Endeavoring Women of the Bible: A Summary
Over the Summer, I have take a look at the lives of several women in the Bible. Starting in the Old Testament I looked at Eve, Martha, Hagar, and more. We looked at women like Priscilla, Lydia, Anna, and Sapphira in the New Testament. Each women taught me something different, but as I bring the series to a close I wanted to really look at the recurring themes that ran through each story. This week has so much to hold, so let’s jump right in!
WOMEN IN THE BIBLE.
As much as some people like to down play women in the Bible, the reality is that there are a lot of them! To start out I wanted to list the women I looked at. I tried to, for most women, pick a phrase or word that really I felt like emphasized what each women could teach us. So, I compiled a little list of some of the words:
WIDOW’S OFFERING: SINCERE
ANNA: ENDURANCE
SAPPHIRA: HONESTY
ADULTEROUS WOMAN: TRANSFORMED
LYDIA: ACTION
PRISCILLA: PERSEVERANCE
MARTHA: OWNERSHIP
DEBORAH: FOLLOW
HAGAR: SEEN
SARAH: TRUST
EVE: REDEMPTION
There are so many women in the Bible, and really I only just looked at a few. But I think my hope with this was that we can learn a bit about God’s character, and as a woman that we can learn from female examples in the Bible.
Throughout their different stories, there were some reoccurring themes, and some similarities. And, as you know… I love lists. So some of the major themes that stood out to me include:
Comparison
From the adulterous woman, to Martha, to the woman who gave all she had I think comparison is something that is talked about all the time in the Bible. As it says in Collossians 3:2 “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” I think as women comparison is absolutely laced through our culture. From how we act and carry ourselves, to what our cheekbones and stomachs look like - culture teaches us from a young age to compare ourselves. But here is the thing, does God ever say that? He does instruct us to hold ourselves to a higher standard and follow his commandments, as he says “If you love me, keep my commands.” in John 14:15. But he doesn’t instruct us to base our actions off of other people. He calls us to set our sight on him. Through so many stories, we can see both women and men in the Bible losing sight of God and missing their true identity. For Eve it was listening to lies, and for some (like Martha) it may be comparing yourself to others. We need to encourage each other as women, but I ultimately want to encourage you to set your sight on God. Through every story - I learned that trusting God was always the answer. Trouble came when people lost sight of his vision, but through stories like Sarah’s we see that God has a plan we just need to not compare ourselves to others but listen to his small still voice of Truth. He cares more about us than we can imagine and he will direct us and walk with us if we choose to listen.
Empowerment
A small quick other point is empowerment. I’m not sure about your background, or where you come from but I know for me - that before really studying the women, to be honest, I really didn’t see them playing much of a role in the Bible. Sure there was Eve and Mary, I guess but really God uses men more it seems like. And, as I always say - context is king - at the time the Bible was written, women were in a much different social status. However, as I studied women like Deborah, Lydia, and Priscilla I saw that it was totally different. God was and is actively using women. I mean, who were the first people that Jesus appeared to?! Women! I hope you can feel empowered by these stories that God doesn’t forget or ignore women. He uses us. He calls us just as much to do his ministry. Many of the women, and the way Paul address women in the New Testament, actually empowers them for that time period! I think Christianity has always viewed women equally and wants men and women to partner together to share the good news of Christ to a broken world. I think each women we studied reminds us that God cares about women, and uses them for his unique purposes.
FAITH
As I read Hebrews earlier this year, this verse was one that really stood out to me and I just couldn’t even run away from in every story. That God is everlasting, stable, trustworthy, and faithful. Faith is a word I had trouble with for a long time. Like what is it? If you would have asked before the study, I think I would have said it is “believing in what you can’t see”. And to an extent I do think this is true. But I think these stories showed me that God is the same. He is someone who doesn’t fail us. He may operate in a way that doesn’t make sense, but He never just “drops the ball”. He cared about every woman I studied and from the large picture I can so clearly see that he had hope in store for them. Even for Sapphira, who failed, I see that God is consistent. He is a just God and that can be overwhelming… but it also can provide rest that he is consistent and continuous. And I think it is amazing how he provides for us, and how he provided for every woman in their own way.
To be honest, I think faith is still something I am shaping out and really discovering more about, but if there has been one thing this year that has stood out is that God is faithful. What I have found most often in my life, and what I saw paralleled in these woman’s stories, is that I am pretty great at getting in God’s way. I try to take the steering wheel from him, slide over into the drivers seat and take control. But I have found that I am only able to drive myself into a desert and get completely lost. God sits with us in the car, he doesn’t leave us, but he waits for us to scoot back over to the passenger side and give him the wheel. He’s got it guys. He is so in control and he knows the desires of your heart. He has amazing plans for you, and he just wants you to enjoy the ride.
He wants to engage with us guys. And what I have found this year is that faith, at least in my life, can most often be sitting in quiet stillness and listening for his direction. Letting go of my attempt to direct my life, or plan my steps. He meets us in those moments we look to him, and when we go in his word remember it doesn’t return void. So I just want to encourage you that God is a faithful God and I think he asks us to be women of faith. Riding along with him for the amazing journey ahead.
IN CONCLUSION
I hope that the women’s stories can be an encouragement to you. That we have some amazing women that went before us and showed us what it is like to trust in the Lord and follow him. But I hope from a bigger picture that you can see that God cares for each one of us. He empowers us. He walks with us. He deeply cares for us. He sent his son to die for us. God is this amazing trustworthy, beautiful, loving, kind, and faithful God.
Lord,
I pray for the endeavors reading this week that you will draw them close. We praise you for all these women we got to study, and how you show us through your word and through our lives that you never leave or forsake us. That you instead know our hearts and desires and care deeply for us. Help us this week to show that love to others. Inviting them into your story and telling them about your amazing kindness and faithfulness. Thank you for giving us hope when we feel hopeless and love when we feel unlovable. We praise you and thank you for your faithfulness in our lives.
