A king who owned the whole nation could not get one small plot of land at the edge of his palace to grow a vegetable garden. When the owner refused to sell, the richest and strongest king in the land went home and sulked on his bed like a small spoiled child. But his villain queen decided to murder the man if her king could not buy the land himself.
Ahab and Naboth's story is one of the dark tales of greed, abuse of power, and murder told in the Bible, which also shows how concerned the creator is about the welfare of his creations and how deeply he condemns those who abuse their power and greed.
A King Who Was Unhappy With What He Had
The king of Israel, Ahab, possessed almost everything one can imagine: gold, silver, palaces, and the land of the nation. Yet, the king desired the small plot of land belonging to Naboth. Ahab asked him to exchange his field for a better one and to sell him his farm for a huge sum of silver. Naboth refused because the land was ancestral. According to the customs of the Jews, one could not deprive a person of his ancestral land. The Lord said, "And I said, 'You shall not withhold the inheritance of my people.'"
A Sulking King and the Cruel Queen
Ahab returned home disappointed and angry with the rejection of his request. Because of his desires, the king started sulking and lying in the bed facing the wall and refused to eat. It was quite remarkable for the king of the nation of Israel to behave like a petulant child because he did not achieve his goal. Ahab's wife, Jezebel, became annoyed with the situation. Is this the way you govern the nation of Israel? She told the king. You will get this land of yours. I will make sure of that.
Jezebel did not care about her husband's problem and rejected the idea that there might be some higher power that forbade her husband to possess the land. She told the king to cheer up and get the field by any means. She was willing to kill an innocent man to get the land and made no moral or religious objections. Her husband was not capable of doing that, but the wife did not hesitate to take matters into her own hands. He left her to do as she chose; his weakness encouraged her.
The king of Israel sulked on his bed, refusing to eat, because a neighbor would not sell him a field. His queen saw this and told him not to worry — she would get the vineyard for him.
Murder Was the Solution to the Problem
Jezebel sent the king's messengers to the elders and princes of Naboth's village and ordered them to declare a holiday during which the whole village had to sit at home and invite Naboth to them. Furthermore, the messengers were ordered to convince the elders that two scoundrels should appear before the villagers and accuse Naboth of blasphemy against the king, and the false accusers should make it look like a real crime. The elders of the village obeyed the orders of the queen and organized a fake trial. The prescribed punishment for this crime was death by stoning. After the verdict, Naboth was executed as the sentence stated — he was stoned to death. When Jezebel learned of the death of the innocent man, she told Ahab to get up and take possession of the field because Naboth was dead. Ahab and his wife had murdered Naboth so that the king might possess his plot of land.
The Prophet Appears Before the King
God saw the tragedy that happened in Naboth's village and sent his prophet Elijah to bring the news to Ahab. When Elijah saw the king, he said to him, "I have found you, my adversary." Ahab replied, "Yes, you have found me, Elijah." Elijah told Ahab, "I have found you because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord. Therefore, the Lord will bring a calamity upon you and your house, and he will bring your sons in Israel to judgment."
Elijah said that the blood of Naboth, an innocent man, would be on the head of Ahab and his sons, and that dogs would lick up his blood in the same place where they had stoned Naboth. The same fate awaited the queen: "Dogs would devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel." When the king heard the words of the prophet, he was devastated. The king ordered his servants to prepare a mourning dress, and he put on rough cloth and fasted as a penance for the murder of Naboth.
Elijah found Ahab standing in the vineyard he had just stolen over a man's dead body. 'Have you killed and also taken possession?' The prophet delivered God's verdict on a king who had everything and still reached for more.
Mercy Shown to a Repentant King
God saw the humility of the king and told his prophet Elijah, "Because he has humbled his heart before me, I will not bring this calamity upon him in his days, for he is the king of Israel. In the days of his son shall I bring this calamity upon the house of Ahab." God would not bring the judgment on Ahab himself for the murder of Naboth. His repentance was not complete, yet it was enough for the Creator to show mercy to the evil king. The story tells us that the righteousness of God is greater than any crime committed by man and that God will always forgive those who truly repent.
The Evil House of Ahab Was Destroyed
The evil queen of Jezreel, Jezebel, and her house were destroyed by the Lord. As soon as the opportunity was available, the king of Israel died pierced by an arrow. When the enemies took his body to wash it, the dogs licked his blood. Ahab met the cruel fate Elijah warned him of. He had shed the blood of saints and ordered the persecution of God's prophets, and he paid for it.
The Lord sent Jehu, a ruthless general, to destroy the house of Ahab. Jehu brought the deserved punishment upon the house of the evil king. When he reached Jezreel, Jehu ordered Jezebel to be thrown out of the window, and dogs ate her flesh. The words of the Lord came true when the dog devoured Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel, and not a bone was left to be buried. The queen of Jezreel, who persecuted prophets, ordered the murder of an innocent man, and treated the king's people cruelly, died the bitter death she deserved. The story taught us that no one can evade the judgment of God despite their wealth, status, or power.
Years after Elijah's warning, Jehu arrived at Jezreel and the words of the Lord were fulfilled exactly as the prophet had spoken them. Every word God had spoken over the house of Ahab came to pass.
The Dark Tale of Greed and Murder
The story of the murder of an innocent man is a story of great evil done by a king who had all the luxuries and powers but yet was not satisfied. It is a dark tale telling us that we should always be careful about our desires and how we treat other people. We should not seek to exploit those weaker than us and take advantage of our wealth and power. It is also a story showing us that God cares about the welfare of his creation and that we cannot do whatever we want and get away with it.
Naboth's story is an illustration of how the Creator punishes those who commit sins of arrogance and violence. It is also an example of many injustices suffered by the weak at the hands of the rich in human history. This story shows us that God sees every injustice. No one is above him, and no one can escape his judgment. For those who suffer at the hands of the rich, the message is clear: God sees what is happening and will punish those who commit it.
