Children's Sermon 1 Kings 21:1-14 It Belongs to Someone Else It Belongs to Someone Else 1 Kings 21:1-14 By Richard Niell Donovan Did you ever want something that belonged to someone else? • Maybe your friend had a toy that you liked––and you wanted that toy. • Or maybe your friend had a doll [...]
A double crime occurs. First, the murder of Naboth. Second, the illegal seizure of his ancestral property. When the king acts like this, is it possible to appeal to a higher authority? The biblical answer is a resounding yes.
Though Ahab is the king of Israel, he has gone through life choosing poorly, and one of his worst choices was to marry Jezebel. And with Jezebel, when it comes to devotion to one’s god, there was no compromise.
I could not help but think of this game show when I read our text for today. Ahab was playing a similar game except his title would be, “Deal… Or Else!” In Ahab’s game, it was deal or die! And Naboth decided not to deal.
Elie Wiesel writes of an auto accident that shattered the left side of his body. But his friends said it could have been worse. “How could it be worse?” His friend said, “It could have happened to me.”
Elijah was afraid. He had just stood toe-to-toe with the prophets of Baal, and had won. God came breathing fire from heaven, and vindicated Elijah’s faith. Now, Elijah was afraid. A woman said, “I’m going to get you, Elijah,” and she had scared him silly.
It was late at night when the young minister answered the phone. The voice on the other end threatened him with death, then hung up. That young minister was Martin Luther King Jr. The year was 1956.
The Bible is not afraid of the truth, even the sometimes sordid truth about its heroes. Abraham was a liar. Jacob was a thief. Moses had a murderous temper. King David was an adulterer. Today we find another “wart” in one of the greatest prophets – Elijah.
In this over-the-top story, Ahab appears powerless against prophetic truth. His impotence is dramatically manifest in front of the entire nation. Elijah the prophet is revealed as the one who helps a suffering nation flourish again.
Could you give a total stranger your last dollar? Could you give your neighbor your last box of cereal? Can we trust that God will always provide for us in every circumstance? I can’t imagine anyone giving away their last meal like the widow did for Elijah.