Jezebel. The name probably means something to you even if you don’t remember everything about the Biblical figure. Jezebel was the wife of Ahab, the king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. She, herself though, was not an Israelite. She was a native of the nation of Tyre, modern day Lebanon. As such, she didn’t grow up worshiping the Israelite God, YHWH, but rather the pantheon of Canaanite false gods. She brought those false gods along with her in her marriage to Ahab and soon led him and all of Israel astray into worshiping false gods like Baal.
When we read Jesus’ letter to Thyatira in Revelation 2, He brings up “that woman Jezebel.” Now Jesus is not bringing up Jezebel here who has been dead for right around 900 years, but rather, He is bringing up the type of problem that Jezebel represents – foreign gods leading the people of Thyatira astray.
Thyatira was a sort of “manufacturing city” in the near east during this time. It was known for its many guilds which would produce items of interest for purchase, things like silver work and pottery and other such artisan crafts. These guilds, however, each had a “patron god” to whom prayers and offerings were made. It is likely that Jesus is writing to the Thyatyrians about these patron gods and telling them to stay away from them as Ahab and Israel should have stayed away from Jezebel’s gods.
We can be tempted into all sorts of false worship by Jezebels, but it’s not just the women, there plenty of Jeze”bills” as well who tempt us to worship things other than the true God. While Jesus has redeemed all of the world by His Cross, there are still plenty of people who would entice us to worship at other altars. If you stop and look critically at media today, you can probably see those enticements.
Jesus tells the Thyatyrians and us to “not tolerate” the Jezebels and Jezebills when they come to entice us and to “hold fast” to what we have until Jesus comes again. On that day, Jesus will prove that He is the true God and will destroy all other gods that we put before Him. Additionally, think of what Ahab should have done with Jezebel. Rather than letting her lead him to the worship of false gods, He should have led His wife to the beauty and majesty of the true God. When you find your “Jezebels” and your “Jezebills”, explain to them why you worship the God that you do, why you hold fast to the God that you do. If nothing else, finding the words for why you hold fast to what you do will strengthen your faith and it may lead someone else, even a Jezebill to know Christ.