The King Who Married the Wrong Girl
The life and reign of King Ahab.
If there is a king of the northern kingdom of Israel you are most familiar with, it’s Ahab.
Like his father Omri, Ahab was immensely wicked. Who Ahab married, also plays a big role in how evil he was.
The Overview of Ahab’s Reign.
During Asa’s 38th year as king of the southern kingdom of Judah, Omri’s son Ahab becomes king of Israel. He reigns from Samaria for 22 years (1 Kings 16:29).
Omri was worse than any of the kings before him. But his son Ahab quickly topped his record - Ahab “did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him” (1 Kings 16:30).
Ahab was so evil, that the Bible says it was “as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat” (ESV). It was his marriage to Jezebel, the daughter of the king of Sidon, and his worship of Baal that put his evil “over the top.” He even built an altar and temple for Baal in Samaria, as well as a “wooden image” of Asherah (1 Kings 16:31-32).
Baal was a Canaanite fertility god and was considered one of their most important gods. Asherah was a Canaanite fertility goddess usually paired along with the “male” counterpart, Baal. Images of Asherah, like the wooden image Ahab set up, were often made with pronounced sexual features.
All this was why “Ahab did more to provoke the LORD God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him” (1 Kings 16:33). He was the first king of Israel to prominently promote and worship the gods of the Canaanites (Joshua 24:15).
During Ahab’s reign, Hiel of Bethel built Jericho and paid the price for rebuilding that city which the Lord had said would fall upon the one who rebuilt it (1 Kings 16:34; Joshua 6:26).
The Drought.
The Lord God of Israel sent word to Ahab through Elijah the Tishbite that there would be no rain or dew until the Lord gave the word (1 Kings 17:1). This drought sent on Israel by the Lord was significant. One of the curses pronounced on the children of Israel if they refused to obey the Lord was drought (Deuteronomy 28:15, 23-24).
The Real “Troubler of Israel.”
In the third year of the drought, the Lord tells Elijah to present himself to Ahab, and God will send rain. By this point, there was a severe famine in Samaria (1 Kings 18:1-2).
We are introduced to the manager of Ahab’s house - Obadiah. This is probably not the same Obadiah who wrote the book of Obadiah. This Obadiah was faithful to the Lord during a perilous time to serve the Lord. After Queen Jezebel massacred the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah hid and took care of 100 prophets of God (1 Kings 18:3-4).
Ahab told Obadiah to go look for grass to keep their livestock alive, and so Obadiah went in one direction and Ahab went in another direction (1 Kings 18:5-6).
Suddenly, Obadiah comes face to face with Elijah and falls on his face before the prophet of God. Elijah tells him to go tell Ahab that Elijah has been found. Obadiah had some concerns with what Elijah told him to do.
So he said, "How have I sinned, that you are delivering your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me? As the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent someone to hunt for you; and when they said, 'He is not here,' he took an oath from the kingdom or nation that they could not find you. And now you say, 'Go, tell your master, "Elijah is here" '! And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of the LORD will carry you to a place I do not know; so when I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will kill me. But I your servant have feared the LORD from my youth. Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, how I hid one hundred men of the LORD's prophets, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water? And now you say, 'Go, tell your master, "Elijah is here." ' He will kill me!" (1 Kings 18:9-14)
Elijah comforted Obadiah by saying, "As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today" (1 Kings 18:15). So Obadiah did what Elijah told him, and Ahab arrived at the scene.
Ahab immediately accuses Elijah of being the “troubler of Israel” but Elijah sets the record straight - Ahab and his father’s house were the real “troubler of Israel” because they had forsaken the Lord and followed Baal (1 Kings 18:17-18). He then issued an order to Ahab to gather the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah who were supported by Queen Jezebel, and bring them to Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:19).
The Lord vs. Baal on Mount Carmel.
Once the prophets and people were gathered at Mount Carmel, Elijah got right to the point of this meeting.
"How long will you falter between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." (1 Kings 18:21)
It would be Elijah - one prophet of the LORD - versus Baal’s 450 prophets. Elijah lays out the rules for the contest.
Therefore let them give us two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it. Then you call on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD; and the God who answers by fire, He is God." So all the people answered and said, "It is well spoken." (1 Kings 18:23-24)
The prophets of Baal prepared their altar first (1 Kings 18:25), and called out to Baal from morning until noon - but received no answer (1 Kings 18:26). Elijah mocked the prophets of Baal and told them to “cry louder” - after all, Baal was a god, perhaps he was busy, or traveling, or sleeping (1 Kings 18:27).
So the prophets of Baal cried out louder, going to greater lengths to get Baal’s attention - even cutting themselves. They did this until the time of the evening sacrifice, but still no answer from Baal (1 Kings 18:28-29). The Scripture says, “But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid attention.”
Then Elijah calls the people close to him and repairs the Lord’s altar which had been broken down (1 Kings 18:30-31). He dug a trench around the altar, laid the wood and the cut-up pieces of the bull, and then made a strange request for an offering - "Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood" (1 Kings 18:33). This was done three times until the altar was soaked with water and the trench was filled with water (1 Kings 18:34-35).
In contrast to the hours of shouting and screaming by the prophets of Baal, Elijah says two sentences.
And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, "LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again." (1 Kings 18:36-37)
Immediately, “the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench” (1 Kings 18:38).
The people fall on their faces and say, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!” (1 Kings 18:39). Elijah gives the order to seize the false prophets of Baal, and he executes them by the Brook Kishon (1 Kings 18:40) - which was done according to the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 13:5; 18:20).
The Lord Sends Rain.
After the Lord’s victory over Baal, Elijah tells Ahab to go ahead and eat and drink, for “there is the sound of abundance of rain” (1 Kings 18:41).
Elijah goes back up Mount Carmel and prays. Each time he asks his servant to go look toward the seas. The first six times, the servant saw nothing, and Elijah would tell him to go look again. The seventh time the servant said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!” Elijah tells the servant to send word to Ahab to get on the road before the storm makes travel impossible (1 Kings 18:42-44).
The sky quickly becomes black with clouds, the wind picks up, and the rain becomes heavy. Ahab rode in his chariot to Jezreel. By the power of God, Elijah outruns Ahab’s chariot to Jezreel (1 Kings 18:45-46).
After three long, dry years, the drought in Israel is over. When the people turned back to God, He lifted the curse upon their disobedience.
Ahab and the Syrians.
The king of Syria - Ben-Hadad - gathered his army together along with the forces of 32 other kings. They came against Samaria and besieged the city (1 Kings 20:1).
Ben-Hadad sent messengers to Ahab telling him that his silver and gold, his prettiest women and best children belonged to him now (1 Kings 20:2-3). Ahab is quick to agree (1 Kings 20:4), but then Ben-Hadad sends the messengers back with a more insulting message.
"Thus speaks Ben-Hadad, saying, 'Indeed I have sent to you, saying, "You shall deliver to me your silver and your gold, your wives and your children"; but I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house and the houses of your servants. And it shall be, that whatever is pleasant in your eyes, they will put it in their hands and take it.' " (1 Kings 20:5-6)
Ahab brings in the elders of the people and tells them what Ben-Hadad wants to do, and they tell him, “Do not listen or consent” (1 Kings 20:7-8). So Ahab sends word back to Ben-Hadad that he still agrees to do what the messengers said the first time, but he will not do what Ben-Hadad demanded in the second message (1 Kings 20:9).
The First Battle.
At this point, a battle was a certainty, and Ben-Hadad and Ahab engaged in some pre-battle trash talk (1 Kings 20:10-11), before making preparations for the battle (1 Kings 20:12). Since Ahab was likely greatly outnumbered, this battle was probably more about “dying like a man” and “going down swinging.”
But suddenly, a prophet approaches Ahab with a message from the Lord:
“"Thus says the LORD: 'Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the LORD.' " (1 Kings 20:13)
Ahab starts asking questions, and God makes it clear that no outside help from another army is coming - the Lord will use Israel’s army in Samaria to defeat the opposing army (1 Kings 20:14). All the troops Ahab had were 7,000 (1 Kings 20:15).
They went out to the Syrians at noon, while Ben-Hadad and the other 32 kings were getting drunk at the command post (1 Kings 20:16). Probably because they greatly outnumbered the Israelite army, they thought nothing would happen and were already celebrating their all but certain victory.
One of Ben-Hadad’s patrols notices the troops coming out of Samaria and sends word to Ben-Hadad. The king tells his men to take them alive - regardless of whether they’ve come out for war or peace (1 Kings 20:17-18). But the Syrians were routed by the Israelites and fled with the Israelite forces in hot pursuit. Ben-Hadad escaped the camp with his cavalry (1 Kings 20:19-20). Ahab entered the battlefield and killed many horses and chariots of the Syrians “with a great slaughter” (1 Kings 20:21).
At this point, the prophet of God returns to Ahab with another message:
"Go, strengthen yourself; take note, and see what you should do, for in the spring of the year the king of Syria will come up against you." (1 Kings 20:22)
The Syrians regrouped and advised Ben-Hadad on what to do next.
Then the servants of the king of Syria said to him, "Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than they. So do this thing: Dismiss the kings, each from his position, and put captains in their places; and you shall muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain; surely we will be stronger than they." And he listened to their voice and did so. (1 Kings 20:23-25)
An even greater battle would be coming in the spring.
The Second Battle.
In the spring, Ben-Hadad returned and went to Aphek to fight. The Israelites were prepared and went out to meet them for battle. But the Israelites were still greatly outnumbered, they were “like two little flocks of goats, while the Syrians filled the countryside” (1 Kings 20:26-27).
A man of God came and told Ahab the word of the Lord:
"Thus says the LORD: 'Because the Syrians have said, "The LORD is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys," therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.' " (1 Kings 20:28)
Seven days later the battle took place, and the Israelites killed 100,000 Syrian soldiers in a single day (1 Kings 20:29). The rest fled to the nearby city of Aphek, where a wall fell on 27,000 men who survived the battle (1 Kings 20:30). Ben-Hadad ended up hiding in an inner room inside the city.
Ben-Hadad’s servants advise him to beg for mercy.
Then his servants said to him, "Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please, let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will spare your life." (1 Kings 20:31)
So Ben-Hadad’s servants dress in this way, and go out to Ahab, begging for the life of “your servant Ben-Hadad.” Ahab responds, “He’s still alive? He’s my brother!” The servants were watching closely to see if there was any sign of mercy coming from Ahab, and quickly responded, “Yes! He is your brother!” Ahab tells them to bring him and they make a treaty that benefits Israel (1 Kings 20:32-34).
The Word of the Lord to Ahab.
A son of the prophets asked his neighbor to hit him, and when the man refused, the prophet said, “Because you refused to obey the voice of the Lord, a lion will kill you as soon as you leave me.” And that’s exactly what happened (1 Kings 20:35-36).
The prophet asked someone else, and this fella hit the prophet, inflicting a wound on the man. The prophet disguised himself as a man who had been wounded in battle and waited for King Ahab by the road (1 Kings 20:37-38).
When the king passed, the prophet called out to Ahab
"Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and there, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, 'Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.' While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone." Then the king of Israel said to him, "So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it." (1 Kings 20:39-40)
When the prophet removed his disguise, Ahab recognized him as one of the prophets. And then, the prophet told Ahab the word of the Lord.
"Thus says the LORD: 'Because you have let slip out of your hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.' " (1 Kings 20:42)
Ahab was not too happy about hearing this, and went home to Samaria “bitter and angry” (1 Kings 20:43).
Naboth’s Murder.
Sometime after these events, we are introduced to Naboth the Jezrellite who had a vineyard next to Ahab’s palace (1 Kings 21:1). Ahab asks Naboth for the vineyard so he can turn it into a vegetable garden, offering to pay full price for the land (1 Kings 21:2).
However, Naboth rejected Ahab’s request by saying, “The LORD forbid that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!” (1 Kings 21:3). The law expressly forbid the permanent sale of land (Leviticus 25:23), which it seems is what Ahab requested.
Naboth’s rejection causes Ahab to go home and pout like a small child (1 Kings 21:4). When Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, finds out what the problem is, she tells Ahab she’ll take care of it (1 Kings 21:5-7).
Jezebel sent letters to the city leaders where Naboth lived and told them to hold a feast in Naboth’s honor and then bring two “good-for-nothing” men in to falsely accuse Naboth of blaspheming God and the king. Naboth was then to be executed by stoning (1 Kings 21:8-10). Sadly, the leaders of the city did exactly what Jezebel ordered (1 Kings 21:11-14).
When Jezebel hears Naboth is dead she tells Ahab to take possession of the vineyard (1 Kings 21:15-16). But this act of wickedness brought the word of the Lord to Elijah.
Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, "Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who lives in Samaria. There he is, in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it. You shall speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "Have you murdered and also taken possession?" ' And you shall speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood, even yours." ' " (1 Kings 21:17-19)
When Elijah finds Ahab, the king says, “So, you’ve found me, my enemy!” Elijah responds with a prophecy from the Lord.
"I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD: 'Behold, I will bring calamity on you. I will take away your posterity, and will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel, both bond and free. I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and made Israel sin.' And concerning Jezebel the LORD also spoke, saying, 'The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.' The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field." (1 Kings 21:20-24)
We are reminded that Ahab’s extreme wickedness and idolatry was “because Jezebel his wife stirred him up” (1 Kings 21:25-26).
But when Ahab heard this prophecy from Elijah, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, fasted, and went around mourning (1 Kings 21:27). The Lord told Elijah that because Ahab humbled himself before Him, he would not see the disaster that would come upon his house (1 Kings 21:28-29).
Ahab’s Bloody End.
The Prophet’s Showdown.
After three years without war between Israel and Syria, Ahab allied with King Jehoshaphat of Judah to take Ramoth Gilead out of the Syrian’s hands since this city belonged to Israel (1 Kings 22:1-4).
However, Jehoshaphat - being a faithful servant of the Lord - wanted them to inquire of God before committing to these plans (1 Kings 22:5). So Ahab brought in 400 prophets who told him, “Go up, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king” (1 Kings 22:6).
Something must have seemed a little “off” to Jehoshaphat because he says, “Isn’t there a prophet of the Lord here? I’d like to ask him” (1 Kings 22:7). Ahab responds, “Yes, there is one - Micaiah the son of Imlah. But I hate him because he never says anything good about me” (1 Kings 22:8). Jehoshaphat seems a little shocked by this statement and says, “You shouldn’t say such things!”
So they call in Micaiah.
Meanwhile, a prophet named Zedekiah wore iron horns and prophesied, “ Thus says the LORD: 'With these you shall gore the Syrians until they are destroyed” (1 Kings 22:11). The rest of the prophets continued to agree, saying, “Go up to Ramoth Gilead and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the king's hand” 1 Kings 22:12).
When the king’s messenger finds Micaiah, he pleads with him, “Now listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage the king. Please, let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak encouragement” (1 Kings 22:13). But Micaiah responds, “As the LORD lives, whatever the LORD says to me, that I will speak” (1 Kings 22:14).
When he arrives before the king, Ahab asks him if they should go to Ramoth Gilead or not, and Micaiah answers, “Go and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king!” (1 Kings 22:15). Something about Micaiah’s tone must have given away he wasn’t being serious, because Ahab says, “How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?” (1 Kings 22:16).
Then Micaiah says:
“I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, 'These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace” (1 Kings 22:17).
Ahab turns to Jehoshaphat, and says, “See? I told you so!” But Micaiah wasn’t done.
Then Micaiah said, "Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left. And the LORD said, 'Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?' So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, and said, 'I will persuade him.' The LORD said to him, 'In what way?' So he said, 'I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And the LORD said, 'You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.' Therefore look! The LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has declared disaster against you." (1 Kings 22:19-23)
Zedekiah - the false prophet wearing the iron horns - walked over to Micaiah and hit him in the face. Then he demanded, “Which way did the LORD’s spirit go when he went from me to speak to you?” (1 Kings 22:24 - NET). Micaiah answered, “Look, you will see in the day when you go into an inner room to hide” (1 Kings 22:25).
Ahab ordered Micaiah to be put in prison and fed the bread and water of affliction until he returned in peace from battle. But Micaiah said, “If you come back alive from battle, then God hasn’t spoken by me.” Then he called out to the crowd in the room, “Remember this!” (1 Kings 22:26-28; Deuteronomy 18:19-22).
The Battle.
Micaiah’s prophecy must have been in the back of Ahab’s mind because when they went into battle Ahab told Jehoshaphat that he would disguise himself while Jehoshaphat would stay in his royal robes (1 Kings 22:29-30).
Meanwhile, the king of Syria ordered the 32 captains of his chariots to hunt down Ahab (1 Kings 22:31). When they saw Jehoshaphat in the battle, they chased him thinking he was Ahab. But Jehoshaphat cried out, and God helped him, saving his life (2 Chronicles 18:31). When the Syrians realized he wasn’t Ahab, they stopped chasing him (2 Chronicles 18:32).
“Randomly” during the battle, someone fired an arrow that hit Ahab between the joints of his armor, seriously wounding him (1 Kings 22:34). His men took him out of the battle and propped him up where he could watch the “heat of the battle.” Sitting propped up in his chariot, Ahab bled to death and died in the evening (1 Kings 22:35).
Israel left the battlefield when news of Ahab’s death spread that evening (1 Kings 22:36). Ahab was brought to Samaria and buried (1 Kings 22:37). When the blood was being washed out of his chariot, “the dogs licked up his blood while the harlots bathed, according to the word of the LORD which He had spoke” (1 Kings 22:38; 21:19).
So Ahab died after many accomplishments and achievements, and his son Ahaziah reigned in his stead (1 Kings 22:39-40).
Crowning Principles.
Be careful who you marry.
Ahab’s wickedness was amplified by his wife, Jezebel. The act that brought about the destruction of Ahab’s family, though Ahab was held responsible, was done by Jezebel (1 Kings 21).
Solomon wrote “a prudent wife” is a gift from God (Proverbs 19:14), and spoke of how the “virtuous wife” blesses her husband, family, and all she interacts with (Proverbs 31:10-31). While an “excellent wife” is the “crown jewel” of her husband, the wife who acts shamefully rots him from the inside out (Proverbs 12:4).
Marriage is meant to be for life (Matthew 19:4-6), so be careful that you, and the person you marry, are intent on living life according to God’s plan (Ephesians 5:22-33).
Who are you listening to?
I suppose no king of the northern kingdom of Israel was exposed to more prophecies of God - at least, as far as the biblical record is concerned - than Ahab.
And yet, he stubbornly and angrily refused to listen to God’s word. He much preferred having his own “prophets” who would tell him what he wanted to hear.
Many today are like Ahab, and so God’s preachers are to “Preach the word!” even when people are like Ahab and don’t want to hear it. Even if they get rid of the preacher or go to a church where the preacher preaches what they like (2 Timothy 4:1-5).
Are we listening to God’s word? Even if we don’t like what we hear?
