I. Introduction

Good morning! Today, I would like to share with you a particularly good topic entitled King Ahab Who Sold Himself Out. I earnestly hope all of you can become wiser. This aspiration has been with me for a long time. Since the establishment of the church, I have held this hope because I see so many foolish people in this world. You should know that recently, an incident occurred: a good friend said, Hey, let me take you on a trip to Yunnan. The other person replied, Great! But they inadvertently crossed the border and ended up where? In Myanmar. Once in Myanmar, they were taken to a place where some lost their kidneys, others lost their livers, and some who were still alive were forced to work in the compound.

That's what happens when people sell themselves out. How foolish must one be to believe such things? I ask you, can strangers deceive you? It's always people you know. People sell themselves out, some are deceived into doing labor, becoming slaves. This is quite common. So many people sell themselves without realizing it. If they knew, they wouldn't go. They trust people. I tell you, those who deceive you are friends. Can someone who isn't a friend deceive you? It's the same online, where you're presented with many seemingly good opportunities: making big money, getting high salaries. So be careful! Some years ago, some people were even more interesting. iPhones were selling like hotcakes, and for a young person to have an iPhone was a status symbol. But they couldn't afford it and still wanted one, yet they couldn't earn the money. So they sold their kidneys.

I wondered why they didn't sell their brains instead? Selling their brains would have been much better; then they wouldn't need to buy an iPhone. So people sell many things about themselves. Have people ever sold their heads? Actually, yes. Many people sell their faith, sell their beliefs. Think about how many people sell themselves out! In the previous generation, the Japanese entered China. I recently came across a video of Wang Jingwei promoting the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. The Japanese drew a circle, and he promoted it, ultimately becoming a major traitor. Wang Jingwei sold his beliefs, sold his faith. In reality, no one forced him with a gun; it was his own choice. Did he struggle internally? It's impossible not to.

It is said that Wang Jingwei's collaboration with the Japanese was inseparable from his wife's influence. In fact, many corrupt officials have inextricable ties to their wives; unscrupulous merchants have inextricable ties to their wives; good kings and bad kings also have inextricable ties to their wives. In the end, they sell their consciences. Why is it called selling out? Because their original intention wasn't that way, but later, for the sake of other things, they exchanged their own values. A person's enemies are their own family members. Who can coerce you? It's your own family. Remember, on this path of eternal life we are running, Jesus said:

A man’s enemies will be the members of his own household. (Matthew 10:36)

Selling one's faith for the sake of family involves struggle! On one hand, you want to serve God, and on the other hand, you want to consider the feelings of your family. Is it painful? Very painful. On one hand, you have your business, and on the other hand, you have your faith in Jesus Christ. Is it painful? Yes. Why? Because of time constraints. Selling one's faith is closely related to our family. In fact, those corrupt officials also sold their faith. Did they struggle? They also wanted to be good officials, but it's not easy to be a good official. Later, I understood something quite interesting. Why didn't the Apostle Paul get married? Why didn't Jesus Christ get married? Jesus Christ lived to thirty years old without getting married. In those days, some people were already grandfathers at thirty, but Jesus remained a bachelor.

I wondered why Jesus and the Apostle Paul didn't get married? Maybe getting married would have been detrimental. Why? He who marries is anxious about worldly things, how to please his wife. If you don't please her, she will cause trouble for you. She who marries is anxious about worldly things, how to please her husband. But Jesus and the Apostle Paul were solely focused on pleasing God. How clever! So, a person's enemies are their own family members. Imagine Jesus marrying a wife, going out with several disciples and his wife, and then his wife arguing with the disciples. Jesus would be mediating all day long. Oh my goodness, what a mess! Then the disciples would bring their wives along. Those three years would be quite lively, a real drama! You glare at me, I look at you, what are you looking at? What if I look at you? It would be all about these things. So wouldn't that be troublesome? Thank God! Some people might say, Teacher, if that's the case, who will have children in the world? You don't need to worry about that; there are plenty of people who will have children.

The Chinese church is quite interesting. The Chinese church invented the term 师母 (Shimu), which means pastor's wife. This 师母 is quite powerful. I knew one pastor who had built a very good church and hired many employees. As a result, the pastor made a decision, telling them to do something a certain way. After they had been doing it for several days, the 师母 appeared and said, Who told you to do it this way? The employees said, The pastor told us to do it this way. The 师母 said, No way! Later, these employees went to the pastor and said, Pastor, should we listen to you or to the 师母 ? This is very troublesome. Then the pastor said, Listen to the 师母 , it all comes from God. How can you live like that? The 师母 doesn't manage anything, but as soon as the pastor arranges something, she will definitely come out to interfere. How can you work like that? Working like that, some employees develop depression. How can they not develop depression? They struggle, wondering who to listen to. I find it very interesting. This isn't something I made up; it's something this pastor shared in his own sermon.

Did this pastor struggle internally? I suspect he did. You see, it was clearly his own arrangement, and then he says, What I say doesn't count, listen to the 师母 . That makes him feel uncomfortable. This is called selling himself out. This is actually a common phenomenon. Back in the day, Abraham took his nephew Lot out of his hometown. Lot's father died early, so he relied on his uncle Abraham, who raised him as his own son. Later, Lot married a wife. Actually, Lot still had some conscience; he struggled internally. He thought, How can I abandon my adoptive father, my uncle Abraham? But there was no way. The couple sat down, closed the door, and Lot's wife talked and talked to him. As a result, Lot said, Listen to 师母 . This is what I'm saying; it's not written in the Bible, but the Bible does say that Lot's wife later became a pillar of salt.

Lot's herdsmen and Abraham's herdsmen fought and stole from each other. Why did they do these things? I think it's inseparable from Lot's wife. As things progressed, they realized that this couldn't continue. Are there any sons among us? It's difficult on both sides; on one side is the wife, on the other side is the mother. It's distressing! Why? Because if the wife isn't happy, the whole family won't be happy. As a result, Lot's wife caused a lot of trouble, and Lot listened to 师母 . Oh, I find this quite interesting. Today, I'm telling you that listening to 师母 has historical origins. Later, Peter referred to Lot as a righteous man. In the Bible, apart from Peter, no one refers to Lot as a righteous man. Jesus never talks about this. Jesus said, Remember Lot's wife.

Remember Lot’s wife! (Luke 17:32)

As for Peter, he also traveled everywhere with his wife, and Peter was deeply influenced by his wife. Why did Peter become the way he did later? Peter believed that Lot was a righteous man. Where did this come from? I guess it came from Peter's wife. Peter's wife said, Husband, look how good Lot is, how obedient he is to his wife. He's a righteous man. Peter listened to 师母 , so listening to 师母 actually has historical origins. Why didn't Paul listen? Paul didn't have that issue. Some people say that Paul couldn't minister to families. That's nonsense. Paul ministered to many families. Later, Paul's writing in 1 Corinthians chapter 7 discusses this very thing. So, whoever one seeks to please is the one who controls them. Have you all noticed this logic?

Today, we will talk about this Ahab, who sold himself out. Who did he sell himself to? He sold himself to his wife, Jezebel. Jezebel is not like today's 师母 ; she was a very intelligent person. Later, I studied it in depth. If someone marries a wife as intelligent as Jezebel, they are fortunate. She was very intelligent, wise, capable, and knew how to manage things. What did she manage? Four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and four hundred prophets of Asherah. She was very powerful! She could figure out everything that Ahab wanted. How powerful was she? More powerful than Empress Dowager Cixi of China! She was practically a virtuous wife and mother, and knowledgeable.

Unlike some people today, who have bitter and wrinkled faces, they are far from Jezebel's league. Some people say, I have the Jezebel spirit. I say, Give me a break. You're Jezebel? Don't even think about it. Jezebel was very powerful, and she played power politics exceptionally well. She also had a beautiful appearance and got along extremely well with Ahab's ministers and the influential elders of the nation. She was very dignified, and Ahab even had to massage her back when he got home.

When my classmate and his wife were eating with me, my classmate was quite clever, and his wife was also quite clever. As they were talking, they mentioned how his wife had a husband-supporting face, saying that all the money in their family was made by his wife, all because of her husband-supporting face. He massaged her back when he got home, almost about to massage her back in front of me. Click, with that technique. He's not like me; I'm thick-skinned. He had to save some face for himself. He said, You don't know, many leaders do this. Don't think they're so powerful outside; they all massage their wives' backs at home. Oh, that sounds pretty good. A happy family brings prosperity, right? Later, I realized that this Ahab phenomenon is quite common; they do it that way. So today, we who believe in the Lord must be careful. Jesus said that our enemies are our own family members. Why? If you want to walk the path of Jesus Christ, the devil will immediately use your family to hinder you. That's the logic.

Today's topic is King Ahab who sold himself out. He's a king, does he need to sell himself out? Yet he sells himself out. Why is it called selling himself out? Because he still has some conscience inside. We must know that Ahab himself has some conscience inside. If you were to ask him to seize Naboth's vineyard, he wouldn't do it. But when he got home, Jezebel saw that her husband was unhappy and said, No problem, leave it to me, I'll definitely get it done for you. In a few days, Naboth died, and the vineyard belonged to Ahab. Isn't that also a strange thing? So today, I must tell you that this Ahab phenomenon doesn't mean he has no conscience; it means he sold his conscience. This Ahab is quite interesting; I'll tell you his story later.

II. Scripture

Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: “Go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who rules in Samaria. He is now in Naboth’s vineyard, where he has gone to take possession of it. Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?”’ Then say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “In the place where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, dogs will lick up your blood—yes, yours!”’” Ahab said to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy!” “I have found you,” he answered, “because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord. ‘I am going to bring disaster on you. I will wipe out your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel—slave or free. I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have aroused my anger and have caused Israel to sin.’ “And also concerning Jezebel the Lord says: ‘Dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.’ “Dogs will eat those belonging to Ahab who die in the city, and the birds will feed on those who die in the country.” (There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. He behaved in the most detestable manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel.) (1 Kings 21:17-26)

III. Prayer

God, give us an awakening heart today. Even if we have experienced earth-shattering miracles, even if we have experienced Your great grace, we still come before You today to ask for Your mercy, to bestow grace upon us, and to give us an awakening heart, so that we do not sell ourselves out. God, give us a wise heart, let us know that the foolish will perish, the ignorant will perish, and let us be able to do what is right in Your eyes today. God, let us be able to emulate David, who pleased You, and do what is right in Your eyes. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

IV. Background of the Scripture

The background of this scripture is quite interesting. When discussing the background of this scripture, I must tell you, I must fill you in on the history of the Kingdom of Israel. Where did the Kingdom of Israel split from? It split from the house of David and Solomon, becoming the Southern Kingdom and the Northern Kingdom. After the split, Israel was no longer under the control of Solomon and his son Rehoboam's descendants. Ten tribes belonged to Jeroboam, who we talked about before. Jeroboam passed his throne to his son, who was killed by Baasha. Baasha then passed the throne to his son, and later Baasha's entire family was killed by Zimri. Zimri reigned for only a few days before being killed by Omri. Omri then became the King of Israel, and Omri was Ahab's father.

I'm telling you, it's all about usurpation, today's usurpation, tomorrow's usurpation, all day long. These kings all had a common characteristic, which was committing the sin that Jeroboam committed. Later, Omri passed the throne to Ahab. The Bible devotes a lot of space to Ahab. How many years did Ahab reign for? Twenty-two years. After Ahab became king, he married a good wife. His wife was very lovely. Who was she? She was the daughter of the King of Sidon. When Ahab decided to marry her it was a political alliance. Ahab loved her. Everything that happened in his kingdom and the palace was controlled by her. She was intelligent, smart, and had a lot of knowledge.

How did I find out she was intelligent you might ask? Ahab was following Jezebel to worship Baal. He didn't just worship the two golden calves. Jeroboam made the two golden calves and said that they were the Lord God. He did away with that and changed the name of the Lord God to the name of Baal, and then he worshipped Asherah, because Ahab wanted to please his wife Jezebel. So, we've got to know whoever has to please this or that at home, you're going to have a hard time keeping your original faith.

As a result, this worship was not a small matter. After the worship was done, God manifested his anger, and it didn't rain for three years. How many Israelites had to work through a three-year drought I would like to know? As a result, Ahab was able to keep his crown in the midst of such economic collapse. That is not something that is easy to do. No one rebelled below him. All of it was connected with Jezebel. All of Jezebel's rule over this nation comes from her very own knowledge and strategies. She killed many of God's people, and made many Israelites bow down to Baal and Asherah. See how effective?

Jezebel managed 450 prophets of Baal, and 400 prophets of Asherah. She had so much power. If you could get a job from Jezebel, it would be the best job in Israel, you might be able to make a connection with Jezebel, and it'll fix everything at home. Connecting with Jezebel is even better than knowing Ahab. During those 3 years, Jezebel managed the country so well, which is beyond our imagination. As a result, Ahab was nervous. In this process, Jezebel gave him a lot of ideas, so the country was still on the right track.

There was a man of God inside Ahab. You will find that in Ahab's entire life, he always took down the prophets of Jehovah. At that time, Ahab's era had the most powerful prophet, Elijah. I say that this Ahab is a man with God in his heart, and it's absolutely true. Later, many things proved that he does have God in him. For example, when God pronounced judgment on him, he repented. His heart was still soft, sometimes too soft. He listened to what God told him, and he listened to what his wife told him. He's just way too soft.

Ahab is a man with God in his heart. In fact, this process was very struggling for him. Struggling and struggling, his wife's wind was the strongest. Compared with his wife, the prophet was nothing. As a result, his wife's wind blew so hard! Besides idol worship, there was nothing else you could pick on. When Ahab went home, he massaged his wife's back. Even if he had official status, his wife was the one with the status. It's most important that his wife is happy. When people saw Jezebel, their reaction was, wow, Ahab you are able to be the king because of your wife. Your wife has a husband-supporting face, the fortune tellers all say her husband is a king, it's just that you are her husband which is why you are the king.

This scripture went on to describe that Ahab won a war with surrounding nations. After winning, he released the King of Aram. God wanted Ahab to take his life using his own hands. Yet, he released the King of Aram, Ben-Hadad. As a result, God judges Ahab. Keep in mind that Ahab actually has a very soft heart, and doesn't have any backbone. Why did he end up releasing Ben-Hadad? Think about it, Aram and Sidon, these are all surrounding countries. As long as Jezebel uses her wind and puts out an idea that says Release him, and that fixes the problem. Dealing with another person would be so troublesome. China has Zhuge Liang who captured and released Meng Huo 7 times. Then they should have released Ben-Hadad, which should be Jezebel's idea. As a result, God judges him. After the judgment was released, Ahab felt bad, and wasn't happy in his heart. Why? He didn't do it right.

One day, Ahab saw Naboth's vineyard, and after returning home, he struggled in his heart, because he was such a good person. He said if I rob them it would be way too ridiculous. If I buy it, then he won't sell it, no matter how much I spend, he won't sell it. Coveting a person's property, coveting a person's vineyard, that's all going to be cursed by God! Did he know it? He knew it. How is it possible that Ahab didn't know it? As a result, he had so much melancholy, that he didn't want to eat or drink. At this time, his wife came out again. Actually, every time that he didn't want to eat or drink, his wife would always come out to fix it. His wife was really effective. After Ahab died, Jezebel managed all of Ahab's children, and it may not have been Jezebel giving birth to all of them, but she managed everyone well, this wife isn't good right? She also doesn't compete with the other imperial concubines, and queens, and she never fought. She has ways, she's effective.

As a result, she made a suggestion that killed Naboth, and then he got Naboth's vineyard. They were still arranging things in the yard, they were going to do this, they were going to do that, decorate things, they were going to put up a tent, and build a terrace so that they could invite their friends to drink some wine, and drink tea. The vineyard is so good! As a result, what happened? As a result, when they were at the vineyard, God sent Elijah there. God had Elijah pronounce his judgment on Ahab and Jezebel's family. The judgment on Ahab was that, Ahab sold himself, and got rid of his very own conscience. Who did he sell it too? He sold it to his wife. Therefore, today we will look at this Ahab. Later, Ahab was also killed by a spirit of lies. At the battlefield, an arrow directly shot him down. So today everybody should know Israel's history, and I will briefly talk about it.

V. Ahab: A Man Who Had God in His Heart

Ahab was a man who had God in his heart. How do we know this? Because Ahab supported many prophets of Jehovah. You all must understand this: Ahab supported many prophets of Jehovah, and throughout his life, Ahab frequently conversed with God’s prophets. Moreover, Ahab had a good relationship with the King of Judah. So, Ahab actually knew God. How much did he experience God? Many times. Those three years of no rain worried Ahab sick. Besides his wife, who was a help to him, no one else had any solutions. Then, after three years, Elijah reappeared and told Ahab to gather the prophets of Baal and the prophets of Asherah. Ahab thought, If Elijah wants me to do this, then I must call them. As a result, Elijah declared in that place, How long will you waver between two opinions? If Jehovah is God, then follow Him; but if Baal is God, then follow Baal.

Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people did not answer him a word. (1 Kings 18:21)

Ahab stood beside Elijah. Elijah had them slaughter a bull and place the meat on the wood. But no matter what the prophets of Baal and Asherah did, fire would not come down from heaven. Elijah then had them soak the wood thoroughly, with water filling the surrounding trenches. Then, when Elijah prayed, Jehovah God sent fire down from heaven, burning not only the meat and wood but also drying up the water in the trenches. Ahab saw this and exclaimed, Wow, Jehovah is God! Elijah then said, Seize the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah and kill them! Ahab thought this was fine too. Would you say Ahab was a man who had God? How could he not have God?

Elijah, through the people of Israel, killed all the prophets of Baal and Asherah. When Ahab returned to the palace, Jezebel was waiting for him. Ahab, like a little kitten, said softly, Wife, something happened today. His wife asked, What happened? Ahab replied, The prophets of Baal and Asherah were all killed by Elijah! Jezebel, being formidable, declared, If by this time tomorrow Elijah is not killed like the prophets of Baal, may the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely! As a result, Elijah fled. Actually, at this time, if Ahab had said, That's not right, it would have been different. But Ahab didn't dare. Instead, he said, Oh, wife, calm down; let me massage your back. Tomorrow, we'll issue an arrest warrant to kill Elijah! What kind of person is this? Had he experienced God? Yes, he had.

So why did rain come down from heaven after Elijah killed the prophets of Baal? With the rain coming down, the drought passed. Hopefully, the rain won't be too heavy, like the recent floods where flash floods erupted, and cars were wrecked beyond repair. Have you all seen the photos? Scary, so tragic! Someone who has experienced such great events, could Ahab not have God in his heart? He certainly had God. It's just that he had a bit of weakness in his bones. Actually, it wasn't all weakness, just weakness in front of Jezebel. In front of Jezebel, he would immediately massage her back and give her a massage. He would say to his wife, Ah, wife, let me massage your feet. Ahab massaged willingly, and there was no one in the world with skills like Ahab's. If Ahab hadn't been a king and had worked in a massage parlor, he would have been a master.

Ahab was afraid of his wife because, in Ahab's heart, his wife was good in every way. If his wife wasn't happy, how could he live? So, later a saying circulated, told to me by a Singaporean pastor, Wife happy, life happy. Oh my goodness! Is that in the Bible? That would be troublesome! It turns out there are so many Ahabs in the world! Wasn't Ahab a man who had God in his heart? He even asked the prophets of Jehovah before going to war and was a very capable king, but he sold himself out. What does it mean to sell oneself out? It means selling one's God! In the pastoral profession, especially in Chinese churches, there are many such stories! Don't even think that such pastors will preach the pure gospel, because they have sold themselves out, even selling their God. That's the truth!

Do you know why people struggle? Some pastors are outwardly righteous, with good wives, good families, everything good, but later they get cancer. The bitterness in their hearts cannot be spoken. Where would they get the courage? They’ve become accustomed to it, giving their wives back massages has become a habit. They can't speak of the bitterness in their hearts, so they get cancer. Cancer personalities are created by bottling things up. Having God or experiencing God doesn't count for anything. Even if you've experienced God, you might still be someone who has sold God and sold yourself out. It's good that you haven't sold yourself to Myanmar. If you had, you might have lost your kidneys and liver. But let me tell you, if a person sells themselves out, going against their heart's desires, experiencing extreme pain in their heart, what's the point? If you ask me, I don't think there's any need. Her mother bore her, my mother bore me. Two people suddenly come together, who is living for whom, right?

VI. Selling Oneself Out for Political Power

Ahab became the king of Israel, and he thought, Now that I'm king, what do I do about politics, economics, and managing the whole country? He slapped his forehead and said, Good, Jeroboam was quite clever, making two golden calves. Then Ahab led the Israelites down Jeroboam's path again. Why? He couldn't figure it out: If I let my ten tribes of Israel go to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, I can't figure out how this country will survive. Can you imagine that? People from our country go to another country to make offerings, taking all the money, and it's not just a small amount, fifteen percent! You don't even pay that much in taxes. You just feel like something is not right.

I ask you, they watched Jeroboam being judged by God, Jeroboam and his sons all being killed, their lineage wiped out. Later, Baasha killed Jeroboam's family, but Baasha and his sons were killed by Zimri, and then Zimri was killed by Omri. They were all walking this path. Did Ahab not know these things? Ahab knew it all; it was only a few short years ago. But the problem came when Ahab became king. He thought, Ah, fifteen percent of the people's money is a lot of money. It would be great to use it to develop the country, build airports, build highways, build high-speed rail, build subways. Development requires money, and being king is no joke. As a result, after thinking it over, he still had to walk Jeroboam's path. As for how Jeroboam died, we'll talk about that later. Doesn't that make you upset? As a result, he walked Jeroboam's path, selling himself out for political power.

Then, to solidify his political power, he established a relationship with the King of Sidon. Ahab said, You don't attack me, and I won't attack you. Let's clarify the borders. You marry your daughter to me, and I will definitely treat your daughter well. The King of Sidon said, The King of Israel is my son-in-law. That's a strong relationship. If someone bullies me in the future, you must send troops. If someone bullies you in the future, I will also send troops, because you are my son-in-law. That was the logic. As a result, the daughter of the King of Sidon married Ahab. During their first meeting, the King of Sidon said, Daughter, what do you think of this young man, Ahab? Ahab, what do you think of Jezebel? The two of them sat down and talked, and oh, they regretted not meeting sooner! Jezebel said, I'll never find a young man as good as Ahab in this world. Ahab thought, I'll never marry a wife as good as this in the world. God has created a good helper for me.

After marrying her, let me tell you, Jezebel brought many prophets with her. As for what kind of prophets they were, they were also very powerful. They were a bit like the magicians under the Egyptian Pharaoh. If you needed to accomplish something, they were incredibly accurate! Jezebel said to Ahab, Husband, look, these prophets need a place to live. Can we allocate some funds from the national treasury to build them houses? Click, a villa district was built on the best land in Israel. Once the villa district was built, they began to worship Baal and Asherah inside. Ahab thought, For the sake of political power, I'll just have to endure a little. Although I have God in my heart, God shouldn't blame me. Ah, God knows my difficulties. Are there people like this among us? Ah, God knows my difficulties; I'm so troubled. That's how it goes, listening to the pastor's wife, listening to the queen, listening to Jezebel. That's how it came about.

What happened as a result? The country was quite prosperous. Why? Because during Ahab's time managing Israel, many surrounding countries were defeated by Ahab, and they paid tribute. These were all ideas from Jezebel. Jezebel was amazing, full of wisdom! Ahab asked, Wife, how should this be done? Jezebel said, This is how it should be done! And it was done successfully. Ahab asked, Wife, I've encountered another problem. How should this be done? Jezebel said, This is how it should be done! After discussing it at home, it was much more effective than consulting the ministers in the court. Ahab thought, You ministers are all useless. Consulting you is not as good as consulting my wife. Many churches are the same way. Everyone should know that if the pastor's wife is very powerful, it's a bit like this. Ahab sold himself out for political power. Who did he sell himself to? He sold himself to evil spirits! Did he know God? Yes, he did. But in reality, he still had to follow the actual situation!

VII. Selling Oneself Out for One's Wife

Whatever his wife wanted, Ahab would definitely give it to her immediately. Jezebel wasn't like many of the sisters among us who say, Ah, I have a bit of Jezebel's spirit on me. I say, Come on, Jezebel is much smarter than you. Jezebel was very good at pleasing Ahab. As soon as she saw Ahab's expression was not right, she would immediately say, Husband, did you encounter a problem today? How about I give you an idea? It wasn't a good idea, but the ideas she gave were all bad! To what extent? Jezebel could issue decrees in Ahab's name at any time. What kind of person can issue decrees in Ahab's name? The relationship must have been very good. Did Ahab know that his wife was issuing decrees in his name? He knew!

Look at Ahab wanting Naboth's vineyard. His wife said, Don't worry, leave this to me. I'll take care of it for you. Ahab still had some conscience, and he said, Be careful, don't kill anyone, don't shed blood. His wife said, Hey! Don't worry, just watch! I'll get it in no time! As a result, Jezebel issued decrees in Ahab's name. Ahab truly sold his authority for his wife, sold his conscience, and even sold his God! Some people treat their children like emperors. How many people among us treat their children like emperors? If your child is the emperor, you're not much different from Ahab. Ahab sold himself out for his wife; whether you've sold yourself out for your children, I don't know. Everything else can be put down, but your children's affairs cannot be put down.

As Ahab's wife, Jezebel would bring Ahab a concubine, bring him another concubine, busy as can be, doing everything perfectly! Ahab thought, Where can I find such a considerate and good wife? Ah, as long as my wife is happy, everything else can wait. He sold himself out, and after selling himself out, let me tell you, Ahab's entire family died without a burial place. The curse was so deep!

VIII. Selling Oneself Out for Property

This is very interesting. What happened? Ahab released Ben-Hadad, and this was a spiritual matter. Once you release Jehovah's enemy as a good brother, God will deal with you! How did God deal with him? Suddenly, Ahab had a feeling, a very strong feeling. As Ahab passed Naboth's vineyard, it looked good no matter how he looked at it. Can he describe what's good about the vineyard? Nothing much. A vineyard, a few trees, that's it. If you look at a villa, they all look the same; if you look at a model room, they all look the same. Really, there's nothing to it. But Ahab just had a feeling inside that Naboth's vineyard looked good. Would you say this is spiritual? Very spiritual! At this time, a person will take the bait, and this bait should be from God.

Ahab looked at Naboth's vineyard and thought it looked good no matter how he looked at it, but his own vineyard didn't look good no matter how he looked at it. I don't understand. Have you all seen vineyards? When I went traveling, I stayed in an Australian vineyard. It looked like that, pretty much the same. So why did it look good? I'll tell you, in a person's eyes, it just looks good. Isn't there a saying, A toad looks at a soybean, and it clicks. Actually, this woman is not beautiful, but her husband says, Ah, my wife is so beautiful. Sometimes we tell jokes underneath our breath: This is really a toad looking at a soybean, it clicks. In his eyes, she's simply a beauty! Why does he see it that way? We can't understand. Ahab just looked at other people's property and thought it was good. Isn't that looking for death? As a result, he went back and told Jezebel about it: I wanted to buy his vineyard with my money, but he won't sell it. I said I'd exchange another vineyard for it, but he won't exchange it. Annoying, makes me so angry!

But he replied, “May the Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my ancestors.” (1 Kings 21:3)

Sometimes I tell you, that's how a toad looks at a soybean. When I was building a church early on, I served a mental patient. This girl had just graduated from college, and she looked at a boy and liked him no matter how she looked at him. I looked at him and thought he was disgusting no matter how I looked at him. He was earthy. Oh, she wanted to marry him, but after confessing her feelings, he ignored her. Then the girl had unrequited love and later entered a mental hospital. I cast the demons out of her, and then went back and forth, tossing and turning. Ahab sees things that way. I'm telling you, a person looks at another person's wife and wants to possess her; looks at another person's property and wants to possess it; looks at another person's children and wants to possess them but can't. These are all the works of evil spirits. You must be careful! Looking at other people's children and thinking they're so good, then looking at your own children and thinking they're so bad. Aren't people just making themselves miserable for no reason?

Jezebel is so capable, a vineyard? That's child's play! She manages such a large country as Israel in an orderly manner, can't she handle a small Naboth? No way! Jezebel said, Husband, leave this to me. I'll take care of it for you. As a result, Naboth was killed. How was he killed? They said it was because he blasphemed God and blasphemed the king? You have to say that the hat they put on him wasn't appropriate, it was a bit too big. Oh, amazing! So there is much guilt of shedding blood in this generation. As a result, Ahab was cursed, unknowingly selling himself out. Where did he sell himself to? He sold himself to evil spirits! Jezebel originally had evil spirits on her, so the spirit on Jezebel was later named Jezebel. This spirit is very powerful!

Some people say, Ah, I have Jezebel's spirit on me. You must be very clever, very quick-witted, and full of wisdom, a very good manager. But these come from evil spirits! That's how it is, selling oneself out for property. So today, brothers and sisters, have you sold yourself out for your position? Have you sold yourself out for your wife or your family? Have you sold yourself out for property? These are all things we should be wary of! It's useless to have God in your heart if the logical system in your heart is still a worldly logical system. You can't go down that path, the more you walk it, the more desolate it becomes. In the end, it will be enough to give you a headache! So many Christians are cursed. Many Christians do these things, and then when they sing hymns, they are teary-eyed.

IX. All from the Instigation of His Wife Jezebel

Jezebel played a key role behind the scenes, and this key role was all released from evil spirits! Whether it was worshiping Baal or worshiping Asherah or doing this series of works, it was all inseparable from Jezebel. It was all Jezebel's instigation. The judgment on Jezebel is also very severe. Like Ahab and Jezebel, they naturally reached this point, entered into the curse, and finally God's judgment came!

X. Conclusion

Who can escape God's hand? No one can escape. Even if you have four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and four hundred prophets of Asherah, you can't escape God's judgment! If Jezebel instigates Ahab, Jezebel will be judged. If Ahab sells himself out, Ahab will be judged. As a result, the entire family will be cut off, with no descendants and a terrible death, so tragic! In other words, if a person doesn't see through the things of this world, you can't go on. I hope this Ahab that I've spoken of today can bring a little warning to everyone. May God have mercy on us! In this lifetime, let us only please God, no longer selling ourselves out. No one can deprive us of the God in our hearts, and no one can take away this best portion, because God is in control of everything! Do you believe it? No matter what big things you encounter, or how big they are, the sky won't fall. Boldly go forward, trusting in God, and you will lack no good thing!

Let's sing a hymn to prepare for today's offering. If you don't understand the meaning of offering, please don't offer. The church is not a place to accumulate wealth; the church is a place to impart blessings. If you offer, I won't thank you, because it's for God; everything I have comes from God. Therefore, you don't need to say, Ah, pastor, I made an offering, why don't you thank me? I don't need to thank you either, because you are the one who offered. You should thank yourself. Why? Because God will bless you. Remember, offering is a key step to unlocking blessings! If we value money too much, it's troublesome. If we value our career too much, it's troublesome. No matter what we value too much, it's all troublesome. Only by putting God first in our lives is what Chinese Mingding Destiny wants to tell everyone.

At this time, lift up your hands: God, today give me wisdom and understanding so that not only do I know there is a God after experiencing Your grace, but I also tightly trust in You. I will not sell You out for work, for business, for authority, God. I will not sell You out for my family, and I will not sell You out for property, God. May You guard my heart so that I may walk in Your will all my life. God, have mercy on me. Today, I offer myself to You again so that I can act according to Your heart's desires. Anything that deprives me of my freedom, I will forsake it. Today, I will be free in Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for the kingdom, the power, and the glory are all Yours, forever and ever. Amen!