This article zooms in on 1 Kings 21.
For a good ‘catch-up’ on the rest of the story, do check out the Community Church Honiton’s Youtube Page, where you can find recordings of sermons covering the rest of Elijah’s story.
The passage we’re going to look at:
Our story takes place between 874 and 853 BC, in the Northern kingdom of Israel.
The King at this time is a man named Ahab. Here are two things you need to know about Ahab from the offset:
- Ahab is a puppet king – his pagan wife Jezebel is really pulling the strings behind the scenes
- Jezebel’s motive is to lead Israel (via her husband the king) away from God and into worshipping an idol called Baal – a representative of lots of false gods associated with fertility, war and other things
The cast of characters
We’ve got Ahab – the king of Israel’s northern Kingdom We’ve got Jezebell – Ahab’s wife
We’ve got a chap called Naboth – who meets a nasty end
We’ve got the elders and nobles (those loyal to the king who help him to rule over Israel) We’ve got the scoundrels – a couple of greedy so and so’s who are bribed to stir up trouble
We’ve got Elijah the prophet who tells Ahab and Jezebel to their faces what will happen as a consequence of their evil actions
We’ve got the dogs who will ahem eat the corpses of Jezebel and Ahab’s offspring (and some birds who’ll do the same thing for good measure).
Where is this happening?
The passage largely takes place in the Jezreel Valley within Israel’s Northern Kingdom in Samaria.
What’s it all about?
Ultimately this story boils down to one thing that should be solid but is completely broken.
Integrity.
Naboth retains his integrity.
Ahab should have known bette, after all, he was the appointed King of God’s people.
And how does he act?
He sulks and broods.
It’s a pathetic scene.
And then Jezebell wields her power by having Naboth killed. Not honouring God, not honouring her husband and not honouring the people of Israel.
Sacrificing her integrity on the alter of idol worship.
How do these events that played out over 3000 years ago have relevance for today?
Because that same issue of integrity is at the root cause of most problems:
- World leaders behaving badly
- Church leaders falling from grace
- Broken marriages
- Broken friendships
- Broken homes
- Broken lives
That’s a problem with real consequences:
- 1 Kings 21:20-22
- Isaiah 59:2
- Hebrews 4:13
- Romans 6:23
Because God is a just God.
Something else is on display in the passage though…
Mercy
When Ahab repents, God relents. That’s incredible.
Did you ever stop to think about why Jesus – God wrapped in human flesh, perfect in integrity had to endure the torture of the cross?
God cast his wrath, his righteous judgement, the cost of every sin (yours included) onto Jesus on that cross.
And it was done in your place. And my place.
That’s where this story really culminates.
Not with the dogs licking up blood in a small valley northwest of Jordan but, many years later on a hilltop in Jerusalem where Jesus is hung to die on the cross – taking the justice we deserve on himself.
So that, if like Ahab, we recognise our lot before God and trust Jesus to mercifully pay our debt, we can know forgiveness that goes even beyond this lifetime.
We can experience what it’s like to be washed totally clean.