Sellout

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1 Kings 21:1-29
You have sold yourself to
what is evil in the Lord’s
sight (v.20).

Anthony Marshall conned his mother out of millions
before she died at age 105 in 2007. Her money,
advancing age, and struggle with Alzheimer’s
disease made her an attractive target. Marshall’s mother
was Brooke Astor—famous New York City socialite and
keeper of the vast Astor family fortune. Ironically, her
senior-citizen son was already wildly wealthy, and yet he
conspired with his lawyer to ratchet up his inheritance!
Marshall’s actions confirm what the Bible says:
“Human desire is never satisfied” (Proverbs 27:20). But
greed is not always about acquiring more money. It’s
about wanting more of something than what we need.
King Ahab wanted more land (1 Kings 21:2). He
suffered from a greedy fixation on a vineyard next to
his palace. Problem was, the property-owner (Naboth)
wasn’t selling. So Ahab went home and pouted until
his wife appealed to his sense of entitlement, his status,
and his ability to have anything he wanted (v.7). Acting
like greed incarnate, Jezebel urged Ahab toward selfindulgence,
rather than self-control.
Jezebel then hired two thugs to falsely accuse Naboth of
cursing God and the king. As a result, the villagers stoned
Naboth to death, and Ahab “immediately went down
. . . to claim [the property]” (v.16). He never questioned
Jezebel’s means for procuring the vineyard. Greed says it’s
OK to trample people to get what we want.
Although we may not see it, God does. He does not want us to follow Ahab’s
example and become sellouts to greed (v.20). To avoid this, the Bible advises us
to “be satisfied with what [we] have” (Hebrews 13:5). Contented living guards
us against self-indulgence and a willingness to hurt others to acquire our heart’s
desire. It allows us to want only what we need, instead of needing what we
want. —Jennifer Benson Schuldt

more›
• Colossians 3:5
• Luke 12:15
• 1 John 2:15

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How do you respond
when someone you know
has what you want? How
would you complete
this sentence: You can
never have enough
__________. Why?

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