1 Kings 21:11-16 – What happen when God is not regarded

Assuming the role of Ahab, Jezebel sent a letter in his name, affixed with his seal to the elders and nobles in Naboth’s hometown. She asked for two false witnesses to be arranged to accuse Naboth of blasphemy against God and treason against the king. When the letter reached the hands of the officials, her order was swiftly carried out without any question. From this, we get a sense of how corrupt the officials were that they could be so easily bribed. It tells us how lawless Ahab’s regime was.   

So 1 Kings 21:11-16 describe the execution of Jezebel’s order by the elders and the nobles in the city. They did everything that she had ordered them to do in the letter. Verses 12-13 said, “They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the people. Then the two worthless men came in and sat before him; and the worthless men testified against him, even against Naboth, before the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones.”

After the execution, the corrupt officials sent word to Jezebel saying “Naboth has been stoned and is dead.” On receiving the news, Jezebel commanded Ahab to take possession of the murdered man’s vineyard. Ahab submissively obeyed her order. So on top of his sin against God by pivoting to Baalism, Ahab added to it a whole repertoire of other sins. He not only broke the tenth commandment but also the sixth, eighth and ninth commandments. He coveted Naboth’s property, had him maligned, then killed him and stole his property.  

For Naboth, his vineyard was a sacred trust. So he was not afraid to stand up against the unreasonable demand of a wicked king. Ahab and Jezebel on the other hand had no respect for God. Hence, they had no respect for the stipulated laws. On this account of Naboth’s vineyard, Ahab had broken the two great Commandments. He failed to love God and his neighbor. Our view of God will determine how we will view and steward life. When we have respect for God, we will have respect for others. This evidently was not seen in Ahab’s life. Let us make loving God our priority in life, then loving others as ourselves will not be as hard a thing to do. Take note that one sin will lead to another. It seldom stands alone!