Partners in idolatry – Ahab and Jezebel
1 Kings 16:30-36, 18:1-22:40, 2 Kings 9:30-37
Jezebel
This relationship, and especially the name of Jezebel, has gone down in history as a byword for female notoriety. Up to now, the women in biblical marriages may have had their faults, but in the main they had been faithful godly women who made honourable and civilizing contributions. Not so with Jezebel!
Following the division of the kingdom into southern Judah and northern Israel, there was a succession of kings in Israel, all of whom were described as evil, though Omri, Ahab’s father, was in some ways successful. He sought to stabilize the kingdom and in doing so arranged a marriage between his son and successor, Ahab, and Jezebel, daughter of the Phoenician Ethbaal, king of Tyre.
Ahab
When Ahab came to the throne, he had some military triumphs. Moreover, he built cities and his own palace was an architectural masterpiece. But his encounters with the prophets of God began a downhill spiral, culminating in the murder of vineyard owner Naboth. Although Ahab showed some remorse, his faults increased throughout his reign and he was killed in battle by a seemingly random shot from an opposing Syrian archer. (1 Kings 22:34)
He acts as a warning to succeeding generations. Firstly, he was a man prone to sulk. He sulked when he spoke with the prophets. He played the victim when at first he discovered he had no legal right to Naboth’s property. He blamed others for his mistakes. He vacillated in his decision-making and did not take proper responsibility for things done in his name.
He was a man of compromise in allowing idolatry free rein in his kingdom in spite of all its detestable practices which included temple prostitution, self-mutilation and human sacrifices. And he allowed himself to be dominated by the idolatrous Jezebel. He enjoyed her vibrant company and found it easy to let her take over the governance of many policies. He only paid a variable lip service to true faith in God.
Fanatical follower …
Jezebel, the Phoenician princess, was a fanatical follower of the national god Baal and the fertility goddess Ashtoreth. Baal was the god of land, weather and crops. The drama and lewdness of Baal worship captivated many by its appeal to the senses, and the practice of true worship of God must have been considered too orderly and devout compared with the excitement and ecstasy generated by this seemingly vibrant, though false, foreign religion.
Jezebel’s appointment as Queen ushered in the equivalent of a sexual revolution, though without sophisticated modern birth-control and antibiotics against sexually transmitted diseases. Sexual revolutions, with their superficial attractions, have been tried a number of times in the course of human history. Generally speaking, they result in abandoned groups of single mothers, many of whom have managed remarkably well but at great cost to their own wellbeing. Instead of happiness, there have been increases in abortion, disease, divorce and loneliness.
In marrying Ahab, Jezebel was one of a number of wives, but was clearly dominant in her personality and decision-making. She brought with her hundreds of priests, worship centres and idols. It was customary for a foreign princess to bring in her own symbols of religion when marrying into another kingdom and Jezebel took full advantage of that opportunity.
Systematic removal
This was in marked contrast to Ruth who, centuries earlier, gave up all the gods of Moab and associated practices in order to accompany her mother-in-law Naomi to Bethlehem where she would serve the one true living God.
Accompanied by her 300 prophets of Baal, Jezebel began a systematic removal of all places of true worship along with God’s representatives. Obadiah, the faithful and quiet minister in Ahab’s court, managed to hide a hundred prophets in a cave. Elijah alone had the courage to face up to the onslaught, challenging the prophets of Baal to a trial of fire. Baal’s prophets worked themselves into hours of frenzy but failed to bring down fire onto the altar. But when Elijah prayed, the fire of God consumed the sacrifice. He won the day but then his courage failed.
A furious Jezebel demanded his head, snapped her fingers and Elijah ran, escaping to a part of Judah over which Ahab had no jurisdiction.
In the meantime, Ahab secured victories against Syria but, in disobedience to God, failed to fully deal with the King of Syria. Following this episode, Ahab desired the land on which Naboth’s vineyard was situated. He offered to buy it but Naboth refused and, in any case, the law did not allow the outright sale of ancestral land.
Initially, Ahab accepted this but then began to sulk. Noticing this, Jezebel mocked him and said she would arrange acquisition of the property without delay. Neither private nor public mocking of a spouse leads anywhere positive and often results in hasty actions and enduring resentment. She must have been a nagging wife. Solomon had something to say which was relevant to Jezebel:
A continual dripping on a very rainy day
And a contentious woman arealike; (Proverbs 27: 15)
Murder
Jezebel took matters into her own hands, arranged Naboth’s murder and the land was transferred to King Ahab, all of which led to prophetic condemnation along with the violent deaths of both Ahab and, years later, Jezebel.
The marriage demonstrates the mayhem caused by a domineering partner and a duplicitous husband who had modest respect for God’s law but was at the same time an easy-going and willing participant in the idolatry of neighbouring nations with all its accompanying abhorrent practices.
Their legacy lived on. Ahab was described as one of Israel’s most evil kings.
One of the great contributions of the Judeo-Christian tradition is the idea of equality under the law. (Leviticus 19:15-16) This should never be regarded as self-evident and is something for which we should all be profoundly grateful. No other culture approached this in the way that biblical teaching has done.
David recognized that he, too, was subject and answerable to God’s law. This was demonstrated in his conviction of sin following the criticism of Nathan the prophet. Tyrants and despots who have failed their citizens in the administration of law usually degenerate into being a law unto themselves.
Ahab proved himself to have little respect for equality under the law and, in so doing, diminished the value of other human beings, and disavowed the proper status of his marriage.
Jezebel may have been faithful to her husband in his lifetime, but there is a suggestion that she took on a number of lovers after his death. Shortly before her death, she was heavily ‘made-up’ to receive her visitors (2 Kings 9:30). There is clearly a sharp distinction between the narcissistic behaviour of Jezebel and that of the sincere and faithful Ruth.
In all, the marriage was an exercise of power of one over the other. Jezebel’s personality was to govern Ahab. The partnership was a duel rather than a duet in which Ahab became a willingly defeated participant. He knew that the religion of his forefathers was true, but yet was quite willing to encompass the conflicting ideologies of Baal worship.
In the Book of Revelation, Jezebel is represented by a false prophetess and a symbol of unrepented sexual license being a cause of great danger to the church of Thyatira (Revelation 3: 8-25). There are some churches that refer to a Jezebel spirit which can be found in both men and women.
Questions:
- What should be our attitude to marrying outside the faith?
- How should we deal with a disastrous marriage?
- How do we spot the signs of a dangerous union?
On a different matter, sadly forced marriage is today a common occurrence in Pakistan:
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Jonathan Redden worked as a consultant orthopaedic surgeon. After retirement he studied theology at Bible College. He has lectured extensively in Europe and China and has written scientific papers on arthroscopic and orthopaedic surgery.
He is the author of From Romania with Hope; Expository Thoughts on Acts – A Surgeon Looks at a Physician’s Narrative; Exploratory Thoughts on Luke – A Surgeon Examines a Physician’s Gospel and Desperate Prayer.
Jonathan Redden continues this short series over the next few months
Recent Comments