We Have to Learn How to Love. We Have to Learn How to Live/ 1 Kg 21:1-21 NKJV

We Have to Learn How to Love. We have to Learn How to Live

1 Kg 21: 1-21 NKJV

Purpose:         To learn how to live lives that please God.

21 And it came to pass after these things that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard which was in Jezreel, next to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.

² So Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near, next to my house; and for it I will give you a vineyard better than it. Or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its worth in money.”

³ But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!”

⁴ So Ahab went into his house sullen and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no food.

⁵ But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said to him, “Why is your spirit so sullen that you eat no food?”

⁶ He said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite, and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if it pleases you, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ And he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’”

⁷ 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.

¹¹ So the men of his city, the elders and nobles who were inhabitants of his city, did as Jezebel had sent to them, as it was written in the letters which she had sent to them.

¹² They proclaimed a fast, and seated Naboth with high honor among the people. ¹³ And two men, scoundrels, came in and sat before him; and the scoundrels witnessed against him, against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth has blasphemed God and the king!” Then they took him outside the city and stoned him with stones, so that he died.

¹⁴ Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned and is dead.”

¹⁵ 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.

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.”’”

²⁰ So Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?”

And he answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord:

²¹ ‘Behold, I will bring calamity on you. I will take away your posterity, and will cut off from Ahab every male in Israel, both bond and free.

This Is the Word of God

For the people of God.
Praise be to God

Amen

We Have to Learn How to Love. We have to Learn How to Live

1 Kg 21: 1-21 NKJV

Purpose:         To learn how to live lives that please God.

          Last week I was pretending with Toreigh that she was a genie, who was able to give me as many wishes I wanted. Later this game brought back many memories of my childhood. I remember playing the same game with my little sister, about a genie who was able to give me everything that I wanted. No matter what people say, it would have to be wonderful to have a personal genie who could give us everything that we wanted and in the place and time that we wanted it. No efforts. No sacrifices. No sufferings for what we want. It would just have to be amazing. I want a genie. Then, the game with Toreigh made me think of the desires of my heart, which are many. And how through all my young life, and early adulthood, I was so focused and determined to reach and accomplish all my desires that I never paid attention to other people’s wishes. I also couldn’t enjoy the present moment because always I was thinking in the next step to get the next desire I wanted to get. The desires of my heart were so important and so loved for me that I thought that they were the same for everybody else. In fact, when I became a mom, my children started asking for things with the prefix words “I WANT” I want a doll, I want a ball, I want an ice cream, I want to watch a cartoon. I thought that my job as a mom and caregiver who loved them deeply was to provide, to afford, and to give them everything that they wanted because again and of course, I love them. I wanted them to be happy. I wanted them to be pleased and comfortable in life and with me. I want them to trust. I wanted them to believe that mommy loved them so much that I was here as the genie to provide everything that they wished. I thought it was the right way to love my children. I loved them so much. The more love the more giving of the wishes for them.

          Have you been there? Have you thought that the right way to live and to love is to give and to get the wishes of our hearts and to give the wishes of our beloveds? How many times have we forced situations for our own benefit or the benefit of someone who we love and we don’t consider, much less ask God if the object, situation, or person we desire is lined up with His will for our lives?

          In the story of today, it is obvious that king Ahab, who had the means to get whatever he wanted, and Naboth, a person who didn’t have as much as the king, enter in a conflict. Naboth was very confident of the desires of his heart and how to live a peaceful life. Actually, it sounds childish that the king wanted a vegetable garden. However, the point here is not the vegetable garden. It is the intentions of the human heart. To want or to desire something is not bad. Otherwise, how can we strive to reach our goals in life? The very wrong was the intensity of the desire for something. The text tells us that the desire of the king was so intense that he became depressed and angry. When one wants something or someone so badly to the point of not functioning in a right and healthy way, then something is wrong. Not with the wish. Something is wrong with our attitude. I need to have this. These five simple words can lead us easily to sin. The same happens when we want to give to one of our beloveds the desire of their hearts.  Do we stop and think whether such and such thing, situation, or person is good for my beloved? Does God want me to strive and try to get it because it is what God wants and intends for their lives?  

          In Ancient Israel tradition it was considered a blessing from the LORD to have land and pass it on to the next generations. It was a given blessing from the LORD. Just listen to the answer of Naboth when the king asks him to sell or to exchange the vineyard, in v. 3 “The LORD forbid that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!!!” For Naboth, the owner of the vineyard, it was important to follow the LORD’s desires, wishes, commands. Noboth knew how to live and he knew how to love. He loved the land that God gave it to his ancestors. Remember that everything belongs to God.

              How many times have we agreed to do something, have we gotten into an argument, or have we even gotten into a debt because we wanted to show our love to someone? Well, I think we need to learn how to live and how to love.

          When Jezebel, the queen and wife of Ahab, came and discovered that he deeply wished the vineyard of another person, what did she do? She went and arranged a lie, a plan on how to get what her beloved wanted. How many times can we compromise our integrity, our ethical and moral behavior for something or for someone? How far are we able to carry the accomplishment of desires and wishes “in the name of love”? How many times have we been content when life says “NO” to us?

          You know what the problem is, that we really believe that to get, to say, to do whatever our beloveds want is the right way to live and it is the right way to love. We can easily lose the right direction and the right perspective, that are God’s perspective and direction, when the desires, the wishes of our hearts consume us. Because in reality what should consume us is the love and obedience for our God.

          And you know what is ironic, when the intensity of the wishes and desires of our hearts take over us, we do not enjoy the process because it becomes an obsession. It becomes an obsession because we elevate material things or people to the level of gods. When we do that, we don’t experience permanent fulfillment when we reach the desire object or person or situation.

          So, my dear ones, what is the solution? The solution is to learn how to love and is to learn how to live. The only way we can learn such important lessons is through our personal and communal relationship and obedience with God.

Let us pray

Dear and Good Father

Thank You so much for the desires and wishes of our hearts and the desires and wishes of our beloveds. Help us to avoid raising people, situations, or things to Your level. We want to learn how to love rightly. We want to learn how to live well.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.