"Lessons from the Powerless"
Sermon Presented June 17, 2007
I Kings 21:1-21
When I think of those who are powerless, I think of the poor, the uneducated, single parents, immigrants, employees of large corporations, and racial minorities. The powerless are subject to abuse from those in power. Our story this morning is from the Hebrew Scriptures and describes the abuse of power and social injustice by the most powerful in the land - the king and queen. The story may be familiar to you. If not, I'm sure you will recognize some of the characters. I'm reading from I Kings 21:1-21.
The story begins in the Northern Kingdom of Israel around 855 BCE. Ahab is the king, Jezebel the queen and Elijah is God's prophet. King Ahab wants a farm that adjoins his winter palace in Jezreel so he can turn it into a vegetable garden. He approaches Naboth, the landowner, and makes a generous offer to buy it. However, Naboth believes land is more than a piece of disposable property and refused to turn it over to the king. He understands that faithfulness to the land is faithfulness to God who entrusted the land to God's people. He refuses to sell because his vineyard is his family's sacred legacy and he is its steward. Wisdom says you don't make your neighbor angry when that neighbor is the king, but that's what Naboth did.
King Ahab arrives home sullen and resentful. He's a descendent from a long line of kings and is accustomed to getting what he wants. He goes to bed, refusing to eat or talk to anyone. He's the most powerful person in Israel, so why doesn't he have the land? Ahab appears weak rather than malicious.
When Queen Jezebel checks to find out what's wrong, Ahab tells of his desire for the land that is denied him. In contrast to Ahab's weakness, Jezebel is experienced with the corrupt use of power. She's a Philistine who married Ahab against God's will. She worships Baal and introduced Baal worship into the nation. She has no allegiance to the land or to God, but sees land as something to trade, buy, sell, or take at will.
Jezebel confronts Ahab: "Aren't you the king? Then act like a king! Get up, eat and be happy. I will give you the vineyard!" Then she acts with the king's authority, using his name and his seal to write to the nobles and elders of Jezreel telling them to proclaim a fast and place Naboth at the head of the assembly. They are to get two rogues to perjure themselves and claim Naboth cursed both God and the king. The conspiracy now includes many people.
Everything goes according to plan and, in a mob action, Naboth is taken outside the city and stoned to death. II Kings 9:26 says that his sons are also killed. No trial! No truth! No justice! The people become a mob and murder their neighbors. Now that there are no heirs to the land and lies have ruined the reputation of a noble man, Ahab claims the land for himself.
I have seen "pious people" holding positions of power in a denomination ruin the reputations of godly pastors and college and seminary professors, claiming that they don't believe the Bible. This occurs when their interpretation of the Bible differs from the beliefs of the accusers. It's all about power! Just as Jezebel plots to kill Naboth by claiming he cursed God, power-hungry Christians sacrifice others on the altar of inerrancy in order to control a denomination.
Ahab didn't really do anything here, but he is just as much at fault as anyone else in the plot. He doesn't bother to find out how Jezebel intends to deliver on her promise. Ignorance is bliss! By remaining in the dark, Ahab doesn't worry about how this event will play out with God. Those who grasp for control today don't bother to examine the methods others use to attain that control either. "The end justifies the means" becomes the motto.
In Jezreel, God comes on the scene with dramatic suddenness. As Ahab goes to collect his prize, he meets Elijah - God's prophet. Elijah tells him that he is responsible for the murder even though he didn't hatch the plot or cast a stone. Ahab broke God's laws.
Let's look at God's commandments that Ahab broke. He began by breaking the tenth - "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or male or female slave or ox or donkey or anything else that belongs to your neighbor." Because of his covetousness, he is responsible for murder, theft, bearing false witness, and worshiping a god other than Yahweh. Covetousness is a form of idolatry because it puts something else before God.
The powerful in every generation have advisors like Jezebel who are clever and can devise ways to get around the law. Just look at the United States Justice Department that discovered ways to circumvent the law to infringe on the rights of the powerless rather than protect them. We see it in elections where lies are proclaimed as truth right before the time to vote. We see it in the courts when wealthy clients can pay for better legal representation than those represented by a public defender. We may not see the injustice, but God knows and God cares.
Bible stories have the power to change people. This is one such story. It is a story of evil verses righteousness; and it looks like evil wins! We sin when we don't stand up to the evil around us - when we ignore the needs of others. Ahab and Jezebel were guilty. Those who carried out the plot and the thugs who testified falsely were guilty. The people who picked up stones and stoned an innocent man were also guilty. Will we allow this story to change us?
Last Tuesday I took my grandson Chris to Chicago to visit the Chicago Art Institute. We arrived before the museum opened, so we wandered through the adjacent Millennium Park. Now keep in mind that I am the minister and Chris is a 15 year old boy who loves to listen to CD's that cost about $20 each. While we were in the park, a woman from a shelter for abused women approached us. She had a badge around her neck and told us that she was a fundraiser for the shelter with permission to solicit in the park. After explaining the work of the shelter, she said she was abused and reaped the benefits of the shelter.
While she was still talking, Chris took a $20 bill from his pocket and handed it to her. Now I am the suspicious type after many times of being conned, but not Chris. He was deeply touched by her story and gave her his money. The same thing happened that afternoon as we were leaving Baskin Robbins. I didn't see a man seated and begging beside the door, but Chris did and he put money in his cup.
Chris's girlfriend Alyx is so concerned about the people in Darfur that while Chris was in Milwaukee, she was designing a tee shirt to bring attention to the abuse there. These young people taught me more about the applications of this text to our personal lives than all of the commentaries I studied. Both Chris and Alyx are concerned about justice for those who have no voice.
In our story, if Ahab had looked elsewhere for a piece of land; if Jezebel hadn't interceded; if the men of Jezreel had refused to be a part of the nefarious plot against their neighbor; if the scoundrels had refused to lie; if any of these things had occurred, Naboth would have lived to hand down his land to his children. But no one stood up for justice!
Injustice doesn't occur in a vacuum! It occurs because good people turn their heads and do nothing, or they go along with the crowd. It takes courage and effort to address injustice. It takes God's prophets - those who are concerned about justice - to speak out - to write letters - to make phone calls, and yes, to give money to help others.
We don't bother to really hear the cries of the marginal and the oppressed. We don't consider ourselves affluent, so we save our money for our own needs and desires. But we are affluent in comparison to the majority of the world's population. And in our affluence, we need to listen to the cries of the people in Darfur, the woman who is abused and needs sanctuary, the hungry at St. Ben's, the children at Milwaukee Christian Center, and the abused at Sojourner Truth House, and do what we can to help.
There is grief and oppression all around us and we close our minds and hearts to it because we don't want to spend the money or get involved. When we help the powerless, we learn from the powerless - from Naboth, a teenager, an abused woman collecting funds, the beggar on the street corner, the immigrant working for our lawn care service, the hungry or the homeless. However, in order to learn from them, we have to be open to hear their cries and to respond.
The conclusion of this story of Ahab isn't in our text. When Ahab hears the judgment of the Lord spoken through Elijah, the reality of what he did hits him right between the eyes. He is truly repentant - tearing his clothes, putting on coarse sackcloth over bare skin, and fasting. When God sees his repentant heart, God lifts the death penalty. You see, God is a God of mercy and welcomes home the repentant sinner. When we ask, God forgives us for our failures too.
Our God, who loves and cares for the little person and the abused, wants us to care for them too. That is what we're called to do as Christians. Jesus told us to love God and to love people! We do both when we respond in love to the powerless. When we act in love, the powerless can change our lives. Let's be open to not only hear their cries, but to give our hearts, our time, and our money to help them. We learn by doing!
