This has been a story of cruelty, hypocrisy, falsehood, covetousness, murder and injustice. Thank God for those who understand you, and pray for you, and look for the best in you. As soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab set out to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it. Naboth's Refusal - Theopolis Institute I show great love, and I can be trusted. It was a woman who caused Samson to have his eyes punched out; it was a woman who danced Herod into hell. He wore rich robes, but beneath those beautiful robes was a wicked and troubled heart. I will hand it over to you today. 5. Franklin, Samaria, 190195; Franklin, Jezreel, 46. Amen. 15 As soon as Jezebel got their message, she told Ahab, "Now you can have the vineyard Naboth refused to sell. She ordered that the leaders to call everyone in town together for a day of prayer. And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote Ahab between the joints of the harness: wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am wounded. Choose a wife who will lift you closer to God, not one whose influence will drag you down to hell. The Hebrew of the Samaritans varies in form, just as the content Christ, Community, and Creativity (Part Three). At first, this made the king angry. As he walked, he planned how he would have his gardener pull up the vines to plant instead, cucumbers and squash and melons; thus, as he desired, the vineyard would be for him a garden of herbs. He did not give a second thought to Gods command about the land. Some were hewn for use as cisterns, and others as temperate underground storage pits. Ahab Covets Naboth's Vineyard - Everyone's Apostolic Careers Workplace and Religion Columnists, Recreation Outdoors and Religion Columnists, Religious Music and Entertainment Columnists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For our purposes, however, all you need to know is that the permanent possession of the land was not primarily a matter of economic fairness or justice. Naboth said to Ahab, 1 Kings 21:3, "The Lord forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee." Naboth rightly refused to sell the land or to swap it for a better vineyard. Naboth refused because he was faithful to God since the Israelites were expected to be faithful to God therefore selling the vineyard implied that he was faithful. Verses 8-13 tell how she went about getting the vineyard for Ahab: First of all, she resorted to forgery. She is the co-directer of the Jezreel Expedition with Dr. Jennie Ebeling. Ray Dillard pointed to Leviticus 25 for the answer: Because the land represented the fruit of the nations redemption, God commanded that it remain in the hands of the families to whom it was originally allotted. Whether or not the Naboth the Jezreelite is a historical character, whoever owned that plot of land and its vineyard was certainly well off and not a simple, poor farmer. She said it was needful to proclaim a fast in order to avoid the wrath of heaven. The first person is Naboth: Naboth was an Israelite who loved God. And he will receive his final just reward when he stands before God. Did Ahab respect Naboth for doing the right . Later, your mom came and asked, Honey, did you see what happened to the neighbors window? Since your eyes were closed, you quickly reply, No. You may not have seen it, but you certainly knew what happened. Soon, Elisha would take Elijahs place. And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel., The third character is Jezebel: Jezebel was the kings wife. Moreover, the editor of Kings is clearly picturing a vineyard located east of Jezreel and close to the main highway, the Via Maris. She was the daughter of Ethbaal, the king of Tyre (1 Kings 16:31). For Naboth is no longer alive, but dead." (Solved) Give five reasons why David was successful as a King of Israel. His question was two fold. Walter Brueggemann What Naboth Teaches Us Today - Church Anew And then she went on; she said, Let it to me, Ahab. Patrick E. McGovern,Ancient Wine: The Search for the Origins of Viticulture(Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2007), 17. During those years, I can imagine that Ahab never heard a dog bark, but that he didnt jump. It appears to me that a productive field or vineyard located within a walled city would be treated as land, and thus could not be sold in perpetuity. The Lord has done exactly what He promised through His servant Elijah." When he heard Naboths decision, he went home and threw himself down on his couch, turned his face to the wall and refused to eat. I will cut off every male in Israel who is related to you. Who Am I? . [9] Rafael Frankel,Wine and Oil Production in Antiquity in Israel and Other Mediterranean Countries(Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1999), 54. Her people (the Zidonians) were idolaters, and she hated anyone who spoke against her pagan gods. The bottle-shaped pits found at Jezreel are identical with those at Gibeon, and were ideal temperate storage places for secondary fermentation. This was the case with King Ahab. If the property produces an annual harvest, it is counted as land, and any sale is actually a sale of a certain number of harvests (25:15). Finally, the perfect and patient God had had enough. He said of Ahab that every male of his posterity would be cut off from him (verse 21) and that someday the dogs would lick up his blood (verse 19). Archaeologists have recovered over one hundred wine dockets (receipts for taxes paid in wine), in the form of ostraca (inscribed pottery sherds), that testify to wine having been brought in to the capital. The Story of Naboth's Vineyard and the Ancient Winery in Jezreel The land itself was a core component of Gods gift to Israel, and each family received its inheritance by divinely-guided lot. He did not have a price, or sell out or . He loved his family, and he loved his nation, He was a good man; he abhorred that which was evil and clave to that which was good. So, he asked Naboth to trade for it, but Naboth refused (1 Kings 21:3). He ate the finest foods served on lavish platters, but he had a starved soul. 1 meter in diameter, that possibly functioned as another vat. Even though Ahab and Jezebel bore the condemnation of God, as he saw it they still benefited from the vineyard and in some sense got away with it. Naboth was deadand so were his sons. why did naboth refuse to sell his vineyard The treading floor, which slopes down toward a vat, Vat 1, and is connected to it by a 15 centimeter long, 5 centimeter wide, rock-cut channel. Ahabs face turned pale; and before Elijah could speak, Ahab said to him, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? verse 20. This reminds us of Haman (in the Book of Esther), all worked up because Mordecai the Jew refused to bow before him. We are to fight injustices such as false accusations as we are able. King Ahab wanted Naboth's vineyard because of its location next to his palace. Back when God handed out the land to the twelve tribes of Israel, He forbid them to sell or give their part of the land to another tribe or family (Leviticus 25:23). Programs Pass UCE Pass UACE Career Guidance He was obviously less powerful than the king, but at the very least he owned a piece of productive land. Jodi has over 20 years experience teaching children in large and small group settings. So far everything seemed to be working in Ahabs favor; and we might be inclined to ask the question, Surely if in Heaven theres a God who loves righteousness, why does He let the wicked get away with such grievous wrongs? But the fact of the matter is, the wicked dont get away with them. Well, you can have it now! By himself, Ahab probably would never have thought of stealing the vineyard or of killing Naboth in order to get possession of it; but Jezebel was the polluted reservoir that fed the streams of Ahabs iniquity. His fathers hands (which now were folded in the dust beneath the sod) had toiled in that garden. 29, 31, 32). Using human logic, Naboth would have been better off taking the Kings offer. A good woman can help a man to see his folly, but a woman like Jezebel only adds fuel to the fire. Jodi has a passion for Biblical ac More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. These Old Testament accounts were written for our learning. Dont let trivial, insignificant things ruin your happiness; if you do, youre acting like this wicked king, not like a son of God. Naboth - Wikipedia Ask: Who knows what a vineyard is used for? The king would owe him one.. God had clearly said that the land should not be transferred from tribe to tribe, and he was afraid to disobey Gods clear command. But even though God showed incredible grace and mercy to Ahab, Ahab did not follow Gods law. 1 Kings 21:1-16 Growing Christians Ministries When youre faced with trials, difficulties and hard places, think of all the good things you have. Satan tries to deceive people into believing they can sin and get by, but you can be sure that every person will reap what he sows. [3] Excavations commenced in June 2013 in four very different areasK, M, P and S.. [4] The first large-scale excavations at Tel Jezreel were conducted in the 1990s by David Ussishkin of Tel Aviv University and John Woodhead of the British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem, and it focused on excavating the remains of a 9th-(more likely 8th) century-BCE military enclosure. God had blessed him with being made the earthly King of Gods own people, and Ahab turned his back on God and all this was right. One day Ahab said to Naboth, Since your vineyard is so convenient to my palace, I would like to buy it to use as a vegetable garden. [15] Norma Franklin, Samaria: From the Bedrock to the Omride Palace,Levant36 (2004): 189202 [19094]. 1 Kings 21:1-16 states that Naboth owned a vineyard, in proximity to King Ahab's palace in the city of Jezreel. King Ahab offered Naboth a better piece of land. The fulfilment of this prophecy is narrated in 2 Kings 9, which describes Jehus assassination of Joram son of Ahab near Naboths plot in Jezreel. May be reproduced for personal, nonprofit, and non-commercial uses only. But Naboth, the owner of the land, said he could not sell it. Not all Jews were as scrupulous about the matter as Naboth was, for sometimes they did sell their land; but Naboth feared God. Being afraid to disobey Gods clear command, Naboth refused to sell. The law provided that the land could be leased for a period, but that it could never be sold outright (Leviticus 25:13-15).. Naboth refused, because it was against the Mosaic Law to sell his ancestral land. Adjoining Ahab's palace in Jezreel was a beautiful vineyard, belonging to a man named Naboth. He probably looked a lot like this. Jodi is part of the Childrens Ministry team at Grace Fellowship Church, outside of Atlanta. He refused because of the law concerning land. When Ahab arrived that day to take possession of his vineyard, he experienced an unexpected surprise. Answer (1 of 6): Thank you for the question of identity for Naboth's vineyard, "What king orchestrated the stoning of Naboth simply because he wanted ownership of his vineyard (1 Kings 21:1-16)?" As one reads I Kings 21:1-16, the answer is given in the text. Ask: Was his statement TRUE? Study 8 THE STORY OF NABOTH'S VINEYARD