Sunday Morning Service (I Kings 21)

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I Kings 21

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“Chance After Chance” • 4.30.17 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service

Intro.

- The northern Kingdom of Israel is once again secure. The Syrian threat, led by Ben-Hadad has been put down and life is getting back to normal.

- We have operated under the premise that God has continually been working behind the scenes to call the King to Himself.

- His mercy has spared his life in spite of his complete acceptance of Baalism and His grace has enriched his life by direct intervention in times of crisis.

- To date, Ahab remains unrepentant and chapter 21 reveals God's next attempts. Verse 1.

Text

• I Kings 21:1-4 : "And it came to pass after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel, next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. So Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, 'Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near, next to my house; and for it I will give you a vineyard better than it. Or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its worth in money.' But Naboth said to Ahab, 'The Lord forbid that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!' So Ahab went into his house sullen and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he had said, 'I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.' And he lay down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no food." : "After these things" refers to Ahab's recent treaty with the King of Syria and the subsequent displeasure of the Lord.

- Ahab was resentful and angry with the Lord's displeasure and is looking for something to bring him some peace. A new royal garden might do the trick!

- One would think that a King could claim eminent domain and make a person surrender their property for any use. From a surface view, Ahab is both cordial and considerate in his request.

- He will give Naboth land or money, whichever was best to him but Naboth wouldn't hear of it!

- "God forbid that I surrender my family's land to you!" This is a fairly strong response to a real estate proposal. In fact, the strong response provides a clue to the true nature of the question.

- Naboth doesn't mention the vineyard. He looks at it as a part of the inheritance of his Fathers.

- This is far more than familial pride in ownership. Naboth sees this land as God's blessing on His faithful people! Essentially, he believes that this is what God gave his family to steward.

- As such, Naboth sees himself as the present steward of what God had graciously lent to his family, which he had no right to dispense with. He was not simply being stubborn.

- God had given clear guidelines regarding the use of the land, but especially that it should not be bought, sold or traded for. (Leviticus 25:23, Numbers 36:7)

- It was to belong to the people equally and not become a vehicle for personal enrichment.

- In a world ruled by the Ahabs and Jezebels of the world, here stands a man who will not budge from God's decree, who will hold fast to His Word!

- Is it true that he could have sold the land and been applauded by the watching heathen world who would likely have done the same? Sure.

- Could he have been greatly enriched by the King of Samaria? Absolutely. Naboth chose to make obeying God's Word the source of his true riches!

- Are there not so many examples in scripture of the singular holdout or family that bucks all of the downward trends of it's generation?

- Naboth is the next in line, a man who won't surrender what God has given him, even when offered a princely price! Once again, Ahab went away "sullen and displeased!"

- He was resentful and stewing at this rejection by Naboth. This is truly fascinating. Here is a man who has everything, but the one thing that he cannot have makes him feel as if he has nothing!

- Aside from that warning to the covetous, we had mentioned last week that the implication of his resentment stemmed from a frustration at God's Word that Ben-Hadad should die.

- Ahab made the correct "political" move in securing a treaty with that nation. Here, he is frustrated and resentful again with a man who holds to God's Word, who won't be bought!

- Friends, understand that the unbelieving will be frustrated with God because He won't change His mind about their sin. What was sin 1,000 years ago is sin in the eyes of God today!

- But equally frustrating to them is the fact that God's people, the ones they would seek to influence away from their principles, won't move from their loyalty to His Word!

- "Why won't you change your view to include my lifestyle?" "Why can't you see how narrow you are being!" "Don't you see how everyone else has freedom to enjoy what you limit yourself from?"

- These will be the words of your friends, who will ever walk away from you resenting your faithful loyalty to God. I think it's a good time to tell you that Naboth's name means "fruits!"

- Those who live out Naboth's example will indeed be fruitful before the Lord and frustrating to the world! That should be an expectation on your part! No man can serve two masters. (Matt. 6:24)

- Our lives are best lived by making a marked determination to identify and serve our Master!

- As for the King, he wouldn't get out of bed, acknowledge his servants or eat! What kind of King is this? That's what Jezebel thought! Verse 5.

• I Kings 21:5-7 : "But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, 'Why is your spirit so sullen that you eat no food?' He said to her, 'Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it pleases you, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ And he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’ Then Jezebel his wife said to him, 'You now exercise authority over Israel! Arise, eat food, and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.'" : Jezebel returns to the forefront to provide a sympathetic ear to her sulking husband.

- She won't have this for a minute! She has no regard for people who care for God's word!

- "You take care of being the King! Don't worry. I'll get you the vineyard that you want!" What a sweet wife! Verse 8.

• I Kings 21:8-14 : "And she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who were dwelling in the city with Naboth. She wrote in the letters, saying, 'Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth with high honor among the people; and seat two men, scoundrels, before him to bear witness against him, saying, 'You have blasphemed God and the king.' Then take him out, and stone him, that he may die. So the men of his city, the elders and nobles who were inhabitants of his city, did as Jezebel had sent to them, as it was written in the letters which she had sent to them. They proclaimed a fast, and seated Naboth with high honor among the people. And two men, scoundrels, came in and sat before him; and the scoundrels witnessed against him, against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, 'Naboth has blasphemed God and the king' Then they took him outside the city and stoned him with stones, so that he died. Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, 'Naboth has been stoned and is dead.'" : In the King's name, she initiates an assembly which intimates that a divine curse has been placed on the city, which will provide the theater of her great deception.

- She hires these scoundrels, literally, "sons of Belial," to bear false witness against Naboth, not simply to run his reputation, but to incite the people to stone him!

- It's a wicked plot, but equally odious is that there are men who are around that will comply!

- When the act was complete, with a dry, haunting, emotionless note, she is informed that Naboth was stoned to death, an innocent man killed because he held onto His Lord's gift to him!

- Can you see Jezebel's satisfied face as she receives this news? She is quick to turn around and share it with her sulking husband. Verse 15.

• I Kings 21:15,16 : "And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, 'Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.' So it was, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab got up and went down to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite." : This whole time, Ahab had been in distress, sick at heart because of what he could not have! Imagine his delight as Jezebel told him that the vineyard was his!

- She adds in her own justification. "He refused to give it to your for money." He had his chance. "You had been very reasonable with him."

- Without any concern for human justice, much less, the thought of divine retribution, Ahab walked right over and took possession. He thinks he's getting away with everything. Verse 17.

• I Kings 21:17-19 : "Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 'Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who lives in Samaria. There he is, in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it. You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: 'Have you murdered and also taken possession?' And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: 'In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood, even yours.'" : Ahab is busy pulling weeds in his new garden when Elijah shows up. Did you notice where God said he was? He was in the vineyard of Naboth! God keeps perfect records!

- When David moved his whole army to finish his intrigue with Uriah, the world thought Bathsheba to be his wife.

- When God speaks of her, He calls her the wife of Uriah the Hittite! (II Samuel 12:10) God is not confused or blind to injustice. He speaks very plainly through Elijah of his thoughts.

- Imagine Ahab's face when he saw Elijah in Naboth's field. Imagine his heart as Elijah speaks the Word, the message of the Lord to him: "Have you murdered and also taken possession?"

- "You've killed a man and now you are robbing him as well?" II Kings 9:26 indicates that Jezebel also killed Naboth's sons, which is how he is "robbing him."

- Elijah pronounces Ahab's sentence, which will take place under the same conditions that Naboth suffered! He will die in the same place and the dogs will have a meal on him! Verse 20.

• I Kings 21:20-24 : "So Ahab said to Elijah, 'Have you found me, O my enemy?' And he answered, 'I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord: ‘Behold, I will bring calamity on you. I will take away your posterity, and will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel, both bond and free. I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, because of the provocation with which you have provoked Me to anger, and made Israel sin.’ And concerning Jezebel the Lord also spoke, saying, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.’ The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field.'" : Ahab interrupted Elijah to make his declaration. In his mind, Elijah is his enemy. Nothing could be further from the truth!

- Elijah, like Naboth, is merely the latest witness to stand between Ahab and his utter ruin! The righteous person stands to declare what God says and is often counted as an enemy!

- Why should he be thought of as an enemy? Because the King was surrendering himself to perform that which was evil in God's sight.

- Why is it that your friends do not turn to the light that is found in Christ and the law of His Word? Because the Bible presents men as loving darkness!

• John 3:19 : "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."

- Elijah's example is to be noted here. On our part, we are never to be men's enemies, but we are never to be so concerned with their admiration that we neglect to tell them God's truth!

- We must learn to love them, but never sacrifice our love for God or His truth in the process!

- The King did evil In God's sight, the only sight that matters! Evil was his goal and because of it, God pronounces that calamity was on it's way.

- God was going to remove every one of his descendants. He was going to treat his house the way He treated Baasha's house which we studied in chapter 16.

- God pronounced a judgment that would reflect His abandonment of them. Their bodies would be strewn out in the fields and in the streets, where the birds and dogs would feast upon them!

- God is going to abandon you and your family! Jezebel will get hers as well.

- God is going to allow her to see her final, wretched moments by the city wall that she ruled from! How do you think Ahab responded? Take a look at verse 25.

• I Kings 21:25-27 : "But there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up. And he behaved very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites had done, whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. So it was, when Ahab heard those words, that he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his body, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went about mourning." : The author has to take a break from the narrative to make sure that we know the truth about Ahab.

- When it came to evil doing, Ahab was at the top of the list. His wife made sure that he stayed on top, stirring him up in things of wickedness.

- She provoked, instigated a pursuit of wickedness and Ahab followed along with all of his heart! Certainly, as we halt here, we would say a Christian person should never have this testimony.

- You should never be an influence over a person's life that inspires wickedness or godlessness! That much should be quite apparent. However, the opposite should be true of us!

- Are you one to stir up a gift in another person? (II Timothy 1:6) Are you consistently with the body of Christ to be stirred up to love and good works? (Hebrews 10:24)

- Are you one that stirs up another to remember God's word in their lives? (I Peter 3:1,2)

- If Jezebel excelled at stirring up wickedness the life of Ahab, should we not be in the practice of stirring up righteousness in the lives of those that God has called us to obediently serve!?

- For Ahab's part, he was a willing participant. The author describes his mentality and then can only describe his behavior as bad enough to be compared with the Amorites!

- They are the ones that God expelled from Israel! The author sets this up to show us the unlikelihood of what he concludes this set of verses with.

- "When Ahab heard these words." It was this very message. It was God's word affirming that he would be treated in the same manner as Baasha was treated.

- It wasn't the fire from heaven. It was the flood that felled his chariot. It was the thought that God would abandon him and treat him with contempt at his death.

- For whatever reason, this was the right time, the right combination of circumstance and consideration for Ahab to take on the actions associated with repentance.

- He tore his royal clothes and exchanged them for sackcloth. It's comfort, status and pride for discomfort and extreme humility before the Lord!

- This was the external sign of a man who was in deep mourning about his condition before God! What a moment! Look at how God responds. Verse 28.

• I Kings 21:28,29 : "And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 'See how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the calamity in his days. In the days of his son I will bring the calamity on his house.'" : What an interesting turn of events! Elijah gave his message to Ahab and the old discouraged prophet probably gave it without thought to it's success!

- "Certainly, I'm wasting my breath on this guy! He's not going to listen!" How many times have you said these exact words!

- I love that God stops Elijah and points his attention to Ahab's humility in this moment. "Elijah, are you seeing this?" How gracious is God to give Elijah this task?

- How refreshing was it for Elijah to see the King come to this place? How much of an encouragement is it to you and I to continue our efforts with the Ahabs in our lives!

- I've repeatedly said that God is never through with Ahabs! It's wrong for us to give up because He doesn't! Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before God?

- He did and because of it, God would delay the judgment that He proposed to another time. Why does he say this?

- Judgment will come at another time because this is sadly a momentary interruption. It could have been the gateway to great blessing.

- Imagine if Ahab had gone from a show of great humility to a show of genuine, heartfelt repentance. God would not have simply spared him for the moment, but for eternity!

- It's possible for any human being to come to a place of momentary revelation of the truth that they exist under the wrath of God and feel sorry.

- It's quite another to remain impressed by the saving power of God to redeem them from it!

- The former requires emotion and a resigned heart. The latter requires determination and a repentant heart! Unfortunately, as the text will reveal, Ahab didn't experience the latter!

Conclusion
- We can spend our final moments dwelling upon the failure of Ahab to enter into God's love or we can bask in the faithfulness of God to continually call people to receive it!

- It was our God who took on human flesh in the person of Jesus Christ and experienced the height of injustice, being the only person in history who died while truly innocent.

- It wasn't a wicked Queen who stirred up false witnesses against him. It was a supposed religious, godly system that sought false accusers to secure His death!

- Like Naboth, Jesus didn't utter a single word in His own defense, but accepted this human injustice in order to satisfy God's perfect justice.

- He lived a perfect life and died a sacrificial death, in order to give the Ahabs of the world chance after chance after chance!

- It is God's love wrapped up in Christ's sacrifice that calls all men, not to simply feel bad, but to come to Him with all repentance!

- God will never be satisfied to simply postpone His judgment as He did in Ahab's life.

- For those who will receive His Christ, He delights to say that there isn't any judgment left that Christ hasn't absorbed in Himself!

- You tell this to the Ahab in your life and pray that their story ends better!