(1 Kings 21:1-29) Now it came about after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel beside the palace of Ahab, the king of Samaria. 2 And Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard so that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is close beside my house, and I will give you a better vineyard in place of it; if you prefer, I will give you what it is worth in money.” 3 But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid me that I would give you the inheritance of my fathers!” 4 So Ahab entered his house sullen and furious because of the answer that Naboth the Jezreelite had given to him, since he said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned his face away, and ate no food.
5 But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “How is it that your spirit is so sullen that you are not eating food?” 6 So he said to her, “It is because I was speaking to Naboth the Jezreelite and saying to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it pleases you, I will give you a vineyard in place of it.’ But he said, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” 7 Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now reign over Israel? Arise, eat bread, and let your heart be joyful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
8 So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and to the nobles who were living with Naboth in his city. 9 Now she had written in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast and seat Naboth at the head of the people; 10 and seat two worthless men opposite him, and have them testify against him, saying, ‘You cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”
11 So the men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did just as Jezebel had sent word to them, just as it was written in the letters which she had sent them. 12 They proclaimed a fast, and seated Naboth at the head of the people. 13 Then the two worthless men came in and sat opposite him; and the worthless men testified against him, against Naboth, before the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones. 14 Then they sent word to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned and is dead.”
15 And when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, 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.” 16 When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab got up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
17 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18 “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it. 19 And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Have you murdered and also taken possession?”’ And you shall speak to him, saying, ‘The Lord says this: “In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, the dogs will lick up your blood, yours as well.”’”
20 Then Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, enemy of mine?” And he answered, “I have found you, because you have given yourself over to do evil in the sight of the Lord. 21 Behold, I am bringing disaster upon you, and I will utterly sweep you away, and will eliminate from Ahab every male, both bond and free in Israel; 22 and 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 because you have misled Israel into sin. 23 The Lord has also spoken of Jezebel, saying, ‘The dogs will eat Jezebel in the territory of Jezreel.’ 24 The one belonging to Ahab, who dies in the city, the dogs will eat; and the one who dies in the field, the birds of the sky will eat.”
25 There certainly was no one like Ahab who gave himself over to do evil in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife incited him. 26 He also acted very despicably in following idols, conforming to everything that the Amorites had done, whom the Lord drove out from the sons of Israel.
27 Yet it came about, when Ahab heard these words, that he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about despondently. 28 Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29 “Do you see how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; I will bring the disaster upon his house in his son’s days.”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Once again, we see the influence a spouse can have on us, although, we alone are responsible for our own words, actions and feelings! Did Ahab become a believer, or did he only show humility and remorse in this one situation? Only the Lord knows, and only He is the Judge of our hearts.
The Lord is so patient and forgiving! While He has unconditional love for everyone, this does not mean unconditional approval. God is holy and cannot have a relationship with sin. This is why He came in flesh to die and pay the price for all sin, so that those who choose to truly repent and humble themselves before Him can be reconciled with Him, through His forgiveness and grace.
It is to our benefit that we then live in such a way as to seek the Lord's approval. Since we are "to love our neighbor as we love ourselves" implies that we are to love ourselves to a certain extent. It should not be selfish, self-centered or conceited, but we should consistently care for and nourish our bodies, minds and souls.
When we strive to live in God's will, and we stumble, we should not approve of our sinful actions, words or emotions. This is not to hate ourselves, but to actually love ourselves... since our next steps should be to bring these things before the Lord! Confess our sins. Ask for healing. Ask for help in learning from our mistakes. Ask and seek guidance for reconciling with those we may have hurt. Ask for help to find a way to avoid doing this again in the future. And ask for guidance in figuring out what we should be doing instead... all in God's strength and wisdom.
Having a healthy and close relationship with the Lord, helps us have healthy and close relationships with others!
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