Ahab and Jezebel had little interest in Torah, the commandments that Yahweh had delivered to Israel on Sinai. Ahab continued to promote the idolatry of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. He discovered that Jeroboam?s idolatry was not robust enough for his tastes, so he promoted Baal worship, and sat by . . . . Continue Reading »
Why did Naboth refuse to sell his vineyard to Ahab? Ray Dillard pointed to Leviticus 25 for the answer: “Because the land represented the fruit of the nation’s redemption, God commanded that it remain in the hands of the families to whom it was originally allotted. The land had been . . . . Continue Reading »
INTRODUCTION Ahab?s sin begins in idolatry. But his sin is not a ?private?Esin, nor is it confined to a ?religious?Earea of life. In 1 Kings, as in all the prophets, idolatry always leads to social oppression and injustice. The sin of Ahab foreshadows the later oppressions of Manasseh and other . . . . Continue Reading »
And it was after these things A vineyard was to Navoth the Yizre?e?li, Which [was] in Yizre?e?l near the palace of Achav king of Shomron. And spoke Achav to Navoth saying ?Give to me your vineyard. And it will be to me for a garden of greens. For it [is] near next to my house. And I will give to . . . . Continue Reading »
God has enemies. You need only pick up the Psalter to discover this. ?The enemies of Yahweh will be like the glory of the pastures, they vanish ?Elike smoke they vanish away?E(Psalm 37). ?Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will give feigned obedience to You?E(Ps 66). ?Let God . . . . Continue Reading »
1) Ben-Hadad comes to Ahab with a ?thus saith Ben-Hadad,?Eand Ahab responds more readily to his claim than he has to the claims of any ?thus saith Yahweh.?EAfter consulting with the elders, however, he is told not to ?hear?E(Heb. shema ) the demands of Ben-Hadad. This gives us some slight hope that . . . . Continue Reading »
Now Son-of-Hadad, king of ?Aram gathered all his strength Now thirty and two kings with him, and horse and chariotry And he ascended and tied up around Shomron and fought against her. And he send angel-messengers to ?Achav king of Yisrael at the city. And he said to him, ?Thus says Son-of-Hadad, . . . . Continue Reading »
INTRODUCTION The final three chapters of 1 Kings tell a series of stories about Ahab. We see Ahab sinning in relationship to the Gentiles (1 Kings 20), in relation to a fellow Israelite (1 Kings 21), and finally in relation to the prophet of Yahweh (1 Kings 22). Ahab?s three sins parallel the sins . . . . Continue Reading »
In his commentary on 1 Kings 17-19, M. B. Van’t Veer has this insightful comment about the difference between OT and NT: “We could say that the Lord attacked the powers of darkness, the kingdom of satan on earth [in the old covenant] within the boundaries of Canaan. The land of rest was . . . . Continue Reading »
1) Jezebel sends a messenger, a mal?ak , which in Hebrew is the same word as angel, anticipating the angel of Yahweh later in the chapter. The chapter shows us contrasting angels, an angel of death and an angel that raises the ?dead?Ewith a touch and gives food. 2) Jezebel is seeking a sort of . . . . Continue Reading »
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