Naboth’s Vineyard (1 Kings 21)

This sermon was preached on 4/4/2013

This story is about the importance of little things in life. The little thing is a vineyard that belonged to Naboth and which Ahab wanted to buy. We can imagine both men looking at the vineyard and admiring its usefulness. Yet one man looked at it with the eyes of faith and it cost him his life. The other man looked at with the eyes of expanding his property and it cost him his soul.

A man whom money could not buy

Naboth was a follower of the Lord in a very unexpected place. We saw earlier that the Lord had placed Obadiah in the palace where he functioned as a godly adviser to wicked Ahab. Now we also see that the Lord had located another godly man as Ahab’s neighbour. It would have been better for Ahab if he had observed Naboth’s lifestyle rather than his vineyard.

Ahab made what seems a reasonable offer to Naboth, but despite the favourable terms Naboth refused to move. Why did he refuse the offer? The answer is found in Leviticus 25:23, a verse that states that the Israelites should not sell their inheritance. Naboth feared God, but he did more that fear him. In addition, he took God’s relationship with his people seriously and recognized him as the covenant Lord. As far as Naboth was concerned, the land belonged to God and he had given it in trust to the ancestors of Naboth. So Naboth’s decision was devout.

Obviously his decision was dear in the sense that he lost out financially. Most people would have called him a fool for sticking so rigidly to an old law that probably everybody else was ignoring. They would have urged him to consider what he was losing – a sizeable lump sum or a bigger estate. Naboth could easy work that one out. Yet he knew that his decision was dear in another sense, that it was of great value in the sight of God. I suppose Naboth here was like Mary of Bethany in a way. He and she had no desire to enrich themselves if it meant depriving the Lord of what he valued. So Naboth held on to his vineyard and Mary let go of her ointment.

Yet his decision was also distinctive because he was refusing an offer from the king. We know that the status of a person can affect how we view them. Here was the most powerful man in the country making a suggestion that he expected to be obeyed. Ahab imagined he was being very fair. Yet Naboth was unmoved. I remember reading in one of Murdoch Campbell’s books about a gamekeeper in Glenurquhart who was told by a visiting Indian prince that he would have to arrange a hunting trip on a Sunday. The gamekeeper refused, saying that on Sundays he served a higher prince. On that occasion, the Indian prince commended the gamekeeper for his commitment to his faith. Yet the gamekeeper when he made his decision did not know what the outcome would be. In his case, the dignity of the prince did not influence the decision.

Sadly, the decision of Naboth was derided by Jezebel. It looks as if Ahab realised why Naboth would not sell and therefore he went into a sulk. Jezebel, being from a pagan country, did not understand why Ahab did not use his royal clout and she proceeded to dismiss Naboth as an inconsequential barrier to the king getting what he wanted. This is usually the response to a person whose life is marked faithfulness to God. The opponents will deride them, dismiss them as insignificant, as we see happening today.

Worse was to come, of course. Naboth discovered that his decision actually had a deadly outcome. Jezebel wangled a religious court which condemned faithful Naboth to death. The conspiracy involved civil leaders and religious leaders and included a religious ceremony in which Naboth was falsely accused. As the stones rained down on his head, would he have regretted his decision? No, he would not, and now he has a martyr’s crown and an inheritance that he cannot lose. Who knows the ultimate price of any decision that a believer makes in order to honour his God?

Elijah reappears

Ahab discovered that he could have the land after Naboth had died. Perhaps the king did not know all the details of what had been arranged by his wife. He certainly chose not to ask any questions. But somebody did want to ask questions, and that was the Lord through his servant Elijah.

Elijah had been out of the limelight for a while, perhaps about five or so years. In chapter 20 we can read about a military campaign in which Ahab had engaged and in which Elijah had not been involved. Indeed the Lord had used another prophet to speak his word to Ahab at that time. Perhaps Ahab had assumed that he would never hear from Elijah again. If he did, then he was wrong.

Elijah had to wait for God’s door to open. At the end of chapter 19, he had been sent by God to perform three tasks, one of which was identifying Elisha has his successor. Presumably he also fulfilled the other two tasks of anointing Hazael and Jehu as well. Perhaps he had spent the time teaching in the schools of the prophets that are mentioned in 2 Kings 2. Maybe he was working at a trade and instructing any faithful people he could find. The point is that sometimes God takes his servants out of the limelight even after they have had such a powerful experience as Elijah had enjoyed at Horeb. There are times when we wonder why a gifted preacher is sent by God to a small place. Perhaps he is there because God is preparing him for another greater moment.

Elijah was willing to go to where he had previously been afraid. After Jezebel’s refusal to submit to God when Elijah had enjoyed a great moment of victory on Mount Carmel, he ran away. Now he is facing a situation in which Jezebel is exerting her power against God’s kingdom and has even arranged for one of his people to be killed. Previously, Elijah might have been afraid of her and refused to obey God’s summons. Instead he makes his way into the place of trial and faces whatever would come his way. This is encouraging for us because, as James points out, we are like Elijah. If he could find his weak areas of life transformed by the wisdom and grace of God, so can we.

Elijah passed on God’s message word for word. He had a message of judgement for Ahab and Jezebel and he passed it on (the accounts of how they were fulfilled are told in 1 Kings 22 and 2 Kings 9). We can see from Elijah’s words that Ahab was responsible for what happened to Naboth even although he had not been involved in the plot. This tells us that sins of omission are as bad as sins of commission. Ahab should have protected Naboth, and because he did not he was held accountable. I suspect sins of omission are not thought about very much today.

Elijah, because he was obedient, enjoyed communion with God. After Ahab had responded to the message of judgement, God spoke about Ahab to Elijah (v. 28). Now we cannot experience the same kind of divine interaction that was given to Elijah here. Nevertheless, the principle is true for us. If we want to enjoy fellowship with God we have to keep his commandments. There are several ways in which we usually hear God speaking to us in a Christian manner: one is through his Word, another is through a sermon or similar, another is through a book or writing, and another is through the comments of other believers. We can also sense God speaking also through creation and through providence. Yet if we cease to obey his Word, there will be a cessation of warmth in our relationship with God.

Ahab’s Repentance

The chapter closes with an account of Ahab’s response to the prophet’s message. Ahab repented publicly, willing to let others see that he had repented. Yet we know that it was only a temporary repentance because in the next chapter he resumes following false gods. His subsequent behaviour also shows that his concern was about the threatened judgement and not about his sin that caused the judgement. Yet in a sense his repentance clearly pleased the Lord who modified his judgment and it became not as severe as he had indicated. Partial repentance is better than no repentance. I suppose his repentance was that of a ruler who realised that he had broken the laws of God. Even if we could see similar repentance in our leaders, it would be a welcome sign.