Jezebel: a lesson and warnings in idolatry

Jezebel is a name that has become synonymous with a wanton or sinful woman. As a Phoenician princess, Jezebel was the daughter of the priest-king of Sidon and became queen when she married King Ahab. She was a woman of great conviction and unwavering devotion. She worshiped Baal, the pagan fertility and Asherah, the mother goddess (Ackerman, 1999). She was a religious woman who set out to spread idolatry throughout Israel. She was a powerful, cunning, and arrogant woman who actively stood up and opposed God. She knew how to enhance and use her power at the expense of others. Jezebel meets a gruesome end as her arrogance leads to a death unworthy of a queen. What is her story? What is the significance of idolatry in her story? And why does God warn us against idolatry? 

Jezebel was so determined to convert all of Israel that she hunted and killed all YHWH’s prophets and replaced them with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 of Asherah. One prophet escaped and became her most hated adversary. Elijah, whose name means “My God is YHWH”, and Jezebel would square off and it would be a battle to the death. Elijah prophesied to King Ahab that no rain would fall except by his word (1 Kings 17:1) and for three and half years, there was drought and famine. Elijah would challenge the prophets of Baal and Asherah to see which god would rain fire from heaven. For twelve hours, the prophets called on Baal and Asherah to light the sacrificial fires but nothing. To add emphasis, Elijah doused his sacrificial wood with water three times and then called on God to light the fire which happened immediately. Elijah then rallied the Israelites to kill Jezebel’s prophets. Jezebel would be outraged and vowed to kill Elijah (1 Kings 18:19-40, 19:2). Jezebel would also plot to kill a man simply because the king wanted his vineyard (1 Kings 21:1-16), Elijah prophesied Jezebel’s gruesome end (1 Kings 21:20-23) and it would come to pass as she was pushed from a window and devoured by dogs in the street (2 Kings 9:30-37). 

Idolatry is the worship of idols. It is usually an item that is worshiped as if it were the god. For example, an idol of Baal, which is in the image of the god, would be worshiped as if it was Baal himself.  Idolatry comes from the Greek, eidolatria, meaning “worship of idols” which appears to be borrowed from various Hebrew phrases meaning “strange worship” (Chrisholm, 1911). It is “humanity’s attempt to give material shape to religious ideals, symbols, and personages” (Lee, 2015). Today, it is also the extreme admiration, love, or reverence for something or someone. An idol is anything or anyone that supplants or placed higher than God in our lives. We need to be mindful of what could possibly be an idol in our lives. A few example of modern idols are sex, money, fame and even important people in our lives. Charles Spurgeon once said “If you love anything better than God you are idolaters: if there is anything you would not give up for God it is your idol: if there is anything that you seek with greater fervor than you seek the glory of God, that is your idol, and conversion means a turning from every idol.”

God’s warnings about idolatry are very clear. Exodus 20:3-6 warns against any idols before God or the worship of any of these idols. Leviticus 19:4 says “Do not turn to idols or make gods of cast metal for yourselves.” God would consistently remind the Israelites that the idols do not save them (Judges 10:14, Psalm 16:4, Isaiah 45:20, Jonah 2:8). The New Testament turns to warnings about physical and intangible idols. Paul warns us to stop (“put to death”) whatever belongs to our earthly nature including sexual immorality, evil desires and greed (Colossians 3:5 and Galatians 5:19-21). 1 Corinthians 10:14 and 1 John 5:21 instruct us to flee from idols. The question that remains is why no idolatry? I believe that the psalmist says it best in Psalm 135:15-18, “The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by human hands. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but cannot see. They have ears, but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.” Those who worship idols become like the empty figures they worship. They cannot see or hear God and cannot speak of Him. Trust in God himself not an image or a lifeless figure. 

There is no doubt that Jezebel was an educated woman with particular astuteness for the political realm. She was also a woman who hardened her heart and suffered the consequences. She has become the worst queen and one of the Bible’s most infamous women. Revelation 2:20, 21 uses her name as an example of those who completely reject God. Many pagan women married Israelite royalty, bringing their practices with them. Jezebel being the most vocal and determined to see God wiped from Israel’s consciousness. However, God is bigger than one individual on earth. Idolatry causes us to lose focus from God the Father and Creator of all to the image made of earthly materials. Ask God to teach and guide you in all your days, so that you can gain wisdom and fight against the evil that surrounds you. 

Reference

Ackerman, Sarah (31 December 1999). Asherah/Asherim: Bible, Jewish Women's Archive. 

https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/asherahasherim-bible#:~:text=Asherah%2C%20along%20with%20Astarte%20and,found%20in%20the%20Israelite%20tradition. Retrieved March 21, 2022. 

Brenner, Athalya (31 December 1999). Jezebel: Bible. Jewish Women’s Archive. 

https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/jezebel-bible. Retrieved March 12, 2022. 

Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Idolatry. Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 14 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Idolatry. Retrieved March 21, 2022. 

Lee, Dennis (29 July 2015). God warns us to stay away from idols. The Spectrum. 

https://www.thespectrum.com/story/news/local/mesquite/2015/07/29/god-warns-us-stay-away-idols/30851977/. Retrieved March 21, 2022.