Vignettes From A Vineyard

Devotions for Growing Christians

Vignettes From A Vineyard

I Kings 21:1-10 - Now there was a man named Naboth, from Jezreel, who owned a vineyard in Jezreel beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. One day Ahab said to Naboth, “Since your vineyard is so convenient to my palace, I would like to buy it to use as a vegetable garden. I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or if you prefer, I will pay you for it.” But Naboth replied, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance that was passed down by my ancestors.” So Ahab went home angry and sullen because of Naboth’s answer. The king went to bed with his face to the wall and refused to eat!

“What’s the matter?” his wife Jezebel asked him . “What’s made you so upset that you’re not eating?" Ahab replied, “I asked Naboth to sell me his vineyard or trade it, but he refused!” “Are you the king of Israel or not?” Jezebel demanded. “Get up and eat something, and don’t worry about it. I’ll get you Naboth’s vineyard!”

So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and other leaders of the town where Naboth lived. 9 In her letters she commanded: “Call the citizens together for fasting and prayer, and give Naboth a place of honor. 10 And then seat two scoundrels across from him who will accuse him of cursing God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.”

Background Notes

1 Kings 21 is the inspired account of the tragic events involving a vineyard. Emerging from this account are four “vignettes” - four character sketches of the people in the story: Naboth, the owner of the vineyard; Ahab, the king of Israel; Jezebel, Ahab’s wife; and Elijah, the prophet of God.

Wicked King Ahab and Queen Jezebel had led the nation of Israel into idolatry. Even after Elijah’s defeat of the prophets of the pagan god Baal at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18), Ahab did not turn to the Lord. He continued his wicked ways in his personal life and as king.

Yet another episode in Ahab and Jezebel’s evil ways is found in 1 Kings 21. Ahab wanted to expand the royal properties for his winter palace at Jezreel, but the property that he wanted was not for sale. Naboth, the property owner, would not sell, no matter what price Ahab offered him - not even when Ahab offered an exchange for a choice piece of land!

Naboth wasn’t stubborn, and he wasn’t holding out for a higher price. He had a very good reason for refusing to sell his vineyard. Under the Old Testament Law, the land belonged to the Lord, and the Lord had granted a “perpetual lease” of this land to Naboth’s family. This property was to remain in the family, and it was never to be sold outside his tribe. Naboth was a godly Jew, and he would not sell or exchange his family’s property for any price. It was his family’s God-given inheritance in the Promised Land.

Unfortunately, Ahab couldn’t have cared less about God’s Law, or about Naboth’s godly principles. He went back to his palace and sulked because he couldn’t get Naboth’s vineyard! So Queen Jezebel arranged to have Naboth removed through a false trial. Lying witnesses alleged that Naboth had committed treason against the king and blasphemy against the God of Israel. What hypocrisy! Jezebel, the Baal worshiper, used God’s Law that required the death penalty for blasphemy! An evil and satanic scheme, and it ended tragically when Naboth was falsely convicted - and stoned to death.

After having Naboth killed, Jezebel told Ahab to take possession of the property that had been obtained by theft and murder. But just as Ahab was beginning to enjoy his new vineyard, who should show up but Elijah? God had directed His recommissioned prophet to confront Ahab once again.

Notice God’s description of the location for the confrontation. “Naboth’s vineyard” - not “Ahab’s vineyard”! From God’s perspective, this property was still Naboth’s vineyard. Elijah pronounced God’s final judgment on Ahab, Jezebel, and their royal dynasty (v19-24) in Naboth’s vineyard.

Let’s look more closely at the vignettes of Naboth, Ahab, Jezebel and Elijah. We’ll see spiritual lessons about human nature in submission and obedience to God’s Word, and in rebellion against the authority of God’s Word. We’ll also see how God works out His purposes in blessing - and in judgment.

Doctrinal /Teaching Points:

1. God allows innocent people to suffer.

Poor Naboth! What had he done to deserve such terrible treatment? He had obeyed God’s Law. He had done the right thing, yet he was set up and framed by the evil queen. He was falsely convicted and stoned to death - a horrible fate! Why? What is the Bible teaching here?

Among other lessons, it’s teaching us that sometimes innocent people suffer.

The Bible teaches that sometimes people suffer because of their own mistakes, or their own poor judgment, or their own sin - but sometimes God allows suffering to enter an individual’s life for His own sovereign purposes. 1 Kings 21 reveals the truth that God allows this - and often we don’t know why. Sometimes we see the good that comes as a result of a time of suffering - but not always. As believers, however, we can be sure that if we suffer for the sake of righteousness, we’ll be rewarded in Heaven. Romans 8:17 says that if “we suffer with Him, we will be glorified together with Him.”

Are you suffering because someone hurt you, or even framed you? Perhaps you’ve suffered the loss of a job or the loss of a promotion because of your Christian lifestyle and principles. You feel you’re innocent of any wrongdoing. You love the Lord, and you were simply seeking to follow Him and do the right thing. You trusted the Lord, and you prayed fervently about it, but the situation didn’t change. Why did God allow this to happen?

We don’t know. We simply don’t always know the reasons why God allows His people to suffer, but from this passage and from accounts like the life of Job, we know that at times godly people suffer.

Many factors may be involved. Only God knows the full picture. However, we do know one thing for sure: if suffering comes to us, we should strive to be faithful, just as Naboth was faithful! The Lord Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven... Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven...” (Matthew 5:10-12). Don’t give up! Don’t become angry and bitter! Hang in there! Be faithful! You will be rewarded!

2. The pleasures of sin are short-lived.

How long did Ahab enjoy Naboth’s vineyard? One verse long! That’s all! It wasn’t long before the prophet Elijah arrived on the scene. After Ahab heard Elijah’s announcement of God’s judgment upon him and his dynasty, he was no longer able to enjoy his ill-gotten vineyard.

Is it possible that you are involved in some kind of sin right how? Maybe a secret sin that no one else knows about? You don’t want to give that sin up, even though you know it’s wrong, because you enjoy it? God’s Word teaches us that we can find pleasure in sin, but that fun will last only a short time. Like Ahab’s vineyard, the fleeting pleasure will come to an abrupt end. Moses knew this, and he chose to be “mistreated with the people of God rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time” (Hebrews 11:25, emphasis added).

Why wait for God’s judgment to come into your life because of your sinful lifestyle? Decide right now to turn away from your sin, because the Bible teaches that the “pleasures of sin” last for a only very short time!

3. People are responsible for their sin.

The word of the Lord to Ahab through Elijah was, “This is what the LORD says: You have murdered a man and seized his property” (v19). Ahab couldn’t say, “Not me. Jezebel did it. I didn’t even know about it!” No. God held Ahab responsible for the murder of Naboth and the theft of the vineyard. Even though Jezebel arranged Naboth’s murder (v 7-14), and Jezebel urged Ahab to sin (v25), God held Ahab responsible! As king, Ahab was responsible to see that justice was maintained in his kingdom, and he fell very far short of his responsibilities. He sinned himself, and he turned a blind eye to the sin of others - and that in itself was a sin! Even though Jezebel urged him on, the Bible says that Ahab “sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord”(v25). People are responsible for their own sin.

These days it’s popular to blame everyone and everything but yourself for personal wrongdoing. “It’s the fault of my background!” or “I had an unhappy childhood,” or “I was raised in a dysfunctional family.” People often try to excuse their personal sin by blaming other people or a psychological problem. Even when there may be some truth to these factors, the Bible still teaches that everyone is responsible for his or her own sin.

The Jews of Ezekiel’s day tried to place the blame for their own personal sins on their forefathers. Throughout Ezekiel 18, however, the Lord clearly placed the responsibility and blame on the individuals who committed the sin. “The soul who sins is the one who will die” (v4). People are responsible for their own sin.

4. It’s never too late to repent.

After Elijah pronounced God’s judgment of the Lord upon Ahab, Ahab repented! Amazing! Ahab actually repented and humbled himself before the Lord! Unfortunately, that repentance was temporary.

Even though God, in His omniscience, knew that Ahab’s change of heart would not last long, the Lord honored his repentance! The Lord told Elijah that He would delay His judgment on Ahab’s dynasty until after Ahab’s death (v28-29). All the prophecies of judgment mentioned in 1 Kings 21 came true, but the end of Ahab’s dynasty was delayed for about 12 years.

God responded to Ahab’s repentance, and He will respond to us when we acknowledge our wrongdoing and turn away from our sin. Maybe you think it’s too late. Maybe you think you’ve gone “too far,” and the Lord will never listen to you. Notice - God listened even to evil Ahab when he turned from his sin. If you’re not yet a believer, realize that the Lord Jesus died for you. Even though “the wages of sin is death - the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23)! It’s not too late to repent! Trust in the Lord Jesus and in His redeeming death on the cross, and He will take away your sins.

If you’re a believer, and you’re harboring sin in your life, don’t make excuses! Recognize and acknowledge and confess the sin, and turn from your sinful lifestyle. 1 John 1:9 tells believers, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins, and will purify us from all unrighteousness.” What a wonderful promise! It’s never too late to repent!

Practical Applications:

1. How much money would it take?

How much money would it take to get you to compromise? Just imagine how much money Naboth could have made from selling his vineyard to the king. Ahab was willing to pay big bucks! But Naboth wouldn’t sell, because selling it was wrong.

Suppose someone urged you to cheat or compromise your standards - on your job, or on your IRS tax form, for example. “I’d never do that!” you would say. But suppose you were offered a promotion, or a big bonus, or you could save a lot of tax money if you compromised - “just a little”? What would you do? How much money would it take?

As Christians, do we have a price? Or do we stand firm, and hold to our principles and convictions? Let’s be like Naboth. Let’s be obedient to the Lord and His Word - no matter what it costs us!

2. Don’t be a wife like Jezebel!

Here’s a question for wives: are you a wife like Jezebel? I’m sure you’d immediately say, “No way! I’m a Christian!” But Jezebel greatly influenced Ahab, and wives today can greatly influence their husbands.

Wives can have a positive, encouraging influence for good on their husbands - or they can be a negative influence. They can urge their husbands to compromise or make wrong decisions. Wives can gradually turn their husbands away from following the Lord. Jezebel could have said, “Ahab, we don’t need Naboth’s vineyard - we have plenty of property.” But no! She told Ahab he should be ashamed of himself for being such a coward, and for not simply annexing the property illegally!

Think it over. As a Christian wife, are you sometimes a negative influence? Or do you influence your husband to live righteously, and become more and more a man of God? Don’t be a wife like Jezebel!

3. You can regain your courage.

Remember how bold Elijah was when he confronted the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel? Unfortunately, Elijah ran away after that great victory. He feared for his life because Jezebel threatened to kill him. That threat was made at Jezreel. But Elijah came back to Jezreel - back to the place where Jezebel wielded her power. He had been recommissioned by God, and he had regained his confidence and courage in the Lord.

Are you afraid to admit that you’re a Christian? When you first became a believer you told everyone about it, but now you’ve lost your courage and confidence? Maybe someone made fun of you, or threatened you. Maybe you’re afraid you won’t be able to adequately defend your faith. You’ve lost your courage.

Like Elijah, you can regain your courage. James 5:17 says that Elijah was “a man just like us.” He didn’t have some kind of special advantage, and he wasn’t a super-hero! He was just an ordinary man. He ran away scared when he wasn’t depending totally on the Lord for protection and strength. But when he once again depended on the Lord, his courage returned!

2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that “God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.” When we’re fearful about mentioning our faith to a neighbor, or to the person sitting beside us on a plane, or to the person in the next cubicle at work, we’re not depending 100% on the Lord. Depend on the Lord for strength, and you can regain your courage!

4. Don’t be surprised if you’re hated.

1 John 3:13 says, “Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you.” We see the truth of that New Testament verse in Elijah’s life. Throughout Ahab’s reign, Elijah tried to help Ahab turn to the Lord, but Ahab called Elijah “you troubler” (18:17) and “my enemy” (21:20). Ahab and Jezebel hated Elijah!

The Lord Jesus said, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated Me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.. you do not belong to this world...I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” (John 15:18-19). We’re different! We’re not like people who oppose God. We irritate people who reject the Lord. We don’t belong to that crowd!

Of course we should be careful not to give people a reason to dislike us! We shouldn’t be “holier-than-thou” in the way we live out our faith! But even when we’re friendly and try to help them out, many unbelievers will dislike us. As the world hated our Lord, it will hate us as well. Don’t be surprised if you’re hated!

- Dave Reid