COVETOUSNESS AND CONSEQUENCES

Have you ever longer for another person's possessions? Wanted a "toy" that someone else had? Wanted it bad? Well, today our story is to the extreme. "What's mine is mine and what's yours is mine" . . . says King Ahab of Naboth's vineyard. Had he not heard the 10th Commandment?


A piece of inherited real estate, an envious king, an overbearing and evil wife does not a pretty story make. Although King Ahab knew that Naboth's ancestral property was to stay in the family (because the land was given to his ancestors by God), he pouts when he cannot own the vineyard himself. Enter Jezebel who promises to "take matters into her own hands" and get for her husband what he wants - basically by deceit and murder. This murder did not go unnoticed by God (nor does the evil in our world) - and word comes to Ahab via Elijah that he would pay for this with his own life. Ahab repents, and God took mercy on him and prolonged his life though told him he later would pay through the death of his family.

In our world today things are no different. Kings steal the vineyard of their citizens. The Bernie Madoffs steal your retirement. Wall Street steals your home and laughs all the way to the bank. The wicked too often prosper and the righteous too often get hit by a bus . . . (from Anne Robertson in Spiritwalkers).

Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the Lord and do good. . . Psalm 37:1-3

Forward three years (the prolonged life) - King Ahab seeks to make an alliance with Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, to retake the city of Ramoth in Gilead from the Syrians. He inquires of his pagan prophets (400 of them) as to whether they should "go up to battle." (Of course his prophets only give the advice that they think would be pleasing to King Ahab.) Let's be careful ourselves that we don't ask advice from those we feel will "tell us only what we want to hear." Jehoshaphat senses this and asks to hear from the prophet of the Lord. Micaiah predicts that Ahab will die in battle and tells Ahab that God had sent a "lying spirit" in the mouths of the false prophets to mislead Ahab to effect His divine judgement. Though disguised in battle (evidently he believed what Micaiah had prophesied) a "random" arrow finds a chink in his armor and he dies from the wound. (Sorry ladies, I'm not mentioning the blood and the dogs here except to say God's word came true.)

Evil sometimes prevails. Bad wins - at least temporarily. What do we do? We press on; we do what we know is right and just, and we leave the rest in God's hands. Easy to say - hard to do. To me, this last chapter in the book of Kings, shows that nothing will thwart the plan of God - no disguise, no hiding, no running. He can take evil and use it for good (as with Joseph). God is God and there is no one like Him. Romans 8:28 says, We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. They crucified our Savior, buried him in a tomb, and yet on the third day he arose defeating death and hell. All in God's plan for our salvation.

We read earlier that Ahab was the most evil king of Israel. (Archaeological note: Carved ivory plaques and furniture were found at the site of Ahab's palace in Samaria. I Kings 22:39). This chapter ends with a caption for King Jehoshaphat of Judah - he reigned 25 years in Jerusalem and did right in the sight of the Lord. Quite a comparison between the two kings. Should we regularly examine our own lives to see where we stand in the balance between good and evil?