The Climax-Madisonian. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1914-1917, 1915-09-29


pared by Rev. D. M. Stearns.
Ahab and Naboth side by side on
earth, the rich and the poor, meet to-
gether, but there is a hereafter, as de-
scribed in Luke xvi, and the rich here
are sometimes awfully poor, and
worse than poor. when they leave this
world. 1t is certainly a pitiful phase
Of sinful human nature when such as
Ahab desire also a poor mans all and
act like a spoiled child when they can
not get 1t. He was heavy and dis
pleased when reproved by the Lord
for compromising with Ben-hadad, and
now he is the same because he cannot
have Naboth's vineyard, and he went
to bed, turned away his face and
would not eat Xxx, 43; xxi, Id. Many
a man in Naboth's place would have
been afraid to displease such a one as
Ahab, but Naboth feared the Lord and
evidently remembered that the land
was His and was not to pass from
tribe to tribe Oev. XIV, %; Mum.
xxxvi, y, and he would rather dis
please Ahab at any cost than displease
the Lord. Such whole hearted people
for God are greatly needed-those who
will never bow to any, however
mighty, If thus they can glorify God.
The fear of man always bringeth a
snare. We must live in the fear Of the
Lord always.
Jezebel, on learning what allied her
husband, urged him to remember that
he was the king, that he should arise
and eat and be merry and she would
give him Naboth's vineyard oversees
so. The people who give what does
not belong to them, no matter who
suffers by 1t, are still to be found on
neutrality-suspicious., proud, selfish, the
earth Is mine; what right have you on
it? There are also plenty to do their
bidding, no matter what 1t is, whether
to Cypress and ruin a man or his fam
lily or business or even to take a mans
life, as did these vassals of Jezebel
oversees $40. Some one has said that
If the servants Of Christ were as ready
to serve Him as the servants of the
devil are to serve him many things
would be different all around.
1t seems to US strange that the Lord
should permit the devil to aff1ict and
kill His people, but He told His disci-
pies that they would be put out of the
synagogue and even killed for His sake
and that they must not be afraid to be
killed John xvi, 1, 2; Matt. X, 2S). In
the very next chapter we see faith
full servant of the Lord, Micaiah, the
son Of Imlah, put in prison and fed on
bread and water because he spoke the
Lords message and feared no mans
frown and sought no mans favor (xxii,
6, IA, 81, 29. The time will come, aft
ter the church is taken away, when
the saints then on earth, converts after
the rapture, the redeemed of Rev. vii,
the great tribulation saints, shall suf-
fer terribly at the hands of the serv
ants of the devil dan. vii, q. %; Rev.
xiii, SO, but their victory is seen In
Rev. XIV, while the torment of those
who prefer life and the favor Of man
is seen in Rev. xiv, Oil.
Word was brought by the murderers
to the murderess that Naboth was
dead, stoned to death, like Stephen and
Saul, long afterward, but they did not
know the God of Naboth, who ever
liveth and cares for His own, though
He often allows that which looks like
evil to come to them. 1t stands for
ever true that all things work togeth-
er for good to them that love God
Rom. viii, 80. Ahab went to take
possession of Naboth's vineyard, but
an awful message came to him from
the Lord by the mouth Of Elijah con-
corning both himself and his wife.
THUS saith the Lord, In the place
where dogs licked the blood Of Naboth
shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine"
and 'The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the
wall of Jezreer' oversees 10, 23). See
the fulfllment of both of these predic-
lions in xxi, 80, and II Kings TX, 10,
26, 3O-37. There is a reaping for all
sowing both here and hereafter, for
whatsoever a man soweth that shall
he also reap" and they that have
sown the wind shall reap the whirl-
wind" (Gal. vi, Z, 8; Hos. viii, y.
Ahab called Elijah his enemy (verse
| 20), but it was Ahab who was the enc
by of Elijah and of the Lord, for he
had sold himself to the devil to work
evil in the sight of the Lord, being
stirred up to do so by his wicked wife,
Jezebel oversees 20, 25). He said to Eli
| jah, Hast thou found meF" And Eli
jah said, 81 have found thee" Verse
2O). This reminds US of the words in
Mum. xxi, %, BE sure your sin will
| find you out" and also Of Matt. <, 26,
There is nothing covered that shall
not be revealed, and hid that shall not
be known" Oh. the revealings Of that
day, when there may be many works
of even Christians burned up because
| of self q Cor. iii, 1115). 1t looks as If
Ahab might have been different man
but for his wicked wife. And oh, how
gracious the Lord was to him! He
knew him thoroughly, and yet when
He saw some apparent repentance. hui
mility and fasting He held off the evil
during his days oversees 27-29). The
alliance of Jehosaphat (who was one
OF the eight good kings of Judah with
Ahab, as recorded in chapter xii, is
one of the strange combinations of the
godly and ungodly which prove so dis
astrous always. Why not determine
to lay to heart II Cor. vi, 1918, and
live accordingly. for wholehearted sep
aration unto the Lord is the only way.