1 Kings 21:7 – And Jezebel his wife said to him, “Do you now govern Israel? Arise and eat bread and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.”
In yesterday’s devo, we looked at King Ahab, who wanted a piece of land belonging to a seemingly godly man named Naboth, who told him “No Deal”.
Acting very much like a boy who can shave, King Ahab then threw a temper tantrum as, “he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and would eat no food.” (1 Kings 21:4) In this dysfunctional demonic relationship, we continually see the Ahab spirit as passive and the Jezebel spirit as controlling. We also see the Jezebel spirit using the authority that belongs to Ahab for evil and the frequent using of other people to do the dirty work.
We read, “Jezebel his wife came to him and said to him, ‘Why is your spirit so vexed that you eat no food?’ And he said to her, ‘Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, “Give me your vineyard for money, or else, if it please you, I will give you another vineyard for it.” And he answered, “I will not give you my vineyard.”’ And Jezebel his wife said to him, ‘Do you now govern Israel? Arise and eat bread and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.’” (1 Kings 21:5-7)
Jezebel then commits a series of sins and crimes without blushing. First, she forged legal government documents fraudulently, “…she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal…” (1 Kings 21:8)
Second, Jezebel plotted the murder and coverup of Naboth as she “…set two worthless men opposite him [Naboth], and let them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.” (1 Kings 21:10)
Third, Jezebel deceitfully gives the appearance of obeying God’s law in condemning the innocent Naboth, finding two “worthless men” (1 Kings 21:10) meeting the requirements of “two witnesses” (Deuteronomy 17:5-6), even though they bring false testimony.
Fourth, Jezebel actually appeals to the Scriptures and God to murder an innocent man. In this scene, we see the common pattern of the Jezebel spirit weaponizing God’s Word, twisting it as Satan did with Adam and Eve, along with Jesus. Completely defiant of God’s Word having any authority in her own life, she falsely and wrongly judges and condemns Ahab, who did not do what her lying plot convicted and condemned him for!
Make no mistake, Jezebel was very religious, and the most dangerous people are those who are religious and weaponize the Bible to abuse people by the Jezebel spirit. She is lying and committing murder, all to steal a piece of land, while publicly pretending to honor the Lord.
What do you learn about the spirits at work behind Ahab and Jezebel in this scene?
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