“Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment!”

I Kings 21:1-29

Before we enter into our study this morning I’d like to summarize the 20^th chapter of I Kings.  We’re skipping the chapter because it has nothing to do with Elijah, and this study is about Elijah.  But, it does give us some insight into how the LORD is dealing with Ahab.  Focus on vs. 15 and vs. 28.

This morning we come to a tragic story that forcefully displays for us the character of God.  We see the justice of God and the mercy of God, His response to human wickedness and humility.  Before we get into the text, there are four prominent people that we must be acquainted with.

Naboth the Jezreelite.  Naboth was a good man.  He loved the Lord and he cared for his family.  He knew and obeyed the law of God.   He was a man of conviction.  He was not willing to compromise the word of God to earn favor with men.  He was not willing to compromise the law of the Lord to make life easier for himself.  He lived in the city of Jezreel.  He owned a plot of land right next to King Ahab’s palace that he cherished as an inheritance that had been passed down through his family for generations.

Ahab, King of Israel.  Ahab was the king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.  He was called of God to be the shepherd of his people, but Ahab was most concerned about his own pleasures and comforts.  He was not an aggressive or violent man, but he was a man consumed by personal cravings and appetites.  He loved to wear flowing royal garments.  He ate fine cuisine.  He built an ivory palace to live in.  And he often escaped his royal duties in the capital city of Samaria to retreat to his personal pleasure grounds in Jezreel.  For Ahab, all the delights of this world immediately were accessible to him.  But he fixed his focus and tormented himself for one tiny plot he wanted for a vegetable garden.  

Jezebel, Queen of Israel.   Jezebel was the daughter of a king and the wife of a king.  Jezebel was raised in the palace of her father, Ethbaal, King of Sidon.  Not only did she learn the ways of dictatorial leadership, but also developed a passion for the false god Baal.  Her father was a priest in the Baal cult.  This Baal cult was Jezebel’s obsession in life.  She loved the dark spirituality, the carnality and the sensuality of the worship rituals.   She was a zealous in her propagation of her religion.  She hated anyone who opposed or did not worship her God.  Jezebel, with her seductive heavily painted eyes, became the wife of King Ahab of Israel.  Unlike her husband, Jezebel was keen, calculating, fierce, ferocious, forceful, spiteful and hungry for power.  And Jezebel held her husband Ahab was like a puppet in her hands. 

Elijah the Tishbite.  Elijah was a prophet, a spokesman for the living God at a time when Israel seemed over run with heathen worship and immorality.  Elijah was raised in the rural highlands of Gilead.  He wore rough clothing made of camel skin.  He had a powerful build and leathery skin and a mane of hair.  Elijah was a man, just like the rest of us.  But unlike so many of us Elijah was zealous for the glory of the Lord.  When he saw Ahab and Jezebel build a temple to Baal in Israel, liquid fire ran through his veins.  The Lord called him to go and confront the king, call a drought on the land and display the supremacy of God over Baal atop Mt Carmel.  After a time of discouragement, the Lord gave him a new task to prepare Elisha, the next prophet of Israel.  While Ahab was occupied with the first two battles against Aram, Elijah was occupied with the prophetic schools camped in Bethel, Jericho and Gilgal.  Yet Elijah awaits the call of God for continued ministry as prophet of the Living God.

There is Naboth the noble God-fearing Jezreelite, Ahab the pampered pleasure king, Jezebel the beautiful rattlesnake beside the king, and Elijah the Tishbite who stands before God. With the introduction of these characters we are ready to enter into our text.

We will see this story carried out in six scenes.  The first scene of this tragic story is “A Request to Purchase Real Estate”.

I.                   The Request to Purchase Real Estate (21:1-3)

 ¹ Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.   ² And after this Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house, and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.”

Notice that Ahab intends no harm to Naboth.  He had no intention of cheating Naboth.  He had no intention of taking the land by force.  In fact, Ahab is offering a deal where Naboth would have the better end of the bargain—a better vineyard, or name the price! 

 ³ But Naboth said to Ahab, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”

You can be sure there was some degree of sentimentality here for Naboth.  This land has been in his family for generations.  All the memories of childhood were weaved throughout that vineyard.  His father and mother had toiled in that vineyard before him.  And because of these things you can be sure that every branch was dear to his heart.  But as a good citizen of Israel, he might have put away his sentimental attachment to please the king of his nation. 

But when he said the Lord forbid, he meant the Lord forbid.   

Leviticus 25 ²³ “The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine.  For you are strangers and sojourners with me.”

Numbers 36 ⁷ “The inheritance of the people of Israel shall not be transferred from one tribe to another, for every one of the people of Israel shall hold on to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.”

Either Ahab did not know the Mosaic law to which he and his people were bound, which is highly unlikely, or he didn’t care.  The Lord was the owner of all the land.  He distributed the land to his people.  And the land was to stay with the family God gave it to.

Naboth thought to himself, God does not permit me to sell him the land he gave to my family.  So with great courage that was rooted in the unwillingness to compromise the law of God, he refused the king of Israel.  He did it swiftly, decisively and courteously.  But fearing God more than man, he straight rebuked the King who had the power to take his life.  How will the king respond?  Let’s continue on. 

This is the first scene of this tragedy.  We’ve seen the request to purchase real estate.  Now let’s observe the second.

II.                The King Consoled at the Dinner Table (21:4-7)

A casual Americanized reading of this text leads us to read this next part as a bedroom scene.  Actually it is in the dining room.  Keep in mind that in the Ancient Near East the custom was to have dinning tables low to the ground.  Surrounding that table were small cushions or couches to lounge on.  That’s the picture we have here in this next scene.  It’s evening.  The lights are dim.  Music is playing.  The king comes to his dining room after his encounter with Naboth.  What’s his demeanor? 

 ⁴ And Ahab went to his house vexed and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite said to him, for he had said, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”

And there you have the king of God’s nation.  He plops down, and he acts likes a big ol’ blubbering baby.  He’s been denied a single knick-knack out of a toy box filled with a thousand playthings.  And he curls up on his cushion and whines like a spoiled brat. 

There is a lesson here for us to learn.  The lesson is that material possessions will never satisfy your soul.  You can gather possession after possession, plasma screen TVs with X-box and cable; golf clubs and SUVs; fine European suits and designer jeans; furniture and appliances.  You can gather all these things.  You will never be satisfied.  You’ll always want a little more than you’ve got!  Someone once asked John D. Rockefeller, “How much money is enough?” To which Rockefeller replied “Just a little bit more.” Ahab could not be content with what he had because he loved possessions instead of God.  We must delight in the Lord. 

Be content.  Keep your eyes on what you have rather than what you don’t have.  Keep your eyes on what you have rather than what the family across the street has.  Keep your eyes on what you have rather than what the family across the pew has.  Stay focused on what God has given you, namely himself.  And you will be content. 

This is where Ahab got off track here.  In the previous chapter, Ahab experienced the presence and power of the LORD as he went to war with a Syrian army that far outnumbered his, and the LORD gave him two separate victories, so the Ahab would “know that He is the LORD.”  He took his eyes off all he had and fixed his gaze on something that belonged to another.  And he wanted it for himself! The sin of covetousness set in.

Notice Ahab.  Ahab lost nothing.  No one hurt him.  None of his property or loved ones are in jeopardy.  Yet Ahab comes in, sulking like a 3 year old.  He is blubbering like a baby.  He wants more possessions. 

Others in the room take note, and guess who speaks up?

 ⁵ But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “Why is your spirit so vexed that you eat no food?” ⁶ And 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 please you, I will give you another vineyard for it.’  And he answered ‘I will not give you my vineyard.”

Did you notice how Ahab has misrepresented Naboth?  Ahab makes it sound like Naboth just flat out denied him without good reason.  Naboth said, “The Lord forbid me that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”  Ahab says, “Naboth said I will not give you my vineyard!”  There is a tendency here we have to notice and be careful to guard against.  People can twist reality to get what they want.  They do it all the time.

 ⁷ And jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now govern Israel?  Arise and eat bread and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

Jezebel is literally stupefied by her husband’s behavior here.  And she was as sharp as a knife.  And she stabs him with sarcasm.  “Aren’t you the king?”  Israel’s view of the monarchy was that the king was subject to God and they were to honor and dignify their subjects.  Jezebel’s view of royalty was, the king gets what the king wants, no questions asked.  So she says, “You sit back and eat you food big boy.  Let me show you how it’s done.”

This closes scene number two, the king consoled at the dinner table.  Now let’s watch scene three, 

III.             A Sinful Strategy from a Crooked Queen (21:8-10)

I want for us to notice how Jezebel piles up sin after sin.  She does it shamelessly. 

 ⁸ So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city.

That’s the sin of forgery.  It’s cheating.  It’s dishonest.  She uses it to assume an authority that she personally does not have.  That’s a sin.

 ⁹ And she wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people.”

That’s the sin of hypocrisy.  She is using a religious façade to mask her murderous heart.  The day of fasting was to communicate to the people in the community that a great sin has been committed by one of its member, which would be exposed and punished.  All work would cease and there was to be fasting to express repentance as a nation before God.  This is total deliberate hypocrisy.  This is all a big act.  And that’s hypocrisy. 

By giving Naboth the seat of prominence it will be known that he is the man on trial.  It’s not that he has a seat that is to be desired.  It’s prominent because it would put him at the center of attention as the witnesses were brought out before him.  And he will be on trial.

 ¹⁰ And set two worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.

And there we have two more sins, false testimony and murder. 

So this is the plan conjured up by the ruthless queen.  And in the forth scene we see her plan carried out.  The fourth scene of this tragedy is…

IV.              A Tragic End to a Godly Man (21:11-14)

And this truly is a devastating portion of the book.  I hope we will feel the depth of cruelty, mercilessness and heartbreak that fills the text at this point.  We should not observe this casually.  We have all been so desensitized by the violence and sin in our media.  We see violence all the time, so were numb.  But I’m going to express some of the details, hoping that our hearts will be stirred as the Lord intends. 

 ¹¹ And the men of his city, the elders and the leaders who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. As it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, ¹² they proclaimed a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people.

You just have to imagine the moment from the point of view of Naboth.  He is thinking about his wife and his children.  His mouth is dry.  His heart is pounding.  And he is praying to God for strength. 

¹³ And the two worthless men came in and sat opposite him.  And the worthless men brought a charge against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.”  So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones.

RG Lee:  “Then strong hands jerked Naboth out of the seat of the accused. Doubtless muttering curses the while, they dragged him out from among the throngs of people, while children screamed and cried, while women shrieked in terror, while men moved in confusion and murmured in consternation. They dragged him roughly to a place outside the walls of the city and with stones they beat his body to the ground.

Naboth fell to the ground as a lily by hailstones beaten to earth, as a stately cedar uprooted by furious storm. His head by stones is crushed, as eggs crushed by the heel of a giant. His legs are splintered! His arms are broken! His ribs are crushed. Bones stick out from the mass of human flesh as fingers of ivory from pots of red paint. Brains, emptied from his skull, are scattered about. Blood splatters like crimson rain. Naboth's eyes roll in sockets of blood. His tongue between broken jaws becomes still. His mauled body becomes -- at last -- still. His last gasp is a sigh. Naboth is dead -- dead for cursing God and the king as many were led to believe!”

If you think that is bad, I’m truly sorry to say it gets worse.  Naboth had children.  And by law the land would have passed from father to his sons.  And so we learn from II Kings 9:26, they put death with stones so they would not inherit the land.  And so the vineyard is reverted to the throne.

¹⁴ Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.”

Let’s move to the fifth scene of this tragedy.  We will call it,

V.                 A Startling Appearance in the Garden (21:14-24).

 ¹⁵ As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, 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.”

And you just get the sense that she is so pleased with herself at this point.  She prances over to Ahab with delight.  She has had an opportunity to flex her muscle.  She has indulged her sin of choice.  And now she encourages Ahab to go indulge his sin of choice. 

 ¹⁶ And as soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

No investigation.  No remorse.  Ahab was afraid to commit the murder himself, but he had no scruple against enjoying the benefit of the sin.  Ahab goes to take a stroll in the garden.  And he feels like is in the clear. 

At this point our hearts are sinking with despair.  But praise the Lord that when Satan has his Ahab and when Satan has his Jezebel to say arise, God has his Elijah to whom he says Arise!

 ¹⁷ Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ¹⁸ "Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. ¹⁹ And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Have you killed and also taken possession?”’  And you shall say to him, “Thus says the LORD:  “In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your own blood”

As soon as Jezebel gives word to Ahab, God gives word to Elijah.  And the two men are set in motion.  And they are on a collision course once again, this time to collide in the vineyard. 

And so we imagine Ahab walking through this vineyard.  He admires the trellis and the lattice.  He thinks how the royal gardener will pull the vines and plant squash and onions, garlic, cucumber and cabbage.  Ahab walks along enjoying the cool breeze.  And suddenly the king feels that he is not alone.  Suddenly as shadow falls upon his path, Ahab whirls around, and standing there before him with piercing eyes is Elijah the prophet. 

 ²⁰ Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you fond me, O my enemy?”  He answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the LORD ²¹ Behold, I will bring disaster upon you.  I will utterly burn you up, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. ²² And I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the anger to which you have provoked me, and because you have made Israel to sin. ²³ And of Jezebel the LORD also said, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the walls of Jezreel.’  ²⁴ Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat.”

Judgment is coming.  Death is imminent.  Doom is sure.  Someone said that Elijah is “a Mt. Sinai of a man with the heart of a thunderstorm.”  That is so true at this moment.  And Elijah stands before the wicked king and he delivers the goods. Ahab has seen the LORD do great things through Elijah, and Ahab must have broken out into a cold sweat.  His temples were throbbing. 

There is one more scene in this play. 

VI.              A Humble Heart and a Patient God

 ²⁵ (There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the LORD like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited, ²⁶ He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the LORD cast out before the prophet of Israel.)

And here is a summary statement of their reign.  These are key verses in the Bible about Ahab and Jezebel.  Here is the legacy they leave.  They were vile and evil.

To me this seems like a fitting place to end the story.  God has spoken and this wicked couple is going to get the wretched end they deserve.  There is a sense of justice in us that wants it to end right there.  That’s why we’re not God!

 ²⁷ And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly. ²⁸ And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ²⁹ "Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me?  Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son’s days I will bring the disaster upon his house.”

To me, that is the most amazing part of the story.  God saw humility, and he responded with grace.  He changed his course of action in response to humility.  Ahab would not have to see his offspring die. 

There were some key words spoken there in verses 25-26.   The author pauses the story and inserts a few comments to tell us how extremely corrupt Ahab and Jezebel truly were.  Whenever the author pauses like this to make editorial comments, these are often crucial words.  Often they are they emphasis and “the Point” of the story.  So the author pauses the story to tell us how corrupt Ahab was.  But as soon as he states the point, he tells is how God granted Ahab mercy when he saw Ahab’s imperfect humility.

Notice also how God is careful to point it out.  God says, “Elijah, have you noticed.  Elijah look at Ahab.  He has repented.  I will relent.  I take back what I said.” 

This is radical.  “How gracious is an ever-loving God who deals in boundless mercy with a thankless and thoughtless generation.”  This passage absolutely exalts the merciful nature of God.  God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 

I think this is the main point of the whole story of Naboth and Ahab.  Ahab was as wicked as they come.  So other people in the world can know,

1 – If they persist in their wickedness, they will by hammered by the wrath of God.  You don’t get away with sin.  Payday is going to come.  People are heaping wrath by persisting in sin.  And payday will come.

Read Galatians 6:7-9

2 – If they humble themselves before God, he will relent.  Payday already came on their behalf.  Christ took the punishment they deserved.

I John 1 ⁸If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.. ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Take some time to exam yourselves.  What do you have to repent of?  God will forgive you!  Nothing you have done is beyond the grace of God.  But, God’s grace should not be mistaken for apathy.  God cares about sin!  If He relents from you He brings the judgment on your ancestors.  So live for Him today…please Him with your actions because it honors God and your children will thank you for it.  Abraham’s ripple effect.

Do you need to confront someone’s sin?

Pastor Lance Skifter

www.faithchristiansv.org