It's good to be King

When Queen Jezebel came in to King Ahab she found him sulking. This was probably not unusual, because it seems that this was how Ahab generally responded to his frustrated desires. Nevertheless she asked Ahab what the problem was and he told her that Naboth wouldn’t let him have the vineyard. There

seems more than a touch of sarcasm in Jezebel’s response “Do you reign over Israel?” It seems that Jezebel was of the opinion that if Ahab was King then he could do anything he liked. The religious convictions or sensitivities of a mere citizen of the country should be no impediment to Ahab getting what he wanted. In effect she seemed to be saying ‘What’s the matter with you? If you want this vineyard, then take it. After all, you are the king aren’t you?’

In any event Jezebel told Ahab not to worry about it, she would take care of the matter. In fact he might as well get cleaned up, put a smile on his face and have something to eat, the Vineyard was as good as his. Ahab didn’t even bother to ask how she was going to do it. He knew that Naboth could only give up his land if he broke God’s law and he had already refused an offer of money, how then was Jezebel going to get it for him? It was perhaps better to remain ignorant, what you don’t know can’t hurt you. How many business and political leaders apply this philosophy? In fact there is a term for it:  Plausible Deniability. This was not the first nor the last time such an idea was put into practice, leaders in all walks of life have managed to distance themselves from unpopular decisions by claiming ignorance. Perhaps this was in Ahab’s mind when Jezebel spoke to him and was why he didn’t ask how she was going to get the vineyard for him. Unfortunately for Ahab he couldn’t avoid responsibility, he was still king, he was going to be the one who received the benefit from the crime that was about to be committed, and in any event God knew clearly what was going on and he would hold him accountable. After all he was the king of Israel, he did rule and he was responsible for all that happened in the land.

Jezebel may also have been so aware of Ahab’s weakness that she was afraid that he would not support the plans she made. She obviously understood her husband. He did not protest when she brought her own gods into the land and caused people to worship them. He didn’t object when she provided a lavish table for 400 of the prophets of Asherah. He apparently didn’t get in the way when she threatened the life of Elijah and now when she proposed to get the vineyard for him in spite of opposition from Naboth, the rightful owner and contrary to the express command of God he raised no objection. Ahab, it seems, enjoyed the role of King. He wore the robe of authority but he did not exercise it in his own home. When the nation was suffering in a severe drought he was scouring the country to find food for his horses instead of tending the needs of his people; instead of destroying his enemies he made a deal with their king in exchange for land and a memorial to himself and rather than repent when faced with his sin he sulked. Now when Jezebel ridiculed him and proposed to give him what he wanted even though he knew it to be wrong he remained silent. He was interested in the appearance and trappings of success. He wanted to be known as a wise and successful leader and he was prepared to do what it took to get what he wanted. Even if it meant remaining silent while others conspired around him to fulfil his desires. Ahab perhaps thought that if he didn’t personally ‘pull the trigger’ then he wouldn’t be held responsible. But he was wrong.

We are responsible for the decisions or the non-decisions we make. Claiming ignorance does not excuse us. If we have been given a position of authority or power then we need to take seriously our responsibility to walk in integrity and act righteously. Personal gain should never blind us to the legitimate needs of others. What is true for the individual is likewise true for the business or the nation. Do we sometimes let our pursuit of success, economic prosperity or influence come at the cost of the rights of those who lack the power to stand against us? God has called us to shepherd the sheep, not fleece them!

When is enough, enough?

 In the time after Elijah had departed from the scene King Ahab was caught up in a number of conflicts. On two occasions he went to war with Aram and each time he was victorious. On the second occasion in an attempt to rescue his life Ben-hadad the Aramean bargained with Ahab. The terms were accepted and Ahab and established a covenant with Ben-hadad and let him go. Once more Ahab had put personal gain in front of obedience to his God. When a prophet came to Ahab and told him that because of his disobedience his life would be given in exchange for Ben-hadad’s and the people of Israel would be given in exchange for the people of Aramea, Ahab went to his house ‘sullen and vexed’.

Sometime afterward he went from his palace in Samaria to Jezreel, his summer residence. When he arrived he took an interest in the vineyard of Naboth a local resident. He asked Naboth to let him have the vineyard as a vegetable garden, but Naboth refused. Ahab was insistent, he offered money or other land in exchange, but Naboth stood firm. There were probably two reasons for Naboth’s reluctance, in the first place this was his land and he didn’t want to part with it. It was evidently good land and well-positioned otherwise Ahab wouldn’t have wanted it. No doubt the vines that it produced were of good quality and gave a good yield. The right amount of money may have overcome these objections but there was a bigger issue at stake. The law prohibited the sale of land that was an inheritance a fact of which Ahab was well aware. Rather than respect Naboth’s religious convictions and his personal desires he was insistent and contrived to have him break the law. But Naboth was more concerned with obeying God than Ahab was and steadfastly refused to part with his land.

Ahab’s response was to sulk. He went to his house sullen and vexed and refused to eat. By turning his face to the wall he showed that he was refusing to talk or engage with others. Despite being a powerful king, astute political campaigner and ruler of the nation Ahab was childish. Having had his personal wants frustrated he sulked. He had seen something he wanted and was prepared to not only ask a loyal citizen to break God’s law by giving it to him but he applied pressure on him to do so. When his plans were frustrated he sulked. This response of Ahab was not unusual, when God had told him that he would be punished for his disobedience he sulked, his previous encounters with Elijah demonstrated that he lacked the courage to stand up and take responsibility for his own actions and was quite happy for others to do things that he lacked the conviction to do himself. He was more concerned with his own interests than those of his nation or of his God. And now having been denied a piece of land he wanted to grow vegetables in, he sulked. Ahab’s life was characterized by his desire to satisfy his own personal wants and desires. He was prepared to bring others into his deceit and moral failure in order to fulfil his wishes. In his personal, civic and business life he was prepared to put ambition and success above integrity, sincerity and righteousness. Ahab had all he needed, he was wealthy and powerful and yet when he couldn’t add one more possession to his already impressive collection he became sullen and vexed and refused to speak. He had everything he needed, but it wasn’t enough, he was still unsatisfied – he wanted more.

How much is enough? Will the increase of possessions ever bring satisfaction or fulfillment? For Ahab, certainly they didn’t, and history would suggest it doesn’t for many of the rich and famous either. The tragedy here is that the reckless pursuit of possessions to satisfy the desire for meaning resulted in not only Ahab falling further and further into moral and spiritual failure, it resulted in unethical behaviour and corruption of the social order. When your ambitions are thwarted, how do you respond? Do you go off and sulk or do you rise to the challenge, re-evaluate your goals and set a new direction? Meaning and fulfillment will never be found in possessions, but in understanding your position and calling and acting with integrity as you pursue your dreams.