Start Time:	06:58AM
End Time:	07:44AM
DATE:	June 23, 2014

 

TITLE: Naboth’s Vineyard

Scripture: 1 Kings 21:1 - 29

God’s Message / God’s Commands / God’s Promises:

→ Some time later there was an incident involving a vineyard belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. The vineyard was in Jezreel, close to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. Ahab said to Naboth, “Let me have your vineyard to use for a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace. In exchange I will give you a better vineyard or, if you prefer, I will pay you whatever it is worth.” But Naboth replied, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my ancestors.” So Ahab went home, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my ancestors.” He lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat.  His wife Jezebel came in and asked him, “Why are you so sullen? Why won’t you eat?”  He answered her, “Because I said to Naboth the Jezreelite, ‘Sell me your vineyard; or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” Jezebel his wife said, “Is this how you act as king over Israel? Get up and eat! Cheer up. I’ll get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”  So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, placed his seal on them, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city with him. In those letters she wrote: “Proclaim a day of fasting and seat Naboth in a prominent place among the people. But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them bring charges that he has cursed both God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.”  So the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city did as Jezebel directed in the letters she had written to them. They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth in a prominent place among the people. Then two scoundrels came and sat opposite him and brought charges against Naboth before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death. Then they sent word to Jezebel: “Naboth has been stoned to death.” As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you. He is no longer alive, but dead.” ¹⁶ When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of Naboth’s vineyard.

NOTES:

Ø  When we are down because we didn’t get what we want, the devil comes to offer us exactly what we want without letting us know the consequence or the price of what he is giving us!  The Lord sets the right expectations for us in everything He gives, offers and does for us so we know what to expect and the truth.  But the devil is the opposite, and normally the devil comes to offer exactly what we want when he knows that we seek for it the most.  But behind that kind offer, lies the dark truth of the price we have to pay after we receive the gift.  The Lord is not deceitful like the devil and He gives us what we needs and wants not just what we want temporarily.  So today, when things didn’t go your way or you didn’t get what you want, don’t be easily deceive because you are weak.  But instead go to God and ask for His guidance.  If it is for you then God will find a way to give it to you but if it is not, then God will find a way to change your heart’s desire that it may not be painful for you when you don’t get it.  Either way, the best solution when confronted with this situation is to go to God directly.

→ Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite:  “Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?’ Then say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, dogs will lick up your blood—yes, yours!’”  Ahab said to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy!” “I have found you,” he answered, “because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord.  He says, ‘I am going to bring disaster on you. I will wipe out your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel—slave or free.^[a]  I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have aroused my anger and have caused Israel to sin.’  “And also concerning Jezebel the Lord says: ‘Dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of^[b]Jezreel.’  “Dogs will eat those belonging to Ahab who die in the city, and the birds will feed on those who die in the country.”  (There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife.  He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel.)  When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.  Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”

NOTES:

Ø  God’s love and mercy is abundant to the humble!  All it takes is humility to melt the heart of God for us.  Ahab as described in this chapter is bad and really bad.  There is none as bad as like him and so God sent Elijah to tell him that his life is doomed for destruction, yet, when Ahab humbled himself before the Lord and fasted and came to God, God’s heart melted to a point that his life was spared of the disastrous events as consequence of his actions.  All the destructions and ruins that God has declared because of his evil path was delayed and set to happen in his descendants, sparing him from all the pain he was supposed to experience.  Here we see God’s grace and love overshadowing His anger.  God is like that to us today.  His love and grace is strong enough to overshadow whatever anger He feels toward us because of the things we do against Him.  Ahab was recorded as someone who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, yet in the end, God gave him again another chance.  This is how good our God is!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, gracious and merciful Father.  Thank You because Your love and grace are abundant and it is always extended to those who humbled themselves before You.  Lord I humble myself to You because I know that I need Your love and grace more than anything else.  Lord help me to deal with my heartbreaks or dissatisfactions in a way that I will not be deceived by the devil.  Lord open my eyes to see beyond the attractiveness of the Devil’s offer.  Reveal it to me so that I won’t be deceived.  Help me Lord to always humble myself before You so I may always be in Your grace.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen!