The spiritual environment of Jezebel and Ahab (Part 2)
And it came to pass, as though it had been a trivial thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians; and he went and served Baal and worshiped him.
1 Kings 16:31
It turns out that the father of Jezebel wasn’t just the king of the Sidonians. Sidon was a city that was part of the district Tyrus (Tyre). So in fact, we’re talking about the king of Tyrus, who is mentioned in the Bible as well. When we look Ezekiel 28, then we see a description of the king of Tyrus in verse 1 till 10. But strange enough, he is not called a king, but a governor. We’re not talking about the father of Jezebel here (as far as I know), but the interesting part about the district of Tyrus, comes in verse 11 and following:
Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. “By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones. “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, that they might gaze at you. “You defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, and I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror, and shall be no more forever.”’”
Ezekiel 28:11-19
Here we clearly no longer speak about a human being, but about satan himself. The man who the people from that time and area called “king”, God just called a governor, while he calls satan the king of Tyrus. That clearly points out who really was in control of that area and of the governor. It shows something of the army structure of the enemy. What was the iniquity that caused satan to be banned from the holy mountain of God? Pride and arrogance. Keep that in mind as we continue this study. So satan was ruling the area of Tyrus, satan was ruling over the governor of Tyros. Although the human described in Ezekiel 28 wasn’t the same king as the father of Jezebel, the spiritual being (satan) was the same evil force, ruling that area and ruling the human that is described as the father of Jezebel. It is no surprise that the family of Jezebel was a family of idol worshipers.
Notice that worship has a very important role in Ezekiel 28, but also in 1 Kings 16:31. Worship is always associated with a “god”. What or who you worship is your god. To make it more clear, worshiping something means it is the number one in your life and has the highest priority. If your job is the most important thing in your life, then that is your god. Having a job is a good thing, we all need provision for ourselves and our families, but it is just a tool that God uses to provide for you. God is our provider, whether we have a job or not. The point is that it never should be the highest priority. This also applies to all other things, such as your car, your house, your money etc. But it also applies to religion. We can become so busy with all rules and structures of religion, that it becomes more important then a relationship with the Father. At that moment, religion becomes your idol. The same applies to all things, positions and behaviors that take the first place in your life. Remember, God doesn’t share a first place with others. You have to choose. Whether God has the first place, or it is something else.
Let’s take a step back for moment. Because the verses in Ezekiel 28 point out another very interesting thing. It shows that there are rulers over areas, over territories. In the first part of this study I pointed out that satan assigned his fallen angels and demons to a special task. Like the armies in this world, both Gods armies and satans army have an authority structure, with different ranks and orders. When we look to the army of satan, it is clear that he is the top of the authority structure. Below him there are powers which are assigned to areas, below that powers that assigned to areas in those areas etc. In fact, it is very structured. But fact is that those powers can do nothing, unless they find an opening. They find that opening when a sin is being committed.
The impact of a sin depends on the person who is committing it, and what authority they have. When a regular person commits a sin, it only affect him or her. When a husband commits a sin, it affects his life and his household, because of his given authority as priest of his family. When a king commits a sin, it affects his whole kingdom, because of his authority in that area. When a Church leader commits a sin, it affects the whole congregation, because of his (God given) authority.
Let’s give an example here. When a king (or queen) shows his respect to an idol, like the Islam, that is a form of worship. From that moment, the demonic powers behind it have authority in that nation. In our case, our queen bowed several times for idols like the Islam, Buddha and others. She (most likely) didn’t do that to worship those idols, but to give “respect to the worshipers of those idols”. But by doing that, she wasn’t paying respect to the people, but to their rituals of idol worship. So in fact that was a form of worship, which is all those powers need to receive an “upgrade” in the spiritual realm. At the same moment our queen bowed for those idols, they became territorial powers, because of her authority. In the past my wife and I went to Turkey several times. One time we went with a Christian travel agency. While we were on a trip, the bus went to a mosque for sightseeing. Nobody was allowed to enter the mosque, without taking their shoes off. At the point the Holy Spirit spoke to me: “Do not enter the mosque or take your shoes off”. At the time I didn’t understood why, but my wife and I were the only ones who waited outside. Now that I know why, I am thankful I didn’t do it. When you search in the Bible for the places where people had to take their shoes off, it is always an act of worship. But how many Church leaders, presidents, ministers, kings and queens did take their shoes off to enter a mosque? Many did.
In the same way, when Church leaders give in to the love of money, the love for control, manipulation, intimidation etc, it becomes their idol. When they start to practice those things, it is a form of worship, which gives the powers behind it the authority on the level of the authority that the person has who commits the sin. You always hear the phrase “change the world, start with yourself”, but most of the people who say that don’t realize how true that is. The spiritual state of a nation, is a direct result from the spiritual state of the Churches in that nation. The spiritual state of the Churches, is a direct result of the spiritual state of the families in that Church. The spiritual state of the families, is a direct result of the spiritual state of the husbands, as priests of the families. When something is wrong in the families, it will always reflect to the Churches, because the families are an image (and part) of Gods authority structure. And so on. We just have to look to the fruits of the families, Churches and nations, in order to see what is really going on. When leaders somehow, knowingly or unknowingly, give in to some sort of sin, it will have effect to the Church. You will see the power decrease. Less miracles will take place, prayer for deliverances becomes a bigger struggle then before etc.
It is not a strange thing that satan’s army is targeting husbands, (Church) leaders, presidents, kings, queens and other people in a position of authority. Because when they can make them fall, it has the biggest impact and biggest result for those evil spirits, in the area of gaining authority. And remember, all it takes for those spirits, is to seduce the leaders to commit sin (form of worship). Wait a minute. So if someone commits a sin, they are immediately bound to an evil spirit? No, not just someone. For regular people, it is a different case. But as your authority grows, so will your responsibilities. It is for reason that God said that his people are being destroyed because of a lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). What is that knowledge? The Truth, which is the spoken and written word of God, as mentioned in the first part of this study. So you could say that without the Way (relationship with God), the Truth (the word of God) and the Life – without Jesus Christ – the people are being destroyed (by the army of satan). As long as you don’t know the Truth, you can’t act like it and satan has all opportunities to mess up your life. The more Truth you know, the more Light there will come in your life, the less darkness can remain. Everything starts and ends with Jesus.
Let me end this part of the study with a word of warning. Many people live with the attitude that they can fight any power, any demon, because Jesus already won. First of all, Jesus did won and it was total victory. Nothing less then that. But the Kingdom of our God also is very structured. Everyone receives his or her task from God Himself. To fight demons or territorial powers, without being called to do so by God, is a direct danger for your life. Don’t do it, unless you are absolutely sure that God called you for that task. Only then you will go with His authority and in His strength. In any other case, you are acting based upon your own insight (Proverbs 3:5-8), which immediately makes you an easy target for the enemy. Trusting on your own insights, is the sin of pride in the eyes of God. In any circumstance, we should always be depended on God and on His instructions for our lives. This is no game, so be careful.
I am telling you all of this, to help you understand what is going on and why it is going on. So as we continue this study, you will be able to understand better what it is that Jezebel and Ahab are doing. In the last part of this study I will give advises on how to deal with them.
1 Kings 16:31
It turns out that the father of Jezebel wasn’t just the king of the Sidonians. Sidon was a city that was part of the district Tyrus (Tyre). So in fact, we’re talking about the king of Tyrus, who is mentioned in the Bible as well. When we look Ezekiel 28, then we see a description of the king of Tyrus in verse 1 till 10. But strange enough, he is not called a king, but a governor. We’re not talking about the father of Jezebel here (as far as I know), but the interesting part about the district of Tyrus, comes in verse 11 and following:
Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. “By the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence within, and you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones. “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, that they might gaze at you. “You defiled your sanctuaries by the multitude of your iniquities, by the iniquity of your trading; Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you, and I turned you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all who saw you. All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you; You have become a horror, and shall be no more forever.”’”
Ezekiel 28:11-19
Here we clearly no longer speak about a human being, but about satan himself. The man who the people from that time and area called “king”, God just called a governor, while he calls satan the king of Tyrus. That clearly points out who really was in control of that area and of the governor. It shows something of the army structure of the enemy. What was the iniquity that caused satan to be banned from the holy mountain of God? Pride and arrogance. Keep that in mind as we continue this study. So satan was ruling the area of Tyrus, satan was ruling over the governor of Tyros. Although the human described in Ezekiel 28 wasn’t the same king as the father of Jezebel, the spiritual being (satan) was the same evil force, ruling that area and ruling the human that is described as the father of Jezebel. It is no surprise that the family of Jezebel was a family of idol worshipers.
Notice that worship has a very important role in Ezekiel 28, but also in 1 Kings 16:31. Worship is always associated with a “god”. What or who you worship is your god. To make it more clear, worshiping something means it is the number one in your life and has the highest priority. If your job is the most important thing in your life, then that is your god. Having a job is a good thing, we all need provision for ourselves and our families, but it is just a tool that God uses to provide for you. God is our provider, whether we have a job or not. The point is that it never should be the highest priority. This also applies to all other things, such as your car, your house, your money etc. But it also applies to religion. We can become so busy with all rules and structures of religion, that it becomes more important then a relationship with the Father. At that moment, religion becomes your idol. The same applies to all things, positions and behaviors that take the first place in your life. Remember, God doesn’t share a first place with others. You have to choose. Whether God has the first place, or it is something else.
Let’s take a step back for moment. Because the verses in Ezekiel 28 point out another very interesting thing. It shows that there are rulers over areas, over territories. In the first part of this study I pointed out that satan assigned his fallen angels and demons to a special task. Like the armies in this world, both Gods armies and satans army have an authority structure, with different ranks and orders. When we look to the army of satan, it is clear that he is the top of the authority structure. Below him there are powers which are assigned to areas, below that powers that assigned to areas in those areas etc. In fact, it is very structured. But fact is that those powers can do nothing, unless they find an opening. They find that opening when a sin is being committed.
The impact of a sin depends on the person who is committing it, and what authority they have. When a regular person commits a sin, it only affect him or her. When a husband commits a sin, it affects his life and his household, because of his given authority as priest of his family. When a king commits a sin, it affects his whole kingdom, because of his authority in that area. When a Church leader commits a sin, it affects the whole congregation, because of his (God given) authority.
Let’s give an example here. When a king (or queen) shows his respect to an idol, like the Islam, that is a form of worship. From that moment, the demonic powers behind it have authority in that nation. In our case, our queen bowed several times for idols like the Islam, Buddha and others. She (most likely) didn’t do that to worship those idols, but to give “respect to the worshipers of those idols”. But by doing that, she wasn’t paying respect to the people, but to their rituals of idol worship. So in fact that was a form of worship, which is all those powers need to receive an “upgrade” in the spiritual realm. At the same moment our queen bowed for those idols, they became territorial powers, because of her authority. In the past my wife and I went to Turkey several times. One time we went with a Christian travel agency. While we were on a trip, the bus went to a mosque for sightseeing. Nobody was allowed to enter the mosque, without taking their shoes off. At the point the Holy Spirit spoke to me: “Do not enter the mosque or take your shoes off”. At the time I didn’t understood why, but my wife and I were the only ones who waited outside. Now that I know why, I am thankful I didn’t do it. When you search in the Bible for the places where people had to take their shoes off, it is always an act of worship. But how many Church leaders, presidents, ministers, kings and queens did take their shoes off to enter a mosque? Many did.
In the same way, when Church leaders give in to the love of money, the love for control, manipulation, intimidation etc, it becomes their idol. When they start to practice those things, it is a form of worship, which gives the powers behind it the authority on the level of the authority that the person has who commits the sin. You always hear the phrase “change the world, start with yourself”, but most of the people who say that don’t realize how true that is. The spiritual state of a nation, is a direct result from the spiritual state of the Churches in that nation. The spiritual state of the Churches, is a direct result of the spiritual state of the families in that Church. The spiritual state of the families, is a direct result of the spiritual state of the husbands, as priests of the families. When something is wrong in the families, it will always reflect to the Churches, because the families are an image (and part) of Gods authority structure. And so on. We just have to look to the fruits of the families, Churches and nations, in order to see what is really going on. When leaders somehow, knowingly or unknowingly, give in to some sort of sin, it will have effect to the Church. You will see the power decrease. Less miracles will take place, prayer for deliverances becomes a bigger struggle then before etc.
It is not a strange thing that satan’s army is targeting husbands, (Church) leaders, presidents, kings, queens and other people in a position of authority. Because when they can make them fall, it has the biggest impact and biggest result for those evil spirits, in the area of gaining authority. And remember, all it takes for those spirits, is to seduce the leaders to commit sin (form of worship). Wait a minute. So if someone commits a sin, they are immediately bound to an evil spirit? No, not just someone. For regular people, it is a different case. But as your authority grows, so will your responsibilities. It is for reason that God said that his people are being destroyed because of a lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). What is that knowledge? The Truth, which is the spoken and written word of God, as mentioned in the first part of this study. So you could say that without the Way (relationship with God), the Truth (the word of God) and the Life – without Jesus Christ – the people are being destroyed (by the army of satan). As long as you don’t know the Truth, you can’t act like it and satan has all opportunities to mess up your life. The more Truth you know, the more Light there will come in your life, the less darkness can remain. Everything starts and ends with Jesus.
Let me end this part of the study with a word of warning. Many people live with the attitude that they can fight any power, any demon, because Jesus already won. First of all, Jesus did won and it was total victory. Nothing less then that. But the Kingdom of our God also is very structured. Everyone receives his or her task from God Himself. To fight demons or territorial powers, without being called to do so by God, is a direct danger for your life. Don’t do it, unless you are absolutely sure that God called you for that task. Only then you will go with His authority and in His strength. In any other case, you are acting based upon your own insight (Proverbs 3:5-8), which immediately makes you an easy target for the enemy. Trusting on your own insights, is the sin of pride in the eyes of God. In any circumstance, we should always be depended on God and on His instructions for our lives. This is no game, so be careful.
I am telling you all of this, to help you understand what is going on and why it is going on. So as we continue this study, you will be able to understand better what it is that Jezebel and Ahab are doing. In the last part of this study I will give advises on how to deal with them.
