1 Kings 21: Covetousness Comes with a Curse

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.” Exodus 20:17

"Ahab said to Elijah, 'Have you found me, O my enemy?' He answered, 'I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the LORD.'" 1 Kings 21:20

Have you ever desired your neighbor's vineyard? Well, perhaps not. But have you ever desired something else of your neighbor's? Perhaps it was his house, his job, his income, his social status, or even his success. Let's all face it: we often covet that which is not ours. We often desire that which God has not given to us.

Other than you and me, there has been in fact at least one other person who has struggled with the sin of covetousness. His name was Ahab, and he was an evil king of Israel a few thousand years ago. He in fact did desire his neighbor's vineyard, but his neighbor didn't want to give it to him. Ahab was deeply concerned about owning this vineyard, so he had a pity party for himself. His wife Jezebel [Once again, please don't name your kid that.] heard of his pity party, and she decided to do something about it, so she forged Ahab's kingly signature and devised a plan to murder the man that owned the vineyard. With the vineyard owner out of the picture, Ahab arose and took possession of his heart's desire.

All is well, right? Ahab had the vineyard he wanted. No harm; no foul. Wrong! It may have seemed as if Ahab and Jezebel got away with their crime, but the Lord was always watching. Thus, God calls Elijah to speak out against Ahab, even so far as to prophesy that he and his wife would be eaten by dogs and his entire posterity would be killed [Maybe wait until your kids are older to tell them this story.]. However, after Ahab hears this, even though he is said to be the most evil man there was (see 1 Kings 25), he humbles himself and repents of his sin, and the Lord withholds his destruction.

Rough story, is it not? Yet amidst it all, we find a great lesson on the sin of covetousness. Before we apply this scripture to our own lives, let us define covetousness. The original Hebrew word for covetousness was "chamad" which simply meant "desire." The Greek equivalent, "epithumeo" (επιθυμεω), means "over desire" and is from the same root from which we get the words "craving" and "lust" in the New Testament. Thus, to covet something is to over-desire it, or to desire it more than we ought.

From the story of Ahab here, we see three applications that we can apply to our own life:

Firstly, covetousness comes with a curse. Although Ahab did eventually obtain that which he desired, it came with a curse. Ahab would be judged for his actions. Although he thought he got away with it, he didn't. Likewise, if we desire to obtain that which is not ours, even if we do obtain it, we will be punished for our wrongdoing.

Secondly, contentment is the opposite of covetousness. The reason why Ahab fell into sin is because he was not content with what he had. Pastor Tim has defined contentment to me as simply "realizing what you have and being okay with it." Likewise, we ought to realize what we have, and be okay with it. Is your job not as successful as your friend's? Is your house not as fancy as your neighbor's? Is your life not going as smoothly as your brother's? Is your dating or marital status not where you want it to be? Do you wish your financial situation was better? Good, because that's exactly where God wants you. Although we might not see his sovereign purpose behind it, we all ought to be content where the Lord has placed us, lest we fall into covetousness and reap the consequences.

Thirdly, covetousness is not outside God's grace. Ahab, though referred so as one of the evilest men, repented of his covetousness and his punishment was withheld from him. Brothers and sisters, do not believe for a moment that the Lord cannot forgive you from your covetousness. Perhaps you have been convicted today of how much you have desired what is not yours. Don't sulk in condemnation, for "there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 8:1). Rather, humble yourself before and Lord and repent of your sin, that "you may receive mercy and grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16).

So, in response to today's devotional, don't follow the example of Ahab. Rather, follow the example of Christ, who "though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Phil. 4:6-8). Whereas Ahab gave himself up to covetousness in order to do the work of the devil, Christ gave himself up to humility in order to do the work of God. Where Ahab maximized his desires to obtain that which he selfishly desired, Christ gave of himself in order to purchase redemption for us. Amen.