Evil Personified!

             If you had to pick a name to describe evil, the best choice would be “Jezebel”.  Jezebel served as Queen of Israel during the time of Elijah, the Prophet.  She is probably the most well-known woman villain of the Old Testament, if not the entire Bible. 

            She came from a land that worshipped baal, and she brought her beliefs with her to her marriage to King Ahab.  Ahab also became a baal worshiper, and with his wife’s influence, “he did more evil in the eyes of the Lord than any of those before him” (I Kings 16: 30 NIV84). 

            As you read the account of her life, which is found in I Kings 16 – 21 and II Kings 9, you learn a great deal about the kind of woman that she was.  She was strong, bold, wise, driven, and devoted to her god.  On the surface, those are all traits to be desired.  Unfortunately, they are also traits that can just as easily be used for evil as for good.  Jezebel chose the former rather than the latter.

            She dominated her husband, King Ahab, who was a weak, and sometimes, whiny leader.  Her efforts to eradicate the worship of Jehovah God led to the killing of many of God’s prophets.  The one thorn in her side was the prophet, Elijah.  She couldn’t defeat him, no matter how hard she tried. 

Unlike Ahab, who cowered in her presence, Elijah stood up to her and her baal prophets.  With God’s help, he handed them a defeat at Mt. Carmel that makes the top ten list of everyone’s favorite Bible stories.  After baal’s prophets tried all day to call down fire to consume their sacrifices, Elijah had water poured onto the altar multiple times.  Then, he called on God to show the people of Israel that He was still God.  With one sudden swoop, fire from heaven burned up the “sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench” (I Kings 18: 38 NIV84).  Jezebel and her god were soundly defeated.  Jezebel wasn’t done yet.  She put a bounty on Elijah’s head, and he ran for his life.

Elijah wasn’t the only one who tried to stand up to Ahab and Jezebel.  When Ahab decided that he wanted to buy a plot of land from a man named Naboth, he found an unwilling seller.  While Ahab went home with his tale between his legs, Jezebel devised an elaborate plot to have Naboth killed and take possession of his land.

God had seen enough!  Through the prophet, Elijah, God pronounced judgment on Jezebel.  “Dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel” (I Kings 21: 23 NIV84).  Several years later, God’s prophecy was fulfilled in II Kings 9: 30 – 37, but I’ll spare you the gory details.  Ironically, her pride and arrogance were apparent to the very end.  When she realized that her time was up, she “painted her eyes, and arranged her hair” (II Kings 9: 30 NIV84).  After all, she was still a queen, and it was important to keep up appearances. 

Jezebel was pure evil.  Yet, she and her story teach us several life lessons.  She is a reminder to each of us that our best assets can also lead to our downfall.  It is our choice, so we must guard our hearts against the devil’s schemes.

We also are reminded of the awesome power of God.  He reigns over all, and He does not tolerate sin.  Without repentance, there will always be a price to pay.  Jezebel eventually paid that price. 

Finally, one of the best lessons learned from this family saga is found in II Kings 9: 22, “When Joram [Ahaz’s son, King of Israel] saw Jehu [Chosen by God as the new King of Israel], he asked, ‘Have you come in peace?’ ‘How can there be peace,’ Jehu replied, ‘as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?” (NIV84).  The obvious answer that eluded Jezebel is that without God at the center of our lives, there can be no peace!

I Kings 16: 29 – 31; 18: 4, 7 – 19; 19: 1, 2 & 21: 1 – 25

II Kings 9: 1 – 13, 21 – 26 & 30 - 37