Why? Understanding Life Events (I)
1 Kings 21
5-31-09
Intro
I want to begin this morning with a brief clip from the movie, Faith Like Potatoes. How many have seen it? It’s a very good movie—based on a true story. Let me give a little background for the clip. Angus Buchan is a farmer in South Africa. He has come to the Lord. God has used him is some awesome ways. He was even used to raise a person from the dead. Angus is a whole-hearted Christian, serving God with everything in him. His African foreman and friend is Simon. In the clip Simon has told him they need to use the tractor to pull out another tractor that is stuck. Angus’s niece (Kristi) and nephew (Alistair) want to ride the tractor with them. Show Scene 22 (1:25:38—1:29:28).
The firm is dedicated to Alistair, the nephew who was killed in the accident. You can imagine how painful and baffling that little boy’s death was for Agnus and the boy’s parents.
What have been the baffling events of your life? Not all are as traumatic as the one in this clip. But we all have experiences that leave us asking “why?” A couple of years ago my middle daughter, Jill, and her husband, John, had one. The event began on a happy note. Jill was pregnant; they were going to have a baby. You mothers know what happens once you’re expecting. That baby becomes the center of everything. They started making plans for his arrival. Where would they put the bassinet? Would it be a boy or a girl? What would they name him? But in the end, none of that mattered because Jill miscarried and lost the baby. In reality, there are no adequate answers to the why question. Ministry in that kind of situation is a lot more about empathy than trying to answer why it happened.
This morning, I will not try to answer why. People have to work through all that as a process. But what I will do is give you a frame of reference with which to work. One thing I can tell you for sure is this. Life will never make much sense without this frame of reference. I personally have found peace in what I’m about to share with you. It is not mere theory. It is biblical and it is essential.
Processing individual events in our lives needs to happen in the context of a broader question. What is God doing in the earth? Why am I here and what is it all about? The author of Ecclesiastes was not thinking in terms of what I’m about to share with you, when he concluded, “Vanity of vanities. All is vanity.” If the three points I am about to make are not true, then life is incredibly absurd. The three points answer the question, what is God always doing in your life and in the lives of others? In general terms, why do events happen in your life as they do? What is God doing in the earth?
I. Bringing people to moral choice.
Two important words in the Bible are “if” and “whosoever.” Isa 1:19 begins with the word, “if”. “If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land;
20 But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword;
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” Rom 10 tells us how to be saved, Verse 8, “But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Then a couple of verses down we encounter that word “whoever.” Verse 13, “For ‘whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.’”
One of the irreversible decisions God made when He created him was that he would have a free will. Man is made in the image of God. People have the God-given capacity to make moral choices. Chimpanzees don’t have that ability. Whatever their animal instincts tell them to do, they do it. When God set the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden, He set before Adam and Eve the choice to obey or disobey.
The only other creatures who have free will are the angels. We know that sometime in the past some chose to follow God and some chose to rebel against God. In Jude 5 and 6 the apostle talks about free will. “But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day.” Peter talks about the same thing in his second epistle.
That’s all I’m going to say about free will because I know you already believe that. But how does this help us understand specific events going on in our lives.
Let me illustrate it with a brief story from 1 Kings 21. The story begins with a godly Israelite enjoying the farm he has inherited from his father. This farm is one of the most beautiful vineyards you would ever hope to see. Naboth is not superrich. This is the only land he owns. But he is grateful to God for giving it to him.
It so happens that Naboth’s property is right next to the King’s palace. King Ahab and Jezebel live there. Of course, they own many vineyards and are incredibly powerful and wealthy. One day Ahab is looking out his window at Naboth’s vineyard and a thought comes to his mind. He thinks to himself, “I’d like to have that vineyard. I could turn it into a great garden—have fresh vegetables right at my doorstep.” The more he thought about it the more he wanted Naboth’s vineyard. So he approaches Naboth with an offer. In Ahab’s mind it is a very generous offer. He will pay Naboth what its worth or if Naboth would prefer he will trade him a better vineyard for it.
Now all this seems random enough; but what is God doing? God is orchestrating a scenario that will demand some moral choices. This is a big moral test for Naboth. First, I’m sure he would rather have the favor of the king than his disfavor. He does not want the king upset with him; that’s for sure. Secondly, this might be an opportunity to get a bigger and better vineyard. But Naboth has a problem. The Word of God commands him not to sell the property. Lev. 25 forbids Naboth to sell the vineyard. Num 36:7 says “So the inheritance of the children of Israel shall not change hands from tribe to tribe, for every one of the children of Israel shall keep the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.” So here is Naboth’s moral choice. Are you going to ignore what God has told you to do according to His Word or are you going to do what the Bible tells you to do.” Naboth passes the test with flying colors. He tells Ahab “No” and explains why.
Now King Ahab is faced with a moral choice. He really, really wants that vineyard. But now He knows that would be a violation of the will of God. So what Ahab needs to do is simply drop the matter and go on with life. But the Bible tells us he made a different moral choice. He walked around the house pouting because he couldn’t have what he wanted. His sulking went so far that he went to bed and wouldn’t eat. Now he’s moving toward a firm moral choice in this situation.
Enter Queen Jezebel, Ahab’s wife. Now if you know anything about this woman, you know you don’t want to get on her bad side. When Ahab finally tells her why he’s pouting, she makes a moral choice. 1 Kings 21:7-10 “Then Jezebel his wife said to him, ‘You now exercise authority over Israel! Arise, eat food, and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.’ 8 And she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who were dwelling in the city with Naboth. 9 She wrote in the letters, saying, ‘Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth with high honor among the people; 10 and seat two men, scoundrels, before him to bear witness against him, saying, You have blasphemed God and the king. Then take him out, and stone him, that he may die.’”
Now who has to make a moral choice? The elders and nobles in Naboth’s hometown know that Naboth is not a rebel. They know he would never blaspheme God as Jezebel has said. They know these are unjust, trumped-up charges. Jezebel has even told them to find a couple of people willing to serve as false witnesses against Naboth. Now the potential false witnesses have to make moral choices; but we won’t deal with that. These elders and nobles are supposed to use their authority to protect people like Naboth. They have the same Bible Naboth has. They know he’s not supposed to sell his land. Their moral choice should be clear cut. Do the right thing. Tell Jezebel “no.” But then that could be costly to them. They probably got these lucrative positions by compromising with people like Jezebel. They have probably been compromising what is right for a very long time. Beyond all that, Jezebel could be very ticked if they told her no. They might not just lose their job; they might lose their heads. So they make a moral choice.
They do exactly what Jezebel told them to do. Innocent Naboth is stoned. Ahab and Jezebel seemingly have won the negotiation. Some might even say they were really good businessmen. They bought the vineyard for nothing. 1 Kings 21:15-16 “And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, "Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead." 16 So it was, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab got up and went down to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
Now I’m guessing at this point in the story Naboth’s wife has a question for God that begins with the word why. Naboth does the right thing and what he gets out of it all is killed and robbed. Have you ever thought about how unfair life must have seemed for Naboth’s wife? Without a sound frame of reference this is absurd. Who would want a ministry like Naboth’s? But when you pray, “Lord, use me” don’t be surprised if He uses you to force moral choices on people like Ahab and Jezebel. God used John the Baptist to force a moral choice on Herod. God used Jesus to force a moral choice on Pilate. God may use you on your job to force a moral choice on your boss or co-workers. Naboth’s wife will have to make a decision about how she will deal with these traumatic offenses. Will she harbor resentment in her heart and allow bitterness against the offenders and maybe against God dominate the rest of her life? Or will she find grace to forgive and live the rest of her life free from bitterness? We don’t even know for certain Naboth had a wife. In all probability he did and in all probability these would be real struggles for her.
What happens next in our story of Naboth? 1 Kings 21:17 “Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 18 "Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who lives in Samaria. There he is, in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone down to take possession of it. 19 You shall speak to him, saying, ’Thus says the LORD: ‘Have you murdered and also taken possession?’ And you shall speak to him, saying, ’Thus says the LORD: In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs shall lick your blood, even yours.”
So what was God doing in that story? Was He trying to get Naboth a better vineyard? No, Naboth lost his vineyard along with his life. Was the pain that Naboth went through some kind of chastening or correction for wrongdoing? No, Naboth did exactly what God told him to do. Did Naboth miss God somehow? No, he was in the center of God’s will and he made the right choices. But Sovereign God chose to use Naboth to bring Ahab and Jezabel to a profound moral choice. Sometimes before God judges a wicked person, He will place a Naboth in their path that leaves them utterly without excuse. This was not a situation of two crooks trying to cheat each other and Ahab outmaneuvers the opponent. This is sheer, unadulterated injustice that demands judgment.
In the big picture, what is God doing? He is bringing people to moral choice.
II. He is revealing Himself to people in their human experience.
In John 9 Jesus is walking along with his disciples and they come to a blind man. Apparently the disciples knew this man had been born blind. Verse 1, “Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.”
Jesus demonstrates the love of God and power of God by healing this man. The blind man is brought to the Pharisees and they see what has happened but make the wrong moral choice. Jesus sees the man later and the man makes a full commitment of faith. God used this event to reveal Himself to people.
In John 11 Jesus friend, Lazarus, was sick. Mary and Martha got the news to Jesus as soon as possible hoping he would come and heal their brother. When Jesus got the news he said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (John 11:4). So what was the stated purpose of God behind this situation? God would reveal Himself; God’s glory would be seen in the end of the matter. Jesus delayed going to Lazarus. Lazarus died and Jesus raised him from the dead. Now in a sense Lazarus is right back where he started before all this. He was well before he got sick. He is well now. So what was that all about? It was an orchestrated opportunity for God to make Himself known to people.
After Lazarus’ resurrection the Bible says, “Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him. 46 But some of them went away to the Pharisees and told them the things Jesus did. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council and said, "What shall we do? For this Man works many signs” John 11:45-47. Are people being exposed to the truth about God? Was the ordeal painful for Lazarus, Mary and Martha? God designed the event in their lives to reveal Himself to them.
We are out of time this morning. I trust you have seen clearly point one concerning what God is doing: He is bringing people to moral choice. We have only begun to address our second comment on what God is always doing: He is revealing Himself to people. Next week we will come back to that point and also deal with a third dynamic of what God is always doing in the earth.
Are there moral choices going on in your life? Are there people you need to forgive? The greatest moral choice of all is to surrender your life to God and receive Christ as Savior and Lord. Sometimes events have occurred in our lives to bring us to that very decision. Perhaps that’s where you are today.
Invitation
For FOOTNOTES/SOURCES to to www.GatewayNixa.org
Richard Tow
Gateway Foursquare Church
Nixa, MO
