We read last week in 1 Kings 21 of a great injustice and cruelty.
• An innocent man Naboth, who owns a vineyard, was framed and murdered. And according to 2 Kings 9:26 all his sons were killed too.
• Queen Jezebel wanted to prevent any future claimants for the land.
King Ahab coveted his neighbour’s property. He has no real NEED for the vineyard. It was just want he wanted.
• The owner of the vineyard refused to part with the inheritance passed down from his ancestors.
• He was determined to keep to the Mosaic Law (Lev 25:23-28 and Num 36:7-9) – not to simply release their land that was designated for the respective tribe/family.
• Not only was Naboth not guilty of any crime, he was a God-honouring man.
But then Jezebel, King Ahab’s wicked wife, entered the scene. Why should the King be sad? “Cheer up. I will get you the vineyard.” (21:7)
• To the wicked, the King IS the law. He gets what he wants, anyway he wants it.
Jezebel goes into action. Using the King’s name she sends letters to the ELDERS AND NOBLES in Naboth’s town (21:8) with clear instructions.
• They proclaimed a community fast, set up a kangaroo court and appointed two false witnesses. It looked religious and legit.
• The charge? “Naboth has cursed both God and the king.” (21:13)
And very quickly (the author seems to indicate), they bashed the innocent man to death (21:13). The case was closed.
• Just the reading of it makes you angry. This is INJUSTICE at its peak.
Injustice thrives because of two things – man’s WICKEDNESS and man’s WEAKNESS.
• The wickedness of Jezebel and the weaknesses of the elders and nobles.
• Jezebel’s scheme went on like clockwork. We read nothing of any protest or any attempted defence of Naboth from the ELDERS AND NOBLES from his town.
• Everyone played right along. No one took a stand. They feared the consequence.
At the end of verse 16, everything was well wrapped up. The perfect crime has been carried out.
• Naboth was dead. The court has reached its twisted verdict. And Jezebel congratulating herself for a clean job.
• She informed Ahab and the King “got up and went down to take possession of Naboth’s vineyard.” (21:16)
The case file is closed, in the eyes of all these people. But not so with God.
• The case has just begun. God, the true Judge, appeared. Verse 17 becomes the most important verse in this passage.
• God pronounces His verdict – the only true and righteous judgement of the case.
Read 1 Kings 21:17-26. GOD’S JUSTICE IS SURE.
Someone has been watching. The Lord knows everything. Man covers up, God exposes.
• JESUS: “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 3What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.” (Luke 12:2-3)
God intervenes and He judges. He comes to His prophet and instructs him what to do. (It seems like Elijah didn’t know what has happened until God said it.)
• God knows where Ahab has gone to, He knows about the vineyard. He knows the name of its owner. He knows that his property has been seized and he has been murdered.
• God charges Ahab for the double crime – seizing someone’s property and killing him.
No one is exempt from the scrutiny of God and the judgement of God, not even the King (or the Queen). No one can get away with it.
• Prophet Elijah, being the bearer of the Word of God, stands above and over the King. He pronounces God’s judgement, not to discuss with him.
• No one, whatever his status or stature, can escape God’s jurisdiction. Wherever he is, God will find him. “I have found you”, Elijah said (21:20)
• ELIJAH: “Surprise, surprise! You didn’t expect me to find you here right, in Naboth’s vineyard!”
GOD’S JUSTICE IS SURE. That’s the truth and that’s our comfort today, especially so when we see the injustices around us.
• God is just and He judges. We can be sure of this. It is unjust of Him not to punish evil and wrongs.
• But there are lingering questions. We don't always see it happening.
Look here. Naboth has died. He was killed, and God did not “prevent” it.
• Why was God’s justice so late in coming? Why didn’t He judge Jezebel before she could kill Naboth and his sons?
• This is the mystery of God’s dealing with men that we see in the Bible. We don’t always understand the ways of God - the HOW things are done, WHEN it is done and even WHY. There are many WHYs in the Bible.
• Why was John the Baptist beheaded for telling the truth about Herod?
• Why was Stephen stoned to death for proclaiming the Gospel?
• Why was James killed in prison while Peter enjoys an angelic jail break (Acts 12)?
We don’t understand. But the truth remains – God will judge. No one can run away, we can be assured of that.
• The Thessalonian believers were under persecution and this was what Paul said:
2 Thess 1:3-10 3We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. 4Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
5All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. 6God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels. 8He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power 10on the day He comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be marvelled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.
How God brings about justice is His prerogative, and we trust Him.
• Our difficulties with how God does it and when He is going to do it, does not change the truth that God is just and His justice is sure.
• Here in 1 Kings 21 we see God standing on the side of Naboth, accusing Ahab and Jezebel, and pronouncing His judgement.
What happen next? Read 1 Kings 21:27-29. GOD’S MERCY IS GREAT.
• Ahab’s response surprises me. I didn’t see this coming.
• He fasted and went around meekly (a sign of remorse), probably for some time.
Is it for real? Is he putting on an act? Can he be repenting? We don’t know, until God speaks again to Elijah.
• God’s words revealed that Ahab was truly remorseful. It could be temporary, or only for this particular incident, but nonetheless genuine and sincere.
• And the Lord says (21:29b), “Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”
This is not something we prefer. It’s not fair, he doesn’t deserve it.
• Precisely. That’s why we call it MERCY. God grants him mercy. It’s the mercy of God.
• Usually when it comes to others getting it, we are unhappy. But if we are the ones getting it, that’s a different story.
God will still judge, but now it’s delayed. The judgement will come upon Ahab’s son, Joram. It happened in 2 Kings 9.
• Jezebel too will die then. A tragic death – pushed down from the windows and trampled by the horses (cf. 2 Kings 9:33).
God’s mercy did not start with Ahab’s remorse here. God took the initiative to confront Ahab and that itself is the mercy of God.
• He could have punished Ahab without warning, but He sent Elijah.
• God reached out to him. God was patient with him, just as God has been patient with us.
GOD’S MERCY IS GREAT. It’s never too late to repent and turn to God, no matter how bad we think we are, or how bad we’ve become.
• God is the just God who wants to show mercy.
When God wanted to judge the sinful generation in Noah’s time, He gave them 100 years to repent.
• That was how long it took Noah to build the Ark. 1 Pet 3:20 “…God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.”
• The rain and the flood came for 40 days. The judgement lasted 40 days but God gave the people 100 years to consider their ways and repent!
• And with a preacher of righteousness (2 Pet 2:5) - Noah nagging at them to remind them! That’s the mercy of God!
We see both the JUSTICE and the MERCY of God in this passage.
• Be assured that God is ultimately and completely in control, even in the midst of persecutions and injustices.
• We do not fear those in power or those who are evil. God knows and He cares for the powerless and the weak.
CONCLUSION
As we prepare to take the Holy Communion this morning, that’s what we see at the CROSS – the justice and the mercy of God.
• God is JUST. He will punish sin. Someone needs to pay the price for sin.
• God is MERCIFUL. He found a way for us to be saved from His wrath and receive forgiveness. The only way - that’s through the sacrifice of His Son JESUS.
