SERIES M --- PROPHESIES AND MIRACLES --- LESSON 21

AHAB’S LINE DESTROYED

THE DEATH OF AHAB’S FAMILY

From 2 Kings 10:1-17; 2 Chronicles 22:8

Ahab had seventy sons who lived in Samaria the capital, under the care of the officials of that city. After Jehu had killed King Jehoram, he wrote a letter to these officials. [As soon as you receive this letter, choose one of King Ahab’s sons to be your new king,] he said, [for you have charge of his sons, his chariots, his horses, his fortified cities and his weapons. Then let this new king defend his throne.] The officials however, trembled with fear. [Two kings couldn’t defend themselves against this man,] they said. [So how can we?] The palace manager and the city manager joined with the other city officials in sending a message to Jehu. [We are your servants,] they said. [We will obey your commands and will make no other man king. Do whatever seems right to you.] Jehu responded with another letter. [If you really want to obey me, bring the heads of Ahab’s sons to me at Jezreel tomorrow at this time. Ahab’s seventy sons lived in the homes of these officials who had cared for them since they were children. When Jehu’s letter came, the officials murdered the seventy sons and put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel. When the baskets arrived, a messenger came to Jehu to let him know. [They have brought the heads of the king’s sons,] he reported. [Put them in two piles by the entrance of the city gate until tomorrow morning,] Jehu commanded. The next morning Jehu went to the city gate to speak to an assembly of the people. [The deaths of these men are not your fault,] he said. [It is I who killed the king, but it is Adonai who killed these seventy sons. Adonai declared through His prophet Elijah that Ahab’s sons would die like this.] After this Jehu executed all the other members of Ahab’s family at Jezreel, as well as the officials, friends and priests of Ahab. Then he left for Samaria to do the same there. As he was going to Samaria, he met some men at Beth-eked of the Shepherds, an inn at the side of the road. [Who are you?] he asked them. [We are relatives of King Ahaziah,] they answered. [We have come to visit the sons of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel.] [Capture them!] Jehu ordered. His men captured them and killed all forty-two of them at a nearby pit. As he was leaving that place to go on to Samaria, Jehu met Rechab’s son Jehonadab, who had come to join him. [Is your heart as loyal to me as mine is to you?] Jehu asked him. [Yes, it is,] Jehonadab answered. [If it is, give me your hand,] Jehu said. Then Jehu took Jehonadab with him into his chariot. [Come with me to Samaria and see my zeal for Adonai,] he said. Jehonadab rode with Jehu in his chariot. When Jehu arrived in Samaria, he executed all of Ahab’s remaining family and friends, as Adonai had foretold through His prophet Elijah. Not one of them was left alive.

COMMENTARY

THE JEZREEL VALLEY

The Jezreel Valley itself was one of the most vital valleys of Palestine. Dark, rich soil left by the swamps of earlier centuries made it one of the most productive farming regions in the land. Even more important, it formed a link in the main trading routes of the ancient Middle East. Because the valley is a long, flat region surrounded by mountains, it is often referred to as a plain. A strict definition limits the Jezreel Valley proper to the south-eastern half of the plain. This south-eastern section includes only the triangle of land extending from Mount Gilboa to the Jordan River. A broader definition, however, includes the north-western stretch of the plain, often referred to as the Megiddo Plain. Together, the two sections form an open pass through the central mountain ranges. In ancient times, the pass served as a boundary between Galilee to the north and Samaria to the south. The valley was the only route connecting the coast with the Jordan Valley in the centre of Palestine. Such a location made the Jezreel Valley of enormous value to traders and merchants. Via Mans, the major trade route connecting Egypt with Mesopotamia, crossed it at several points. The main pass entered the valley at Megiddo and then split into two major roads. One turned northwest along the Phoenician coast, while the other turned northeast toward Damascus and Mesopotamia. All along the valley, fortified cities were built to protect the smaller branches of the trade route. From these cities, caravans could continue along the northern routes or descend eastward through the valley and across the Jordan River. There, the valley road intersected the King’s Highway; the caravan route that passed between Arabia, Damascus and the commercial centres of Mesopotamia. Attempts to control this region and its trading routes made the Jezreel Valley the site of many battles. Egyptian pharaohs challenged Canaanite control long before the Israelites settled there. In this valley, the judge Deborah led Israelite tribes against the Canaanite armies of Sisera. Here also, the Philistines defeated King Saul and his sons, and hung their bodies on the city wall at Beth-shan. The miles of flat land in the plain allowed chariot armies their full advantage over slow-moving foot soldiers. In times of peace, the valley’s fame lay in its productivity. Sometimes it was referred to simply as [the rich valley,] for it was one of the most fertile regions of Palestine. Its grain crops provided food for much of northern Palestine. Today, the grain fields, orchards and dairy farms of the Jezreel Valley still provide food for the people of Israel.