Jezebel was the queen who became known for her wickedness in the Bible. She and her husband, King Ahab, did many things that displeased God. Jezebel’s story serves as a warning not to fall into the same mistakes.
The characteristics that made Jezabel such a bad person were:
1. Idolatry
Jezebel worshiped the false god Baal and the goddess Asherah. Her devotion to these gods was so great that she tried to end the worship of the true God in Israel! Jezebel supported 850 prophets of her false gods and her husband built pagan temples ( 1 Kings 16: 31-32 ).
Jezebel totally rejected God and promoted practices that He detests. The cult of these false gods was known for its disgusting practices, such as child sacrifice and sexual immorality. Idolatry led Jezebel to commit many other sins.
See the story of Jezebel in the Bible here.
2. Abuse of power
As queen, Jezebel had a position of great responsibility and influence. Being cultured and intelligent, she could have used her power to help King Ahab take good care of his people. Instead, Jezebel took advantage of her position to do many wrong things , promoting sin in Israel and eliminating her opponents ( 1 Kings 21: 25-26 ).
See also Ahab’s story.
3. Selfishness
Jezabel thought only of her own interests and those of her family. She had no qualms. If someone stopped her from getting what she wanted, she would be eliminated! For Jezebel, other people’s justice and interests were not important. She valued her own will more.
4. Manipulation
To get what he wanted, Jezebel used any means necessary. Once, in order to obtain the vineyard of a man named Naboth, she manipulated the justice system and caused his death ( 1 Kings 21: 8-10 ). She did not try to negotiate. Jezabel knew how to use her influence to manipulate.
5. Pursuit
Queen Jezebel did not tolerate opposition. She tried to kill all of God’s prophets , who condemned their idolatry ( 1 Kings 18: 4 ). When Elijah defeated and killed the prophets of her gods, she had no fear of God but vowed to kill Elijah! Jezebel did not accept rebuke or tolerate the idea that it could be wrong. She ferociously persecuted God’s followers.
Find out here: what is the spirit of Jezebel?
Its consequences
For a long time, Jezebel enjoyed great power and prosperity. But in the end, she died a bloody and dignified death . The dogs ate her corpse and she didn’t even have a proper burial (
2 Kings 9: 36-37
). The attitude of Jezebel and Ahab influenced their children, who also did many wrong things and fell out of favor. Jezebel thought she was protected but her bad deeds ended up causing her to fall.
