Daily Devotional

19 And so, you know, little Jezebel had learned one thing in her home, and that was to use paint. That’s the heathen trait. Any paint, never in the world, but all painting of faces originated with heathens is always condemned by believers. I hope this goes real far down home, just to make you real good and sick for a few minutes. But now, don’t get angry with me; I love you. But I just want to tell you what’s truth.

Remember, I’ve just returned from the African jungle. Every one, the tribals of heathen, on every kind of an occasion they paint their face and wear great big earrings. The Indian savage heathen paints his face and puts on war paint when he goes in—in the…His war is worship around his idols. He paints.

You ashamed? See? It’s a heathen sign. Too bad it ever got in the Christian church, wasn’t it? Sure was. That was a weak pulpit what brought that in. The preacher ought to be ashamed of himself.

20 So she was used to painting; she made herself a little butterfly. And brother, that’s the kind that can jilt a many a good man. That’s right. See them on the street with a little lip look like a rosebud and a whole lot of Max Factor’s on that, but that’ll never burn out the sin wrinkles. Don’t you never think that. God looks right through it.

And so Jezebel knowed how to put it on to make it look nice. And so when Ahab, this young Jewish boy become king, she put the—the manicure on her eyes, or whatever you call it, you know, and she flapped them back and forth, and Ahab’s heart went tumbling, because he didn’t have God in there to teach him better. That’s right. So my, what a—what a thing that was.

21 Now, when she begin to flirt with Ahab, Ahab married her. He thought, “That’s just the one for me.”

And a many man’s made a mistake like that. A many man has done it. You ought to see her on wash day, or when she gets cleaned up. Really, might change your mind altogether. Women shouldn’t be married by looks anyhow, but by character.

Let me tell you, boy, if you marry her and she’s all painted up, one of these day she’ll fade. Even if she’s pretty, that’ll fail one of these days. Wait till her first baby’s born and the teeth will go to coming out. Little later on, wrinkles will come over her eyes, and the hair get gray. You’ll wake up one morning and wonder what you married. That’s right. I—I mean that, not for a joke. No, sir. That’s true. I’m just laying a background here for something I want to say. See? That’s right.

But if you love her because there’s something about her that you’ve prayed over, and God has joined you together, she can get old and wrinkled and be ugly; that won’t make a bit of difference, you’ll love her through eternity. “What God has joined together, no man could put asunder.” That’s right. So ask God first.

22 But Ahab, he goes down there and falls for this girl. So he comes up, and marries her, and brings her into Israel. And when she come up, being a pagan…And did you notice, Ahab went down there and showed that he was a borderline believer. He just went to dilly-dallying with the world to get this girl. And that’s where a many person’s made a mistake, stepping across the line. God has a boundary line.

An old Methodist preacher friend of mine, Brother Kelly, him and Sister Kelly used to sing a song,

We let down the bars; we let down the bars,

And we compromised with sin.

We let down the bars; the sheep got out,

But how did the goats get in?

You let down the bars. That’s what was the matter. You compromised with sin. That’s how the goats got in, ’cause you let down the standard.

    56-1003 - Painted-Face Jezebel
    Rev. William Marrion Branham