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Red Flags:Feet That Run To Evil
Red Flags:Feet That Run To Evil
Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. And 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.” But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”
Pray
When it comes to this Red Flag, we need to understand what the implications mean.
Running to evil looks like:
Actively seeking out temptation
Gossip/Rumors
Celebrating evil actions
Starting conflict
When we allow those things to take hold of our lives and let them rule over us, we start to move in the direction of evil.
Desire, when left unchecked, becomes a direction path
Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. And 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.” But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.”
One thing that we have to understand, that is really crucial to this story is that Naboth was an innocent man. He was given the vineyard as ancestral inheritance. This was given to him after being passed down from probably generation to generation.
And 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.
Those who react in childlike manners are usually childlike spiritually.
When we don’t get what we want, or when we are told no for a time and our reaction is to pout and whine, there is a desire within us that we have unchecked and need to kill.
But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “Why is your spirit so vexed that you eat no food?” And 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.’ ”
Jezebel was a Phoenician queen of Israel who aggressively opposed the worship of Yahweh, promoted Baal worship, persecuted God’s prophets, and used deception and political power to achieve her aims.
She is remembered in Scripture as a symbol of manipulation, idolatry, abuse of authority, and deliberate pursuit of evil rather than repentance.
Who we run to is important.
Most of us run to people who we know are going to tell us what we want to hear or give us what we are wanting. This is dangerous because this leads to evil becoming the way we rationalize decisions and how we respond to things that don’t go our way.
And 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.”
Jezebel today doesn’t always look like a person, but she represents any influence that encourages sin instead of surrender. She validates unhealthy emotions, feeds pride, and gives permission to act on fleshly desires rather than submitting to God. Jezebel sounds like voices that say, “You deserve better,” or “They did you wrong,” or “God will understand.” She shows up through social pressure, group chats, toxic friendships, and media that celebrates revenge, drama, and selfish ambition. Instead of calling people to repentance, she affirms bitterness. Instead of slowing us down, she speeds us up. Jezebel represents modern manipulation—any voice that replaces obedience with emotion and turns conviction into justification.
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.”
Evil acts out in impulsive intents and always disregards those who it affects.
Jezebel planned out an innocent mans murder because Ahab pouted and threw a fit.
We must learn that when things that we don’t like happen, we have to react in a way that reflects Christ. Not ourselves.
Awareness is stepping back from what we’re doing and reflecting on it.
David Livermore
We have to be aware of the things in our lives that are causing us to react on impulse and without first turning to Christ.
The Red Flags were all over this story.
Ahab reacted like a child, Jezebel reacted like a wicked person. In the end, a man lost his life.
Evil has a way of attracting people to it. Whether it is through pressures, self preservation, inclusivity, popularity. All of these things prevent the holiness of Christ to shine through.
So how do you react in situations where you are not given what you are not permitted? How do you react when injustice and drama happens?
See the Red Flags.
They provide mercy.
