LESSON IX. - AUG. 30. THE STORY OF NABOTH. I KINGS. 21:4-19. GOLDEN TEXT. — Thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord. 1 KINGS. 21: 20. RULERS. Ahab, king of Israel, B.C. 918–897. Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, B.C. 914889. Benhadad II., king of Syria. PRONUNCIATIONS. — Bēʼliăl; Jěz'rěělite; Na'both. INTRODUCTION. Some, with the Septuagint, place the events of this chapter before those of chap. 20, but the order here is probably correct. Cook. After the events of the last lesson, Elijah seems to have retired from public notice in Israel for several years. Perhaps the king and queen thought they were rid of him for ever. But their expectation was vain. Ahab, king of Israel, having successfully resisted two invasions of his land by the king of Syria, employed the interval of peace which followed in attending to affairs at home. Among other projects, he conceived the idea of enlarging the grounds of his royal palace at Jezreel, by purchasing a vineyard which adjoined them on the east, and turning it into a garden. This incident, unimportant in itself, is narrated because it was the immediate cause of the fall of the house of Ahab, and the great political and religious revolution which followed. Todd. EXPLANATORY. 66 Scene I., Ahab Coveting Naboth's Vineyard. Although Samaria was the metropolis of his kingdom, Ahab had a palace at Jezreel, where he seems to have resided during part of the year. This palace was situated on the heights at the western extremity of Mount Gilboa, on the eastern borders of the plain of Esdraelon, and about 25 miles north of Samaria. - Kitto. Here stood a royal palace and pleasure grounds, close to the city gate; and adjoining, on the outside, was the vineyard which the king coveted. A neighboring spring, twelve minutes' walk from the present diminished town, would furnish water to convert it into that great oriental luxury, a garden of herbs," replenished with fresh vegetables and every variety of fruit-tree, and cooled by a water-tank, with its usual favorite plat of grass, shaded by a climbing vine. -H. J. Van Lennep. Ahab wished to buy this vineyard, which belonged to Naboth, one of the citizens of Jezreel. He even offered more than it was worth. But Naboth refused to sell the vineyard, because it was "the inheritance of his fathers." He refused because (1) he had as good a right to what he possessed as any king. (2) On religious grounds, because the sale of a paternal inheritance was forbidden in the law (Lev. 25: 23-28; Num. 36:7 seq.), i.e., he was forbidden to sell it permanently out of the family. He was therefore not merely at liberty as a personal right to refuse the king's proposal, but bound by the commandment of God. — Keil. (3) The associations of family and history were connected with it. No consideration would induce Naboth to violate his sacred obligations; neither greater gain (for Ahab offered him a better vineyard or wished to pay him well), nor the royal authority and the fear of the royal displeasure, especially when, as here, not need, but a royal whim only, was concerned. Lange. It may be that Naboth declined the offer somewhat bluntly and decidedly, though it was not churlish and unreasonable. Naboth's answer, "the Lord forbid" (ver. 3), shows that he was one of those who recognized Jehovah, and not Baal, and was probably a sincere and faithful worshipper; for only such an one would have acknowledged Jehovah in such a time of persecution, and especially in speaking to the king himself. Scene II., Discontent in a Palace. — Ver. 4. The scene now changes to Samaria, out of sight of Naboth and the coveted possession. 4. And Ahab came into his house. At Samaria, as we gather from vers. 18, 14, 16, etc. Cook. And he laid him down upon his bed. The bed-chamber was in the most retired and secret part of the palace (Exod. 8: 3; 2 Kings 6:12). Hence, in going to it, Ahab showed a disposition to get away from his court, their society being distasteful to him for the moment, and hide his mortification.- Todd. Such an open manifestation of ill-temper is thoroughly charac 4. And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread. 5. But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread? 6. And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard. 7. And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry; I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite. 8. So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth. teristic of an Oriental king. — Cook. It accords with Homer's representation even of the Greek heroes. They cry like children when they are in trouble; they rend their garments, and roll themselves in the dust in a way that we would deem utterly extravagant.— Tayler Lewis. We see on an ivory couch, in an ivory house (chap. 22: 39), or in a chamber ceiled with cedar, and painted with vermilion (Jer. 22: 14), a man whose soul is so vexed and troubled that he can eat no bread, that he has a word for no one, but turns his face sullenly to the wall. Can this be the king of Israel? can this be Ahab, whose recent victories over the Syrians have rung through many lands? It is Ahab indeed. The great conqueror is a slave to himself. We hear his pitiful, almost childish, complaint, that he cannot have the vineyard he so much covets. - Pulpit Com. You may carry an instrument out of tune all over the world, and every breath of heaven and every hand of man that sweep over its strings shall produce only discord. Such a man's trouble is in his temper, not in his place. You can hardly call it "borrowed" trouble either, for it is mostly made, and so is his own by the clearest of all titles. Rev. Wm. Crawford. Scene III., The Queen's Plan for Relief. 5. But Jezebel his wife came to him. The scene, however, in Ahab's house suddenly changes when that terrific woman Jezebel, who so much resembles the Clytemnestra of Eschylus and the Lady Macbeth of Shakespeare, comes upon the stage. He is like wax in her hands, but none the less guilty on that account. His apparent virtue and moderation were simply cowardice; she gives him nerve and courage for the accomplishment of a purpose to which, before, his spirit was unequal. Tayler Lewis. 7. Dost thou now govern? This is ironical, a sneer. Are you king? and can you not get possession of this pretty vineyard? - Todd. I will give thee the vineyard. "I" is the emphatic word here: "I, the queen, the weak woman, will give thee the vineyard, if thou, the king, the strong man, wilt do nothing." Compare the words of Shakespeare's parallel character: "Infirm of purpose! give me the dagger.". Cook. 8. So she wrote letters. The art of writing was well known, and in common use for legal transactions and for business correspondence, as well as for mere monumental inscriptions. She wrote in the Hebrew and Phœnician, which are the same language, and in the old Phoenician alphabet. - Lewis. And sealed them with his seal, Documents of every kind, from a royal decree to a private letter, are never signed with pen and ink in the East, but are simply sealed with a man's signet, which contains his name; a little ink is rubbed upon it, and it is pressed upon the moistened paper. This custom is quite necessary in a country where so few are able to read and write. Van Lennep. This seal was made of some precious stone, engraven with the chosen device of the owner, and was either set in a ring (Gen. 38: 18), or suspended by a string from the neck or arm (S. Song 8:6). The seals of the ancient Assyrian monarchs were small engraved cylinders, set in frames, resem bling miniature garden-rollers, which were rolled over the clay on which it was desired to make an impression. - Todd. By allowing her the use of his signet ring, Ahab passively consented to Jezebel's proceeding. Being written in the king's name, it had the character 9. And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: 10. And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst 1 blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and 2 stone him, that he may die. 11. And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, and as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them. 12. 3 They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. 1 Ex. 22:28. Lev. 24:15, 16. Acts 6:11. 2 Lev. 24: 14. 3 Isa. 58: 4. The elders (Deut. 16: 18), and would, in all They were indeed chosen by the In his city. Jezreel. of a royal mandate. J., F. and B. Unto the elders and to the nobles. and nobles constituted without doubt the city tribunal likelihood, be the creatures and fit tools of Jezebel. people, but by a people under her influence and power. Scene IV., The Trial of Naboth. — Vers. 9-14. 9. Proclaim a fast. As was customary in the event of national calamities (Joel 1: 14), after great sins (1 Sam. 7:6; Joel 2: 12), or for the turning away of apprehended misfortune (2 Chron. 20:3). It was not merely to furnish occasion for the procedure against Naboth (Thenius), but rather "to publish the fact that a grievous fault was resting upon the city, which must be expiated."Keil. Jezebel would make the people believe that she piously humbled herself in view of the great crime of blasphemy with which Naboth was charged, and from which the whole city might suffer if no such repentance were manifest. Whedon. Set Naboth on high. Bring him before the people for trial. Put him in a conspicuous place, as a criminal is placed before the court. 10. And set two men. They were to find two men who were willing to perjure themselves. According to Deut. 17:6 and 19: 15, every crime punishable by death must be testified to by at least two witnesses, who also must at the stoning make the beginning. — Lange. Sons of Belial. Belial is not to be regarded as a proper name in the Old Testament. Its meaning is worthlessness, recklessness. "Sons of Belial means simply worthless, lawless fellows. In the New Testament, Belial stands for Satan. Smith's Bible Dict. Thou didst blaspheme God. To blaspheme is to revile, to speak reproachfully of, to abuse. Blame is a shortened form of blaspheme. - Imperial Dict. Jezebel did not believe in God, but Naboth did, and was an acknowledged servant of God (see under ver. 4), and the people were nominally living under the law of Jehovah. Jezebel made use of this fact, and would seem unusually favorable to the God of Israel in executing the law against those who spoke evil of the true God. And the king. It would be easy to find some faint foundation for this charge in a pious man whose whole soul was opposed to the course of the king in introducing idolatry. Such a man could not help protesting against the evil done by Ahab.-P. And carry him out. A stoning always took place outside the city (see Acts 7:58).— Cook. And stone him. The legal punishment of blasphemy was indeed death by stoning (Lev. 24: 16), and Naboth would have perished justly had he been guilty of the crime. Van Lennep. That he may die. It appears from 2 Kings 9: 26, that Naboth's sons were put to death at the same time. This was forbidden by the law (Deut. 24: 16); but the practice of all the surrounding nations, however, was the very opposite of this, and Jezebel availed herself of the fact, in order to remove Naboth's heirs out of the way. According to still prevailing Oriental usage, the property of a criminal reverts to the crown, certain portions excepted, which are the perquisites of the executioner; and this is easier done when the law of inheritance has no chance to come into play. Van Lennep. 11-14. And the men of his city . . . did as Jezebel had sent unto them. They were so corrupted by the surrounding influences, and so under the power of the king and queen, that they performed her unrighteous commands. The proceeding against Naboth is a combination of the heaviest crimes, for by it are trodden under foot the three divine commands: Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor. - Lange. Naboth thinks, perchance, at the first, that the charge is so utterly reckless and improbable, that none of his neighbors, who know him so well, and have known him from his youth up, will entertain it for a moment. But he is speedily undeceived. He finds that he has not a chance with them, that all steel their faces and 13. And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him; and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died. 14. Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead. 15. And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead. 16. And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it. 17. 2And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18. Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, 3 which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it. 19. And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, 4 In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine. 2 Ps. 9:12. 31 Kings 13:32. 2 Chron. 229. 4 1 Kings 22: 38. 12 Kings 9:26. hearts against him. He perceives that there is a conspiracy against him. In vain he protests his innocence; in vain he appeals to his blameless life. His cries and those of his wife and children are alike unheeded. In a trice he is condemned to die the death of the blasphemer. And now we find ourselves hurried along by a tumultuous crowd. We pass through the city gate; we reach the open space outside the walls. The witnesses speedily divest themselves of their abbas; they lay them down at the feet of the elders; they take up stones and rush upon him. At the first blow he quivers from head to foot with a great throb of pain, but blow follows fast upon blow; he sinks senseless; the blood streams from his wounds; the dear life is crushed out of him, and Naboth's name and the names of his sons are added to those on the glory roll of the noble army of martyrs.-A. Rowland. Scene V., Ahab in his Ill-gotten Possession. Vers. 15-19. 15. When Jezebel heard. She received the news with undisguised satisfaction. It was nothing to her that God's name had been profaned; that religion had been dishonored; that justice had been outraged; or that innocent blood had been shed. Taylor. Which he refused to give thee for money. There is a proud, malicious triumph in these words. refused, simple fool, to sell it. Now thou canst have it for nothing. I have discovered a better plan than buying it." - Pulpit Com. 'He 16. When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead . . . Ahab rose up (According to the LXX., his first act was to rend his clothes and put on sackcloth. Afterwards "he rose up," etc.) to go down (The "Great Plain, on the margin of which Jezreel stands, is at a much lower level than Samaria, which is in the mountain district of Ephraim ") to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it. "Behind him, probably in the back part of his chariot, - or they may have been on horseback, — ride his two pages, Jehu and Bidkar" (2 Kings 9:25). This was apparently (2 Kings 9: 26) on the day after the murder. Pulpit Com. 18. Arise, go down. Bähr hence concludes that Elijah was at this time in a mountain district. But wherever he might be, this word would probably be used of a journey to the plain of Esdraelon. Spence. Ahab, king of Israel, which is in Samaria, i.e., whose home is in Samaria. Samaria was the capital, and the king belonged there. He is in the vineyard of Naboth. He was trying to enjoy his ill-gotten possession, soothing his conscience by the thought that Jezebel, not he, was to blame for the way it was obtained, and planning how he could use the spot for his palace gardens. But the avenging Nemesis was close at hand, and smote him like a flash of lightning from a clear sky. - P. 19. And thou shalt speak unto him. It is implied that Elijah found Ahab - strode into his presence in the vineyard; not that he was there already when the royal chariot entered it. Pulpit Com. As in the most pathetic of Grecian dramas, the unjust sentence has no sooner been pronounced on the unfortunate Antigone than Tiresias rises up to pronounce the curse on the Theban king, so, in this grander than any Grecian tragedy, the well-known prophet is there to utter the doom of the House of Ahab. He comes, we know not whence. Stanley. Hast thou killed, etc. The question served to sharpen his conscience, since Ahab was obliged to admit the fact. -Keil. In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood. Thenius contends that there is a contradiction between this verse and chap. 22: 38 (together with 2 Kings 9: 25, 26) which is absolutely insuperable. But as Bähr observes, "How thoughtless our author must have been if in two consecutive chapters-i.e., on the same leaf, as it were— he had inadvertently inserted direct contradictions." And the following considerations will show that the discrepancy is only apparent. (1) The sentence here pronounced against Ahab was, on his repentance, stayed in its execution. God said distinctly, "I will not bring the evil in his days," and as distinctly added that he would "bring the evil in his son's days, upon his house" (1 Kings 21: 29). And (2) with the prophecy, as thus modified, the facts exactly accord. The body of Jehoram was "cast into the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite" (2 Kings 9: 25, 26). And if it be objected (3) that our historian sees a fulfilment of this prophecy in the death of Ahab in Samaria, when the dogs licked up the blood that flowed from his wounds into the chariot in which he fled from the battle-field (1 Kings 22: 34-38), the answer is that that death was a partial fulfilment of Elijah's words. The repentance of Ahab, having secured him immunity from this sentence, his subsequent folly and sin (chap. 22: 27) nevertheless brought down upon him a judgment of God strikingly similar, as we might expect it would be, to that originally denounced against him, which was now reserved for his son. In other words, the prophecy was fulfilled to the letter in the person of his son, but it had a secondary fulfilment in its spirit on himself. — Pulpit Com. The same retribution also fell on Jezebel (2 Kings 9: 30-35), for her crime was greater even than Ahab's. At her door lies the real sin of the murder. The hands that accomplished it were not so guilty as the heart that suggested it and the mind that planned it. Ahab broke the tenth, Jezebel the sixth, eighth, ninth, and tenth commandments. Covetousness, false witness, murder, confiscation, she stands convicted of them all. - Pulpit Com. Ahab was also guilty of all by permitting the crimes and enjoying the fruits. 66 Years afterwards, long after Ahab and Elijah had gone to their account, two of that same group found themselves once again on that same spot; and a king, the son of Ahab, lay dead at their feet; and Jehu turned to Bidkar and said, Remember how that thou and I rode behind Ahab his father, when the Lord laid this burden upon him. Surely yesternight I saw the blood of Naboth and the blood of his sons, saith Jehovah, and I will requite thee in this plat, saith Jehovah” (2 Kings 9: 25, 26). — Stanley. PRACTICAL. I. Vers. 4-6. Covetousness is the source of many evils and crimes. Like the love of money, it is a root of all evil. 2. 3. No amount of possessions will free us from the temptation to covet more. No amount of wealth or honors or pleasures will keep us from discontentment. 4. Many, like Ahab, grieve and fret because they do not obtain some perishing good, but feel no sorrow because they do not possess an inheritance in heaven. - N. Hall. 5. It is proper to stand up for our rights against the whims of the rich or great. The rights of the poorest are as sacred as the rights of a king. 6. Ahab's sins: (1) avarice, (2) discontentment, (3) oppression, (4) impiety, (5) abject moral weakness, (6) base hypocrisy, (7) robbery, (8) lying, (9) murder. 7. The origin of these sins dated long before they were committed, in the acts that made his character so bad. 8. Ver. 8. We are responsible for what we permit to be done for us, and doubly so if we enjoy the results of the crime. By so doing, we only add weakness, hypocrisy, and meanness to the crime our hearts commit. 9. Vers. 10-14. Mark the progress of sin from covetousness to discontent, to evil counsel, to lying, to robbery, to murder, to retribution on self, to ruin of family. Vers. 15-19. Transient is the enjoyment in possessions obtained by fraud and 10. crime. II. 12. The punishment of sin is certain. "Be sure your sin will find you out." 13. The punishment of Ahab's sin was (1) certain. (2) It corresponded to the crime. (3) It was delayed by repentance. (4) It came at last because the repentance was not deep and true. |