Page 29 - No Apologies

Jezebel and Masculinity

The most commonly recognized attribute of Jezebel today is her spirit of usurpation.
To usurp means “to take a position of power or authority illegally or by force.” In the Old
Testament we read of Jezebel taking the authority of her husband, the king of Israel, to
herself, and ruling in his place. In one of many sordid events recorded about the reign of
Ahab and Jezebel, we find Jezebel engaging in lies, deception, perversion of justice, and
murder, to wrest a vineyard from the hands of an Israelite that her husband might have it.
In the Biblical account, we find Jezebel chiding Ahab for not using his authority to
gain what he desires. She then tells Ahab that she will deliver to him what he wants. She
proceeds to do so by acting in his stead. Jezebel takes upon herself the authority of her
husband, stepping into the role of ruler of her household, and sovereign of Israel.

I Kings 21:7-8
Jezebel his wife said to him, "Do you now reign over Israel? Arise, eat bread, and let
your heart be joyful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite." So she
wrote letters in Ahab's name and sealed them with his seal, and sent letters to the
elders and to the nobles who were living with Naboth in his city.

Thinking her husband was a bit of a Milquetoast, having no spine, Jezebel stepped in
to do that which he would not. Such actions never strengthen a man. They have quite the
opposite effect. A man learns to be compliant, while allowing his wife to manifest strength
and project authority in his place. The Jezebel spirit unmans men, while taking to itself
those masculine characteristics and roles that Yahweh gave to the male.
A revelatory detail emerges from an account at the end of Jezebel’s life. I have quoted
this passage previously, but I want to draw your attention to the highlighted words at the
end of this section of Scripture.

II Kings 9:30-32
And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face,
and adorned her head, and looked out at a window. And as Jehu entered in at the
gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master? And he lifted up his face to the
window, and said, Who is on my side? Who? And there looked out to him two
or three eunuchs.

Jezebel was surrounded by eunuchs, men who had been sexually emasculated. These
were men who could no longer function as men. A eunuch is a castrated male. One of the
visible signs that a man has been physically emasculated relates back to the previous
chapter. Due to an absence of the male hormone testosterone, the eunuch is unable to grow
facial hair. Eunuchs were often recognized by their smooth faces. In a society where men
wore full beards, the eunuch was easily recognized by the absence of a beard.
Consider the passage above. When Jehu called up to the tower where Jezebel was, we
are told “there looked out to him two or three eunuchs.” How was it known these were
eunuchs, since only their faces would have been seen from the window? It was evident that