Since March is International Women’s Month, I have been spending extra time studying the women in the Bible! Although in the time period the Bible was written, it was unlikely for women to be represented similar to how we are today, we can still read their stories, relate to them, and benefit from their testimony and experience!
The first woman we read about in the Bible, in Genesis, is Eve. If you’re unfamiliar with the story, God created Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden after he created the world. He instructed them to not eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but Satan convinced Eve to eat the fruit who then convinced Adam to. Although Eve shows disobedience to God, we are able to use her testimony as a reminder to be obedient to God and not fall into the devil’s temptation.
In the four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, you can read about Mary’s virgin birth to Jesus Christ. Mary was chosen to give birth to Jesus because God saw her pure heart and soul. He had a plan for Mary to become Jesus’s mother. Mary’s understanding, patience, and willingness to do what God was asking her to do without question is so inspiring. God can see our heart and He has a plan for us as well. Do we have ‘favour with God’?
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. Luke 1:30-31
Soul Sisters did a Bible study specifically on the subject of Mary Magdalene and Martha. It reminded us to take time to worship. So many times, we get distracted by the business of the world and we don’t take time to talk to Jesus or read the Bible. In the story of Mary and Martha, Martha was working in the kitchen preparing, cleaning, and working on serving the Lord who was visiting their house while Mary decided to sit at his feet and learn from Him. We should always decide to learn from Jesus and worship before we work. The devotion said…
When we put work before worship, we put the cart before the horse. The cart is important; so is the horse. But the horse must come first, or we end up pulling the cart ourselves.
Another woman in the Bible is Ruth. Ruth was a widow of one of Naomi’s sons, but Ruth stays with Naomi until she meets Boaz, the one that God had planned for her. In a season of singleness, especially after heartbreak or devastating times like Ruth was experiencing, it can be easy to cut all connections and try to start over. However, Ruth stayed with her mother-in-law to help her instead of going back to her family, and she was able to meet Boaz through that. Ruth’s story teaches us of redemption.
In the book of Esther, you can read about how Esther did not tell her new husband, the king, that she was a Jew. The kings highest official at the time, Haman, hated Jews, especially Esther’s cousin Mordecai, because he refused to bow down to Haman. Haman convinces the king to set out a law for all the Jews to be killed on a certain day. Knowing this, Esther urged all of the Jews to fast and pray for deliverance. She risks her life and approaches the king to invite him and Haman to a banquet where she tells the king that she is a Jew. The king realizes that Haman was trying to have Esther killed and orders for Haman to be hung. Mordecai was promoted to the kings highest official, and the Jews were saved. Esther’s bravery and leadership are such an example. The way she encouraged others to fast and pray for deliverance speaks volume to the kind of character she was.
In 1 Samuel, Hannah’s testimony reminds us to keep our promises. Elkanah and Hannah were attempting to have kids, but Hannah was unable to. She prayed fervently for a child, and promised God that if she had a child, she would dedicate that child to God for their life. God blessed her with a child, Samuel, and she kept her promise and let Samuel live with Eli, a priest, to learn about God and how to serve him. Hannah was only able to see Samuel once a year, but since she kept her promise to God, God blessed her with five other children after she had Samuel.
There are so many important women in the Bible: Eve, Mary, Martha, Mary Magdalene, Ruth, Esther, Hannah, Lydia, Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, the women who witnessed the resurrection of Christ, and so many more. These women leave such a strong testimony for us to be able to read and relate to. Its such a blessing that we have the Bible as a way for us to read their story and learn about these great women! God created each and every one of us for a reason and we are living the story that could become a testimony for someone else.
Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.Proverbs 31:30
I’ve heard the question of which Bible character I strive to be like. The obvious answer is Jesus, but in reality, it is difficult to pick someone inspiring because they all have great characteristics. You have likely heard about striving to be a Proverbs 31 woman. I encourage you to read Proverbs 31:10-31 to read what a virtuous woman is defined as and the characteristics that accompany that. That is what we as women should strive to be, according to the Bible. We will all have times in our lives that we are not perfect, but God doesn’t want us to be perfect. He loves us and wants us to come just as we are, but He loves us too much to leave us like that.
God wants you to come just as you are, but He loves you too much to leave you that way.
-SR
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