Marriage and the Bible Based on the Living in Love Series by Richard L. Strauss, Biblical Studies Foundation

Setting the Stage… King David has been dead for about 135 years. Although larger and more richly endowed in Solomon’s reign, the kingdom is now fractured between Judah in the south and Israel in the north. Judah is ruled by David’s line. Israel…not so lucky.

Enter Ahab Ahab’s father, Omri, “did evil in the eyes of the LORD and sinned more than all those before him.” –1 Kings 16:25 “He walked in all the ways of Jeroboam, son of Nebat and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit, so that they provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger by their worthless idols.” –1 Kings 16:26

Enter Ahab Ahab realizes greater potential than his father…unfortunately. “Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him.” –1 Kings 16:30 Ahab “did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger more than did all the kings of Israel before him.” –1 Kings 16:33

What was so bad about Ahab? 1 Kings 16:29-33 –Considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam. –Married the daughter of a Sidonian king. –Served and worshiped Baal and Asherah.

Warm-Up Questions Idolatry is no new trick for an Israelite king. Why do you suppose Ahab carries the distinction of “most evil?” If Ahab provoked God more than any other before him, why did God leave him unrestrained in his wickedness?

What about that wife? Jezebel’s father was both king and high pagan priest to his people. (“Ethbaal”) Jezebel grew up in an unequaled environment of pagan devotion to Baal and Ashtoreth. Jezebel equated murder and pagan worship with prosperity and progress.

What about that wife? Ahab’s domineering wife soon changed the face of worship in Israel: –A house for Baal was built beside the palace. –Jezebel brought 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Ashtoreth from Phonecia. –She had Israel’s prophets either killed, converted, in hiding, or on the run (Elijah).

An Unchanging Mind The God-delivered victory over the pagan prophets on Mount Carmel showed the utter impotence of Jezebel’s prophets and the unquestionable power of the One True God. Despite this, Elijah is still running for his life, Baal worship continues, and Ahab and Jezebel enjoy many more years in dysfunctional leadership.

Two Faces of Willfulness Both Ahab and Jezebel were extraordinarily willful, although each expressed this flaw in fundamentally different ways. –Jezebel was domineering, headstrong, arrogant, unrepentant, and direct. –Ahab was rebellious, passive, sulking, enabling, and selfish. –Do not confuse these as male or female traits.

Two Faces of Willfulness Ahab and Jezebel shared many common features: –Stubborn –Indomitable –Demanding –Unreasonable –Inconsiderate –Avoiders of Consequence

God’s Guidance 1 Corinthians 13:5-6 –“It [love] is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth.”

Doing what they do best… Turn your Bibles to 1 Kings 21 and 22 –Just in case you missed it the first time: 1 Kings 21:25-26 –Contrast his earlier actions with 1 Kings 21:27 –What does 1 Kings 21:28-29 teach us? –Some humor and theological confusion in 1 Kings 22.

A Fitting End for Both Ahab tries out outsmart his fate through disguise. The arrow that fell him was a 1 in a million shot. God always manages to hit the years later, justice finally catches up to Jezebel. (2 Kings 9) Jezebel gussied herself up for her final act. Jezebel also meets a violent end, eagerly thrown out by her very servants.

Relationship Application Does your relationship show signs of domineering and sulking? Do you stand by and “enable” wrong behavior in your spouse? Ahab and Jezebel’s exchanges had all the trappings of an abusive relationship. –“What are you a man or a mouse?” –“I’ll show you a thing or two.” These traits don’t need to be on the surface in order to be a problem.

Unfortunate Consequences Ahab and Jezebel had two sons who ruled over Israel. Both walked in the ways of their parents and provoked God to anger. Ahab and Jezebel had a daughter, who married the King of Judah. She led her husband astray. Their son, in turn, ruled Judah in the ways of the house of Ahab. How many generations below that bear the mark of their ancestor’s sins?

Summary Ahab and Jezebel’s story may appear extreme, and thus inapplicable for your own relationship. In fact, their story speaks to more subtle and gradual spiritual erosions we all may suffer: –Ahab and Jezebel consistently ignored the prophets…the guidance of God because of the inconvenience of their message. –Ahab and Jezebel eroded objects of spiritual worship in exchange for political expedience, power, and “prosperity.”

Conclusion What in your life, if anything, have you failed to yield to God? Are you and your spouse attentive and obedient to God’s guidance, no matter how obscure or inconvenient? A yielding heart to God’s ways has a tendency to be contagious.