Scripture Reading(s)
1 Kings 21:1-10, (11-14), 15-21a
21:1 Later the following events took place: Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria.
21:2 And Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard, so that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house; I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.”
21:3 But Naboth said to Ahab, “The LORD forbid that I should give you my ancestral inheritance.”
21:4 Ahab went home resentful and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him; for he had said, “I will not give you my ancestral inheritance.” He lay down on his bed, turned away his face, and would not eat.
21:5 His wife Jezebel came to him and said, “Why are you so depressed that you will not eat?”
21:6 He said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it’; but he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.'”
21:7 His wife Jezebel said to him, “Do you now govern Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
21:8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal; she sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who lived with Naboth in his city.
21:9 She wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth at the head of the assembly;
21:10 seat two scoundrels opposite him, and have them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out, and stone him to death.”
21:11 The men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. Just as it was written in the letters that she had sent to them,
21:12 they proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the assembly.
21:13 The two scoundrels came in and sat opposite him; and the scoundrels 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.
21:14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.”
21:15 As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Go, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.”
21:16 As soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab set out to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
21:17 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying:
21:18 Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules in Samaria; he is now in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession.
21:19 You shall say to him, “Thus says the LORD: Have you killed, and also taken possession?” You shall say to him, “Thus says the LORD: In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs will also lick up your blood.”
21:20 Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found 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,
21:21 I will bring disaster on you.
Reflections
Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found 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
The story of Jezebel is not a pretty one. It’s a warning to all who think they can get away with doing evil. You might think that you’ve gotten away with something in the dark, but the Lord sees your deeds and whether it’s here or in the next life there will be a reckoning.
Every deed we commit here on the earth will be counted and logged. We will have to account for them before the creator. Each day I am alive I try to move closer to the direction of only having positive things to account for when I meet the Lord.
Jezebel’s heart was filled with evil and greed. She used her position of power to take what was not rightfully hers. She went as far as accusing Naboth of “Cursing both God and the King”. Her husband was no better. He did not even hesitate to take the land and did not question who or why Naboth was killed.
We live in a world in which evil exists and is rampant in our everyday lives. However, when one chooses to commit an act of sin, our God will always invoke His righteous justice towards those who go against Him. Jezebel and Ahab knew that the land did not belong to them. Yet they purposely went against what they knew was wrong and acted on their own selfish desires.
Greed and selfishness are sins that the Bible warns us strongly about. I Timothy 6:9 “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” Let us lead lives that are not overtaken by our need to gain more. God does not look kindly on those who seek to destroy others to gain more power and status. Instead, adopt an attitude of thankfulness and humility, thanking God for all that He’s done.
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