1 Kings 21:25
This king of Israel had a costly palace, made with ivory, so he would have been called a great and rich man; yet Ahab really was a slave, for he “did sell himself to work wickedness.” Sin was his master. What price do you think he received when he sold himself to do sin? Sins were all he received, and they did not make him happy.
Ahab knew God’s power and goodness, but would not honor Him. He built temples for the idol Baal, and taught the people to worship there. God sent men to tell him the right ways, but he would not listen to them.
Ahab’s wife, Queen Jezebel, had come from a city of idols, and when she heard of the Lord, she did not believe in Him, and many times tried to kill those who spoke for Him. She was even more wicked than the king.
Once Ahab wanted a vineyard which was near his palace, but belonged to a man who said he could not sell it even for a better one, because it was the land which had been given to his family when they came to Canaan. God had said no one should sell or give that land to another family (Num. 36:7).
Ahab made himself very unhappy because he could not have the land; he would not even eat his meal. The queen said she would get the land for him, and she did, but in a dreadful way, by having false stories told of the owner, and hang him stoned to death.
God saw that wicked deed, and sent Elijah to tell the king that he and all his family should lose their high place and die with no one to care for them. And for a time Ahab seemed sorry for his sins (1 Kings 21).
When enemies from other lands came to light against Ahab and the army of Israel, God helped them win. Once, the heathen men said, “God is the God of the hills, but He is not the God of the valleys”. Then God helped Israel win in the valley also, although the enemy had ever so many more soldiers (1 Kings 20:28).
At last King Ahab and another king wanted to go to war, but first asked the prophets if they should go. One man of God told Ahab that when the battle was over Israel would be “like sheep without a shepherd.” Ahab did not like that sang, and had the prophet put in prison, and went to battle anyway. But he was wounded by an arrow, and died that same night. So the prophet’s words were true, Israel was without a master (1 Kings 22:1-40).
Sometime after that, the man whom God had said would punish the family of Ahab for their awful sins, came to their city. Queen Jezebel had not believed God’s words, and did not fear the messenger, so she first vainly painted her face, then called out boldly against the man. But her own servants threw her from the palace window, so she was killed without anyone to pity, and near the very place where she had ordered the man stoned. So the prophet’s words were true of her, also (1 Kings 21:23, and 2 Kings 9:30-37).
This is a very sad story, but we know God has told it for a warning to us. It is like a red light on the highway which warns us of danger; that we should not sin by unbelief of any of God’s words.
Find the name of the man who had the vineyard, and would not disobey God’s law (1 Kings 21:1-4).
ML 04/09/1939