The Wicked Woman
Despite COVID, inflation, job insecurities, and the world’s mental health recovery crisis, there are still things to be thankful for every day. One of the things that I’m thankful for is my BSF group (Bible Study Fellowship). I get to study God’s Word alongside women of different ages and demographics every week. Over the last several months, we have been studying the Old Testament - 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles. It’s some pretty intense stuff: battles, murders, and rampant immoral/evil behavior. I’m glad I’m learning it with seniors, because otherwise I’d probably shy away from this material.
My biggest takeaway from studying the Old Testament is that our world hasn’t gotten worse because of modernization. We were always this bad. Worshipping idols, mistreating others, committing the sins of pride, envy, lust, and rejecting God. We’re walking the same path that He has been calling us to turn away from since the time of Adam and Eve.
The second principle that has convicted me over and over during these studies, is the importance that the Bible gives to women. Growing up, I always thought that women were rarely mentioned in the Bible. Esther and Ruth, people’s wives and mothers…that’s it, right? But the Bible is full of women who play pivotal roles, and their importance is not hidden or downplayed.
“Our world hasn’t gotten worse because of modernization.
We were always this bad. Worshipping idols, mistreating others, committing the sins of pride, envy, lust, and rejecting God. We’re walking the same path that He has been calling us to turn away from since the time of Adam and Eve.”
Most of Kings and Chronicles record a series of rulers who led the nation of Israel deeper into corruption and decline. But the ruler who pushed the country past God’s tolerance was King Ahab, whose wife was Queen Jezebel. You may have heard the word “Jezebel” used to refer to a shameless and evil woman, mostly in old Westerns and historical novels. Jezebel was bad news. She convinced her husband to worship a false god (basically devil-worship). She introduced and promoted evil acts in pursuit of devil worship, corrupting the nation. Jezebel dragged Ahab down with her (not that he was an angel to begin with), and their rule was known as a “reign of terror”.
In our studies, we saw king after king fall and suffer destruction because of his association to this evil woman. King Jehoshaphat, son of David, was the fourth king of Judah. He was a good ruler; he abolished idol worship and sent out teachers to promote God’s law in the land. But he made the mistake of marrying his son, Jehoram, to Athaliah, daughter of Jezebel and Ahab.
We then see the nation of Judah go downhill because a good, just, God-fearing king made the mistake of bringing the wrong female into his family. Jehoshaphat was now allied to Ahab and Jezebel through his son’s marriage to their daughter. That led to Jehoshaphat’s participation in a war against the advice of God’s prophet Micaiah. He was betrayed by Ahab - Ahab sent Jehoshaphat into battle wearing his own kingly robe, tricking his enemies into targeting Jehoshaphat. Fortunately, Jehoshaphat cried out to God for help, and his life was saved by God’s intervention.
Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram (the one who was married to Jezebel’s daughter Athaliah), later killed his own brothers - all six of them - to maintain his control of the throne. Athaliah and Jehoram’s son, Ahaziah, was just as evil as his parents. When Ahaziah was wiped out as a bonus kill by Jehu (a military commander sent by God to stage a coup), Athaliah killed Ahaziah’s sons - her own grandsons - so she could seize the throne.
To recap: One evil woman affected not only her husband, but thousands of people through her influence over him, because he happened to be a king. In turn, their daughter affected (infected) another nation. These women played a significant role in causing suffering and pain to the people of their countries. They led others down evil ways, and murdered people for profit and power.
These women give me the chills. We are all accustomed to portrayals of the male evil villain. From children’s storybooks to Marvel movies, the male villain is so common that he’s often almost comedic. As frightening as a real-life villain is, we walk around imagining that we are mentally prepared to deal with one. The #MeToo movements and Cancel Culture show us that nowadays, even the smallest victim isn’t too afraid to step up to a male evildoer and call for battle.
But the female villain is a different story. Is she someone we are equipped to stand up to, battle…or even identify in real life?
Imagine: How beautiful, how tempting, and how cunning/charming/convincing must a woman be, to capture and keep the loyalty of a nation’s king?
Imagine: How authoritative, confident, and assertive must a woman be, to wield power in a palace full of high-level servants, diplomats, and military commanders?
We are talking a drop-dead gorgeous, intelligent, powerful, ambitious, audacious, alpha female who has the arm and ear of the richest, most powerful man in the land.
To borrow the term, we’re talking about a “boss b****”. The kind of woman that many women today hold up as role model and inspiration.
Yet Jezebel’s reign of terror ended with her own servants throwing her out a window. (Although they only found the courage to do so when prompted by Jehu, the military commander God anointed to lead the coup). When Athaliah was killed in a separate palace coup, “all the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was calm, because Athaliah had been slain.” (2 Kings 11:14). (Note: I don’t condone violence against civilians! If any readers are currently suffering under oppression from an evil woman and contemplating this route, please find another method to run away or call the authorities).
The people were suffering. The men who were fascinated and intoxicated by these women may have been happy or satisfied. Their inner circles of corrupt and pleasure-seeking movers and shakers might have embraced the thrill. But the regular people were suffering under the excess and evil of their rulers.
We’ve seen this situation in our own lives, most often in the workplace. Management is corrupt, the culture is toxic, the employees are cheated and oppressed…and yet the cogs in the machine keep turning. The people in charge keep spending money, making mistakes, and squeezing the joy and life out of everyone in their power. Until the money runs out and the wheels fall off. Then some earnest journalist does a lot of legwork and reports that the employees (and some customers!) knew that things were very bad all along.
Maybe we have seen this kind of evil villainess in real life. Have we? Do we give ourselves - does society give us - permission to identify and call out women who lead their partners, husbands, children, and dependents/followers/employees down a relentless path of ruination?
What does such a woman look like? What does she sound like? What is her M.O.?
Do we even know?
If we don’t know, how do we keep from being led astray? By an immoral woman at the least, and an evil woman at the extreme?
End Part I. Check back for Part II next week.
