He puts before the contestants many brief cases that contain certain amounts of money, and many times throughout the program he asks the contestant, “Deal or no Deal?”
What this show so often reveals is that many are willing to deal with the host of the program, but they do not always get what they want!
This is only a game show on television, but the fact is, every day we ARE CONTESTANTS IN LIFE DEALING WITH SATAN. He puts the temptation to sin in front of us and asks us, “DEAL OR NO DEAL?”
Many are willing to deal with him, but they do not always get what they want!
The decisions we make in life, no matter how small they may seem at the time, can be decisions that will affect us for the rest of our lives, and for all of eternity. The decisions we make in life come with consequences!
Illus: Have you ever watched, “True Television,” that deals with real criminal cases that happened? So many times the program is about young women being brutally killed.
• Many of these young women chose prostitution as a way of life and it led to their death
• Some of them were just young women that chose to go out and party at some nightclub, and after they left the club where they were drinking and dancing, they were killed
Again, the decisions in life that we make, even though they may seem small at the time, come with consequences.
In the Old Testament there was a man by the name of Naboth. He faced a “Deal Or No Deal” situation in his life. It is worth our time to examine his life for a few minutes.
We see -
I. NABOTH AND HIS PROPERTY
Naboth had a prime piece of real estate that was located next to King Ahab’s palace. Look at verse 1, we read, “And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.”
How fortunate he must have felt to have such a valuable piece of land. It was such a nice piece of land that King Ahab wanted it. In verse 2, we read, “And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.”
IT WAS A REASONABLE REQUEST.
Illus: Ahab is like Satan in that he offered a very sensible, reasonable request. Satan knows that if he asks you to jump off a bridge and kill yourself, you would not fall for such a request. So he approaches us many times with reason, such as, “Wouldn’t you like to have some fun?” Of course we all like having fun. But what he does not tell a person is that the fun that he offers will destroy their life the same way jumping off a bridge will destroy it.
It was a reasonable and a sensible request. He made Naboth two offers:
• A better vineyard in exchange for the one you own
• Cash if you prefer
Then, he may well have asked, “Do we have a deal?” Naboth said, “No deal!”
Naboth said it this way, in 1 Kings 21:3, “And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.”
He flatly refused to sell his land. It was not for sale at any price. This was within his rights. HE DID NOT HAVE TO TAKE THE DEAL!
We have a law in this country that is called, “Eminent Domain” that forces people to sell their property.
Illus: The law of Eminent Domain works this way: a person can be forced to sell a piece of land if the county officials decide it is best for the county.
It used to be that this law was used for:
• Building highways
• Building a hospital
But this law has been broadened. Today a land developer can go before a county board get permission to take a piece of property he wants to develop for the good of the community, and build a shopping center or even a housing development, and force the land owner to sell. If the project brings in more revenue the county agrees it is best for the county.
The Supreme Court ruled that governments may force property owners to sell. The 5 to 4 ruling said that for the betterment of the community you might be forced to sell even if you did not want to sell. That ungodly law was not in existence at the time of King Ahab, if it had been Naboth probably would have been forced TO SELL!
Land was treated differently in Naboth’s time than it is today. This piece of land that he possessed is the reason we are now looking at the life of Naboth. If it were not for this piece of land, you and I probably would have never heard of him.
We see NABOTH AND HIS PROPERTY and -
II. NABOTH AND HIS PROTECTION
As Naboth tilled and worked the land, he probably had many folks come by and talk with him about what a nice piece of land he possessed.
From time to time, some may have made him offers on this prime land. Each time Naboth would say, “NO DEAL!”
WHY DIDN’T HE WANT TO SELL THE LAND? To him, this land was more than land, it was his heritage and it was not for sale! His fathers had passed this vineyard down to him.
This land had been in his family for many generations. IT WAS MORE THAN HIS INHERITANCE; IT WAS HIS HERITAGE.
He felt he had the responsibility of making sure that the land would be handed to his children and to their children, from generation to generation.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger likes to collect knives. A man knew that this was somewhat of a hobby that he had. Out of kindness he gave him a knife. It wasn’t an expensive knife, but it was a gift. After many years had passed, he saw this man who was nice to him and he reached into his pocket and said, “Robert, remember this knife?” He looked at it and a smile came on his face and he said, “You still have that knife!”
Dr. Belger said, “I certainly do and I guess of all the knives I have, I like it the most because you wanted me to have it.”
Naboth felt he had an obligation to preserve this land so he could pass it down to his children. He trusted they would value it as much as he did and would do the same. He knew if he failed in his generation, the next generation would have nothing to pass on. Naboth had been charged with protecting what he had been given.
Illus: It is the same with us as a church. We have been given this precious gospel, and it our responsibility to make sure it is passed down to others so they can pass it down to future generations.
Look at 2 Tim 2:2, we read, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”
Today, we have what we have, because past generations did not strike a deal with Satan and sell out the Gospel of Christ.
Naboth had an attitude of PROTECTION. It was his heritage and he had every right to pass it down to his family members.
We see NABOTH AND HIS PROPERTY, NABOTH AND HIS PROTECTION and -
III. NABOTH AND HIS PROBLEM
Look at the first part of verse 2, we read, “And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs….”
This offer came from the king himself. Who could refuse such and offer? The king held a lot of power and a lot of influence. People typically did as the king requested. Most folks would have leaped at an offer like this. It just made good business sense on the surface.
But Naboth saw beneath the surface and saw what was really going on here. His father had worked this ground and perhaps his father before him. ONCE NABOTH SOLD THE LAND, THERE WAS NO TELLING WHAT WOULD HAVE DONE TO IT.
Illus: A preacher had a truck that he loved very much. But a fellow in his congregation acted as if he liked that truck as much as the preacher did. He kept begging the preacher to sell him the truck.
After some period of time, the preacher that loved this truck very much, thought, I believe he likes it more than I do. In fact, he acts like he can’t live without it! So the preacher reluctantly sold him the truck at a very low price.
The next week, he saw the man no longer had the truck and he asked him about it. The man said that he sold the truck and made a large profit!
Listen, when you and I sell something to someone, we do not know what they will do with it.
Naboth wasted no time in saying to him, “NO DEAL!”
Every day we have to face similar situations, and Satan is asking us, “DEAL OR NO DEAL?” And if we are smart we will say, “NO DEAL!”
Someone once said, “Every man has his price.” That statement implies that everyone comes to the place where they will sell all they have if the price is right. What’s your price?
• How much is your purity worth? What’s your price? Some have sold it cheap. They have given their purity to a pretty girl, or to some boy that said, “I love you.” (By the way, your purity doesn’t even belong to you! Your purity belongs to your future mate and no one else! Don’t sell the farm! Say, “No deal!”)
• How much is your innocence worth? What’s your price? Some have sold it dirt-cheap. Don’t sell the farm! Say, “No deal!”
• How much is your mind worth? Don’t sell the farm! Say, “No deal!”
• How much is your testimony worth? What’s your price? Don’t sell the farm! Say, “No deal!”
• How much is your soul worth? Don’t sell the farm! Say, “No deal!”
Naboth did not want any dealings with evil King Ahab. HE TOLD HIM, “NO DEAL”, the land wasn’t for sale!
Never forget that the world and the devil are all trying to destroy your heritage. If they have their way in your life, they will take everything you have been given and leave you nothing to live for and nothing to pass on to your children.
We see NABOTH AND HIS PROPERTY, NABOTH AND HIS PROTECTION, NABOTH AND HIS PROBLEM and -
IV. AHAB AND HIS PLAN
Ahab did not just say sell me the land, he told him why he wanted that piece of land. Look at the last part of verse 2, he said he wanted the land so, “…I May have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house…”
Make no mistake about it, Satan wants YOUR LIFE BECAUSE HE HAS A PLAN WITH WHAT HE WANTS TO DO WITH IT!
Once Naboth said, “NO DEAL!” Ahab went home angry and sullen because of Naboth’s answer.
Look at 1 Kings 21:4-5, we read, “And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread. But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?”
It is bad enough when a child acts like a spoiled brat, but it is worse when an adult acts like one.
• The first thing Ahab did was get angry
• The second thing Ahab did was to go to bed, turn his face to the wall, and refuse to eat
He was acting like a spoiled brat that was used to having it his way!
Illus: Alison Amgrim played the role of Nellie Oleson on the Little House on the Prairie series. She was the most disliked person on the planet. She was Walnut Grove’s richest and best-dressed young girl. She was also Walnut Grove’s most spoiled, unpleasant and disrespectful child. As the daughter of the wealthy Oleson family, Nellie was accustomed to having her way because her mother, Harriet, insisted on it. When things went her way, Nellie bragged about it. And when things did not go her way she was capable of concocting the most diabolical of schemes. Nellie could pout and throw tantrums as well as any snobby, bratty, and whiny person.
Ahab was the adult version of Nellie Oelson. Pouting is not pretty in a child and it is even less so in an adult.
People do all kinds of things when they don’t get their way. They can become aggressive and get angry, shout, name call, intimidate or threaten, and belittle… they may even attack and take what they want by force.
Wicked Jezebel saw him pouting and basically said, “Are you the king of Israel or not? Get up and eat and don’t worry about it. I’ll get you Naboth’s vineyard!”
Her attitude was, “DON’T YOU KNOW WHO WE ARE?”
Illus: It was the final exam for an introductory Biology course at the university… the exam was two hours long and blue books were provided. The professor was very strict and told the class that they had exactly two hours to finish the exam. Anyone that did not turn in the exam within two hours would fail the course. Half an hour into the exam, a student rushed into the room and asked the professor for an exam booklet.
The professor handed him the blue book and said, “You have exactly one-and-a-half hours to complete the exam. You will have to hurry to make it.”
The student took the book and began writing furiously. An hour and a half later, the professor called time and the students laid down their pencils and placed their blue books in a stack on the professors desk … all but the late student who continued to write.
A few minutes later the student approached the desk and attempted to add his exam to the stack of test books but the professor interrupted him and said, “No you don’t… you did not complete the exam on time.”
The student asked with a sense of incredulity, “Do you know who I am?”
The professor replied with an air of sarcasm, “No, as a matter of fact I don’t.”
Raising his voice the student asked again, “Do you know who I am?”
And the professor with an even greater air of superiority replied, “No I don’t and I don’t care who you are!”
“Good,” replied the student, and quickly lifted the stack of exams, stuffed his into the middle, and walked out of the room.
Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, essentially said to him, “Don’t you know who we are? I am the Queen… I will get you your vineyard.”
She had Naboth killed, and once Naboth was out of the way, Ahab had his garden.
Conclusion:
I wish I could tell you that Naboth’s story had a happy ending. Because he said, “No deal” and refused to sell the farm, he paid a high price.
Ahab’s wife Jezebel had him arrested on false charges and Naboth was stoned to death. I really do wish the story ended on a happier note.
If you refuse to take the deals offered by those who would take what you have, you can expect to suffer:
• You might find yourself ostracized by the crowd
• You might be made fun of
• You might be laughed at
• You will miss out on a few of the experiences others around you are having
But, you will be the winner in the end.
It may have looked like Ahab won and Naboth lost. But Elijah appeared on the scene and told him that God knew what he has done and the dogs would lick his blood.
Illus: There is a popular song among our youth titled, “Who Let The Dogs Out?”
Elijah’s prophecy concerning Ahab came true. Someone did let the dogs out and they did lick his blood. The same thing happened to his evil wife Jezebel.
Illus: Throughout his administration, Abraham Lincoln was a president under fire, especially during the scarring years of the Civil War. And though he knew he would make errors in office, he resolved never to compromise his integrity. So strong was this resolve that he once said, "I desire so to conduct the affairs of this administration that if at the end, when I come to lay down the reins of power, I have lost every other friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that friend shall be down inside of me." (Today In The Word, August, 1989, p. 21).
We see –
I. NABOTH AND HIS PROPERTY
II. NABOTH AND HIS PROTECTION
III. NABOTH AND HIS PROBLEM
IV. AHAB AND HIS PLAN
