THE CURSE OF JEZEBEL AND AHAB
December 16, 1998
Don Hawley
In March of 1956 the ship taking my family to mission service in Pakistan docked in Beirut, Lebanon. We decided to jump ship, fly into Jordon for a whirlwind tour of the Holy Land, and then meet our ship again in Alexandria, Egypt. (We missed our ship in Alexandria, but that’s another story!) Our trip to Jerusalem was dependent on a denominational employee spending an entire day arranging visas. To keep our family out of his way, he packed us into a taxi and told the driver to take us over the Lebanon Mountains to the town of Baalbek. That was 33 years ago, but I firmly believe it was of the Lord’s doing, and our visit was partly to prepare me to write this present study.
Although little known, and seldom visited, there are no grander ruins anywhere than those found outside the village of Baalbek. To truly appreciate these ruins one must be aware of the history that brought them into being. Going back in time reveals fascinating insights that affect us even today.
Several empires have considered Baalbek a vital piece of real estate. At the present time the area is a training and staging base for Shiite Muslim guerilla fighters. It's important to our study to note that the warriors coming out of Baalbek today are dedicated to the destruction of the modern secular state of Israel.
The latest construction at Baalbek is of Arabic origin, and it's not impressive in either size or design. To see the real grandeur of the past one must turn back the calendar to the time of the Roman Empire. Baalbek became a Roman colony under Augustus in 16 BC. The central edifice of the worship complex was the massive Temple of Jupiter, who was the pagan god of gods. Only six giant pillars remain, but they are so tall I had to back far away to fit them in my camera lens. One has to stretch the imagination to realize that there once was an opposing row of pillars, and a roof between them. The largest building blocks ever quarried are in the foundation of the Jupiter temple. Although up to 44 feet long, and 12 feet square, they fit so perfectly together that no mortar was needed.
Another imposing ruin is the circular temple of the pagan goddess Venus. She was sometimes worshiped as Venus Libertina, patroness of sensual pleasure.
Still earlier ruins at Baalbek were left by the conquering Greeks who arrived in 332 BC. They identified Baal with Helios and called the city Heliopolis. They too built shrines to their female goddess referring to her as Aphrodite, the beautiful and voluptuous female deity of sensual love.
The earliest visible ruins at Baalbek were the work of the ancient Phoenicians, who were linguistically and culturally related to the Canaanites. They called their female goddess of lustful sexual love Astarte, and offered their firstborn children to her as sacrifices to assure fertility. Astarte, or Ashtoreth, was sometimes worshipped by the Israelites.
QUEEN OF HEAVEN
Although the Babylonian empire predated Baalbek, it was their principal goddess Ishtar that the Phoenicians worshiped as Astarte. In Roman mythology, Juno, the wife and sister of Jupiter, was held to be the queen of heaven. All through history Jehovah has had to do battle with the human desire to replace him with a female deity. Although her name and appearance have changed from civilization to civilization, the Bible refers to a substitute female goddess as the Queen of Heaven.
"Pray no more for these people, Jeremiah. Do not weep or pray for them, and don’t beg me to help them, for I will not listen to you. Do you not see what they are doing throughout the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? No wonder I am so angry! Watch how the children gather wood and the fathers build sacrificial fires. See how the women knead dough and make cakes to offer to the Queen of Heaven. And they give drink offerings to their other idol gods! Am I the one they are hurting?" asks the Lord. "Most of all, they hurt themselves to their own shame."
So the Sovereign Lord says: "I will pour out my terrible fury on this place." Jer. 7:16-20.
We would be foolish to suppose that the devil has given up on his ancient plan to supplant Jehovah with a female deity. In fact in our own day the New Age movement is continually fostering just such a teaching. Even some professed Christians are tempted with the idea that the Holy Spirit must be the female member of the Trinity. God is not pleased with such imaginations.
We know from Scripture that some demonic spirits are very territorial in nature. The heavenly messenger sent to Daniel explained why he had difficulty getting to the prophet.
Don’t be frightened, Daniel, for your request has been heard in heaven and was answered the very first day you began to fast before the Lord and pray for understanding; that very day I was sent here to meet you. But for twenty-one days the mighty Evil Spirit who overrules the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the top officers of the heavenly army, came to help me, so that I was able to break through these spirit rulers of Persia. Dan. 10:12, 13.
I feel sure that even today the forces of darkness have certain earthly control centers from which demons are dispatched to do their evil work. Considering the history of Baalbek outlined above, surely it must be one of the devil’s present major strongholds. Could it be the present residing place of the biblical "Queen of Heaven?" Will she soon leave that stronghold to appear throughout the world as Mary, the mother of Christ, the ultimate "Queen of Heaven?" I firmly believe this will be one of the final and most overpowering delusions men and women will face before Christ returns.
We've already noted it's from Baalbek that Moslem Shiite extremists emerge to wage guerilla warfare against the present secular state of Israel. It doesn’t take a great leap of imagination to see demonic forces leaving Baalbek to do war against spiritual Israel as well.
JEZEBEL AND AHAB
Jezebel, a Phoenician princess and the wife of Ahab, king of ancient Israel, was a strong enemy of the Most High God. Even today her name represents a spirit of rebellion and seduction. I’m not going to repeat the story of Elijah’s stand for God on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18 and 19) as it is so well known. However, I do want to point out Jezebel’s principal focus of worship.
Now bring all the people of Israel to Mount Carmel, with all 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Ashera, who are supported by Jezebel. 1 Kings 18: 19.
Ashera, "Mistress of the gods," and mother of 70 deities, was the female counterpart of Baal. She too was worshiped in Baalbek. Her cult image no doubt was in the Temple of Baal in Jerusalem, and even was set up in the Temple of Jerusalem itself. (2 Kings 10:25, and 21:3, 7.) So the prophets of Ashera were no better than the prophets of Baal, and probably both groups were lumped together in Elijah’s mind. In any case, after the prophet of God called fire down from heaven he picked up the sword.
Then Elijah commanded, "Seize all the prophets of Baal. Don’t let a single one escape!" So the people seized them all, and Elijah took them down to the Kishon Valley and killed them there. Vs. 40.
"Bek" means city, so Baalbek is properly translated "City of Baal," and it was one of the earliest centers for worshiping that heathen god. Although I have no proof, in my own mind I feel certain Jezebel must have gone there to worship her favorite deity, probably on several occasions.
JEZEBEL LIVES!
First the good news. That wicked woman Jezebel, who tried to murder the Lord’s true prophets, finally came to her well-deserved demise.
When Jezebel, the queen mother, heard that Jehu had come to Jezreel, she painted her eyelids and fixed her hair and sat at window . . . Jehu looked up and saw her at the window and shouted, "Who is on my side?" And two or three eunuchs looked out at him. "Throw her down!" Jehu yelled. So they threw her out the window, and some of her blood spattered against the wall and on the horses. And Jehu trampled her body under his horses’ hooves.
Then Jehu went into the palace and ate and drank. Afterward he said, "Someone go and bury this cursed woman, for she is the daughter of a king." But when they went out to bury her, they found only her skull, her feet, and her hands.
When they returned and told Jehu, he stated, "This fulfills the message from the Lord, which he spoke through his servant Elijah from Tishbe: ‘At the plot of land in Jezreel, dogs will eat Jezebel’s flesh. Her body will be scattered like dung on the field of Jezreel, so that no one will be able to recognize her.'" 2 Kings 9:30-37.
Now the bad news--Jezebel still lives as an evil spirit that plagues the entire human race. Every day the people of our own nation feel her pervading curse.
The Jezebel spirit never works alone; she is always accompanied by an Ahab spirit over which she can exercise manipulation and control. Notice the infantile response of Ahab when Naboth refused to sell him a vegetable garden
Naboth replied, "The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance that was passed down by my ancestors." So Ahab went home angry and sullen because of Naboth’s answer. The king went to bed with his face to the wall and refused to eat! 1 Kings 21:3, 4.
Ahab was a despotic weakling, but no one could accuse his wife of timidity.
"Get up and eat and don’t worry about it. I’ll get you Naboth’s vineyard!"
So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the elders and other leaders of the city where Naboth lived. Vs. 8.
Next she arranged for two scoundrels to falsely accuse Naboth, and then had him stoned to death. Nice woman!
Ahab wore the crown, but Jezebel was the true power behind the throne.
No one else so completely sold himself to what was evil in the Lord’s sight as did Ahab, for his wife, Jezebel, influenced him. Vs. 25.
A person controlled by a Jezebel spirit always wants to take over what ever group they join. Everyone must give way to their demands. The Ahab spirit paves the way for Jezebel to do her thing. Jezebel is usually a religious spirit, so can be found busy inside the church structure. Often she will seem to be just the one to take a certain position, but once enabled she is on her way to total control. That is the beginning of continual trouble, and problems will persist until she is dethroned. If her program fails, Jezebel will be certain someone else takes the blame. She will work others to death, pushing them to enlarge her little kingdom.
A strong Jezebel can destroy the true effectiveness of a congregation by usurping the authority God has entrusted to his chosen leaders. She can work her way up to a position of real power. Note what our Lord had against the church in Thyatira.
I know all the things you do--your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things. But I have this complaint against you. You are permitting that women--that Jezebel who calls herself a prophet--to lead my servants astray. Rev. 2:19, 20.
Since the Jezebel of Elijah’s time was no longer alive, we see that this refers to another woman with a Jezebel spirit. She is claiming to be a true prophetess, but actually is leading people astray. God attempted to help her see her true position, but without success.
I gave her time to repent, but she would not turn away from her immorality. Rev. 2:21.
Jezebel is not the repenting type; she must be forcibly stripped of her power.
A PROBLEM OLD AS TIME
We've already seen how the spirits of Jezebel and Ahab can undermine what God wants to accomplish in a congregation. However, perhaps the best shot Jezebel can take at a congregation is to weaken ties within individual families, particularly between husband and wife. To observe her activity in this area, we have to go back a long way before the time of Elijah.
And the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion who will help him." Gen. 2:18.
Note that Eve was created after Adam, to be a help to him. If that simple statement makes feminists bridle, so be it. That’s the way Scripture reads.
We are told how trouble came to disturb the peace of Eden. You know the story.
"God said we must not eat it or even touch it (the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil), or we will die."
"You won’t die!" the serpent hissed. "God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil."
The woman was convinced. The fruit looked so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise! So she ate some of the fruit. Gen. 3:3-6.
Instead of coming to her husband to talk things over, Eve ignored her protector and ventured out on her own. This was the first Jezebel step in the human family. It may seem like a small thing, but it opened the door to untold pain and suffering through the ages. Then it was Adam’s turn to be tested.
She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. Then he ate it, too. At that moment, their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame . . . Vs. 6, 7.
Instead of playing the man, Adam played the wimp. He disregarded the plain command of his Creator, and bowed to the lead of Eve. At that moment, the first Ahab step was taken. As they say, the rest is history.
When God showed up in the Garden, Adam wasn’t man enough to admit his error. Cowardice is a trait of the Ahab spirit.
"It was the woman you gave me who brought me the fruit, and I ate it." Vs. 12.
Of course Jezebel wasn’t about to admit her mistake.
"The serpent tricked me . . . That’s why I ate it." Vs. 13.
Now God’s original plan for companionship had to be modified.
Though your desire will be for your husband, he will be your master. Vs. 16.
Another interesting rendition of this text in the NLT is: "And though you may desire to control your husband . . ." Timothy also comments on the marriage relationship.
Women should listen and learn quietly and submissively. I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly. For God made Adam first, and afterward he made Eve. And it was the woman, not Adam, who was deceived by Satan, and sin was the result. 1 Tim. 2:11-14.
Now we could have considerable discussion about nuances of the above text, but what it most certainly does not indicate is that the woman was meant to be head of household. And in millions of homes in America she is just that. That is a Jezebel arrangement.
For several years I lived in a country where women had no status or rights; they were hardly better than chattel. For example: even if a husband beat his wife unmercifully, the latter could never obtain a divorce. On the other hand, if the wife burned her husband’s toast one morning, all he had to do was say "I divorce you" three times and she was legally tossed out. And in that country a woman alone could hardly survive.
Such inequity is unthinkable. A loving God had a better plan for the marriage relationship.
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. You wives will submit to your husbands as you do to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of his body, the church; he gave his life to be her Savior. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives must submit to your husbands in everything.
And you husbands must love your wives with the same love Christ showed the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by baptism and God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man is actually loving himself when he loves his wife. No one hates his own body but lovingly cares for it, just as Christ cares for his body, which is the church. And we are his body . . .
So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. Eph. 5:21-30, 33.
Husbands, do you love your wife enough to give up your life for her? Or perhaps more importantly, to show her proper affection on a daily basis?
Wives, do you have any trouble accepting Christ as the head of the church? Then you should have no difficulty seeing your husband in a headship position.
Please carefully note the last phrase of the previous text: "The wife must respect her husband." Perhaps that could as well be put, "The wife must be able to respect her husband."
It seems as if many wives feel the need to see how far they can go in becoming head of household. The problem with that is that if they succeed in taking over, they no longer respect their husband. That portends trouble.
If someone respects you, they may or may not love you. But if they don't respect you, they can't love you.
In a Jezebel/Ahab relationship no one wins. Even the controlling party is not truly happy. Too often divorce seems to be the easy way out.
I suspect that up to now my female readers feel I have tended to take the part of the man. Let me even things out a bit.
Many women who end up playing a Jezebel role are practically pushed into it, because the man they married simply will not play the part he was ordained to play. Jezebel and Ahab spirits work in tandem, and one can help produce the other.
A GENERATIONAL CURSE
The curse of Jezebel/Ahab spirits can be passed along generationally.
Ahaziah followed the evil example of King Ahab’s family, doing what was evil in the Lord’s sight, because he was related by marriage to the family of Ahab. 2 Kings 8:27.
Apparently it doesn’t even have to be a matter of bloodline; just being raised in such an environment can produce disastrous results. Somewhere along the line we need to break such curses, or the situation perpetuates itself endlessly.
Also we need to understand that demonic spirits do not have gender. There can be male Jezebels and female Ahabs, although the Jezebel spirit seems most comfortable in the female psyche.
I personally know of a family where the father had a completely dominating Jezebel spirit; the union produced three boys and three girls. When the children grew up and married, all three of the women and all three of the men were dictatorial Jezebels. All six were able to intimidate their spouses regardless of gender differences.
On the other hand, I know of another family where the mother was a totally dominant figure, and the husband merely blended into the wall paper. The three boys and one girl offspring were all emotionally stunted and permanently warped. No healthy marriage relationships developed, and one boy never married at all.
I also believe that the Jezebel/Ahab configuration may be responsible for much of the homosexuality that plagues our nation. Note who was with Jezebel at the end.
Jehu looked up and saw her [Jezebel] at the window and shouted, "Who is on my side?" And two or three eunuchs looked out at him. 2 Kings 9:32.
Overbearing Jezebel-type women tend to psychologically castrate their husbands and sons, and I believe that causes some of the children to fall into homosexuality. It's impossible to predict with accuracy what effect strong Jezebel/Ahab parenting will have on offspring, but it almost certainly will produce maladjusted children--who usually grow up to be maladjusted adults.
With so many marriages in the United States ending in divorce, I think that Jezebel, although essentially a "religious spirit," is also able to work in families that have no interest in spiritual matters.
DEFEATING JEZEBEL AND AHAB
The Jezebel/Ahab spirits have been wreaking havoc in both our families and in our congregations. It is time to go to war against them. We need husbands who are willing to be the loving head of the family, and wives who will look to them as the priest of the household.
Jezebel will usually be found supplanting weak leadership, so we need to raise up strong leaders who will take their marching orders from God through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Many congregations are moving away from the traditional denominational system of church governance to that outlined in the Word. The Bible pattern is clearly spelled out in the following two texts:
We are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We who believe are carefully joined together, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Eph. 2:20, 21.
He [Christ] is the one who gave these gifts to the church; the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Eph. 4:11.
In preparation for the final moves of God, the five-fold ascension gifts are being restored to the Body of Christ. In view of this, I would like to close with this warning from Rick Joyner:
"Jezebel demands recognition for herself while serving as the enemy of the true prophetic ministry. Jezebel was the greatest enemy of one of the Old Covenant’s most powerful prophets, Elijah, whose ministry especially represents preparing of the way for the Lord. The Jezebel spirit is one of the most potent forms of the religious spirit which seeks to keep the church and the world from being prepared for the return of the Lord. This spirit especially attacks the prophetic ministry because that ministry has an important place in preparing the way for the Lord. That is why John the Baptist was persecuted by a personification of Jezebel in the wife of Herod. The prophetic ministry is the primary vehicle through which the Lord gives timely, strategic direction to His people. Jezebel knows that removing the true prophets will make the people vulnerable to her false prophets, which always leads to idolatry and spiritual adultery." Epic Battles of the Last Days by Rick Joyner, p. 137.