Remember her?  If you do then you may also remember that when someone did something that made her angry Maude would stare the person down.  Then when she was sure she had their attention she would point her finger at the person and say very sternly, “God will get you for that.”

Behind those words there’s a belief that God is always watching; a belief that God does hold us accountable for the things that we do that we shouldn’t do. That belief can be seen in a series of billboards that were posted a few years ago along the side of a highway down south.  The billboards were designed to look like they were messages from God.  Some of the billboards asked questions like this one. “What part of ‘Thou shalt not…didn’t you understand?” Other billboards offered subtle warnings like this one. “Keep using my name in vain and I’ll make rush hour longer.”  Perhaps the best billboard of all was one that was put up in the middle of the scorching heat of the summer and simply asked, “You think it’s hot here?”

These days we talk so much about the God who loves us, that we sometimes forget that our God of love is also a God of justice. We forget that our God of love is also a God who does holds us accountable for the things that we do that we shouldn’t do.

Unfortunately, Ahab and Jezebel, the king and queen of Israel, learned that lesson a little too late. They learned the lesson after they went to Naboth and stole his vineyard from him. It all started when Ahab decided to add Naboth’s vineyard to his kingly collection. Even though Ahab offered him a good price for his vineyard Naboth refused to sell it to him.  Naboth did that because the vineyard was part of his ancestral inheritance. His vineyard was on land that God gave to his ancestors when the people of Israel came into the Promised Land.  So, Naboth knew that it would be a sin to sell his vineyard.  After all the commandment was right there in the Book of Numbers. “…no inheritance of the sons of Israel shall be transferred from tribe to tribe, for the sons of Israel shall each hold to the inheritance of the tribe of his fathers.” (36:7)

So Naboth said, “No deal.”

And Ahab said, “Oh no,”

And Jezebel said, “Don’t worry sweetheart. I’ll take care of everything.”

Jezebel promised to get the vineyard for Ahab and that’s what she did. Jezebel bribed a couple of scoundrels to accuse Naboth of blasphemy and as they say, the rest is history.

Before Ahab could take possession of the vineyard though the prophet Elijah showed up. Elijah showed up with a message for Ahab from God.  The message was simple.  Elijah basically said., “God’s isn’t pleased with what you and your wife have done. God is going to hold you both accountable for what you have done.  It may not happen today.  It may not happen tomorrow, but eventually your day of reckoning will come.

Our God of love is also a God of justice. That’s a message that needs to be shouted in a voice that’s loud and clear to some of the powerful men and women who you see in the news today. 

It needs to be shouted in a voice that’s loud and clear to Jeffrey Skillings, the former Enron CEO, who told his employees to keep buying Enron stock even as he was selling his.  He was already worth millions and most of his employees lost everything.  I don’t know about you, but to me that sure sounds like Naboth’s vineyard all over again.

Our God of love is also a God of justice. That message needs to be shouted in a voice that’s loud and clear to William Jefferson, the congressman from Louisiana who was just arrested for using his position to accept a half a million dollars in bribes and kickbacks.

Or how about Mike Nifong, the district attorney down in North Carolina?  He’s the guy who flied rape charges against those Duke lacrosse players and even though there was evidence that showed that they were innocent.  Or how about Judge Roy Pearson who’s suing a Korean family and their dry cleaning business for $54 million.  Why? Because they lost a pair of his pants. The family eventually found the pants and offered to return them, but the judge refused and insisted on being compensated for his emotional pain and suffering.

The world is full of modern day Ahabs and Jezebels.  It’s full of Ahabs and Jezebels who seem to think there’s nothing wrong with using their power and their prestige to get what they want even if it’s at the expense of a little guy like Naboth.  That’s why the message that Elijah delivered that day is so important.  Our God of love is also a God of justice.  So, you can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool God.

That’s true for the rich and powerful and it’s true for the every day people too.  That’s why I like the story about the two businessmen who were surprised one day when they learned that one of their co-workers had gone astray.  “Did you hear about Jim?” the first man asked.  “He embezzled the company out of half a million dollars.”  The other man shook his head in disbelief. “Not only that,” the first man said, “but when he skipped town he took Bill’s wife with him.”  Once again the second man shook his head in disbelief. “But wait, it gets worse,” the first man said. “He stole a car to make his getaway. Then while he was speeding down the highway he got stopped and they discovered he was rip roaring drunk.”  Once again the second man shook his head in disbelief.  The first man let out a big sigh then added, “But what really bothers me is who’s going to teach his Sunday School class this week?”

Life is full of moments when you have to decide if you’re going to live your life the way Ahab and Jezebel lived theirs or if you’re going to live your life the way Naboth lived his.

Naboth lived his life with integrity.  I mean think about it.  It would be easy to forgive Naboth if he had sold his vineyard.  After all he must have known that Ahab and Jezebel had a reputation for being ruthless and a little reckless at times.  He could have said to himself, “You know I better give them what they want or they’re going to make my life miserable.”  Naboth didn’t do that though.  Instead he put the “Not for sale” sign up and in doing that basically said, “I’m sorry but my integrity isn’t for sale.  My honesty isn’t for sale and most of all my faith isn’t for sale.”

Abraham Lincoln found himself in a similar situation back during the dark days of the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln was criticized and condemned by people who questioned his leadership and judgment.  Lincoln listened to the criticism and the condemnations and responded by writing these words. “I desire so to conduct the affairs of this administration that if at the end, when I come to lay down the reins of power, I have lost every other friend on earth, I shall at least have one friend left, and that friend shall be down inside of me.”

There are times when you have to decide if you’re going to compromise your honest and your integrity and your faith or if you’re going to put the “Not for sale” sign up instead.

The “Not for sale” sign will go up if you listen to the voice that calls you to be the person you were created to be. Many years ago children in schools all across America learned to know the voice of a man by the name of Walter Damrosch.  From 1928 through 1942 Walter Damrosch hosted a radio show called the “Music Appreciation Hour.”  When the show was on the air teachers turned their classroom radios on and the children listened to the show.  Walter Damrosch always began the show with the words, “Good morning, my dear children.”  The children would then listen to the music while Walter Damrosch told them all about the meaning and the message behind the music.  One day, the children in this one particular school were brought to the auditorium for a special program.  They didn’t know what the program was going to be about.  When they got to the auditorium they saw their principal sitting on the stage with an elderly gentleman.  They didn’t know who the elderly gentleman was.  They just knew that elderly gentleman often make long and boring speeches.  So the children were fidgety that day.  All of that changed though when the elderly gentleman got up to introduce himself.  He cleared his throat and then said, “Good morning, my dear children.”  Immediately the fidgeting stopped and the children began to clap and cheer.  Walter Damrosch waited for the excitement to die down and then asked, “Why do you cheer?  You do not know me.”  “Yes we do,” the children shouted.  “We know your voice.”

Do you know the voice of the God who created you and walks with you through all of life’s triumphs and trials? Do you know the voice of the God who walks with you through all of life’s difficult decisions and defining moments; through all of life’s good and grace filled moments?  When you know that voice it gives you the courage to do what Naboth did that day.  It gives you the courage to put that sign up and to say, “I’m sorry, but my honesty isn’t for sale.  My integrity isn’t for sale.  My faith isn’t for sale.”  When you do that you can be sure that you’ll then hear that voice say to you, “Well done good and faithful servant.  Enter into the joy of your master.”  Amen.

Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes

June 17, 2007