Lesson: Ahab and Jezebel

Ahab and Jezebel

To Remember: Greed and jealousy lead to larger sins

Vocabulary:

vineyard: farm for growing grapes.

Lesson Handout Pages (.pdf) or use as lesson text

Lesson Outline

Craft: Sweet and Sour Grapes
Have the students make two bunches of grapes. Cut circles from purple and green paper and paste them on a sheet of paper. Add a brown piece as the branches. Make the circles big enough to write on. On the sweet bunch, name things we do that God likes: share, pray, love, be nice, etc. On the green bunch, name things that God dislikes, especially as demonstrated in the story: jealousy, envy, murder, lying, coveting, cheating, etc.

Discussion: Jezebel had a great deal of influence over other people, even though was not involved in Ahab and Naboth's discussion. Talk about how she incited Ahab, lied, threatened the men of the city to sin, got others to do her dirty work, and ultimately had a man killed to please her husband. How important was Ahab's choice of a spouse in his life? In Naboth's life? In the life of the nation of Israel? We must choose carefully those whom we spend a lot of time with. Our friends, companions, co-workers and spouses will influence not only our lives, but the lives of those around us as well.

Object Lesson: Fighting Jealousy How do we fight jealousy and greed? How do we fight discontent in our lives? Give each student a balloon. Tell them to blow it up, but not to tie it shut. On each balloon, write one of these terms: jealousy, envy, greed, discontent, self-pity... Then ask the students how we "take the air out of these feelings"? discuss how thankfulness and praise can deflate envy. Have students practice giving thanks for something, praising God for his qualities and gifts, and remembering happy times. Each time they do this, have them let a little air out of the balloon, until it is empty. Then talk about the danger of encouraging these feelings. Have them re-inflate the balloon. Then discuss how we sometimes brood over our self-pity, recount all the "injustices" in our lives, and avoid God and his word when we feel jealous. Have the students a more and more air into their balloon to symbolize these actions. Ask them what will happen to the balloon if we keep adding air? It will explode! the balloon becomes more and more vulnerable to even slightly sharp objects as it gets stretched thinner and thinner. Isn't this what happened to Ahab and Jezebel? Jealousy turned into murder! If we aren't careful, we can explode into harmful sin by nurturing jealousy and self-pity. Then have the students practice letting the air out again. These are skills we can learn.

Coloring page: Ahab asks to buy Naboth's Vineyard

True/False

Ahab was happy with all God had given him. F
Naboth was an innocent man. T
Jezebel discouraged Ahab from sinning. F
Jezebel encouraged the men of the city to sin. T
God was angry with Ahab and Jezebel. T

Memory Work:

1 Kings 21:25 “There was no one like Ahab, who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord, urged on by his wife Jezebel.”

Sing: "The Fruit of the Spirit"

Review Questions for gameboard

	linguistic questions
	What is a vineyard? a farm that grows grapes Who was Naboth? the innocent vineyard owner What is pouting? to whine and complain in self-pity
	activity questions
	Act out Ahab pouting. Quickly sketch a bunch of grapes Locate Jezreel on a map.
	emotion questions
	How did Ahab feel when Naboth said no? sad, pouty, angry, self-pitying What feelings encouraged Jezebel to have Naboth accused? pride, spite How do you think Naboth felt when the witnesses started lying about him? stunned, angry, persecuted
	application questions
	Name a time when you have felt bad because someone got something you wanted. How do we fight against jealousy and greed? count our blessings, praise God for what he has given us What kinds of sin can jealousy lead to? slander, envy, ungratefulness to God, theft, lying, etc.
	fact questions
	Why didn't Naboth want to sell his vineyard? It had been in his family many years Why did the men in the court lie about Naboth? Jezebel used her power to threaten them. How did God punish Ahab and Jezebel? with horrible death
	review questions
	Why did God give Ahab more time before his punishment? because Ahab humbled himself before God What ugly attitudes did Jezebel display? arrogance, pride, self-importance, lack of caring about others, disregard for life Why was Ahab listed as one of the worst Kings of Israel? he promoted idol worship, he let his wife's evil permeate the country, he supported the persecution of God's prophets