Individual rights are fundamental to all rights. When individual rights are disregarded, all rights dissolve.

• This being the case, it serves all of us well to work for the development of healthy-thinking morally-driven individuals.

• The absence of character and morality in some can never be the basis for the removal of rights of all.

A Biblical Example | 1 Kings 21:1-16

• Verses 1-2 -- The request, in itself, was neither unreasonable nor sinful.

• “a man of the book." He had religious convictions that his inheritance must remain within his family.

  • Leviticus 25:23 -- a prohibition against selling the land of Israel.

  • Numbers 36:7 -- a command to keep the land within the tribe.

  • Ezekiel 46:18 -- a future (millennial) prohibition against using oppression to take inheritance.

    
    

• Verse 4 -- Ahab (the fat toad that squatted illegitimately on the throne of Israel) was heavy and displeased.

  • This seems to be somewhat of a pattern. See 1 Kings 20:43, as well as 1 Kings 20:5, where the same word for heavy is translated sad.

  • The word translated heavy comes from the Hebrew root which means stubborn. See the root in Deuteronomy 21:20.

  • The word translated displeased comes from the root that means enraged. See the root in 2 Chronicles 16:10.

    
    

• Verses 5-6 -- Naboth whines to his wife.

  • Naboth's problem #1: He needed to get in control of his emotions.

  • Naboth's problem #2: He needed to respect the rights of his neighbors.

  • Naboth's problem #3: He needed to overcome his covetous ways. This was the root of his problem -- see 1 Timothy 6:10.

    
    

• Verse 7 -- Naboth's weakness

  • Jezebel (the coiled-up snake next to the toad) had two errors.

    • She thought that just because Ahab governed the kingdom of Israel that he could get whatever he wanted. This was an abuse of God-given authority.

    • She ignored the fact that Ahab governed Israel and said I will give thee the vineyard. There is no way she will be able to do this in legal (let alone ethical) ways.

      
      

• Verses 8-10 -- Sons of Belial

  • Note that when government abuses its people by stepping outside of its Biblical role, it almost always uses some government pawn.

  • In this case, the pawn were two sons of Belial. When the Hebrew word is translated, the word used is wicked or evil or ungodly.

  • Notice that they use pretense to cover their crime.

    
    

• Verses 11-16 -- Calling good evil and evil good

  • The wicked plot is carried out“blasphemy."

  • When the fat-toad of a fake-king hears about it, he has no word about its morality, but simply uses the opportunity to take that which he always wanted.

  • Note: while this sermon ends, the story doesn't. Read on to see the payback to Jezebel and Ahab.

  Every Generation's Challenge

  
  

Every generation of man (it seems), from Babylon to the present day, has faced the challenge of a government gone amuck.

• “How will Naboth fare?"

  • “little guy" who has individual rights, property, convictions, family, and dreams.

  • “bad guy," then the government has gone amuck.