Contemplative Bible Reading

1 Kings 21:7 (New Living Translation)

7 “Are you the king of Israel or not?” Jezebel demanded. “Get up and eat something, and don’t worry about it. I’ll get you Naboth’s vineyard!”

Queen Jezebel is talking to her husband, King Ahab. King Ahab wanted a vineyard from a neighbor named Naboth. Naboth wouldn’t sell, so King Ahab was dejected.

Queen Jezebel was quite practical. “We are King of Israel!” This is a simple matter. We don’t have to listen to some neighbor who wants to hang onto his family land. We are King! Squash the neighbor like a bug. We are King!

Ah, the reality of political power. There are those who do not hesitate to use the power any which way that pleases them.

Jezebel arranged some friends to lie about Naboth and have him killed. It all seemed legal enough if you were watching from afar. The insiders knew the truth. Jezebel was Queen. We are King! Squash people like bugs and move on happily ever after.

It is a shame that there were people like Jezebel in positions of earthly power way back when. It is a shame that we have the same today—a terrible shame. Sometimes it is difficult to live under these conditions. Let us not imitate what we see.