THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
778
of heaven in which to serve the devil. Absalom won a crown in that way. The Jews found men ready to swear away the life of Christ. Naboth, the man of God, with strong, sturdy religious convictions will not sacrifice his conscientious convictions; even at the will of the king, and with the courage of a soldier lays down his life in defence of a principle. The game goes merrily on. Naboth is murdered. Ahab has the vineyard, but God is not dead. There is a last card to be played, and God always plays jt. There is an unexpected vis itor. It is the messenger of God with the death warrant in his hands. There was just one hitch in the play; Jezebel had not taken God info account. Everything worked so easily and so satisfactorily up to the finale, which was all spoiled. There is God; there is the record; there is the judgment pronounced; there is the punishment inflicted. Is it not wise to ask a few questions? Am I satisfied with God’s plan for my life? Am I happy in His will for me? Am I coveting the best gifts of God? Evil is so subtle; it is so saintly. It must be recognized; brought into the light; strangled in the beginning; else its hydra-head will work ruin in the life. Have no fellowship with the works of darkness—social, spiritual or other wise. Walk in the light. Be satisfied with God’s gifts. PRACTICAL POINTS (1) Sin is never successful. (2) You may shift to another shoulder your crime, but God’s judgment reveals the record. (3) The pleasures of sin bring no peace. (4) When sin blinds the conscience, a man becomes dead to the conse quences. (5) Pleasure purchased at the price of peace is a bad bargain.
ing with temptation. The outline is simple: The Covetous, Cowardly Ahab; The Crafty Criminal, Jezebel; The Crime of Murder, and The Condemnation of Jehovah. What an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to use your lips to seal some lesson upon the consciences of the mem bers of your class. Position, possess ions and power do not satisfy the human heart. Here is a king dissatisfied with the circumstances which environ' his life. There was something lacking. He had the money with which to buy what he coveted, but the owner did not want to sell. The king had set his heart upon it. He coveted his neighbor’s vineyard. He violated one of"God’s great laws and suffered the consequences. Back of the story lies an important fact, and it is found, in v. 25. “Ahab had sold himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord.” He had sold out to the devil. He was the devil’s tool. He might have been a servant of Jehovah with a tablet in the Eleventh of Hebrews— “Ahab, the Martyr for God,”—but he was a child of the devil and his name is a synonym of wicked ness. Ahab sulked like a child. He reveals the littleness of his soul. If he cannot have what he wants he won’t play king any more. Look upon the little weak, whining, whimpering, wicked king, cry ing like a child for a toy. God is not in all his thoughts but the devil is. He cries to his master for the vineyard, and the devil answers his prayer. Jeze bel, his wife, makes sport of him. What kind of a king is he who does not get what he wants? There is no whine in Jezebel. Another kind of a demon possesses her. She plans a plot with a religious feast as a background, and a couple of the devil’s children as accessories, and a murder as the climax. There are always servants who will use the livery
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