1Ki 21:17-29  “For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground” – Part 2

[Study Aired June 30, 2022]

For we must die, and are as water spilled on the ground, and with no way to be redeemed except through Christ’s blood that was spilled on the earth, which can sanctify the body of Christ as it represents His Words which are Life, or a seed, that brings death to our old man (Eph 1:7, Joh 17:17, Joh 12:24).

Eph 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 

Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 

Joh 12:24  Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. [-to believe is to do the work- Joh 8:31]

The water of the word that washes us (Eph 5:26-27) proceeds from the vine Jesus Christ, who is the Word (Joh 1:1), and He is the reason we can be sanctified and cleansed of our old Adamic nature “with the washing of water by the word (wine – blood [Mat 26:28])”

Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 
Eph 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 

Mat 26:28  For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

If we hear that word and are convicted by that word and act upon that word, proving all things and holding fast to that which is good (1Th 5:21), then we will be saved through that process of judgment in which we continue until our last breath (Joh 8:31-32) symbolized by the words “O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD” of Jeremiah 22:29. With God’s words being sanctified within us, we can then in turn sanctify each other with those words and play a part in saving one another in this life as we fill up what is behind of the afflictions of Christ “for his body’s sake, which is the church” (Col 1:24, Eph 5:30).

1Th 5:21  Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 

Jer 22:29  O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the LORD. 

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church: 

Eph 5:30  For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 

“We must needs die”, just as “we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Act 14:22), and the life of Elijah the Tishbite typifies for us what is expected of God’s elect who are dying daily and learning to patiently possess our souls (Jas 5:10, Luk 21:19) as we are led by God’s spirit (Rom 8:14-16).

Act 14:22  Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

Jas 5:10  Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. 

Luk 21:19  In your patience possess ye your souls.

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 
Rom 8:15  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 
Rom 8:16  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

We can only say ‘our yes is yes’ and ‘our no is no’ of Matthew 5:37 if we are being obedient to the commandments of God.  So, when God tells Elijah “go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria“, he does so and does not make any excuse as to why he cannot; excuses , “What if the king doesn’t like what I have to say?” God tells us in situations of duress “take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak” (Mat 8:21-22 ,  Mat 10:19).

Mat 5:37  But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil. 

Mat 8:21  And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 
Mat 8:22  But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

Mat 10:19  But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.

Each of the wise and foolish virgins are “bidden to the wedding” (Mat 22:3) but it is only those who are given to receive the counsel “buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed” (Rev 3:18) who have those garments washed or sanctified by the blood of the lamb who is the author and finisher of that “more precious than of gold” process of having our faith tried in fire in this life through God’s judgments that are upon His house (Rev 19:7, Heb 12:2, 1Pe 1:7, 1Pe 4:12, 1Pe 4:17, Jas 1:2-4). Satan did exactly what God required of him.  The point is that a prophet going where he is supposed to go, as Elijah did, is not a conclusive event that shows that the vessel is one of honor or dishonor, any more than Judas who kept following Christ when others had already denied him (Joh 6:67).

Mat 22:3  And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. 

Rev 19:7  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

1Pe 1:7  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 

Jas 1:2  My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; 
Jas 1:3  Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. 
Jas 1:4  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

The reason I’m bringing up this subject of ‘tried faith’ in this story is because we can easily read about the faithful prophets of old and not realize the life and death situations God put them in was for our sakes, showing us that we are “more than conquerors through him that loved us” (1Co 10:11, Rom 8:37). These stories of the faithful prophets are typical examples of the faith of Jesus Christ that we have today, which tell us nothing can separate us “from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38-39).

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 

We need to look at these situations of the prophets and all the examples of faith in Hebrews 11:1-40, and remember these things were written for our sakes to encourage us and to remind us that nothing can separate us from the love of God as we are given the ability to endure the trials of this life with the very faith of Jesus Christ and the love of God that is shed abroad in our hearts (Rom 5:5). That God-given faith gives us the power we need to be obedient even as we deny ourselves every day and follow Christ by carrying our cross, which is how we deny ourselves and ultimately overcome by enduring to the end (Luk 22:32, Gal 2:20, 2Ti 1:7, Heb 5:8, Mat 16:24, Mat 24:13).

Luk 22:32  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: [Col 1:27] and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 

2Ti 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 

Heb 5:8  Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 

Mat 16:24  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 

Mat 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

1Ki 21:17  And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 
1Ki 21:18  Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.
1Ki 21:19  And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.

Elijah gets his marching orders from “the LORD“, and as mentioned, he goes straightway to go do the work of the Lord (Mat 4:20, Heb 11:8, Rom 8:14).

Mat 4:20  And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. 

Heb 11:8  By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 

Rom 8:14  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 

We are God’s workmanship, and Elijah’s meeting “Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria, in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it” is symbolic of where God meets our old man of sin who must be confronted straightway by the prophet for the death of Christ, for which we are guilty, symbolized in this story by the life of Naboth that was taken. The dogs licking the blood of a dead man is symbolic of our returning to our own vomit, our own blood, or words, which are not words of life that can sanctify the earth like the words or Christ but are rather consumed by the beast that we are, to give nourishment to the beast. To clearly witness to that point, both Naboth’s and Ahab’s blood are mentioned as being spilled on the ground and licked up by dogs to remind us that flesh and blood does not inherit the kingdom of God (1Co 15:50) and only Christ can redeem us with His blood (Pro 26:11, Mat 7:6).

Pro 26:11  As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly.

Mat 7:6  Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.

The prophet Elijah does not shun to declare the whole gospel (Act 20:27) in type and shadow to Ahab with these words that paint a gruesome story of what is going to befall Ahab: “And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.“

Act 20:27  For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. 

1Ki 21:20  And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.

We all “sell ourselves” or “deny Christ” when we “work evil in the sight of the LORD“, and the good that we would we don’t do, but the evil that we don’t want to do that’s what we do (Rom 7:14-17), and if Christ’s spirit is within us, we will overcome this struggle in our heavens, because the Son of man sets us free from sin so we can be free indeed (Joh 8:36). This freedom does not happen all at once, and is a dying daily process that brings us to learn of God’s faithfulness to finish what He has started in His workmanship through Jesus Christ (Heb 12:2, Eph 2:10). Elijah is the enemy of Ahab just as the spirit of God is against the flesh, and the flesh against the spirit (Gal 5:17), and what we sow in that flesh we will reap and be found out: “Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?” (Gal 6:7)

Rom 7:14  For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 
Rom 7:15  For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 
Rom 7:16  If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 
Rom 7:17  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 

Joh 8:36  If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. [ultimately freed from this double-minded man of Romans 7:13-17 on the third day (Luk 13:32)]

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. 

Eph 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. 

Gal 5:17  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would [Rom 7:14-17].

Gal 6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap [Rom 9:19-21].

1Ki 21:21  Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, 
1Ki 21:22  And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin. 
1Ki 21:23  And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel. 
1Ki 21:24  Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat. 
1Ki 21:25  But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. 
1Ki 21:26  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 evil that God is going to bring upon Ahab is to take away from him his “posterity”^H310, a symbol for us of God taking away our talent and giving it to someone else (Mat 25:28-29). In the physical sense, it represents everything that is ‘behind’ Ahab, everything that has been established in his life including “him that is shut up and left in Israel“, meaning in type and shadow the things he has bound on earth and in heaven are all being destroyed, the whole root and branch, because that ‘posterity’ represents what our old man builds and develops in this life, our many wonderful works with no acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty over it all (Mal 4:1).

Mal 4:1  For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

H310
‘achar 
posterity  
akh-ar’

From H309; properly the hind part; generally used as an adverb or conjugation, after (in various senses): – after (that, -ward), again, at, away from, back (from, -side), behind, beside, by, follow (after, -ing), forasmuch, from, hereafter, hinder end, + out (over) live, + persecute, posterity, pursuing, remnant, seeing, since, thence [-forth], when, with.

Total KJV occurrences: 714

Mat 25:28  Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. 
Mat 25:29  For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.

Notice that the curse which comes upon Ahab and Jezebel is spoken of as being against the wall, and by the wall of Jezreel^H3157. This wall of Jezreel, in the negative sense, is a symbol of the idols of our heart, and the word means “God will sow“, telling us that God is the one who is sovereign over this whole process of light and dark and good and evil (Isa 45:7) about which we are learning in this story of Ahab and Jezebel. He created us to be a marred vessel in the Potter’s hand that is either redeemed in this life or the next, which reminds us of 2 Samuel 14:14 and Romans 9:22-23.

Jezreel – H3157 
yizr
e‛ê’l 
yiz-reh-ale’

From H2232 and H410; God will sow; Jizreel, the name of two places in Palestine and of two Israelites: – Jezreel.

Total KJV occurrences: 36

H410  
‘êl  
ale

Shortened from H352; strength; as adjective mighty; especially the Almighty (but used also of any deity): – God (god), X goodly, X great, idol, might (-y one), power, strong. Compare names in “-el.”

Total KJV occurrences: 242

Isa 45:7  I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. 

2Sa 14:14  For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.

Rom 9:22  What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: [“yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him“]
Rom 9:23  And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,

For further contrast, Ahab is compared to his proteges telling him that he is no better, and in fact is worse, than them: “like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat (1Ki 14:1-12), and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah (1Ki 15:33-34, 1Ki 16:1-4), for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin“. Even as Ahab is digesting these strong rebukes from the prophet, he is further told “And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.“

1Ki 14:10  Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone. 
1Ki 14:11  Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat: for the LORD hath spoken it. 

1Ki 16:2  Forasmuch as I exalted thee out of the dust, and made thee prince over my people Israel; and thou hast walked in the way of Jeroboam, and hast made my people Israel to sin, to provoke me to anger with their sins; 
1Ki 16:3  Behold, I will take away the posterity of Baasha, and the posterity of his house; and will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

Jezebel is the wife of Ahab, and therefore they are one, and she represents his spiritual state of mind which is corrupt like hers, and therefore he is pronounced with the same fate: “Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.” Again, it is not just Ahab who is going to die but all those who are connected to him, and the death, although physical, is represented to us in the terms used to show us that those to whom we are joined in our folly and our disobedience are devoured by dogs, which is a symbol of spiritual depravity (Tit 1:12). The fowls of the air show the dream-is-one principle in that it is speaking of the same point. “The field” is the world, and the fowls represent the evil spirits which are going to destroy those connected to Ahab in the world (Deu 28:15, Deu 28:26).

Deu 28:15  But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee: 

Deu 28:26  And thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.

The casting “out before the children of Israel” of “the Amorites” is typical language that says these same words of Christ: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” as He delivers us from every abominable idol of our hearts, the most persistent one being that we don’t see that these words of God are speaking of the chief of sinners, who we are (1Ti 1:15), along with Jezebel who represents our inability without Christ to be seduced by Babylon out of which God alone can drag us. “But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.” It is when God brings us to see our hopeless and helpless situation as a result of the fullness of the sins of the “Amorites” being fulfilled in our life that we are then delivered from ourselves (Gen 15:16).

1Ti 1:15  This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

Gen 15:16  But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.

1Ki 21:27  And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
1Ki 21:28  And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 
1Ki 21:29  Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.

Although God did postpone the evil that would come upon Ahab’s house due to his repentant heart, the “posterity” of Ahab that God said he would take away from him was inevitable, and so God’s judgments were temporarily withheld and then unleashed as prophesied “in his son’s days” did God “bring the evil upon his house”, similar to king Solomon whose curse was visited in the generation after him with his son king Rehoboam (Deu 5:9, 1Ki 11:11-12). In both kings’ lives, Ahab and Solomon, there was an abuse of power and an entitled spirit that had little and no regard for the commandments of God as they sowed to their flesh. The end result of that disobedience is always the same and is written for our sakes (1Co 10:11) to help us learn that God is a just God who tells us what we sow we will reap. He is the one who orchestrates all of it at the appointed time (Gal 6:7).

The reason God delays these punishments at certain times is to remind us that when one member of the body of Christ sins, we are all affected by that behavior, and “visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me” is an old covenant expression of telling us that sin can have long-term consequences for all those who commit sin, and for those who are in the midst of the leaven that can leaven the whole lump (Gal 5:9, 1Co 5:13, Heb 12:15).

Deu 5:9  Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, 

Gal 6:7  Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 
Gal 6:8  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 

Gal 5:9  A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump. 

1Co 5:13  But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. 

Heb 12:15  Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

In the end, the prophetic words of Elijah come to pass as we will read in the last chapter of first Kings, where we learn of how Ahab died in battle, this telling us again that God is a just God who judges us for our sins (1Ki 22:38). It would seem very pointless to be reading these stories if we were not given to understand that we are looking at events that reflect the one event that is common unto all man, each man in his order, and that being the judgment of God (Ecc 3:9). That judgment and the blessing it will ultimately bring upon all the world, is the salvation of all which leads us back to our title “For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground” in order to become that means-to-an-end body of Christ that God will use to save the rest of the world “that his banished be not expelled from him” (Oba 1:21).

2Sa 14:14  For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: [Rom 9:19-21] yet doth he devise means [Oba 1:21], that his banished be not expelled from him. 

Oba 1:21  And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.