1 Kings 21 offers us another example of the evil of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. Ahab wanted a vineyard that belonged to a man named Naboth. The vineyard was close to Ahab’s palace and he wanted to turn it into a garden, but Naboth wouldn’t sell it, because he didn’t want to sell his family’s inheritance. Ahab went home and went to bed without dinner, pouting because he couldn’t have what he wanted. When Jezebel came in and saw Ahab’s actions, she asked him if he wasn’t the king in Israel? In other words, “Why not take what you want?” Jezebel went behind Ahab’s back, and had Naboth falsely accused before the elders of the people. His punishment for blasphemy against God and speaking against the king was to be stoned to death. After Naboth was dead, Jezebel took the vineyard and gave it to Ahab. As Ahab was looking over the vineyard, the LORD told Elijah to go and pronounce condemnation of Ahab, and on his whole family. When Ahab heard the judgment, even though he was the most wicked of all Israel’s kings, he repented. Because he repented, the LORD decided not to carry out the judgment against Ahab’s family until the time of Ahab’s son. We see here, God’s judgment is always tempered by His mercy. This is an important reality for each of us, because we all stand under God’s judgment, but in His mercy, He forgives us when we repent and return to Him.
1 Kings 22 records the death of Ahab. It starts with Ahab allying himself with King Jehoshaphat of Judah to go to war against Syria. Before the battle Jehoshphat asked Ahab to consult the prophets. Ahab’s court prophets predicted victory in battle for Israel and Judah, but Jehoshaphat asked whether there was a prophet of the LORD who could be consulted. Ahab responded there was one, but that he never prophesied anything good to him. Nevertheless, the prophet who was named Micaiah the son of Imlah was called. At first, he told Ahab victory would be his, but Ahab told Micaiah to tell the truth. At that point Micaiah told Ahab he would die in the battle and the army would be scattered. Ahab rejected the prophecy and had Micaiah placed back in prison until he returned. But Ahab didn’t return. He planned to trick the Syrian army by having Jehoshaphat dress up in his robes, while he dressed as a common soldier. The plan didn’t work. When the Syrians started chasing Jehoshaphat, he cried out, and they realized it wasn’t Ahab. One of the Syrian soldiers shot his bow “at random.” The arrow hit in a space between the sections of armor Ahab was wearing. He was mortally wounded, and died later that day.
We also read a brief account of what Jehoshaphat did as King of Judah. He was a good king as his father Asa before him. He reigned 25 years in Judah, and we’re told the only thing he didn’t do as king that would have made his reign better was to remove the “high places,” where idol worship took place. Most of the good kings of Judah failed to eradicate false worship from Judah, and that would eventually be part of Judah’s downfall. At the end of the chapter, we’re told Ahaziah reigned in Israel after Ahab died. His reign was short, only two years.
As we turn to Matthew 5, we enter a section of the book known as “The Sermon on the Mount.” It includes Matthew 5-7, and is the longest extended section of Jesus’ teaching in any of the gospels. In it Jesus sets before us the ethics of the Kingdom of God. As we read these chapters, we find ourselves thinking, “No one can do all this.” That is the conclusion Jesus intended for us to draw. To live out the Sermon on the Mount, we need the power of the Holy Spirit, a power which is available to all who trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord. Chapter 5 starts by telling us Jesus climbed up a mountain and his disciples followed Him. Once He arrived at the top, Jesus sat down and started teaching. His first teaching is what we call “The Beatitudes.” They are called that, because they pronounce blessing on those who carry out what we find. Jesus starts by saying those who are poor in spirit are blessed, because theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. To Jesus’ listeners, this would have been confusing. They would have thought the Kingdom of heaven belongs to those who were strong or rich in God’s Spirit. Jesus was pointing out we never seek Him or His Kingdom until we realize our own lack of spiritual growth, health, or strength. Each beatitude progresses through the development of the character necessary to be a citizen of heaven. Jesus pronounces a blessing for mourning, being merciful, being meek, being peacemakers, being pure in heart, and for suffering for righteousness sake, and ultimately for serving Jesus. The rewards for such behavior are great blessings.
The next lesson in the chapter is we are “the salt of the earth,” and “the light of the world.” Salt and light were vital in Jesus’ culture. Salt preserved food, healed wounds and added zest and flavor. Light made it possible to see. The spiritual character of salt and light are obvious, and Jesus told us when we display these character traits, people will see them and give the glory to God, our Heavenly Father. Jesus goes on to tell us He didn’t come to destroy the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them. His constant battles with the religious leaders of Israel could have led people to conclude Jesus was against the Law. He was not. He was for the fullness of the spirit of the Law being lived out in our lives. Jesus went on to illustrate His point by reinterpreting the commandment against murder, to include being angry with others; the commandment against adultery, to include mental acts of lust; and Jesus forbade swearing oaths, calling us to say a simple yes or no when we need to make a commitment. Jesus also spoke about “turning the other cheek,” and “going the second mile” in our lives. Jesus spoke in both figurative and literal terms here. His point was our righteousness must be based in our relationship with Him, and not in a cold carrying out of a long lists of do’s and don’ts found in the Bible. Jesus called us to love our enemies, to pray for those who persecute us, and in the end, to be “perfect” even as our father in heaven is perfect. Of course, we cannot fulfill these new commands without the Holy Spirit working in and through us. Jesus knew that, and yet He gave us these instructions, before He died and rose again. As we read them, we ought to think, “I could never do that!” How can we avoid being angry with others, or thinking lustful thoughts, or be perfect? Short answer: We can’t. Not unless we have the power of God living in and through us. Thankfully, that happens when Jesus becomes Savior and Lord in our lives. Only then do we have His Spirit in us, and only then can we live out these commands victoriously!