Jezebel, in my opinion, is probably the most evil woman in the whole Bible. She was so wicked and wasn’t even sorry for her actions. In today’s post, I want to take a quick look at the life of Jezebel and point out some of the areas where she did wrong. Then, I want to take a look at how we can avoid doing those same things in our lives, to prevent us from becoming the modern day Jezebel.
A Quick Background on Jezebel:
Jezebel was the wife of King Ahab who was also very wicked. The Bible tells us that, “Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than all who were before him.” (1 Kings 16:30 NKJV). Needless to say, this royal couple would’ve been scary to be around and you wouldn’t want to get on their bad side.
Jezebel’s Evil Character:
1. She Was An Idolater
It seems that Jezebel never had any desire to serve the true God. She served false gods. Gods that were worthless and useless.
2. She Was Willing To Do Anything To Get What She Wanted
Jezebel went to extremes to get her way. In 1 Kings 21, in order to make King Ahab happy, she had a man killed just so the king could have the man’s vineyard.
3. She Was Dishonest
Many times Jezebel lied. In the same story mentioned above, she wrote a letter in the king’s name and she spread false accusations against the man Naboth, which unfortunately, led to his death.
4. Her Conscience Was So Seared That She Had No Regrets For Her Sin
When she heard the news that Naboth was dead, she told King Ahab,
“Arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money; for Naboth is not alive, but dead.”
1 Kings 21:15 NKJV
No regret is ever mentioned or implied. She almost seems proud of herself for getting the job done. This helps us see even more how wicked she was.
5. She Encouraged Evil
In 1 Kings 21:25, it says,
“But there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up.”
1 Kings 21:25 NKJV
Jezebel not only did evil herself, she encouraged her husband to do evil!
These 5 things are very dangerous to us. We have to be careful not to fall into this same lifestyle.
Ways To Avoid Becoming Like Jezebel:
1. Seek God First
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
Matthew 6:33 NKJV
Seeking Him first can only lead to good things. Make sure to study to give yourself a firm foundation in the scriptures and belief in the one, true God.
2. Be Content
Jezebel took extreme measures to get what she wanted. In order to avoid this, we must learn to be content. Paul said in Philippians 4:11,
“…for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:”
Philippians 4:11 NKJV
Paul knew the importance of being content. He was looking forward to Heaven. Nothing else in this world matters. If you have God and the hope of Heaven, you can be content no matter what life’s circumstances. I’m not saying it isn’t hard, but WE CAN DO IT! Try not to compare yourself to others. Be grateful for what you have! God has blessed us with so much already!
3. Always Tell The Truth
Many times, lying happens to cover up a mistake you made. Although the consequences for our mistakes on earth can be bad if the truth is uncovered, it cannot compare with what the eternal consequence is if we choose to lie and don’t repent. God hates lying and liars will have their part “in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone” (Revelation 21:8 NKJV). It is much better to suffer the consequences of our mistakes here on earth than the eternal consequence of lying to try to hide them.
4. Let The Bible Be Your Guide, Not Your Conscience
When you make a mistake, don’t justify it. Avoid listening to your feelings and emotions and let the Bible guide you into truth. Admit that you’ve done wrong and change. Justifying your sin can lead to your conscience becoming seared like Jezebel.
“Speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,”
1 Timothy 4:2 NKJV
When your conscience becomes seared, you can sin a little easier the next time until you’ve sinned so much that it doesn’t even bother you anymore. We have to guard against this!
5. Don’t Approve Of Others Who Practice Sin
Romans 1:32 says,
“Who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.”
Romans 1:32 NKJV
Our job on earth is not to make people happy. It is to share the gospel with others and to save souls! If we don’t expose sin, how are we going to help people get to Heaven? We must lovingly expose sin, and encourage people to change their lives.
There is a lot to be learned from the life of Jezebel. Even though she was a terribly wicked queen, there are good lessons we can learn to help us be better people and most importantly, better Christians. We do have to work at it, but with God all things are possible!
“But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.'”
Mark 10:27 NKJV
