Text: 1 Kings 21:17-24

Last weekend, our senior associate pastor Ryan Hazen kicked off a sermon series on the prophet Elijah. Elijah is one of the most powerful names in the Old Testament, the only major prophet not to have his own book named for him. He shows up at a critical time, a time when Israel was further from God than they’d ever been. For speaking the truth in this difficult time, Elijah doesn’t see death. He is lifted into heaven in a whirlwind, escorted by fiery chariots. 

Elijah is the hero of Judaism. At the end of Shabbat services, Jews sing about Elijah, hoping he will come soon with the Messiah. At the Passover meal, there is a special cup of wine put on the table for Elijah. There is no reason to believe that the cup of wine wasn’t there when Jesus shared his last meal with his disciples. At the transfiguration, Moses and Elijah stood with Jesus. When Jesus asks ‘“Who do people say that I am?’ And they answered him, ‘John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets’” (Mark 8: 27b-28).  If you sing about Elijah coming back, if you have a glass of wine on the table for him, you look for him. It is why some thought Jesus was Elijah.

After last weekend, someone said, “I’m really glad we are studying Elijah. I didn’t know much about him.”  If you are Jewish, that isn’t the case. You not only know him, you understand what his name means. The Hebrew word for God in the Old Testament is Elohim, which is sometimes abbreviated El.  The word jah is the word for Jehovah.  Between these two small words is the small letter “i” which is the personal pronoun for “my” or “mine”. Put it together and Elijah literally means, “My God is Jehovah.” We might translate it in English, “The Lord is my God.”

Elijah’s name makes a statement, declares loyalty to Yahweh when there was no loyalty. Things had fallen apart. For a period of a little over 100 years, the Hebrews lived under the reign of three kings, Saul, David and Solomon. While Solomon is well known for his wisdom and for building the Temple, the tragedy of his leadership was what followed his death. The country divided into two kingdoms, the northern kingdom which we call Israel and the southern kingdom, which included Jerusalem, which we call Judah. The split takes places 930 BC and Elijah begins his prophecy 150 years later. During this time, the northern kingdom of Israel had 7 kings and all of them were bad.  The first king was Jeroboam and 1 Kings 13 says, he “disobeyed the word of the Lord,” (1 Kings 13:21b). His son was Nadab. “But he did what was evil in the LORD's sight and followed the example of his father…” (1 Kings 15:26a). We’d say “like father, like son.”

Nadab only lasted two years and was assassinated by Baasha who took over the throne. The first thing that he did was wipe out all of the remaining members of Jeroboam’s family which of course included Nadab. Then, for 22 years “he provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger.” (1 Kings 15:30).  He was followed by his son Elah who reigned for two years. Then a guy by the name of Zimri assassinated Elah. And guess what the first thing he did was?  “As soon as he began to reign and was seated on the throne, he killed off Baasha's whole family. He did not spare a single male, whether relative or friend.” (1 Kings 16:11)

Do you see the pattern here? One murderer giving way to another murderer. One assassin killing another assassin and then committing mass murder against the son’s family. The Bible is very clear that the sins of the father rest on their sons and in this history of the monarchs, you see it. We learn to live our lives by model and example; if you teach a child to do evil, he’ll do evil when he grows up to be a man and evil will likely take his life.  So Zimri’s son was Omri and “Omri did evil in the eyes of the LORD.” (1 Kings 16: 25a) and Omri had a son who became king and his name was Ahab.  “Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him” (1 Kings 16:30). When it comes to Ahab, he is the “baddest of the bad.”  Then, top it off, “he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him.” (I Kings 16:31)

This is where Elijah enters the story and where we started last week. God finally said, “Enough is enough.  You’ve gone too far. Not only are you doing evil, now you are worshiping Baal, the Sidion god of rain and fertility, the god of crops and of the land.  So God sends Elijah to Ahab and says, “I’ll show you who’s in charge of the rain and crops and land. I’m sending a drought.” And by the word of one man, reporting the word of our one God, a drought took place. One man, whose name means, “My God is Jehovah, the Lord is my God”, one solitary faithful person makes a difference. That was the point of last week’s sermon. You can make a difference.

Ryan’s title was MALTMAD which stands for, “make a life that makes a difference.”  The first story about Elijah offers this truth. When we are obedient, when we do the right thing, when we do what God wants us to do, we can make a difference. One life can make a difference and end up touching many lives, like a tiny petal tossed into a pond, rippling out. The choice we have is whether the difference we make will be for the better or for the worse – helpful or hurtful.  Are you making a difference?

The choices we make depend upon our motive and our second story from Elijah is very much a story about motives. There are lots of motives in the story and most of them aren’t good. The story begins very simply.  “….Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria.” (1 Kings 21: 1b).  Just in this one verse, we’ve been told a lot. We know that Naboth is a local and that Ahab is visiting from his capital city of Samaria, likely during the winter to escape the colder Samaria hill country to the south. This is just his vacation palace for Ahab but we discover it’s been Naboth place for a long time.  The word nabata in Arabic means "vineyard," and so Naboth's name is derived from what he does. He is literally “vineyard man.”

If there is one man in Napa valley that was a vineyard man it was Robert Mondavi, the patron of California wine.  In 1968, Mondavi had a very clear motive. He wanted to prove that the land in northern California could produce great wines. He hired a man named Mike Grgich, they planted a vineyard and in 1976, shocked the world in making a better chardonnay that the French. In California, vineyard guy was Mondavi; in Jezreel it was Naboth. His motive is clear. He wants to hold onto his property because it was his ancestral inheritance, passed along to him from those who originally took the Promised Land. To sell it would be to violate the Deuteronomiac law that says family land stays in the family until it is finally given back to God.  Naboth’s motive is to be faithful. Naboth said to Ahab, "The Lord forbid that I should give you my ancestral inheritance." (1 Kings 21:3)

King Ahab on the other hand, wants this piece of property because he thinks it would be a good vegetable garden. And he makes him offer to either trade him a vineyard or buy it outright. What’s his motive? Let’s face it. If I’m sitting on the deck of my palace, I’d rather look out on the beautiful vineyard than a garden which is by nature, less symmetric and by nature, unruly.

He wants it because it is there for the taking. He is greedy. He is has been captured by that demon that feels like enough is never enough. How much is enough for you? At a city we’ve watched as a Simon heir challenges the last will of her father because she’ll only inherit 200 million. How many millions do you need to make you happy?  We are watching the NBA playoff between the Lakers and Celtics. I’ll never forget a Sports Illustrated article about basketball player Scottie Pippin signing with the Portland Trailblazers in 2002 for 14.7 million dollars. He said, “Before every game, I look at our owner Paul Allen, cofounder of Microsoft who was worth 40 billion at the time.  What does he have? Pippen asks. “Forty billion? How can I make just one billion? I just want one of them!” How much is enough?[1] 14.7 million? 200 million? Evidently, a kingdom is not enough; Ahab needs one more vineyard. Hearing no from Naboth, “Ahab went home resentful and sullen…He lay down on his bed, turned away his face, and would not eat.” (1 Kings 21:4a,c).

Enter his queen, Jezebel. She is used to dealing with the wants of her self-centered, childish husband because Jezebel has a very clear motive—power. From the moment Ahab and Jezebel married, she has been building powers. Today, we’d call Jezebel a sociopath. She says to her husband, “Do you not govern Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” (1 Kings 21: 7) Lord Acton described Jezebel and a host of tyrants throughout the history of humankind when he said: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Whether it is in the family of origin or in the kingdom of Samaria, when someone’s primary motive is seizing power, death and destruction is sure to follow. 

Jezebel puts in motion a conspiracy. Letters of invitation to betray Naboth go out to people who he thought of as his friends and neighbors, the very people to whom, as the “vineyard guy” he supplied grapes and wine. She writes the elders and nobles of Naboth’s city and tells them to declare a public fast and put Naboth at the head table of the assembly. She instructed them to seat two scoundrels alongside him and coach them into accusing Naboth of treason and blasphemy, charges penalized by stoning. They do and they do.  “The two scoundrels came in and sat opposite him; and the scoundrels brought a charge against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, "Naboth cursed God and the king." So they took him outside the city, and stoned him to death.” (1 Kings 21: 13).

Why would Naboth’s friends, the elders and leaders of a community, participate in this conspiracy? What’s their motive? Is it, “go along to get along, a don’t rock the boat mentality”?  A lot of people probably said, “I really didn’t know anything about it or “that isn’t really my business or even “I didn’t want to get involved.” As these things happen, likely there was only one or two who were directly involved but that is the way it always is. But it doesn’t mean that everyone else is innocent. Turning your back or saying nothing about inappropriate behavior is risky. Complicity can lead quickly to participation and before you know it, you may be involved. Why don’t they resist the political pressure of Jezebel? What was their motive?

Once Ahab learns of the execution he goes to the vineyard, claims it is something of an ancient “right of eminent domain.” Surprise, there among the vines is Elijah. “Ahab said to Elijah, ‘Have you found me, O my enemy?’” (1 Kings 21:20a).  Of course he has but who has found him. Not Elijah but God. God always finds out. So Elijah, God’s prophet speaks God’s truth. “Thus says the Lord: In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth, dogs will also lick up your blood…Also concerning Jezebel the Lord said, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the bounds of Jezreel.’” (1 Kings 21: 19, 23).

The story ends with Ahab being repentant and God giving him a reprieve from immediate punishment. But three years later, Ahab dies in battle and when the body was brought back to Samaria, the dogs of the capital city were seen licking the blood off his chariot.

It starts off as a story about a vineyard and becomes a story about motives. There are a lot of motives in this story and most aren’t good. Naboth’s motive is to hold onto his property. Ahab’s motive is greed. Jezebel’s is power. The elders and noble leaders motive is, “go along to get along.” Elijah’s motive is to speak the truth on behalf of God. Everybody has a motive; everybody coming from a place.  What’s your motive? Where are you coming from? Can people read your motives?

Elijah was called to be a prophet when God finally said, “Enough is enough”, when Ahab and Jezebel had led away from the commandment to love God and love neighbor. Worshiping the Sidion God Baal and seizing your neighbor’s property is breaking both commandments and while we aren’t guilty of building temples to other gods or stoning our neighbor to get his vineyard, in our own way, we struggle with getting our motives right. In every age, humans have a hard time with both. Loving God means not worshiping false gods of greed and power and loving neighbor requires the practice of justice as well as compassion. It means standing up for what’s right even if it causes us misfortune or personal sacrifice.  Our spiritual/ethical DNA can never be pure without examining our motives because it doesn’t take much to find yourself with motives that are impure, mixed or even dangerous.  Or as Paul puts it, our actions or works will never justify us, only Christ can do that, but when he does, “it is Christ who lives in us.” (Galatians 2:20b).

We may wish it wasn’t true but this story about Naboth, Ahab and Elijah teaches us that God sees our motives and holds us accountable so we’d better be careful and take a hard look at where we are coming from. Over the last weeks Hoosiers in a particular way have mourned the passing of a national hero, Indiana’s own John Wooden. He was not only a great basketball coach, he was a great Christian. He grew up in our Martinsville Church and when he moved to Los Angeles he first joined the church where I was ordained, Wilshire Christian Church. 

One of the great stories about Wooden is how practice would begin each year. New players would always arrive in anticipation. They wondered how their coach, John Wooden, would set the tone for the long season to come. They didn’t have to wait long.

Veterans knew what was coming. But first year players were no doubt perplexed by the initial lesson imparted by their Hall of Fame coach: He taught them how to put on a pair of socks, every year. And then he made them examine their socks over and over again during those first practices. Why?

Wooden discovered many players didn’t properly smooth out wrinkles in the socks around their heels and little toes. If left uncorrected, these wrinkles could cause blisters that could hamper their performance at crucial times during games. Many players thought the practice odd and laughed about it then. But the coach would not compromise on this basic fundamental principle: “I stuck to it. I believed in that, and I insisted on it.”  He knew that it doesn’t take much to create a problem.[2]

This truth comes from Elijah. It doesn’t take much to get your motives all wrong and in the end, we are accountable. So you’d better examine them carefully, look for every wrinkle that could cause a problem.   Don’t let a motive, small or large; cripple your relationship with God or neighbor. That’s a truth from Elijah’s ministry 2500 years ago and it is a truth for today.