“But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, ‘Why is your spirit so vexed that you eat no food?’ 6 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.’ 7 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.'” 1 Kings 21:5-7 (ESV)
Have you ever wanted something you could not have? You can easily become obsessed with doing whatever it takes to feed the desire to acquire. Ahab coveted Naboth’s vineyard and watered the seed of greed. When he did not get his way, Ahab pouted and refused to eat. When Ahab’s wife, Jezebel, noticed his dejected state, she took matters into her own hands.
Jezebel watered the seed of greed through deception. She wrote letters in Ahab’s name and used Ahab’s seal and then sent them to the elders and leaders of Naboth’s city. She devised a plan to have a fast proclaimed and to secure two worthless men to sit across from Naboth to bring a false charge against him resulting in punishment by death. The seed of greed became a fatal weed.
Ahab got the vineyard he wanted and Jezebel was willing to take a man’s life for it. That’s what the seed of greed can do! Greed has the power to lead you into making irrational decisions. Greed poisons the fertile ground of God’s will.
Keep the seed of greed from taking root in your life. Practice generosity. Live to bless and benefit others.
Chronological Bible Reading Plan: (Day 179: 1 Kings 20-21)
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell