Plans

Micah 2:1-5

¹Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil on their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it,

because it is in the power of their hand.

²They covet fields and seize them, and houses, and take them away; they oppress a man and his house,

a man and his inheritance.

³Therefore thus says the Lord: behold, against this family I am devising disaster, from which you cannot remove your necks, and you shall not walk haughtily, for it will be a time of disaster.

⁴In that day they shall take up a taunt song against you and moan bitterly, and say, “We are utterly ruined;

he changes the portion of my people; how he removes it from me! To an apostate he allots our fields.”

⁵Therefore you will have none to cast the line by lot in the assembly of the Lord.

The story of Ahab and Jezebel, evil king and queen of Israel while the nation was divided, is one that perfectly illustrates what we are warned about in Micah 2. I’ve included the story below, for a good story is always illustrative of what God wants to teach us.

1 Kings 21:1-16 – The devices of wicked people

¹Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. ²And after this Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house, and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money.” ³But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” ⁴And Ahab went into his house vexed and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and would eat no food.

⁵But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “Why is your spirit so vexed that you eat no food?” ⁶And he said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money, or else, if it please you, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ And he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” ⁷And Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now govern Israel? Arise and eat bread and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”

⁸So 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. ⁹And she wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people. ¹⁰And 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.” ¹¹And the men of his city, the elders and the leaders who lived in his city, did as Jezebel had sent word to them. As it was written in the letters that she had sent to them, ¹²they proclaimed a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people. ¹³And the two worthless men came in and sat opposite him. And the worthless men brought a charge against Naboth in the presence of the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death with stones. ¹⁴Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.

¹⁵As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned and was dead, Jezebel said to Ahab, “Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead.” ¹⁶And as soon as Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, Ahab arose to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.

As you read through this story, I hope you were able to hear the voice of a spoiled three-year-old for the character of Ahab. Imagine the king of a nation being so disappointed about not getting his way that he runs to his bed and won’t eat. But even worse is are the plans of the queen as she plots (and succeeds!) in stealing another man’s property. This is the exact situation which Micah so brilliantly describes. But he also describes the judgment from God that will befall those who plot and execute such plans. What we don’t learn here is of God’s proclamations against Ahab and Jezebel. Suffice it to say, her demise comes at the hands of those who hate her, and dogs eat her remains (except for her hands – the details are always intriguing).

For us, the success of the wicked is so very difficult. It always seems as if they have won and in the short term, I guess that they do. But God is final arbiter of all things and His judgments will last for eternity. It may appear that the wicked have success – but they do not. Jesus died on the cross for the repentant sinner and God’s judgments on us are eternal as well.