Sold to Do Evil
Posted on February 15, 2011
Filed Under Exhortation, OT History | 1 Comment
As I was studying for our Old Testament History Bible class, I came across a very interesting verse that I have read before, but it never really struck me the same way before. In 1 Kings 21, the account of Ahab and Jezebel stealing the vineyard of Naboth is revealed. After Jezebel succeeded in having Naboth killed, Ahab went to take possession of the vineyard that he coveted. God used the opportunity to send Elijah the prophet to him and rebuke him for his actions. Part of the message for Ahab was that he was going to die a gruesome death, and the dogs would lick his blood in the same place that they licked up the blood of Naboth (1 Kings 21:19). When Elijah came to Ahab, Ahab asked, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” To which Elijah answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord…” (1 Kings 21:20). That is the phrase that struck me as I studied this passage. Elijah described Ahab as one who had sold himself to do evil in the sight of the Lord. What does that mean, and how does a person get to that point?
What does it mean? First, consider that this description is not of one who stumbles from the path of righteousness. This is a description of a person who has consciously made a decision to do evil. They have rejected the idea of righteousness and desire to do that which is evil. Ahab had every opportunity to do what was right. God tried to bring him to repentance, and provided him with the opportunity to hear the word of the prophet Elijah, but Ahab refused. This describes a person who has departed from doing the will of God, and is fulfilling their own desires, their own lusts.
While it is easy to see the application of this phrase with Ahab, the benefit to us is to understand that we too can end up where Ahab was. We need not think about his complete debauchery as a one time decision, but a series of events and decisions that led him to his end state. It is doubtful that even a man as wicked as Ahab simply woke up one day and decided to completely do evil in his life. It is easy for us to compare ourselves to Ahab and determine that we are doing well because we are not as evil as he was. After all, we have not sold ourselves to do evil before the Lord, we just sin a bit here and there! We need to heed the warning of Ahab and ensure that we don’t end up in the same condition as he did. That leads us to the next part of our discussion…
How does a person get to this point? It is probably a safe assumption that people don’t just go from being righteous to being wholly sold to do evil over night. There is a progression that they go through, leading them away from God. With Ahab, there were many characteristics that led to his final standing before God. The pitfalls of his life are the same types of pitfalls that we can face today. We need to make sure that we avoid these challenges, and overcome them if they do pop up in our path.
1. Heritage… Ahab needed to fight against his history. He was the son of Omri, who was also a wicked king in Israel. But, just coming from a wicked background is not an excuse for being wicked. Every generation has the opportunity make its own choices. Ahab could have chosen to do what was right, and to blame his wickedness on his father would be unjust. Every person will be judged by what they do, not what someone before them did (Ezekiel 18:4, 20). There are many who think that they cannot escape the cycle that has been in place in their families for generations. Drug abuse, alcoholism, spousal or child abuse and other problems are often handed down from one generation to the next. But, it doesn’t have to be that way! Every generation has the possibility of making the kind of choice that would break the cycle and start doing what is right. This principle is a wonderful principle because it means that anyone can be a child of God as well. If your parents or grandparents were not true New Testament Christians, you still have the opportunity to make the right choices, and be obedient to the will of God. The disobedience of one generation does not force the next into the same disobedience!
2. Outside influences… Ahab was influenced to do evil by his evil wife (1 Kings 21:25). While it is not the fault of another if I choose to do evil, I make it very difficult on myself to choose to do good when I surround myself with evil. There seems to be a tendency, especially among young people, to think that they can surround themselves with worldliness, and remain pure themselves. The apostle Paul tells us that this is simply not going to be the case (1 Corinthians 15:33). Despite our best intentions (though “good intentions” are usually a front for our own selfish desires) we are not going to be the exception to Paul’s general truth. We use the saying, “one bad apple spoils the whole bunch.” That is an accurate proverb. How many times do you think a rotten apple can be put in the middle of a barrel of good apples, and not corrupt the whole bunch? Now, imagine that there is only one good apple in the midst of a barrel of rotten apples. Do you think that one good apple has any chance of survival? In the same manner, a good person immersed in the wickedness of the world will not hold up to trials that will be cast upon them. We need to make good choices, to ensure that we are not surrounding ourselves with the kind of influences that will lead us astray. That starts with choosing the kinds of friends that we are going to associate with, and progresses to making wise choices about who we will marry. If we spend all of our time with wicked people, and marry a person who is not going to be a help to us on our journey to heaven, then we will be led astray. While many will argue over whether one can prove it wrong to marry one who is not a Christian, what is easily proven is that “evil companions corrupt good morals.” If I choose to marry a person who is not a Christian, how can that person be a benefit to me spiritually, and how can they do anything except corrupt the standard by which I live?
3. Selfishness… Most sin is rooted in selfishness. Pride leads a person to believe that they are superior to all who are around them, as well as superior to God. Ahab allowed his own pride to lead him astray from what was right. He viewed anyone who was from God as his enemy because God refused to do things Ahab’s way! Ahab surrounded himself with advisers and prophets who would tell him exactly what he wanted to hear. He was going to have things his way, or else. In the account of Naboth’s vineyard, Ahab went to his bed and pouted because Naboth would not do what he wanted him to do (1 Kings 21:4-6). Selfishness causes us to be upset with God when He requires something of us that we do not want to give. The more often this happens, the further away from Him we get. So, when God says “NO!” to things like premarital sex (fornication), adultery, homosexuality, stealing, cheating, lying, and any other sin we might want to participate in, we become upset, and pout just like Ahab, and end up doing what we want to do anyway. Too many people use the adage “God wants me to be happy” to justify anything they want to participate in! God wants us to be happy, but that is defined by His terms, not ours! This selfishness also leads us to accept things that are simply not biblical. Denominationalism, for example, is rooted in selfishness. When a group wants to do something that is not authorized by scripture, they break off to form their own group, to participate in the practices that they choose, rather than the practices that God chooses. This may be one of the most dangerous forms of selfishness, as it leads people to believe that they are still pleasing God because they are still “serving” God. However, if we stray from what God has directed us to do, and what he has commanded us to be, then we are no better off than the one who has chosen to depart from Him intentionally. The consequences are not based upon our intentions, but on our actions! We can continue to be “religious” and yet still sell ourselves to do evil. Anything that is contrary to God’s will is evil, despite how we might define it for ourselves (Isaiah 5:20)! Just because I call something “good” doesn’t make it so (Matthew 7:21-23). We need to stop being selfish, and submit ourselves to the commands of the Lord! This will cause us to work righteousness, because we will truly desire the way of the Lord, rather than our own way (Philippians 2:3-11).
There are certainly other factors that cause a person to be wholly sold to do evil, but these perhaps will be enough to stimulate your thinking on the subject. We need to make the kinds of choices that will lead us to be sold to righteousness. That is the opposite of the condition that Ahab was in. We need to fully commit ourselves to righteousness, and we can only do that by following the will of the Father in every manner (Matthew 22:37-38).
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Kris,
I love it! You picked another very good example that is a lesson for everyone to learn from.
There is just a step between selling ourselves to do evil and standing squarely opposed to evil.
I have used this example in lessons before and it never grows old but is always right on the money for our day and time.
God’s word is always relevant for every generation and shows so clearly what happens when we make poor decisions.
Thanks for bringing this well written note of warning to our attention so we can think on our own life and actions.
May God help each of us to learn from this example of Ahab and not imitate him.