IMITATE THEIR FAITH/"GET UP, GO DOWN TO MEET AHAB"- Continue

 Ahab had a palace in Samaria-and quite a colossal structure it was! He also had a palace in Jezreel, some 23 miles (37 km) away. Adjacent to this second residence lay a vineyard. Ahab coveted that bit of land which belonged to a man name Naboth.  Ahab summoned him and offered to give him money or trade for the vineyard. Naboth, though, said: "It is unthinkable, from Jehovah's standpoint, for me to give you the inheritance of my forefathers." (1 Kings 21:3) Was Naboth stubborn? Reckless? Many have assumed so. In fact, he was obeying the law of Jehovah, which did not allow Israelites permanently to sell land that was the hereditary possession of the family. (Leviticus 25:23-28) To Naboth, it was unthinkable to break God's Law. He was a man of faith and courage, for he surely knew that it was dangerous to stand to Ahab.  

Ahab, of course thought nothing of Jehovah's Law. He went home, "sullen and dejected" that he had not got his way. We read: "He lay down on his bed, kept him face turned away, and refused to eat." (1 Kings 21:4) When Jezebel saw her husband pouting like a petulant child, she swiftly hatched a scheme to get him what he wanted-and also, in the process, to destroy a righteous family. 

Next time: IMITATE THEIR FAITH - "GET UP, GO DOWN TO MEET AHAB" - Conclusion

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