Laura Tallo is a photographer and artist in Hammond, Louisiana. She uses her photography and art work to support her Christian articles.
When Jezebel Sings
When Jezebel sings, he drops to his knees.
His heart pounds wildly, while his common sense flees.
Nothing else matters, but the song that he longs to hear.
What is her price for the song that he holds so dear?
His money, his land, his soul he gladly lays upon her altar.
So she sings, so she sings, as she slips upon him a halter.
She reigns him, guides him, turns him to the left and to the right.
He dances at her command, and he yields without a fight.
He was once a man who stood tall and proud.
But he lusted for a song, so now he is a puppet dancing for a crowd.
While Jezebel sings.
by Laura S. Tallo
The Power of Jezebel
History of Jezebel
We learn of Jezebel in the Book of Kings. I Kings 16:31 introduces her:
"He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him." NIV.
The "he" is King Ahab. We will get to him later.
Jezebel is the daughter of Ethbaal, king of Tyre, the Phoenicians, and the Sidonians. At the time I Kings, Tyre and Sidonia were consolidated into one kingdom.The Sidonians were descendants of Sidon, the son of Canaan. The Sidonians practiced idolatry, bordered the land of Canaan, and the Jewish people could not drive them away.
It was likely that Ahab's marriage to Jezebel was a political one. He and Ethbaal kept close diplomatic relations.
Ethbaal was a priest of Astarte. Astarte was the goddess connected with fertility, sexuality, and war.
Jezebel, who married Ahab, convinced him to quit serving Yahweh. She had him build temples to her foreign gods- Baal and Asherah. Jezebel insisted that her religion should be the national religion of Israel. She appointed guilds of prophets, 450 of Baal, and 400 of Asherah. She also sought out and destroyed as many prophets of Israel as she could reach.
Obadiah, who was the faithful overseer of Ahab's house, rescued one hundred of these prophets, hid them, and secretly fed them in a cave.
I Kings chapter 17 tells how the The Lord told Elijah to prophesy a great drought over the Land of Samaria. It happened. In I Kings Chapter 18, he comes back and meets with Ahab. He challenges him to a "duel" of sorts. They each built an altar. Elijah builds one to Yahweh, and Ahab builds one to Baal. All of Baals prophets tried to call down fire from heaven, but their god did not send fire to consume the slain bull upon their altar. Elijah mocked them, and he called upon Yahweh to send fire to consume the bull upon the altar built for Him. Elijah had water poured upon that bull. Verse 38 tells us, "38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt-offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench."
The people fell upon their faces and worshipped God. Elijah then told them to slay the prophets of Baal. Ahab goes on home and tells all of this to Jezebel.
That didn't go over very well with her. She threatened Elijah, and he ran and hid.
You would think that after calling down fire from heaven that he wouldn't be afraid, that he would know that God would protect him from Jezebel, but something inside of him made him run.
While Elijah is following the lead of the Lord in chapters 19 and 20, Ahab is craving a certain vineyard. He wants that vineyard badly, but it was Naboth's inherited land, and he would not sell it. So, Ahab pouts. Jezebel sees his pouting, makes inquiries, creates a lie about Naboth, and has him stoned. She seizes his vineyard for Ahab.
Read the rest in Part II
Part II The Prophecies and Story According to I Kings 21:18-26
I Kings 21: 18 'Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who dwelleth in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to take possession of it. 19 And thou shalt speak unto him, saying: Thus saith the LORD: Hast thou killed, and also taken possessions? and thou shalt speak unto him, saying: Thus saith the LORD: In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine. 20 And Ahab said to Elijah: 'Hast thou found me, O mine enemy?' And he answered: 'I have found thee; because thou hast given thyself over to do that which is evil in the sight of the LORD. 21 Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will utterly sweep thee away, and will cut off from Ahab every man-child, and him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel. . 22 And I will make thy house like the house of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasa the son of Ahijah, for the provocation wherewith thou hast provoked Me, and hast made Israel to sin. 23 And of Jezebel also spoke the LORD, saying: The dogs shall eat Jezebel in the moat of Jezreel. 24 Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the dogs shall eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat.' . 25 But there was none like unto Ahab, who did give himself over to do that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, whom Jezebel his wife stirred up. 26 And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all that the Amorites did, whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
© 2017 Laura Tallo