!I want to challenge your faith!
Big, Dumb and Ugly!
Bad Boys of the Bible
Jezebel
OLD JEZEBEL WAS WICKED!
HER BLACK HEART WAS VILE AND CRUDE.
THEY THREW HER OUT A WINDOW,
FIRST A SPLAT AND THEN DOG FOOD
1 Kings 16-21, 2 Kings 9
Now I know what you are thinking! The subtitle reads “Bad Boys of the Bible”. Why has this crazy man, Sonny Childs, included a woman in a book about bad boys? Well, here’s the thing. This woman was so full of herself, and her end was so ugly, that she rivals all the other stories about guys. Besides, I wanted to include something for the girls who are reading.
Well, you know the drill. Get out your Bible and read 1 Kings 16-21 and 2 Kings 9. (Note: the good stuff is in 2 Kings 9.)
What’s that you say? You would rather have me tell the story. Well, I’m flattered and you are lazy! Here goes...
BIG EVIL: Jezebel was the wife of Ahab, one of the most wicked kings of Israel. (1 Kings 16:30) Together they made quite a demonic duo.
Jezebel was sooo bad that even her name is repulsive. Ever since she made her mark, (I know it’s an ugly pun) her name has been synonymous with wickedness. For thousands of years, her name has been cursed. I mean, how many girls do you know named Jezebel?
Jezebel was a witch of a woman! It says in 2 Kings 9:22 that she practiced the dark arts and interrupted the peace of an entire nation because of her witchcraft. Halley’s Bible Handbook refers to her as a demon woman.
Jezebel was also a passionate promoter of one of the sickest religions of all time. Jezebel built a temple to Baal in Samaria and maintained her own staff of 850 sick prophets. (1 Kings18:19) Their worship actually encouraged human sacrifices. The ancient ruins near Samaria are littered with the bones of those who were sacrificed in this temple.
DUMB MISTAKE: Jezebel not only sacrificed people in honor of false gods, she actively hunted down and killed the prophets of the true God. (1 Kings18:13)
In one of the most heroic stories of the Old Testament, Elijah, the only surviving prophet of God, (1 Kings 18:22) challenges Jezebel’s prophets on the top of Mount Carmel. Elijah was a thorn in the side of this evil woman. She hated him! No doubt, it was at her request, that Jezebel’s husband searched “every nation and kingdom on earth” to hunt him down. (1 Kings 18:10, NLT) When Elijah finally did show up in public, it was for a showdown like none other. The prophets of Baal got slaughtered, litterally! We’ll talk more about that in the next chapter.
UGLY END: As I told you in the opening, Jezebel’s end was as ugly as any other bad guy of the Bible. But before giving you the gruesome climax to her wicked life, I need to explain one of the reasons her end was so bad. Even after the dramatic display of God’s power on the top of Mount Carmel, Jezebel refused to repent. Even though the land was blessed with much needed rain immediately after Elijah’s big victory, she refused to acknowledge God. Even after the slaughter of her prophets, she refused to admit defeat. This was one stubborn, self-centered, vicious woman.
Sometime later, Jezebel was living in the lap of luxury while her son reigned over Israel. She had replenished her personal staff of Baal prophets and was continuing her blasphemous practices.
But this time, God had had enough. He raised up a man named Jehu to put an end to Jezebel and her family. First Jehu hunted down her son, Joram, the king. After finding him, the king asked, “Have you come in peace?” God’s hit-man responded, “How can there be peace as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?” (2 Kings 9:22) When the king turned and ran, Jehu drew his bow and shot him between the shoulders. The arrow pierced his heart and killed him. (2 Kings 9:23-24)
After killing the wicked king, Jehu decided to go after Mom. The Bible says that the evil, arrogant Jezebel was waiting for him. In fact, she found a window overlooking the gate that Jehu would enter. The Bible says “she painted her eyes, arranged her hair and looked out of a window” as Jehu came into town. (2 Kings 9:30)
She mockingly called out to him as he came through the gate. “Have you come in peace... you murderer of your master?” When Jehu saw her painted face and arrogant smirk, he asked, “Who is on my side?” Two eunuchs responded. “Throw her down!” commanded Jehu and with that they picked up the wicked Jezebel and tossed her out the window. (2 Kings 9:31-32)
The Bible says that when Jezebel hit the street, “her blood splattered the wall and the horses trampled her underfoot.” (2 Kings 9:33) What a mess!
But the sick ending is only getting started. After Jezebel splattered on the pavement, the Bible says that “Jehu went in and ate and drank.” (2 Kings 9:34) Then, while eating lunch, he told the servants to go back and bury her.
The servants tried, but when they got back to the spot where she fell from the window, all they could find was a skull, her feet and her hands. While Jehu was eating his lunch, the dogs of the city had been eating theirs also. Sick!
The servants went back and reported what little they had found. When they did, Jehu responded, “This is the word of the Lord that he spoke through his servant Elijah... On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs will devour Jezebel’s flesh.” (2 Kings 36) And with that, I guess we could say that Jezebel went to the dogs.
UGLY APPLICATIONS: Sometime ago I wrote a book entitled, “If You Dance With the Devil...” In it I document the dangers of the occult and other satanic deeds. Jezebel might have called her practices Baal worship, but underneath, it was nothing more than Satanism. Everything that does not worship God, worships Satan.
In the opening of this book, I wrote a poem about the dangers of getting too close to the devil. This was Jezebel’s biggest mistake. Be sure you don’t make it also.
If you dance with the Devil,
His moves will be slow.
He’ll draw you in gently,
But never let go.
His grip will be firm,
His clinch will be tight.
Before you can stop,
He’ll turn down the light.
The shadows will grow,
The darkness will creep.
Demons will circle
They’ll sing you to sleep.
The moves he can make
Will draw you away.
Your soul will be his,
The end of your day.
DON’T PARK YOUR BRAIN,
THINK!
Why do you think Jezebel was so evil?
Can you think of anyone who rivals her evil today?
Why was God patient with her even after Elijah humiliated her prophets on Mount Carmel?
What causes a person to be drawn into Satan worship and the occult? What are the signs that a person is involved?
Why do you think God let Jezebel end in such a gruesome way?
Matthew Henry’s Commentary on 2 Kings 9:30-37 says this about Jezebel painting her face, “When we pamper our bodies, and use them deliciously, let us think how vile they are, and that shortly they will be either a feast for worms under ground or beasts above ground.” What warning is he giving about today’s generation?
To go to another chapter, hit the back button at the top left.
The chapter above was taken from the material "Big, Dumb and Ugly!" by Sonny Childs. This material is not yet available in book form.