Reading: 2 Kings 9:6-10, 30-37
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Perhaps there’s no character in Scripture that is more synonymous with evil than Jezebel. While she was the wife of Ahab, a king of Israel who did more evil than all of the kings before him, it’s clear that Jezebel was really the one running the kingdom. Under their leadership, they slaughtered God’s prophets, hunted Elijah, practiced all sorts of malice and falsehood, had their own citizens killed for selfish gain, and the list goes on and on.
While Ahab died in battle, Jezebel doesn’t receive her justice until King Jehu comes to power. In 2 Kings 9, we read of Jezebel’s demise, and look what she does. As she hears about Jehu coming into the city, she puts on eye makeup and does her hair. Maybe she knew Jehu was coming to get her, and she was going to try seduce him to spare her life. Maybe she thought that she could once again become a queen if she could only seduce for herself a new king.
Fortunately, Jehu resists. He throws her out the window and rids Israel of her, once and for all.
The Church at Thyatira had a Queen Jezebel in their midst. She had taken a position of authority in the church, and she was leading others into all sorts of physical pleasures, and in turn, she was becoming stronger and stronger. Just like Queen Jezebel, her position of authority was gained at others’ expenses. Perhaps her longevity as a so-called prophetess within the church had numbed the sensitivities of others, or she was like a cancer – a tumor who had grown and latched on to other parts of the body, so that it was nearly impossible to remove her.
Clearly there are two groups at Thyatira. There are ones who are resisting and ones who have been seduced and are unwilling to repent.
Though this Jezebel is probably a reference to a real person in Thyatira, I can’t help but also think of a figurative Jezebel in this story. While our church may not struggle with a real Jezebel, we definitely wrestle with another type of Jezebel in our homes – sexual purity. My heart goes out to my children, who will grow up more exposed to sexual immorality than my generation. It’s everywhere – television, the internet, and it is generally becoming part of our culture. Like a cancer, it has spread its tentacles in all areas of our society, and it is difficult to go a day without hearing a sexually explicit joke or seeing a lewd image. It is difficult not to become desensitized to it.
Make no mistake; sexual impurity, whether it’s pornography or sex outside of marriage will destroy the hearts of individuals who succumb to its fleeting seduction. As difficult as it is, we must resist it and not give it a place in our hearts. Because when we give it a place in our personal hearts, we are giving it authority in our homes and in our church.
Notice what Jehu does when he captures Jezebel. First, he never enters the house where she is staying. Two eunuchs, men who were celibate and less susceptible to Jezebel’s scheming, throw her out the window. Jehu must have known Jezebel’s reputation and took proper precautions. Secondly, he doesn’t even reason with her. “Just toss her out the window!” he said.
We can learn how to deal with the temptation of sexual impurity from Jehu’s example. Maybe Jehu knew that he could fall prey to the seduction attempts of a beautiful woman, or maybe he wanted to protect himself so that it could never “accidentally” happen. You know yourself. You know what will lead you into temptation. Stay away from it! Don’t go near. Don’t put yourself in that compromising position.
If you are a parent, make a proactive plan for your family. Our children will be bombarded with messages of impurity. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2007, nearly half of U.S. high school students reported having had sexual intercourse. Maryland law requires sex education to begin at age 12, and I guarantee that abstinence isn’t the prevailing message from the teacher. So, how will we combat it? Will we address it only after the fact, or will we be proactive in teaching against it? Make your home a safe refuge of purity. If our children are to resist Jezebel, then not only do we need to model purity, but we must make a safe place of refuge away from her influence.
I imagine that there are some reading or listening to this message, who are currently wrestling with a Jezebel. Maybe you really have a difficult time resisting her ploys of lust and immorality. Let me assure you there’s hope. The God of forgiveness is calling you to repentance. Jesus is calling you to walk out of that house where she is staying. If you are a child of the Most High, then you are no slave to Jezebel. He has anointed you to break her stronghold. He has given you authority over her. Don’t let her seductions steal your joy. Remember who you are in Christ, and then remind the Devil of your privileged position in the Kingdom of the Most Holy.