Introduction:
A. I like the story told about the teacher who was helping one of her kindergarten students put on his boots.
1. She pulled and he pushed, but the boots still didn’t want to go on.
2. When the second boot was finally on, she had worked up a sweat.
3. She almost whimpered when the little boy said, “Teacher, they’re on the wrong feet.”
4. She looked and sure enough, they were.
5. It wasn’t any easier pulling the boots off then it was putting them on.
6. She managed to keep her cool as together they worked to get the boots back on - this time on the right feet.
7. Once the boots were on, the little boy announced, “These aren’t my boots.”
8. She bit her tongue rather than get right in his face and scream, “Why didn’t you say so?” like she wanted to.
9. Once again she struggled to help him pull the ill-fitting boots off.
10. Once the boots were off, the little boy said, “The boots aren’t mine, they’re my brother’s boots. My Mom made me wear them.”
11. The teacher didn’t know if she should laugh or cry. She mustered up the grace to wrestle the boots on his feet again.
12. When the boots were back on for the 3rd time, She said, “Now, where are your mittens?”
13. The little boy said, “I stuffed them in the toes of the boots...”
B. Are you a patient person?
1. Even the most patient of persons eventually reaches a point where their patience runs out, right?
C. What about God?
1. We know from the Bible and from experience that God is good.
a. God is full of compassion.
b. God has an incomparable capacity of love, grace and patience.
c. All of God’s traits are immeasurable in Him and beyond our comprehension.
d. We should find great comfort in this.
2. We also know from the Bible that God is just.
a. In the Scriptures, God’s justice and righteousness are intertwined.
b. We love the fact that God is good and compassionate, but we are less comfortable with the fact that God is just.
c. One person wrote: “God’s compassion flows out of His goodness, and goodness without justice is not goodness. God spares us because He is good, but He could not be good if He were not just…God’s justice stands forever against the sinner in utter severity. The value and tenuous hope that God is too kind to punish the ungodly has become a deadly opiate for the consciences of millions. It hushes their fears and allows them to practice all pleasant forms of iniquity while death draws every day near and the command to repent goes unregarded. As responsible moral beings we dare not so trifle with our eternal future.”
3. And so, we enjoy speaking of and celebrating the love of God, and so we should, but there is another side of His character that we cannot deny or ignore, and that is God’s wrath.
4. God is patient and merciful, compassionate and longsuffering, but His patience has its limit.
5. God can come to the end of His patience, and when He does it’s as if He says, “that’s is enough!”
D. Proverbs 29:1, our Scripture Reading for the day says, “A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed —without remedy.”
1. Look closely at those words for they clearly convey a warning and a promise.
2. In that verse we learn something about God and about us.
3. We learn that when we refuse to repent after many rebukes, God will come to the end of His patience and will punish without remedy.
E. Such statements are rare in Scripture.
1. Often God’s pronouncements are followed by offers of His grace and mercy, for God frequently reminds us of His longsuffering – His patience.
2. God understands our make-up – He knows that we are imperfect.
3. God stands ready to forgive and forget our confessed sins; the sins we repent of.
4. But when there is none of that – confession and repentance, then God is ready to respond with wrath.
5. When a person remains “stiff-necked” then they reach a point of no return – they are beyond remedy – it is terminal.
6. At that point God says, “That is enough!”
7. Proverbs 6:12-15 is another Scripture that teaches the same as Prov. 29:1:
A scoundrel and villain,
who goes about with a corrupt mouth,
13 who winks with his eye,
signals with his feet
and motions with his fingers,
14 who plots evil with deceit in his heart —
he always stirs up dissension.
15 Therefore disaster will overtake him in an instant;
he will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy.
8. So, we learn from these passages that no one should play games with God, because God doesn’t play games with us.
9. God judges with justice and shows no partiality or favoritism.
F. Before we look at how all this applies to our story with Elijah, let me quickly point to three examples from Scripture where we see God’s patience run out.
1. First, there is the example of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.
a. God was patient with these cities as their moral pollution grew worse and worse.
b. Their stubborn refusal to hear His voice grew to the point when God’s patience ran out.
c. God’s justice came upon them “suddenly” as he rained down fire from heaven, and the consequences were “beyond remedy” – Sodom and Gomorrah literally were no more.
2. A second example is what happened to Herod Agrippa I.
a. Herod had not been living a life of humility and obedience to the Lord, but his rebellion reached its’ limit one day as he delivered a message to the people and Herod accepted the worship and praise that is due only to God.
b. God immediately struck Herod with agonizing pain in his abdomen as worms ate him from within.
c. Because Herod did not give God the glory, God said, “that’s enough and he was suddenly destroyed without remedy.
3. The third example is what happened to the southern kingdom of Judah.
a. For over 300 years the nation of Judah had been living under one godless monarch after another.
b. They rebelled against God and mocked God’s messengers.
c. Finally God said, “That is enough!” and Judah was swept away into the Babylonian captivity.
G. There is a limit to God’s patience.
1. When God’s patience has run out, His justice and wrath can be poured out on an individual, a city or a nation.
2. As we will see from today’s story, it can also happen with a couple – a husband and wife who were partners in sin.
I. The Story
A. As we have seen so far in our study, Elijah had been dealing with King Ahab and Queen Jezebel since the beginning of his ministry as a prophet of the Lord.
1. Both Elijah’s message and his life model were well known to them.
2. For years, Ahab and Jezebel had been exposed to the truth, and for years God’ patiently waited.
3. They had seen God’s power at the showdown on Mt. Carmel.
4. Nevertheless, they refused to believe and obey the Lord.
5. This godless king and his wicked wife had killed God’s prophets and continued to bow down to Baal.
6. But it was their actions in chapter 21 that caused God’s patience to finally run out.
B. The Bible says: 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. 2Ahab 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.” (1 Kgs. 21:1-2)
1. Naboth was a simple man who owned a piece of ground with a vineyard on it.
a. This property that he had inherited from his father happened to lie within the shadow of King Ahab’s palace.
2. One day, for some unknown reason, Ahab noticed the vineyard and became obsessed with possessing it.
a. So Ahab approached Naboth and said, “I want your vineyard, but I’ll give you and even better one in exchange for it. Or I’ll pay you for it.”
3. The Bible says: But Naboth replied, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” (1 Kgs 21:3)
4. Ahab did not like that answer.
a. He was the king of all Israel, but like a little child, he wanted what he wanted when he wanted it.
5. The Bible says: So Ahab went home, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” He lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat. (1 Kgs. 21:4)
a. Keep in mind that he is both a grown man and a king.
b. But like a little child who didn’t get his way, he went into his room, slammed the door shut and refused to eat.
6. That got the attention of his wife, Jezebel.
a. The Bible says: 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.” (1 Kgs. 21:5-7)
C. Jezebel spoke to Ahab like an adoring mother speaks to her pouting child, “What’s wrong honey?”
1. Ahab responded, “Naboth has a vineyard I want and he won’t give it to me!”
2. Jezebel should have said, “Now, now…we can’t always get what we want.”
3. Or, “Why don’t you pray about it and see what God does.”
4. But she said something else because was a godless woman.
5. Jezebel said, “Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it. Just stay out of my way.”
D. The Bible says: 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 testify that he has cursed both God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.” (1 Kgs. 21:8-10)
1. Jezebel had no authority to write letters in the king’s name, but that didn’t stop her.
2. She took his letterhead and scratched out some ruthless commands and set in motion a plot to kill Naboth.
a. In today’s terminology, she “framed” an innocent and helpless man.
b. but she made it look like she was following the letter of the law.
E. The Bible says: 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. (1 Kgs. 21:11-13)
1. It is worth noting that those who cooperated in this scheme were not simply the two worthless men who lied on the stand, but “the elders and nobles” who went along with Jezebel’s instructions.
2. The whole system was corrupted by the wicked people on top of the system.
3. So they set Naboth up for the kill, and in a matter of minutes, Naboth was hauled outside the city walls and was stoned to death.
F. The Bible says: 14 Then they sent word to Jezebel: “Naboth has been stoned and is dead.”
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. (1 Kgs. 21:14-16)
1. The dirty deed was done and they sent word to Jezebel.
2. Like the crying child who finally gets what they want, Ahab quickly wiped away his tears and put a smile on his face.
3. As was his custom, Ahab leaned on his wicked wife and she did the dirty work for him again.
4. He never questioned how all this has come about and what happened to Naboth.
5. All he cared about was that now he could have what he wanted, so without hesitation, Ahab took possession of Naboth’s vineyard.
6. Now everybody was happy, right? Wrong.
G. God was not happy at all.
1. God had come to the end of his patience with this pair.
2. He had put up with years of their godless acts…but no longer.
3. Just like with Sodom and Gomorrah, and with Herod, and with the nation of Judah, God said: “that is enough!”
H. So far in this story, Elijah has remained out of the picture, but now it was time for God to bring Elijah back on the scene.
1. The Bible says: 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!’” (1 Kgs. 21:17-19)
2. That’s how justice sounds when God reaches the end of His tether.
a. It isn’t a pleasant message.
b. It doesn’t sound compassionate, nor should it.
3. Elijah was the faithful messenger who confronted Ahab and simply told him the truth.
4. Ahab tried to immediately shift the blame.
a. The Bible says: 20 Ahab said to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy!” (1 Kgs. 21:20)
5. But Elijah was not about to let the attention shift from where it belonged.
I. Elijah said: “I have found you,” he answered, “because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord. 21 ‘I am going to bring disaster on you. I will consume 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 provoked me to 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 of the air will feed on those who die in the country.” (1 Kgs. 21:20b-24)
1. Like Nathan before guilt-ridden King David, Elijah stood before wicked King Ahab.
2. Elijah delivered the sobering news – judgment is coming. Doom is sure. Death is imminent.
3. All the things prophesied that day came to pass.
4. Ahab died in the next chapter (1 Kgs. 22) and then Jezebel and the rest of Ahab’s descendants were killed in 2 Kings 9 and 10.
5. I want to end their story with the commentary given by the writer of 1 Kings: There was never a man like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. 26 He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel. (1 Kgs. 21:25-26)
II. The Application
A. I want to end with two sobering and solemn reminders for us to consider.
B. First, We should consider the fact that there is an end to God’s patience and no one knows exactly where it is.
1. God’s wheels of justice often grind slowly.
2. God, in His gracious patience and mercy, waits for us to hear and obey.
a. Some people hear the Gospel and do not respond to it, yet God waits.
b. Some accept the Gospel, but live in a way that says otherwise, and still God waits.
3. God’s patience sometimes even frustrates us, particularly when evil persists, and God doesn’t step in and stop it.
a. At times like that it is easy to convince ourselves that evil goes unnoticed.
b. Eccl. 8:11 says: When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong.
c. In other words, when people get away with a series of sins and see no immediate consequences, they think, “Well, nothing has happened so far, so I’m still safe.”
d. But that could very well be the last day they’ll get away with it.
4. None of us know at what point God reaches His divine limit and says, “That is enough.”
5. But we know from our study today that God does get to that point – there is a limit to God’s patience.
6. None of us should be fooled into thinking that we can do whatever we want against God and get away with it.
7. When tempted to think that way, we should remember Sodom and Gomorrah, King Herod, the nations of Israel and Judah, and King Ahab and Jezebel.
8. God’s patience with them wore out and they were judged with justice and destroyed.
C. Second, We should consider the fact that God keeps His word and no one can stop it.
1. Ahab and Jezebel were so powerful, and so intimidating, and so wicked.
a. They thought they were in charge and could do whatever they wanted.
b. But when God stepped in, it was curtains for them.
c. They were helpless to stop His judgment.
2. Our tendency is to compare ourselves to others and say, “Well, I’m not as bad as Ahab and Jezebel.
a. Or we are tempted to procrastinate our repentance, saying, “I’ll do what I want to do right now and get forgiveness later.”
b. We must beware of using either of those foolish excuses.
3. God keeps His Word. God’s standards are high.
4. We must not play games with God.
a. We must not be prideful and stubborn and resist obeying God.
5. We must remember that in the end, God always wins.
6. God is good, but He is also just.
7. And when His justice finally kicks in, there’s no escaping it.
8. I hope that none of us will put God’s patience to the test, because there is an end to His patience and we don’t want to discover the hard way where it is.
Resources:
Elijah: A Man of Heroism and Humility, by Charles Swindoll, Thomas Nelson, 2000.
