Jezebel's Plan

Scripture(s): I Kings 21:1-7.

And it came to pass after these things, Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which [was] in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it [is] near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; [or], if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee. 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. But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread? 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. And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.

Background:
Ahab is still the unhappy subject of the sacred history; from the great affairs of his camp and kingdom this chapter leads us into his garden, and gives us an account of some ill things (and ill indeed they proved to him) relating to his domestic affairs. I. Ahab is sick for Naboth’s vineyard (v. 1-4). II. Naboth dies by Jezebel’s plot, that the vineyard may escheat to Ahab (v. 5–14). III. Ahab goes to take possession (v. 15–16). IV. Elijah meets him, and denounces the judgments of God against him for his injustice (v. 17–24). V. Upon his humiliation a reprieve is granted (v. 25–29) (Henry, 1996)


Commentary:
Here is, 1. Ahab coveting his neighbour’s vineyard, which unhappily lay near his palace and conveniently for a kitchen-garden. Perhaps Naboth had been pleased that he had a vineyard which lay so advantageously for a prospect of the royal gardens, or the vending of its productions to the royal family; but the situation of it proved fatal to him. If he had had no vineyard, or it had lain obscure in some remote place, he would have preserved his life. But many a man’s possessions have been his snare, and his neighbourhood to greatness has been of pernicious consequence. Ahab sets his eye and heart on this vineyard, v. 2 (Henry, 1996.)

It will be a pretty addition to his demesne, a convenient out-let to his palace; and nothing will serve him but it must be his own. He is welcome to the fruits of it, welcome to walk in it; Naboth perhaps would have made him a lease of it for his life, to please him; but nothing will please him unless he have an absolute property in it, he and his heirs for ever. Yet he is not such a tyrant as to take it by force, but fairly proposes either to give Naboth the full value of it in money or a better vineyard in exchange. He had tamely quitted the great advantages God had given him of enlarging his dominion for the honour of his kingdom, by his victory over the Syrians, and now is eager to enlarge his garden, only for the convenience of his house, as if to be penny wise would atone for being pound foolish. To desire a convenience to his estate was not evil (there would be no buying if there were no desire of what is bought; the virtuous woman considers a field and buys it); but to desire any thing inordinately, though we would compass it by lawful means, is a fruit of selfishness, as if we must engross all the conveniences, and none must live, or live comfortably, by us, contrary to the law of contentment, and the letter of the tenth commandment, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house. 2. The repulse he met with in this desire. Naboth would by no means part with it (v. 3) (Henry, 1996).

The Lord forbid it me; and the Lord did forbid it, else he would not have been so rude and uncivil to his prince as not to gratify him in so small a matter. Canaan was in a peculiar manner God’s land; the Israelites were his tenants; and this was one of the conditions of their leases, that they should not alienate (no, not to one another) any part of that which fell to their lot, unless in case of extreme necessity, and then only till the year of jubilee, Lev. 25:28. Now Naboth foresaw that, if his vineyard were sold to the crown, it would never return to his heirs, no, not in the jubilee. He would gladly oblige the king, but he must obey God rather than men, and therefore in this matter desires to be excused. Ahab knew the law, or should have known it, and therefore did ill to ask that which his subject could not grant without sin. Some conceive that Naboth looked upon his earthly inheritance as an earnest of his lot in the heavenly Canaan, and therefore would not part with the former, lest it should amount to a forfeiture of the latter. He seems to have been a conscientious man, who would rather hazard the king’s displeasure than offend God, and probably was one of the 7000 that had not bowed the knee to Baal, for which, it may be, Ahab owed him a grudge (Henry, 1996).

3. Ahab’s great discontent and uneasiness hereupon. He was as before (ch. 20:43) heavy and displeased (v. 4), grew melancholy upon it, threw himself upon his bed, would not eat nor admit company to come to him. He could by no means digest the affront. His proud spirit aggravated the indignity Naboth did him in denying him, as a thing not to be suffered. He cursed the squeamishness of Naboth’s conscience, which he pretended to consult the peace of, and secretly meditated revenge. Nor could he bear the disappointment; it cut him to the heart to be crossed in his desires, and he was perfectly sick for vexation (Henry, 1996).

Note, (1.) Discontent is a sin that is its own punishment and makes men torment themselves; it makes the spirit sad, the body sick, and all the enjoyments sour; it is the heaviness of the heart and the rottenness of the bones. (2.) It is a sin that is its own parent. It arises not from the condition, but from the mind. As we find Paul contented in a prison, so Ahab discontent in a palace. He had all the delights of Canaan, that pleasant land, at command the wealth of a kingdom, the pleasures of a court, and the honours and powers of a throne; and yet all this avails him nothing without Naboth’s vineyard. Inordinate desires expose men to continual vexations, and those that are disposed to fret, be they ever so happy, will always find something or other to fret at (Henry, 1996).

1Ki 21:5-16

Nothing but mischief is to be expected when Jezebel enters into the story—that cursed woman, 2 Ki. 9:34.
I. Under pretence of comforting her afflicted husband, she feeds his pride and passion, and blows the coals of his corruptions. It became her to take notice of his grief and to enquire into the cause of it, v. 5. Those have forgotten both the duty and affection of the conjugal relation that interest not themselves in each other’s troubles. He told her what troubled him (v. 6), yet invidiously concealed Naboth’s reason for his refusal, representing it as peevish, when it was conscientious—I will not give it thee, whereas he said, I may not. What! says Jezebel (v. 7), Dost thou govern Israel? Arise, and eat bread. She does well to persuade him to shake off his melancholy, and not to sink under his burden, to be easy and cheerful; whatever was his grief, grieving would not redress it, but pleasantness would alleviate it (Henry, 1996).

Her plea is, Dost thou now govern Israel? This is capable of a good sense: "Does it become so great a prince as thou art to cast thyself down for so small a matter? Thou shamest thyself, and profanest thy crown; it is below thee to take notice of so inconsiderable a thing. Art thou fit to govern Israel, who hast no better a government of thy own passions? Or hast thou so rich a kingdom at command and canst not thou be without this one vineyard?’’ We should learn to quiet ourselves, under our crosses, with the thoughts of the mercies we enjoy, especially our hopes of the kingdom. But she meant it in a bad sense: "Dost thou govern Israel, and shall any subject thou hast deny thee any thing thou hast a mind to? (Henry, 1996).

Art thou a king? It is below thee to buy and pay, much more to beg and pray; use thy prerogative, and take by force what thou canst not compass by fair means; instead of resenting the affront thus, revenge it. If thou knowest not how to support the dignity of a king, let me alone to do it; give me but leave to make use of thy name, and I will soon give thee the vineyard of Naboth; right or wrong, it shall be thy own shortly, and cost thee nothing.’’ Unhappy princes those are, and hurried apace towards their ruin, who have those about them that stir them up to acts of tyranny and teach them how to abuse their power (Henry, 1996).

Reflections:

Jezebel's husband "Ahab," already possessed the kingdom, but he desired something that was not his; to the point that he became depressed, and bed-ridden. That's when Jezebel took the lead in her marriage, by stepping into her husbands shoes; to handle his business. She conspired to kill an innocent man, in exchange for his land; to satisfy the greed of her husband. The influence of Jezebel, was used to kill and take; regardless of who it would affect. When her plot played out, an innocent man was murdered, and Ahab was happy to possess the land that was wrongfully gained. But wait! God showed up in the mouth of the prophet Elijah; and all would not end as they expected. Jezebel would be eaten by dogs, and Ahab would also be punished. The bad example that Jezebel and Ahab set, as husband and wife, and as leaders; is a sharp reminder to never covet what someone else has, regardless of the position of influence that one has been given. It is also a reminder to be content with what God provides, so that one is not lead into a stuper of depression, that causes one to agree with, or make bad decisions, that lead to ultimate destruction.

References:
Blue Letter Bible. "Book of 1 Kings 21 - (KJV - King James Version)." Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2010. 14 May 2010. < http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=1Ki&c=21&t=KJV >

Henry, Matthew. "Commentary on 1 Kings 21." . Blue Letter Bible. 1 Mar 1996. 2010. 14 May 2010.

< http:// www.blueletterbible.org/commentaries/comm_view.cfm?
AuthorID=4&contentID=949&commInfo=5&topic=1%20Kings&
ar=1Ki_21_1 >

Higgins, S. (2010). Jezebel's Plan. Devotions for Thought. Higgins Publishing. http://www.devotionsforthought.blogspot.com/, http://www.higginspublishing.com/