2 Kings 9
KingComments2 Kings 9:1
The Prophet Informs Ahab
When the battle is won, the prophet warns Ahab that Ben-hadad is not definitively defeated. Ben-hadad will come back. The prophet tells him to consider what to do. He has a year to do so.
Ben-hadad is also considering. He and his men evaluate the situation. A proposal is being made that will be successful in the next battle. Ben-hadad gets the advice to fight in the plain, because “their gods are gods of the mountains”. This makes it a battle between God and the idols. Here we hear how the servants of the king of Syria think about God. Today theologians also speak so about God, as a god of a primitive people, a god they themselves invented.
2 Kings 9:2
Israel Beats the Syrians Again
When the armies have positioned themselves opposite each other, a man of God comes. He tells Ahab that the battle that is about to break loose is a battle in which the LORD will prove His Name. Because His Name is at issue, He gives Israel victory.
It is not about the victory in itself, but about getting to know the power of the LORD. God does not only allow things, but works them to show that He is there. Thus Job did not accept what happened to him from the hand of Satan, but from the hand of God (Job 1:21b).
They defeat a huge number of enemies. The LORD mocks those who mock Him. As for Ahab, he has another lesson to learn. As in 1 Kings 20:13, it is written in 1 Kings 20:28 that Ahab should acknowledge by the victory, that God is the LORD.
2 Kings 9:3
Israel Beats the Syrians Again
When the armies have positioned themselves opposite each other, a man of God comes. He tells Ahab that the battle that is about to break loose is a battle in which the LORD will prove His Name. Because His Name is at issue, He gives Israel victory.
It is not about the victory in itself, but about getting to know the power of the LORD. God does not only allow things, but works them to show that He is there. Thus Job did not accept what happened to him from the hand of Satan, but from the hand of God (Job 1:21b).
They defeat a huge number of enemies. The LORD mocks those who mock Him. As for Ahab, he has another lesson to learn. As in 1 Kings 20:13, it is written in 1 Kings 20:28 that Ahab should acknowledge by the victory, that God is the LORD.
2 Kings 9:4
Israel Beats the Syrians Again
When the armies have positioned themselves opposite each other, a man of God comes. He tells Ahab that the battle that is about to break loose is a battle in which the LORD will prove His Name. Because His Name is at issue, He gives Israel victory.
It is not about the victory in itself, but about getting to know the power of the LORD. God does not only allow things, but works them to show that He is there. Thus Job did not accept what happened to him from the hand of Satan, but from the hand of God (Job 1:21b).
They defeat a huge number of enemies. The LORD mocks those who mock Him. As for Ahab, he has another lesson to learn. As in 1 Kings 20:13, it is written in 1 Kings 20:28 that Ahab should acknowledge by the victory, that God is the LORD.
2 Kings 9:5
Israel Beats the Syrians Again
When the armies have positioned themselves opposite each other, a man of God comes. He tells Ahab that the battle that is about to break loose is a battle in which the LORD will prove His Name. Because His Name is at issue, He gives Israel victory.
It is not about the victory in itself, but about getting to know the power of the LORD. God does not only allow things, but works them to show that He is there. Thus Job did not accept what happened to him from the hand of Satan, but from the hand of God (Job 1:21b).
They defeat a huge number of enemies. The LORD mocks those who mock Him. As for Ahab, he has another lesson to learn. As in 1 Kings 20:13, it is written in 1 Kings 20:28 that Ahab should acknowledge by the victory, that God is the LORD.
2 Kings 9:6
Ahab Spares Ben-hadad
What does Ahab do after the victory? He is surprised to hear that Ben-hadad is still alive. He even appears to be pleasantly surprised. A living enemy is a more beautiful trophy than a dead one. At the same time he calls this enemy of God and His people “my brother”. However, he is not his brother, but his enemy. He proves kindness to the wrong person. God loves man, but not his sins. Therefore He commands man to repent and He also gave His Son. God loves His children, but not their wrong deeds.
Ahab is persuaded by Ben-hadad to a misplaced show of grace and lets him live. Ben-hadad gives him back a number of cities and makes a covenant with him. Ahab does not deal definitively with this enemy of God and His people. In this way he proves his insensitivity to the will of God.
The wicked Ahab fraternizes with a wicked man. The application for us is that we do not condemn evil in our brother if we live in evil ourselves. It will be more so that the evil in the brother attracts us, because it sends out a signal that we can continue doing evil.
Ben-hadad talks beautifully and promises Ahab a trading place. Ahab takes the bait and lets him go. He has the king of Syria in his power. God has given him in his power to kill him, but he lets him go. Thus Saul spared Agag, and also the cattle, while God had commanded to eradicate everything. Then Samuel kills that evil power (1 Samuel 15:8-9; 32-33). Ahab should have done that here.
2 Kings 9:7
Ahab Spares Ben-hadad
What does Ahab do after the victory? He is surprised to hear that Ben-hadad is still alive. He even appears to be pleasantly surprised. A living enemy is a more beautiful trophy than a dead one. At the same time he calls this enemy of God and His people “my brother”. However, he is not his brother, but his enemy. He proves kindness to the wrong person. God loves man, but not his sins. Therefore He commands man to repent and He also gave His Son. God loves His children, but not their wrong deeds.
Ahab is persuaded by Ben-hadad to a misplaced show of grace and lets him live. Ben-hadad gives him back a number of cities and makes a covenant with him. Ahab does not deal definitively with this enemy of God and His people. In this way he proves his insensitivity to the will of God.
The wicked Ahab fraternizes with a wicked man. The application for us is that we do not condemn evil in our brother if we live in evil ourselves. It will be more so that the evil in the brother attracts us, because it sends out a signal that we can continue doing evil.
Ben-hadad talks beautifully and promises Ahab a trading place. Ahab takes the bait and lets him go. He has the king of Syria in his power. God has given him in his power to kill him, but he lets him go. Thus Saul spared Agag, and also the cattle, while God had commanded to eradicate everything. Then Samuel kills that evil power (1 Samuel 15:8-9; 32-33). Ahab should have done that here.
2 Kings 9:8
Ahab Spares Ben-hadad
What does Ahab do after the victory? He is surprised to hear that Ben-hadad is still alive. He even appears to be pleasantly surprised. A living enemy is a more beautiful trophy than a dead one. At the same time he calls this enemy of God and His people “my brother”. However, he is not his brother, but his enemy. He proves kindness to the wrong person. God loves man, but not his sins. Therefore He commands man to repent and He also gave His Son. God loves His children, but not their wrong deeds.
Ahab is persuaded by Ben-hadad to a misplaced show of grace and lets him live. Ben-hadad gives him back a number of cities and makes a covenant with him. Ahab does not deal definitively with this enemy of God and His people. In this way he proves his insensitivity to the will of God.
The wicked Ahab fraternizes with a wicked man. The application for us is that we do not condemn evil in our brother if we live in evil ourselves. It will be more so that the evil in the brother attracts us, because it sends out a signal that we can continue doing evil.
Ben-hadad talks beautifully and promises Ahab a trading place. Ahab takes the bait and lets him go. He has the king of Syria in his power. God has given him in his power to kill him, but he lets him go. Thus Saul spared Agag, and also the cattle, while God had commanded to eradicate everything. Then Samuel kills that evil power (1 Samuel 15:8-9; 32-33). Ahab should have done that here.
2 Kings 9:9
Ahab Spares Ben-hadad
What does Ahab do after the victory? He is surprised to hear that Ben-hadad is still alive. He even appears to be pleasantly surprised. A living enemy is a more beautiful trophy than a dead one. At the same time he calls this enemy of God and His people “my brother”. However, he is not his brother, but his enemy. He proves kindness to the wrong person. God loves man, but not his sins. Therefore He commands man to repent and He also gave His Son. God loves His children, but not their wrong deeds.
Ahab is persuaded by Ben-hadad to a misplaced show of grace and lets him live. Ben-hadad gives him back a number of cities and makes a covenant with him. Ahab does not deal definitively with this enemy of God and His people. In this way he proves his insensitivity to the will of God.
The wicked Ahab fraternizes with a wicked man. The application for us is that we do not condemn evil in our brother if we live in evil ourselves. It will be more so that the evil in the brother attracts us, because it sends out a signal that we can continue doing evil.
Ben-hadad talks beautifully and promises Ahab a trading place. Ahab takes the bait and lets him go. He has the king of Syria in his power. God has given him in his power to kill him, but he lets him go. Thus Saul spared Agag, and also the cattle, while God had commanded to eradicate everything. Then Samuel kills that evil power (1 Samuel 15:8-9; 32-33). Ahab should have done that here.
2 Kings 9:10
Ahab Spares Ben-hadad
What does Ahab do after the victory? He is surprised to hear that Ben-hadad is still alive. He even appears to be pleasantly surprised. A living enemy is a more beautiful trophy than a dead one. At the same time he calls this enemy of God and His people “my brother”. However, he is not his brother, but his enemy. He proves kindness to the wrong person. God loves man, but not his sins. Therefore He commands man to repent and He also gave His Son. God loves His children, but not their wrong deeds.
Ahab is persuaded by Ben-hadad to a misplaced show of grace and lets him live. Ben-hadad gives him back a number of cities and makes a covenant with him. Ahab does not deal definitively with this enemy of God and His people. In this way he proves his insensitivity to the will of God.
The wicked Ahab fraternizes with a wicked man. The application for us is that we do not condemn evil in our brother if we live in evil ourselves. It will be more so that the evil in the brother attracts us, because it sends out a signal that we can continue doing evil.
Ben-hadad talks beautifully and promises Ahab a trading place. Ahab takes the bait and lets him go. He has the king of Syria in his power. God has given him in his power to kill him, but he lets him go. Thus Saul spared Agag, and also the cattle, while God had commanded to eradicate everything. Then Samuel kills that evil power (1 Samuel 15:8-9; 32-33). Ahab should have done that here.
2 Kings 9:11
Ahab’s Covenant Judged
This history may have ended for Ahab, but for God it is not. Ahab has made it clear that he does not acknowledge God, even after God has so graciously given outcome in his hopeless situation. He abuses grace as a reason for fulfilling his own desires.
We become witnesses of the preparation of a message for Ahab. A son of the prophets, a pupil-prophet, must go and bring Ahab the message from God that God will punish his failure. The pupil-prophet must make use of a similarity that he must play himself. For this it is necessary that another pupil-prophet beats him in such a way that he is wounded and must be connected. What the prophet has to do shows the seriousness of what Ahab has done. It is no small matter. The prophet must look like a soldier who comes out of battle wounded.
If the pupil-prophet to whom he asks to strike him refuses to do so, that refusal is punished with death. This shows the seriousness that the word of the prophet must be taken as the word of God. The man who refuses to strike the pupil-prophet is killed because he has not listened to the voice of the LORD. The prophet must have been known as such.
We must remember that this is not about two ordinary people, but about a prophet who tells another prophet to strike him. It must be known that the prophet who refuses, knows that it is a word of the LORD, but that he will not strike the other, against the word of the LORD. He chooses not to harm his fellow prophet, but with this he is disobedient to the LORD. This must be punished, given the seriousness of the situation. We see something similar with the man of God from Judah in 1 Kings 13. His disobedience is also punished with being killed by a lion (1 Kings 13:20-24; 26).
We must not only fulfill our tasks that we understand and agree with, but we must also fulfill a task, simply because it is asked of us. We need to teach our children to obey, even if they do not understand or see the point in it. We should not always explain in detail to our children why we want them to do something. It is not about negotiations, but about teaching them obedience. The whole of society is a society of negotiation and only then doing. We must make sure that this spirit does not take hold of our families.
Then he asks another pupil-prophet to strike him, this one does. The other man strikes him so hard that he injures him. This may be to indicate that the prophet identifies with the pain God feels about the infidelity of the leader of His people. The prophet dresses his wound in a way that makes him unrecognizable. In this way he “waited for the king by the way”.
When the king arrives, he speaks to him. He asks the king for mercy because he has done something that costs him his life or a large sum of money. He tells what happened. He was “busy here and there” when the man he had to guard escaped. Being busy here and there is a bad thing for a soldier who must always be attentive.
When the prophet has spoken, Ahab passes judgment. With this he judges himself. This is also the case with David after his sin with Bathsheba, who, after a parable, passes judgment and is told: “You are the man! (2 Samuel 12:7a). Ahab should have struck Ben-hadad and will now be struck himself, just as the prophet who refused to strike the man of God was struck himself. He has been busy here and there, so he has been negligent in doing what he had to do.
The lesson for us is to remove the evil from the midst of the church (1 Corinthians 5:13b), not only in view of the honor of God, but also in view of our own salvation. If we don’t stop the evil, it will grow and affect everything. Ahab let Ben-hadad go and will now die by Ben-hadad. God has never been merciful to evil. We see this in the judgment of His Son.
Ben-hadad himself has also come to an end. He is murdered by Hazael according to the word of the LORD to Elijah. Hazael suffocates him in a blanket (2 Kings 8:15).
The reaction of a man so graciously treated by God to the message he receives is terrible. God always bothers him. But he does not understand that it is to his own salvation. His reaction is a total rejection of all God’s proofs of grace. If we react grumpily to God’s actions with us we are in a bad mood. Then it turns out that we only think of our own pleasures and find God troublesome, Someone Who does not grant us our pleasures.
We may stand before the Lord and ask, “Lord, what is there of Ahab in my heart? Am I willing to give up all kinds of things, as long as they don’t come up with things that I consider important? Do I recognize the proofs of Your help in the fight against the enemy, that I may honor You for the victory? Or did I make an alliance with the enemy somewhere?” We can pray: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way” (Psalms 139:23-24).
2 Kings 9:12
Ahab’s Covenant Judged
This history may have ended for Ahab, but for God it is not. Ahab has made it clear that he does not acknowledge God, even after God has so graciously given outcome in his hopeless situation. He abuses grace as a reason for fulfilling his own desires.
We become witnesses of the preparation of a message for Ahab. A son of the prophets, a pupil-prophet, must go and bring Ahab the message from God that God will punish his failure. The pupil-prophet must make use of a similarity that he must play himself. For this it is necessary that another pupil-prophet beats him in such a way that he is wounded and must be connected. What the prophet has to do shows the seriousness of what Ahab has done. It is no small matter. The prophet must look like a soldier who comes out of battle wounded.
If the pupil-prophet to whom he asks to strike him refuses to do so, that refusal is punished with death. This shows the seriousness that the word of the prophet must be taken as the word of God. The man who refuses to strike the pupil-prophet is killed because he has not listened to the voice of the LORD. The prophet must have been known as such.
We must remember that this is not about two ordinary people, but about a prophet who tells another prophet to strike him. It must be known that the prophet who refuses, knows that it is a word of the LORD, but that he will not strike the other, against the word of the LORD. He chooses not to harm his fellow prophet, but with this he is disobedient to the LORD. This must be punished, given the seriousness of the situation. We see something similar with the man of God from Judah in 1 Kings 13. His disobedience is also punished with being killed by a lion (1 Kings 13:20-24; 26).
We must not only fulfill our tasks that we understand and agree with, but we must also fulfill a task, simply because it is asked of us. We need to teach our children to obey, even if they do not understand or see the point in it. We should not always explain in detail to our children why we want them to do something. It is not about negotiations, but about teaching them obedience. The whole of society is a society of negotiation and only then doing. We must make sure that this spirit does not take hold of our families.
Then he asks another pupil-prophet to strike him, this one does. The other man strikes him so hard that he injures him. This may be to indicate that the prophet identifies with the pain God feels about the infidelity of the leader of His people. The prophet dresses his wound in a way that makes him unrecognizable. In this way he “waited for the king by the way”.
When the king arrives, he speaks to him. He asks the king for mercy because he has done something that costs him his life or a large sum of money. He tells what happened. He was “busy here and there” when the man he had to guard escaped. Being busy here and there is a bad thing for a soldier who must always be attentive.
When the prophet has spoken, Ahab passes judgment. With this he judges himself. This is also the case with David after his sin with Bathsheba, who, after a parable, passes judgment and is told: “You are the man! (2 Samuel 12:7a). Ahab should have struck Ben-hadad and will now be struck himself, just as the prophet who refused to strike the man of God was struck himself. He has been busy here and there, so he has been negligent in doing what he had to do.
The lesson for us is to remove the evil from the midst of the church (1 Corinthians 5:13b), not only in view of the honor of God, but also in view of our own salvation. If we don’t stop the evil, it will grow and affect everything. Ahab let Ben-hadad go and will now die by Ben-hadad. God has never been merciful to evil. We see this in the judgment of His Son.
Ben-hadad himself has also come to an end. He is murdered by Hazael according to the word of the LORD to Elijah. Hazael suffocates him in a blanket (2 Kings 8:15).
The reaction of a man so graciously treated by God to the message he receives is terrible. God always bothers him. But he does not understand that it is to his own salvation. His reaction is a total rejection of all God’s proofs of grace. If we react grumpily to God’s actions with us we are in a bad mood. Then it turns out that we only think of our own pleasures and find God troublesome, Someone Who does not grant us our pleasures.
We may stand before the Lord and ask, “Lord, what is there of Ahab in my heart? Am I willing to give up all kinds of things, as long as they don’t come up with things that I consider important? Do I recognize the proofs of Your help in the fight against the enemy, that I may honor You for the victory? Or did I make an alliance with the enemy somewhere?” We can pray: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way” (Psalms 139:23-24).
2 Kings 9:13
Ahab’s Covenant Judged
This history may have ended for Ahab, but for God it is not. Ahab has made it clear that he does not acknowledge God, even after God has so graciously given outcome in his hopeless situation. He abuses grace as a reason for fulfilling his own desires.
We become witnesses of the preparation of a message for Ahab. A son of the prophets, a pupil-prophet, must go and bring Ahab the message from God that God will punish his failure. The pupil-prophet must make use of a similarity that he must play himself. For this it is necessary that another pupil-prophet beats him in such a way that he is wounded and must be connected. What the prophet has to do shows the seriousness of what Ahab has done. It is no small matter. The prophet must look like a soldier who comes out of battle wounded.
If the pupil-prophet to whom he asks to strike him refuses to do so, that refusal is punished with death. This shows the seriousness that the word of the prophet must be taken as the word of God. The man who refuses to strike the pupil-prophet is killed because he has not listened to the voice of the LORD. The prophet must have been known as such.
We must remember that this is not about two ordinary people, but about a prophet who tells another prophet to strike him. It must be known that the prophet who refuses, knows that it is a word of the LORD, but that he will not strike the other, against the word of the LORD. He chooses not to harm his fellow prophet, but with this he is disobedient to the LORD. This must be punished, given the seriousness of the situation. We see something similar with the man of God from Judah in 1 Kings 13. His disobedience is also punished with being killed by a lion (1 Kings 13:20-24; 26).
We must not only fulfill our tasks that we understand and agree with, but we must also fulfill a task, simply because it is asked of us. We need to teach our children to obey, even if they do not understand or see the point in it. We should not always explain in detail to our children why we want them to do something. It is not about negotiations, but about teaching them obedience. The whole of society is a society of negotiation and only then doing. We must make sure that this spirit does not take hold of our families.
Then he asks another pupil-prophet to strike him, this one does. The other man strikes him so hard that he injures him. This may be to indicate that the prophet identifies with the pain God feels about the infidelity of the leader of His people. The prophet dresses his wound in a way that makes him unrecognizable. In this way he “waited for the king by the way”.
When the king arrives, he speaks to him. He asks the king for mercy because he has done something that costs him his life or a large sum of money. He tells what happened. He was “busy here and there” when the man he had to guard escaped. Being busy here and there is a bad thing for a soldier who must always be attentive.
When the prophet has spoken, Ahab passes judgment. With this he judges himself. This is also the case with David after his sin with Bathsheba, who, after a parable, passes judgment and is told: “You are the man! (2 Samuel 12:7a). Ahab should have struck Ben-hadad and will now be struck himself, just as the prophet who refused to strike the man of God was struck himself. He has been busy here and there, so he has been negligent in doing what he had to do.
The lesson for us is to remove the evil from the midst of the church (1 Corinthians 5:13b), not only in view of the honor of God, but also in view of our own salvation. If we don’t stop the evil, it will grow and affect everything. Ahab let Ben-hadad go and will now die by Ben-hadad. God has never been merciful to evil. We see this in the judgment of His Son.
Ben-hadad himself has also come to an end. He is murdered by Hazael according to the word of the LORD to Elijah. Hazael suffocates him in a blanket (2 Kings 8:15).
The reaction of a man so graciously treated by God to the message he receives is terrible. God always bothers him. But he does not understand that it is to his own salvation. His reaction is a total rejection of all God’s proofs of grace. If we react grumpily to God’s actions with us we are in a bad mood. Then it turns out that we only think of our own pleasures and find God troublesome, Someone Who does not grant us our pleasures.
We may stand before the Lord and ask, “Lord, what is there of Ahab in my heart? Am I willing to give up all kinds of things, as long as they don’t come up with things that I consider important? Do I recognize the proofs of Your help in the fight against the enemy, that I may honor You for the victory? Or did I make an alliance with the enemy somewhere?” We can pray: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way” (Psalms 139:23-24).
2 Kings 9:14
Ahab’s Covenant Judged
This history may have ended for Ahab, but for God it is not. Ahab has made it clear that he does not acknowledge God, even after God has so graciously given outcome in his hopeless situation. He abuses grace as a reason for fulfilling his own desires.
We become witnesses of the preparation of a message for Ahab. A son of the prophets, a pupil-prophet, must go and bring Ahab the message from God that God will punish his failure. The pupil-prophet must make use of a similarity that he must play himself. For this it is necessary that another pupil-prophet beats him in such a way that he is wounded and must be connected. What the prophet has to do shows the seriousness of what Ahab has done. It is no small matter. The prophet must look like a soldier who comes out of battle wounded.
If the pupil-prophet to whom he asks to strike him refuses to do so, that refusal is punished with death. This shows the seriousness that the word of the prophet must be taken as the word of God. The man who refuses to strike the pupil-prophet is killed because he has not listened to the voice of the LORD. The prophet must have been known as such.
We must remember that this is not about two ordinary people, but about a prophet who tells another prophet to strike him. It must be known that the prophet who refuses, knows that it is a word of the LORD, but that he will not strike the other, against the word of the LORD. He chooses not to harm his fellow prophet, but with this he is disobedient to the LORD. This must be punished, given the seriousness of the situation. We see something similar with the man of God from Judah in 1 Kings 13. His disobedience is also punished with being killed by a lion (1 Kings 13:20-24; 26).
We must not only fulfill our tasks that we understand and agree with, but we must also fulfill a task, simply because it is asked of us. We need to teach our children to obey, even if they do not understand or see the point in it. We should not always explain in detail to our children why we want them to do something. It is not about negotiations, but about teaching them obedience. The whole of society is a society of negotiation and only then doing. We must make sure that this spirit does not take hold of our families.
Then he asks another pupil-prophet to strike him, this one does. The other man strikes him so hard that he injures him. This may be to indicate that the prophet identifies with the pain God feels about the infidelity of the leader of His people. The prophet dresses his wound in a way that makes him unrecognizable. In this way he “waited for the king by the way”.
When the king arrives, he speaks to him. He asks the king for mercy because he has done something that costs him his life or a large sum of money. He tells what happened. He was “busy here and there” when the man he had to guard escaped. Being busy here and there is a bad thing for a soldier who must always be attentive.
When the prophet has spoken, Ahab passes judgment. With this he judges himself. This is also the case with David after his sin with Bathsheba, who, after a parable, passes judgment and is told: “You are the man! (2 Samuel 12:7a). Ahab should have struck Ben-hadad and will now be struck himself, just as the prophet who refused to strike the man of God was struck himself. He has been busy here and there, so he has been negligent in doing what he had to do.
The lesson for us is to remove the evil from the midst of the church (1 Corinthians 5:13b), not only in view of the honor of God, but also in view of our own salvation. If we don’t stop the evil, it will grow and affect everything. Ahab let Ben-hadad go and will now die by Ben-hadad. God has never been merciful to evil. We see this in the judgment of His Son.
Ben-hadad himself has also come to an end. He is murdered by Hazael according to the word of the LORD to Elijah. Hazael suffocates him in a blanket (2 Kings 8:15).
The reaction of a man so graciously treated by God to the message he receives is terrible. God always bothers him. But he does not understand that it is to his own salvation. His reaction is a total rejection of all God’s proofs of grace. If we react grumpily to God’s actions with us we are in a bad mood. Then it turns out that we only think of our own pleasures and find God troublesome, Someone Who does not grant us our pleasures.
We may stand before the Lord and ask, “Lord, what is there of Ahab in my heart? Am I willing to give up all kinds of things, as long as they don’t come up with things that I consider important? Do I recognize the proofs of Your help in the fight against the enemy, that I may honor You for the victory? Or did I make an alliance with the enemy somewhere?” We can pray: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way” (Psalms 139:23-24).
2 Kings 9:15
Ahab’s Covenant Judged
This history may have ended for Ahab, but for God it is not. Ahab has made it clear that he does not acknowledge God, even after God has so graciously given outcome in his hopeless situation. He abuses grace as a reason for fulfilling his own desires.
We become witnesses of the preparation of a message for Ahab. A son of the prophets, a pupil-prophet, must go and bring Ahab the message from God that God will punish his failure. The pupil-prophet must make use of a similarity that he must play himself. For this it is necessary that another pupil-prophet beats him in such a way that he is wounded and must be connected. What the prophet has to do shows the seriousness of what Ahab has done. It is no small matter. The prophet must look like a soldier who comes out of battle wounded.
If the pupil-prophet to whom he asks to strike him refuses to do so, that refusal is punished with death. This shows the seriousness that the word of the prophet must be taken as the word of God. The man who refuses to strike the pupil-prophet is killed because he has not listened to the voice of the LORD. The prophet must have been known as such.
We must remember that this is not about two ordinary people, but about a prophet who tells another prophet to strike him. It must be known that the prophet who refuses, knows that it is a word of the LORD, but that he will not strike the other, against the word of the LORD. He chooses not to harm his fellow prophet, but with this he is disobedient to the LORD. This must be punished, given the seriousness of the situation. We see something similar with the man of God from Judah in 1 Kings 13. His disobedience is also punished with being killed by a lion (1 Kings 13:20-24; 26).
We must not only fulfill our tasks that we understand and agree with, but we must also fulfill a task, simply because it is asked of us. We need to teach our children to obey, even if they do not understand or see the point in it. We should not always explain in detail to our children why we want them to do something. It is not about negotiations, but about teaching them obedience. The whole of society is a society of negotiation and only then doing. We must make sure that this spirit does not take hold of our families.
Then he asks another pupil-prophet to strike him, this one does. The other man strikes him so hard that he injures him. This may be to indicate that the prophet identifies with the pain God feels about the infidelity of the leader of His people. The prophet dresses his wound in a way that makes him unrecognizable. In this way he “waited for the king by the way”.
When the king arrives, he speaks to him. He asks the king for mercy because he has done something that costs him his life or a large sum of money. He tells what happened. He was “busy here and there” when the man he had to guard escaped. Being busy here and there is a bad thing for a soldier who must always be attentive.
When the prophet has spoken, Ahab passes judgment. With this he judges himself. This is also the case with David after his sin with Bathsheba, who, after a parable, passes judgment and is told: “You are the man! (2 Samuel 12:7a). Ahab should have struck Ben-hadad and will now be struck himself, just as the prophet who refused to strike the man of God was struck himself. He has been busy here and there, so he has been negligent in doing what he had to do.
The lesson for us is to remove the evil from the midst of the church (1 Corinthians 5:13b), not only in view of the honor of God, but also in view of our own salvation. If we don’t stop the evil, it will grow and affect everything. Ahab let Ben-hadad go and will now die by Ben-hadad. God has never been merciful to evil. We see this in the judgment of His Son.
Ben-hadad himself has also come to an end. He is murdered by Hazael according to the word of the LORD to Elijah. Hazael suffocates him in a blanket (2 Kings 8:15).
The reaction of a man so graciously treated by God to the message he receives is terrible. God always bothers him. But he does not understand that it is to his own salvation. His reaction is a total rejection of all God’s proofs of grace. If we react grumpily to God’s actions with us we are in a bad mood. Then it turns out that we only think of our own pleasures and find God troublesome, Someone Who does not grant us our pleasures.
We may stand before the Lord and ask, “Lord, what is there of Ahab in my heart? Am I willing to give up all kinds of things, as long as they don’t come up with things that I consider important? Do I recognize the proofs of Your help in the fight against the enemy, that I may honor You for the victory? Or did I make an alliance with the enemy somewhere?” We can pray: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way” (Psalms 139:23-24).
2 Kings 9:16
Ahab’s Covenant Judged
This history may have ended for Ahab, but for God it is not. Ahab has made it clear that he does not acknowledge God, even after God has so graciously given outcome in his hopeless situation. He abuses grace as a reason for fulfilling his own desires.
We become witnesses of the preparation of a message for Ahab. A son of the prophets, a pupil-prophet, must go and bring Ahab the message from God that God will punish his failure. The pupil-prophet must make use of a similarity that he must play himself. For this it is necessary that another pupil-prophet beats him in such a way that he is wounded and must be connected. What the prophet has to do shows the seriousness of what Ahab has done. It is no small matter. The prophet must look like a soldier who comes out of battle wounded.
If the pupil-prophet to whom he asks to strike him refuses to do so, that refusal is punished with death. This shows the seriousness that the word of the prophet must be taken as the word of God. The man who refuses to strike the pupil-prophet is killed because he has not listened to the voice of the LORD. The prophet must have been known as such.
We must remember that this is not about two ordinary people, but about a prophet who tells another prophet to strike him. It must be known that the prophet who refuses, knows that it is a word of the LORD, but that he will not strike the other, against the word of the LORD. He chooses not to harm his fellow prophet, but with this he is disobedient to the LORD. This must be punished, given the seriousness of the situation. We see something similar with the man of God from Judah in 1 Kings 13. His disobedience is also punished with being killed by a lion (1 Kings 13:20-24; 26).
We must not only fulfill our tasks that we understand and agree with, but we must also fulfill a task, simply because it is asked of us. We need to teach our children to obey, even if they do not understand or see the point in it. We should not always explain in detail to our children why we want them to do something. It is not about negotiations, but about teaching them obedience. The whole of society is a society of negotiation and only then doing. We must make sure that this spirit does not take hold of our families.
Then he asks another pupil-prophet to strike him, this one does. The other man strikes him so hard that he injures him. This may be to indicate that the prophet identifies with the pain God feels about the infidelity of the leader of His people. The prophet dresses his wound in a way that makes him unrecognizable. In this way he “waited for the king by the way”.
When the king arrives, he speaks to him. He asks the king for mercy because he has done something that costs him his life or a large sum of money. He tells what happened. He was “busy here and there” when the man he had to guard escaped. Being busy here and there is a bad thing for a soldier who must always be attentive.
When the prophet has spoken, Ahab passes judgment. With this he judges himself. This is also the case with David after his sin with Bathsheba, who, after a parable, passes judgment and is told: “You are the man! (2 Samuel 12:7a). Ahab should have struck Ben-hadad and will now be struck himself, just as the prophet who refused to strike the man of God was struck himself. He has been busy here and there, so he has been negligent in doing what he had to do.
The lesson for us is to remove the evil from the midst of the church (1 Corinthians 5:13b), not only in view of the honor of God, but also in view of our own salvation. If we don’t stop the evil, it will grow and affect everything. Ahab let Ben-hadad go and will now die by Ben-hadad. God has never been merciful to evil. We see this in the judgment of His Son.
Ben-hadad himself has also come to an end. He is murdered by Hazael according to the word of the LORD to Elijah. Hazael suffocates him in a blanket (2 Kings 8:15).
The reaction of a man so graciously treated by God to the message he receives is terrible. God always bothers him. But he does not understand that it is to his own salvation. His reaction is a total rejection of all God’s proofs of grace. If we react grumpily to God’s actions with us we are in a bad mood. Then it turns out that we only think of our own pleasures and find God troublesome, Someone Who does not grant us our pleasures.
We may stand before the Lord and ask, “Lord, what is there of Ahab in my heart? Am I willing to give up all kinds of things, as long as they don’t come up with things that I consider important? Do I recognize the proofs of Your help in the fight against the enemy, that I may honor You for the victory? Or did I make an alliance with the enemy somewhere?” We can pray: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way” (Psalms 139:23-24).
2 Kings 9:17
Ahab’s Covenant Judged
This history may have ended for Ahab, but for God it is not. Ahab has made it clear that he does not acknowledge God, even after God has so graciously given outcome in his hopeless situation. He abuses grace as a reason for fulfilling his own desires.
We become witnesses of the preparation of a message for Ahab. A son of the prophets, a pupil-prophet, must go and bring Ahab the message from God that God will punish his failure. The pupil-prophet must make use of a similarity that he must play himself. For this it is necessary that another pupil-prophet beats him in such a way that he is wounded and must be connected. What the prophet has to do shows the seriousness of what Ahab has done. It is no small matter. The prophet must look like a soldier who comes out of battle wounded.
If the pupil-prophet to whom he asks to strike him refuses to do so, that refusal is punished with death. This shows the seriousness that the word of the prophet must be taken as the word of God. The man who refuses to strike the pupil-prophet is killed because he has not listened to the voice of the LORD. The prophet must have been known as such.
We must remember that this is not about two ordinary people, but about a prophet who tells another prophet to strike him. It must be known that the prophet who refuses, knows that it is a word of the LORD, but that he will not strike the other, against the word of the LORD. He chooses not to harm his fellow prophet, but with this he is disobedient to the LORD. This must be punished, given the seriousness of the situation. We see something similar with the man of God from Judah in 1 Kings 13. His disobedience is also punished with being killed by a lion (1 Kings 13:20-24; 26).
We must not only fulfill our tasks that we understand and agree with, but we must also fulfill a task, simply because it is asked of us. We need to teach our children to obey, even if they do not understand or see the point in it. We should not always explain in detail to our children why we want them to do something. It is not about negotiations, but about teaching them obedience. The whole of society is a society of negotiation and only then doing. We must make sure that this spirit does not take hold of our families.
Then he asks another pupil-prophet to strike him, this one does. The other man strikes him so hard that he injures him. This may be to indicate that the prophet identifies with the pain God feels about the infidelity of the leader of His people. The prophet dresses his wound in a way that makes him unrecognizable. In this way he “waited for the king by the way”.
When the king arrives, he speaks to him. He asks the king for mercy because he has done something that costs him his life or a large sum of money. He tells what happened. He was “busy here and there” when the man he had to guard escaped. Being busy here and there is a bad thing for a soldier who must always be attentive.
When the prophet has spoken, Ahab passes judgment. With this he judges himself. This is also the case with David after his sin with Bathsheba, who, after a parable, passes judgment and is told: “You are the man! (2 Samuel 12:7a). Ahab should have struck Ben-hadad and will now be struck himself, just as the prophet who refused to strike the man of God was struck himself. He has been busy here and there, so he has been negligent in doing what he had to do.
The lesson for us is to remove the evil from the midst of the church (1 Corinthians 5:13b), not only in view of the honor of God, but also in view of our own salvation. If we don’t stop the evil, it will grow and affect everything. Ahab let Ben-hadad go and will now die by Ben-hadad. God has never been merciful to evil. We see this in the judgment of His Son.
Ben-hadad himself has also come to an end. He is murdered by Hazael according to the word of the LORD to Elijah. Hazael suffocates him in a blanket (2 Kings 8:15).
The reaction of a man so graciously treated by God to the message he receives is terrible. God always bothers him. But he does not understand that it is to his own salvation. His reaction is a total rejection of all God’s proofs of grace. If we react grumpily to God’s actions with us we are in a bad mood. Then it turns out that we only think of our own pleasures and find God troublesome, Someone Who does not grant us our pleasures.
We may stand before the Lord and ask, “Lord, what is there of Ahab in my heart? Am I willing to give up all kinds of things, as long as they don’t come up with things that I consider important? Do I recognize the proofs of Your help in the fight against the enemy, that I may honor You for the victory? Or did I make an alliance with the enemy somewhere?” We can pray: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way” (Psalms 139:23-24).
2 Kings 9:18
Ahab’s Covenant Judged
This history may have ended for Ahab, but for God it is not. Ahab has made it clear that he does not acknowledge God, even after God has so graciously given outcome in his hopeless situation. He abuses grace as a reason for fulfilling his own desires.
We become witnesses of the preparation of a message for Ahab. A son of the prophets, a pupil-prophet, must go and bring Ahab the message from God that God will punish his failure. The pupil-prophet must make use of a similarity that he must play himself. For this it is necessary that another pupil-prophet beats him in such a way that he is wounded and must be connected. What the prophet has to do shows the seriousness of what Ahab has done. It is no small matter. The prophet must look like a soldier who comes out of battle wounded.
If the pupil-prophet to whom he asks to strike him refuses to do so, that refusal is punished with death. This shows the seriousness that the word of the prophet must be taken as the word of God. The man who refuses to strike the pupil-prophet is killed because he has not listened to the voice of the LORD. The prophet must have been known as such.
We must remember that this is not about two ordinary people, but about a prophet who tells another prophet to strike him. It must be known that the prophet who refuses, knows that it is a word of the LORD, but that he will not strike the other, against the word of the LORD. He chooses not to harm his fellow prophet, but with this he is disobedient to the LORD. This must be punished, given the seriousness of the situation. We see something similar with the man of God from Judah in 1 Kings 13. His disobedience is also punished with being killed by a lion (1 Kings 13:20-24; 26).
We must not only fulfill our tasks that we understand and agree with, but we must also fulfill a task, simply because it is asked of us. We need to teach our children to obey, even if they do not understand or see the point in it. We should not always explain in detail to our children why we want them to do something. It is not about negotiations, but about teaching them obedience. The whole of society is a society of negotiation and only then doing. We must make sure that this spirit does not take hold of our families.
Then he asks another pupil-prophet to strike him, this one does. The other man strikes him so hard that he injures him. This may be to indicate that the prophet identifies with the pain God feels about the infidelity of the leader of His people. The prophet dresses his wound in a way that makes him unrecognizable. In this way he “waited for the king by the way”.
When the king arrives, he speaks to him. He asks the king for mercy because he has done something that costs him his life or a large sum of money. He tells what happened. He was “busy here and there” when the man he had to guard escaped. Being busy here and there is a bad thing for a soldier who must always be attentive.
When the prophet has spoken, Ahab passes judgment. With this he judges himself. This is also the case with David after his sin with Bathsheba, who, after a parable, passes judgment and is told: “You are the man! (2 Samuel 12:7a). Ahab should have struck Ben-hadad and will now be struck himself, just as the prophet who refused to strike the man of God was struck himself. He has been busy here and there, so he has been negligent in doing what he had to do.
The lesson for us is to remove the evil from the midst of the church (1 Corinthians 5:13b), not only in view of the honor of God, but also in view of our own salvation. If we don’t stop the evil, it will grow and affect everything. Ahab let Ben-hadad go and will now die by Ben-hadad. God has never been merciful to evil. We see this in the judgment of His Son.
Ben-hadad himself has also come to an end. He is murdered by Hazael according to the word of the LORD to Elijah. Hazael suffocates him in a blanket (2 Kings 8:15).
The reaction of a man so graciously treated by God to the message he receives is terrible. God always bothers him. But he does not understand that it is to his own salvation. His reaction is a total rejection of all God’s proofs of grace. If we react grumpily to God’s actions with us we are in a bad mood. Then it turns out that we only think of our own pleasures and find God troublesome, Someone Who does not grant us our pleasures.
We may stand before the Lord and ask, “Lord, what is there of Ahab in my heart? Am I willing to give up all kinds of things, as long as they don’t come up with things that I consider important? Do I recognize the proofs of Your help in the fight against the enemy, that I may honor You for the victory? Or did I make an alliance with the enemy somewhere?” We can pray: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way” (Psalms 139:23-24).
2 Kings 9:19
Ahab’s Covenant Judged
This history may have ended for Ahab, but for God it is not. Ahab has made it clear that he does not acknowledge God, even after God has so graciously given outcome in his hopeless situation. He abuses grace as a reason for fulfilling his own desires.
We become witnesses of the preparation of a message for Ahab. A son of the prophets, a pupil-prophet, must go and bring Ahab the message from God that God will punish his failure. The pupil-prophet must make use of a similarity that he must play himself. For this it is necessary that another pupil-prophet beats him in such a way that he is wounded and must be connected. What the prophet has to do shows the seriousness of what Ahab has done. It is no small matter. The prophet must look like a soldier who comes out of battle wounded.
If the pupil-prophet to whom he asks to strike him refuses to do so, that refusal is punished with death. This shows the seriousness that the word of the prophet must be taken as the word of God. The man who refuses to strike the pupil-prophet is killed because he has not listened to the voice of the LORD. The prophet must have been known as such.
We must remember that this is not about two ordinary people, but about a prophet who tells another prophet to strike him. It must be known that the prophet who refuses, knows that it is a word of the LORD, but that he will not strike the other, against the word of the LORD. He chooses not to harm his fellow prophet, but with this he is disobedient to the LORD. This must be punished, given the seriousness of the situation. We see something similar with the man of God from Judah in 1 Kings 13. His disobedience is also punished with being killed by a lion (1 Kings 13:20-24; 26).
We must not only fulfill our tasks that we understand and agree with, but we must also fulfill a task, simply because it is asked of us. We need to teach our children to obey, even if they do not understand or see the point in it. We should not always explain in detail to our children why we want them to do something. It is not about negotiations, but about teaching them obedience. The whole of society is a society of negotiation and only then doing. We must make sure that this spirit does not take hold of our families.
Then he asks another pupil-prophet to strike him, this one does. The other man strikes him so hard that he injures him. This may be to indicate that the prophet identifies with the pain God feels about the infidelity of the leader of His people. The prophet dresses his wound in a way that makes him unrecognizable. In this way he “waited for the king by the way”.
When the king arrives, he speaks to him. He asks the king for mercy because he has done something that costs him his life or a large sum of money. He tells what happened. He was “busy here and there” when the man he had to guard escaped. Being busy here and there is a bad thing for a soldier who must always be attentive.
When the prophet has spoken, Ahab passes judgment. With this he judges himself. This is also the case with David after his sin with Bathsheba, who, after a parable, passes judgment and is told: “You are the man! (2 Samuel 12:7a). Ahab should have struck Ben-hadad and will now be struck himself, just as the prophet who refused to strike the man of God was struck himself. He has been busy here and there, so he has been negligent in doing what he had to do.
The lesson for us is to remove the evil from the midst of the church (1 Corinthians 5:13b), not only in view of the honor of God, but also in view of our own salvation. If we don’t stop the evil, it will grow and affect everything. Ahab let Ben-hadad go and will now die by Ben-hadad. God has never been merciful to evil. We see this in the judgment of His Son.
Ben-hadad himself has also come to an end. He is murdered by Hazael according to the word of the LORD to Elijah. Hazael suffocates him in a blanket (2 Kings 8:15).
The reaction of a man so graciously treated by God to the message he receives is terrible. God always bothers him. But he does not understand that it is to his own salvation. His reaction is a total rejection of all God’s proofs of grace. If we react grumpily to God’s actions with us we are in a bad mood. Then it turns out that we only think of our own pleasures and find God troublesome, Someone Who does not grant us our pleasures.
We may stand before the Lord and ask, “Lord, what is there of Ahab in my heart? Am I willing to give up all kinds of things, as long as they don’t come up with things that I consider important? Do I recognize the proofs of Your help in the fight against the enemy, that I may honor You for the victory? Or did I make an alliance with the enemy somewhere?” We can pray: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way” (Psalms 139:23-24).
2 Kings 9:21
Ahab Wants the Vineyard of Naboth
The words “after these things” herald a new phase in the life of Ahab and thus a new character in the service of Elijah. Elijah’s service is closely linked to that of Moses. In the law are two parts. On the first tablet of stone the relationship to God is regulated. On the second tablet of stone is the relationship between the neighbors is regulated. The sins that people commit are sins against God or against their neighbor, whereby a sin against their neighbor is of course also a sin against God. The first sin in the history of man is a sin against God (Adam), the second sin is a sin against the neighbor (Cain).
Thus in the first part of Ahab’s history we see the question of idolatry, which is sin against God. That issue was resolved at Carmel. Now Ahab’s sin comes against his neighbor. He becomes a fratricide. We can also say of sin that it has two main characteristics: first, corruption – in which corruption is also divided into lust and lies – and second, violence. Ahab sins in this chapter in a way that sin comes to light in all these aspects. He lusts for his neighbor’s piece of land and uses lies and violence to gain possession of it.
There are two instruments of evil: Ahab and Jezebel. With Ahab we see the lust and with Jezebel we see the lie and the violence. Here we see the history of Christianity or the kingdom of God, entrusted to the responsibility of man. The period of Ahab and Jezebel corresponds to the period of Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29), which is the period of the roman-catholic church since the Middle Ages. In that letter Jezebel is reproached because of her idolatry and fornication (Revelation 2:20). This can be found in the first part of the period of Ahab and Jezebel.
Babylon the great is essentially the same as Thyatira, but in the end time (Revelation 17-18). Here we see sin against the neighbor, for the blood of the saints is in her. Here we see the violence. Martyrs are killed within the church by the leaders of the church.
This is what we see in this history of Naboth, a faithful one whose only “mistake” is to hold on to the inheritance of the LORD. That Ahab takes this inheritance, the LORD takes very seriously. Now that Ahab and Jezebel violate the brother, a heavy judgment follows. God also takes it very seriously when someone causes damage to the church of God (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:17).
The same principles of the Middle Ages are still supreme in Christianity today. The leaders (Ahab) still try to rob the people of their heavenly inheritance. We also see the principle of Jezebel, the godless religion that resists the true servant of God. Man’s religion always hates the religion of the Spirit. Many have lost their lives because they have held fast to Scripture and what God has given them. Ahab is the representation of a Christianity that is completely focused on the earth. We see Jezebel in the priests in the Middle Ages who misuse the name of God to kill the people of the church. Satanic forces are active in Christianity, which is increasingly characterized by roman-catholicism.
Ahab covets the vineyard of his neighbor, of Naboth. What Ahab wants is forbidden by the law. Each tribe and each family have received their own specific inheritance by allocation from the LORD. Only if a brother was impoverished he was allowed to sell his inheritance, but then in the jubilee year it returned to him, the original owner (Leviticus 25:13-34). However, Naboth is not impoverished and is therefore not forced to sell his inheritance.
He also rejects the offer of another vineyard. It is about him not for a more beautiful vineyard, but about his own vineyard; for he has received it from the LORD. In picture this suggests that we do not enjoy the joy of another. It is about one’s own joy. Every believer has his spiritual blessings in the heavenly land. Every believer has his own experiences with the Lord, with his own fruits which he enjoys together with the Lord.
The prophet Micaiah speaks about this too. He speaks about the characteristics of the false leaders (Micah 2:1-2). But he also lets us hear how the LORD intended it: “Each of them will sit under his vine And under his fig tree” (Micah 4:4). Each one has his own joy and righteousness that only he knows (cf. Revelation 2:17b).
2 Kings 9:22
Ahab Wants the Vineyard of Naboth
The words “after these things” herald a new phase in the life of Ahab and thus a new character in the service of Elijah. Elijah’s service is closely linked to that of Moses. In the law are two parts. On the first tablet of stone the relationship to God is regulated. On the second tablet of stone is the relationship between the neighbors is regulated. The sins that people commit are sins against God or against their neighbor, whereby a sin against their neighbor is of course also a sin against God. The first sin in the history of man is a sin against God (Adam), the second sin is a sin against the neighbor (Cain).
Thus in the first part of Ahab’s history we see the question of idolatry, which is sin against God. That issue was resolved at Carmel. Now Ahab’s sin comes against his neighbor. He becomes a fratricide. We can also say of sin that it has two main characteristics: first, corruption – in which corruption is also divided into lust and lies – and second, violence. Ahab sins in this chapter in a way that sin comes to light in all these aspects. He lusts for his neighbor’s piece of land and uses lies and violence to gain possession of it.
There are two instruments of evil: Ahab and Jezebel. With Ahab we see the lust and with Jezebel we see the lie and the violence. Here we see the history of Christianity or the kingdom of God, entrusted to the responsibility of man. The period of Ahab and Jezebel corresponds to the period of Thyatira (Revelation 2:18-29), which is the period of the roman-catholic church since the Middle Ages. In that letter Jezebel is reproached because of her idolatry and fornication (Revelation 2:20). This can be found in the first part of the period of Ahab and Jezebel.
Babylon the great is essentially the same as Thyatira, but in the end time (Revelation 17-18). Here we see sin against the neighbor, for the blood of the saints is in her. Here we see the violence. Martyrs are killed within the church by the leaders of the church.
This is what we see in this history of Naboth, a faithful one whose only “mistake” is to hold on to the inheritance of the LORD. That Ahab takes this inheritance, the LORD takes very seriously. Now that Ahab and Jezebel violate the brother, a heavy judgment follows. God also takes it very seriously when someone causes damage to the church of God (cf. 1 Corinthians 3:17).
The same principles of the Middle Ages are still supreme in Christianity today. The leaders (Ahab) still try to rob the people of their heavenly inheritance. We also see the principle of Jezebel, the godless religion that resists the true servant of God. Man’s religion always hates the religion of the Spirit. Many have lost their lives because they have held fast to Scripture and what God has given them. Ahab is the representation of a Christianity that is completely focused on the earth. We see Jezebel in the priests in the Middle Ages who misuse the name of God to kill the people of the church. Satanic forces are active in Christianity, which is increasingly characterized by roman-catholicism.
Ahab covets the vineyard of his neighbor, of Naboth. What Ahab wants is forbidden by the law. Each tribe and each family have received their own specific inheritance by allocation from the LORD. Only if a brother was impoverished he was allowed to sell his inheritance, but then in the jubilee year it returned to him, the original owner (Leviticus 25:13-34). However, Naboth is not impoverished and is therefore not forced to sell his inheritance.
He also rejects the offer of another vineyard. It is about him not for a more beautiful vineyard, but about his own vineyard; for he has received it from the LORD. In picture this suggests that we do not enjoy the joy of another. It is about one’s own joy. Every believer has his spiritual blessings in the heavenly land. Every believer has his own experiences with the Lord, with his own fruits which he enjoys together with the Lord.
The prophet Micaiah speaks about this too. He speaks about the characteristics of the false leaders (Micah 2:1-2). But he also lets us hear how the LORD intended it: “Each of them will sit under his vine And under his fig tree” (Micah 4:4). Each one has his own joy and righteousness that only he knows (cf. Revelation 2:17b).
2 Kings 9:23
Naboth Refuses Ahab His Vineyard
Naboth is clear in his rejection of the proposal. It had to be. There are things that we should not think about, but that we should immediately and decisively say ‘no’ to. We must do this against any proposal that is tantamount to compromising something of the blessings of the land.
Naboth shows here the awareness that the land is not his, but that it belongs to the LORD and that he is steward over it. The fruit of his land is for the LORD. It is a vineyard, and wine represents joy which cheers God and men (Judges 9:13). He refuses the offer to get another vineyard to replace it. Then it would be a piece of land that a man has given him and he has lost the land that God has given him. Never can what a person gives, bring real joy. Selling the land is also not an option. Naboth can’t be bribed.
Do we appreciate the blessings God has given us? Our blessings are in the heavenly places. There we are “blessed with all spiritual blessing … in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). They are all given to us to enjoy them together with the Father. How could we surrender these blessings for the enjoyment of earthly blessings? Then we would be very ungrateful to its Giver. We cannot give up these blessings without denying Him.
The enemy is cunning. He tries to focus our attention on all kinds of other things and not on “the things above, where Christ is” (Colossians 3:1). It is to be feared that many believers have exchanged their God-given ‘vineyard’, their spiritual blessings, for a ‘vineyard’ given to them by men. Then the feeling becomes important and the measure for experiencing blessing. If someone feels comfortable with a certain way of serving God, God also will be okay with it. But His will is not asked for.
2 Kings 9:24
Jezebel Lets Naboth to Be Stoned
Reactions like Naboth’s are poorly received. Ahab behaves like a deprived child. He is a weakling who, as a spoiled child, always wants to have his way. He lies on his bed and does not eat. When Jezebel comes to him, she wants her husband to explain why he is so sullen. Ahab tells her what happened. Jezebel knows a solution for that. She promises Ahab that she will give him the vineyard of Naboth. She has her own methods for this. Ahab can already, as far as she is concerned, rejoice in his ‘gift’. He can get up, eat and be cheerful, for she will make sure that he gets his way.
Jezebel is the strong, ruthless character that disregards God and neighbor. She goes unscrupulously toward her goal. In Jezebel’s case, in her are present the full measure of murderousness to carry out her own will at all costs and especially at the expense of those who fear God.
Jezebel doesn’t waste any time. A person like Naboth should be killed as soon as possible. She writes letters in the name of Ahab, seals them with the seal of Ahab and sends them “to the elders and to the nobles” of the city of Naboth. These high lords are as depraved as two worthless men who they let testify against Naboth by order of Jezebel. The nobles of the city do without a reply directly what is written to them.
They let two men who do not care about God or commandment themselves give a terrible testimony in a sham trial against a righteous man. Every word they accuse Naboth of is a word they are guilty of themselves in all their depravity. After this indictment Naboth is killed without any form of trial.
In what is done to Naboth here, he resembles the Lord Jesus. Just as one does with Naboth, one also does with the Lord Jesus. Also against Him two worthless people are sought as witnesses who can accuse Him (Matthew 26:59-61).
When Naboth is killed, the elders and nobles send a message to Jezebel. Jezebel goes to Ahab with this message and tells him that he can take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, because “Naboth is not alive, but dead”. Soon it will become clear how much she is mistaken. She does not take into account God for Whom all those who have died in faith in Him, the living God, live.
2 Kings 9:25
Jezebel Lets Naboth to Be Stoned
Reactions like Naboth’s are poorly received. Ahab behaves like a deprived child. He is a weakling who, as a spoiled child, always wants to have his way. He lies on his bed and does not eat. When Jezebel comes to him, she wants her husband to explain why he is so sullen. Ahab tells her what happened. Jezebel knows a solution for that. She promises Ahab that she will give him the vineyard of Naboth. She has her own methods for this. Ahab can already, as far as she is concerned, rejoice in his ‘gift’. He can get up, eat and be cheerful, for she will make sure that he gets his way.
Jezebel is the strong, ruthless character that disregards God and neighbor. She goes unscrupulously toward her goal. In Jezebel’s case, in her are present the full measure of murderousness to carry out her own will at all costs and especially at the expense of those who fear God.
Jezebel doesn’t waste any time. A person like Naboth should be killed as soon as possible. She writes letters in the name of Ahab, seals them with the seal of Ahab and sends them “to the elders and to the nobles” of the city of Naboth. These high lords are as depraved as two worthless men who they let testify against Naboth by order of Jezebel. The nobles of the city do without a reply directly what is written to them.
They let two men who do not care about God or commandment themselves give a terrible testimony in a sham trial against a righteous man. Every word they accuse Naboth of is a word they are guilty of themselves in all their depravity. After this indictment Naboth is killed without any form of trial.
In what is done to Naboth here, he resembles the Lord Jesus. Just as one does with Naboth, one also does with the Lord Jesus. Also against Him two worthless people are sought as witnesses who can accuse Him (Matthew 26:59-61).
When Naboth is killed, the elders and nobles send a message to Jezebel. Jezebel goes to Ahab with this message and tells him that he can take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, because “Naboth is not alive, but dead”. Soon it will become clear how much she is mistaken. She does not take into account God for Whom all those who have died in faith in Him, the living God, live.
2 Kings 9:26
Jezebel Lets Naboth to Be Stoned
Reactions like Naboth’s are poorly received. Ahab behaves like a deprived child. He is a weakling who, as a spoiled child, always wants to have his way. He lies on his bed and does not eat. When Jezebel comes to him, she wants her husband to explain why he is so sullen. Ahab tells her what happened. Jezebel knows a solution for that. She promises Ahab that she will give him the vineyard of Naboth. She has her own methods for this. Ahab can already, as far as she is concerned, rejoice in his ‘gift’. He can get up, eat and be cheerful, for she will make sure that he gets his way.
Jezebel is the strong, ruthless character that disregards God and neighbor. She goes unscrupulously toward her goal. In Jezebel’s case, in her are present the full measure of murderousness to carry out her own will at all costs and especially at the expense of those who fear God.
Jezebel doesn’t waste any time. A person like Naboth should be killed as soon as possible. She writes letters in the name of Ahab, seals them with the seal of Ahab and sends them “to the elders and to the nobles” of the city of Naboth. These high lords are as depraved as two worthless men who they let testify against Naboth by order of Jezebel. The nobles of the city do without a reply directly what is written to them.
They let two men who do not care about God or commandment themselves give a terrible testimony in a sham trial against a righteous man. Every word they accuse Naboth of is a word they are guilty of themselves in all their depravity. After this indictment Naboth is killed without any form of trial.
In what is done to Naboth here, he resembles the Lord Jesus. Just as one does with Naboth, one also does with the Lord Jesus. Also against Him two worthless people are sought as witnesses who can accuse Him (Matthew 26:59-61).
When Naboth is killed, the elders and nobles send a message to Jezebel. Jezebel goes to Ahab with this message and tells him that he can take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, because “Naboth is not alive, but dead”. Soon it will become clear how much she is mistaken. She does not take into account God for Whom all those who have died in faith in Him, the living God, live.
2 Kings 9:27
Jezebel Lets Naboth to Be Stoned
Reactions like Naboth’s are poorly received. Ahab behaves like a deprived child. He is a weakling who, as a spoiled child, always wants to have his way. He lies on his bed and does not eat. When Jezebel comes to him, she wants her husband to explain why he is so sullen. Ahab tells her what happened. Jezebel knows a solution for that. She promises Ahab that she will give him the vineyard of Naboth. She has her own methods for this. Ahab can already, as far as she is concerned, rejoice in his ‘gift’. He can get up, eat and be cheerful, for she will make sure that he gets his way.
Jezebel is the strong, ruthless character that disregards God and neighbor. She goes unscrupulously toward her goal. In Jezebel’s case, in her are present the full measure of murderousness to carry out her own will at all costs and especially at the expense of those who fear God.
Jezebel doesn’t waste any time. A person like Naboth should be killed as soon as possible. She writes letters in the name of Ahab, seals them with the seal of Ahab and sends them “to the elders and to the nobles” of the city of Naboth. These high lords are as depraved as two worthless men who they let testify against Naboth by order of Jezebel. The nobles of the city do without a reply directly what is written to them.
They let two men who do not care about God or commandment themselves give a terrible testimony in a sham trial against a righteous man. Every word they accuse Naboth of is a word they are guilty of themselves in all their depravity. After this indictment Naboth is killed without any form of trial.
In what is done to Naboth here, he resembles the Lord Jesus. Just as one does with Naboth, one also does with the Lord Jesus. Also against Him two worthless people are sought as witnesses who can accuse Him (Matthew 26:59-61).
When Naboth is killed, the elders and nobles send a message to Jezebel. Jezebel goes to Ahab with this message and tells him that he can take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, because “Naboth is not alive, but dead”. Soon it will become clear how much she is mistaken. She does not take into account God for Whom all those who have died in faith in Him, the living God, live.
2 Kings 9:28
Jezebel Lets Naboth to Be Stoned
Reactions like Naboth’s are poorly received. Ahab behaves like a deprived child. He is a weakling who, as a spoiled child, always wants to have his way. He lies on his bed and does not eat. When Jezebel comes to him, she wants her husband to explain why he is so sullen. Ahab tells her what happened. Jezebel knows a solution for that. She promises Ahab that she will give him the vineyard of Naboth. She has her own methods for this. Ahab can already, as far as she is concerned, rejoice in his ‘gift’. He can get up, eat and be cheerful, for she will make sure that he gets his way.
Jezebel is the strong, ruthless character that disregards God and neighbor. She goes unscrupulously toward her goal. In Jezebel’s case, in her are present the full measure of murderousness to carry out her own will at all costs and especially at the expense of those who fear God.
Jezebel doesn’t waste any time. A person like Naboth should be killed as soon as possible. She writes letters in the name of Ahab, seals them with the seal of Ahab and sends them “to the elders and to the nobles” of the city of Naboth. These high lords are as depraved as two worthless men who they let testify against Naboth by order of Jezebel. The nobles of the city do without a reply directly what is written to them.
They let two men who do not care about God or commandment themselves give a terrible testimony in a sham trial against a righteous man. Every word they accuse Naboth of is a word they are guilty of themselves in all their depravity. After this indictment Naboth is killed without any form of trial.
In what is done to Naboth here, he resembles the Lord Jesus. Just as one does with Naboth, one also does with the Lord Jesus. Also against Him two worthless people are sought as witnesses who can accuse Him (Matthew 26:59-61).
When Naboth is killed, the elders and nobles send a message to Jezebel. Jezebel goes to Ahab with this message and tells him that he can take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, because “Naboth is not alive, but dead”. Soon it will become clear how much she is mistaken. She does not take into account God for Whom all those who have died in faith in Him, the living God, live.
2 Kings 9:29
Jezebel Lets Naboth to Be Stoned
Reactions like Naboth’s are poorly received. Ahab behaves like a deprived child. He is a weakling who, as a spoiled child, always wants to have his way. He lies on his bed and does not eat. When Jezebel comes to him, she wants her husband to explain why he is so sullen. Ahab tells her what happened. Jezebel knows a solution for that. She promises Ahab that she will give him the vineyard of Naboth. She has her own methods for this. Ahab can already, as far as she is concerned, rejoice in his ‘gift’. He can get up, eat and be cheerful, for she will make sure that he gets his way.
Jezebel is the strong, ruthless character that disregards God and neighbor. She goes unscrupulously toward her goal. In Jezebel’s case, in her are present the full measure of murderousness to carry out her own will at all costs and especially at the expense of those who fear God.
Jezebel doesn’t waste any time. A person like Naboth should be killed as soon as possible. She writes letters in the name of Ahab, seals them with the seal of Ahab and sends them “to the elders and to the nobles” of the city of Naboth. These high lords are as depraved as two worthless men who they let testify against Naboth by order of Jezebel. The nobles of the city do without a reply directly what is written to them.
They let two men who do not care about God or commandment themselves give a terrible testimony in a sham trial against a righteous man. Every word they accuse Naboth of is a word they are guilty of themselves in all their depravity. After this indictment Naboth is killed without any form of trial.
In what is done to Naboth here, he resembles the Lord Jesus. Just as one does with Naboth, one also does with the Lord Jesus. Also against Him two worthless people are sought as witnesses who can accuse Him (Matthew 26:59-61).
When Naboth is killed, the elders and nobles send a message to Jezebel. Jezebel goes to Ahab with this message and tells him that he can take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, because “Naboth is not alive, but dead”. Soon it will become clear how much she is mistaken. She does not take into account God for Whom all those who have died in faith in Him, the living God, live.
2 Kings 9:30
Jezebel Lets Naboth to Be Stoned
Reactions like Naboth’s are poorly received. Ahab behaves like a deprived child. He is a weakling who, as a spoiled child, always wants to have his way. He lies on his bed and does not eat. When Jezebel comes to him, she wants her husband to explain why he is so sullen. Ahab tells her what happened. Jezebel knows a solution for that. She promises Ahab that she will give him the vineyard of Naboth. She has her own methods for this. Ahab can already, as far as she is concerned, rejoice in his ‘gift’. He can get up, eat and be cheerful, for she will make sure that he gets his way.
Jezebel is the strong, ruthless character that disregards God and neighbor. She goes unscrupulously toward her goal. In Jezebel’s case, in her are present the full measure of murderousness to carry out her own will at all costs and especially at the expense of those who fear God.
Jezebel doesn’t waste any time. A person like Naboth should be killed as soon as possible. She writes letters in the name of Ahab, seals them with the seal of Ahab and sends them “to the elders and to the nobles” of the city of Naboth. These high lords are as depraved as two worthless men who they let testify against Naboth by order of Jezebel. The nobles of the city do without a reply directly what is written to them.
They let two men who do not care about God or commandment themselves give a terrible testimony in a sham trial against a righteous man. Every word they accuse Naboth of is a word they are guilty of themselves in all their depravity. After this indictment Naboth is killed without any form of trial.
In what is done to Naboth here, he resembles the Lord Jesus. Just as one does with Naboth, one also does with the Lord Jesus. Also against Him two worthless people are sought as witnesses who can accuse Him (Matthew 26:59-61).
When Naboth is killed, the elders and nobles send a message to Jezebel. Jezebel goes to Ahab with this message and tells him that he can take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, because “Naboth is not alive, but dead”. Soon it will become clear how much she is mistaken. She does not take into account God for Whom all those who have died in faith in Him, the living God, live.
2 Kings 9:31
Jezebel Lets Naboth to Be Stoned
Reactions like Naboth’s are poorly received. Ahab behaves like a deprived child. He is a weakling who, as a spoiled child, always wants to have his way. He lies on his bed and does not eat. When Jezebel comes to him, she wants her husband to explain why he is so sullen. Ahab tells her what happened. Jezebel knows a solution for that. She promises Ahab that she will give him the vineyard of Naboth. She has her own methods for this. Ahab can already, as far as she is concerned, rejoice in his ‘gift’. He can get up, eat and be cheerful, for she will make sure that he gets his way.
Jezebel is the strong, ruthless character that disregards God and neighbor. She goes unscrupulously toward her goal. In Jezebel’s case, in her are present the full measure of murderousness to carry out her own will at all costs and especially at the expense of those who fear God.
Jezebel doesn’t waste any time. A person like Naboth should be killed as soon as possible. She writes letters in the name of Ahab, seals them with the seal of Ahab and sends them “to the elders and to the nobles” of the city of Naboth. These high lords are as depraved as two worthless men who they let testify against Naboth by order of Jezebel. The nobles of the city do without a reply directly what is written to them.
They let two men who do not care about God or commandment themselves give a terrible testimony in a sham trial against a righteous man. Every word they accuse Naboth of is a word they are guilty of themselves in all their depravity. After this indictment Naboth is killed without any form of trial.
In what is done to Naboth here, he resembles the Lord Jesus. Just as one does with Naboth, one also does with the Lord Jesus. Also against Him two worthless people are sought as witnesses who can accuse Him (Matthew 26:59-61).
When Naboth is killed, the elders and nobles send a message to Jezebel. Jezebel goes to Ahab with this message and tells him that he can take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, because “Naboth is not alive, but dead”. Soon it will become clear how much she is mistaken. She does not take into account God for Whom all those who have died in faith in Him, the living God, live.
2 Kings 9:32
Jezebel Lets Naboth to Be Stoned
Reactions like Naboth’s are poorly received. Ahab behaves like a deprived child. He is a weakling who, as a spoiled child, always wants to have his way. He lies on his bed and does not eat. When Jezebel comes to him, she wants her husband to explain why he is so sullen. Ahab tells her what happened. Jezebel knows a solution for that. She promises Ahab that she will give him the vineyard of Naboth. She has her own methods for this. Ahab can already, as far as she is concerned, rejoice in his ‘gift’. He can get up, eat and be cheerful, for she will make sure that he gets his way.
Jezebel is the strong, ruthless character that disregards God and neighbor. She goes unscrupulously toward her goal. In Jezebel’s case, in her are present the full measure of murderousness to carry out her own will at all costs and especially at the expense of those who fear God.
Jezebel doesn’t waste any time. A person like Naboth should be killed as soon as possible. She writes letters in the name of Ahab, seals them with the seal of Ahab and sends them “to the elders and to the nobles” of the city of Naboth. These high lords are as depraved as two worthless men who they let testify against Naboth by order of Jezebel. The nobles of the city do without a reply directly what is written to them.
They let two men who do not care about God or commandment themselves give a terrible testimony in a sham trial against a righteous man. Every word they accuse Naboth of is a word they are guilty of themselves in all their depravity. After this indictment Naboth is killed without any form of trial.
In what is done to Naboth here, he resembles the Lord Jesus. Just as one does with Naboth, one also does with the Lord Jesus. Also against Him two worthless people are sought as witnesses who can accuse Him (Matthew 26:59-61).
When Naboth is killed, the elders and nobles send a message to Jezebel. Jezebel goes to Ahab with this message and tells him that he can take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, because “Naboth is not alive, but dead”. Soon it will become clear how much she is mistaken. She does not take into account God for Whom all those who have died in faith in Him, the living God, live.
2 Kings 9:33
Jezebel Lets Naboth to Be Stoned
Reactions like Naboth’s are poorly received. Ahab behaves like a deprived child. He is a weakling who, as a spoiled child, always wants to have his way. He lies on his bed and does not eat. When Jezebel comes to him, she wants her husband to explain why he is so sullen. Ahab tells her what happened. Jezebel knows a solution for that. She promises Ahab that she will give him the vineyard of Naboth. She has her own methods for this. Ahab can already, as far as she is concerned, rejoice in his ‘gift’. He can get up, eat and be cheerful, for she will make sure that he gets his way.
Jezebel is the strong, ruthless character that disregards God and neighbor. She goes unscrupulously toward her goal. In Jezebel’s case, in her are present the full measure of murderousness to carry out her own will at all costs and especially at the expense of those who fear God.
Jezebel doesn’t waste any time. A person like Naboth should be killed as soon as possible. She writes letters in the name of Ahab, seals them with the seal of Ahab and sends them “to the elders and to the nobles” of the city of Naboth. These high lords are as depraved as two worthless men who they let testify against Naboth by order of Jezebel. The nobles of the city do without a reply directly what is written to them.
They let two men who do not care about God or commandment themselves give a terrible testimony in a sham trial against a righteous man. Every word they accuse Naboth of is a word they are guilty of themselves in all their depravity. After this indictment Naboth is killed without any form of trial.
In what is done to Naboth here, he resembles the Lord Jesus. Just as one does with Naboth, one also does with the Lord Jesus. Also against Him two worthless people are sought as witnesses who can accuse Him (Matthew 26:59-61).
When Naboth is killed, the elders and nobles send a message to Jezebel. Jezebel goes to Ahab with this message and tells him that he can take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, because “Naboth is not alive, but dead”. Soon it will become clear how much she is mistaken. She does not take into account God for Whom all those who have died in faith in Him, the living God, live.
2 Kings 9:34
Jezebel Lets Naboth to Be Stoned
Reactions like Naboth’s are poorly received. Ahab behaves like a deprived child. He is a weakling who, as a spoiled child, always wants to have his way. He lies on his bed and does not eat. When Jezebel comes to him, she wants her husband to explain why he is so sullen. Ahab tells her what happened. Jezebel knows a solution for that. She promises Ahab that she will give him the vineyard of Naboth. She has her own methods for this. Ahab can already, as far as she is concerned, rejoice in his ‘gift’. He can get up, eat and be cheerful, for she will make sure that he gets his way.
Jezebel is the strong, ruthless character that disregards God and neighbor. She goes unscrupulously toward her goal. In Jezebel’s case, in her are present the full measure of murderousness to carry out her own will at all costs and especially at the expense of those who fear God.
Jezebel doesn’t waste any time. A person like Naboth should be killed as soon as possible. She writes letters in the name of Ahab, seals them with the seal of Ahab and sends them “to the elders and to the nobles” of the city of Naboth. These high lords are as depraved as two worthless men who they let testify against Naboth by order of Jezebel. The nobles of the city do without a reply directly what is written to them.
They let two men who do not care about God or commandment themselves give a terrible testimony in a sham trial against a righteous man. Every word they accuse Naboth of is a word they are guilty of themselves in all their depravity. After this indictment Naboth is killed without any form of trial.
In what is done to Naboth here, he resembles the Lord Jesus. Just as one does with Naboth, one also does with the Lord Jesus. Also against Him two worthless people are sought as witnesses who can accuse Him (Matthew 26:59-61).
When Naboth is killed, the elders and nobles send a message to Jezebel. Jezebel goes to Ahab with this message and tells him that he can take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, because “Naboth is not alive, but dead”. Soon it will become clear how much she is mistaken. She does not take into account God for Whom all those who have died in faith in Him, the living God, live.
2 Kings 9:35
Jezebel Lets Naboth to Be Stoned
Reactions like Naboth’s are poorly received. Ahab behaves like a deprived child. He is a weakling who, as a spoiled child, always wants to have his way. He lies on his bed and does not eat. When Jezebel comes to him, she wants her husband to explain why he is so sullen. Ahab tells her what happened. Jezebel knows a solution for that. She promises Ahab that she will give him the vineyard of Naboth. She has her own methods for this. Ahab can already, as far as she is concerned, rejoice in his ‘gift’. He can get up, eat and be cheerful, for she will make sure that he gets his way.
Jezebel is the strong, ruthless character that disregards God and neighbor. She goes unscrupulously toward her goal. In Jezebel’s case, in her are present the full measure of murderousness to carry out her own will at all costs and especially at the expense of those who fear God.
Jezebel doesn’t waste any time. A person like Naboth should be killed as soon as possible. She writes letters in the name of Ahab, seals them with the seal of Ahab and sends them “to the elders and to the nobles” of the city of Naboth. These high lords are as depraved as two worthless men who they let testify against Naboth by order of Jezebel. The nobles of the city do without a reply directly what is written to them.
They let two men who do not care about God or commandment themselves give a terrible testimony in a sham trial against a righteous man. Every word they accuse Naboth of is a word they are guilty of themselves in all their depravity. After this indictment Naboth is killed without any form of trial.
In what is done to Naboth here, he resembles the Lord Jesus. Just as one does with Naboth, one also does with the Lord Jesus. Also against Him two worthless people are sought as witnesses who can accuse Him (Matthew 26:59-61).
When Naboth is killed, the elders and nobles send a message to Jezebel. Jezebel goes to Ahab with this message and tells him that he can take possession of the vineyard of Naboth, because “Naboth is not alive, but dead”. Soon it will become clear how much she is mistaken. She does not take into account God for Whom all those who have died in faith in Him, the living God, live.
2 Kings 9:36
Elijah Announces Ahab His Verdict
Jezebel may think that Naboth is dead, but Naboth’s God is not dead. Since 1 Kings 19 we have not seen Elijah anymore, but here he gets another assignment from God. Elijah is informed by God of what Ahab has done and must go and announce him the judgment.
What Elijah must say because the word of the LORD has literally been fulfilled. We see this in the history of Jehu (2 Kings 9:36-37). Jehu is on his way to kill the house of Ahab. Jehoram sees Jehu coming and goes to meets him and meets him “in the property of Naboth the Jezreelite” (2 Kings 9:21). This makes it clear that the people killed Naboth in his own property, apparently not in the vineyard. We also read there that the sons of Naboth were stoned with him (2 Kings 9:26), as a result of which also the heirs were exterminated and no more claim can be made on the land of Naboth.
At the place where Ahab thought he would finally enjoy undisturbed his unlawfully acquired possessions, Elijah meets him. Again that wretched Elijah. He can drink that man’s blood. He calls him “my enemy”. So much so is Ahab filled with hatred toward this representative of God. Yet he is powerless against the man of God.
Without the introductory “thus says the LORD” Elijah pronounces the judgment in the name of God. First Elijah confirms that he has found him. Thus every man will be found by God. No one can make himself untraceable before the omnipresent God. That Ahab sees Elijah like this is because he “sold” himself to do what is evil in the sight of the LORD. He has sold his soul to Satan. All the fame and honor he has as king, he has got from Satan. The price he has paid is that of his soul. He who has so surrendered himself to the power of Satan, sees someone who reminds him of God as an enemy.
Elijah lets Ahab know what the LORD will do with him and his descendants. He refers to what happened to the kings who ruled before him. Ahab knows the history of the people and therefore knows what this means for him. He knows what happened to those houses and it will happen to his house as well. How important it is that we learn from history, that we let it warn us and take the lessons to heart.
2 Kings 9:37
Elijah Announces Ahab His Verdict
Jezebel may think that Naboth is dead, but Naboth’s God is not dead. Since 1 Kings 19 we have not seen Elijah anymore, but here he gets another assignment from God. Elijah is informed by God of what Ahab has done and must go and announce him the judgment.
What Elijah must say because the word of the LORD has literally been fulfilled. We see this in the history of Jehu (2 Kings 9:36-37). Jehu is on his way to kill the house of Ahab. Jehoram sees Jehu coming and goes to meets him and meets him “in the property of Naboth the Jezreelite” (2 Kings 9:21). This makes it clear that the people killed Naboth in his own property, apparently not in the vineyard. We also read there that the sons of Naboth were stoned with him (2 Kings 9:26), as a result of which also the heirs were exterminated and no more claim can be made on the land of Naboth.
At the place where Ahab thought he would finally enjoy undisturbed his unlawfully acquired possessions, Elijah meets him. Again that wretched Elijah. He can drink that man’s blood. He calls him “my enemy”. So much so is Ahab filled with hatred toward this representative of God. Yet he is powerless against the man of God.
Without the introductory “thus says the LORD” Elijah pronounces the judgment in the name of God. First Elijah confirms that he has found him. Thus every man will be found by God. No one can make himself untraceable before the omnipresent God. That Ahab sees Elijah like this is because he “sold” himself to do what is evil in the sight of the LORD. He has sold his soul to Satan. All the fame and honor he has as king, he has got from Satan. The price he has paid is that of his soul. He who has so surrendered himself to the power of Satan, sees someone who reminds him of God as an enemy.
Elijah lets Ahab know what the LORD will do with him and his descendants. He refers to what happened to the kings who ruled before him. Ahab knows the history of the people and therefore knows what this means for him. He knows what happened to those houses and it will happen to his house as well. How important it is that we learn from history, that we let it warn us and take the lessons to heart.