ODJ: sellout
December 21, 2010
You have sold yourself to what is evil in the Lord’s sight (v.20).
READ: 1 Kings 21:1-29
Anthony Marshall conned his mother out of millions before she died at age 105 in 2007. Her money, advancing age, and struggle with Alzheimer’s disease made her an attractive target. Marshall’s mother was Brooke Astor—famous New York City socialite and keeper of the vast Astor family fortune. Ironically, her senior-citizen son was already wildly wealthy, and yet he conspired with his lawyer to ratchet up his inheritance!
Marshall’s actions confirm what the Bible says: “Human desire is never satisfied” (Proverbs 27:20). But greed is not always about acquiring more money. It’s about wanting more of something than what we need.
King Ahab wanted more land (1 Kings 21:2). He suffered from a greedy fixation on a vineyard next to his palace. Problem was, the property-owner (Naboth) wasn’t selling. So Ahab went home and pouted until his wife appealed to his sense of entitlement, his status, and his ability to have anything he wanted (v.7). Acting like greed incarnate, Jezebel urged Ahab toward self-indulgence, rather than self-control.
Jezebel then hired two thugs to falsely accuse Naboth of cursing God and the king. As a result, the villagers stoned Naboth to death, and Ahab “immediately went down . . . to claim [the property]” (v.16). He never questioned Jezebel’s means for procuring the vineyard. Greed says it’s OK to trample people to get what we want.
Although we may not see it, God does. He does not want us to follow Ahab’s example and become sellouts to greed (v.20). To avoid this, the Bible advises us to “be satisfied with what [we] have” (Hebrews 13:5). Contented living guards us against self-indulgence and a willingness to hurt others to acquire our heart’s desire. It allows us to want only what we need, instead of needing what we want. —Jennifer Benson Schuldt
How do you respond when someone you know has what you want? How would you complete this sentence: You can never have enough __________. Why?
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