After a scathing rebuke for letting Ben-hadad live, Ahab assumes a sullen mood. Having let his evil wife have her way in so many things, Ahab becomes complicit in conspiracy and murder. In the end, he tries to get his latest ally killed but dies in the process.
1 Kings 21:1-4 -- Naboth owned a small vineyard in the shadow of Ahab's winter palace in Jezreel. In accordance with Mosaic Law, the man refused to sell to Ahab, on the grounds that it would certainly result in a permanent loss to his tribe. While a man could legally sell or exchange his inherited property voluntarily, it was forbidden to coerce such sales. In this case, selling to the king would muddy the clan's claim to the original allotment among the tribes. If the king were to build a wall around it, he could claim it was part of the city and need not be returned at Jubilee (Leviticus 25:23-34). Ever the petulant child, Ahab went home and sulked.
21:5-10 -- Jezebel despised the Law of Moses, but was not above using it to get her way. First, she suggested the Ahab was not asserting his royal prerogatives, but accepting humiliating limitations not binding on pagan kings. Then she said simply that she would get the vineyard for him. Surely he knew she would do evil in the process. The nobles allowed to live in the city with the king were those willing to dance to any tune he or Jezebel played. She issued letters with the royal seal instructing the nobles to arrest Naboth and put him on trial before a noble assembly. Then they were to hire two from the low-life scum present in every city to make false accusations against Naboth. This would satisfy the letter of the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 17:6f) she despised.
21:11-16 -- These noble lapdogs had no trouble fulfilling Jezebel's command. The charges brought against Naboth were that he cursed the king, a capital offense by itself, and that he cursed God -- who had no honor with anyone except the man accused. For Jezebel, this was just another political propaganda opportunity. She used the provisions of Moses' Law to destroy the righteousness it demanded. A man found guilty of such high crimes forfeited his property, along with his life, to the crown. Thus, Ahab simply went and took possession of the vineyard.
21:17-29 -- While Ahab busied himself converting the vineyard to a vegetable garden, the Lord sent word to Elijah to confront Ahab. He told Elijah where to find him, too. So when Elijah appeared before Ahab, the latter knew he was in trouble, and why. His question implies wondering if Elijah found him out, and Elijah bluntly confirms it. The place of the public trial of Naboth would have been near the city well or spring, usually just outside the city gates. This one had an opulent public bath, used by prostitutes as a means of advertising. Naboth would have been executed there because of tradition and it would be a convenient place to clean up the mess. Then his body would have been buried in a public place nearby, under a heap of stones to remind all the seriousness of his crime. Elijah declared that the blood of Ahab would be licked by the same dogs who cleaned up the blood of Naboth. Further, the same dogs would also consume the body of Jezebel near the city wall of Jezreel. Finally, the household of Ahab would join it's predecessors in obliteration.
The scribe takes a moment to sum up Ahab's reign as the most evil of all men, who allowed his wife to make too many decisions for him. He went out of his way to insult Jehovah openly. Yet right after this confrontation with Elijah, he was overtaken by fear and humbled himself publicly before God, mourning for his sins. As a result, the final end of the Omride dynasty would be moved from Ahab's life to that of his son.
22:1-4 -- This chapter is paralleled in 2 Chronicles 18. Probably in connection with his return to piety, Ahab reaches out to his previous enemy, the King of Judah. The two were celebrating their new friendship by sitting in their ceremonial robes out on the threshing floor near the city gates of Samaria. We learn elsewhere that Jehoshaphat married his son to Ahab's daughter, Athaliah. Noting that Ahab had been at peace with Damascus three years, Ahab comments on the situation. The peace with Damascus had worn thin, as Ben-hadad failed to keep his promise of returning one of the cities his predecessor had taken from Israel, Ramoth-gilead. When Ahab invites Jehoshaphat to support him in sending troops to seize the city, the latter agrees in principle.
22:5-12 -- However, Jehoshaphat wants to hear from God about such a military venture. Ahab had not cleared his court of Jezebel's pagan priests, but rather allowed her to replace the ones executed by Elijah. He asks them to prophesy on the matter. They, of course, say what the king wants to hear. Given his past success, they make a safe guess. Jehoshaphat said he would prefer word from a prophet of Jehovah. Obviously, the King of Judah doesn't realize how bad things are with Israel. At this time, the only prophet of Jehovah available in the city is Micaiah. Ahab hates to hear from him, because he reminds the king constantly how he lives in sin. Jehoshaphat politely suggests Ahab overstates the matter and wants to hear from the prophet. While awaiting Micaiah, the pagan priests put on quite a show demonstrating how things were sure to work out well against Damascus. One engages in a bit of sympathetic magic with a pair of iron horns, representing the two kings destroying all before them.
22:13-28 -- Micaiah is warned to behave himself and talk nice to the king. This he does, but with sarcasm, so Ahab knows it's fake. He demands Micaiah say what he really believes. For reply, the prophet describes a vision of the whole army scattered like lost sheep, because there was no shepherd. This implies Ahab would die in the battle. He then tells a story of his vision of how it all took place in Heaven. The Lord asked the spirits who would persuade Ahab to attack Ramoth-gilead. After hearing several proposals, one came forward promising to deceive Ahab's pagan seers to trick him into going. The Lord accepted that plan. The prophet with the iron horns, Zedekiah, slapped Micaiah demanding he explain how the Holy Spirit got from him to Micaiah. Aside from being a very grave insult -- only very bad children were struck with an open hand -- this was ludicrous on the face of it. That Zedekiah even knew Jehovah was out of the question. Micaiah answered Zedekiah will find out the answer when he runs to hide from disaster. Ahab grumped about this whole business and commanded Micaiah be imprisoned at hard labor until he returned in victory. Micaiah answered he would then die in prison gladly, for if Ahab returned alive the prophet was deluded.
22:29-36 -- Just to be sure Micaiah was wrong, Ahab decided to fight in disguise. That is, he would set aside his unique royal armor and wear standard equipment and ride in an ordinary chariot. He also set up Jehoshaphat for death by asking him to go as usual in his royal attire. Meanwhile, Ben-hadad instructed his chariot commanders to engage only the King of Israel and ignore everyone else, letting the foot soldiers carry the main battle. Not knowing the King of Judah was involved, they went after the only symbol of royalty they could see. When Jehoshaphat fled with a whole company of chariots in pursuit, they quickly realized this was not Ahab and let him go. But Ahab was not safe, for during battle a random arrow struck in the gap between his armor plates. He had himself propped up as if surveying the battle while he bled to death. Eventually his death was announced and they sounded retreat.
22:37-40 -- Ahab was buried in the royal tomb in Samaria. His blood was rinsed from the chariot during the time the prostitutes bathed at the public gate pool, and the dogs indeed licked his blood, all according to prophecy. His son Ahaziah reigned in his place.
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Ed Hurst
01 January 2005
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