The vinyard of Naboth and those that worship death

"And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, [i]and[/i] eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite."

- 1Kings 21:7(KJV)

"The getting of treasures by a lying tongue [i]is[/i] a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death."

- Proverbs 21:6(KJV)

Just a while ago I was looking for something and noticed this passage from the Proverbs. It stood out to me and so I started to study it a bit, to cast it in my mind and to ponder it.

As I did and was reading some of the definitions for the words in the Hebrew, a sense of the meaning started to appear.

The sense of it was this: that those that profit or get gain by decieving others are like someone grasping at a cloud of smoke, which, when it is dispersed, reveals not the treasure they sought for, but death.

According to the dictionary, the word that is translated [i]seek[/i] is pronounced [i]baw-kash'[/i] and means 'to search out' by any method, but particularly in worship or prayer. That was striking, and it made me think of what the Apostle Paul said, that covetousness is idolatry.

As I kept thinking on these things I tried to think of an example from the Bible that would correspond and this story about Jezebel and the vineyard of Naboth came to mind. For some reason I felt this was very relevant to current events and thought of placing it in that category. At any rate I wanted to share it with you all.

those that profit or get gain by decieving others

This would, I suppose, especially include using the Gospel, or the Bible, or religous sentiments and curiosity in others, as a pretext or an opportunity for plundering whatever wealth they have, be it a mite, or millions.

Mat 23:14, 2Pe 2:3, 2Co 2:17

"This is a gospel of partiality to the prosperous and succsesful. And its an indictment against the poor, to whom Jesus ministered" - David Wilkerson, [url=https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/mydownloads/singlefile.php?lid=2]Another Gospel[/url]

The getting of riches?

Whilst many may not be rich, we can be deceptive in our dealings with money.

By not declaring all of our taxes, not giving back money when we are overpaid at the shop, etc.

But, God does look for integrity in His people. If He tells us to be holy for He is holy, do you suppose a lying tounge to gain money is an act of holiness?

Our fear of God determines our lifestyle.

God bless.