Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-01-28
Golden Text: "Be sure your sin
will find you out" Mum. 1928.

AS already pointed out, Ahab was
a strange combination of strength
and weakness, of religiosity and
wickedness. This is notably re-
yealed in the incident we study to-
day. In the matter of Naboth's vine
ward, he was the king who played
the baby act; and then the murderer.
! Ahab had built a ma gnificent pal
ace in Jezreel; it was built of ivory.
But he was not content with it, al
though the grounds about it were
spacious. There was an adjoining
vineyard which he wanted to con-
vert into garden of herbs. This
vineyard belonged to Naboth. He
had inherited it from his father. It's
title deeds ran back to the time when
Johsua had divided the land among
the tribes, and this portion had fall
len by lot to his ancestor. Ahab
had told Naboth of his desire for
the vineyard and why he wanted it,
and made him proposition which
seemed fair and reasonable-he
would give him another just as good,
or he would pay him in money for it,
Naboth to name the price.
But Naboth refused to part with
1T. to him there was no other vine
yard ''just as good and all the
money in the world would not repre-
sent the value of it to him. This
| was not primarily sentiment on his
part, but if it had been, it would
| have been to. his credit. Sentiment
| is one of the finest qualities in the
, world, and one that is being rapidly
| lost these practical days, There's
no other Bible "just as good" as
| the one you have read and marked
| throughout the years. No amount
| Of money would compensate you for
| a locket made of your mothers ham.
There's no other place in the world
F., Just as good as the old home place,
| although in these days \ we have
! often parted with them for various
| reasons. Unfortunately there is a
| growing tendency to crush Senti-
ment entirely. We have no partic-
| ular attachment for the place we
| call home that would keep us from
| selling it if we can make a good
/ profit on it, and moving to another.
| But it was not primarily sentiment
| on Naboth's part that made him re-
| fuse Ahab's proposition. 1t was
| religion; it was deep sense OF his
obligation to obey God. In giving
i the law of the LAND God had spoken
through Moses and he had forbidden
| them ever osell the land that had
! been apportioned to them. On, II
could be leased temporarily, but IN
the Jubilee year it would revert to
| the original owner-like a 25-year or
a. 99-yeari lease today. Naboth was
| one of the 1000 who feared God and
| had not bowed his knee to Baal.
He knew Gods law with reference
to the land, and chose rather to
bbey God than to please Ahab, even
though Ahab was his king. Ahah
knew the law of God on the SUD-
ject, too, but he coveted the prop.
erty so much that he did not mlno
setting the law aside if necessary
to gain his desire.
The Baby Act and the Murderer
There is nede for many Naboth' s
today-rnen who will not sell them
selves nor their convictions, men
I who would rather be poor and obey
God than have great wealth II dis
obedience is the price. OF course, this
displeased Ahab. He went off and
pouted like a baby; he lay on the
bed and turned his face to the wall
and refused to eat, because he could
| not get what he wanted.
| (Jezebel found out the trouble and
said she would fix it. With Ahab's
consent she arranged the arrest anC
trial of Naboth on a charge of trea
son, had false witnesses swear
against him, and had hina stoned tc
death. Then she announced the
fact to Ahab who got over his pout
ing spell at once and went down tc
take possession of the confiscated
garden.
See what had happened. He hat
broken the first commandment
then the second, then the third ant
fourth, and seventh; now he has
broken the tenth, then the ninth ant
sixth, and finally the eighth-7eyerJ
one in the decalogue except thu
fifth. One sin had led to another
until the Spirit of God said of hin
(25th verse;, "But there was none
like unto Ahab, which did sell him
self to work wickedness in the sigh
of Jehovah, whom Jezebel his wifi
| stirred up"
The chief sin in this period of his
life was covetousness-the sin toda.
that is so respectable that it is neve
mentioned. 1t is an inordinate de
sire to get. A rich man may b.
covetous because of his desire t.
!