

Will Humble Themselves & Repent…

They will Experience God’s Kindness & Be Grafted Back in

In Our Text, We’re Going to See God’s Severity…

But Then God’s Kindness…

Come Upon a Person We would Never Expect

1 Kings 21

Last Week, We Saw God Give Ahab Victory Over the Arameans

God Delivered the Wicked Bully of a King, Ben-Hadad…

Into Ahab’s Hands

But Ahab Let Him Go

This Resulted in God Rebuking Ahab…

And Foretelling His Coming Judgment

Ahab Went Home “Sullen & Vexed”

He was in a Bad Mood & Upset

It Comes from an Entitled Mindset

A Mindset that Says, “That’s Not Fair!”

And, that isn’t the Last Time We’ll See the Toddler of a King “Sullen & Vexed”

1 Kings 21:1–2 (NIV)

1 Some time later there was an incident involving a vineyard belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. The vineyard was in Jezreel, close to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 2 Ahab said to Naboth, “Let me have your vineyard to use for a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace. In exchange I will give you a better vineyard or, if you prefer, I will pay you whatever it is worth.”

Jezreel was a City in the Fertile Valley of Jezreel

It’s about 25 Miles North of the Capital City of Samaria

Ahab had a Home Away from Home There in Jezreel

And Beside His Palace was a Vineyard…

That Belonged to a Man Named Naboth

Ahab Made a Very Reasonable Offer to Naboth

“If You Give Me Your Vineyard, So I can have a Garden in My Backyard…”

“I’ll Give You an Even Better Vineyard…”

“Or, I’ll Pay You Whatever it is Worth”

A Very Reasonable Offer

1 Kings 21:3–4 (NIV)

3 But Naboth replied, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my ancestors.” 4 So Ahab went home, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my ancestors.” He lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat.

Naboth Doesn’t Want to Give/Sell the Land He Inherited

God had Made Rules Concerning the Promised Land

No Family was to Permanently Lose Possession of Their Ancestral Land

Even if a Person Needed to Sell His Land…

Because He was Poor…

In the Year of Jubilee, the Land was to Be Returned to Him

So, Naboth Said “No” to the King

And, as Baby Ahab Always Does…

He Ran Home & Cried about it

He Lay in His Bed and Refused to Eat

This is a Man-Baby if There Ever was One

Well, Then Wifey Jezebel Finds Him Pouting in Bed…

And Asks Why

He Tells Her the Situation with Naboth & the Vineyard

1 Kings 21:7 (NLT)

7 “Are you the king of Israel or not?” Jezebel demanded. “Get up and eat something, and don’t worry about it. I’ll get you Naboth’s vineyard!”

“Sweetheart, You’re the King!”

“You Know What it Means to Be King, Don’t You?”

“It Means that Whatever You Want is Yours”

“You Don’t Ask & Receive from Your Subjects”

“You Demand & Take”

“You’ll have that Vineyard”

“Don’t You Worry about that!”

So Jezebel Wrote Letters to the Leaders of Jezreel…

Pretending to Be King Ahab

She Tells Them to Proclaim a Fast

A Fast was a Time of Mourning Over Sin, Repentance, Seeking Forgiveness

During this Fast, She Told Them…

To Put Naboth in Front of the People…

And Have 2 Wicked Men Testify Against Him…

Saying that He Cursed God & the King

Then Stone Him to Death

And, Wouldn’t You Know it…

The Weak Leadership of Jezreel Did Exactly as They were Told

2 Kings 9 Seems to Imply that They Didn’t Just Kill Naboth…

But They Also Killed His Sons

In Order for Ahab to Get the Vineyard…

All the Heirs Must Be Dealt with

Jezreel’s Leaders Sent Word Back to Jezebel that the Deed was Done

1 Kings 21:15–16 (NIV)

15 As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you. He is no longer alive, but dead.” 16 When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of Naboth’s vineyard.

How Much Did Ahab Know about Jezebel’s Plot to Get the Vineyard?

We Don’t Know

But Ahab’s Not Stupid

His Murderous Wife Tells Him that He’ll have the Vineyard…

And Out of Nowhere the Vineyard’s Owner Ends Up Dead

Ahab Didn’t Ask Any Questions for a Reason

He Just Went to Jezreel & Took Possession of His New Vegetable Garden

1 Kings 21:17–26 (NIV)

17 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: 18 “Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. 19 Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?’ Then say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, dogs will lick up your blood—yes, yours!’ ”

20 Ahab said to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy!” “I have found you,” he answered, “because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord. 21 He says, ‘I am going to bring disaster on you. I will wipe out your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel—slave or free. 22 I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have aroused my anger and have caused Israel to sin.’

23 “And also concerning Jezebel the Lord says: ‘Dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.’ 24 “Dogs will eat those belonging to Ahab who die in the city, and the birds will feed on those who die in the country.” 25 (There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. 26 He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel.)

God Hates Selfishness & Corruption

God Hates When the Powerful Use & Abuse the Weak

God Brings Down a Powerful Judgment Upon Ahab & Jezebel

Elijah Tells Ahab that His Descendants are Going to Be Cut Off…

Just Like the Descendants of Former Kings Jeroboam & Baasha

We’ll See this Prophecy Play Out in Future Texts

Then the Author Gives Us a Parenthetical Statement about Ahab

“He was Just the Worst!”

There was Never Anyone Like Him…

Who Completely Sold Himself Over to Doing What was Evil

But an Interesting Little Addition Tells Us Why

He was “Urged/Incited/Mislead” By His Wife, Jezebel

Was Ahab a Wicked Man & Terrible King?

Yes

But One of the Primary Reasons for that…

Was Because He was Weak

When You Stand for Nothing, You’ll Fall for Everything

He was a Cowardly & Childish Follower…

Not a Courageous & Mature Leader

Fear & Peer Pressure were His Primary Motivations…

Instead of Faith in God

That’s Not Taking the Blame Off of Him

He’s 100% to Blame

But I Don’t Think He’s to Blame for Israel’s Sinful Condition…

Because He was a Fierce & Wicked Force of Sinful Depravity

I Think He was Simply a Weak Man…

Who was Too Afraid to Stand Up for What’s Right…

And Instead Chose to Take the Broad & Easy Path

Wickedness isn’t Always the Result of Evil People Bent on Spreading Evil

Many Times its the Result of Weak People…

Who’re Too Afraid to Stand Up for What’s Right

But, We Also Need to Remember…

Even the Most Sinful & Wicked of People can Change

1 Kings 21:27–29 (NIV)

27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly. 28 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: 29 “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”

After Hearing of His Judgment from God…

Ahab Responded with Mourning & Fasting Over His Sin

He Humbled Himself Before God…

And Performed Traditional Acts of Repentance

And God, Who Saw the Sincerity in His Heart…

Relented from the Fullness of His Judgment

Ahab, the Worst King in Israel’s History, Faced the Severity of God

But Then He Humbled Himself & Experienced the Kindness of God

If Ahab can Feel Sorrow for His Sins & Humble Himself Before God…

Then Anyone Can

Never Count Anyone Out

God can Reach Even the Most Vile People

Application

Our God is a God of Justice

He Wants All Things to Be Right & Fair

Selfishness is the Exact Opposite of Justice

Selfishness Doesn’t Want Fairness

It Only Wants Self-Gratification…

Even if that has to Come at the Expense of Others

Selfishness has Ruined & Still Does Ruin the World

Sin Always Comes Back to Selfishness

Ahab Wanted Something He Couldn’t Have

Adam & Eve Wanted Something They couldn’t Have

Abraham Wanted Something He couldn’t Yet Have

David Wanted Something He couldn’t Have

Sin Always Results from Selfishness

And God Hates Selfishness

Because it Results in Sin & Injustice

God’s Severity is Against Selfishness & Injustice

His Judgment is Coming Upon Those Who are Selfish

We have in the Teachings & Example of Jesus…

What/Who We are Supposed to Be

We are Called to Be Self-Less People

Selfishness Results in Injustice

Self-Lessness Results in Justice

Our God Hates Selfishness

But Our God Loves to Show Mercy

Much More Than We’re Often Comfortable with

Do You Remember Why Jonah Tried to Run Away from Preaching to Nineveh?

“I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, and one who relents concerning calamity.”

Jonah was Mad at God for Forgiving the Wicked Ninevites

He was Uncomfortable with God’s Amazing Grace

And Sometimes, We are Too

All it Took for God to Show Mercy to Ahab…

Was for Him to Humble Himself & Repent of His Sin?

And That’s All it Takes for God’s Children Today Too

If God will Forgive One of the Most Wicked Kings in History…

Who Led God’s People to Sin Against Him…

Then He’ll Forgive You Too, in an Instant