Naboth's Vineyard- A Tale of Greed and Consequences: 1 Kings 21:1-29

You're listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a

couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun in

practical ways. We really need a new role in for

those who watch that on video?

Do you think so?

I mean, how long has it been since we've actually

used headphones?

Quit some time?

Like?

How long has it been since we actually waddled into

the studio.

That's only funny if you watch on video. Yeah, because

if you're listening, then you don't understand Chris is.

Half the many now that he was on that video.

Yeah, I'm probably thirty pounds later that I am on

the video.

And you are too, Yeah, I'm fifty five pounds later.

Well then that video, Yeah wow, that's awesome. So yeah,

that's so funny. How long has it been since we've waddled.

Into the studio? So it might be time?

All right? Oh hey, Today on the Bible Guys, we

are starting with a segment that Desiree has put together

called would You Rather? Which is another wonderful segment.

I like the wood you Rather, although unfortunately for Chris,

this is normally when we would do what would make

you mad? This week? What made Chris mad? This week? So?

What made Chris mad this week very quickly.

The fact that we didn't have it? What made Chris week? Okay,

that's actually not true. I get mad.

Yeah yeah, well we all are. We're all upset about

it because it's our favorite.

What made Jeff mad?

This the fact that we didn't have what made Chris mad?

Is there you go? So it? Would you rather?

Yes? I think the first one?

Okay, would you rather live in a world where gravity

is half as strong or where it randomly increases by

ten times every day? Oh?

I think that there's no question here which is it

for you?

Half as strong?

Of course? Yeah, everybody wants to live.

On the moon absolutely, man. Besides that, you get to

jump higher, you get to lift heavy things. They'd be

great when.

They were on the moon and the cables pulled them up.

Remember when they were jumping it was cables.

Oh on the movie set, the fake moon landing.

I'm being conspiracy yeah, yeah, yeah, being funny, right, But yes,

I would definitely rather. I mean, come on, randomly. First

of all, you can't predict that rightly it increases by

ten times.

You couldn't move, yes, you wouldn't be able to move. No,

you would literally crush your bones.

Yeah, it was rather a fun or die.

Yeah, I'm gonna have fun, fun, find my thing all right?

Number two? Would you rather only be able to eat

food that is red? Oh my word? Or only be

able to eat food that.

Is square shaped? Okay o?

Well definitely square shaped for me.

Square shaped? Because it doesn't that doesn't that red dye

make you can't cancer?

Well no, there's noting none of that. But like, first

of all, what kind of food is red? Beats cherries?

So you can make it all red with dye?

Oh what doesn't say that? It says is red?

Doesn't say I can't can't make it read? It just

has to be read before I eat it, is what

I see.

Okay. But anything can be square.

Yeah, that's right. You can got chi, I know that's

what I'm saying.

Yeah, definitely cubes square, square, square shaped?

Yep, me too. Well we're two for two on this one.

You're not in an agreement. We are in alignment. That's

why the way the Bible guys, that's right. Yeah, we're

a couple of friends.

That's right.

That's right.

Who like to do? Would you rathers together in front

of that's right?

Would you rather be stuck in a room with one

hundred mosquitoes or with one angry, talkative parrot that insults

you constantly.

Oh, no question for me. Huh, it would be a parrot. Yeah,

I mean you could eventually kill all one mosquito.

Oh, I would do it.

What you would do the mosquitos? Yeah, I would, oh

really just to kill them?

Yeah, because there's an end to the hundred mosquitoes, but

it doesn't offer any end to the talkative parrot and

unselting parrots. Well, I guess you could kill the parrot too,

but it does.

Wow, Now you're getting gruesome.

Well, I mean it's from killing a hundred mosquitoes, is it.

It's not. I can kill a hundred mosquitoes. That's not gruesome.

Kill one parrot that's gruesome.

Yeah.

Wow.

Okay, I mean, what do you feel bad about stepping

on a spider or killing a baby deer?

Neither smoking like a true hunter, spoken like.

A true hunter.

Yeah, anyways, is so funny? Okay, Okay, I don't kill

baby deer, by the way.

Okay, well you know it sounds like you do.

Yeah. Well, okay, number four, I's hungry.

Would you rather never be able to laugh again, Holy Christmas.

Or never be able to stop laughing even in a

serious situation.

Oo, that is a tough one. It's a serious situation,

serious situation, definitely, that's right.

That is really a tough one. That is like a

curse either way.

Never be able to stop laughing or never laugh again.

Oh now I'm assuming it doesn't mean doesn't mean continually.

Never be able to stop laughing. It sounds pretty continual

to me.

I think that that would hurt you because sometimes you

laugh until it hurts, Yeah, like it hurts your cheeks

and everything. Yeah, so I'd have to pick never to

laugh again?

Yeah, then never laugh again is the physical act of laughing.

But it doesn't say that you're not amused, or that

you don't think something is funny, or that you're not delighted.

So you can look at your friends and say, uh,

that's hysterically on the inside.

That's hysterical.

That's hysterical. Yeah yeah, you may not know it, but

that was hilarious. Yeah. So yeah, I guess you have

to choose that. But what a sad existence?

Yeah, that'd be rough. Yeah. Would you rather live in

a world where your thoughts are always projected on your

forehead for everyone to see, or a world where your

every move is narrated by Morgan Freeman. Well that's a

no brainer as.

Well, of course, Morgan Freeman. Yes, yeah, definitely, because first

of all.

And then he walks to the kitchen sink.

Right, there's a there's a it doesn't matter you know what,

I think. I think that your thoughts projected on your

forehead for everyone to see the majority of the time,

that wouldn't be a bad thing. But there are thoughts.

They don't have to be bad thoughts. They don't have

to be sinful thoughts, but there are thoughts where you

have you don't want people to see. They might they

not be sinful, but like you may say, like, oh,

this guy didn't take a shower next to me on

the subway.

Okay, well that's just that should be a nice frame

to know, Hey you should take your shower. Just look

at him.

Yeah that's terrible.

No, that's terrible.

No. Well, and then there are thoughts that you have

that you can't control.

So that's correct. Yeah, yeah, that goes Morgan Freeman. But

then Morgan Freeman is just saying out loud everything you're doing.

But he doesn't say. It says your every move, not

your every thought.

Yes, but it's every move.

Yes.

Yeah. And he just droked his beard and he just

put his hand down, he just touched his phone. Yes,

that drives me nuts. Yeah yeah, yeah, sure, Okay, well

hey those were crazy ones, man. Yeah, and uh, you know,

I'll rethink them. One hundred mosquitos versus the parrot thing.

Yeah, well, I mean, let me.

Work on it. Let me work back that.

You said you want to kill a parrot.

I didn't say I want to kill a parrot. You did, No,

I didn't. I was just saying I wanted to kill

a hundred mosquitos. That's the one I chose. What I

heard was, and I was I was assuming I wasn't

allowed to kill a parrot.

But I heard you is you changed your voice and

went killed the parrot. Yeah.

Well, in First King's Chapter twenty one, they don't kill

a parrot, but they do steal a vineyard.

My gosh, I don't know how about this one. How

about this one?

I don't know how about this one? They killed they

killed a vineyard owner.

Oh there you go. Okay, just just just like your

faced with killing a parrot or mosquitoes. We are faced

with the inevitable death of a man named Nabeth who

owned a vineyard.

Two. There you go.

Okay, there's the terrible transition.

Okay, that's rough. This one is somewhat graphic.

Yeah, this this story, the ending prophecy part of it.

This is a rough one, yes, if I remember correctly. Yeah.

So we're going to read first King's chapter twenty one

and a read this one. Now. There was a man

named Naboth from Jezreel who owned a vineyard in Jezreel

beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. One day,

Ahab said the Naboth, since your vineyard is so convenient

to my palace, I'd like to buy it to use

as a vegetable garden. I'll give you a better vineyard

in exchange, or if you prefer, I'll pay you for it.

But Naboth replied, the Lord forbid that I should give

you the inheritance that was passed down by my ancestors.

So Ahab went home angry and sullen because of Naboth's answer.

King went to bed with his face to the wall

and refused to eat. What's the matter, His wife Jezebel

asked him, what's made you so upset that you're not eating?

I asked Naboth to sell me his vineyard or trade it,

but he refused. Ahab told her, are you the king

of Israel or not. Jezebel demanded, get up and eat something,

and don't worry about it. I'll get you Naboth's vineyard.

So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, sealed them with

his seal, and sent them to the elders and other

leaders of the town where Naboth lived. In her letters,

she commanded call the citizens together for fasting and prayer,

and give Naboth a place of honor, and then seat

two scoundrels across from him, who will accuse him of

cursing God and the King. Then take him out and

stone him to death.

What a plan.

So the elders and other town leaders followed the instructions

Jezebel had written in the letters, and they called for

a fast and put Naboth at a prominent place before

the people. Then the two scoundrels came and sat down

across from him, and they accused Naboth before all the people,

saying he cursed God and the king, so he was

dragged outside the town and stone to death. The town

leaders then sent word to Jezebel Naboth has been stoned

to death. When Jezebel heard the news, she said to Ahab,

you know the vineyard Naboth wouldn't sell you, well, you

can have it now he's dead. So they have immediately

went down to the vineyard of Naboth to claim it.

But the Lord said to Elijah, go down to meet

King Ahab of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He'll be

at Naboth's vineyard in Jezrael claiming it for himself. Give

him this message. This is what the Lord says. Wasn't

it enough that you killed Naboth? Must you rob him too?

Because you have done this, dogs will lick your blood

at the very place where they lick the blood of Naboth. So,

my enemy, you have found me, Ahab exclaimed to Elijah. Yes,

Elijah answered, I have come because you have sold yourself

to what is evil in the Lord's sight. So now

the Lord says, I will bring disaster on you and

consume you. I will destroy every one of your male descendants,

slave and free alike anywhere in Israel. I'm going to

destroy your family as I did the family of Jeroboam's

son of kneebap the family Byasha, son of Ahijah, for

you have made me very angry and have led Israel

into sin. And regarding Jezebel, the Lord says, dogs will

eat Jezebel's body at the plot of land in Jezreel.

The members of Ahab's family who died in the city

will be eaten by dogs, and those who die in

the field will be eaten by vultures. No one else

so completely sold himself to what was evil in the

Lord's side, as Ahab did under the influence of his

wife Jezebel. His worst outrage was worshiping idols, just as

the Amorites had done the people whom the Lord had

given driven out from the land ahead of the Israelites.

But when AaB heard this message, he tore his clothing,

dressed in burlap and fasted. He even slept in burlap

and went about in deep mourning. Then another message came

from Elijah from the Lord. Do you see how Ahab

has humbled himself before me? Because he has done this,

I will not do what I promised during his lifetime,

it will happen to his sons, I will destroy his dynasty.

Who Yeah, well, you know, first of all, wow, what

a story. And second of all, isn't it amazing how

God changed his mind because of repentance?

Yeah?

Right, We've seen that time and time again in the Bible,

where you know, people have repented and and and God said, Okay,

because of your you know, attitude, and you're finally acknowledging me,

and you're coming to me and you're sorry for your

sin and you're turning your ways, I'm going to spare

you of this condemnation. And in a lot of cases

is what you know, it's a condemnation like this, it's

a prophecy, right, And uh, that's pretty amazing actually. So

it just goes to show you the graciousness of God. Right,

that's right, because after all, a hab sort of earned it.

It says in parentheses, no one, no one has done

evil in the Lord's site as he did under the influence,

under the influence remember we talked about that the other day,

under the influence of his wife Jezebel. Yeah, that's pretty awesome.

I mean it's awesome that God, you know, repent or

you know, spared them. Hey, so, uh, here's what we

do know. We do know that eventually, and maybe I

shouldn't say this, but I don't think we're going to

read it. But I think Naybe or excuse me, Aha eventually.

Dies and yes, yes, he's not still alive now. Ahab

was eight and fifty seven years before Jesus.

Okay, thank you. I know he's not alive today, but

he eventually dies. And then the blood that they his

blood being washed out of his chariot is what I

remember was on the exact spot where Nabeth died. And

the blood runs out and the dogs lick it up

right where he died.

Yeah.

Wow, Yeah, I'm pretty sure.

Maybe we'll Yeah, I don't know.

Maybe we will.

I don't think we will, but now you tipped our hands.

Well, I mean, I don't think we're going to read it. Yeah,

it's not a milestone. It's just a fulfilling of this

prophecy which comes true. But he says, I'm not going

to do it during his lifetime, and it happens to

his sons to destroy the dynasty. But you know what

he's wondered about this is that Elijah has more to

say than what we read. So God says, here's what

here's what you should tell him. But then Elijah says

more right, So it could be that God didn't record

for us all the message that was reserved for a him,

right right, that's that's what that means. Right.

Yeah, there's extra, Yeah, there's extra for sure. So this

man Naboth, you know, the king comes over, he lives

next door. King comes over, says hey, I'd love to which.

By the way, means Naboth is a prominent man. Yeah,

it means he's wealthy. Yep, it means he has you know, influence.

It means he's well known.

Ye, well, he owns a vineyard, so well everybody who

owns the vineyards rich. Next door to the king, Yeah,

that's next door to the king. And so ahab just

comes over and goes, hey, dude, i'd love to buy

your land or or I'll give you I'll buy your

land and i'll give you better vineyard than this one.

I just want to I just want to turn it

into a vent a vegetable garden.

Which is a very reasonable offer.

Yeah, it wasn't unreasonable. But then you don't have to

do what you don't want to do and in this

in this situation, nay Both says, you know what, I

inherited it. All my family memories are here, generation after

generation after generation. It means more to me than the

money or just having another thing. And sometimes, you know,

we tend to project our own values on others. So

in his mind, a fancier thing, you know, Ahab's mind,

a fancier vineyard to be better than this vineyard. Right,

and nay Both goes, no, all my memories are here. Well,

i'll give you a bunch of money. Now, I don't

want any money. Right, so you can tell what that

what motivated Ahab versus what motivates n Both and Aboth

is saying, no, you know this is my family and

I inherited and I'm not going to and I'm rich.

I'm rich enough.

I don't need to write. I'm happy. I'm content. This

is my happy place, and I'm not going to sell

it to you. I'm not going to trade it. So

then he goes home. Ahab goes home, and he's pouting. Now,

he turns his face to the wall in bed. He

won't talk to Jezebell, he won't talk to nobody, and

he's just feeling grumpy and poudy, and she's like, are

you the king or not? It's kind of man up right,

And this is one of those hints of how controlling

she was and then and how.

And how much he was. Uh, you know he cowers

in her presence, Yeah, because he doesn't even ask her

what she's up to, but he probably knows it's probably

not good, but.

It's going to work out for me. I'm gonna get

what I want.

So he doesn't react.

Yeah, I don't. I don't want to know how she

does her business right right.

Right, because she says, hey, go claim it. It's yours.

And it's almost as if he's like, oh, thank you, Jesseebell. Hey,

good thing. I don't have to worry about that.

Yeah, he doesn't even ask, oh really, how did Nabov die? Right?

Don't don't ask, don't ask, don't tell. And so you know, boy,

she's just a canniver. She she sets up Naboth has

some scoundrels that calls him scoundrels come in what a

what a descriptive word? I love the word scoundrel right

for sure? You know what I think those scoundrels I

think of some of the characters from the Pirates of

the Caribbean. Oh yeah, some of the scoundrels, those guys. Yeah,

they their dirty.

Yeah.

Hey he talked bad about God and the king, right, yes.

But what's amazing is how corrupt the government is. Because

these government leaders don't stop it either, they don't find

another way, right, they just they're complicit in her evil.

Then that's what happens is evil leaders that are corrupt

tend to wind up promoting evil, corrupt people, and then

the whole society struggles. Corruption is just one of the

devastating things in the world. And nobody stands up to her.

She They're afraid, and so they kill off Naboth. It's

such a sad, said end for Naybo.

But so it looks like here according to this. That's

why we like the Life Application Study Bible because it

has so many things, you know, notes and studies and

other information across references, but also sometimes it has maps

and graphs. And in this case, there's a graph that

says that Ahab reigned twenty one years eight and seventy

four BC to eight and fifty three BC, and and

so yeah, this this must have been toward the very

end of his reign, And isn't it amazing, just as

a reminder that Israel are the ten tribes on the

northern side. Judah first of all, all used to be Israel,

right right then, And so Judah and Benjamin, you know,

they're on the southern part, and and pretty much they

were run by godly kings. In fact, even in a

scripture that we just breezed over a couple of days ago,

it talked about how a lot of the priests had

already gone down to Judah. They weren't they were prominent

in the north because they ran down to Judah. And

why wouldn't you if you believed in God, why wouldn't

you go down to.

Judah right there? If there's a god so much better? Yeah, well, was.

A godly king, right and as was reigning in Judah,

and overlap with Ahab, and then Jehosaphat was reigning in Judah.

Of the most of the reign of Ahab, and Josephat

was a godly king right. So, so anyway, all that

to say, just as a reminder, the people in the

north had wicked king after wicked king after wicked king,

and so far you know, according to the Bible, Ahab

was the worst of all of them, which is terrible.

Right. So then there's an interesting thing, if if I

can point it out, it's in the curses that Elijah

is giving about Ahab and Jezebel, and in verse twenty

six it says no one else so completely sold himself

to what was evil in the Lord's site, as Ahab

did under the influence of his wife Jezebel. His worst

outrage was worshi idols, just as the Amorites had done,

the people whom the Lord had driven out from the

land ahead of the Israelites. That worshiping idols. There's a note,

there's a little asterisk there. You see that last risk

in the Life Application Study Bible. So then when you

go down, anytime there's an asterisk, you go down, and

there will always be a little highlight in small letters,

and it says for that verse, the Hebrew term literally

round things probably alludes to dung. So God is calling

in the Hebrew language, God is calling those idols that

they were worshiping little pieces of dung, right, isn't it. Yeah,

It's just you want to know what God thinks about

because you know, sometimes I think people attempted to give

a little bit of compassion and go, oh they were

just confused, or oh they were right. But when you

reject God and you're choosing to worship other things, anything

other than God, is a really clear indicator of what

God thinks of what you're worshiping. Yeah, it's like a

bunch of Yeah, that's exactly.

And by the way, doesn't Paul say that too. I

consider I consider all the things, all these accomplishments, I

consider them like dumb. Yeah, yeah, that's what he says,

compared to knowing Jesus.

Yeah. The Greek word that Paul uses a scubelon, which

is the most vulgar word you could use for human excrement.

So think think of the naughty English word that we

don't say. That's the word Paul chose to use in

Greek to talk about the waste of my life apart

from serving.

God's amazing, And he was talking about accomplishments, Yes, talking

about like things that we value.

But nothing matters. It's all. It's the worst kind of

waste that you can think of. And it's the you know,

compared to serving God and every accomplishment and here. That's

exactly what God is saying. Now he's saying it in Hebrew,

but he's a little balls around things, that's what he's

talking about. And he's talking specifically about.

Yeah, have you ever seen deer's Yeah, yeah, ways.

Dropping like yeah, rabbits, rabbits, all those things. Yeah yeah.

So so he's calling their idols rabbit droppings, right, right,

that's what he's saying. So if you ever wonder how

God feels about your sin, how God feels about your

self centeredness, how God feels about it's the grossest version

of anything that you and I can think of. That's

what God is saying. This is how I feel about it, right,

And it's the same thing about these idols. Right, So

they're worshiping idols. We worship ourselves, we worship our own ideas,

we worship our stuff, we worship our opportunities.

You made a mistake of it. They're just like false idols.

One hundred percent those are ours are false idols. And God,

so that little phrase there is it's why I love

good study Bibles. Yes, is man, I would have never

seen that, is what I said. Oh, his outrage, his

worst outrage is worshiping idols. That's true, but it goes

so much further than worshiping idols. God goes after them

and say it calls them, you know, little little droppings. Yeah, yeah, yeah,

it's it's amazing. So anyways, the Bible is so descriptive

and so interesting, and here there's consequences. As he mentioned,

Ahab tells God he's sorry, and so God backs off

and goes, Okay, you know what I'm not going to do.

I'm not going to wipe out your family in your lifetime,

but I'm not going to let your family rule, right,

and they had succession by inheritance, and so because of that,

the only way to stop it was to wipe out

the whole family. And so it happened after Ahab died

rather than while Abraham was living. But you're aheb. Yeah,

this is it.

Yeah, you actually said Abraham, which is.

Crazy starts with an A.

That's right, that's right.

I'm tired. Yeah.

Well hey, the bottom line is is, uh, you know

we mentioned before the reason why you read is because

all the complicated names. Sometimes it's hard, it is, you know,

when you're talking about all these different names, it's.

Like whoa aheb Abraham.

Yeah, hey, so that looks like it's our time. And

what great. I loved this week. I loved Elijah, I

loved all of it, and it's one of my favorite stories.

So we look forward to next week. Hopefully you'll join

us and we'll see it.

It's just going to get better.

Oh, just going to get better. There's the tease. Yeah,

the buckle up, buttercups. We'll see you then on the

bibble guys. H m hm m m h