Did they get away with it?

Opening Framework:

Prayer

Series Intro: Ever Wonder Why?

Message Title: Did they get away with it?

Message Topic: Why do evil people often seem to get away with it?

Transition Statement

Me: Spirit Airlines is no longer with us

My mind went to the everyday people

Flight attendants, Pilots, Customer Service Reps… honest hard working people trying to make a living.

Or even the believers im sure that suddenly now are asking… Why God.

It made me wonder Why do innocent people sometimes suffer at the decisions of others?

We: And we all know that feeling in some way

Maybe not in regards to an airline but we have the same type of questions at times…

Why is it that innocent people often get hurt while those responsible seem to get away with it?

Why do people who try to do things right sometimes suffer?

Or why do good things happen to people who often do evil? Wheres the justice when evil people are often rewarded in life.

The liar gets promoted. The cheater gets ahead. The manipulator gains influence. The cruel person still seems blessed.

We’re often left asking “God, did they get away with it?” And that’s the tension in the passage we’re going to read today.

God: 1 Kings 21

Naboth - An ordinary man from Jezreel who owns a vineyard near the King’s Palace

Ahab - The king of Israel. He has power, wealth, authority, and influence. Little bit of a push over to his wife.

Jezebel - Ahab’s wife, who is willing to use power, manipulation, and violence to get what Ahab wants.

1. Ahab wanted what was not his

1 Kings 21:2 - On the surface his request seems reasonable

1 Kings 21:3 - Naboth says Lord forbid. That sentence is important He’s not being stubborn. He’s actually doing the right thing. Land wasn’t just inheritance or property… it was deeper. Leviticus 25:23 - It was law

2. Ahab can’t handle being told no… He’s also a weak man.

1 Kings 21:4-6

3. Jezebel uses power to make evil look official

1 Kings 21:7-14

Jezebel did not just commit evil. She dressed evil up in procedure. She made it look official. She made it “make sense.”

That’s how evil often get’s passed… as good. Abortion gets rebranded as women’s health Neglecting your family gets rebranded as Chasing Success Porn gets rebranded as healthy Flirting with temptation get’s rebranded as harmless

4. Ahab get’s the vineyard… He actually gets it.

1 Kings 21:15-16

5. God sends the prophet

1 Kings 21:17-19

Ahab humbles himself and God delays judgement

1 Kings 21:28-29

God is just… but He’s also patient. God’s delay does not mean God forgot. God’s delay does not mean God approved. God’s delay does not mean Ahab was innocent.

So yes Naboth lost his land and his life… But later Ahab dies. Jezebel dies. The whole house of Ahab collapses. God’s word comes to pass.

The story doesn’t end with “Well they got away with it.” It ends with… God saw, God was patient, and God will had the final word with the wicked.

You: So what do we do when it looks like bad people are getting away with it? ESPECIALLY as NEW TESTAMENT believers

1. Don’t confuse temporary success with God’s approval

Ahab got the vineyard. He ultimately did get what he wanted.

The dishonest person gets ahead. The manipulator gains influence. The person who hurt people still seems blessed. The wicked seem to prosper.

But just because someone has something does not mean God approved how they got it. - Getting the vineyard is not the same as getting God’s blessing.

2. Remember that what people have now is only for a season

Ahab got the vineyard but God ultimately had the final word. He, Jezebel, and his entire house fell.

God is just and will handle all injustice, so don’t judge God’s justice by one chapter.

3. Trust God’s patience and mercy

Ahab humbled himself and God delayed judgement.

Romans 2:4- God’s kindness is intended to lead people to repentance.

The “Good” someone is experiencing may not be a reward… it might be God’s mercy on them.

4. When evil people seem to win. Turn your frustration into prayerful urgency

2 Peter 3:9 - God’s patient because He’s not wanting anyone to perish. He wants all to seek salvation.

Matthew 5:44 - When evil people seem to be winning. You’re not called to compare, to envy, to obsess… you’re called to pray.

It’s an opportunity for us to interceed for their soul that is lost

5. Make sure your own heart is turned toward God

It’s easy to hear this message and think of “THEM.” But what we read in Romans… Romans 2:4… is actually a warning to the religious…

So the question is not “Why has God not judged them?”

The question is… What is God giving me time to repent of?” If God is giving you time, don’t mistake it for permission to keep doing evil. Receive it as mercy.

We: So why do evil people seem to get away with it?

They don’t… But it seems that way because we’re only seeing one chapter

We see the vineyard… God see’s the blood it cost We see what they gained… God see’s how they really got it We see the delay… God sees the day all accounts will be settled.

So as a church… We trust God We pray for all people to repent And we surrender our own hearts while there is still time

Evil might get the vineyard for a season… But God always gets the final word.

Alter Call:

If you’ve been hurt by injustice… Trust that God’s got this.

If you’ve been mistaking God’s patience for permission to do something… repent from it.