24 Sept. 1 Kings 21:17-29

24 Sept.  Elijah condemns King Ahab for killing Naboth

“At this time the LORD spoke his word to the prophet Elijah the Tishbite. The LORD said, ‘Go to Ahab king of Israel in Samaria. He is at Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take it as his own.’”

“'Tell Ahab that I, the LORD, say to him, “You have murdered Naboth and taken his land. So I tell you this: in the same place the dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, they will also lick up your blood!”’”

“When Ahab saw Elijah, he said, ‘So you have found me, my enemy!’ Elijah answered, ‘Yes, I have found you. You have always chosen to do what the LORD says is wrong. So the LORD says to you, “I will soon destroy you. I will kill you and every male in your family, both slave and free. Your family will be like the family of King Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the family of King Baasha son of Ahijah. I will destroy you, because you have made me angry and have led the people of Israel to sin.”’”

“’And the LORD also says, “Dogs will eat the body of Jezebel in the city of Jezreel.” Anyone in your family who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs, and anyone who dies in the fields will be eaten by birds…”’”

“After Elijah finished speaking, Ahab tore his clothes. He put on rough cloth, refused to eat and even slept in the rough cloth to show how sad and upset he was.”

“The LORD spoke his word to Elijah the Tishbite: ‘I see that Ahab is now sorry for what he has done. So I will not cause the trouble to come to him during his life, but I will wait until his son is king. Then I will bring this trouble to Ahab’s family.’”

          (1 Kings 21:17-29)

 

 

King Ahab had planned to expand his palace at Jezreel. When Naboth, the owner of the vineyard on the slope of the hill below the palace, refused to sell his land, Jezebel had arranged for him to be stoned to death on a false charge of blasphemy (see 1 Kings 21:1-16).

When Elijah heard of Naboth’s murder, the LORD commanded him to prophesy the death of both Ahab and Jezebel (see 1 Kings 21:1-23). He told Ahab that he would die because he had murdered an innocent man. He prophesied that dogs would lick up Ahab’s blood and would eat Jezebel's body by the wall of Jezreel.

Both these prophesies were later fulfilled. Ahab was killed four years later in the battle for Ramoth Gilead (see 1 Kings 22:29-38), while Jezebel was thrown to her death from her room in the royal palace at Jezreel by her own eunuchs some ten years after Ahab’s death. This occurred after Jehu had deposed and killed her son Joram outside the city walls, and had dumped his body in the vineyard that had been so cruelly appropriated by the royal couple fourteen years earlier (see 2 Kings 9:14-33).

The photo (by Daniel Ventura) shows the view across the Jezreel Valley from Tel Yizre'el.

You can read more about the city of Jezreel @   https://www.thebiblejourney.org/biblejourney2/32-the-divided-kingdom-amp-journey-into-exile/king-ahab-seizes-naboths-vineyard/

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