How Would You Feel If You Were Naboth's Mother?

Poor Naboth. He was just minding his own business when the king comes along and starts envying his garden. Naboth had no idea that this envy would eventually lead to his death in a short time.*

It started out like this: 

Naboth had a beautiful vineyard.

The king envied the vineyard and thought he had rights to this beautiful garden area.

The king asks Naboth for the vineyard.

Naboth refuses to give the king the vineyard.

The king sulks at home.

The king's wife takes charge of the situation and sets up a dinner to frame Naboth on false charges.

The king's wife makes a false claim about Naboth.

The king's wife calls worthless men in to the case to verify the false claim.

Naboth is found guilty of the false charges against him.

Naboth dies because he is found guilty, even though he is really innocent.

I am sure that every generation has had its share of Ahabs and Jezebels, worthless people who are in authority and using their power in the wrong way. 

Today, it is no different. There are claims being made every day against people. Sometimes, it is hard to know the difference between what is true and what is not true. Sometimes, a claim is made up of some truth mixed in with some lies. 

We know that Jesus of Nazareth also experienced being in court, being tried on false charges. It seems like evil won, but in reality, God used that to turn evil around so that we could turn the tables on sin and Satan and experience victory over evil. 

Today, much like in Naboth's time and in Jesus' lifetime on earth, there are some evil people who are in high places of authority. They vindicate and justify evil activity, and call it 'good'. An example of this is the governmental support of Planned Parenthood. Ignorant people think that Planned Parenthood is good because they think this organization helps the population to use birth control to control the number of people being born. They also believe that the world is overpopulated, and that we must stop the population or else the world will end up turning into a furnace! Notice too, that the people who believe in the philosophy put out by Planned Parenthood, have no trust in a Sovereign God who knows how to take care of the planet when things are out of our control. 

Today, we have a media system which is much like those who lived in Jezebel's day. Certain major newspaper groups like the Washington Post, Huffington Post, and the NY Times are doing very similar things to certain people who are in authority. They are making up stories and cases against people they do not like. Their weapon is called, 'Political Assassination'.

A new story comes out every day just about. Or maybe a new spin on an old story that they made up. They take real case scenarios and twist the stories around to make them fit their narrative.

What I continue to find amazing is how people are so gullible and believe these spin off stories as if they are really true. 

Whenever it comes to an accusation, instead of assuming that the accused person is guilty, we really do have to listen to both sides of the situation.

"The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him."

According to Proverbs 18:17, the accusations can seem right. We just assume that they are true. But, and I have found this to be true as well, when we hear the other side, we get a bigger picture of what is really happening.

We went through a situation with a church family years ago. One of the former leaders led an all out attack on the main leader of the ministry. He tried to make the case that this man was involved in children's sexual abuse. And he was successful.

This man collected thousands of Facebook friends. He would write on his blog terrible 'facts' about the man he was trying to dethrone from the ministry. He posted his blog messages onto Facebook and probably other social media as well. His stories also ended up in major newspaper articles that he sent them too. 

There were people who probably never knew main leader of this ministry, but would post comments about him saying things like, 'this man is the most evil man who ever lived'. They only listened to one side of the story, and they believed the false story without even researching it. 

(The leader of the ministry was taken to court by this man, but was completely acquitted.)

But we see this going on today, every day. But what is interesting is that these stories seem to die out by the end of the day. The next day, we have a new story to hear. 

Can we look at both sides of the situation before we make an evaluation? 

I remember a few well-known men, before the election, made a startling statement about Donald Trump. They said he was a really nice guy. That didn't set well with the professing Christians and other Conservatives who trusted more in what the mainstream media taught than what men like Dobson said.

I am hearing about good things Donald Trump has done for our nation. Yet, one will never hear about those accomplishments on CNN or any of the other major news broadcasters. Perhaps Fox News would report it. But even now, the mainstream media and its followers would like to discredit Fox News as well.

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*Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.  And after this Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house, and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.”  But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”  And Ahab went into his house vexed and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said 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.

Moody Publishers/FreeBibleimages.org

Moody Publishers/FreeBibleimages.org

 But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “Why is your spirit so vexed that you eat no food?”  And 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 please you, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ And he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’”  And Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now govern Israel? Arise and eat bread and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”


 So she wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city.  And she wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people.  And set two worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.” And the men of his city, the elders and the leaders who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. As it was written in the letters that she had sent to them,  they proclaimed a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people.  And the two worthless men came in and sat opposite him. And the worthless men brought a charge against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones. Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.”

Moody Publishers/FreeBibleimages.org

  As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, 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.”  And as soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

1 Kings 21:1-16 ESV