LAND, COVENANT, AND JUSTICE: A HERMENEUTICAL STUDY OF 1 KINGS 21 AS A THEOLOGICAL BASIS FOR ECCLESIAL ADVOCACY IN MINING-RELATED AGRARIAN CONFLICTS

Abstrak

Mining-related agrarian conflicts across the Global South increasingly displace communities and erode ancestral land rights, yet churches lack robust biblical-theological foundations for prophetic advocacy. This study addresses the question: How does 1 Kings 21 provide a theological basis for ecclesial engagement in such conflicts? Employing a hermeneutical method that integrates socio-historical exegesis with contextual theological analysis, the research examines the narrative’s literary structure, legal dimensions, and interpretive history. The findings reveal that traditional exegesis has focused on moral failings and divine retribution while neglecting the text’s constructive potential for ecclesial identity and practice. The study proposes a novel threefold theological framework—covenantal land stewardship, prophetic solidarity, and restorative justice—derived directly from the narrative’s own theological categories. This framework moves beyond generic appeals to justice by grounding advocacy in YHWH’s covenantal gift of land, the prophetic confrontation of royal and corporate power, and a restorative vision of justice. The contribution is twofold: methodologically, it demonstrates an integrative approach combining exegetical rigor with public theology; practically, it offers churches in resource-rich regions a scripturally grounded resource for mediating and advocating in land disputes. The study addresses a significant gap where biblical scholarship, ecotheology, and social scientific studies of extractive conflicts have remained fragmented.