1 Kings 21; 22:34-36; 2 Kings 9:30-3730And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window. 31And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master? 32And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs. 33And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot. 34And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king's daughter. 35And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. 36Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the Lord, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: 37And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel. (2 Kings 9:30‑37)
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou
shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his
manservant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox,
I AM going to tell you of a very wicked thing that Ahab did. People who worship idols always do a great many other wicked things: but people who love God, hate lying and stealing and all wicked things.
Ahab was very rich. He had two houses. One of his houses was in one town, and the other of his houses was in another town a good way off. Near one of these houses there was a garden full of vines. What fruit grows on the vine? Grapes. A garden of vines is called a vineyard. This vineyard was close to Ahab's house, and belonged to a man called Naboth. Ahab wished very much to have this vineyard that he might make it into a garden for himself. So Ahab said to Naboth, 'If you will give me your vineyard I will give you a better one instead, or I will give you some money for it.'
But Naboth answered, 'No, I will not sell my vineyard; my father gave it to me, and I do not wish to sell it.'
Was it wrong of Naboth not to sell his vineyard? No, it was not wrong; he might keep it if he pleased.
But Ahab was very angry, because he could not get the vineyard; and he went home to his other house, and he was so unhappy that he lay down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would not eat.
How foolish Ahab was to be unhappy about a vineyard! He had a great many beautiful things, yet he wanted more. But people who do not love God are always wanting more things, and are never satisfied.
Now Jezebel, his wicked wife, saw how unhappy Ahab seemed, and she went to him, and said, 'What makes you so sad? Why do you not eat?'
And Ahab said, 'I asked Naboth to sell me his vineyard, and he said, "I will not sell it." '
Then Jezebel said, 'Are you not a king? Do not be unhappy; eat and drink: I will give you the vineyard.'
How could Jezebel get the vineyard? Oh, she had such a wicked plan in her mind,-she meant to have Naboth killed. So she wrote some letters to some wicked judges who lived near Naboth, and she told them to desire some other wicked people to say that they had heard Naboth say very wicked words against God and the king, and then to order people to kill him.
Then Jezebel sent these wicked letters to the judges in the town where Naboth lived. And when they had read them, they did as she told them. They desired two men to say that they had heard Naboth say very wicked words against God and the king. And then the judges said that Naboth must be killed; and the people took him out of the city, and threw stones at him till he died. Poor Naboth's blood flowed upon the ground, and the dogs licked it up. God saw the blood of Naboth: he was very angry with the wicked Jezebel, who had ordered him to be killed: and God was angry with Ahab too, because he had allowed Jezebel to write the letters.
The judges who had killed Naboth sent to Jezebel, saying, `Naboth is stoned, and is dead.' Then Jezebel said to Ahab, 'Go and take the vineyard of Naboth: for he is not alive, but dead.' Then Ahab went to the town where the vineyard was, to take it for his own, and to make it into a garden.
Dear children, do you think that God will punish Ahab for all this wickedness?
God spoke to Elijah and told him what Ahab had done; and God said, 'Go to the vineyard where Ahab is, and tell him that dogs shall one day lick his blood.'
So Elijah went to the vineyard. When Ahab saw him he was very sorry: for he could not bear to see Elijah, because he told him of his sins; and Ahab said to Elijah, `Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?'
He called Elijah his enemy. Then Elijah told him that God had said that dogs should lick his blood, and that dogs should one day eat up Jezebel's body; and that his children should be eaten by dogs, and picked by birds after they were dead.
What a dreadful message this was! I am glad to tell you that Ahab was frightened at the message, and was very unhappy. If Ahab had not cared for what God had said, God would have been still more angry with him; but now God soon told Elijah to tell Ahab that He would not give him all the punishment, so that his children should not be killed till after Ahab was dead: they would be eaten by dogs and birds some day, but not for a long while; yet dogs should lick up Ahab's blood.
It was very kind of God not to kill Ahab's children immediately; but God is very kind even to wicked people, though He judges them at last.
Ahab was still wicked: he was sorry not because he had offended God, for he did not love God; he was only sorry for the punishment. He was like Saul; he was not like David.
I will now tell you how Ahab was killed at last.
A long while afterward, Ahab went to fight a battle against some people who lived near Canaan. Ahab went to the battle in a chariot drawn by horses. There was a man there who shot an arrow that went into the body of King Ahab, and the blood began to run out. The driver of the chariot took Ahab back to the land of Canaan, and, as Ahab was on the way home, he died in the chariot. So the chariot was brought back to Ahab's home, with Ahab's blood and dead body in it. The servants took the chariot to a pond to wash it: and the dogs licked up Ahab's blood.
You remember that God had told Elijah that dogs should lick up Ahab's blood, because Ahab had allowed Naboth to be killed.
All that God says must come true. Ahab's body was buried in a grave; but his soul, I fear, was lost: for he did not love God. And what became of wicked Jezebel?
Afterward she was killed too. A captain desired her servants to throw her out of the upstairs window, and they did so: and her blood ran out upon the wall, and upon the horses of the captain and his soldiers: and the captain trampled upon her with his horse's feet. Then he went in to dinner: and while he was at dinner, the dogs ate up Jezebel: so that there was nothing left of her but the bone of her head (which is called the skull), and the bones of her feet and hands. This was the end of that wicked woman, who had killed so many of God's good prophets, and encouraged Ahab to be wicked.
What dreadful punishments God often sends to wicked people at last!
Now, dear, children, will you tell me what Ahab should have done, when Naboth said he would not sell his vineyard? Should he have gone on wishing for it, and fretting about it? No, that was very wicked: it was coveting. God has said, 'Thou shalt not covet.' We should not wish for things that God does not choose to give us. If you see something nice, or pretty, in a shop, and you have not money enough to buy it, you should not go on wishing for it. If there is nice fruit in your father's garden, you should not go, and look at it, and wish for it: but you should turn away. If your father pleases, he will give you some. If your mother puts some cake in the cupboard, you ought not to think to yourself, 'How much I wish I could have some of that cake!' for if you do so, perhaps you will try and take some. Satan wishes you to covet things. How should you prevent yourself wishing for things? You should pray to God to take the thoughts out of your mind, and to make you think of heavenly things. Instead of thinking so much of cake, and fruit, and toys, and pretty clothes, God's Spirit would make you think, `How pleasant it will be to see the angels, and to sing God's praises to a golden harp, and to see the dear Lord Jesus on His throne of glory!'
King Ahab has a palace grand,—
Fair gardens all around are spread:—
Yet now he longs for Naboth's land,
And mourning lies upon his bed.
Ah! see, where murdered Naboth bleeds,
While hungry dogs the spot surround.
The Lord abhors vile Ahab's deeds,
And Ahab's blood shall stain the ground.
What pleasure now can Ahab find
In that sad spot where Naboth bled?
Does not the place recall to mind,
The dreadful words the Lord had said?
Satan tries ever to deceive
The souls he wishes to destroy;
He first persuades them to believe
Some earthly thing will give true joy.
Then leads them down some crooked path,
By which that pleasure to obtain;
But when they taste God's righteous wrath,
Then Satan triumphs in their pain.
Questions on Lesson 29
What is a garden of grapes called?
Whose vineyard did Ahab want to buy?
When Naboth would not sell it, how did Ahab behave?
How did Jezebel get the vineyard for Ahab?
Who met Ahab in the vineyard?
Why did Ahab call Elijah his enemy?
What did God say should happen at last to Ahab, and to Jezebel, and to Ahab's children?
Why did God say that Ahab should not have all the punishment?
How was Ahab killed at last?
Where did the dogs lick Ahab's blood?
How was Jezebel killed?
What is it to covet?
How can we keep ourselves from 'coveting'?