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Bible Readings for Monday, June 27th, 2011 – The Week of The 2nd Sunday After Pentecost *Click on each bible passage to expand the text. Psalm 119:161-168 161. Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of your words.

162. I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil.

163. I hate and abhor falsehood, but I love your law.

164. Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous ordinances.

165. Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.

166. I hope for your salvation, O LORD, and I fulfill your commandments.

167. My soul keeps your decrees; I love them exceedingly.

168. I keep your precepts and decrees, for all my ways are before you. 1 Kings 21:1-16 1. Later the following events took place: Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of King Ahab of Samaria.

2. And Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard, so that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house; I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.”

3. But Naboth said to Ahab, “The LORD forbid that I should give you my ancestral inheritance.”

4. Ahab went home resentful and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him; for he had said, “I will not give you my ancestral inheritance.” He lay down on his bed, turned away his face, and would not eat.

5. His wife Jezebel came to him and said, “Why are you so depressed that you will not eat?”

6. He said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it’; but he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’”

7. His wife Jezebel said to him, “Do you now govern Israel? Get up, eat some food, and be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

8. So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal; she sent the letters to the elders and the nobles who lived with Naboth in his city.

9. She wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth at the head of the assembly;

10. seat two scoundrels opposite him, and have them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out, and stone him to death.”

11. The men of his city, the elders and the nobles who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. Just as it was written in the letters that she had sent to them,

12. they proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth at the head of the assembly.

13. The two scoundrels came in and sat opposite him; and the scoundrels brought a charge against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city, and stoned him to death.

14. Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.”

15. As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Go, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.”

16. As soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab set out to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it. 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 9. Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another;

10. and indeed you do love all the brothers and sisters throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, beloved, to do so more and more,

11. to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we directed you,

12. so that you may behave properly toward outsiders and be dependent on no one.

I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil. – Psalm 119:162

But Naboth said to Ahab, “The LORD forbid that I should give you my ancestral inheritance.” – 1 Kings 21:3

Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another; – 1 Thessalonians 4:9

You do not need to have anyone write to you…?

If you haven’t taken the opportunity yet to read our Old Testament passage for today (1 Kings 21), please do. I’ll wait…

All finished?

Pretty messed up, right? Jezebel arranges the murder of an innocent man, over what? Property.

How horrible! How reprehensible! How un-Christian! How rare?

Right…?

While we might like to think that the moral lessons of this horrific passage from the OT are too overt to be repeated by your average Christian, I am afraid America has defined the dawn of the 21st century with similarly reprehensible acts that Jezebel and Ahab would be proud of!

In order to take what was not rightfully theirs, Jezebel and Ahab manufactured the false circumstances to overthrow the land’s owner.

In order to invade sovereign countries for control of their natural resources, our leaders manufactured false circumstances to overthrow their governments.

And an entire generation of honorable, brave soldiers and their families are beginning to realize they were pawns of a modern day “Jezebel”. Beaten down, run ragged, demoralized and even killed, their lives and their families’ lives will never recover from countless tours overseas for over a year at a time.

An entire generation of our nation’s finest dishonored by their political leaders. And for what?

For the vineyard of a neighbor.

For the oil of Iraq.

For the mineral wealth of Afghanistan.

I have not been brave enough to serve as you do, soldiers of America, but I will now be brave enough to speak out for you and for us all:

Jezebel has deceived you. Jezebel has deceived us all.

And do you know what happened to Jezebel in the end? She was thrown out a window by her own court of advisors and ripped apart by wild dogs.

Some might be tempted to do the same with the “Jezebel” that is our government.

DO NOT allow your hearts to make that short-sighted mistake, my brothers and sisters.

1 Thessalonians 4 9. Now concerning love of the brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anyone write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another;

My dearest Apostle Paul, how I would beg to differ!

Apparently, we do need someone “to write us”. God’s lesson of love is not clear. We are, as a nation, still repeating the same atrocities of Jezebel. In your name, Lord, we repeat the very deceptions you abhorred thousands of years ago.

We cannot overthrow America’s “Jezebels” by force, we must peaceably change our beloved country from within. With forgiveness. With love. With patience. And with unity.

Colossians 3 12. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let us forgive our leaders. Let us forgive each other. Let us come together once more as a nation, clothed in compassion and humility before the world, and change the world.

For the sake of our soldiers and their families.

For the glory of God.