Reading the Bible every morning is a great way to start your day. I know that it is not easy to find time in your daily schedule to read the Bible but it is well worth it. The blessings that come from a daily reading of the Bible are clarity and direction for your life. Just the other day, we opened up the Word to 1 Kings 21 and received such blessings.
1 Kings 21 tells the story of King Ahab attempting to procure the vineyard of a local Jewish man named Naboth. The story begins when King Ahab makes a plea to buy the property that Naboth owns. He tells Naboth that his property is close to his palace and he would like to buy it for a good price and place his own garden there. Money is no object. What does Naboth want? A better than market value price? Perhaps a better vineyard somewhere else?
What ensues is a tale of human treachery and God intervention. King Ahab made an offer which was declined, but he was not willing to accept the answer that Naboth gave him. Naboth explained that he could not sell his land because the Lord gave the land to his tribe and to his people the Jews. King Ahab and his wife Jezebel did not accept this answer. Instead, they had a plan to bring him down so they could get their hands on this land which they coveted. They falsely accused him of treason and he was sentenced to death by stoning.
The King leads a powerful and privileged life, yet with all his power as the King of the Northern Kingdom of Israel he tantrums like a reality television star when he learns Naboth will not sell him his vineyard. He has not learned to be grateful for what he has and finds another man's property to be the object of his affection. It reminds me of the sort of discontent that Eve had in the Garden of Eden. "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; "but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said 'you shall not eat it, nor touch it, lest you die.'" Genesis 3:2-3
There are many King Ahab's in Westchester County, New York and in our world. People who think the world is their oyster and you had just better get out of the way! The week that I read 1 Kings 21, I also heard that a new Westchester luxury apartment building had gone up in flames. This fire appears to be no accident. This luxury building had just celebrated its' grand opening and would be welcoming new tenants shortly. But, now, all that was on hold as police and fire officials tried to determine who was responsible for this fire. The possibilities are : disgruntled construction workers, or community members unhappy with the development project. Thoughts of King Ahab come to mind as I think of the evil of setting a building on fire.
It seems that real estate deals and business not going someone's way has been and still is justification in some people's minds for doing ungodly and evil things. Those things can run the gambit from sabotage, arson, all the way to the taking of human life, as in the case of poor Naboth. There are consequences for all such actions. We may get the thing we want initially but what will be the cost in our life or the lives of others? Let us look at what happens to King Ahab.
He gets the vineyard alright, but in one generation his family reaps the consequences of his dastardly deed. Our families reep the consequences of our poor choices. Sometimes, the family tree grows crooked because we drink, we steal or manipulate. We kill goodness in our family everyday with harsh and cruel words. If you are jealous of your neighbors' cars or swimming pool, you are setting up the next generation on the wrong path. The Bible advises us to pray for our enemies and those who harm us. So, we start with prayer and we study God's instruction book, the Bible. We try to achieve our goals through appropriate channels, such as hard work, and democratic processes. In doing so we help to ensure success of future generations. We must role-model graciousness in defeat. Furthermore, we must keep in mind that God does intervene. He is a present help in times of trouble. He also tells us that judgement is His and He will repay. So, we resist the temptation to take justice into our own hand and rest in the comfort that God is in control..
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