The active Word January 30, 2012
Honeybee Rhoads
The active Word
pastor bob coy
January 30, 2012
Naboth
Naboth...had a vineyard which was in Jezreel, next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. 1 Kings 21:1 (NKJV)
During the reign of King Ahab, an incident took place involving a character named Naboth. Here's what happened: As Ahab began to survey the area surrounding his palace, he noticed there was a vineyard adjacent to him. Naboth owned this particular plot of land, and the king wanted it in the worst way.
Consumed with covetousness, Ahab pleaded with Naboth to part with his land. He offered to give him another vineyard elsewhere or to pay him for it. Either way, Ahab didn't care. All he cared about was getting that piece of property for himself. Notice Naboth's response to the king's offers:
But Naboth said to Ahab, "The LORD forbid that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!" 1 Kings 21:3 (NKJV)
Naboth didn't just see his land as a chip for him to cash in on. There was a greater significance and value attached to it that money couldn't buy. It was inherited from previous generations. His land had been passed down to him from his forefathers and connected him to the past - to another time when God specifically gave that piece of land to Naboth's descendants. God wanted this. He wanted His people to feel that kind of connection to their property and even made provision in His Law for them to retain their ancestral lands (Leviticus 25:1-55).
Reinforced by his conviction to honor all of this, Naboth refused to sell out to Ahab, who had no regard for the Lord's ways. Taking a stand like this cost Naboth dearly - it resulted in his death (1 Kings 21:5-16). But it doesn't change the enduring testimony that he was a man of conviction.
Our world needs people like that. We need people who've based their convictions on the will of the Lord and are willing to stand by them regardless of the pressure to sell out. Does that describe you? What are your convictions based on? How deep do they run?
Think About It? What does this passage reveal to me about God? What does this passage reveal to me about myself? Based on this, what changes do I need to make? What is my prayer for today?
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