Does the Bible address the issue of bullies and mobs such as we are seeing on full display in our day? Was there ever a time when these two evil forces worked in tandem to strike targets who would not conform to their demands?

This morning I read the story of Naboth from 1 Kings 21. We know very little about Naboth, though we know he was a responsible farmer whose vineyard must have been something to behold. Oh yes, we also know that he had the misfortune of being the neighbor of the wicked king Ahab, who cast his greedy eyes on his vineyard often enough to decide he wanted it for himself.

Naboth would not deal. Yes, vineyards require a lot of work. From planting your vineyard until you are able to get your first bottles of wine, it is a four to five year wait on average. The Father compares Himself to a Vinedresser as a way to illustrate the personal attention that a man in this profession gives to each and every plant, each and every branch, in order that they might bear as much fruit as possible.

But more than the vineyard, it is that plot of land for which Naboth was willing to contend at all cost. Ahab had offered him good money, and an even better vineyard (if you can believe him). But Ahab was an unprincipled rascal. A man with his complete lack of moral background could never understand the real reason why Naboth would not even consider to give up his piece of land. For the last and most important thing we know about Naboth is based upon the only words that scripture ascribe to him. 1 Kings 21:3 says:

“But Naboth said to Ahab, ‘The Lord forbid that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you!’”

It took a lot of courage to stand up to this bully, Ahab! I suppose most would have just thrown in the towel, content to be a conformer and a coward. Bullies, after all, almost always get their way. If pressure doesn’t work, they threaten. If threatening doesn’t yield results, they resort to violence. Sound familiar?

Indeed, Ahab did resort to violence. Since he could not get his way through legal channels, he rounded up a mob. He gets some of the “men of his city” (v. 21:11), a few of them leaders, and then either pays off or convinces “scoundrels” to bear false witness against Naboth, saying he had “blasphemed God and the king!” (v. 21:13) By this time the core of committed rabble rousers has incited a crowd into blind rage. Stones are lifted and hurled at this innocent and righteous man, burying him under a large pile and silencing his voice of dissent forever.

Or did it?

You may be wondering why—given the fact that Ahab reigned as king in Israel for twenty-two years—such a random story was selected and highlighted by the Holy Spirit out of all the treachery that may have been alluded to from Ahab’s life? I believe it is because God loved Naboth, and wanted this act of courage in the face of bullies and the mob to be remembered from generation to generation.

Indeed, I see people caving and cowering all the time to the lunacy that is being advocated across our nation in this hour. Have you asked yourself, what if my restaurant was surrounded by an angry mob demanding me to raise my fist? What would I do? How about all those 280 pound muscle-ripped athletes, how could it be that they plow down the opposing team’s players but have, in just a matter of months, found fear in the face of the Almighty Twitter? I cannot help but wonder, where are the Naboth’s?!

Naboth was not just courageous. We have to see the parallel to our day of what he was taking a stand for: the inheritance of my fathers. This, friends, was a battle that was worth fighting. Naboth not only considered his own loss; he was going to stick his neck out because this land was not his alone. His ancestors had taken possession of it at great cost, and loss of life. Blood had been spilt. And if that was not enough, Naboth’s acknowledgement that it would be forbidden by God Himself reveals yet another thing about him that we would be foolish to overlook: Naboth feared the Lord His God. It is Jehovah, after all, Who had determined the boundaries of each tribe in Israel. The land was not just nice, it was holy.

Ahab the bully thought that he had silenced this man who had dared to defy him. The mob surely imagined Naboth’s voice would never be heard again buried under their rocks of judgment. But they were all wrong. Naboth is still speaking today, and I am hearing his voice loud and clear. Don’t give in to their threats, and don’t shrink back when they come at you with violence. For God Himself will honor the man who will never surrender the ground, the traditions and sacrifices, that have been bequeathed to us by our fathers. Yes, Naboth’s voice can still be heard; I can hear him say, “The Lord forbid that we should give over the inheritance, history, traditions, and values of our great land to bullies and an angry mob”.