A Patriot in Israel
1 Kings 2:1-21 July 4, 2004
Some time later there was an incident involving a vineyard belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. The vineyard was in Jezreel, close to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. Ahab said to Naboth, "Let me have your vineyard to use for a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace. In exchange I will give you a better vineyard or, if you prefer, I will pay you whatever it is worth."
But Naboth replied, "The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers."
So Ahab went home, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had said, "I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers." He lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat.
(So his wife, Jezebel, put in place a plan to have Naboth killed. And)
As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, "Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you. He is no longer alive, but dead." When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of Naboth's vineyard.
Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite: "Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth's vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. Say to him, 'This is what the LORD says: Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?'
Ahab said to Elijah, "So you have found me, my enemy!"
"I have found you," he answered, "because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the LORD. 'I am going to bring disaster on you. I will consume your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel-slave or free.
CCI:
The 4th of July, John Adams, in referring to the resolution adopted two days before, wrote, "The Second Day of July 1776 will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. . . . It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires, and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more." While he had the day wrong, he certainly foresaw nature of the celebration.
The Patriots who signed that first resolution and two days later signed the Declaration of Independence were men who were willing to stand against the authorities for what they believed in. These 56 men, between the ages of 27 and 70, on that day declared “That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown,. . . And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
They were patriots who refused to accept the decision of the government simply because it was the government. They were patriots because they were willing to stand against the authority and speak truth when it was dangerous and unpopular.
235 years later, William Sloan Coffin wrote, "America, love it or leave it." I believe that. The trouble with that slogan, which found its way onto endless bumpers during the Viet Nam War, was that it didn't mean what it said. It meant, "America, obey it or leave it," as if national unity were more patriotic than national debate, especially when that unity seems to many to be based on folly. If the American people are worth the salt I think they're worth, they will never be politically united, for as Barbara Tuchman...wrote, "A nation in consensus is a nation ready for the grave." Love of country, like love of parents, is never to be equated with blind obedience, as Jesus himself in both cases so poignantly demonstrated. There are three kinds of patriots, two bad, one good. The bad ones are uncritical lovers and loveless critics. Good patriots carry on a lover's quarrel with their country, a reflection of God's lover's quarrel with the world” [William Sloan Coffin, Credo (Westminster, John Knox Press, 2004)].
John Claypool also uses the terms "unloving critic" and "uncritical lover.” "Either stance" he writes, "is an absolute lethal situation for any living thing. . . Uncritical lovers are those who cannot bring themselves to acknowledge the presence of any kind of shadow in what they love, so they retreat into denial and belligerent fantasy that only leads into deeper and deeper darkness. On the other hand, unloving critics have no hope for what they see. They respond to imperfection with contempt and condemnation. And...condemnation simply stampedes those under attack into all kinds of defensiveness" (pp. 130, 131, The Preaching Event).
And that was the role of the Prophet in Israel. He was always the loving critic. Elijah, like all the great prophets of Israel, could never remain quiet when injustice took center stage. Jeremiah wept over the injustice that his people suffered under. Micah called the people to task for their arrogance in thinking they could ignore God’s call in their lives. And Elijah never backed down from the call of God’s righteousness.
He lived during the reign of King Ahab, the son of Omri. His father had been a very successful king, though he was very wicked. Ahab followed in part of his father’s footsteps. While he was not very successful, he was very, very wicked. He had many wives from many different nations. And introduced practices that angered the prophets of God.
Many times Elijah stood up to Ahab. He informed Ahab that there would be a drought that would devastate the land. At the end of the drought he challenged the false prophets to a test of the Gods, and then killed all the false prophets. And in the account we just read, Elijah confronted Ahab for killing the innocent man Naboth and stealing his land.
It seems like Ahab had never really grown up. He had always been able to get his own way. His father had pampered him and now his wife took care of him. Outside one of his palaces, there was a small family farm. It had been in the family for countless generations and the farmer was very proud of his heritage.
The king noticed this lovely farm right outside his door and thought it could be very convenient for him as a vegetable garden for the king’s house. So he approached Naboth, the farmer and offered to buy the farm or even to trade for something else. Because of the long family connection, Naboth refused to sell and the king became angry.
In fact he was so mad he became depressed, he went up to his room and acted like a littld child. The text says he “lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat.” He wanted his own way. So his wife pulled some favors in and arranged for Naboth to be killed by the elders of the city. Then Ahab simply went to claim the farm.
That is when he encountered Elijah. While other counselors had assured him it was OK to claim the farm once Naboth was dead, Elijah would not be manipulated in this way. The prophet declared that because of his wickedness his royal line would be eliminated and he and his wife would die.
Elijah was a true patriot in Israel. While there others who were uncritical lovers, who told Ahab everything he wanted to hear, and there were some who were loveless critics who screamed complaints from the sidelines. Elijah cared enough about the nation and even about Ahab, that he went to him directly and called his sin, sin.
A patriot is a person who will love enough to call people to truth. Yesterday, I received an e-mail that describes what I believe is a true patriot. After a little research here is what I learned. In January of 1996, the Rev. Joe Wright, senior pastor of Central Christian Church in Wichita, was invited to offer the opening prayer at a session of the Kansas House of Representatives, here is his prayer:
Heavenly Father, we come before you to ask your forgiveness. We seek your direction and your guidance. We know your word says, "Woe to those who call evil good." But that's what we've done.
We've lost our spiritual equilibrium. We have inverted our values. We have ridiculed the absolute truth of your word in the name of moral pluralism. We have worshiped other gods and called it multiculturalism.
We have endorsed perversion and called it an alternative lifestyle.
We've exploited the poor and called it a lottery. We've neglected the needy and called it self-preservation. We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare. In the name of choice, we have killed our unborn. In the name of right to life, we have killed abortionists.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem. We have abused power and called it political savvy. We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it taxes. We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment.
Search us, oh, God, and know our hearts today. Try us. Show us any wickedness within us. Cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Guide and bless these men and women who have been sent here by the people of the State of Kansas, and that they have been ordained by you to govern this great state.
Grant them your wisdom to rule. May their decisions direct us to the center of your will. And, as we continue our prayer and as we come in out of the fog, give us clear minds to accomplish our goals as we begin this Legislature. For we pray in Jesus' name, Amen.
During his prayer, one Representative walked out and later 3 others gave speeches critical of the prayer. However, in his words we find the heart of a patriot, a critical lover, one willing to call people to face their sin and to do it with a humble heart.
As a nation today, there are many voices who are calling us to national unity without debate, as followers of Jesus Christ, as people whose citizenship is in heaven, we must not take the easy way out. Abortion for convenience is wrong, killing abortion doctors is murder. Balancing the budget on the backs of the poor through lotteries is unjust. Lying to achieve political support and military ends is evil.
We live in a country where the values we say espouse are Justice, Peace, Freedom and Liberty. However, for the sake of expediency and convenience we have sacrificed these values on the altar of unquestioned agreement and support.
We need more patriots today like Elijah and John Hancock and William Sloan Coffin and Rev. Joe Wright. In Galatians 6, Paul wrote, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, whatever a man sows, that is what he reaps.” This is true for nations, it is true for congregations and it is true for individuals. In fact, that is where it must begin.
What are you sowing? What do you expect to reap? What would have to change if you were to become a patriot? By God’s grace, may we examine our hearts, confess our individual and corporate sins, and commit ourselves to loving critics in every area of our lives. May we love enough to call sin “sin.”
