You Reap What You Sowনমুনা

Jezebel died a horrible death

Jezebel retained her obstinate, unbending character to the very end. The death of the man whose life she polluted brought no repentance. She only lived ten years after Ahab had died in a battle. 

King Jehu, who took after Ahab, ordered Jezebel’s court members to throw her out of her window. When the servants went to pick up her body for burial, they discovered only her skull. Stray dogs had consumed the rest of her flesh, just as prophet Elijah had prophesied earlier.

The death of Jezebel is not just the death of a Phoenician princess who became queen of Israel but also the symbolic death of the goddesses she worshipped and represented. 

Dogs were powerful symbols in Canaanite religion, especially associated with the goddesses Anat and Astarte and the god Baal. There is a deep irony here. She who was devoted to these deities is devoured by them. Only her palms, feet, and skull remained. Also according to Canaanite mythology, Anat wore a necklace and belt of human skulls and hands. The religious rituals and images of ancient Near Eastern religions are inverted, perverted, and overturned in the death of Jezebel.

So died Jezebel, the idolater, the tyrant, the murderess. She had sown to the wind, and reaped the whirlwind. Many of the godly in Israel must have felt that while Jezebel held evil sway over the land, the mills of God seemed to grind slowly. They came to realize, however, that they grind exceedingly sure. 

The Bible tells us in Galatians 6:7 “A man reaps what he sows.” 

A life filled with evil and godlessness bring their own reward, and the wicked reap what they sow. Retribution overtook Jezebel when her body was thrown out of the window to be torn and mangled and then eaten by dogs.

Jezebel’s death reminds us poignantly that it is possible to live a glamorous life marked by power and prestige and still die in disgrace

The Bible says in 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 that Christ will be revealed from heaven to take vengeance on those who spurn God and who reject the saving Gospel of His beloved Son.

To avoid the gruesome death that Jezebel encountered, turn to God instead of turning away from Him. Don't use your influence to turn others away from God. Treat people with love and respect. Don't manipulate them and falsely accuse them just to get what you want.

Jezebel's story should teach us that no bad deed goes unpunished. Think about that when you are tempted to behave like spirit of Jezebel.

Quote: If you have been born only once, you will have to die twice. But if you have been born twice, you will have to die only once (and you may even escape that one death if Jesus returns to the earth during your lifetime). – David Jeremiah

Prayer: Lord, help me to live a life pleasing to you, so that I do not face judgment, but be passed from death to life. Amen