Why Do Good Things Happen to Bad People and Bad Things Happen to Good People?

Why do good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people? (1 Kings 21:1-29)

Days of Elijah – Ahab/Jez – ruling spirits 1. Govt 2. Edu 3. Biz 4. Ent 5. Rel = ALL 

-Jezebel – 1. Sexual 2. Spiritual = goal celebrate forbidden Pride/Tolerance/SocialJustice 

-Ahab – 1. Passive 2. Tolerant of Jezebel NOT Elijah 

-Elijah – prophet who spoke out/stood against (vs false prophets) 

NEW DAY’S, OLD DEMONS

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SOCIAL JUSTICE vs SOVEREIGN JUSTICE 

• There are no righteous people compared to God (Rom. 3:10) 
• There are some “good” people compared to other people (Lk. 10 Good Samaritan) 
• Injustice = bad guys win & God & the good guys lose – CASE STUDY 
• Today – most social justice A. counterfeit B. injustice. 

=GODLESS          Less ½ confident there is a God (General Social Survey) 

Coveting Fuels Injustice

1 Kings 21 Now Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel, beside the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. ² 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.” ³ But Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” ⁴ 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.

BAD: Ahab – King Israel – needed nothing 

1.    Coveting vs Contentment – what’s in you not around you; want/need (forbidden land/fruit) 

2.    Manipulation – get emotional, make scene, be victim, wait for someone to do dirty work 

GOOD: Naboth – honoring family, obeying God’s commands for the land 

Soul Ties Further Injustice

1 Kings 21:⁵ But Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, “Why is your spirit so vexed that you eat no food?” ⁶ 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.’ ” ⁷ 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.” ⁸ 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. ⁹ And she wrote in the letters, “Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people. ¹⁰ 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.” ¹¹ And 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, ¹² they proclaimed a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people. ¹³ And 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. ¹⁴ Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, “Naboth has been stoned; he is dead.” ¹⁵ As 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.” ¹⁶ And 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.

Jezebel spirit

1.    Controlling – must win, if loses declares war (Mt Carmel death sentence/curse Elijah, land) 

2.    Hates no

3.    Hates Authority (esp. men) – cancel or crucify; fiercely independent (Ahab clueless) 

4.    Does not care about the truth or the law (liar & criminal) 

5.    Strings attached to acts/gifts = control 

6.    Very /spiritual religious (“elders”) 

7.    Weaponizes the Bible & God talk (“cursed God”; 2 witnesses “worthless men”)

Ahab spirit – failure to lead @ home & church, not always a failure at work 

1. Passive – avoid conflict, disagreement, hard work 
2. Insecure – needy, “fear of man” (Prov. 29:25); = flattery 
3. Not generous – he never gives, only takes 
4. Entitled
5. Empathy only for self 
6. Man sized baby 
7. Tolerate Jezebels (not Elijahs)= benefit (dirty work, only person they don’t attack)

Codependent Am. Psych. Assoc.  “the state of being mutually reliant” & “a dysfunctional relationship pattern in which an individual is psychologically dependent on (or controlled by) a person who has a pathological condition…” Marriage – more like mother/son than wife/husband 

“Soul Ties”  -“a bond between two individuals. The souls (mind, will, emotions) of individuals knit or joined together. A bond, a joining together of souls for good or evil. One person manipulates/controls other. Soul ties will cause:

–       One person to follow another…                -A person to fulfill the desires of another…

–       A person to react in anger when the person to whom they are soul tied to is attacked…

A.Godly soul tie – Elijah/Elisha                                  B.Demonic soul tie – Ahab/Jezebel 

=The Holy Spirit introduces people. Demons also introduce people (2 nations/cultures) 

Sovereign Justice Fights Social Justice

1 Kings 21:¹⁷ Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ¹⁸ “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession. ¹⁹ And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Have you killed and also taken possession?” ’ And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your own blood.” ’ ” ²⁰ Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord. ²¹ Behold, I will bring disaster upon you. I will utterly burn you up, and will cut off from Ahab every male, bond or free, in Israel. ²² And I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the anger to which you have provoked me, and because you have made Israel to sin. ²³ And of Jezebel the Lord also said, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel within the walls of Jezreel.’ ²⁴ Anyone belonging to Ahab who dies in the city the dogs shall eat, and anyone of his who dies in the open country the birds of the heavens shall eat.” 1 Kings 21:²⁵ (There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited. ²⁶ He acted very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the Lord cast out before the people of Israel.) ²⁷ And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly. ²⁸ And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ²⁹ “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the disaster in his days; but in his son’s days I will bring the disaster upon his house.”

=Fulfilled prophecy: no honorable royal burial (2 Ki 9:35-37; 2 Ki 10:10-11,17) – dogs ate 

SOCIAL JUSTICE VS SOVEREIGN JUSTICE 

1. No other gods         2. No idols       3. No taking God’s name in vain 4. Sabbath 5. Parents 

6. Murder        7. Adultery       8. Steal            9. False witness          10. Covet neighbors house

3 Kinds of People 

1. Passive (enabling like Ahab)
2. Aggressive (controlling like Jezebel)
3. Assertive (humble confidence like Elijah, Jesus) 

WORLDLY SORROW

1.    Demonic – “sold himself” to “evil” & “idols” = like Judas OT 

2.    2 Cor. 7:10 (NLT) the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin & results in salvation…But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.

3.    Longer life = opportunity for A. repentance B. wrath 

Rom. 2:4-5 do you presume on the riches of his kindness & forbearance & patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

SOVEREIGN JUSTICE 

1.    Evil is real, and seems to be winning (Naboth’s family lost – father, home, $, reputation) 

2.    God sees all happening, yes/no intervenes (Elijah – resurr, drought/water, fire) 

3.    God rules over this world, Satan rules in this world 

• Jn 12:31 the ruler of this world [will] be cast out.
• 2 Cor 4:4 the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers
• Eph 2:2 [NLT] the world, obeying the devil
• 1 Jn 5:19 the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

4.    Governments, lawyers, reporters, & pr firms are often anti-christ 

BAND UP 

There will be Sovereign Justice in Hell 

There was Sovereign Jesus at the cross 

• Jesus greater Naboth (good & righteous)
• The media lied about Him, religious leaders rejected Him, government condemned Him
• Worst thing happened to best Person – bad people killed Jesus our good God 
• God raised Him, rewarded Him, & vindicated Him 

There will be Sovereign Justice for you in King Jesus’ Kingdom

Proverbs 13:22 “the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.”