The Kitchen Sink
An occasional piece of paper
June 13, 2010
Vol. 13 no. 23
I do not remember having met a woman named Jezebel - Isabel is the modern version of the name, though that doesn’t have the same edge. An unflattering song, “Jezebel,” sung by Frankie Laine and others, tells you why you do not find too many Judas-es or Adolfs running around either.
The Old Testament Jezebel was not simply a bad person, but someone who loved power over other people and such a power-hungry person typically does not see good and evil as relevant categories. Jezebel was particularly Ruth-less. But she had Ahab.
It was a time in ancient Israel when just about every king did evil in the sight of the Lord. Kings as a rule were not good, and Ahab was perhaps the worst of all, doing more evil than all that were before him. No wonder Moby Dick took a bite out of his leg. He didn’t marry well, for his bride was Jezebel, the princess of Sidon, a nation that worshipped the fertility god, Ba‘al. She converted Ahab without much trouble, but trouble was, Ba‘al was not a good god. Always winked at evil, especially to other people - Jezebel was a true believer.
Ahab had a neighbour, Naboth of Jezreel, who owned a vineyard next to Ahab’s palace which Ahab offered to buy. Naboth refused and that really bothered Ahab, for kings seldom have their requests turned down. When Jezebel heard of this, she told Ahab she would fix things, and she really did. She set up a fradulent sting operation to frame Naboth who ended up being wrongfully stoned to death. No problem with acquiring the vineyard now, except for the divine objection relayed on to Elijah. It’s a dog’s world in the end - Mondo Cane - at least for Jezebel.
Preached by Robert Kitchen
Knox-Metropolitan United Church
Regina, Saskatchewan