1 Kings 21
It seems to me that Ahab, king of Israel and his wife, Jezebel are really quite unpleasant characters.
In this chapter Ahab decided that he wanted to buy the vinyard close to his palace that belonged to a guy called Naboth. Ahab wanted to plant vegetables there.
Naboth refused to sell the land as it was part of his ancestral inheritance and it was not permitted for him to permanently sell the land under the law of Moses.
Ahab went home again in a strop (the New International Version of the Bible describes him as sullen and angry, refusing to eat because he was busy sulking) because Naboth would not sell him the land.
Jezebel asked Ahab why he is in a strop and he explained that Naboth would not sell him his land for a vegetable garden.
Jezebel told Ahab to pull himself together and this is no way for the king to act - she arranged for a high feast to be held with Naboth as a guest of honour, but she also paid some scoundrels to sit opposite him at the feast and accused Naboth of issuing a curse against God and the king and they took him out on the word of scoundrels and stoned him to death.
They then sent a message to Jezebel and she and Ahab took possession of the land.
God sent Elijah to meet Ahab and Jezebel at Naboths vinyard and proclaim judgement "Have you not murdered a man and seized his property ?" Because of this dogs will lick up Ahab's blood in the same place as Naboth's blood had been spilled.
God will also wipe out the whole of Ahab's family, those who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, those in the country will be eaten by birds, nobody will have a decent burial. Jezebel herself would be eaten by dogs by the wall of Jezreel where she lived.
Ahab heard this and repented in sackcloth and ashes. God relented on his plan and he let Ahab die in peace the trouble came down on his son.
It seems to me that Ahab, king of Israel and his wife, Jezebel are really quite unpleasant characters.
In this chapter Ahab decided that he wanted to buy the vinyard close to his palace that belonged to a guy called Naboth. Ahab wanted to plant vegetables there.
Naboth refused to sell the land as it was part of his ancestral inheritance and it was not permitted for him to permanently sell the land under the law of Moses.
Ahab went home again in a strop (the New International Version of the Bible describes him as sullen and angry, refusing to eat because he was busy sulking) because Naboth would not sell him the land.
Jezebel asked Ahab why he is in a strop and he explained that Naboth would not sell him his land for a vegetable garden.
Jezebel told Ahab to pull himself together and this is no way for the king to act - she arranged for a high feast to be held with Naboth as a guest of honour, but she also paid some scoundrels to sit opposite him at the feast and accused Naboth of issuing a curse against God and the king and they took him out on the word of scoundrels and stoned him to death.
They then sent a message to Jezebel and she and Ahab took possession of the land.
God sent Elijah to meet Ahab and Jezebel at Naboths vinyard and proclaim judgement "Have you not murdered a man and seized his property ?" Because of this dogs will lick up Ahab's blood in the same place as Naboth's blood had been spilled.
God will also wipe out the whole of Ahab's family, those who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, those in the country will be eaten by birds, nobody will have a decent burial. Jezebel herself would be eaten by dogs by the wall of Jezreel where she lived.
Ahab heard this and repented in sackcloth and ashes. God relented on his plan and he let Ahab die in peace the trouble came down on his son.
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