We finish off the last 2 chapters of 1 Kings this morning as we consider Ahab’s ultimate downfall because of his desire to grow vegetables near his house! Be blessed folks.
1 Kings 21: Naboth's Vineyard
1 Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.
2 And after this Ahab said to Naboth, "Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house, and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money."
3 But Naboth said to Ahab, "The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers."
4 And Ahab went into his house vexed and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, for he had said, "I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers." And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and would eat no food.
5 But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, "Why is your spirit so vexed that you eat no food?"
6 And he said to her, "Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, 'Give me your vineyard for money, or else, if it please you, I will give you another vineyard for it.' And he answered, 'I will not give you my vineyard.'"
7 And Jezebel his wife said to him, "Do you now govern Israel? Arise and eat bread and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite."
8 So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city.
9 And she wrote in the letters, "Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people.
10 And set two worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, 'You have cursed God and the king.' Then take him out and stone him to death."
11 And the men of his city, the elders and the leaders who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. As it was written in the letters that she had sent to them,
12 they proclaimed a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people.
13 And the two worthless men came in and sat opposite him. And the worthless men brought a charge against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, "Naboth cursed God and the king." So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones.
14 Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, "Naboth has been stoned; he is dead."
15 As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, "Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead."
16 And as soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
The LORD Condemns Ahab
17 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
18 "Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession.
19 And you shall say to him, 'Thus says the LORD, "Have you killed and also taken possession?"' And you shall say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: "In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your own blood."'"
20 Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, O my enemy?" He answered, "I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the LORD.
21 Behold, I will bring disaster upon you. I will utterly burn you up, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel.
22 And I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the anger to which you have provoked me, and because you have made Israel to sin.
23 And of Jezebel the LORD also said, 'The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the walls of Jezreel.'
24 Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat."
Ahab's Repentance
25 (There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the LORD like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited.
26 He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the LORD cast out before the people of Israel.)
27 And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly.
28 And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
29 "Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son's days I will bring the disaster upon his house."
1 Kings 22: Ahab and the False Prophets
1 For three years Syria and Israel continued without war.
2 But in the third year Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel.
3 And the king of Israel said to his servants, "Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we keep quiet and do not take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?"
4 And he said to Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?" And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses."
5 And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Inquire first for the word of the LORD."
6 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?" And they said, "Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king."
7 But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not here another prophet of the LORD of whom we may inquire?"
8 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me, but evil." And Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say so."
9 Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, "Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah."
10 Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, arrayed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them.
11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made for himself horns of iron and said, "Thus says the LORD, 'With these you shall push the Syrians until they are destroyed.'"
12 And all the prophets prophesied so and said, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead and triumph; the LORD will give it into the hand of the king."
Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab
13 And the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, "Behold, the words of the prophets with one accord are favourable to the king. Let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favourably."
14 But Micaiah said, "As the LORD lives, what the LORD says to me, that I will speak."
15 And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?" And he answered him, "Go up and triumph; the LORD will give it into the hand of the king."
16 But the king said to him, "How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?"
17 And he said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, 'These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.'"
18 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?"
19 And Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left;
20 and the LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said one thing, and another said another.
21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, saying, 'I will entice him.'
22 And the LORD said to him, 'By what means?' And he said, 'I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And he said, 'You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.'
23 Now therefore behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the LORD has declared disaster for you."
24 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, "How did the Spirit of the LORD go from me to speak to you?"
25 And Micaiah said, "Behold, you shall see on that day when you go into an inner chamber to hide yourself."
26 And the king of Israel said, "Seize Micaiah, and take him back to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son,
27 and say, 'Thus says the king, "Put this fellow in prison and feed him meager rations of bread and water, until I come in peace."'"
28 And Micaiah said, "If you return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me." And he said, "Hear, all you peoples!"
Ahab Killed in Battle
29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead.
30 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your robes." And the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.
31 Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, "Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel."
32 And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, "It is surely the king of Israel." So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out.
33 And when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.
34 But a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the scale armour and the breastplate. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, "Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded."
35 And the battle continued that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Syrians, until at evening he died. And the blood of the wound flowed into the bottom of the chariot.
36 And about sunset a cry went through the army, "Every man to his city, and every man to his country!"
37 So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they buried the king in Samaria.
38 And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood, and the prostitutes washed themselves in it, according to the word of the LORD that he had spoken.
39 Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did, and the ivory house that he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?
40 So Ahab slept with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son reigned in his place.
Jehoshaphat Reigns in Judah
41 Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.
42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.
43 He walked in all the way of Asa his father. He did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the LORD. Yet the high places were not taken away, and the people still sacrificed and made offerings on the high places.
44 Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.
45 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he showed, and how he warred, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?
46 And from the land he exterminated the remnant of the male cult prostitutes who remained in the days of his father Asa.
47 There was no king in Edom; a deputy was king.
48 Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go, for the ships were wrecked at Ezion-geber.
49 Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Let my servants go with your servants in the ships," but Jehoshaphat was not willing.
50 And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father, and Jehoram his son reigned in his place.
Ahaziah Reigns in Israel
51 Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel.
52 He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin.
53 He served Baal and worshiped him and provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger in every way that his father had done.
Things to think about…
1Kings 21:1-19 is the sad reality of a morally weak man who refuses to lead himself or his family by the Spirit of God. Jezebel, due to Ahab’s moral failure, easily manipulated Ahab to allow him to get what he wanted – a veggie patch! Both Ahab and Jezebel were ultimately judged very severely. It’s important that we are ruled by God’s Spirit and not our emotions. If we don’t, things can turn out very badly. Naboth was faithful with his father’s inheritance. The land given in the division after Israel entered the land of Canaan was to remain in the families of the tribes. Naboth was sticking to this precept. Sadly, he was murdered for his obedience, as is often the case with those who remain faithful to the Lord in a faithless society.
Our Lord is merciful, even in his judgements. Ahab is quite emotional at the best of times, but it seems here that he is genuinely repentant after he hears the words of Elijah and the judgement that will fall upon him, 1 Kings 21:27-29. Our Lord blesses the attitude of an upright heart, regardless of the sin. Here Ahab receives mercy, just as David did, even though they both committed murder. Sadly for Ahab, his repentance does not continue.
1Kings 22 shows the judgement that ultimately comes upon Ahab. It is sad here that the godly southern king, Jehoshaphat does not realise that he is a pawn in this situation and actually puts himself in danger by dressing in royal robes. Ahab knows that he is the one the Syrians are after and Jehoshaphat in his foolishness is used as bait. Jehoshaphat however loves the Lord and cries out to God and is saved, but Ahab receives a stray arrow and is wounded. In God’s sovereign plan there are no ‘stray’ arrows, even though they may be shot at random, 1Kings 22:34. Ahab is finally defeated by the king of Syria. Ahab’s sin had finally killed him. I love the prophet Micaiah’s sarcasm in 1Kings 22:15,16. He knew Ahab would not listen to his counsel, yet uses godly sarcasm before bringing home a faithful message that Israel was scattered and needing a shepherd. Ahab should have been that shepherd. Instead he listens to lying prophets. As Rehoboam did Ahab obeys the counsel that meets with his fleshly desires. He pays with his life as prophesied by Macaiah, 1Kings 22:35-38.
Jehoshaphat had learned some very hard lessons here. He almost lost his life by being involved with the wicked northern king. He later attempts to gain wealth, just as Solomon did by building ships to go to Tarshish, but the Lord knew this as too much of a temptation for Jehoshaphat and had the ships destroyed, 1Kings 22:48. As Christians we must be aware that if we compromise our faith by giving into the desires of worldly influence, we are in very real danger of hardening ourselves to the Spirit of Christ. Never despise the Lord’s loving rebukes, He is saving your life.
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Sermon title was “Divided we fall” - from 1 Kings 12:1-24
1. We have heard the phrase “united we stand and divided we fall”. Jesus said “a house divided against itself cannot stand”, Mark 3:22. Can you remember a time where you worked as a team on a project to complete an agreed outcome, or otherwise where a team member let you down. Has this happened to you in a spiritual context?
2. Solomon’s son Rehoboam didn’t listen to the counsel of his father or elders and became a foolish son, yet Solomon was not without blame – discuss. How have you been influenced by your parents? How have you influenced your children?
3. Israel was divided due to the folly of Rehoboam, but 1 Kings 12:24 says “for this thing is from me”, referring to the Lord’s plan over it all. Explain how you reconcile this statement with what is clearly sin being used by the Lord in the lives of Rehoboam and Jeroboam. What encouragement do you find from this statement?
Prayer Points
1. Families away on holidays. Pray for rest and safe return
2. Pray for ministries as they start up this week.
3. Pray for testimonies that people will be doing every second week. Please consider when you would like to do yours when the pastor asks you to share yours.
4. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
5. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points.
1. Testimony of Richard Gauntlett.
2. Josh and Ben leading worship, Dan on sound, Maddison and Melissa on the desk.
3. New volunteers stepping forward to help out.
4. The unity and grace on display at CBC.
Announcements
1. PlayPatch for toddlers on break for 2 weeks.
2. Kids@church starts back on Sunday.
3. Recharge Youth – back on Friday 6:30pm at church all teenagers.
4. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
