On the Road to Naboth´s Vineyard
On the Road with Elijah
On the Road with Elijah to Naboth’s Vineyard
I Kings 21-22, II Kings 9
 
Dr. R. G. Lee was an orator. His most famous sermon of all was entitled, Payday Someday. It was taken from the passage of Scripture which I'm going to use tonight.
 
The last time I heard he had preached that sermon over 1000 times. He lived into his nineties and he went all over the country, after he retired from Bellevue, and preached this sermon.
 
So, tonight, I want us to travel with Elijah to Naboth’s Vineyard.  The account is found in 1 Kings 21-22, and also 11 Kings 9.
 
Dr. Lee had a very unique way of introducing the
sermon. He introduced the main characters of the
sermon something like this. "I introduce to you, Ahab, that vile human toad who squatted on the throne of Israel. I introduce to you Jezebel, that poisonous snake who coiled alongside him. I introduce to you Elijah, the Tishbite, the prophet of the living God, God's spiritual athlete." Then he inserted this 4th character. "I introduce to you Naboth, a devout Jezreelite (Israelite)."
 
Those are the four main characters of the drama which will unfold for us tonight in the drama of Payday Someday.
 
 
 
 
We know Ahab. We’ve encountered him several times as we’ve traveled with Elijah.  He was the wicked king of Israel. We are told in chapter 21, verse 25 that "there was none like unto Ahab who sold himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord."
 
Then we are told about his wife Jezebel, who was a king's daughter and a king's wife. The Bible says that his wife "stirred him up." She was the evil influence behind him.
 
As our scene opens up this evening, I want to call to your attention
 
I. The Selfish Desire
 
We are told in the opening verses of chapter 21 there was a man named Naboth who had a little vegetable garden close by the palace of King Ahab.
King Ahab looked at that vegetable garden, realizing that in the summer months he would be in that particular palace and it would be most helpful for him if he could have vegetable garden so he could put good, fresh luscious vegetable on the palace table.
 
So he expresses his desire. He makes his request to Naboth. "I would like to have that vegetable garden which you have. I will be willing, if necessary to give you a better vegetable garden in place of it. Or if you desire, I will pay you a price in money well worth the price of your vineyard."
 
King Ahab is like many today.  He is never satisfied with what he has. He is constantly looking for more. Now, he is coveting a little vegetable garden owned by a lowly member of his kingdom.
So he makes his selfish request.
 
Now Naboth is a devout Israelite. He believes the Word of God. In the book of Leviticus, chapter 25, the Word of God specifically says that inheritance land owned in a family is not to be sold. So he desires to obey the Word of God. He is more desirous of pleasing God than he is of pleasing the king. So he basically says to the king, "I can't do it. I have a family heritage to keep in mind. I have God's word to obey. I must be obedient to the Word of God."
 
It must have taken a great deal of courage for Naboth to refuse the desire of the head of the entire land. When the refusal comes, it takes all of the wind out of Ahab's selfish sails. We are told in verse 4 he goes back to the palace sullen and displeased. He was angry. He doesn't go to the supper table that night. He goes directly into his bedchambers. He goes to bed without eating. He turns his face against the wall. There he is. The king of the land and he is pouting like a spoiled child deprived of his toy. He is sad and moping like a blubbering baby who doesn't get his way.
 
Jezebel comes in that evening for the dinnertime. She sits down at the palace table, but the king is not there. She begins to ask why isn't the king here. They tell the story. So Jezebel walks into Ahab's bedchambers and asks, "What's the matter, big boy?" Ahab just pours it out. "I wanted that little vineyard of Naboth and I offered to give him a good price for it. I offered to give him one better for it and he wouldn't let me have it."
 
 
I can hear old Jezebel. She says, "Is that all that’s bothering you?  Aren’t you the king of this country? Why don't you act like a king? Shame on you. Be a man. Don't you worry, big boy, I'll get that vineyard for you."
 
We pick up the story in verse 8. "So she wrote letters in Ahab's name." She gets the official king's letterhead. She dips the pen in the dark pool of her own heart. She writes out a letter which seals the doom of Naboth. She seals it with the king's seal. She sends letters to the elders of Jezreel.
 
In verses 9 and following are the instructions that they are to proclaim a fast and give Naboth a place of high honor.  That does not mean he was to be placed in a place of honor. It means he was to be placed in the judgment chair. She is setting up a false situation.  That a fast is called for implies that there is a disaster in the works that can only be averted by fasting. 
 
In verse 10 and 11 we are told that they gather the people together. In verse 12 they proclaim that fast and sit Naboth up there. He has no idea what is going on or why there is a problem.
 
In verse 13 we are told that two men who are children of Belial (that means they are wicked, godless men) witness against him and here are the charges. They say, "Naboth did blaspheme God and the king." They accused him of blasphemy against God and treason against the king, both of which charges were punishable by death. "Then they carried him forth out of the city."
 
 
Can you see Naboth as they drag him from the justice seat? They drag him out to the edge of the city. The Bible says that they stoned him with stones that he died. Blood begins to pour out. His eyes roll back in sockets of blood. He is dead. In verse 15 it comes to pass.
 
They give the word to Jezebel that aboth is dead. She screams with delight. She is so happy to hear the good news. She goes running into Ahab and says, "Ahab, arise, take position of the vineyard of Naboth, the Jezreelite."
 
That night there was a wife now widowed who is without a husband. Jezebel doesn't care. That night there were children who were weeping and sobbing because they have lost a loving daddy. What is that to Jezebel? It's nothing to her. She goes into Ahab and says, "Come, honey, get out of bed. Momma has taken care of things for you. You can go down now and take possession of your vineyard."
 
Verse 16 says that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard to take possession of it. What an injustice.
What cruelty. What inhumanity. It seems at this point that Ahab and Jezebel are getting their way.
 
Where is God? What's going on? Is He deaf that He cannot hear? Is He blind that He cannot see? Does he not care?
 
Read verse 17
 
Just as sure as the devil has a man to whom he says, "Arise," God has a man to whom He says, "Arise." He calls His man Elijah.
 
We have first of all the selfish desire. Now we have,
 
II. The Sinful Deed.
 
Notice what happens. Ahab is on his way down to take possession of Naboth's vineyard. God has sent His prophet Elijah. Ahab hasn't seen Elijah in several
years. The last time he saw Elijah was when Elijah was on Mount Carmel and called down fire and rain. Now, God has sent His man Elijah.
 
I can see Ahab now. He's so excited. He is going to get what he wanted. He's going to get his little vineyard. Ahab goes down into the vegetable garden. As he walks into that garden, all of a sudden he is horror stricken. He wheels on his heels.
 
What's the matter? Is there a wild animal there that is getting ready to pounce upon him? Is lightning getting ready to crash down upon the head of Ahab? Oh, no. It's Elijah.
 
Look at verse 20
 
His voice is hoarse and raspy. His voice is trembling. There is fear in his voice. Ahab is afraid of God's man.
 
Notice what God tells Elijah to tell him in verse 19.
 
Then look at verse 23.
 
God was saying, Ahab, one of these days, out there in the future, you are going to pay for your sins. God has written judgment into the moral order of His universe. God has so designed this universe of ours that there is a just punishment for every sin.
You do not escape the judgment of God. God's judgment comes upon a nation. The Bible says the wicked shall be turned into hell and all the nations that forget God. The Bible says of individuals that God hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world by that man Jesus Christ whom he hath appointed.
 
There’s going to come a payday someday. Somewhere, sometime, someway, somehow God will punish all sin and all injustice.
 
R. G. Lee told an interesting story in that famous sermon from when he was pastor of the First Baptist Church in New Orleans, Louisiana, he said he would get letters from someone who just signed them "the chief of the kangaroo court." They were ugly, hateful letters. He would listen to him preach on the radio and send these letters.
 
He said one day he got a call from a nurse at the charity hospital in New Orleans. They asked him to come down because there is a young man here who wants to see you. Dr. Lee went down to the hospital and went into a room with cots all over the room. There was one cot that was isolated and the nurse said, "He's over here." R. G. Lee went over there and there was a boy writhing on the bed, obviously in pain. It was obvious he was dying.
 
Dr. Lee said, "Hello." The young man said, "Howdy do, I'm the chief of the Kangaroo court." He said he would alternate between hostility and sorrow, back and forth. Dr. Lee said he tried to help him, but couldn't seem to do much good.
 
 
Then the boy said to him, "Preacher, I know you preach to young people all over the country and when you do, tell them this from the chief of the kangaroo court. Tell them that the devil always pays in counterfeit money.
 
Dr. Lee told about how that boy began to vomit up this vile, green liquid and some of it got on his hands and the nurse ran over and said, “Wash your nads!  It’s dangerous to even touch him!”
 
Payday someday.
 
God said to Ahab, "Ahab, the dogs will lick your blood." "Jezebel, the dogs will eat you."
 
R. G. Lee said from that time on, every time Ahab
heard a dog bark, he jumped.
 
The selfish desire. That's what got him into trouble.
The sinful deed. Here is Jezebel who has pushed the
king into this sinful deed. 
 
III. The Solemn Doom.
 
Here's the message. God said payday someday, Ahab.
 
Turn over to chapter 22.  About three years have passed. We learn that from chapter 22, verse 1.
 
So far things seem to be good. For three years Ahab is getting by with it. Payday hasn't come. Judgment hasn't fallen.
 
 
 
You follow through this chapter and you have the account of a battle and you are told in verse 1 that
Syria went to battle against Israel and the king of
Israel, Ahab, gets Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, to join up with him as they go to battle against Syria.
 
Notice verse 30
 
Did you get what he just said? He's going to disguise himself so they won't know who he is, but you put on your kingly robes. He is basically saying I'm going to put a big bull’s eye on you.
 
And it’s surprising to me, but that's what they do. But notice what happens.
 
verse 34
 
It says a certain man.  Doesn't even say who he was. He doesn't even have a target in mind. He just pulls it back and lets an arrow fly. Just as straight as a bird to its nest, it hits Ahab right in the heart.
God always has His arrow. God knows how to get His arrow of judgment to you.
 
Does God have an arrow with your name on it? Do you think you've gotten by with your sin? Time has passed and you think it's all covered up and you are going to get by with it. God may have an arrow. Just the peculiarities and the quirks of circumstances can
bring it about before you know it.
 
I was thinking about what Churchill said about
Mussolini when he was deposed. "Mussolini swept into the maelstrom of his own making. The flames of war he kindled burned himself."
 
But there's another part of this judgment. Remember, God said something else. God said, "the dogs will eat Jezebel at the walls of Jezreel."
 
Turn to II Kings chapter 9. At this point, about twenty years have passed. That's a long time.
 
By this time, Elijah has already gone to heaven.  The man who made the prediction, the man who spoke of payday someday to Ahab and Jezebel, is already in heaven. Jehu is now the king of Israel.
 
Now when Jehu becomes the kings, he gets in his chariot and in verse 20 of the chapter he is headed to Jezreel and it says he drives furiously.  I’m thinking about getting a trag for the front of my car with 2 Kings 9:20 on it!
 
Verse 30
 
So she goes and puts on here makeup, and gets here hair done.  She looks out the window. Keep in mind that Jezebel is not a young woman anymore. All the lotions and the sprays and all the botox injections and all the nips and tucks can't do a whole lot for Jezebel now. She is over the hill. But she is still trying. She is all painted up now. She is going to use the only weapon she has, her seductiveness.
 
She looks out the window and paraphrasing, "Why don't you come up and see me sometime, sugar?" Jehu looks up there and says in verse 32, "Who is on my side?" Two or three eunuchs look out. In verse 33 he says, "Throw her down." So they threw her down and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall.
 
She pops like a ripe watermelon. Her bones become like chunks of ivory in buckets of blood. Jehu just drives his chariot right across her dead body and says, "I'm hungry, let's eat supper."
 
About that time he thinks, "Oh, yes, she's a king's wife. She's supposed to be buried. Go out and bury her body."
 
Verse 35
 
The wild dogs came in and here's all that was left. Nothing but the skull. The dogs wouldn't eat the brain that hatched the evil plot that killed Naboth. The feet were there. The dogs wouldn't eat the feet that carried her in the path that led to the death of Naboth. The dogs wouldn't even eat those hands that wrote the letter that meant the death of Naboth.
 
It was payday someday!
 
Dr. Lee used to tell about a girl named Toni Jo.  Toni Jo got in the wrong crowd and was eventually sentenced to the electric chair for murdering one of her lovers. 
 
He told of the day when the guard came to get her and prepare things for her death.  There she sat looking at the floor, the concrete no harder than her heart. 
 
It’s time to go, Toni Jo, time to go.
 
They began to cut off her hair.  There I no one to tll her that she dances divinely; no one now to tell her how beautiful she is.  It’s time to go, Toni Jo
 
Toni Jo begins to walk the final hallway to the electric chair. They open up the door. Toni Jo sits
down and they strap her in. They put a crown upon her head, and fasten bracelets around her wrists. 
 
Here's what she said. "I knew all the time that God was running the show. I just thought I could steal a few acts."
 
God will judge sin. God is patient. But there comes a time when His patience is exhausted. God is a God of love, but He is also a God of justice. It will be payday someday.
 
But I have some good news for you. Our payday came 2,000 years ago when a man named Jesus, outside the city gates of Jerusalem, died on a cross. When Jesus died on that cross, your sins and my sins were paid for in full. You don't have to have another payday out there ahead of us somewhere, Because by faith in what Jesus did on the cross, your payday has already been paid.
 
Let's bow our heads in prayer.