According to 1 Kings 16:31, Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians, who married Ahab, king of Israel. Largely because of her influence in seeking to combine the worship of Yahweh with the worship of Baal, it is said of her husband that he “And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.” 1 Kings 16:33 (KJV).
Jezebel was responsible for the killing of Naboth and confiscation of his vineyard for her husband (1 Kings 21:1-6). She sought the death of all the prophets of Israel (1 Kings 18:4; 2 Kings 9) and even came close to killing Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-3). Her death came as a result of being thrown from a window where she was then trampled by a horse. When an attempt was made to recover her body for burial, it was discovered that the only thing left was her skull, her feet, and the palms of her hands. According to 2 Kings 9:36-37, dogs had eaten her flesh, in fulfillment of a prophetic word from Elijah:
“Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the Lord, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.” 2 Kings 9:36-37 (KJV)
Note also that she “calls herself a prophetess” (v. 20). I can’t imagine Jesus using this language if her prophetic gift was of the Holy Spirit. Some contend she was a born-again believer who had simply gone astray, but I suggest that her behavior and beliefs are an indication that whatever claims she made to being saved and prophetically gifted were spurious. This isn’t to say she didn’t have supernatural power, but the latter need not always be from God (see Matt. 7:21-23; Acts 16:16-18; 2 Thess. 2:9-10).
The power behind the Jezebel spirit is the power of Satan, our adversary, and can only be defeated by you allowing the Lord to give you the victory.
I have seen a lot of articles posted across social media lately talking about something called the ‘Jezebel spirit’, some of them seem good and others caromed wildly off into charismatic flights of fantasy and rampant speculation. Jezebel is a real woman in the Bible, she certainly was possessed by a spirit, and she shows up in the book of Revelation as a type of false spirituality in the end times. There is a lot we can learn by taking a look at biblical Jezebel and the spirit that inflamed her because her spirit is definitely alive and well on social media.
“And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword. Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do to me, and more also if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time. And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.” 1 Kings 19:1-3 (KJV)
We Meet Jezebel
We first are introduced to Jezebel in 1 Kings 19, at the scene of one of the greatest triumphs of the prophet Elijah where he soundly defeated the 450 prophets of Baal spectacularly. If you are not familiar with this incredible story, please go read 1 Kings 18 right now before continuing with this article. But suffice to say nearly all of us have read this thrilling account many times as an amazing testimony to the power of God in the life of a believer.
In fact, it was because of this amazing victory that Jezebel comes on the scene in the first place. Jezebel was the wife of King Ahab, a wicked king, and when Ahab saw that Elijah had gotten the victory over the 450 prophets of Baal, he ran to his wife Jezebel crying about it, begging her to fix the situation. Her remedy was to send a message via the social media of the day, a messenger boy, telling Elijah that she would make sure he was dead within 24 hours. Obviously, Jezebel wore the pants in the family, and more than that, she was possessed of a spirit of violence and destruction.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” James 4:7,8 (KJV)
Refusal To Submit To Authority
So the first thing we learn about the Jezebel spirit, she is not submitted to earthly authority and is threatening to kill someone else she is certainly not submitted to heavenly authority. Before we go any further, I know that some of you are thinking right now that yes, an unsaved person could absolutely have the Jezebel spirit, but could a saved person? The answer is yes, absolutely. A saved person can commit any sin that an unsaved person can do, the difference being the saved person is saved from Hell and the unsaved person is not. If a saved, born again Christian allows of the root of bitterness to grow in their heart, and they don’t lay it down and the Lord’s feet and say take it, that root can surely grow into a spirit very much like the one that Jezebel displayed.
“And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” 1 Kings 19:10-12 (KJV)
Elijah Puts It In God’s Hands
While she was able to briefly torment the prophet Elijah with her threatenings, Jezebel did not prevail against him because the Lord protected Elijah. And in that we see how we are to protect ourselves should we see the Jezebel spirit coming against us. Elijah ran to the Lord and threw himself at His mercy, and God wonderfully sustained him. Elijah did not attack Jezebel, whisper against her or any other such thing, he trusted the Lord to fix it. But where she failed in her desire to kill Elijah, she would be successful against her next target.
“And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite…Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, Naboth is stoned, and is dead.” 1 Kings 21:7,14 (KJV)
The Jezebel Spirit Kills
Going forward, we now find the wicked and pusillanimous king of Israel Ahab lusting after the vineyard of Naboth, who refuses to sell it to him. Ahab goes running to Jezebel crying that Naboth won’t give it up to him. Jezebel immediately knows what to do. Again going through the social media of her day, she orchestrates a brutal attack on Naboth. First, she writes letters with the king’s seal proclaiming a feast in Naboth’s honor, and when everyone is assembled for the feast, she gets two men to bear false witness against him and he is stoned to death. The Jezebel spirit is nothing to fool around with, and now you see why Elijah took his case to the Lord instead of facing her head-on. The power behind the Jezebel spirit is the power of Satan, our adversary, and can only be defeated by the Lord giving you the victory.
“And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it. And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dog lick thy blood, even thine. And of Jezebel also spake the LORD, saying, The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.” 1 Kings 21:17-19,23 (KJV)
Now God brings back the prophet Elijah, fully re-energized from his previous scuffle with Jezebel, to pronounce judgment on both Ahab and his wife Jezebel. And it is here that we see an amazing thing happen. Wicked king Ahab repents at the word of Elijah and humbles himself before God. In typical God fashion, that repentance is honored and Ahab’s life is spared. But Jezebel repents not, and God’s judgment falls on her 2 chapters later.
“Wherefore they came again and told him. And he said, This is the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel: And the carcass of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel.” 2 Kings 9:36,37 (KJV)
Jezebel And Born Again Christians
The spirit that Jezebel had led her to uncontrollable fits of anger, rage, threatenings, false accusations, violence and murder. It is only fitting that her end came being thrown out of a window, trampled on by horses, cut into pieces and then eaten by wild dogs. This is where the spirit of Jezebel will take a person who is controlled by it, saved or lost. Now let’s make a practical application of what we have just learned about the spirit of Jezebel and apply it to ourselves in the 21st century. I will be speaking to saved people who ought to know better, consider this your wakeup call.
“Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirsts, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:17-21 (KJV)
As born again Christians, we are called to a higher standard, that is always the goal though sometimes we admittedly will miss the mark. But our apostle Paul is crystal clear on what we should do if we feel that another person has done us wrong. We are not to avenge ourselves against that person, but put in the Lord’s hands to work out a resolution leading to restoration. The Jezebel spirit arises when we choose to ignore Romans 12 and other places and take the matter into our own hands instead. Even if you feel that someone else has sinned against you, taking the matter into your hands against them is now a sin against God. This is the Jezebel spirit.
Repentance And Restoration
I have been on Facebook and other social media with the ministry of House of the Nazarene since 2009, and in these last 10 years, I have seen some amazingly wicked things done by people who said they were born again Christians because they had allowed the Jezebel spirit to arise in their hearts. I have watched incredible smear campaigns rise up, seen people say the vilest, untrue things against other people, and all because someone felt they were wronged and they wanted revenge. That’s Jezebel, and her spirit is not limited to women only, I have seen men say the most disgusting things against an ex-wife or girlfriend. If that’s you, stop it before God stops you. You won’t win, Jezebel didn’t.
“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:1,2 (KJV)
If you are doing these things against other people, and you call yourself a Christian, you need to immediately repent of it and ask God to forgive you. God will deal with the person you feel has wronged you, but guess what? If you persist in the spirit of Jezebel, He will deal with you as well. My friends, God is in the restoration business and He wants to restore both parties. We are all guilty before God, the Bible says, and today you may be the wronged party but tomorrow you may be the one doing the wrong.
How much should you forgive someone you feel has done you wrong? Not one bit more than God has forgiven you for all the wrong you’ve done. Think about that.
L-RD Bless, Keep,Shine upon and through you and yours. . .
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