Jezebel

Good morning friends,
Yesterday we read about how a prophet anointed Jehu to be King of Israel and how he and his followers killed the reigning King of Israel. That was part of the fulfillment of Elijah's prophecy about what would happen as a result of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel's injustice and sin against God. Today's reading shows what happened to Queen Jezebel. Her death takes place at Jezreel, which is where the vineyard that she and King Ahab had stolen from Naboth was. Justice for Naboth took a while to come about, but did happen in the end.

God bless,
Sam

2 Kings 9:27-37

²⁷When King Ahaziah of Judah saw this, he fled in the direction of Beth-haggan. Jehu pursued him, saying, “Shoot him also!” And they shot him in the chariot at the ascent to Gur, which is by Ibleam. Then he fled to Megiddo, and died there. ²⁸His officers carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his tomb with his ancestors in the city of David.

²⁹In the eleventh year of Joram son of Ahab, Ahaziah began to reign over Judah.

³⁰When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; she painted her eyes, and adorned her head, and looked out of the window. ³¹As Jehu entered the gate, she said, “Is it peace, Zimri, murderer of your master?” ³²He looked up to the window and said, “Who is on my side? Who?” Two or three eunuchs looked out at him. ³³He said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down; some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses, which trampled on her.

³⁴Then he went in and ate and drank; he said, “See to that cursed woman and bury her; for she is a king’s daughter.” ³⁵But when they went to bury her, they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. ³⁶When they came back and told him, he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, ‘In the territory of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; ³⁷the corpse of Jezebel shall be like dung on the field in the territory of Jezreel, so that no one can say, This is Jezebel.’”

Jehu is King!

Good morning friends,
Yesterday we read about how one of the young prophets working with Elisha anointed Jehu, a military commander, as King of Israel. Today we see what happens as a result. The passage starts out with the other officers asking what the prophets wanted. Even though they call him a "madman," as soon as Jehu tells them he has been anointed King, they accept that word and begin a rebellion. Jehu sees God's hand in his calling as he becomes king.

God bless,
Sam

2 Kings 9:11-26

¹¹When Jehu came back to his master’s officers, they said to him, “Is everything all right? Why did that madman come to you?” He answered them, “You know the sort and how they babble.” ¹²They said, “Liar! Come on, tell us!” So he said, “This is just what he said to me: ‘Thus says the Lord, I anoint you king over Israel.’” ¹³Then hurriedly they all took their cloaks and spread them for him on the bare steps; and they blew the trumpet, and proclaimed, “Jehu is king.”

¹⁴Thus Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi conspired against Joram. Joram with all Israel had been on guard at Ramoth-gilead against King Hazael of Aram; ¹⁵but King Joram had returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds that the Arameans had inflicted on him, when he fought against King Hazael of Aram. So Jehu said, “If this is your wish, then let no one slip out of the city to go and tell the news in Jezreel.”

¹⁶Then Jehu mounted his chariot and went to Jezreel, where Joram was lying ill. King Ahaziah of Judah had come down to visit Joram. ¹⁷In Jezreel, the sentinel standing on the tower spied the company of Jehu arriving, and said, “I see a company.” Joram said, “Take a horseman; send him to meet them, and let him say, ‘Is it peace?’” ¹⁸So the horseman went to meet him; he said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’” Jehu responded, “What have you to do with peace? Fall in behind me.” The sentinel reported, saying, “The messenger reached them, but he is not coming back.” ¹⁹Then he sent out a second horseman, who came to them and said, “Thus says the king, ‘Is it peace?’” Jehu answered, “What have you to do with peace? Fall in behind me.”

²⁰Again the sentinel reported, “He reached them, but he is not coming back. It looks like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi; for he drives like a maniac.” ²¹Joram said, “Get ready.” And they got his chariot ready. Then King Joram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah set out, each in his chariot, and went to meet Jehu; they met him at the property of Naboth the Jezreelite. ²²When Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” He answered, “What peace can there be, so long as the many whoredoms and sorceries of your mother Jezebel continue?”

²³Then Joram reined about and fled, saying to Ahaziah, “Treason, Ahaziah!” ²⁴Jehu drew his bow with all his strength, and shot Joram between the shoulders, so that the arrow pierced his heart; and he sank in his chariot. ²⁵Jehu said to his aide Bidkar, “Lift him out, and throw him on the plot of ground belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite; for remember, when you and I rode side by side behind his father Ahab how the Lord uttered this oracle against him: ²⁶‘For the blood of Naboth and for the blood of his children that I saw yesterday, says the Lord, I swear I will repay you on this very plot of ground.’ Now therefore lift him out and throw him on the plot of ground, in accordance with the word of the Lord.”

Elisha continues the work

Good morning sisters and brothers,
We skip ahead in our story, but you'll notice that today's passage follows up on the events we've been reading about. We read how much injustice Ahab and Jezebel encouraged as King and Queen of Israel. We also saw how the Prophet Elijah opposed them. God told Elijah to anoint Elisha as his successor and told him he would also anoint Jehu as King of Israel. In today's reading Elijah has gone to heaven and Elisha has taken over his ministry. Elisha sends a younger prophet on a stealth mission to anoint Jehu as King of Israel.

Like when Samuel anointed David, there's great danger in anointing the next king while the current king is still ruling. In this case, part of the reason for anointing Jehu is to bring God's punishment on Ahab and his family. The best example of how Ahab and Jezebel earned God's anger is the story of Naboth's vineyard in 1 Kings 21, in which they take a vineyard from an innocent man by having him killed. The story continues in the passage below.

God bless,
Sam

2 Kings 9:1-10

Then the prophet Elisha called a member of the company of prophets and said to him, “Gird up your loins; take this flask of oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth-gilead. ²When you arrive, look there for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi; go in and get him to leave his companions, and take him into an inner chamber. ³Then take the flask of oil, pour it on his head, and say, ‘Thus says the Lord: I anoint you king over Israel.’ Then open the door and flee; do not linger.”

⁴So the young man, the young prophet, went to Ramoth-gilead. ⁵He arrived while the commanders of the army were in council, and he announced, “I have a message for you, commander.” “For which one of us?” asked Jehu. “For you, commander.” ⁶So Jehu got up and went inside; the young man poured the oil on his head, saying to him, “Thus says the Lord the God of Israel: I anoint you king over the people of the Lord, over Israel. ⁷You shall strike down the house of your master Ahab, so that I may avenge on Jezebel the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord. ⁸For the whole house of Ahab shall perish; I will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. ⁹I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah. ¹⁰The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel, and no one shall bury her.” Then he opened the door and fled.

Elijah and Baal

Good morning sisters and brothers,
 
Yesterday we read about a contest the Prophet Elijah arranged between God and Baal to show the people of Israel who was God. Baal's many prophets (supported by the King and Queen of Israel) tried to offer a bull to Baal, but Baal didn't respond. Today, Elijah gets his turn. The violent ending is troubling, but it reminds us that when it comes to our ultimate allegiance, there can only be one God.

Blessings on your discipleship today,
Sam

1 Kings 18:30-40

³⁰Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come closer to me”; and all the people came closer to him. First he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down; ³¹Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name”; ³²with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. Then he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two measures of seed. 

³³Next he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” ³⁴Then he said, “Do it a second time”; and they did it a second time. Again he said, “Do it a third time”; and they did it a third time, ³⁵so that the water ran all around the altar, and filled the trench also with water. ³⁶At the time of the offering of the oblation, the prophet Elijah came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your bidding. ³⁷Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.”

³⁸Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench. ³⁹When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God.” ⁴⁰Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape.” Then they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Wadi Kishon, and killed them there.

Elijah and Baal

Good morning brothers and sisters,
When Ahab and Elijah meet, it is obvious the two don't care much for each other. Elijah dislikes Ahab for his worship of other gods, while Ahab feels threatened by Elijah's message. Elijah proposes a contest between God and Baal, so he assembles the people and the prophets of Baal to see which god is supreme. The first part of the contest is in today's reading; we'll finish the story tomorrow.

Blessings on the new week,
Sam

1 Kings 18:16-29

¹⁷When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is it you, you troubler of Israel?” ¹⁸He answered, “I have not troubled Israel; but you have, and your father’s house, because you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and followed the Baals. ¹⁹Now therefore have all Israel assemble for me at Mount Carmel, with the four hundred fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” ²⁰So Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel.

²¹Elijah then came near to all the people, and said, “How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” The people did not answer him a word. ²²Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets number four hundred fifty. ²³Let two bulls be given to us; let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it; I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. ²⁴Then you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the Lord; the god who answers by fire is indeed God.” All the people answered, “Well spoken!”

²⁵Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many; then call on the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” ²⁶So they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, crying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no answer. They limped about the altar that they had made. ²⁷At noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud! Surely he is a god; either he is meditating, or he has wandered away, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” ²⁸Then they cried aloud and, as was their custom, they cut themselves with swords and lances until the blood gushed out over them. ²⁹As midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice, no answer, and no response.

Elijah on the run

Good evening friends,
We skip ahead quite a bit to the divided kingdoms of Israel (Northern Kingdom with Samaria as its capital) and Judah (Southern Kingdom with Jerusalem as its capital.) Ahab has become King of Israel and, along with his wife, Jezebel, has led Israel deeper into sin. The passage refers to Jezebel killing the Lord's prophets, but doesn't tell us that story. It seems that overall, Jezebel promoted the worship of another god, Baal, and persecuted those who worshiped the Lord. At the same time, many still worshiped the God of their ancestors.

The most famous prophet of that time was Elijah. He had prophesied a drought as a sign of God's anger for Israel's unfaithfulness. When we get to this passage, it has been more than three years since the last rain. We get a sense in this passage that Elijah spent much of his life on the run, fleeing from Ahab and other rulers upset by God's judgment. There are many great stories of the prophets from this part of scripture, and this is one of them.

God bless,
Sam

1 Kings 18:1-16

After many days the word of the Lord came to Elijah, in the third year of the drought, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab; I will send rain on the earth.” ²So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria. ³Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Now Obadiah revered the Lord greatly; ⁴when Jezebel was killing off the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets, hid them fifty to a cave, and provided them with bread and water.) ⁵Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the wadis; perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, and not lose some of the animals.” ⁶So they divided the land between them to pass through it; Ahab went in one direction by himself, and Obadiah went in another direction by himself.

⁷As Obadiah was on the way, Elijah met him; Obadiah recognized him, fell on his face, and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?” ⁸He answered him, “It is I. Go, tell your lord that Elijah is here.” ⁹And he said, “How have I sinned, that you would hand your servant over to Ahab, to kill me? ¹⁰As the Lord your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom to which my lord has not sent to seek you; and when they would say, ‘He is not here,’ he would require an oath of the kingdom or nation, that they had not found you. ¹¹But now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord that Elijah is here.’ ¹²As soon as I have gone from you, the spirit of the Lord will carry you I know not where; so, when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he will kill me, although I your servant have revered the Lord from my youth. ¹³Has it not been told my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, how I hid a hundred of the Lord’s prophets fifty to a cave, and provided them with bread and water? ¹⁴Yet now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord that Elijah is here’; he will surely kill me.” ¹⁵Elijah said, “As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him today.” ¹⁶So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

the prophet's threat

Good morning all,
Today we finish our reading of the story of Naboth's vineyard. Ahab gets the news about Naboth's death and goes to take possession of the vineyard. There Elijah meets him and proclaims God's judgment against him. Notice that Elijah not only tells Ahab what God said, he even speaks for God using first person ("I will bring disaster on you.") It's interesting too that Ahab calls Elijah his enemy but doesn't try to kill him. It seems that Ahab, despite turning away from God, still respects Elijah because he is obviously God's prophet.

We leave this story here, but the real conclusion is a bit further in 1 and 2 Kings. A few chapters later Ahab is killed in battle and the dogs indeed lick up his blood. Not too long after that a new king of Israel will kill Jezebel and the rest of Ahab's family and the dogs eat Jezebel's body. Even the most powerful human being is ultimately powerless against God. People can oppress others and hurt them, but all human power comes to an end and in the end God alone rules creation. That truth gave strength to the early Christian martyrs and to all the faithful who stand up against injustice to witness to God's love for all people. May we always put our trust in God.

God bless,
Sam

1 Kings 21:15-26
15As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Go, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” 16As soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab set out to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
17Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying: 18Go down to meet King Ahab of Israel, who rules in Samaria; he is now in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. 19You shall say to him, “Thus says the Lord: Have you killed, and also taken possession?” You shall say to him, “Thus says the Lord: In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs will also lick up your blood.”

20Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you. Because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord, 21I will bring disaster on you; I will consume you, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel; 22and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have provoked me to anger and have caused Israel to sin. 23Also concerning Jezebel the Lord said, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the bounds of Jezreel.’ 24Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat; and anyone of his who dies in the open country the birds of the air shall eat.” 25(Indeed, there was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord, urged on by his wife Jezebel. 26He acted most abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord drove out before the Israelites.)

Naboth's vineyard

Good morning friends,
Yesterday's reading ended with Jezebel consoling (and gently mocking) her husband in his disappointment over Naboth's refusal to sell his vineyard. Jezebel told Ahab she would get him the vineyard he wanted; today we see her plan in action. Jezebel was obviously a powerful woman, so when she asked the elders of Jezreel to arrange a trial and execute Naboth, they are quick to obey.

We've seen it before in the Bible and in the news; powerful people are often temped to abuse their power for their own gain. Here the abuse is especially sneaky. Jezebel and Ahab don't want to take the radical step of simply taking the vineyard openly by force; instead they cloak their theft in the false trial of an innocent man. Thus they steal not only Naboth's vineyard, but also his reputation. Power is a dangerous but necessary thing. We are all called to be attentive to how we use the power we have: to use it to help others, not to take advantage of them.

God bless,
Sam

1 Kings 21:8-14
8So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal; she sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who lived with Naboth in his city. 9She wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth at the head of the assembly; 10seat two scoundrels opposite him, and have them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out, and stone him to death.”

11The men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. Just as it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, 12they proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the assembly. 13The two scoundrels came in and sat opposite him; and the scoundrels brought a charge against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city, and stoned him to death. 14Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.”

real estate and religion

Good morning all,
We've been away from Elijah's story for a little while. When we left that story Elijah had defeated the prophets of Baal and then fled from Ahab and Jezebel's wrath. God led him through the wilderness to Mt. Sinai and then sent him from there to anoint a new king for Syria and for Israel. We're skipping over a series of battles between King Ahab and King Ben-Hadad and a prophecy from another prophet that Ahab will die.

In today's reading we see Ahab strolling along when he sees a piece of land that he likes next to his palace, so he asks to buy it. In Israel buying and selling land was more complicated than what we're used to because God distributed the land to the various tribes when the land was conquered. As a result, Naboth's vineyard isn't just his property but a plot of land designated to his family for as long as his family has been around. There were ways one could sell one's land, particularly if one fell on hard times, but there were specific biblical rules about how and when that could happen. For this reason, and probably because he likes his vineyard, Naboth doesn't want to sell, so Ahab goes home disappointed. We'll see where the story goes from here.

Blessings,
Sam


1 Kings 21:1-7
Later the following events took place: Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. 2And Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard, so that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house; I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.” 3But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you my ancestral inheritance.” 4Ahab went home resentful and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him; for he had said, “I will not give you my ancestral inheritance.” He lay down on his bed, turned away his face, and would not eat.

5His wife Jezebel came to him and said, “Why are you so depressed that you will not eat?” 6He said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it’; but he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” 7His wife Jezebel said to him, “Do you now govern Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

the king's idols

Good morning friends,
Over the next few weeks we're going to be switching gears a bit in the daily readings. We'll still be following Jesus in Luke's Gospel, but we'll also be reading some Old Testament stories, which we haven't done in a while, specifically we'll be following the stories of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. In these stories the land that had been the kingdom of Israel is divided into a northern kingdom (Israel) and a southern kingdom (Judah). This division first took place when King Solomon's son Rehoboam was king. One of the chief advisors, Jeroboam led the ten northern tribes to separate and established his capitol at Samaria, while Judah's capital remained Jerusalem.

The big issue throughout these cities is faithfulness to God. We'll often hear about the sin of Jeroboam, which means worshiping gods besides the LORD. Israel was generally seen as unfaithful, as we see in this passage, and the rulers were the instigators of this idolatry. Prophets were sent to call the people of Israel back to God, so that's what we'll see Elijah and Elisha doing, often at great risk. Our passage sets the stage for the stories to follow.

God bless,
Sam

1 Kings 16:29-34

29In the thirty-eighth year of King Asa of Judah, Ahab son of Omri began to reign over Israel; Ahab son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years. 30Ahab son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him. 31And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, he took as his wife Jezebel daughter of King Ethbaal of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshiped him. 32He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria. 33Ahab also made a sacred pole. Ahab did more to provoke the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than had all the kings of Israel who were before him. 34In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho; he laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Joshua son of Nun.