![]() In 1 Kings, we see how Jezebel effectively endorsed and prescribed the worship of Baal to the people of Israel. In Colossians 3:5, we are taught to, “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.” However, idolatry is anything we put above our relationship with Christ. Most of us do not have Baal idols in our prayer closet. By seeking and desiring revenge, we are placing ourselves in the position of God as the offended party. Sinful actions are violations against the will and teachings of God as well as His righteousness. When we act in the pursuit of revenge, we seek retribution for acts against us personally. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.” In 1 Peter 2:23, we remember Christ, who “when they hurled insults at him, he did not retaliate when he suffered, he made no threats. The spirit of revenge is contrary to the fruits of the Spirit and is not conducive to a strong relationship with Christ. Additionally, she felt scorned by the refusal of Naboth to sell his vineyard to her husband king Ahab. She was compelled to order the killing of all of God’s prophets. Jezebel was enraged and threatened by God and his prophets. The Jezebel spirit also teaches the believer to be aware of the spirit of revenge. In 1 Peter 3:7, husbands are to “be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing hinders your prayers.” ![]() He realized the temptations and the great dangers of sexual immorality, by providing instruction in 1 Corinthians 7:2, “But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband.”Ī weak family institution leads to a weakened relationship with God. In Ephesians 5:3, Paul warned that sexual immorality, impurity, and greed affects our spiritual ability to lead. The consumption of idols forces the believer to stray from his first love of Christ and her bride of the Church. Sexual immorality leads to the destruction of the family. So, beyond Jezebel’s infamous sins, what does it mean to be 'a Jezebel’ today, and how do we avoid behaving like her? Here are 6 ways: In the KJV, we see the Jezebel spirit has the desire to “seduce to commit fornication” and “eat things sacrificed unto idols.” Further, we are assured in Acts 15:29 that it’s beneficial to abstain from these practices (“You will do well to avoid these things.”) In Acts 15:20, the Gentiles who turned to God were instructed to abstain from food polluted by idols, sexual immorality, and the meat of strangled animals and from blood. The story of Jezebel and her accompanying spirit should serve as a warning to believers as to the intended targets of this spirit and the resulting consequences. What lessons does the story of Jezebel teach? Revelation 2:20-21 continues with, “I have given her time to repent of her immorality, but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways.” The conspiracy was successful and Naboth was executed. She cemented the plan by setting up the testimonies of two witnesses who would falsely swear as to Naboth’s guilt. When his request was denied, Jezebel contrived a plan for Naboth to be charged and executed for blasphemy by forging an order purportedly signed by the king. King Ahab desired the vineyard of his neighbor Naboth. She was lustful in her conspiracy to have Naboth executed so Ahab could possess his vineyard. Jezebel planned and orchestrated the murder of the prophets of God who directly opposed the people’s worship of Baal.Īdditionally, Jezebel was full of rage and deceit. Elijah ordered the gathering of all the prophets of Baal and challenged them to a contest between Baal and the one true God. Jezebel used her religious influence to the detriment of the spiritual lives of the people, who were greatly divided between support for Baal and the Lord. In Chapter 16 of 1 Kings, Jezebel played the part of queen as the wife of king Ahab, but also took the part of religious leader by endorsing the worship of Baal. You may have heard someone refer to a person of distasteful character as a 'Jezebel.' But what does the name Jezebel mean? Easton’s Bible Dictionary refers to Jezebel (the daughter of a king of Tyre) as a “heathen” princess, and describes alliance with her as “peculiarly disastrous.” Further, she is said to have “stamped her name on history as the representative of all that is designing, crafty, malicious, revengeful, and cruel.”Īn alternate description given by Merriam-Webster is someone who is “impudent, shameless, or morally unrestrained.”
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