Repentance and Wickedness
Foundations (Wk 21) • Sermon • Submitted
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· 3 viewsAhab takes Naboth's vineyard, exploring the call to repentance from Elijah and Ahab's response.
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Intro: This week we have read through the account of Elijah and Elisha. There should be plenty for your groups to discuss tonight as we look at Mount Carmel, Elijah in the desert, and even Elisha asking for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. I think you are going to have some really good discussion tonight.
The person who really jumped out at me through my reading this past week was Ahab. You know Ahab, he is married to Jezebel, he refers to Elijah as his adversary, and he has done more evil than any other king before him.
But Ahab son of Omri did what was evil in the Lord’s sight more than all who were before him.
Still, there was no one like Ahab, who devoted himself to do what was evil in the Lord’s sight, because his wife Jezebel incited him.
Our main passage is . To catch you up on Ahab to this point, Scripture tells us that Ahab followed the ways of Jeroboam in idol worship and it that were not enough, he even marries Jezebel, the daughter of the king of Sidonians and a Baal worshipper. - He did more to anger the Lord than all the kings before him.
Then Ahab is met by Elijah. The prophet of the Lord. Ahab even refers to Elijah as his adversary. Ahab tells Elijah
When Ahab saw Elijah, Ahab said to him, “Is that you, the one ruining Israel?”
All of this happens before God starts to work on Ahab’s heart. You see Elijah is about to call out the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel and the power of God is going to shine in the land. God is going to end the famine in the land. Further, God is about to give Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram into the hands of Ahab.
A prophet approached King Ahab of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Do you see this whole huge army? Watch, I am handing it over to you today so that you may know that I am the Lord.’ ”
Ahab fights Ben-Hadad again, but this time Ben-Hadad gets tricky and makes a treaty with Ahab, but God told Ahab to take them out. He didn’t and God sends word to Ahab that his life will be traded for the one he allowed to get away. ()
That brings us to what I want to focus on today:
So Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard so I can have it for a vegetable garden, since it is right next to my palace. I will give you a better vineyard in its place, or if you prefer, I will give you its value in silver.”
Greed always leads to pain.
Greed always leads to pain.
Well Ahab found a vineyard close to the palace that he wanted. The problem is that it belonged to a guy named Naboth. So he goes home and skips dinner and is having a really bad pity party. Then his wife Jezebel comes in and tells him to exercise his royal power over Naboth and take his vineyard by force. THey devise a plan that included inviting Naboth to the palace for dinner and having some wicked men make accusations against Naboth, which ultimately gets him stoned.
Ahab found a vineyard close to the palace that he wanted. The problem is that it belonged to a guy named Naboth. So he goes home and skips dinner and is having a really bad pity party. Ahab wanted this vineyard so bad that he was coveting it. His greed overcame him.
Then his wife Jezebel comes in and tells him to exercise his royal power over Naboth and take his vineyard by force. They devise a plan that included inviting Naboth to the palace for dinner and having some wicked men make accusations against Naboth, which ultimately gets him stoned.
They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the people. The two wicked men came in and sat opposite him. Then the wicked men testified against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed God and the king!” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones. Then they sent word to Jezebel: “Naboth has been stoned to death.”
Is any of this starting to sound familiar to you? Ahab himself didn’t actually kill Naboth, but he was responsible for it. He had access to many vineyards, but he wanted Naboth’s. What Ahab does here is just like what David did with Bathsheba, especially if you look at it through the prophet Nathan’s description of it.
Then Ahab’s best friend Elijah comes back into the picture.
Ahab said to Elijah, “So, my enemy, you’ve found me, have you?”
He replied, “I have found you because you devoted yourself to do what is evil in the Lord’s sight. This is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to bring disaster on you and will eradicate your descendants:
I will wipe out all of Ahab’s males,
both slave and free, in Israel;
I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the house of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have angered me and caused Israel to sin.’ The Lord also speaks of Jezebel: ‘The dogs will eat Jezebel in the plot of land at Jezreel:
Anyone who belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, the dogs will eat,
and anyone who dies in the field, the birds will eat.’ ”
1 Kings 21:20-
These are pretty harsh words from God, but that doesn’t surprise us. Ahab has been a pretty bad guy this whole time. Verse 25 even repeats the first verse we looked at tonight - Still, there was no one like Ahab who devoted himself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord.
Don’t miss this. Ahab is the worst human being who has ever existed (at this point). You are probably rooting for him to die at this point, but…
When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put sackcloth over his body, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth and walked around subdued.
Ahab humbled himself. He repented. He understood the weight of his decisions and actions. Let’s look at what God has to say about it.
“Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? I will not bring the disaster during his lifetime, because he has humbled himself before me. I will bring the disaster on his house during his son’s lifetime.”
God relents from his anger because of Ahab’s repentant heart. You know what, he does the same thing for us. No matter where you are on your spiritual journey, humble yourself. Repent.
Seek the Lord’s Will first
Seek the Lord’s Will first
humble yourself. Repent.
humble yourself. Repent.
God is faithful to forgive us.
I want you to think about someone that you don’t like. They are mean, they do things that make you want to talk bad about them, someone you know. Start to see them as someone who can be saved and redeemed by the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.
That person may even be saved. If they are, pray for them, that God would bring them back to Himself.
They may be lost. Pray for their salvation.