Get Off The Ladder - The Theft

1 Kings 21:4-7 NIV 

[4] So Ahab went home, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my ancestors.” He lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat. [5] His wife Jezebel came in and asked him, “Why are you so sullen? Why won’t you eat?” [6] He answered her, “Because I said to Naboth the Jezreelite, ‘Sell me your vineyard; or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’ ” [7] Jezebel his wife said, “Is this how you act as king over Israel? Get up and eat! Cheer up. I’ll get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/1ki.21.4-7.NIV)

I have been travelling by train since I was in my pram. I have been flying outside of my home country since I was eighteen (I’m more than a few years older than that now!). As soon as I could travel on my own, my father drummed a brilliant piece of travel advice into me: 

Avoid outwards signs of wealth. 

When I was younger, that was not a problem. I did not have any wealth that I could show outwardly. I looked poor because I was poor. That might be why I was never robbed. Maybe the robber would have been more inclined to leave me a donation. 

But as life has progressed, even when I have had a bigger bank balance, I have always followed this advice. 

Nowadays, I see many people – particularly young people – who don’t follow this advice.

They’ve got it, so they want to flaunt it. They want to travel in brand names to show that they have already made it. They don’t tell anyone if the brands are either faked or bought second hand or were found in a thrift store. They want to look rich, even if the reality is somewhat different. 

Ultimately, that is really foolish. The more expensive clothing you wear, the more expensive gadgets you openly carry around, the more you make yourself a target for thieves. You have something they want, so they will take it.  

That is why it is essential to not look rich when you travel. 

However, the Bible often flips that situation on its head. It’s not the poor who see something they want and take it from the rich, it’s the rich who take it from the poor. 

Think about David and Bathsheba. David wanted Bathsheba even though she belonged to one of his elite guard – someone who was on a lower rung of the ladder of souls than David.

When Nathan told him the tale of the rich man who had stolen a poor man's only lamb when the rich man owned many flocks and herds, David’s natural sense of justice was inflamed and offended (2 Samuel 12:1-7). Yet David had done exactly that with Bathsheba. 

Generations later, not much had changed. Here we see King Ahab wanted something that belonged to someone much poorer than him. And what Ahab, and his partner in crime and life Jezebel, do to get it is simply awful. 

Yet it is repeated time and time and time again. Whether it is by scooter-borne phone thieves or burglars or by generals and presidents and kings, the desire to take what someone else has to advance you one rung further up the ladder of souls is universal. 

And wrong. 

We have a lot to learn from this horrid moment in Scripture that will help us remain on the straight and narrow. 

Let’s start, then, by looking at The Dispute. 

The Dispute 

1 Kings 21:1-4 NIV 

[1] Some time later there was an incident involving a vineyard belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. The vineyard was in Jezreel, close to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. [2] Ahab said to Naboth, “Let me have your vineyard to use for a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace. In exchange I will give you a better vineyard or, if you prefer, I will pay you whatever it is worth.” [3] But Naboth replied, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my ancestors.” [4] So Ahab went home, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my ancestors.” He lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/1ki.21.1-4.NIV)

There are times when we watch small children play and it makes us smile. We love how they try to emulate adult life. Although sometimes the comments they make while playing ‘Mummy and Daddy’ can leave us wondering just what and how much they have observed. 

What we see here is the opposite. Here we see a grown man – a king, no less – behaving like a small child. There are three simple phases to this: 

Ahab wants a vineyard. Likely he wants it because he can see that the grapes are growing nicely, so the land is fertile. Ahab doesn’t want it for the grapes; he wants to grow vegetables there. 

Now, already this is a scenario that Samuel had warned the Jews would happen many, many years previously, before Israel even had a king: 

1 Samuel 8:14 NIV 

[14] He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/1sa.8.14.NIV)

Although Ahab wanted the land for himself, not for his attendants, Samuel had warned the Jews that their king would take the best of their land. That is what was happening here. So, no surprises. 

Naboth refused. As he was fully entitled to do by law. He was under no obligation to sell this land to anyone. It was, after all, his ancestral land. In Jewish law, the view of the land is that it was given to them and allotted to each tribe by God, so it could never really be sold, only leased, and could not change hands from one tribe to another (Leviticus 25:15, 23, 25; Numbers 36:7; Ezekiel 46:18). What Naboth did here was right and fair and just. It was more in line with God’s laws than anything Ahab ever did in his lifetime. He had every right to do it. He was right to do it. 

Ahab pouted. This is just plain pathetic. This is the reaction of a toddler who couldn’t get their way. This is the utmost in childishness and immaturity. It’s a thoroughly unstatesmanlike act of sheer petulance. It’s a nonsense reaction.  

I have a daughter. She’s in her twenties now. If she ever acted like this, I would feel like I had failed as a father.  

Yet so many do this. They can’t get their way, so instead of accepting it and moving on, they throw kindergarten-style hissy fits as if this will make a difference to anything at all. Often those who have the most are the ones most likely to do this as they are the most pretentious who cannot tolerate being told ‘No’. They are extremely fragile human beings who have a deep humility deficiency and cannot stomach the thought that they could be on a lower rung of the ladder of souls than someone else. They are sensitive souls who are simply unable to serve and have to be on top. 

I have only one message for them: 

Grow up. 

Life is like that sometimes. Get with the program and stop acting like a baby. 

So we see, then, a dispute borne out of pretentiousness, fragility and a chronic lack of humility. 

That’s all bad enough, and utterly unbecoming of a king. What happened next, though, is far worse. We move on from the dispute to an act of Deceit. 

Deceit 

1 Kings 21:5-10 NIV 

[5] His wife Jezebel came in and asked him, “Why are you so sullen? Why won’t you eat?” [6] He answered her, “Because I said to Naboth the Jezreelite, ‘Sell me your vineyard; or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’ ” [7] Jezebel his wife said, “Is this how you act as king over Israel? Get up and eat! Cheer up. I’ll get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” [8] So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, placed his seal on them, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city with him. [9] In those letters she wrote: “Proclaim a day of fasting and seat Naboth in a prominent place among the people. [10] But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them bring charges that he has cursed both God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.” 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/1ki.21.5-10.NIV)

The truth is not a tool we should ever use to get our way. It is not something we should use as a weapon to climb the ladder of souls. Fake news is false news. 

Christians simply have no place using lies to twist and spin the truth until becomes convenient. 

What we see happening in these verses was nothing new then and has been used for time immemorial by evil people to get their way. And let’s be straight about it: Jezebel was evil. She should never have been queen. 

Let’s see how this went so badly wrong. 

Firstly, Ahab was wrong. 

1 Kings 16:29-30 NIV 

[29] In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. [30] Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/1ki.16.29-30.NIV)

Ahab became king because his father had been the commander of the army at a chaotic time in Israelite history and had been anointed king instead of a usurper (1 Kings 16:16). He was a soldier. He was not of royal stock. And neither was he a good man (1 Kings 16:25-26). Ahab took over from him following his death. 

Ahab was worse – among the worst, most idolatrous kings in Israelite history. 

But it gets worse. Jezebel was wrong. 

1 Kings 16:31-33 NIV 

[31] He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him. [32] He set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal that he built in Samaria. [33] Ahab also made an Asherah pole and did more to arouse the anger of the Lord, the God of Israel, than did all the kings of Israel before him. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/1ki.16.31-33.NIV)

She was worse than Ahab! She was a foreigner -  a Sidonian – who did not worship Israel’s God or recognise His laws. That much is clear from what happens next. 

Her actions are wrong. Here is a woman who wants to get her husband this vineyard to make him happy and nothing will stand in her way. If Naboth refused, even if he had proper legal grounds for refusing, she would not care and would take it anyway. How would she take it? 

By bending the truth, accusing him of cursing a God in whom she did not believe and getting the man killed. 

Over a vineyard. A vineyard that would be changed to a vegetable garden. 

And this, you see, is the problem. This is a case of ‘the end justifying the means’. This is a doctrine modern culture lives and dies by. It’s okay to cause havoc. It’s okay to break hearts. It’s okay to tear families apart. It’s okay even to cause harm or kill. But it’s only okay in one situation alone: 

Provided the end justifies the means. 

But that is not right. It is never right. It doesn’t matter if it’s a vegetable patch or an oil field, if it’s a parking space or a car factory, if it’s a corner shop or a conglomerate, the end does not justify the means. Ever. End of. Full stop.  

It is never, ever, ever okay for you to stand on someone else to hoist yourself up the ladder of souls. This is ambition gone too far. It is always one hundred percent wrong. No question. 

What Jezebel decided to do here was morally wrong.  

Yet how many times have those in high or low positions taken the same decisions? How many times have they decided, in their ivory towers, that other people’s lives count for nothing provided they can achieve their goal? 

But it is not our job to judge them. No, it is God’s: 

Luke 12:47-48 NIV 

[47]  “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. [48] But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/luk.12.47-48.NIV)

We will all be held to account for the way in which we used the influence we have. The greater the influence, the greater the responsibility. So yes, it is totally unfair when those with power and influence abuse it. 

But God is watching. They will not get away with it. 

Having seen the dispute, driven by nothing other that futile, immature covetousness, and the deceit, we now move on to the inevitable outcome of this dreadful affair: The Death. 

The Death 

1 Kings 21:11-24 NIV 

[11] So the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city did as Jezebel directed in the letters she had written to them. [12] They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth in a prominent place among the people. [13] Then two scoundrels came and sat opposite him and brought charges against Naboth before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death. [14] Then they sent word to Jezebel: “Naboth has been stoned to death.” [15] As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you. He is no longer alive, but dead.” [16] When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of Naboth’s vineyard. [17] Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: [18] “Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. [19] Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?’ Then say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, dogs will lick up your blood—yes, yours!’ ” [20] Ahab said to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy!” “I have found you,” he answered, “because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord. [21] He says, ‘I am going to bring disaster on you. I will wipe out your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel—slave or free. [22] I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have aroused my anger and have caused Israel to sin.’ [23] “And also concerning Jezebel the Lord says: ‘Dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.’ [24] “Dogs will eat those belonging to Ahab who die in the city, and the birds will feed on those who die in the country.” 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/1ki.21.11-24.NIV)

Since the beginning of the Russo-Ukranian war, it has been very dangerous for critics of Vladimir Putin, or anyone regarded as even slightly disloyal or under-performing, to stand on the balcony of their apartments. An alarming number of senior officials have taken a tumble from these balconies and been found dead in the street. Either that or balconies in Moscow and other large cities are becoming alarmingly unsafe. 

Bumping off rivals has been a practice of paranoid, autocratic rulers for centuries. Death is the ultimate weapon of the weak leader who has no other way than fear to engender loyalty. Those who resort to it are themselves afraid of the slightest whisper of opposition and dissent. 

They are basically pathetic. 

Never be afraid of them: 

Matthew 10:28 NIV 

[28] Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.10.28.NIV)

Jezebel’s dreadful abuse of power caused the death of an innocent man who had the temerity to stand up to an infantile ruler. It was wrong – completely and utterly wrong, no matter what she was trying to achieve. A man’s life is worth far more than a vegetable garden. 

So Naboth died. A completely unnecessary and unjustified death. 

What follows is a clear indication of how dreadfully serious God takes this crime. 

Ahab died, and in a pretty ‘unfortunate’, undignified way: he was shot seemingly at random in a chariot, bled out near a pool where prostitutes bathed and his blood was licked up by dogs (1 Kings 22:29-38).  

Humiliating. 

Then Jezebel died. She died a gory death at the hands of two of the palace eunuchs, and her body was trampled underfoot by horses until there was nothing left to bury (2 Kings 9:30-37). 

These seem like incredibly tough punishments. However, they fit the crime. God is just. He is holy. He will not be mocked. He is not a doctor who prescribes a lobotomy for a headache or an amputation for a blister. He hands out tough punishments only when they are deserved. 

In this case, they were deserved. 

But the sin that lay at the root of these crimes is what should concern us. We very rarely see people killed because someone else covets their property – although it does still happen. We should be grateful that it doesn’t happen often. 

But we do see lives broken and families damaged and businesses trashed because people covet something and will do whatever it takes to get it. They are desperate to climb the ladder of souls and do not care about the mess they leave behind them in their wake. 

Don’t get me wrong. I am not against ambition. Neither is the Bible. We should be ambitious. But we should be ambitious to be successful without doing anything that displeases God or harms his people.  

Otherwise our god is success and we have an idol. 

Conclusion 

James 4:1-5 NIV 

[1] What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? [2] You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. [3] When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. [4] You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. [5] Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.4.1-5.NIV)

How do you react when people say ‘No’ to you, or when things you hoped for don’t seem to be happening? 

Not so long ago, a video went viral of a woman whose baggage was overweight at the check-in desk of an airport. She threw a massive tantrum, falling to the floor and banging it with her fists, as if that would change anything. All it did was get her removed on her flight and re-booked on a later one after she had calmed down. 

We live in a generation where entitlement has reached epidemic proportions; where people are demanding rights their forefathers did not fight or die for, and would most likely not have agreed with. There are times when civil rights protests are absolutely warranted, where freedoms are desperately needed. 

There are other times when they are nothing more than the tantrum of spoiled children. 

As Christians, we must be discerning to know which is which. 

Some rights groups and lobbies have gone too far. Threatening those who disagree with you with harm and death is never acceptable, no matter the cause. 

There are simply some arguments it it is better not to have, and if you lose them, it’s better to accept the loss rather than to become increasingly bitter in the way you fight for something you should not want or need to have. 

This might seem like common sense. It might seem profoundly logical. However, having been brought up in Protestant churches in the radically opinionated and passionate West of Scotland, I have seen how otherwise rational people behave in emotive and divisive issues that were not worth it at all. In the process, they have behaved in unloving ways, they have broken relationships, they have divided fellowships. 

Friends, there is a really stark warning in the story of Naboth’s vineyard that we would do very well to heed. 

The dispute was over an issue that was really not worth it. The law did not allow Ahab to take someone else’s land. Naboth had every right to refuse him and that should have been that. Ahab’s conduct showed him to be profoundly entitled and grossly immature. 

The deceit that his wife Jezebel utilised to arrange for the death of an innocent man was utterly heinous. It shows up clearly that we should not be involved in twisting, bending, exaggerating or falsifying the truth to get what we want.  

The deaths that followed were pretty extreme. They have made for some very difficult reading. However, it’s critically important that we realise just how serious these crimes are, and how serious God takes the sin that lay behind them. 

Last year, the British regulator Ofcom fined a TV channel for allowing a guest to make false and unsubstantiated claims on air about the ‘miraculous’ claims his products allegedly produced. They were blatantly fraudulent and absolutely wrong. He had made them purely to profit from the gullible. 

The tough part to hear is that the TV channel was ‘The Word Ministries’, which purports to be Christian. 

What does the world think when a so-called Christian minister communicates the true Gospel on one hand and empty superstition for profit on the other? How can they believe the truth when it comes accompanied by blatant lies for profit? 

We must pay close attention. Ahab and Jezebel got into trouble because they did something they had no right to do to gain something they had no right to take. Coveting anything – be it wealth, fame, notoriety or anything else – and seeking to get it by any means is completely out for a Christian. 

This is what the Bible says: 

James 4:10 NIV 

[10] Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.4.10.NIV)

If it’s God’s will for you to have something, then you will have it – in His time, according to His schedule. 

Wait on the Lord. Don’t seek to take it for yourself by any means.

If you do, I promise you that it will absolutely not be worth it.

Prayer 

Lord Jesus, forgive me for the times when I am so driven to achieve something that it becomes an idol for me and I forget You. I repent of it now. Help me to be patient and to trust You instead. Amen. 

Questions for Contemplation 

• What did Ahab want? Was it worth taking a life to get it? 

• What lay behind this desire? What does Ahab’s reaction teach us? 

• What did Jezebel do that was so wrong? What can we learn from this?