1 Kings 21:8-10
“So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city. And she wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people. And set two worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”
Picking up from last week, the second thing that gets our attention from this passage is that Jezebel’s strategy of false accusation is the way of the evil one. The Greek word for devil in the NT is diabolos, which means “slanderer.” The dictionary defines slander as: “A false and malicious statement or report about someone.” This is what the devil does; it is one of his primary strategies. He accuses and deceives and slanders.
Jezebel operated in the spirit of the devil. She had come under the power of the evil one, and her strategy was deceit, slander, and murder. Unfortunately, Naboth was the innocent victim.
In the book of Revelation, John described the evil one this way: “And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.” (Revelation 12.9-10)
Jesus said this to the Jewish leaders who sought to kill him: “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8.44)
The application is pretty clear, isn’t it?
- Don’t be a slanderer. Don’t gossip or seek to harm others through your words or actions.
- Protect yourself. Stay away from those who gossip and slander.
- Don’t listen to the accusations of the Enemy. When he slanders you (and he will), trust Jesus and stand firm in the faith.
The Lord is calling.
