The Jezebel in Us

The heart of Jezebel was wicked.

Nobody wants to be called Jezebel. That’s because of who Jezebel was and what she did. ‘Trouble is, there is a little bit of Jezebel in all of us.  Don’t believe me? Let’s take a look.

Jezebel was an idolater.

She was the daughter of Baal worshipers. Jezebel was the wife of Ahab, a Jew and king of Northern Israel.

As the wife of the king, Jezebel encouraged Ahab to do evil. She wanted Ahab to go after idols, and he did. In her encouragement, she turned his heart away from God. She wasn’t only content to draw her husband toward idol worship, she strove to convert the entire nation of Israel to Baal worship. Why did it matter to her if the country worshiped Jehovah God, I wonder?

Scripture tells us this:

²⁵ (There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. ²⁶ He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel.) I. Kings 20:25,26

It was because of Ahab’s worship of Baal that Elijah showed up to talk to Ahab, when the three years of drought began. At the end of those three years, Jezebel was furious with Elijah for killing her 300 prophets of Baal that she had kept well-fed in her palace – and threatened his life.

Jezebel was a murderer, a conspirator, and a liar.

She was guilty of planning the murder of Naboth because Ahab pouted about not being able to get his vineyard. Jezebel signed the king’s name to sealed letters giving the order to murder Naboth. After Naboth was dead, Ahab got his vineyard. It was what Ahab wanted, and she made it happen through conniving, murder, and lying.   

Jezebel was vindictive. 

She threatened to kill Elijah because he had killed the prophets she kept in her palace and fed at her table.  Elijah was so afraid that he ran and hid. He needn’t have worried because it was not his time to die. Therefore, Jezebel’s threats could not harm him.

Jezebel was a taunter.

When Jehu came to her city, she put on makeup and taunted from her upstairs window, calling him a “murderer of your master.” This last act was her final undoing. Jehu told the eunuchs to throw her out the window. They did, and by the time the dogs were done with her body, there was not enough left to bury her – just as Elijah had prophesied.

Finding the Jezebel in all of us.

It’s easy for us to notice and point out the evil in Jezebel. How easy is it for us to find that darkness in ourselves? I’ve been guilty.  We’ve all been guilty. To search for a Jezebel spirit in you, consider these questions.

Do you . . . 

• Encourage your husband when he wants to go after God, or deliberately find ways to distract him?
• Encourage your spouse to lead the way in spiritual decisions (church, volunteering, relationships) or do you try to covertly sideswipe his direction?
• Find that it’s easy to manipulate events or twist facts (just a little, of course) so things will turn out the way you’d like even though you know he’d choose differently if he knew the real truth?
• Sometimes shade the truth (only a tad, of course) to put a different slant on things to get out of doing something you know he’d like you to do?
• Covertly make decisions for him that he’s perfectly capable of making because of your pride or your agenda (what he wears, where he participates, when he’s available to volunteer)?
• Make him pay for choices he makes of which you don’t like or don’t approve? You know – demanding a new outfit, withholding sex, pouting about visiting his family, or “not feeling” like cooking tonight . .
• Find ways to be vindictive? Just little things, of course, like rolling your eyes, mimicking his mannerisms, ignoring a request, or making fun of him to friends.
• Find that your spouse caters to you – not out of love and respect – but because he doesn’t want the hassle of hearing your complaints or demands of doing it your way?

Having a Jezebel heart comes so naturally that we don’t even need to try.

You know what? That spirit doesn’t have to stay there. It can be eradicated if we are sincere and are willing to go to the effort.

To eradicate that Jezebel spirit, we must first recognize that it’s there. Call it what it is! Ask God to show you when it rears its ugly spirit. He will, guaranteed. Then change the way you respond to your spouse by allowing His spirit – and not a Jezebel spirit –  to rule your heart instead.