Ahab, perhaps Israel’s evilest king ever, marries Jezebel, daughter of a foreign ruler. Under her depraved influence, Ahab starts worshiping her gods, instead of the true God. Jezebel hunts down and kills God’s prophets, while she provides sanctuary for hundreds of the prophets of Baal and Asherah.
God’s prophet Elijah has a public smackdown with the prophets of Baal and Asherah that results in him killing them all. In retaliation, Jezebel threatens to likewise kill Elijah. While he’s on the run, Jezebel adds to her crimes by orchestrating an innocent man’s death to seize his vineyard for her husband.
Eventually, Jezebel suffers a gruesome death, just as prophesied.
Though evil people sometimes seem to suffer no consequences for their foul behavior, God’s judgment ultimately prevails.
How do we react when confronted with evil?
[Discover more about Jezebel in 1 Kings 16:31, 1 Kings 18:4–19, 1 Kings 19:1–2, 1 Kings 21:5–24, and 2 Kings 9:7–37.]
Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in audiobook, e-book, paperback, and hardcover.
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
