“Selling Out” – a sermon on I Kings 21:1-10, 15-21a

There are many things one person could accuse another of in our culture that are offensive – but one that seems to be the worst of the worst is to accuse someone of “selling out”.

• The idea behind this saying is that someone sold part of his or her self in order to gain something else – popularity, power, profit.
• Usually this refers to a change from an ethical or philosophical stance – like one of the anti-establishment punk rock groups selling their song to Burger King for use in a commercial.
• Or when a baseball player appears to be playing poorly in order to get traded because he wants out.
• And there are plenty of political examples we could use but I know what will happen if I go too long – especially on barbeque day.

In many ways, this story is about selling out –

• The story of Naboth and Ahab is relatively simple.
• Ahab reveals himself to be nothing more than a spoiled child, full of greed and entitlement mentality.
• Jezebel reveals her “evilness” in misusing the power of politics and economics in order to obtain what Ahab wants.
• And we have one lone individual with the courage to stand up against the system.
• No matter who you are, or where you are from, there are parts of this story that should sound very familiar.

But there is more to it than a property deal gone sour.

• Ahab’s attempts and actions are not just a political issue, or an economic issue, or even an ethical issue – it is a theological issue.
• In this story, Ahab sell his very soul.

Ahab decides he wants this vineyard in order to have a nice vegetable garden next to the palace, so he approaches Naboth with a fairly reasonable offer – trade for another vineyard or the monetary equivalent.

• Naboth says no – not because the land is worth more than Ahab is offering, or for sentimental reasons, or in order to drive the price up and make a tidy profit – Naboth’s rejection is theological at heart.
• The property is not Naboth’s to give – it is God’s and God has given it to Naboth’s family to tend and till.
• Naboth is the steward of this vineyard so he cannot sell it.

Ahab cannot accept that answer because Ahab believes that as king everything belongs to him (a wonderful example of narcisstic idolatry).

• So he throws a temper tantrum.
• He sits in the corner, pouting, refusing to talk, probably holding his breath until he dies and then won’t they be sorry they didn’t give him their stupid vineyard!
• Enters Jezebel – who’s fairly disgusted with her husband’s antics.
• She points out the Ahab is king and in the words of Mel Brooks, “It’s good to be the king.”
• If he wants the vineyard then he should take, by any means necessary.
• She plots and plans and schemes and gets two men to kill Naboth, so Ahab not only gets his vineyard, he doesn’t even have to pay for it.
• What matters to Ahab and Jezebel is not the welfare of others, or following law – no all that matters to them is getting whatever they want.

Course that’s not where the story ends – enters our lone prophet who’s been on the run from Jezebel after killing the priests of Ba’al.

• Elijah returns and confronts the king and queen.
• He charges them not with political crimes (civic or criminal), but with breaking God’s commandments – at least two of them: coveting and murder.
• Ahab sold his soul for the price of a vineyard.
• “You have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of God.”
• This evil is not a matter for human courts, but for God’s.

“You sold yourself ….”

• Ahab and Jezebel violate God’s sense of justice for a mere piece of land.

That accusation rings across the centuries because it strikes at our very hearts.

• Among all the idolatries we participate in the cult of self is perhaps the biggest.
• We talk a lot about one’s self, being true to one’s self, finding one’s self, doing what is good for one’s self, doing whatever we want as long as it benefits one’s self.
• We don’t like to be accused on selling out – of selling one’s self, but how many times have we made that sale?
• How many times have we sold out our convictions, our beliefs, our faith?
• We sell out for the sake of popularity.
• We sell out for love, for money, for success, for power.

I think we place a very small value on our selves, because we seem willing to sell ourselves for very small things as well as the big ones.

• We sell ourselves sometimes for mere convenience or laziness.
• How many times have you let an injustice skip past without saying anything because “it just isn’t worth the effort”?
• Or we say it’s not worth the hassle and we have better things to spend on energy on?

You don’t have to be a king or queen to sell out – you don’t have to have all the power in order to manipulate the system for your own benefit.

• We all have some power and with that power comes the responsibility of how we use it.
• There are consequences for our actions and decisions, and they all matter to God.
• Whether we choose to use our power solely for our own gain or refuse to use it all in order to stay out of the fray, we are selling ourselves and very cheaply.

The apostle Paul wrote that whatever a person sows, that person shall also reap.

• If we sow the seeds of injustice, we will not reap of harvest of justice.
• If we hate, we cannot expect to be loved and respected.
• If we look only to our own desires, we cannot expect others to care for us.
• If we remain silent in the face of injustice, we cannot expect others to protect us when the time comes.

That is why I put that quote from Martin Niemoller as the meditation this morning.

• Martin Niemoller was Lutheran minister in Germany.
• He had planned to live a quiet life as a parish pastor, but when the Nazi government began its influence and attack on the churches, Niemoller felt compelled to stand behind the Barmen Declaration.
• Niemoller was arrested and imprisoned in a concentration camp and it was there then he penned this famous statement.
• It was his explanation for why he could not remain silent and sell out in order to keep his quiet parish life.
• Niemoller knew that we reap what we sow – even when we sow in silence.
• Perhaps especially when we sow in silence.
• When we do nothing, when we say nothing we are in fact selling ourselves for a mere illusion – the illusion of peace and quiet.

Today the powerful and rich can still take away from the poor and this still happens everywhere – in the world, in this country, in this state, even in this community.

• And we try to pretend that since we are not actively involved in the injustice that we can ignore it – the way Ahab ignored what Jezebel was doing.
• But if we just stand by and do nothing we are participating in the wrongdoing just the same.
• Ignoring injustice does not make it go away and refusing to get involved does not absolve us of responsibility.

 

What do we sell ourselves for and why do we think we can?

• We mistakenly believe that we belong solely to our selves – there’s that self word again.
• But we are like Naboth’s vineyard – we do not belong to our selves, we belong to God.
• We are all God’s vineyard and we cannot sell ourselves for power or for silence.
• God’s people are God’s vineyard.
• We tend to each other, we care for each other, and when one part of the vineyard is being oppressed, abused or manipulated by those in power, we have the responsibility as part of the vineyard to speak out.
• If we do not, then what have we sold ourselves for?
• If we do not, then who will?