The Jezebel Profile

[Shylynne]

I found this article very interesting, and tho i`m sharing it without having done much reflecting on what the author has said, its definately worth taking the time to read and consider.

The Jezebel Profile

When the name Jezebel comes to mind, most of us see the painted face of a seductively dressed woman gazing into the eyes of a man who lacks good sense. The Bible portrays Jezebel in a different light.

Revelation 2:20 says that Jezebel “calleth herself a prophetess,” and men received her as a teacher. This was given as a warning to the church. The one whom you have received as a spirit filled teacher comes to you in the great tradition of Jezebel. We have observed that many wives have stalled their half of the marriage by assuming the spiritual headship of the home. They would teach their husbands. But consider 1 Cor. 14:34-35, “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church.”

I went back to I Kings to see what the Bible had to say about this woman Jezebel. The first thing I noticed was that Jezebel was more religious than her husband. She was spiritually intense. The Bible says in 1 Cor 11:3, “But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.” As a woman, our place is under our husband, especially in the spiritual realm. Regardless of our circumstances, when we take the spiritual lead, we have stepped out from under our head. We have tried to rearrange God’s designated place for us. We are no longer in God’s will.

The second thing I observed was that Ahab was emotionally volatile—unstable. Is your husband prone to retreat? Is he bitter, angry, or depressed? When a woman takes the lead, she is playing the masculine role. Unless her husband fights her for supremacy, he must assume second place. And men who are forced into spiritual subjection to their wives tend to be angry and retreat like Ahab.

The third thing I noticed was that she used his emotional stress to endear herself to him—strange way of lording over the husband. Jezebel manipulated and accused an innocent man, then had him murdered so that Ahab might have the vineyard he wanted. Ahab kept his face to the wall and let her do her dark deeds. Today, if a woman is willing to play her husband’s role in directing the family, he will lose his natural drive to bear responsibility.

In the dominant role, a woman quickly becomes emotionally and physically exhausted. God made us the weaker vessels. If you are in this exhausted state, then chances are you’re carrying a load not meant for you. It is not for you to press your husband to do his duty to be spiritual. You are to live joyfully in the context he provides.

The fourth thing that jumped out at me was that Ahab could easily be manipulated by his wife to suit her purposes. Jezebel used him to set up images as aids to worship under her own prophets and to kill God’s prophets. Often, a man becomes involved in the Church, not because God has called him or because it is in his heart to do so, but because he is trying to please his wife and at least LOOK spiritual. When a husband steps into a spiritual role at his wife’s beckoning, he becomes vulnerable to her guidance in that role. This is against nature, and often brings conflict in the family and in the church.

Ahab chose not to notice when his wife worked behind the scenes. Many men turn their heads when they see their wives stepping out of their God-given role. These men would rather not have to deal with the stone-cold anger they would receive from their wives if they offered any resistance. Have you been there, done that?

Jezebel knew that she was not the rightful head, so she invoked her husband’s name to give her word authority. Did you ever say, “Oh, my husband will not let me do that,” when you knew in truth he really would not care? It is a way to maintain control and stop those who would question you. When a woman does this, she stops any ministry God has to her.

Jezebel was deeply concerned about spiritual matters and took steps to help promote her spiritual leaders. In the process, she provoked her husband to destroy those in spiritual authority she did not like. Have you ever influenced your husband to think evil of those in authority because you did not like something about them? When a woman comes to this place she might as well sign her name “Jezebel.”

God has a plan for women. He revealed his will in many verses in clear, concise commands. He gives a revealing picture of what he abhors in a woman by introducing us to Jezebel, then reaffirming in the New Testament just what it was about her character that he found so despicable.

He reveals his will in a positive note in the stories of the women whom he honored. The story of Ruth tells of a young girl who had known tragedy, extreme poverty, and hard menial work, yet she maintained a positive, thankful, and submissive attitude. God blessed Ruth because her own personal success and happiness were not the driving forces in her life.

Esther is the story of a girl who lost all of her family and was taken by force to become the wife of an older, divorced, heathen man. She was put (by her husband’s decree) in danger of losing her own life as well as the lives of all her people. Yet, she overcame her circumstances and her fear in order to honor her husband. The Scripture teaches that when her husband heard her honest appeal, delivered with gracious dignity, she won his heart, and he turned to save her people. God used Esther because God’s will was more important to her than her own fulfillment.

...cont`d

[Shylynne]

cont`d...

Proverbs 31 defines the virtuous woman. She is NOT a mousy, voiceless prude. She is confident, hard working, creative, and resourceful. She uses her time wisely, and contributes to the family income. Her first virtue is that the heart of her husband is safe with her. It says that she will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. That is, he can trust her with his thoughts and feelings, never fearing that she might use the private knowledge she has of him to hurt him in any way. Some men maintain a distance from their wives because if they reveal themselves, their wives will use it against them when they are out of sorts.

If this passage had been written from our modern perspective, it would have extolled her for having a “quiet time,” prayer time, fellowship time, and would have projected an image of a prayer warrior, teacher, or counselor. In all the Scriptural profiles of righteous women, including Proverbs 31, none of those concepts are even mentioned. A Proverbs 31 woman is busy helping her husband become successful. She is too busy being productive to spend time being his conscience. In our culture, we have lost a clear understanding of what constitutes a virtuous woman. We have accepted the modern concept of the “spiritual” woman, circulating in the realm of religious power, and have forgotten that God does not see them in this same “glorious” light. What we think is spiritual, God labels “Jezebel.” “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD (Isa 55:.”

In order to become a righteous woman, reaping the benefits of having our man adore us, we must follow God’s principles of womanhood and totally reject the Jezebel tendency.

God laid down a few simple rules that must be followed because they are consistent with our feminine nature and the nature of men. It was Ruth’s virtuous and humble, yet feminine, bold example that caused Boaz to love and admire her. It was Esther’s submission to this principle that won the King’s love and appreciation for her as a woman and as his queen. These women showed themselves womanly and lovable in the midst of extreme circumstances. God honored them with favor from the men in their lives.

Dominance and control are always masculine. It is a hormonal thing. It is the way God designed male nature. It is important for a woman to understand that she has to be feminine (devoid of dominance and control) in order for her man to view her as his exact counterpart and thus respond to her protectively, with love and gentleness.

God designed us, so he knows what our husbands need in order to function properly in their roles as men who cherish the woman in their life. By nature, men need honor (this includes not questioning their decisions). They need respect (treated as if they are wise). They need reverence (daily admired as a man who is accomplishing great things). They need to be accepted for who and what they are, just like they are. Men need to feel they are in command and doing a good job.

An important part of man is a God-given, natural instinct to bring his wife pleasure. If a woman is to be greatly treasured she will choose to find pleasure in the way the man presents himself and his care. All these traits are basic masculine needs. We were created as a helpmeet to the man we married, fulfilling who and what he is. This is God’s will for us as women. When we as women obey God by responding to the needs of our husband, we are worshipping and honoring God. “Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man (1 Cor 11:9).”

God created you to fulfill your husband’s basic masculine needs. Only in that role will you find peace and cause your man to respond to you in loving adoration. This role of submission is totally feminine. It is the exact counterpart for his masculine needs. “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. (Gen 2:18).”

A woman who criticizes her husband for watching too much TV no longer honors him. When a woman tries to control areas of their life together because she thinks she is right, she is usurping authority over him, and lording over him. A depressed, discontented woman, who feels that her husband does not meet her needs, is dishonoring God.

Hurt feelings are a way to control. Silence and emotional retreat are ugly, destructive ways to control both your husband and your children. Anger, sickness, exhaustion, and even fear are all used to control those you care about. Some women control their husband by having an intense spiritual hunger. Jezebel comes in many disguises.

There are many various and subtle ways to control and direct your husband. One of the ways to take control is to tell your husband that you want him to be the spiritual leader in the home and then let him know that you are waiting to follow. You can lead from behind just by clearing your throat at the right moment. Many nice homeschooling moms are the spiritual leaders in their homes. They play the masculine role spiritually. How this must grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Often the excuse is that we cannot serve two masters, and since our husband is carnal, we have to take the higher ground. Like Eve, we are so deceived. “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression (1 Tim 2:14).”

A man cannot cherish a strong woman who has expressed her displeasure with him and is holding out until he fulfills her ideal. You say he should have Christ’s love. Is that what you want? Do you want your husband to have to seek supernatural power just to find a way to love you? What most men cherish in their wives is the memory when love was fun and free, with no demands—the time when she smiled at him with a sweet, girlish, “I think you are wonderful” look. She was so feminine then, so much the woman. It was a time when he wanted to hold her just because she was his, a time when he wanted to give her everything. A vague memory keeps him hoping. He is as disappointed in love as you are, maybe more. He is just as lonely. He just fills up his loneliness doing things that will distract him from the reality of the emptiness he knows is there but does not know how to fix. His helpmeet is not pleased with him. He is a loser.

The very first command God gave to a woman was, “Thy desire shall be unto thy husband and he shall rule over thee (Gen. 3:16).” Is your desire toward your husband? Do you desire him as a man? Do you live to please him? Does he rule over you? This is God’s will.

Being a Jezebel is an active role—actively controlling, actively doing our own thing. Being a Ruth or an Esther is just as active. It is a decision we make hundreds of times each day as we choose to joyfully honor our husbands.

God’s reward is without measure. Men are like clay in the hands of a woman whom they can trust with their hearts. A man, lost or saved, responds to a woman who honors him. When a woman looks to her husband with a face that is full of laughter and delight, he will look forward to being with her. If her voice speaks words of thanksgiving and joyful appreciation of him, he will want to listen to her. If her actions are full of service and creativity, and if she has goodwill towards him, he will be drawn to her as a bee is to honey. This kind of lady is altogether feminine. She is what God created and gave to Adam.

Deep in our heart we all want the same thing. We all want to be loved and cherished. We all cry out with our utmost being to be treasured in the heart of our husbands. It is the greatest honor on earth to know your husband is thrilled that you are his woman. It passes all of earth’s blessings to feel his gaze upon you and know that you are his greatest gift, his most prized possession, his best friend, his favorite pastime, his only chum, and his delight as a lover. It is a great joy to know that he is actually proud you are his. It is not remembering birthdays, opening the door of a car, or other silly customs that we crave, it is the knowledge that he is totally taken with us. We want him to want us. We simply want to be loved. It is God’s perfect will for our husbands to love us. It is God’s perfect will for us to honor, obey and reverence our husbands. God’s way works. If what you are doing this year has not worked, why not go God’s way?

1 Co 11:7 “For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.”

1 Co 11:8 “For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.”

1 Co 11:9 “Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.”

--article written by Debi Pearl

[sincereheart]

Wow! Some interesting stuff in this! I've had to print it out to look at it more closely! Thank you for sharing it!  

[Shylynne]

I printed it out too lol,  there are so many points to ponder that I never considered before ...and this sentence really caught my attention: "A man, lost or saved, responds to a woman who honors him."  ...this is true! Some valuable pearls of wisdom here for we women, young and old!

[sincereheart]

"A man, lost or saved, responds to a woman who honors him."

Amen! No matter how old I get, I never cease to be amazed at what I can still learn. This dog may be old, but she is up to learning!  

[Shylynne]

I would like to inquire as to wether your adoring husband would appreciate you referring to yourself as an old dog?  

[C C]

Hi Ladies,

I've personally witnessed women being murdered because of some supposed "Jezebel Profile"  I haven't read it.  I judged it by it's title.  I skimmed over it and I began to feel sorry for the women under Taliban regimes and in polygamist colonies.  

Mysogeny or the hate of women is rampant in our world.  While there was a woman or two in the Bible mentioned that caused harm, the millions of women suffering under real life oppression, the victims of domestic violence and the women living under biblically based control regimes are very real.  

At least if an article like this was going to be written, there should be some disclaimers such as "Beware, Ahab was terrible before Jezebel came along."  Give a little bit of ability for men to take responsibility for their own actions.  

I'm not trying to argue saying that Jezebel doesn't exist, but in this world we should be WISE as serpants and harmless as doves.  Healthy and balanced neighborhoods come from strong women in the community looking out for their neighbors.  Satan attacks strong women because he knows that entire neighborhoods would be destroyed if the stong women in them that look after the younger women and the kids running around would just go away.  If Satan can just get rid of all the strong women in a community, it goes downhill fast.

In Christianity, there's no such thing as forced submission.  God wants us to come to him by grace.  

Key issues that could separate Religion from following the person of Christ and living in Freedom and justice and Love and grace is in the way that women are treated in Christianity.  

Grace

[sincereheart]

I would like to inquire as to wether your adoring husband would appreciate you referring to yourself as an old dog?  

ROFL! Prolly not!  

Another great quote:

It is the greatest honor on earth to know your husband is thrilled that you are his woman. It passes all of earth’s blessings to feel his gaze upon you and know that you are his greatest gift, his most prized possession, his best friend, his favorite pastime, his only chum, and his delight as a lover.

[sincereheart]

Beth Moore on wives, husbands and Christ
by Beth Moore
This article is adapted from the Broadman & Holman book, To Live is Christ.

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord ... Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church.  (Eph. 5:22, 25)

Paul found receptive soil in Ephesus, even in the midst of terrible hardships.  His lengthy and effective ministry in Ephesus not only resulted in deep bonds of love (see Acts 20:37-38); it also freed him to proceed to great depths in his letter.  If you have a Bible translation with chapter or paragraph headings, turn to Ephesians and look at the subjects Paul explored in his letter.

Space limits me to choose only one subject from the Book of Ephesians for this article.  We will examine the subject of marriage: Ephesians 5:22-23 revolves around the Biblical roles of three distinct figures intimately involved in marriage - wives, husbands, and Christ.  We will approach each role individually.  Ladies, let’s get the painful part over first!

Part 1:  The Role of Christian Wives
First, notice verse 21:  “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”  The attitude of all Christians is to be submissive to one another.  No discussion of this topic can stay on track apart from that spirit.

How does the principle of mutual submission play itself out in marriage?  The way I see it, my husband, Keith, has to worry about things I don’t.  He sometimes has to come up with answers when I can’t.  He’s responsible for things I’m not.  Many times, I’m very happy to pass the proverbial buck.  

Keith would say the same about me.  He really doesn’t want to drive a carload of teenagers all over the city or sit for hours on the end of our daughters’ beds discussing matters of the heart.  

Usually we defer to each other on our “turf issues.”  When I’m not in agreement with Keith, I usually speak up, and we pray and work it out – at times less easily than others!  This spirit of praying things through until we can come to consensus on important issues is the essence of mutual respect and the opposite of “lording it over one another.”

Paul’s primary directive to women dealt with submission, while his primary directive to men dealt with love.  Could it be that he was targeting the areas most likely to be our weaknesses?  Before we learn what submission means for Christian wives, let’s learn what it does not mean:

1. Submission does not mean women are under the authority of men in general.  
I love the King James Version’s rendition of Ephesians 5:22 “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands.”  Guess what?  Wives aren’t asked to submit to anyone else’s husband!  Just their own!  

While I make this point somewhat tongue-in cheek, many women assume the Bible teaches their general inferiority and subjection to men.  Untrue.  Paul is talking about marriage as a matter between each husband and wife.

2. Submission does not mean inequality.  
Paul, the same man who taught submission, made a statement in Galatians 3:28 pertinent to our subject:  “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Spiros Zodhiates’ definition of the Greek word hupotasso explains that submission “is not due to her being inferior to her husband, for they are both equal before God.”

3.  Submission does not mean wives are to treat their husbands like God.  
The Bible Knowledge Commentary explains:  “'As to the Lord' does not mean that a wife is to submit to her husband in the same way she submits to the Lord, but rather that her submission to her husband is her service rendered ‘to the Lord.’”   I think most husbands are relieved they are not called on to be God to their wives!

4.  Submission does not mean slavery.  
Let’s release a few old notions and fears!  Paul uses an entirely different word in Ephesians 6:5 when he instructs slaves to obey their masters.  This Greek word for “obey,” huakouo embraces more of the meaning people often mistakenly associate with marital submission.  Hupaaakouo means “to obey, to yield to a superior command or force (without necessarily being willing).”  The term draws a picture of a soldier saluting his commander, not a wife submitting to her husband!  

Now that we’ve learned a few things submission does not mean, just exactly what does it mean?  
~cont......

[sincereheart]

~cont.....
The Greek word for “submit” is hupotasso.  Hupo means “under” and tasso means “to place in order.”  The compound word hupotasso means “to place under or in an orderly fashion.”  Paul didn’t dislike women, he liked order!  He advocated order in the church, order in government, order in business, and, yes, order in the home.  

I’m convinced he even kept his prison cell in order!  Galatians 3:28 and Ephesians 5:22 could spill from the same man’s pen because Paul regarded husbands and wives as spiritual equals but with functional differences.

The concept of a submissive wife really used to go against my grain until I began to learn more about God.  Two realizations have changed my entire attitude:

1. God is good and loving.  
He would never give approval to meanness or abuse.  Any misuse of submission by either the husband or wife is sin.

2. God granted women a measure of freedom in submission that we can learn to  enjoy.  
It is a relief to know that as a wife and mother I am not totally responsible for my family.  I have a husband to look to for counsel and direction.  I can rely on his toughness when I am too soft and his logic when I am too emotional.

Certainly, I haven’t just delivered the definitive dissertation on submission, but I believe I’m offering you sound doctrine.  I hope it helps.  Now, let’s take a brief look at the role of husbands, according to Ephesians 5:25-31.


Part 2:  The Role of Christian Husbands
Thus far Paul probably had the Ephesian Christians nodding their heads in agreement.  Submission of the wife to the husband was codified Hebraic law.  Nothing new here.  

Now Paul raised eyebrows in a hurry.  He told husbands to love their wives.  The Greek word for “love” is agapao, meaning “to esteem, love, indicating a direction of the will and finding one’s joy in something or someone.”  

Notice the phrase “indicating a direction of the will.”  A husband is called by God to exercise his will to love his wife.  Love is not simply an emotion or a feeling.  Love is a willingness to continue in devotion and goodness toward the spouse.

For a society where women were little more than property, passed from father to husband, the command to love their wives was a radical idea.  Paul knew few role models existed for the men to follow.  He gave them the best role model possible:  Jesus Christ.

1.  Husbands should love their wives sacrificially “as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (v. 25).  
Just as a husband must be careful not to abuse his wife’s exhortation to submission, a wife must not abuse her husband’s exhortation to sacrifice.  Some men work several jobs sacrificing time at home in a continual effort to raise the standard of living for their families.

2.  Husbands should love their wives in ways that encourage purity.  
Christ encourages purity in His bride, the church, desiring for her to be holy and without stain.  God calls upon husbands to treat their wives as pure vessels even in physical intimacy.

3. Husbands should love their wives as their own bodies” (v. 28).  
I have to snicker when I think about verses 28 and 29.  I wonder if Paul might have been thinking, “If you love yourself at all, Mister, then love your wife – because life will be far more pleasant under the same roof with a well-loved woman!”  

I also have to wonder if Paul’s reference to a man treating his wife as he does his own body, such as feeding and caring for it, implies that husbands are supposed to cook for their wives.  I’m not certain about that interpretation, but I would submit to my husband’s cooking any day!

I would like to suggest one last responsibility for both husbands and wives based on the final phrase in Ephesians 5:31: “And the two will become one flesh.”  

The Greek word for “flesh” in this passage is arx, which means “flesh of a living creature in distinction from that of a dead one.”  Our marriages were meant to be alive, not dead.  Is your marriage more like a romance or roadkill?

Think of marriage as a three-legged stool.  The legs are a submissive wife, a loving husband, and Christ.  All three legs must be in place for marriage to work as God intended.  A wife submitting to an unloving husband is as lopsided as a loving husband sacrificing for a domineering wife.  

When Christ is not the head of the marriage relationship, the stool falls indeed.  Paul pictures for us God’s ideal marriage relationship.  Sadly, many Christian women are trying to keep their stools balanced with only one leg in place – their submission.

Over the course of the last twenty years, my marriage has been at both extremes and everywhere in between, but Keith and I have never been the types who could tolerate dull for very long.  God has always been faithful to restore the life, passion, and active care to our marriage, and we have worked very hard to cooperate.  

You may need help from a real marriage expert like we have needed at times.  I’d like to recommend the one who saved our marriage.  His name is Wonderful Counselor, and His office is open twenty-four hours a day.  He also uses human Christian counselors to help with His caseload!

Part 3:  The Role of Christ in Marriage
Not only has Christ set the standard for a good marriage and the example of a loving husband, he offers sound counsel.  Then He supplies every ounce of power necessary to make a marriage work.

“For by him all things were created” (Col. 1:16).  Beloved, God created marriage (Gen. 2:21-24).  

Figuratively speaking, before Adam and Eve said, “I do,” God did.  No one helped Him.  Only God created marriage, and only He can hold it together.  

Many people live in the same home and share a joint checking account under the same name, but they don’t have a clue about the true covenant of marriage.  Marriage as the institution and wonderful mystery God created cannot exist or hold together without Him.

-Pastors.com®-

 This article is adapted from Beth Moore’s, To Live is Christ (Broadman & Holman, 2001, pp. 249-257). Used by permission. Copyright Beth Moore, 2001.