- [Speaker] Jezebel was the wife of King Ahab,
who ruled the kingdom of Israel
in the Old Testament.
Ahab was regarded as a horrific king,
the worst of all the kings according
to the Book of Kings.
He ruled for 22 years, enough time
to cause a lot of havoc.
He outdid all his predecessors in wickedness.
Now Ahab, the son of Omri,
became king over Israel
in the 38th year of Asa, King of Judah.
And Ahab, the son of Omri,
reigned over Israel in Samaria 22 years.
And Ahab, the son of Omri did evil
in the sight of the Lord
more than all who were before him.
And it came about as though it had been
a trivial thing for him to walk
in the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat,
that he married Jezebel, the daughter of Ethbaal,
King of the Sedonians,
and went to serve Baal and worship him.
So he erected an altar for Baal
in the house of Baal, which he built in Samaria.
And Ahab also made the Asherah,
thus Ahab did more
to provoke the Lord God of Israel
than all the kings of Israel who were before him.
1 Kings 16:29-33
This was the man that Jezebel was married to.
Jezebel was the daughter of the priest-king Ethbaal,
ruler of the Phoenician cities of Tyre and Sidon.
Her name in Phoenician meant primrose,
but the same name in Hebrew, Jezebel,
meant garbage and this was how she was known.
It was clear that she used Ahab
to achieve her own evil ends
and that he needed little persuading.
This was the first time that a king of Israel
had allied himself by marriage
with a heathen princess.
The rule of Jezebel.
Jezebel persuaded Ahab to accept Baal,
a nature God, after they married.
As a woman desiring greater power,
she wanted to eliminate those who dared
to question her.
And she had most of Yahweh's prophets slain at her request.
She is the first and most powerful agitator
of persecution against God's saints.
She spared no pains to keep her idolatry
in all its glory around her guided by no principle,
controlled by no fear of either God or man
and fervent in her allegiance to her heathen worship.
450 prophets ministered under her care to Baal,
besides 400 prophets of the groves
or Asherah, Astarte, a Phoenician goddess
which ate at her table.
1 Kings 18:19
Now therefore send and gathered to me all Israel
unto Mount Carmel and the prophets of Baal 450,
and the prophets of the groves 400,
which eat at Jezebel's table.
Her conduct in many respects, very disastrous
to the kingdom of both Israel and Judah.
These evil and tyrannical work
stirred the righteous vengeance of Elijah,
who correctly predicted the encounter
of a severe drought
as divine retribution against Jezebel.
Elijah was regarded as one of Israel's greatest prophets.
Despite the fact that no book has been published
in his name, the Book of Kings
covers more of his life than most of the kings.
Elijah was most famous for his confrontation
with the Baal prophets,
whom Jezebel had brought to the palace.
This was to see the victor between
the forces of Jezebel and the force of God.
This is a well-known story.
Elijah constructed an altar and dared
the prophets of Baal to construct
their own altars beside his
and call on their gods for fire
to consume the sacrifice.
It was a clever task.
We now know that beneath Baal's altars
was a tunnel where a priest would hide
and set fire to the wood
as the people cried out to the god.
Elijah cleverly requested them to build
their altar in the open and then promised
to build his alter in the same manner.
Only he would also add water
to make the challenge greater.
His arrogance led him to mock the priests
to the point where, if his experiment failed,
he would have been executed.
He pushed them to shout even louder,
implying that their god was on vacation
or needed to relieve himself.
It was a critical moment in the northern tribes history.
The fire was sent by God, Elijah sacrifice was consumed
and Israel saw who was truly powerful.
Baal's prophets were defeated.
There's an unlikely sequel to this great story.
Jezebel threatened Elijah after learning
of his victory and the deaths of her prophets.
Despite his victory over Baal's 400 prophets,
Elijah fled to Horab for his life.
God sent an angel to cook him a supper
since the prophet was emotionally
and spiritually exhausted,
and afterwards assured him of His presence
and provision for Israel's future.
God had already set aside a colleague
for Elijah to continue the work.
Elisha, the plowman,
took over the prophetic function from Elijah.
He sought a double portion of his spirit from Elijah.
Elisha was requesting the right
to be his heir and successor so that
he could take over the business in a sense.
Other brutal act attributed to Jezebel
is written in 1 Kings.
Next to Ahab's home was a vineyard,
which he coveted and desired.
A civilian owned it named Naboth of Jezreel.
When Naboth refused to part with his vineyard,
as the inheritance of my father's,
Jezebel falsely accused him of cursing God and the king,
which led to the stoning of Naboth.
Elijah confronted Ahab in the vineyard,
prophesying over their lives.
The case of a vineyard owned by Naboth
showed the true behavior of Jezebel
and a relationship with Ahab.
Sometime after, there was an incident involving
a vineyard belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite.
The vineyard was in Jezreel,
close to the palace of Ahab, King of Samaria.
Ahab said to Naboth, "Let me have your vineyard
to use for my vegetable garden
since it is close to my palace.
In exchange, I will give you a better vineyard,
or if you prefer,
I will pay you whatever it is worth."
But Naboth replied, "The Lord forbid
that I should give you the inheritance of my ancestors."
So Ahab went home, sullen and angry
because Naboth the Jezreelite had said,
"I will not give you the inheritance of my ancestors."
He lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat.
His wife Jezebel came in and asked him,
"Why are you so sullen? Why won't you eat?"
He answered her,
"Because I said to Naboth the Jezreelite,
'Sell me your vineyard, or if you prefer,
I will give you another vineyard in its place.'
But he said, 'I will not give you my vineyard.'"
Jezebel his wife said,
"Is this how you act as king over Israel?
Get up and eat, cheer up.
I'll get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite."
So she wrote letters in Ahab's name,
placed a seal on them and sent them
to the elders and nobles
who lived in Naboth's city with him.
In those letters she wrote,
Proclaim a day of fasting and see Naboth
in a prominent place among the people.
But seat two scoundrels opposite him
and have them bring charges
that he has cursed both God and the king.
Then take him out and stone him to death.
So the elders and nobles who lived
in Naboth's city did as Jezebel directed
in the letter she had written to them.
They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth
in a prominent place among the people.
Then two scoundrels came and sat opposite him
and brought charges against Naboth
before the people saying,
"Naboth has cursed both God and the king."
So they took him outside the city
and stoned him to death.
Then they sent word to Jezebel,
"Naboth has been stoned to death."
As soon as Jezebel heard
that Naboth had been stoned to death,
she said to Ahab, "Get up and take possession
of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite
that he refused to sell you.
He is no longer alive, but dead."
When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead,
he got up and went down to take possession
of Naboth's vineyard.
Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite,
"Go down to meet Ahab, King of Israel,
who rules in Samaria.
He is now in Naboth's vineyard,
where he has gone to take possession of it.
Say to him, 'This is what the Lord says,
'Have you not murdered a man and seized his property?'
Then say to him, 'This is what the Lord says,
'In the place where dogs licked up Naboth's blood,
dogs will lick up your blood. Yes, yours'"
Ahab said to Elijah,
"So you have found me, my enemy!"
"I have found you," he answered,
"because you have sold yourself to do evil
in the eyes of the Lord.
He says, 'I am going to bring disaster on you.
I will wipe out your descendants
and cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel,
slave or free.
I will make your house like that of Jeroboam,
son of Nebat and that of Baasha, son of Ahijah,
because you have aroused my anger
and have caused Israel to sin.'
And also concerning Jezebel, the Lord says,
'Dogs will devour Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.
Dogs will eat those belonging to Ahab
who die in the city and the birds will feed
on those who die in the country.
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 of Israel.'"
When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes,
put on sackcloth and fasted.
He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.
Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite,
"Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me?
Because he has humbled himself,
I will not bring this disaster in his day,
but I will bring it on his house
in the days of his son."
1 Kings 21:1-29
Jezebel is thrown over and overthrown.
Ahab perished in a battle with the Syrians
a few years later and Jezebel reigned
for nearly another 10 years.
Elisha the prophet, Elijah's heir,
continued to Elijah's mission to eradicate Baal worship.
He installed a militant commander named Jehu
to be king of Israel,
an order that prompted civil war
as Jeroboam, Ahab and Jezebel's son then ruled.
Jehu was a commander of chariots for the king of Israel,
Ahab and his son Jehoram on Israel's frontier
facing Damascus and Assyria.
2 Kings 9.
The prophet Elisha summoned a man from the company
of the prophets and said to him,
"Tuck your cloak into your belt.
Take this flask of olive oil with you
and go to Ramoth-Gilead.
When you get there,
look for Jehu son of Jehosaphat,
the son of Nimshi.
Go to him, get away from his companions,
and take him into an inner room.
Then take the flask
and pour the oil on his head and declare,
'This is what the Lord says, I anoint you king over Israel.'
Then open the door and run, don't delay."
So the young prophet went to Ramoth-Gilead.
When he arrived,
he found the army officers sitting together.
"I have a message for you commander," he said.
"For which of us?' asked Jehu.
"For you commander," he replied.
Jehu got up and went into the house.
Then the prophet poured the oil
on Jehu's head and declared,
"This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says,
'I anoint you king over the Lord's people, Israel.
You are to destroy the house of Ahab your master,
and I will avenge the blood of my servants, the prophets,
and the blood of all the Lord's servants shed by Jezebel.
The whole house of Ahab will perish.
I will cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel,
slave or free.
I will make the house of Ahab
like the house of Jeroboam son of Nebat
and like the house of Baasha, son of Ahijah.
As for Jezebel, dogs will devour her
on the plot of ground at Jezreel,
and no one will bury her.'"
Then he opened the door and ran.
Jehu then slew Jehoram from and plotted to depose Jezebel
and take his position as Israel's king.
She suited herself in nice dresses for the occasion,
anticipating his arrival.
She mocked him from her window and Jehu ordered her eunuchs
to toss her out of the window.
He ordered that she be buried
as a king's daughter after her fall and death,
but it was discovered the dogs
had devoured the majority of her body
just as Elijah had predicted.
Jezebel has become known as a model of a wicked lady,
exemplifying the traits of cruelty, greed, and vanity.
And when Jehu was come to Jezreel,
Jezebel heard of it and she painted her face
and tired her head and looked out a window.
And as Jehu entered in at the gate she said,
"Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?"
And he 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.
But when he was come in, he did eat and drink
and said, 'Go, see now this cursed woman
and burry her for she is a king's daughter."
And they went to burry 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 spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite saying,
'In the portion of Jezreel
shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel.'"
2 Kings 9:30-36
Significance of Jezebel in the Bible.
This was the first time that a king of Israel
had allied himself by marriage
with a heathen lady and the combination was,
in this case, of an especially disastrous kind.
Jezebel has gone down in history
as the embodiment of all that is crafty,
devious, nasty vengeful, and cruel.
As Jehu wrote into the gates of Jezreel,
she looked out the window of the palace and said,
"Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?"
He raised his head and signal her chamberlains
who hurled her out the window.
She was quickly consumed by the dogs of the street,
according to the word of Elijah the Tishbite
after the incident of Naboth and his property.
1 Kings 21:19.
And thou shalt speak unto him, saying,
"Thus saith the Lord, has thou killed
and also taken possession?
and thou shalt speak under him saying,
Thus saith the Lord,
in the place where dogs lick the blood of Naboth
shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine."
Her name afterward came to be used
as the synonym for a wicked woman.
"Nevertheless, I have this against you.
You tolerate that woman Jezebel
who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching,
she misleads my servants into sexually immorality
and the eating of food sacrificed to idols."
Revelation 2:20