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<...Go back

Who was Jezebel?


Introduction. Some when discussing the Lord's church, will say, "there is not anything in a name." Hence, they advocate designating the church by every term imaginable and rejecting such scriptural terms as, "church of Christ" (Rom. 16: 16). However, these same people would never dream of naming their daughters Jezebel or their sons Judas. Who, then, was Jezebel?

 Jezebel, the woman. Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal the King of the Zidonians (1 Kings 16: 31). Ahab the King of Israel married Jezebel. Ahab did evil and was more wicked than any of his predecessors (1 Kings 16: 30). Jezebel brought her pan worship and deity with her to Israel, the worship of Baal (1 Kings 16: 31 ff.). Jezebel was not just a passive pagan, but she was aggressive in her idolatry. She "cut off the prophets of the Lord" and sought to kill the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 19: 1, 2). The death of Jezebel was foretold in the language: "The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel" (1 Kings 21: 23). Jezebel was so synonymous with idolatry and fornication that many centuries later there appears to have been a cult at Thyatira that is referred to as Jezebel (Rev. 2: 20-23). Jezebel is known as the "painted seductress of the Old Testament," based on 2 Kings 9: 30.

The virtuous woman. In contrast to Jezebel, there is the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31. She is of great value and contributes greatly to the good accomplishments of her husband (vs. 10 ff.). The virtuous woman is unselfish and cares for her family (vs. 15, 21). She is morally strong, speaks wisdom, and is not vain (vs. 23-30, cp. 1 Tim. 2: 9 and 1 Pet. 3: 1-6).

Conclusion. The sad thing is that a growing segment of our culture in America promotes the Jezebel image. They have a "You have come a long way, baby," type of philosophy. A deterioration in the morals and values of women is a sure sign of societal decay. Jezebel is as much of a discredit to women as Judas is to men.
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