1 Kings 17:23
“ And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, even against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.”
One of the stories in the Bible that raises my ire is the story of Ahab and Naboth. Ahab desired to have Naboth’s vineyard, but Naboth would not allow his vineyard to be turned into a shrine to worship heathen gods. When given a chance to prosper from this transaction, Naboth would not close a blind eye to the wrong just for the sake of financial profit. Naboth was truly a man of character and integrity.
One would think that Naboth’s actions would have good results, but they did not. Jezebel set into action a plan that eventually resulted in Naboth’s death. It could have been very easy for Naboth to have a last minute change of mind when he faced the death squad, but he completely understood that right actions sometimes bring bad results.
The test of your integrity will be determined by how you respond when doing right results in adverse circumstances. It is always easy to do right when we know the consequences will turn in our favor; however, it is difficult to do right when you know that doing right will result in your hurt. In this story, there are some truths that we must embrace when doing right brings bad results.
First, just because right causes defeat does not change right. Friend, you can lose in your battle for truth, but that does not change the fact that truth is right. Many people focus on the result to determine whether something is the right thing to do, but doing right doesn’t always bring good results. We must understand that truth and right are determined by God and not by the results.
Second, your integrity should never be for sale. Friend, what will it take for you to lose your integrity? What is the cost of truth? Your price tag is whatever it takes for you to quit doing right. Let me encourage you to determine not to be for sale. I know it’s easy to say you are not for sale, but you are going to have to get a thick skin and a deep determination to not sell out in the day of adversity. Doing right will not always be popular, but doing right is always the right thing to do. You don’t do right because it brings good rewards, you do right because it’s right.
Third, don’t undo in doubt or pressure the decision to stand for truth. There will come a time in your life when the pressure will be applied and become so great that you will want to crumble under the pressure and quit doing right. Don’t ever let the pressure or the doubt of what will happen cause you to crumble. Stand strong in the truths of God’s Word realizing that God’s Word is always right.
Christian, doing right will not always bring good results. You need to determine right now what you are going to do in that day. This world needs some Naboth’s who will do right when it is not popular and when it doesn’t turn out for their good. The only thing that will help you keep going in that day is the fact that you are doing right solely because it is right. If you do right for any other reason, then you will quit doing right when the pressure of wrong is applied. Determine by God’s grace that you will do right even when right results in personal adversity.