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Noah’s Vineyard
(Genesis 9: 20-29)
What a picture of human nature we have painted for us here by Moses. Noah, “the preacher of righteousness” to quote Peter, had just exited the ark and planted a vineyard. Though that is not a bad thing in itself, what he does next is. Noah becomes drunk and in some way exposes himself to his son Ham. Ham, perhaps with a tinge of sarcasm or humor, tells his brothers, “guess what dad did!” And all over again, we have the separation of the children of God and the children of the world. Ham and his line are cursed and Shem’s line is blessed.
How often in our own lives have we fallen into this trap. During times of great trial and difficulty our faith shines and is strong. But during times of peace and prosperity, we let our guard down, falling prey to the sins of the world. This is what happened with Noah. Once he had a chance to relax, he fell back into his old ways. Is this not the tendency of the church itself? The times of greatest church growth are always during the times of great persecution and trial.
I would argue that this is the greatest trial of the church in America today. We have great freedoms when it comes to expressing our faith and in religion. We don’t have to worry about government oppression or persecution. While this is a great blessing, it has become a stumbling block for many. Church has become culturally acceptable and in turn it requires no sincere commitment.
I suggest that we learn from Noah’s folly. Even in times of prosperity and rest, we need to keep our guard up. Yes, we are reminded of the humanness of many of these “Bible heroes,” but more importantly, let the lessons of their failure fall on attentive ears. Satan is always seeking to destroy, he is always lurking behind the next corner. Though he may not attack with claw or bite, he will attack in some way and it may be with wealth and flattery. Let us seek to live to God’s glory every day and in every moment and not fall into sin during times of relative comfort.
Naboth’s Vineyard
(1 Kings 21)
Once more, we have a picture of Adam’s garden. Ahab wanted that which was not his and Naboth was too stubborn to give the king what he wanted. While Naboth is certainly “in the right” by all legal and moral estimations, he still coveted the land of his fathers. Now we can certainly talk about Leverite law and how a family is to keep the land within the family, but we also must remember Samuel’s warning about the ways of kings (1 Samuel 8:14).
Perhaps Naboth was not aware that Ahab would seek his death. Perhaps Naboth was not aware of the wiles of Jezebel. No, that hardly seems possible. Ahab had deliberately sought the death of the prophets of God. Perhaps Ahab was just misunderstood by those pesky prophets. “Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all of the kings of Israel who were before him” (1 Kings 16: 33). I hardly think that there was any misunderstanding about the nature of Ahab.
Naboth coveted his land and would not give it up to the king. Naboth had to know to what end this path would bring. And once again, blood flowed. Sticking to your guns is a good thing, even in the face of death, but I am not convinced that Naboth is doing just that. So often we too hold stubbornly to the wrong things. And usually those things are sins that God is calling us to mortify. We must always remember that it is not our fathers who have given us their land, but it comes from God, and it is given for His glory, not our satisfaction. He who giveth can also take.
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