Elijah - episode 4

Naboth’s vineyard

In the present post we tell the episode in which Elijah announces the definitive sentence over King Ahab and his offspring.
«It happened after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near to my house; and I will give you for it a better vineyard than it. Or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its worth in money.” Naboth said to Ahab, “May the LORD forbid me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!” Ahab came into his house sullen and angry because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” He laid himself down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread» (1Kgs 21,1-4). The king is greedy: while possessing great wealth, he wants his humble subject’s vineyard and gets very displeased by Naboth’s right words (I remind you that in Israel the family properties cannot be definitively taken away from their owners: see Moses - episode 5; Num 36,7-9). The wicked Queen Jezebel, however, suggests her husband a trick to get what he lusts for: «So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles who were in his city, who lived with Naboth. She wrote in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. Set two men, base fellows, before him, and let them testify against him, saying, ‘You cursed God and the king!’ Then carry him out, and stone him to death.” The men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent to them, according as it was written in the letters which she had sent to them. They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. The two men, the base fellows, came in and sat before him. The base fellows testified against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king!” Then they carried him out of the city, and stoned him to death with stones. Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned, and is dead.” It happened, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” It happened, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it» (1Kgs 21,8-16). Fasting makes the people believe that there is a serious crime to be forgiven by God; Naboth is then accused of that sin by two false witnesses and he is killed. The king, as the injured party («Naboth cursed God and the king!»), can take “legitimately” the vineyard he wanted.
The fact, however, does not go unnoticed by the Lord, who sends Elijah: «“Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who dwells in Samaria. Behold, 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 killed and also taken possession?”’ You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD, “In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs will lick your blood, even yours.”’” Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD. Behold, I will bring disaster on you, and will utterly sweep you away and will cut off from Ahab everyone, slave or free in Israel. I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah [see Elijah - episode 1] for the provocation with which you have provoked me to anger, and have made Israel to sin.” The LORD also spoke of Jezebel, saying, “The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the rampart of Jezreel. The dogs will eat he who dies of Ahab in the city; and the birds of the sky will eat he who dies in the field.”» (1Kgs 21,18-24). The story is similar to what happened to King David for his sin with Bathsheba (see Bathsheba - episode 1 and Bathsheba - episode 2): here too the king oppresses his poor and innocent subject, here too the king repents.



With his penitence, Ahab obtains that most of the punishment would take place during his son’s reign (see 1Kgs 21,27-29), but he will not escape a violent death, in a battle against those Syrians who he previously graced, disobeying the Lord (see 1Kgs 20,26-43). «So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria. They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood where the prostitutes washed themselves; according to the word of the LORD which he spoke» (1Kgs 22,37-38). St. Ambrose of Milan comments this way Ahab’s end (I take the following texts from Il prepotente e il povero, Ambrogio di Milano, San Paolo): «What does it mean that the harlots washed themselves in his blood, unless […] that there was in the ferocity of the king the perfidy of a harlot or a bloodthirsty lust; because it was so luxurious to lust for a vegetable, so bloodthirsty to kill a man for a vegetable? A worthy penalty consumes the greedy man, it consumes avarice. [...] In front of him, men’s humanity disappeared; the dogs’ bite substituted it. Rightly, the greedy man found worthy ministers for his burial» (XI,49; XVI,69). «Naboth’s story is ancient in time, but present in relevance. Who among the rich does not want to accumulate more and more? Who among the landowners does not try to remove the poor from his land and to divert the poor from the paternal field? Who is simply satisfied with his goods? What rich person does not aspire in his soul to the neighbor’s possession? [...] Everyday Naboth is humiliated; everyday he is trampled» (I,1). To the rich Ambrose says: «Consider that you are not alone in having these goods. With you the moth and the rust have them and consume them. Avarice delivered them to you as companions. See which debtors charity gives you [...]. It makes your debtor God the Father, who, for the benefit with which the poor was helped, repaid the debt, as a debtor to a good creditor [see Matt 6,12: “forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors”]. It makes your debtor the Son of God who said: “I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. I was naked, and you clothed me” (Matt 25,35-36). In fact, what is given the least ones, He says, is given him (Matt 25,40)» (XIV,59).
In the next post we will tell Elijah’s earthly life end.