1 Kings 16:23-34: “In the thirty and first year of Asa king of Judah began Omri to reign over Israel, twelve years: six years reigned he in Tirzah.  And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria.  But Omri wrought evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse than all that were before him.  For he walked in all the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to sin, to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger with their vanities (my comment: Jeroboam professed to worship the God of Israel; the God of.Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob- yet he didn’t worship Him as prescribed in the Law of Moses- even to the point of representing Him by graven images- similar to what many do today- we see here that God was very angry at this).  Now the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his might that he shewed, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?  So Omri slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria: and Ahab his son reigned in his stead.  And in the thirty and eighth year of Asa king of Judah began Ahab the son of Omri to reign over Israel: and Ahab the son of Omri reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two years.  And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him (we’re about to see why).  And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshiped him.  And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.  And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.  In his days did Hiel the Bethelite build Jericho: he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firstborn, and set up the gates thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by Joshua the son of Nun.”

God’s threat from centuries before of what would become a man’s children if he dared to rebuild the accursed city of Jericho was proven valid.  God was provoked like this because sinners became especially bold and flagrant in their sins in Ahab’s time due to the sin and overall increased defiance of the true God.  This defiance of the true God that prevailed in Ahab’s days came very much through the corrupt influence of Jezebel- which Ahab cooperated with and enabled.

Then we read in 1 Kings chapter 17:1: “And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.” 

Exodus 34:14 says God is jealous for His own name.  He would compromise His own truth and deny Himself if He were not.  Since Elijah was a faithful man after God’s own heart, he could not bear with the idolatry that was prevailing in Israel through Jezebel’s influence.  The rest of 1 Kings chapter 17 deals with Elijah as he is sent out of the reach of Ahab.  

Then we read in 1 Kings 18:1-19: “And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.  And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab.  And there was a sore famine in Samaria.  And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly: For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water- my comment: of course she wanted the Lord’s prophets dead- they testified against her idolatry and the manifold sins which she was involved in.)  And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.  So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.  And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah?  And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.  And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?  As the Lord thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not.  And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.  And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee whither (where) I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the Lord from my youth.  Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew (or, killed) the prophets of the Lord, how I hid an hundred men of the Lord’s prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?  And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me.  And Elijah said, As the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day.  So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah.  And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?  And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.  Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table.”

Government corruption is no new thing!  

Then we read in 1 Kings 18:20-24: “So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.  And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions?  if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.  Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.  Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.”

After the Lord proved Himself to be the true God by sending fire down on Elijah’s offering, Elijah did what God’s Law called to be done in the then Theocratic nation of Israel.  He seized the opportunity and had the Prophets of Baal present at Mount Carmel, the same ones who ate from Jezebel’s table, slain.  

1 Kings 18:39-40: “And when all the people saw it (the fire which came down on Elijah’s offering), they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God.  And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.”

Elijah was a truly righteous man who was the total opposite of the enabler Ahab, the wicked King whose enabling had caused Israel to become both extremely morally corrupt and under a bitter judgment from God.  After the lesson had been driven home about the true God’s identity and righteousness wrought in slaying the prophets of Baal who ate at Jezebel’s table, now Elijah prayed for rain (see 1 Kings 18:41-46 and James 5:17).  

Elijah knew very well that these righteous deeds could very well cost him his life.  To stand for righteousness and not be an enabler of evil one must be prepared to suffer and/or die as a result of doing so.  Ahab did not repent of enabling Jezebel.  He should have rather had her slain for the murder and promotion of idolatry which she had been involved in.  Yet instead of turning against her, Ahab continued to be an enabler of his wicked wife.  At this point, Jezebel’s rage is unmasked and clear as day.  Yet it could accomplish nothing if she were not further enabled.  She was further enabled though because Ahab would not change- even after seeing God send down fire from heaven- and even in a context which he knew was a witness against Jezebel and himself!

1 Kings 19:1-2: “And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.  Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time.”

Not only was Ahab an enabler under the power of a wicked woman, but his soldiers were as well.  This is a perfect and very obvious example of a time when Government authority should not be obeyed.  But since the soldiers were enabling Jezebel,, Elijah had to flee.  

If you keep reading in 1 Kings chapter 19, note that even though Elijah did not handle this trial in the most graceful way and wanted to die, he didn’t do more than ask God to kill him.  He didn’t consider suicide or euthanasia to be a righteous option.  There is no reason to believe he seriously considered such.  

We also see in 1 Kings chapter 19 that Jezebel was enabled so greatly and her influence was thus so strong that only 7,000 people were left in Israel that did not worship Baal.  7,000 out of several million.  That may be a similar percentage to the percentage of Jews today who faithfully worship Israel’s Messiah Jesus Christ and have not followed one or more of the great spiritual delusions which have overtaken Jews since the Jewish nation as a whole rejected its Messiah and was brought to an end in the Jewish war against the Romans.  And by the way: The essence of Zionism is that it is a war against Jesus Christ; a striving against His verdict concerning the Jewish nation. 

Matthew 23:37-39: “ O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!  Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.  For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”

Don’t enable the Jews then in their war against Jesus Christ by supporting modern Israel.  Woe to America because it has done so!  Woe especially to the vast majority of our politicians because they have done so!

Note a contrast now between the people in their attitude towards the King of Syria versus their attitude towards Jezebel as we get into 1 Kings chapter 20.

1 Kings 20:1-8: “And Benhadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots; and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it.  And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Benhadad, Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.  And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have.  And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaketh Benhadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children; Yet I will send my servants unto thee to morrow about this time, and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, that whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away.  Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.  And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken not unto him, nor consent.”

Look, they could actually say no!  Why didn’t they tell Jezebel “No!” with her Baal worship and her plans to murders the prophets of the Lord?  The truth is, what Benhadad was seeking to do to Ahab and Israel was very bad- but what Jezebel was successfully doing was a lot worse.  There is nothing wrong with storing up guns and ammo to protect yourself, your home, your neighborhood, your nation, etc.  Doing that is not incompatible with being a faithful Christian at all.  But understand that there are greater dangers than the dangers which tangible weapons can counter.  Sadly, many are quite willing to stand up to men seeking to harm them physically who don’t righteously stand up to Jezebels and attacks carried out through her influence which are related to her schemes and manipulation.

1 Kings 20:9-11: “Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Benhadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do: but this thing I may not do.  And the messengers departed, and brought him word again.  And Benhadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.  And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.”  

Look!  Evan Ahab is capable of using his spine.  He even utters some great wisdom in his response to Benhadad’s messengers.  This wisdom is truly a great counter to unconditional eternal security/OSAS (Once Saved Always Saved) teachers and those under their influence.

As 1 Kings 20 continues, the Israelites defeat the Syrians in battle twice.  The chapter ends though with Ahab going to his house heavy and displeased because of the judgment which he is told will come upon him.  This judgment was told to him by a Prophet who said that he and his people will face judgment for saving Benhadad the King of Syria’s life rather than killing him for his oppressive intentions which caused these battles to happen.  Ahab was an enabler of the King of Syria under the pretext of being merciful and peaceful.  It says in Proverbs that the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.  This is a chief example of that (you just have to read 1 Kings chapter 20 all the way through to see that).  It was not appropriate to show mercy to Benhadad and save his life in these circumstances.  He was worthy of death.  The welfare of Israel and its people made it especially important that he die.  It is no wonder that Benhadad broke his covenant that he made with Ahab on this occasion (1 Kings chapter 20) and a rebuilt Syrian Army was the means by which Ahab died in 1 kings chapter 22.

Why am I including these things in analyzing what the Bible says about Jezebel?  Because Jezebel is notably absent in 1 Kings chapter 20.  Why wasn’t she upset that Ahab didn’t kill the King of Syria like he should have?  We’ll see in the next chapter that Ahab is heavy and displeased for another reason- and  Jezebel takes action in the matter. 

Jezebel overall is a pathetic person not only due to her actions, but also due to the fact that she was absent when her influence may have actually been used to accomplish something good and important.

Reading in 1 Kings 21:1-10: “And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria.  And Ahab spoke unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money.  And Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.  And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.  But Jezebel his wife came to him, and said unto him, Why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eatest no bread?  And he said unto her, Because I spoke unto Naboth the Jezreelite, and said unto him, Give me thy vineyard for money; or else, if it please thee, I will give thee another vineyard for it: and he answered, I will not give thee my vineyard.  And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel?  arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.  So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that were in his city, dwelling with Naboth.  And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people: And set two men, sons of Belial (or, of the devil), before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.”

The elders of Jezreel do what the lying, murderous Jezebel (who thinks she can never do anything wrong) wrote in Ahab’s name for them to do.  Again, an example of how people can be enablers of sin by being complicit with orders that are unrighteous to comply with (even if they really had come from the king).  

By the way: This is all so much like the modern political game.  Everyone is looking for promotion, looking to be in the favor of others whose help they think they’ll need in their future schemes, no one will say stand up to someone that they think might be able to blackmail them or otherwise harm them, there is no one who isn’t afraid rather to sin against God.  This causes others to suffer while the powerful ones pat each other on the back for their devious behavior and a few pawns get a payout.  It should make us sick because it really is morally shameful.

1 Kings 21:15-29: “ And it came to pass, when Jezebel heard that Naboth was stoned, and was dead, that Jezebel said to Ahab, Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give thee for money: for Naboth is not alive, but dead.  And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.  And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it.  And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession?  And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.  And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?  And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord.  Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity, and will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, And will make thine house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made Israel to sin.  And of Jezebel also spoke the Lord, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.  Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.  But there was none like unto Ahab, which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up.  And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.  And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent (or, tore)  his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.  And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me?  because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house.”

I don’t believe there is any good evidence that Ahab actually repented towards God.  Otherwise, he would have had Jezebel killed for her idolatry and murders.  He certainly would have at least put her away and not let her be queen anymore.  In the next chapter, Ahab says of a prophet of the true God that he hates him because he never prophesies good concerning him (concerning Ahab), but only evil (1 Kings 22:8).  Ahab never turned from his evil ways, but God evidently saw something in Ahab here which caused Him to delay the judgment upon Ahab’s house as a whole.  In the next chapter (1 Kings 22), Ahab is slain in a battle with the Syrians (whom he had spared before in unrighteousness when it was in his power to kill their king and make it much more difficult for the Syrians to harm Israel anytime soon).  

We don’t hear of Jezebel again until about ten years later when God’s judgment upon Jezebel and Ahab’s house as a whole finally hits.  

Jezebel, and many others, probably thought that she had got away with the treacherous things she did and that the judgment threatened against her by Elijah was without effect.

We read in 2 Kings 9:1-22: “And Elisha (Elijah’s successor) the prophet called one of the children of the prophets, and said unto him, Gird up thy loins, and take this box of oil in thine hand, and go to Ramothgilead: And when thou comest thither (there), look out there Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi, and go in, and make him arise up from among his brethren, and carry him to an inner chamber; Then take the box of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, Thus saith the Lord, I have anointed thee king over Israel. Then open the door, and flee, and tarry not (or, wait not).  So the young man, even the young man the prophet, went to Ramothgilead.  And when he came, behold, the captains of the host were sitting; and he said, I have an errand to thee, O captain.  And Jehu said, Unto which of all us?  And he said, To thee, O captain.  And he arose, and went into the house; and he poured the oil on his head, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I have anointed thee king over the people of the Lord, even over Israel.  And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the Lord, at the hand of Jezebel (my comment: Jehu was deputized by God to carry out His righteous judgment on Ahab’s house, especially upon Jezebel.  If you don’t like it, if you don’t agree with it, someone else didn’t either– and we’re about to see who that was).  For the whole house of Ahab shall perish: and I will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel: And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha the son of Ahijah (previous wicked kings of Israel whose households God destroyed): And the dogs shall eat Jezebel in the portion of Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her.  And he opened the door, and fled.  Then Jehu came forth to the servants of his lord: and one said unto him, Is all well?  wherefore came this mad fellow to thee?  And he said unto them, Ye know the man, and his communication.  And they said, It is false; tell us now. And he said, Thus and thus spoke he to me, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I have anointed thee king over Israel.  Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king.  So Jehu the son of Jehoshaphat the son of Nimshi conspired against Joram (Ahab’s son who was now king- this was justice being carried out at God’s appointed timing). (Now Joram had kept Ramothgilead, he and all Israel, because of Hazael king of Syria.  But king Joram was returned to be healed in Jezreel of the wounds which the Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria.)  And Jehu said, If it be your minds, then let none go forth nor escape out of the city to go to tell it in Jezreel.  So Jehu rode in a chariot, and went to Jezreel; for Joram lay there. And Ahaziah king of Judah was come down to see Joram.  And there stood a watchman on the tower in Jezreel, and he spied the company of Jehu as he came, and said, I see a company.  And Joram said, Take an horseman, and send to meet them, and let him say, Is it peace?  So there went one on horseback to meet him, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace? And Jehu said, What hast thou to do with peace?  turn thee behind me.  And the watchman told, saying, The messenger came to them, but he cometh not again.  Then he sent out a second on horseback, which came to them, and said, Thus saith the king, Is it peace?  And Jehu answered, What hast thou to do with peace?  turn thee behind me.  And the watchman told, saying, He came even unto them, and cometh not again: and the driving is like the driving of Jehu the son of Nimshi; for he driveth furiously.  And Joram said, Make ready. And his chariot was made ready.  And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out against Jehu, and met him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite.  And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, Is it peace, Jehu?  And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?

My brief comment: Her rampant idolatry alone would make this statement true.  Yet I wouldn’t be surprised if Jezebel was into all manner of occultism and one who frequently committed sexual immorality also.  We’ll quickly look here at the only time Jezebel is mentioned in the Bible after 2 Kings chapter 9.  The connection with the woman spoken of here must be because of the woman’s resemblance to the original Jezebel.

Revelation 2:18-23: “And unto the angel (or, messenger- likely the head Overseer) of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.  Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.  And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.  Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.  And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.’

Continuing now with 2 Kings chapter 9.  

2 Kings 9:23-29: “And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, There is treachery, O Ahaziah.  And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot.  Then said Jehu to Bidkar his captain, Take up, and cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the Lord laid this burden upon him; Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the Lord; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the Lord.  Now therefore take and cast him into the plat of ground (or, plot of land), according to the word of the Lord.  But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw this, he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot.  And they did so at the going up to Gur, which is by Ibleam.  And he fled to Megiddo, and died there.  And his servants carried him in a chariot to Jerusalem, and buried him in his sepulcher with his fathers in the city of David.  And in the eleventh year of Joram the son of Ahab began Ahaziah to reign over Judah (Ahaziah didn’t reign long- Joram only reigned for 12 years).  

Continuing in 2 Kings 9:30: “And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window.”

Seduction was Jezebel’s first resort when she saw Jehu was coming for her.  This included using makeup.  Though Jezebel could have been well into her 50s by this point, it is reasonable to believe she had resorted to such means often from her youth- quite possibly even with Ahab in persuading him to marry her.  I question whether Jezebel was naturally that beautiful.  She was certainly manipulative though and seductive.  

Proverbs 5:3-5: “For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.  Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.”

Proverbs 7:21-27: “With her much fair speech she caused him to yield, with the flattering of her lips she forced him.  He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks; Till a dart strike through his liver; as a bird hasteth to the snare (trap), and knoweth not that it is for his life.  Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth.  Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.  For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.  Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.”

It is very good that this was not so of Jehu with Jezebel.  Yet Jezebel has another tactic ready to dissuade him from righteously executing her and to make him seem like the bad guy.

2 Kings 9:31: “And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?”

You just have to back a little before this message begins in 1 Kings chapter 16 to read about Zimri.  Jehu at this point was very different from Zimri.  Yet Jehu does not talk to Jezebel about truth because he knows that actually walking in truth is the last thing she cares about.  It is amazing how many of Jezebel’s disciples know the Bible to some degree and will twist it for their own ends- especially to vilify those who stand in the way of their devious goals or who seek to put them in their place.  They disregard the Bible, set aside its counsel, and even openly mock it.  Yet when they see it is to their advantage, they’ll quote from it to try to make their point.  They love to twist it to threaten Christians who righteously stand against them.  I know of at least one Jezebel who is an extreme example of that.  

2 Kings 9:32-33: “And he (Jehu) lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side?  who?  And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs.  And he said, Throw her down.  So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot.”

Jezebel had prospered in evil for so long through others enabling her and propping up in her scheming.  Now, she is finally destroyed through some standing against her and casting her down in due, appropriate timing.  These eunuchs had a great opportunity here due to their being eunuchs.  All men ought to be eunuchs though in the sense of being steadfast to not let their sensual desires cloud their judgment nor prevent them from carrying out justice within their given jurisdiction.

2 Kings 9:34-37: “And when he (Jehu) was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king’s daughter.  And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands.  Wherefore they came again, and told him.  And he said, This is the word of the Lord, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: And the carcass of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.”

Take heed.  Note the principles and consider how they apply beyond Jezebel’s lifetime.

Aaron’s email is: [email protected]

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