1st Lady’s Blog: Jezebel – Call Me Ruthless

Women In The Bible Series: Jezebel – Call Me Ruthless

Lesson Ten: Jezebel – Call Me Ruthless
Lesson Nine: Huldah – Unveiling the Future | Lesson Eight: Ezekiel's Wife – He's Gone Nuts | Lesson Seven: Ruth: In A Strange Land | Lesson Six: Hagar: A Woman Scorned | Lesson Five: A Shulamite: The Beloved | Lesson Four: Wisdom: A Woman Called By This Name | Lesson Three: Zipporah: Married to the Ministry | Lesson Two: Tamar: Overcoming Your Past | Lesson One: Leah: The Unloved

Hello ladies, and welcome to my blog! This year I am going to write a series called Women of the Bible, where I will explore the lives of some of the Bible’s most notable female characters. I believe every woman’s story can be found in God’s Word – and those stories can bring hope and encouragement. I will touch on some serious topics such as rape, suicide and jealousy, along with some lighter ones such as love, righteousness and more. Together, we can discover what the Lord is speaking to His beautiful bride.

Before we begin, I also want to thank you for joining me throughout last year’s series on Church Decorum. If you like what you read, send me comments and let me know – it encourages me to keep writing!

Taking this journey together,

First Lady Vivian Pruitte

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I Kings 19-22, II Chronicles

“He did what!? His head will roll tonight, how dare he show me up like that?” she screams, incensed when she hears the news.  “Have this letter delivered to him personally.”

Call me ruthless! I can’t help it if I was born before my time. I am headstrong and make things happen. I don’t believe in waiting on things to work themselves out, I make them work out.

For instance, take the time when my husband wanted the vineyard next to our palace. He came home moping around the house and wouldn’t eat. What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t just leave him looking all pitiful and feeling sorry for himself. So what did I do? I took care of it for him.

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Jezebel is probably one of the most famous – if not infamous – women in the Bible. Even people who do not attend church have heard of her. She was ruthless, domineering and relentless. She did not let anything or anyone stop her from doing whatever she pleased. She was given to Ahab to wed by her father, the king of Sidon. You have to wonder if he was trying to get rid of her or if he knew that she would be a thorn in the nation of Israel’s side.

Although Ahab was the king of Israel, Jezebel is the personality that leaves an indelible impression. She incited her husband to do evil and debase his own nation, and her insensitivity incurred the wrath of God upon Israel. In the book of Revelation we even see that an evil spirit is named after her, which should be an indication of how notorious Jezebel really was.

More and more today we see the spirit of Jezebel rising up. And no, I’m not taking about the painted face. Women have become more domineering and are taking charge of things which they didn’t have to worry about. We see this at home, in the workplace and in the church. Before you get angry with me, let me say that I am not against women’s liberation. That said, I believe we lost something during the movement. The respect men had for women was lost, largely due to the erosion of defined roles between men and women. Think about it, there was a time when you would not see a half-naked woman selling a car on television and now it’s the norm.

Jezebel could have been an asset to her husband. With her organizational skills, tenacity and power of speech, she could have really helped uphold the cause for Israel and make him look good in the process. We as women need to remember to walk beside our men and not in front of them. We are not in competition. God made us to jointly fit together and to complement each other. We can strengthen each other in areas that we are weak. The Lord is able to take two very different people (male and female) and make them one without changing their nature.

Think about it. There are so many things that are completely different but when they come together they really complement one another. For example, peanut butter is completely different from jelly – what peanut butter lacks in sweetness the jelly makes up – but when they come together they make great sandwich. The same is true of oil and vinegar, macaroni and cheese and many others. Again, God created us to balance each other. If you have a strong personality, pray and ask God how to use it to help build up His kingdom and don’t allow the enemy to use it to tear down.