Bible Passage:  2 Kings 9

God Will Always Give Us the Victory

…”This is the word of the LORD, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel; ‘and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as refuse on the surface of the field, in the plot at Jezreel, so that they shall not say, “Here lies Jezebel.” ‘ ” (2 Kgs 9:36-37)

2 Kings 9 tells us about God’s judgment upon the house of Ahab and his Sidonian wife, Jezebel. In order to execute His judgment, the Lord anointed Jehu as king over Israel, who then killed Joram, king of Israel, Jezebel and all of Ahab’s sons as well as Ahaziah, king of Judah.

Throughout the whole chapter, it seems as if Jehu is the protagonist – every passage centers around him: how he is chosen and anointed, how he conspires against Joram, and how he eventually kills Joram, Ahaziah, and Jezebel. But as we study the chapter in greater detail, we notice the hand of someone else present from the beginning to the end: the LORD, God of Israel.

As we read through the chapter, we find that God inaugurates the events by speaking through the prophet (2 Kgs 9:3, 6-10), that He re-emphasize His purpose in the course of the events (2 Kgs 9:12, 26), and that He also has the last word (2 Kgs 9:36-37). In fact, God is the director. He is the One who is truly in control.

Just as God had pronounced much earlier in 1 Kings 21:23,  He now executes His judgment on Ahab’s descendants, all those who joined in his evil, such as king Ahaziah, as well as Queen Jezebel. In fact, we can consider Jezebel as the root of all the evil that Ahab did (cf. 1 Kgs 21:25).

The name of this Sidonian princess itself speaks volumes, for Jezebel means “Baal exalts” or “Baal is husband to” or “unchaste.” True to her name, she was an extremely fervent follower of Baal and turned not only her husband but also the whole nation after her to commit idolatry. She embodied not only idolatry but also sexual immorality (cf. Rev 2:20); she was the enemy of God in that she killed the Lord’s prophets and sought to turn God’s people away from the one true God. Hence, her violent death is a symbol of God’s victory over evil. The fact that she was eaten by dogs illustrates her worthlessness in God’s eyes, and that she was not buried shows that the memory of her would be completely erased.

Likewise, Satan may seem to rule the world today; he may even be ruling in our homes and in our church, trying to turn God’s people to him and to destroy their faith. But Jezebel’s story reminds us that the Lord is the only One who was and is and is to be—He is the almighty and unchanging God who truly controls everything.

Therefore, we can find comfort and assurance in knowing that God and His promises will never  change. Sometimes it may seem as if the Lord is not intervening, although we have been suffering for a long time, or even though evil reigns around us. During these times, we must remember that God is faithful and just—He will judge in His own time. Our task, then, is to hold fast to our faith until the end.

“Vanquish ev’ry doubt and fear,
For the Saviour’s always near, God will always give us the vict’ry;
Pray and read the Word each day,
That His will may with us stay, God will always give us the victory.”

(God Will Always Give Us the Victory, from Hymns of Praise, True Jesus Church 2010)