Chapter 1: The Worst Marriage in the Bible

Israel had been drifting from God for a long time.

It started with Jeroboam, the first king of the northern kingdom, who set up golden calves and told the people, "Here are your gods." The kings who came after him followed the same path, none willing to turn back.

Then came Omri. He was a general who took the throne by force, built Samaria into a fortress city, and did more evil in God's eyes than all the kings before him. When he died, his son Ahab took the crown.

And Ahab went further than his father ever did.

To strengthen his kingdom, Ahab made a deal with the Phoenicians — one of the wealthiest and most powerful nations on the coast. The deal was sealed with a marriage. The bride was Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians.

Jezebel had grown up in temples. Her father was not just a king — he was a priest of Astarte, the great goddess of the Phoenicians, whose worship was closely tied to Baal. From the time she was a girl, Jezebel had been taught that Baal sent the rain, Baal blessed the harvest, and Baal ruled the heavens. She did not come to Samaria to adapt. She came to establish.

She brought her priests. She brought her rituals. And Ahab opened every door.

He built a temple for Baal in the heart of Samaria, erected an altar inside it, and raised an Asherah pole beside it. Yet, he considered it trivial.