Elijah Gets His Mojo Back The last we saw of Elijah he had gone on a long walking trip and found himself on a mountain in the vicinity of Sinai; depressed; wanting to die. He had come to this condition as a result of Jezebel s threats following the great victory on Mt. Carmel. 1 Kings 21:1-29 (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. (2) 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." (3) But Naboth said to Ahab, "The LORD forbid that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!" (4) 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. These verses set the stage: Jezreel This place is said to have been the place of Ahab s palace (v. 1). The Royal Court was still in Samaria but this seems to have been a secondary palace built either by Ahab or his father. Archaeologists have confirmed its existence and the approximate time as that of Omri & Ahab. The Palace and grounds were quite elaborate. Naboth is not mentioned outside this story, but here we see that he is at least respectful of tradition if not of Jehovah s law, in that he loathes to sell his family inheritance. It also reveals much about the character and lack of inner strength in Ahab. Even though he was king, he felt defeated by one of his subjects. He was moody and refused to eat. He sulked.
(5) But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, "Why is your spirit so sullen that you eat no food?" (6) 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.' " (7) 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." (8) 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. (9) She wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth with high honor among the people; (10) 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. Enter, Jezebel Jezebel is first introduced in I K 16:31 in the context of it being a very sinful thing for Ahab to take as wife the daughter of the King of Sidon, and to go up to Sidon and worship Baal as a result! Bad enough that she was a pagan and pagan king s daughter, but she was an inherently evil person anyway. Adam Clarke enumerates these propositions against her: 1. She was the idolatrous daughter of an idolatrous king; 2. She practiced it openly; 3. She not only countenanced it in others, but protected it, and gave its partisans honors and rewards; 4. She used every means to persecute the true religion; 5. She was hideously cruel, and put to death the prophets and priests of God; 6. And all this she did with the most zealous perseverance and relentless cruelty. Jezebel reminds Ahab that he is the king of all Israel. He should be happy with his position; and besides all that, Jezebel says that she will get him Naboth s vineyard. Like a spoiled child, we have no record that Ahab was the least concerned with what that promise might entail. He just had his mind set on the vineyard. True to her evil character, she impersonates the king, orchestrates lies, and plots murder.
(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. (12) They proclaimed a fast, and seated Naboth with high honor among the people. (13) And two men, scoundrels, came in and sat before him; and the scoundrels witnessed against him, against Naboth, 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. (14) Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, "Naboth has been stoned and is dead." (15) 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." (16) 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. The men of the city do as bidden. No doubt, they feared the authority of the king; but perhaps they also enjoyed the notoriety of being the king s home away from home. Perhaps there was a certain prosperity brought by it as well. The Law of Moses required at least two witnesses to convict a person charged with a crime. But this story shows that the system was not without fault. 2 Kings 9:26 shows that his sons were also stoned. This was necessary so that there be no challenges to the king s confiscation of the land. (17) Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, (18) "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. (19) 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 licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood, even yours." ' " God speaks to Elijah and, once again, there is no hesitation detected. This certifies that Ahab s main home was in Samaria, though this episode takes place in Jezreel about 25 miles away. Some think, however, that setup and execution of Naboth occurred in Samaria instead of Jezreel. God charges Ahab with the murder. He is responsible both as husband and as king. The message God gives Elijah to deliver to Ahab is personally terrible for Ahab.
(20) So Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, O my enemy?" And he answered, "I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD: (21) '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. (22) I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and made Israel sin.' Elijah delivers Gods message. Here we learn a little more about the complete message. Elijah compares the judgment of Ahabs house with that of dynasties that have fallen before. You have provoked me to anger. You have made Israel to sin. (23) And concerning Jezebel the LORD also spoke, saying, 'The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.' (24) The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field." Dire judgment against Jezebel is also spoken. There is no fear in Elijah now. All fear is gone in the presence of a clear word from God. (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. (26) 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. Ahab was the most wicked king so far. He reflected the wickedness of the Amorites who were dispossessed of the land before Israel because of their wickedness. Although Jezebel is the catalyst for much of Ahab s wickedness, it does not absolve him of personal guilt. After the references in 2 K 9 the name of Jezebel does not appear again in the Bible until the book of Revelation mentions that woman Jezebel who tempts the faithful to sexual immorality and idolatry.
(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. (28) And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, (29) "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." Even as Barnes alludes to Nineveh (below) one naturally draw a corollary between Jonah and Elijah and the messages they were given. Each was to deliver an unconditional judgment, only to see God forestall that judgment upon the recipient s repentance. We know how Jonah reacted. One wonders if Elijah halted at the mercy of God in this case. Even in the face of most dire judgment, God shows mercy. Most believe that Ahab s repentance was neither thorough nor enduring. The next chapter shows a continuing disdain for the prophets of Jehovah. Another tradition says that his repentance was genuine, and that Ahab pursued the studies of the Lord s work for the rest of his life. Some Jewish writers (i) think his repentance was true and perfect, and his conversion thorough and real: they tell us (k), that he was in fasting and prayer morning and evening before the Lord, and was studying in the law all his days, and returned not to his evil works any more, and his repentance was accepted: but the contrary appears manifest; we never read that he reproved Jezebel for the murder of Naboth, nor restored the vineyard to his family, which he would have done had he been a true penitent; nor did he leave his idols; we quickly hear of his consulting with the four hundred prophets of the groves, and expressing his hatred of a true prophet of the Lord, 1Ki_22:6, his humiliation arose from dread of punishment, and not from the true fear of God; however, it was such as was never seen in any of his wicked predecessors, and is taken notice of by the Lord [GILL] The repentance of Ahab resembles that of the Ninevites Jon_3:5. It has the same outward signs - fasting and sackcloth - and it has much the same inward character. It springs, not from love, nor from hatred of sin, but from fear of the consequences of sin. It is thus, although sincere and real while it lasts, shallow and exceedingly shortlived. God, however, to mark His readiness to receive the sinner who turns to Him, accepted the imperfect offering (as He likewise accepted the penitence of the Ninevites), and allowed it to delay the execution of the sentence 1Ki_21:29. [In the same way, the] penitence of the Ninevites put off the fall of Nineveh for a century. [BARNES]