God Takes Sin Seriously

June 23

2 Kings 9-10

Psalm 74:5-11

Proverbs 16:16

Acts 18

God Takes Sin Seriously

“So they threw her (Jezebel) down, and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall and on the horses, and he trampled her under foot.  Then he came in and ate and drank.  And he said, ‘Take care now of this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king’s daughter.’  They went to bury her, but they found nothing more of her than the skull and feet and the palms of her hands.  Therefore they returned and declared it to him.  And he said, ‘This is the word of Yahweh, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘In the property of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; and the corpse of Jezebel will be as dung on the face of the field in the property of Jezreel, so they cannot say, ‘This is Jezebel.’” 

2 Kings 9:33-37 LSB

Jezebel was the daughter of Ethbaal of the Zidonians.  He was king and a priest of Baal.  The gods of the Phoenicians were Baal and Ashtaroth.  Ahab was the king of the Northern tribe of Israel from 874 to 853 BC.  While most of the kings during this period were evil, I Kings 16:30 tells us that Ahab “did evil in the sight of the Lord more than all who were before him.”  There were some really bad kings who did evil during this period, but Ahab was the worst.  Since Jezebel was the daughter of a king, it is likely that her marriage to Ahab was intended to form an alliance between their kingdoms.  Jezebel came from an idolatrous nation and brought her idolatrous practices to Israel with her.  During the reign of Ahab and Jezebel, Israel was corrupt, wickedness and evil were prevalent, idolatry and pagan worship were widely practiced, and all priests and prophets of God were banished from the land and replaced by pagan priests.  Ahab was evil, but Jezebel’s influence led him to not only participate in evil but persecute all those who worshipped God. 

Elijah relayed a message to Ahab from God declaring that there was going to be a drought in the land for several years.  Then God sent him away from the area.  During that time Jezebel slaughtered the Lord’s prophets and Obadiah, another prophet, hid 100 prophets in caves to protect them from her rampage. (I Kings 18:13) After a long time, God told him to return to the land and go to Ahab.  Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest.  They would call to their gods and he would call to his God.  The one who would answer with fire is the God Israel should worship.  Ahab summoned all of Israel to watch.  The prophets of Baal shouted and pleaded all day long.  They cut themselves and danced begging their gods to answer.  Obviously, there was no response because their gods did not exist.  When it was Elijah’s turn, he prayed to the One true God.  God immediately answered by sending down fire from heaven.  It consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, the dust and all the water in the trench.  He left no room for doubt that He was the only true God.  When all the people saw it, they all fell facedown and worshipped God.  They seized all the prophets of Baal and slaughtered them. Elijah then prayed to the Lord and asked Him to send rain to end the drought.  (I Kings 18:16-46.)  Ahab’s response to the contest was silence.  He did not worship God but didn’t speak out against Elijah.  He ran home to tell Jezebel everything that had happened.  It is evident he had no religious convictions at all. It’s likely that Baal worship in Israel was not a result of Ahab’s influence, but the influence of his evil wife, Jezebel.  She did everything she could to persecute and destroy anyone who worshipped the One true God and stood for righteousness.  Elijah was not afraid of Ahab.  He stood up to all the prophets of Baal, but Jezebel scared him and he ran for his life.  (I Kings 19:3-5)  He was nearly suicidal until God met him in the wilderness and assured him of His protection.  This is a reminder to us that even those who are following God can have moments of weakness.  We are not immune to fear and anxiety.  In those moments our best response is to turn to God for comfort and peace.

A few days ago we read how Jezebel had Naboth killed to give Ahab his vineyard.  (I Kings 21:1-16.)  God revealed to Elijah what Jezebel had done to Naboth and sent him to pronounce judgement on Ahab.  God told him, “In the place where the dogs licked Naboth’s blood, the dogs will also lick your blood.”  He also pronounced judgment on Jezebel.  “The dogs will eat Jezebel in the plot of land at Jezreel.”  When Ahab heard these words he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted.  For the first time in Ahab’s life there is evidence of repentance and humility.  In response, God withheld his judgment for a time.  Ahab did not turn from his evil ways and judgment was pronounced on Ahab, Jezebel and their family later.  In I Kings 22:29-40 we see that Ahab died just as God had predicted.  Vs. 38 says, “Then someone washed the chariot at the pool of Samaria.  The dogs licked up his blood and the prostitutes bathed in it, according to the word of the Lord that He had spoken.” 

In today’s reading in 2 Kings we see the final chapter in Jezebel’s evil life.  Jezebel did not repent of her evil ways.  When Jezebel knew she was going to die, she painted her eyes and adorned her head so that she would look like a queen at her death.  She taunted Jehu and mocked him out of her window.  Jehu shouted to those in the palace asking who was on his side.  Two eunuchs threw her out the window and her blood splattered on the wall.  He then trampled her body under the feet of his horses to make sure she was dead.  He went inside to have a meal and then sent someone out to bury her.  Just as Elijah prophesied, the dogs had eaten her body and all that was left of her was her skull, feet and hands.  Vs. 37 tells us that “Jezebel’s corpse will be like manure on the surface of the field in the plot of land at Jezreel so that no one will be able to say: This is Jezebel.”  God is not mocked.  God takes sin very seriously and does not overlook or excuse it.  True repentance is the only thing that pleases Him and the only way to avoid judgment. Sin has consequences.  Even if we repent and turn to Him we may have to experience the natural consequences of our actions.  Engaging in sin is very serious but being a stumbling block to others and leading them into sin is even more evil in God’s eyes.  Jezebel was evil and wicked, and she lead the nation of Israel to forsake God and worship idols.  God punished her accordingly.