Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of I Kings Chapter 21
Metaphysically Interpreting I Kings 21:1-16
21:1And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 21:2And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house; and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it: or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. 21:3And Naboth said to Ahab, Jehovah forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee. 21:4And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.
21:5But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread? 21:6And he said unto her, Because I spake unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard. 21:7And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thy heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
21:8So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, and that dwelt with Naboth. 21:9And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: 21:10and set two men, base fellows, before him, and let them bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst curse God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him to death. 21:11And the men of his city, even the elders and the nobles who dwelt in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, according as it was written in the letters which she had sent unto them. 21:12They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people. 21:13And the two men, the base fellows, came in and sat before him: and the base fellows bare witness against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did curse God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him to death with stones. 21:14Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.
21:15And it came to pass, 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 thee for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead. 21:16And it came to pass, 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.
January 29, 1922: I Kings 21:7-10
What do King Ahab and his queen, Jezebel, represent in this lesson? King Ahab represents will parading as acquisitiveness, and Jezebel, desire dominated by acquisitiveness.
Does desire ever attempt to overreach the Divine Law and to move faculties to get possession of things that have not been earned? Yes. This is illustrated in this lesson. The will wanted certain possessions that belonged to another, and desire found the way to gain them.
Does a powerful impulse to gain possession of things cause destruction of life as a means to the end? Yes. In this lesson, King Ahab's intense desire (Jezebel) plotted to kill Naboth, in order to gain possession of Naboth's vineyard which adjoined the royal estate.
October 16, 1927: I Kings 21:5-10
What do King Ahab and his queen, Jezebel, represent in this lesson? King Ahab represents will parading as acquisitiveness; and Jezebel, desire dominated by acquisitiveness.
Does desire ever attempt to overreach the divine law and to move faculties to get possession of things that have not been earned? Yes. This is illustrated in this lesson. The will wanted certain possessions that belonged to another and desire found a way to gain them.
Does a powerful impulse to gain possession of things cause destruction of life as a means to the end? Yes. In this lesson King Ahab’s intense desire (Jezebel) plotted to kill Naboth in order to gain possession of Naboth's vineyard which adjoined the royal estate.
Metaphysically Interpreting I Kings 21:17-29
21:17And the word of Jehovah came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 21:18Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who dwelleth in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to take possession of it. 21:19And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, Hast thou killed and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.
21:20And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee, because thou hast sold thyself to do that which is evil in the sight of Jehovah.21:21Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will utterly sweep thee away and will cut off from Ahab every man-child, and him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel: 21:22and I will make thy 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 hast made Israel to sin. 21:23And of Jezebel also spake Jehovah, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the rampart of Jezreel. 21:24Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the birds of the heavens eat.
21:25(But there was none like unto Ahab, who did sell himself to do that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. 21:26And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites did, whom Jehovah cast out before the children of Israel.)
21:27And 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. 21:28And the word of Jehovah came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 21:29Seest 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.
December 29, 1918: I Kings 21:11-20
Acquisitiveness is a legitimate faculty of the mind; Covetousness [is] its Judas. When Acquisitiveness acts within the law, it builds up the consciousness, but when it oversteps the law it is a destroyer. Judas was the treasurer of the disciples of Jesus, but he became covetous (“he hath a devil”) and his sin brought tragedy. King Ahab represents Acquisitiveness. This faculty ruled his mind and took possession of the whole man. When acquisitiveness throws its covetous influence over man, he develops an insatiable desire to possess things. Ahab built a splendid summer palace and inlaid it with ivory. Extravagance grows on its own thoughts; Ahab's palace of ivory must have additional gardens. The vineyard of Naboth best suited him, and it was acquired by foul means. Covetousness has no wisdom, and when one gives up to its demands, the most foolish things are done to get possession of coveted objects. Seemingly subtle plans, like that of Jezebel to have the innocent Naboth stoned to death, are always laid bare and their shallowness shown. Selfishness is near-sighted and all its ways narrow.
Elijah, the defender of the law, is the enemy of covetousness, and reveals him in the midst of his transgression. “Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?” There is no escape from the Spirit of Justice. It overtakes men when they think they are secure, and they have to give up everything. The man who takes advantage of another's necessity, to enrich his own coffers, must in due season restore fourfold, as did Zacchaeus.
Ideas make brain cells, and brain cells are the “central stations” through which the mind sends its ruling thoughts to the various body functions. Acquisitiveness has its brain area in the head, through which it affects the whole organism. If it is cultivated to the point of covetousness, it dominates appetite, and more food is eaten than the system needs from day to day, and the excess is stored up as fat. This excess of flesh is not properly vitalized, and eventually becomes infested with various sorts of material growths. Thus selfishness uses appetite to destroy the body.
The remedy for all this error is to call upon the Divine Law to adjust every thought in which acquisitiveness plays any part. Make this a daily affirmation: “All my affairs are ordered in righteousness, and my own comes to me under the Divine Law.”
– UNITY magazine.
January 29, 1922: I Kings 21:16-20
What was the outcome of this crime? The Divine Law of justice overtook the lawbreaker.
Is Elijah, the spiritual ego, always present in man's consciousness? Yes. We may think we are planning secretly, but the Spirit within always knows what is going on, and we shall eventually have to give account of every thought and act. “I have found thee, because thou hast sold thyself to do that which is evil in the sight of Jehovah.”
October 16, 1927: I Kings 21:16-20
What was the outcome of this crime? The divine law of justice overtook the lawbreaker.
Is Elijah, the spiritual ego, always present in man’s consciousness? Yes. We may think we are planning secretly, but the Spirit within always knows what is going on, and eventually we shall have to give account of every thought and every act. “I have found thee, because thou hast sold thyself to do that which is evil in the sight of Jehovah.”
Explain the effect of selfish thoughts working in mind and body consciousness and how the evil may be overcome. Brain cells are the central stations from which the mind sends its ruling thoughts to various parts of the body. Acquisitiveness works from its brain area and affects the whole organism. If it is cultivated to the point of covetousness, it dominates appetite, then more food is eaten than the system needs from day to day, and the excess is stored up as fat. This excess of flesh is not properly vitalized, and eventually leads to decay. Thus selfishness uses appetite to destroy the body. The remedy for all error resulting from acquisitiveness is to call upon divine law to adjust every thought in which acquisitiveness plays a part.
Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 02-06-2014
