The Dog

There is a sad story in some of the chapters of the two books of Kings, in which you will findthese dogs mentioned. There was a very proud and wicked queen, named Jezebel, and she triedto make her husband, king Ahab, do all the evil she could. Once Ahab wanted a piece of ground that was near his palace, so that he might have it made into a garden, and he asked the owner ofit, whose name was Naboth, to sell it to him. But Naboth was not willing, because he used it forhis vineyard, and because his father had given it to him before he died. Then Ahab was veryangry about it, and acted just as I have seen some foolish children do when they were notpleased. He went into his great splendid house, and laid himself down on the bed; then heturned his face towards the wall, and when it was dinner time he would not get up or eat anything. So his wife Jezebel asked him what was the matter; and when she found out, she told himthat he need not be troubled, for she could get that vineyard for him. Then she contrived to haveNaboth killed by stoning, and when he was dead king Ahab took the vineyard.

Now you may be sure God was displeased with such wickedness as this, and you will think itwas very right that he should punish the cruel Jezebel. Do you think her husband Ahab ought tobe punished too? I do; because he knew that his wife was going to kill Naboth, and yet he didnot try to keep her from doing it. I think he was as wicked as she. After Ahab had taken thevineyard, God sent to him the prophet Elijah to say to him these words, "Thus saith the Lord, Inthe place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine." And ofJezebel he said, "The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel." Now see how the word ofGod was fulfilled, just as he had said. Pretty soon after this, king Ahab went out to fight with hisenemies, and as he was riding along in his carriage a man drew his great, strong bow, and shotan arrow which pierced the king and almost killed him. He lived a few hours, until nearly night,and then he died. The blood had run down from his wound into the carriage, and after the kingwas dead they took it to the pool of Samaria to wash it: there the dogs came and licked up theblood of Ahab.

The wicked Jezebel lived some years after this, and one of her sons became king; but God raisedup another king, named Jehu, who slew this son, and then went to Jezreel, the city where Jezebellived. She heard he was coming, and feared that he meant to put her to death; but shedetermined that, instead of begging him to spare her life, she would act as though she was still aqueen, and then perhaps he would not dare to injure her. So she put ornaments on her head, andpainted her face, and then sat down by an upper window in all the splendor of a queen. WhenJehu came near, she called out to him in great anger and scorn, to reproach him for having puther son to death. When Jehu heard her voice and saw her sitting at the window, he cried out,"Who is on my side?" and two or three of the queen's officers looked out at the windows. Thenhe said to them, "Throw her down." They were very glad to get rid of the proud and cruel queen,and so they threw her down, as he had said. It was so far to the ground that she was killedimmediately, and her blood was sprinkled upon the walls. But Jehu did not care for this; hewent into the house to eat and drink. After he had taken his dinner, he thought of Jezebel, andtold some of his servants that they must go and bury her: but in the mean time a terrible thinghad happened. The dogs had seized and devoured the body, and nothing was left of it but thefeet, and the palms of the hands, and part of the bones of the head. So God's word came to pass,"The dogs shall eat Jezebel."

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