S149P3 – Stories of life and death: Jezebel
2 Kgs. 9:34-37
Then [Jehu] went in and ate and drank. And he said, “See now to this cursed woman and bury her, for she is a king’s daughter.” But when they went to bury her, they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. When they came back and told him, he said, “This is the word of the LORD, which he spoke by his servant Elijah the Tishbite: ‘In the territory of Jezreel the dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel, and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as dung on the face of the field in the territory of Jezreel, so that no one can say, This is Jezebel.’ ”
In this world, there are hundreds of different cultures. Those cultures can be distinct by their cuisines, their languages or their social customs. Typically, a culture will have a certain way of dealing with the deceased. Some have solemn services with sad music and dark clothing to memorialized their dead. Others wear bright colors and play more festive tunes to celebrate life. There will be differences in how the body is processed and stored, but the focus typically will be showing respect for the dead. If the body is disposed of in a different manner, it can be seen as a great dishonor. In fact, it can be the case in many cultures that one can tell much about a person’s life by how they are treated in death.
Jezebel was a very evil woman. [Ch. 18] She worshipped false gods and murdered the prophets of the one true God. The sins of this woman were a great offense to Israel and a great offense to the Lord, but she took things to another level. When we read about the way her life ended, this is clear. She was eaten by dogs. Back then they were not the cuddly little creatures we see them as today. Dogs were not domesticated but were vile and wild creatures. The respect that would have been given to any other deceased person would be impossible for Jezebel by her death. No one could have buried her even if they wanted to do. God would see to it that no one would have the option. This way a sign that He did not want her life memorialized or celebrated at all.
The expectation was that Jezebel would be buried because of her status. After all, she was a princess. No matter how she lived or how evil she was, the culture of that day dictated that she deserved a proper burial. However, the Lord of hosts dictated otherwise. He could not approve of her in life, and He could not approve of her in death. Still, her end is so drastic that we are forced to consider how evil her life really was. While most are concerned with whether people will celebrate them once they pass, our concern should be whether God will have cause to celebrate our lives when they end. Father, help us live lives that would bring You honor and glory once we have gone.