Jezebel

*Jezebel’s story is told in 1 Kings 16:31-2 Kings 9:37

Who is Jezebel?

  • Jezebel was a Phoenician princess who married Ahab, the king of Israel, in the 9th century BCE. Her marriage marked a significant alliance between the northern kingdom of Israel and the Phoenician city-state of Tyre. Jezebel is mentioned in 1 Kings 16:31 as the daughter of Ethbaal, the king of the Sidonians.

Strengths and Accomplishments

  • Leadership: Jezebel demonstrated strong leadership skills, helping her husband maintain and expand his kingdom’s influence.
  • Religious Zeal: She was deeply committed to her religious beliefs and attempted to establish the worship of Baal, a Phoenician god, in Israel.
  • Political Savvy: Jezebel skillfully navigated through political challenges, strengthening diplomatic ties and securing resources for Israel.

Weaknesses and Mistakes

  • Idolatry: Jezebel’s promotion of Baal worship led Israel away from their true faith and into idolatry, contrary to the commandments of God.
  • Manipulation: Her influence often veered into manipulation, seen in her role in orchestrating the wrongful death of Naboth to acquire his vineyard (1 Kings 21).
  • Conflict with Prophets: Jezebel’s opposition to the prophets of Yahweh, particularly Elijah, intensified the spiritual and moral conflict within Israel.

Lessons from Her Life

  • Destructive Ambition: Jezebel’s ambition, while initially strategic, turned destructive when it led to disobedience and moral degradation.
  • Consequences of Manipulation: Her manipulation and abuse of power resulted in dire consequences for herself, her family, and the nation.
  • Importance of Spiritual Integrity: Jezebel’s disregard for God’s commands illustrates the importance of staying true to one’s spiritual beliefs and values.

Key Verses (NIV version)

  • 1 Kings 16:31: “He [Ahab] not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him.”
  • 1 Kings 18:4: “While Jezebel was killing off the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.”
  • 1 Kings 21:25-26: “There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel.”