Ok, I admit it. Some of these people did some pretty bad stuff. In fact, three of the four people we are discussing this month in the sermon series I'm calling "Complicated Persons of the Bible" are basically hated biblical characters. They are people who are vilified and, especially for a couple of them, with good reason.
But once I heard Sister Helen Prejean, a Catholic nun who ministers to people of death row, say "A person is worth more than the worst act they ever committed" and that phrase often comes to my mind when I hear about, or read bout, some villain in current culture or in ancient stories. A person is worth more than the worst act they ever committed. I bet that's true for even Jezebel, one of the most hated and vilified of all our biblical characters.
This story I chose for the scripture this week is one that shows you just how conniving Jezebel was. It shows you that she isn't one to care if someone lives or dies as long as she gets her way. Well, in this case, her husband King Ahab.... she wants HIM to get HIS way. Jezebel is a very complex character, though, and she's worth a few more looks, a little more thought.
I am reading a book called Jezebel, the Untold Story of the Bible's Harlot Queen by Lesley Hazleton. In it, she shares with us a far more complex view of Jezebel than our biblical traditions have offered. She show us the complex dynamic between the Prophet Elijah who insisted very adamantly on the ONE TRUE GOD as the only God who could and would be worshiped and the foreign queen, who brings with her the only Gods she has ever known, the Baal gods and goddesses. It is a showdown of religious pluralism and dogmatic orthodoxy. A story that continues in large part even today when people of other faiths attempt to assimilate into another dominant culture.
There is also a great article by Janet Howe Gaines who teaches the Bible as literature at the University of New Mexico. It is available online at the website for the Biblical Archaeology Society. The article, "How Bad Was Jezebel?" gives some more varied insights into this royal queen who became so vilified throughout history. The article suggests that she is partly vilifeid because she wasn't submissive and represented a view of womanhood that is far different than expected of women in the Old Testament who were married to foreign men, often for political alliances. It was expected that a woman would offer a submission to the culture of their husbands, rather than keeping their own culture distinct. Because Jezebel chose to stay true to her own religious beliefs, her popularity wanes quickly.
There is so much more we could say about Jezebel, but let's just see where the thoughts of loyalty to one's own culture and loyalty to one's married family take us. Jezebel may have been desperate to keep her own religious beliefs (to her detriment), but she was very loyal to her husband and her son and supported them without fail. This scripture reading above in 1 Kings shows how far she was willing to go to make sure her husband had what he thought he deserved.
What is it about a strong woman that threatens people so much? What is it about a queen who refuses to submit to someone else's religion that is so threatening? What SHOULD Jezebel have done? Why does she choose to endorse such violent acts to get her family's needs met? Is it better to convert to a spouse's religion rather than keep your own? What are the levels of loyalty you are willing to lose your life for?
These are just a few of the questions I will ponder this week as we consider Jezebel and her fighting spirit.
Do you have questions or comments? Email me at peverhart@niwotumc.org or comment below.
Other upcoming sermons in this July series, “Complicated Persons of the Bible”
July 12: Judas and Betrayl: He’s Not Alone
Mark 14:10-21; 32-50
July 19: Rahab and the Battle of Jericho
Joshua 2:1-24
July 26: Goliath and His Unseen Weakness
1 Samuel 17: 1-16, 32-50
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