Delivered by Rev Dr John Evans
on Sunday 13 June, 2010
1 Kings 21:1-25
Psalm 5:1-8
Galatians 2:15-21
Luke 7:36-8:3
Introduction to the Reading of Naboth’s Vineyard
After the death of King Solomon in 928 BC, his kingdom was divided between his two sons. Israel became the northern Kingdom with the capital in Shechem, and Judah in the south, with Jerusalem as its capital.
Our story takes place in the northern kingdom.
Ahab became King of Israel – the northern kingdom – about 50 years after the split. He marries Jezebel, a foreigner – the daughter of the king of Tyre. Jezebel worships Baal, the Canaanite fertility god. Ahab allows Jezebel to continue in these traditions and even erects a altar to Baal and also worships that god.
Into the scene comes Elijah (“Yahweh is my God”) – the prophet. He comes from Gilead, on the eastern side of the Jordan, where the worship of Yahweh has been preserved. He speaks out against the royal court. From 1 Kings 17 onwards we then have a variety of incidents concerning this prophet, Elijah. He prophesises a severe drought; he is sustained in the wilderness by ravens; the widow of Zarephath helps him; he engages a large number of the prophets of Baal in a sort of religious world cup, about who can ignite a sacrifice to their god; he escapes to Mt Sinai, or Horeb where God addresses him with a still small voice, not in the wind, fire and earthquake, to continue to be a prophet in his land. In all this he seeks the assistance of another, Elisha (“my God saves”).
These stories have been gathered together in what scholars call the Deuteronomistic History – written much later in the time of Josiah, even the exile in Babylon. They were typically stories from the southern kingdom about how the worship of Yahweh and the keeping of the covenant had fallen away, yet God was still faithful. These stories from the north of Elijah and Elisha, however, have such universal themes, they too have been preserved in this great sweep of a story of a people promised so much by God, but at every chance, turn away from Yahweh.
The figures of Ahab and Jezebel represent more than just wicked persons, even wicked persons in high office; they are emblematic of an oppressive social order in which the structures of power, fortified by cultural and financial interests from abroad, deprive ordinary citizens of their wealth and their happiness. The reading stresses the crucial role of social and personal justice in Yahweh’s land.
So we come to our story of Naboth and his vineyard. The setting is not in the capital, but the site of the winter palace – Jezreel.
(The Story is read: I Kings 21: 1- 24, 27-29)
The Themes of the Story
Overarching the story, this almost timeless story, is the abuse of power by rich and powerful, over ordinary people. It is not God’s will. . . and soon Pam and I want to have a conversation about that. However, there are other aspects of this story which we may puzzle about, or challenge you. Here are four other themes
* Covetousness
* Violence
* The role of manipulators and prevaricators
* Forgiveness
1. Covetousness
The whole of the story is a profound exposition of the tenth commandment: do not covet something that belongs to another. Here it becomes obsessive. Ahab wants Naboth’s vineyard. Ahab wants a new veggie patch near his winter palace. He tries lawful means – an offer of money, another piece of land. But they are refused. Ahab – in a childlike tantrum – pouts, retreats to his bed. He can’t get this vineyard. He is miserable, depressed.
This covetousness leads to an intensity of greed that soon leads into complicity with deceit, violence and the very social order of his nation is jeopardised. A whole raft of commandments are broken. . . and as suggested, in the reading, it is like idolatry: placing our desires and priorities before God.
Greed and covetousness are again getting an airing – the behaviour of the Goldman Sachs’ of the world, or even of mining tycoons – are coming to the fore. The driver for greed is coveting – wanting something, or wanting a life like someone else’s. Certainly not the same has having personal goals – and then striving for them. Coveting, as Ahab showed – weakens one’s moral fibre; and even leads to depression and stress. A much under estimated sin.
Do we downplay coveting because it is just “something in our mind”? Or as Ahab shows, is it actually quite significant?
2. Manipulators and Prevaricators – Scapegoats
In this story there is some nasty behaviour. Jezebel, that archetypical “femme fatale”, is the classic manipulator. You can almost hear her purring – “you are the king aren’t you, why don’t you get hold of Naboth’s vineyard. Come on big boy – you can have it.” And she sets out on her plan. Along the way others get swept up in her scheming – too cowed, too weak, to object. The elders and leaders of Jezreel are too weak to object to the trumped up charges against Naboth, and they have him stoned. Naboth, who holds to what he believes to be his sacred duty to preserve his ancestral land, is summarily carted off and stoned, because they receive this forged letter from the king.
Can Ahab himself say – well it wasn’t me, it was her. She did it. She forged a letter which lead to his death. There is a scapegoat. Does that remove our complicity? Or can the elders of Jezreel, say well we were just following orders of the King, albeit forged orders of the king? When do you actually begin to object to ruthless and powerful behaviour. Do you just prevaricate and take the quiet life.
Again, and again it has been seen that it is when good people do not object – say to racism shown towards asylum seekers – that wickedness and tyranny is allowed to prosper. Pastor Niemoller, a leading Christian opponent to Nazism, originally supported the rise of Hitler. His famous quote is still chilling today.
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn’t a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
Yes, this a story of the abuse of power, but do the manipulations and duplicity absolve us from speaking out. It didn’t stop Elijah – and Ahab immediately knew he had done wrong.
How do we cope with those who manipulate or make it very difficult to say no?
What is the role of conscience here?
3. Violence
The contemporary Christian commentator, Brian McLaren, has endeavoured to bridge the liberal progressive and evangelical conservative divide in his writing. His latest book, A New Kind of Christianity: 10 Questions that Are Transforming the Faith – is one of those books. One of those questions is, “Is God violent?” And you can imagine that conservative Christians will come to a passage like this and see, not only the violence rendered to Naboth, but the violence of the threat of Elijah, as being a justification for a violent response – say today to Islamists. And on the other hand liberal Christians – more like ourselves, will squirm with all of this violence. Indeed we welcome what the lectionary writer has done, and actually cut out the violent bits coming from good people like Elijah. The lectionary even stops in the middle of a verse to avoid the violence! Today we heard the whole, unedited story!
Violence in scripture is a major problem; it is a major problem with this story. I don’t profess to be able to deal with this briefly – but may I make two comments. The violent consequences of Ahab’s sin enunciated by Elijah – do not directly come to pass. There is confession in Ahab – his sackcloth and ashes – and forbearance, of a kind, is offered. At least Ahab is dealt with less violently, although his house will still suffer. Secondly and more profoundly these are not directly Christian texts. The violent death on the cross – is something about our sinful violence – and the offering of a new way. Elijah here is not Christ. A prophet – yes, but he is not the messiah, the prince of peace.
Are you troubled by violence in these Old Testament stories? Do they diminish our understanding of who God is; or are they realistic of actually “how it is?”
4. Forgiveness
Related to the above – we really need to explore what is this forgiveness that Ahab received. Having been confronted by Elijah, “Ahab tore his clothes, wore sackcloth’ and generally went around as a penitent. Is that sufficient? Is that all we need to do? What about Naboth’s family who don’t have Naboth around any more, he is dead; or what about their ancestral land? Is that just?
The one thing to emerge from the current sexual abuse malaise of the church, including our own Uniting Church, is the sharp focus on the role and place of forgiveness in all of this. The offending priest has confessed and been forgiven . . . but still continues in his role, while his victims languish and are forgotten about. Is that forgiveness? Is that God’s love? Is that what has happened to Ahab? Is this just “cheap grace”? Grace without the repentance – the complete conversion, turning around of a person’s life; is it love without the justice? Do the sins of the father’s and their fathers end in the cross of Christ – if today people are still suffering because of those ancient injustices from which we benefit?
Something is just not right here in this story – jarring. Yes there is the violence that will continue till the next generations. . . and we have trouble with that. But there seems to be no response from Ahab, other than his conscience is sprung into action and the enormity of his sins are revealed and challenged. There is here no words of Christ to the rich young ruler – go and sell all that you have and give to the poor; or the response of Zaccheus in his encounter with Jesus to repay fourfold those whom he had defrauded. Grace is grace – but not to be cheapened.
The Questions
Is “cheap grace” a problem for Christians? Alternatively are there problems placing conditions on forgiveness?
What a story! Perhaps briefly – just turn to your neighbour – an offer your reactions to this story. The following questions might prompt discussion.
Do we downplay coveting because it is just “something in our mind”? Or as Ahab shows, is it actually quite significant?
How do we cope with those who manipulate or make it very difficult to say no?
What is the role of conscience here?
Are you troubled by violence in these Old Testament stories? Do they diminish our understanding of who God is; or are they realistic of actually “how it is”?
Is “cheap grace” a problem for Christians? Alternatively, are there problems placing conditions on forgiveness?
However, there is the big theme of rich and powerful abusing their position over ordinary folk. What might it mean today?
A conversation
John and Pam Where do you see this theme played out today?
Are there Ahab’s and Jezebel’s and Elijah’s involved?
How do we cope with it always being like this?
Hope keeps us going. There is a vision of a better world. Like with in the gospel anointing story – all are included within the kingdom. And there is joy, relationships and celebration.
