Daughter Of The Sea.

Chapter 13

As the days became weeks and the weeks became months, the new Queen became more and more involved with the matters of State, much to the annoyance of the city's leaders. What really got their goat was their King's willingness to allow his Queen to have so much say in the running of the kingdom. It was obvious that he could deny her nothing. This arrangement suited Ahab. It allowed him to spend more time doing what he loved, training his war-horses and planning with his generals, which neighbouring state he could wage war against.

The other reason the new Queen was disliked by the country's leaders was because of her keen insight and vast knowledge of running a country, which she had been taught and experienced in her father's court. Her advice was nearly always sound and when she was allowed to make decisions, they proved to be the right ones. To put it plainly, they were jealous.

The combination of Ahab's masterful  prowess in battle and Jezebel's expertise in matters of state resulted in over 20 years of peace and prosperity for Israel. That was for the man in the street. For the prophets and priests of Yahweh, it was a different story. Their discontent grew daily as more and more of the Israelite people were won over to Baal worship.

Jezebel sent for more Baal priests and priestesses from Phoenicia to man the huge Baal temple her husband had built for her. The Baal priests alone now numbered well over 400 and to add insult to injury, she fed them in the Kings Palace with food from the royal kitchen.

Jezebel retained her position as High Priestess, the position automatically afforded her in Tyre as not only Princess Royal but daughter to the  High Priest in the Baal temple, the position her father occupied as well as being king.

As High Priestess, Jezebel could perform certain rituals and sacrifices which only she or her father could perform. The new Baal temple had no such facility. The Queen used all her feminine attributes to wile Ahab into building an altar for her, thus making her the most powerful emblematic figure in the Baal dynasty.