Day 84 – 1 Kings: Character sketch of Jezebel

“No one else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the Lord’s sight as Ahab did under the influence of his wife Jezebel.” 1 Kings 21:25

Jezebel ranks as potentially the most evil woman in the Bible. The Word even uses her name synonymously with people who completely reject God (Revelation 2:20-21). Many pagan women married into Israel without acknowledging the God their husbands worshipped. They brought their religions with them as part of their home – the heart of the family. None, however, was as determined as Jezebel to make all Israel worship her gods. To the prophet Elijah, she seemed to have succeeded – he thought he was the only one left still faithful to God until God told him there were still 7,000 others who had not turned from the faith. Her outstanding “success” was in contributing to the cause of the eventual downfall of the northern kingdom – idolatry. God punished the northern tribes for their idolatry by having them carried off into captivity.

When comparing Jezebel to Elijah, we must admire each one’s strength of commitment. The big difference was to whom they were committed. Jezebel was committed to herself and her false gods; Elijah was totally committed to the one true God who proved to Israel He is a living God.

Weaknesses and mistakes

Jezebel systematically eliminated the representatives of God in Israel and promoted and funded Baal worship. She threatened Elijah’s life by believing she could get her own way and everything she desired by honouring her false god.

Life lessons from Jezebel’s life

Where our commitment lies makes an impact in our lives, rejecting God always leads to disaster.

Prayer: Father, make us aware when we are moving away from You to worship false gods in our lives, and may our commitment always be towards You. Where we were led wrongly by someone else, show us the way through Your Truth. Your Word is a lamp to our feet guiding us constantly along Your will. Amen.