“You are to destroy the house of Ahab your master,
and I will avenge the blood of my servants the prophets
and the blood of all the LORD’s servants shed by Jezebel.”
2 Kings 9:7
Jezebel married Ahab, king of Israel, who was the worst king Israel had experienced up to that point. He set up the worship of false gods and led the people astray (1 Kings 16:29-33). Jezebel also made it a point to persecute and kill the prophets of the Lord. God punished Israel through the prophet Elijah by sending a drought. Obadiah, a devout believer in God, hid a hundred prophets of the Lord in two caves and successfully protected them from Jezebel (1 Kings 18:4).
What followed was a showdown between Elijah and Ahab on Mount Carmel (18:16-40). It was one prophet of the Lord against the 850 prophets of Baal and Asherah that Ahab had summoned. The pagans lost because the One (God) worked through the one (Elijah) to bring fire down upon an altar soaked in water, unlike the false prophets who could get no fire started on their altar. The Israelites saw Who the one true God was that day, and Elijah then had the false prophets killed.
What should have been a great victory that increased Elijah’s faith instead turned into a tuck-tail-and-run moment for him in Chapter 19. Once Jezebel found out what had happened, she sent word to Elijah that he wouldn’t live another day. Elijah became afraid, fled, and asked the Lord to take his life. But the Lord cared for him and fed him via an angel, and later appeared to him in a cave.
What then took place is inspirational. God demonstrated to Elijah that sometimes He speaks in the quietest of voices. I encourage you to read this passage (1 Kings 19:11-18). God also comforted him and brought him help in the form of Elisha, who would become his spiritual successor.
However, Jezebel wasn’t finished spreading her poison. She took the lead in having another man stoned to death because Ahab wanted his vineyard. As a result, God was going to wait and bring disaster during the reign of Ahab’s son since Ahab had shown repentance. Ahab later died in a battle with Aram. As a consequence of killing God’s prophets, Jezebel met her gruesome fate in 2 Kings 9:30-37.
Let’s look at two quick practical applications from this Ahab/Jezebel versus Elijah tug-of-war. First, be careful to distinguish between a true prophet, preacher, or teacher and a false one. False prophets have been around for thousands of years. They tell people what they want to hear, not what they need to hear (2 Timothy 4:3-4). So, be on the lookout. There are plenty here in America.
Second, look again at 1 Kings 19:11-18. Realize that God controls elements like wind, fire, and earthquakes, but He often speaks to our spirit through the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit. I’ve learned that the most successful path to hearing this quiet voice is to be still. This is not easy to do in our loud and fast-paced world, but find a way to do so.
