The spirit of Jezebel

Jezebel was a wife of Ahab who was a king of Israel in Samaria. Jezebel was of pagan people, she was the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians. Zidon descended from Canaan.

(1Chr 1:13)  And Canaan begat Zidon his firstborn, and Heth,

Zidonians like other pagan people oppressed Jews.

(Jdg 10:11)  And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, [Did] not [I deliver you] from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?
(Jdg 10:12)  The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.

The result of the marriage of Ahab with Jezebel was Ahab ''went and served Baal, and worshipped him''.

(1Kings 16:31)  And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.
(1Kings 16:32)  And he reared up an altar for Baal in the house of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.

When Solomon took to wives of pagan people ''his wives turned away his heart'', then ''when Solomon was old, [that] his wives turned away his heart after other gods''.

(1Kings 11:1)  But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, [and] Hittites;
(1Kings 11:2)  Of the nations [concerning] which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: [for] surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love.
(1Kings 11:3)  And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.
(1Kings 11:4)  For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, [that] his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as [was] the heart of David his father.
(1Kings 11:5)  For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.
(1Kings 11:6)  And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as [did] David his father.
(1Kings 11:7)  Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that [is] before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon.
(1Kings 11:8)  And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods.

When Ahab married with Jezebel and when Solomon married with women of pagan people they became ''one flesh'' with them. That's why these kings did idolatry. 

Shaul said:
(2Cor 6:14)  Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
(2Cor 6:15)  And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
(2Cor 6:16)  And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

We read in 1Kings:
(1Kings 18:2) And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And [there was] a sore famine in Samaria.
Probably this famine was as a punishment for idolatry.
 
What did Jezebel did after that? She cut off the prophets of G-d. But a king had the governor of his house Obadiah which feared G-d greatly and took 100 prophets:
(1Kings 18:3) And Ahab called Obadiah, which [was] the governor of [his] house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:
(1Kings 18:4) For it was [so], when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)

We see a spirit in Jezebel came to light more and more. 

 
But where was a king? Why didn't he stop this illegality? The problem is that he didn't see a sin because of a spirit in Jezebel controls him.
(1Kings 18:17) ... when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, [Art] thou he that troubleth Israel?
 
Elijah said him:
(1Kings 18:18) And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.
(1Kings 18:19) Now therefore send, [and] gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table.
 
(1Kings 18:20)  So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.
(1Kings 18:21)  And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD [be] God, follow him: but if Baal, [then] follow him. And the people answered him not a word.
 
Please notice to these words: ''And the people answered him not a word.'' A spirit in Jezebel controls people. What is a cause? People have a little faith in Hashem.
 
(Jam 4:7)  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
 
Let us continue read 1Kings, chapter 18:
 
(1Kings 18:22)  Then said Elijah unto the people, I, [even] I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets [are] four hundred and fifty men.
(1Kings 18:23)  Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay [it] on wood, and put no fire [under]: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay [it] on wood, and put no fire [under]:
(1Kings 18:24)  And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God.
And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.

When people saw that  ''the fire of the LORD fell (on altar which Elijah built - V.N.), and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that [was] in the trench'' (1Kings 18:38), then ''they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he [is] the God; the LORD, he [is] the God.'' (1Kings 18:39) 

(1Kings 18:40)  And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

 
Not all Israelites bowed unto Baal: 
(1Kings 19:18)  Yet I have left [me] seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.
 
A spirit of Jezebel can control believers who have a little faith, incl. leaders. We see it is necessary to act decidedly if a spirit of Jezebel controls people.
 
We saw Eliyah acted  bravely and decidedly. But... later he was afraid of Jezebel. Why?

(1Kings 19:1)  And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.
(1Kings 19:2)  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 to morrow about this time.
(1Kings 19:3)  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.
(1Kings 19:4)  But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I [am] not better than my fathers.
 
Eliyah couldn't resist to manipulations of Jezebel.
 
Shaul calls believers:
(Eph 6:11)  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
(Eph 6:12)  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high [places].
(Eph 6:13)  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
 
What does ''put on the whole armour of God'' is?
 
(Eph 6:14)  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
(Eph 6:15)  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
(Eph 6:16)  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
(Eph 6:17)  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
(Eph 6:18)  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
 
So, we see how a spirit came to light in Jezebel:
 
- at first she incited a king to idolatry;
- she cut off the prophets of Hashem;
- she controlled a king and Israeli people.
 
Later she seized Naboth's vineyard. Her tactics was: she disseminated lies and slander:
 
(1Kings 21:8)  So she wrote letters in Ahab's name, and sealed [them] with his seal, and sent the letters unto the elders and to the nobles that [were] in his city, dwelling with Naboth.
(1Kings 21:9)  And she wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people:
(1Kings 21:10)  And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And [then] carry him out, and stone him, that he may die.
(1Kings 21:11)  And the men of his city, [even] the elders and the nobles who were the inhabitants in his city, did as Jezebel had sent unto them, [and] as it [was] written in the letters which she had sent unto them.
(1Kings 21:12)  They proclaimed a fast, and set Naboth on high among the people.
(1Kings 21:13)  And there came in two men, children of Belial, and sat before him: and the men of Belial witnessed against him, [even] against Naboth, in the presence of the people, saying, Naboth did blaspheme God and the king. Then they carried him forth out of the city, and stoned him with stones, that he died.

What did a king did then?  
(1Kings 21:16)  And it came to pass, when Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, that Ahab rose up to go down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
 
G-d addressed to prophet Elijah the Tishbite:  
(1Kings 21:18)  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.
(1Kings 21:19)  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 dogs lick thy blood, even thine.
 
After these words Ahab realized his guilt.
 
(1Kings 21:27)  And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
(1Kings 21:28)  And the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
(1Kings 21:29)  Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: [but] in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house.
 
Later king Jehu annihilated Ahab's house.
 
(2Kings 9:21)  And Joram said, Make ready. And his chariot was made ready. And Joram king of Israel and Ahaziah king of Judah went out, each in his chariot, and they went out against Jehu, and met him in the portion of Naboth the Jezreelite.
(2Kings 9:22)  And it came to pass, when Joram saw Jehu, that he said, [Is it] peace, Jehu? And he answered, What peace, so long as the whoredoms of thy mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts [are so] many?
(2Kings 9:23)  And Joram turned his hands, and fled, and said to Ahaziah, [There is] treachery, O Ahaziah.
(2Kings 9:24)  And Jehu drew a bow with his full strength, and smote Jehoram between his arms, and the arrow went out at his heart, and he sunk down in his chariot.
(2Kings 9:25)  Then said [Jehu] to Bidkar his captain, Take up, [and] cast him in the portion of the field of Naboth the Jezreelite: for remember how that, when I and thou rode together after Ahab his father, the LORD laid this burden upon him;
(2Kings 9:26)  Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the LORD; and I will requite thee in this plat, saith the LORD. Now therefore take [and] cast him into the plat [of ground], according to the word of the LORD.
(2Kings 9:27)  But when Ahaziah the king of Judah saw [this], he fled by the way of the garden house. And Jehu followed after him, and said, Smite him also in the chariot. [And they did so] at the going up to Gur, which [is] by Ibleam. And he fled to Megiddo, and died there.
 
We read Jezebel did the whoredoms and witchcrafts.
 
When Jehu came to Jezreel, Jezebel didn't afraid of him. 
 
(2Kings 9:30)  And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard [of it]; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window.
(2Kings 9:31)  And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, [Had] Zimri peace, who slew his master?
 
Jehu acted decidedly.
 
(2Kings 9:32)  And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who [is] on my side? who? And there looked out to him two [or] three eunuchs.
(2Kings 9:33)  And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and [some] of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot.
(2Kings 9:34)  And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed [woman], and bury her: for she [is] a king's daughter.
 
But it was impossible to bury her:
 
(2Kings 9:35)  And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of [her] hands.
(2Kings 9:36)  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:
(2Kings 9:37)  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.
 
In Revelation we read:
 
(Rev 2:18)  And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet [are] like fine brass;
(Rev 2:19)  I know thy works, and charity, and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last [to be] more than the first.
(Rev 2:20)  Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.
(Rev 2:21)  And I gave her space to repent of her fornication; and she repented not.
(Rev 2:22)  Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
(Rev 2:23)  And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
 
What is the spirit of Jezebel? It is adultery, faithlessness (not only marital infidelity but it is spiritual adultery too), idolatry, manipulations, false representation etc. But all this can be masked with the fine words and works etc.

''The clear battle with the Jezebel spirit is over people. In the church, that spirit desires to rule and control the people of God. If we are not people of decision, we will fall under the spell of the Jezebel spirit. She is a supporter of, and heavily influential in, religious organization as well as politics. While Jezebel is religious, she wields her false power against the true prophetic flow of God. She hates the prophets and all prophetic ministry. Specifically she hates repentance, humility and intercessory prayer, because they destroy her strongholds of stubbornness and pride.'' http://www.tlig.org/en/spirituality/letters/jezebel/

 
Notice that two groups of believers will have a punishment: they who commit adultery with a spirit of Jezebel and her children.  
 
 
 
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