Ahab and Jezebel – Part 1


1 Kings 16:29-34
29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab the son of Omri began to reign over Israel, and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty-two years.
30 And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him.
31 And as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took for his wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him.
32 He erected an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria.
33 And Ahab made an Asherah. Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.
34 In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation at the cost of Abiram his firstborn, and set up its gates at the cost of his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.

As we discussed yesterday a foundation has be laid for the 22 year reign of Ahab. In the very first verses of this passage, we are alerted to the fact that Ahab is evil; more evil that all who came before him. Verse 31 is interesting for it tells us that as if it were not enough to be more evil than his fathers, he made the choice to marry Jezebel, the daughter of the King of Tyre. Her name is so closely connected with evil that even today we call a wicked woman a Jezebel. She brought to Israel the worship of Baal-Marquart, the pagan god of the sea. She could have very likely been a high priestess of this god as the daughters of the king often were. Ahab condoned and supported the worship of Baal-Marquart and became a worshipper himself. Jezebel is from Tyre, home of the Hiriam, the king who was significant in helping Solomon build his the Temple and his palace, so there is a connection already between these two countries. Significantly, Ahab also commissions the rebuilding of Jericho by Heil, something that had been forbidden by God hundreds of years earlier during the days of Joshua (See Joshua 6:26). http://www.esvbible.org/Joshua 6:26
There are a couple of different views of verse 34 and the fate of Hiel’s children. Either he actually sacrificed them (which is an abomination to God) or they died of disease as a punishment from God. Either way, the rebuilding of Jericho was forbidden and Ahab thumbs his nose at God once again.

Tyre was a very large and influential city and the marriage was most definitely a political move on Ahab’s part as he sought to strengthen his power base. Tyre was actually a man-made island, created by Hiriam because of his love of the sea and because it was an indestructible fortress of safety. At the time of Ahab it was wealthy and a very important harbor for international trade. Tyre was besieged by Alexander the Great in 332 BC (500 years after Ahab) and many of its inhabitants (400,000) were sold into slavery. (Interestingly, Alexander conquered this supposedly indestructible city by blockading it for seven months,  then building a causeway to the island, thus allowing his soldiers access.) Ahab’s marriage to Jezebel solidifies his union with Tyre and brings the very forceful presence of Jezebel and Baal worship into Israel.

Today’s lesson is mostly just historical. What we will see over the next few days of study is how God deals with these idolatrous influences over the lives of His people. This is truly one of the most intriguing stories in the Old Testament and we will have much to learn.

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