King Ahab, The Unwise Ruler

After Omri died, his son Ahab succeeded him as king of Israel. Reigning approximately from 871 to 850 BC, Ahab was one of the most wicked and influential kings of the northern kingdom of Israel mentioned in the Old Testament. He married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians. Under her strong influence, King Ahab established the worship of Baal and Asherah in Israel, leading the northern kingdom into deep-seated sin from which it couldn’t recover.

King Ahab ignored the messages from God delivered by the prophet Elijah and persisted in idol worship. This resulted in a three-year drought in Israel, leading to widespread famine. Later, King Ahab and Elijah met on Mount Carmel. There, the prophets of Baal and Elijah each offered sacrifices to God, to determine who was the true God: Baal or Yahweh, whom Elijah served. Ultimately, Yahweh sent fire down onto Elijah’s altar and then brought rain, ending Israel’s three-year drought and proving to the Israelites of that time that “Yahweh alone is God.”

Later, when King Jehoshaphat of Judah visited Ahab, Ahab seized the opportunity to invite King Jehoshaphat to join him in attacking Ramoth-Gilead, a city controlled by the king of Aram (modern-day Syria). Ahab disregarded the counsel of Micaiah, the Lord’s prophet, ordering Micaiah to be imprisoned, and insisted on going into battle. King Ahab, however, was uneasy and disguised himself within the army, not openly leading as king. Yet, he was ultimately struck by a random arrow in battle and died, proving Micaiah’s prophecy to be true.

The author of the Book of Kings emphasizes twice that Ahab’s evil deeds surpassed those of all the kings before him, indicating that Ahab was the worst king in the history of the northern kingdom. His marriage to Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians, and his devotion to Baal worship not only plunged the northern kingdom of Israel into deep, inescapable sin, but also influenced Kings Jehoram and Ahaziah of the southern kingdom of Judah through Ahab’s daughter Athaliah (2 Chronicles 21:6, 12-13; 22:1-4). Through Athaliah’s actions, the lineage of David was almost completely wiped out (2 Kings 8:6; 11:1).