Jezebel
This woodcut piece illustates 1 Kings 21, where Jezebel stands at the bedside of her husband King Ahab. Ahab has taken to the bed in distress after coveting a vineyard by the palace and being denied for purchase by the owner, Naboth. Naboth believed the land had been given by the LORD for him and his ancestors alone. Ahab refuses food and complains to Jezebel, who calls him weak and declares she will get the vineyard since he cannot. Jezebel composed letters in Ahab's name and arranged to have him falsely accused and stoned to death. In the illustration, the men can be seen stoning Naboth outside behind Jezebel, who is shaking her finger in shame at her husband. Throughout church history the story has been often retold as a morality tale about evil and manupulative women, but in Dr. Sandra Glahn's book, A Woman's Place is in the Story, she points us to discover a different theme by unraveling some of the cultural misunderstanding we might bring to the text. Many in the church and beyond have used the term "Jezebel spirit" to refer to a plethora of negative actions of "women," such as scheming, loose morals, status-climbing, worldly, seductive, and predatory. The Biblical Jezebel is extremely wicked, but she does not present an archetype to use as a weapon against women and all kinds of evil. Her husband was evil before her, worshiped idols, and had agency is all of his decisions. The story does not end there, and the LORD works to enact justice. The prophet Elijah is sent to prophecy against the king in the same vineyard. Elijah announces dogs would lick up Ahab's blood where Naboth had been slain for murdering him and seizing his land. God included Jezebel in his punishment, and pronounced she would also be devoured by dogs by the wall of Jezreel (1 Kings 21:17-23). Scholars suggest that the fulfilment of these judgements took around seventeen years, which feels like a long time to wait for justice, but God is patient and always acts on his word. Dr. Glahn posits that perhaps the overarching theme of this passage is that God always enacts vengeance and brings justice in his own timing. In the New Testament the name of Jezebel returns in the book of Revelation, and again she represents idolatry and moral corruption. The LORD calls his people to resist the gods of empire who abuse power and be set apart as pure and holy. Even though the waiting room for justice may take a long time, God will not delay forever, and his kingdom will have no end.