Naboth, Elijah’s Rebuke, Ahab’s Repentance

Passage: 1 Kings 29:1-29

Back in November we left Elijah under a broom tree in the wilderness after he fled from Jezebel after his confrontation with King Ahab on Mt. Carmel.  Elijah might think his ministry is done, but God is not done with him and another confrontation with Ahab awaits him.

But first we need to set the stage to understand the context.

King Ahab and Queen Jezebel had a lovely second residence, a summer palace up north in Jezreel with great views overlooking the Jezreel valley.  Next door to them was a lovely vineyard owned by a lowly Israelite, Naboth.

The more Ahab looked at it and thought about it, the more he coveted it.  So he went to Naboth and made a very fair and reasonable offer.  Either cash for the fair market value of the land or a trade for an even better vineyard.

Even though this was the King of Israel asking, Naboth refused the generous offer.