Zipporah comes to save the day!

from the movie Prince of Egypt

Zipporah got her "knight in shining armor" moment with Moses. He was fleeing from Egypt and sees some men pestering girls at a well and Moses chases them away. As a reward, Jethro gives Moses his daughter Zipporah in marriage. (Ok, so being given away may is not so fairy-tale-ish. We don't get told what Zipporah thought of this marriage.) They stay in Midian for a while. All was the expected story until I got to chapter four, verse 24. Then I had a major "wait. WHAT?" moment.

Moses and Zipporah and their children are leaving Midian heading back to Egypt. Post burning-bush, pre-plagues. Along the way, this happens:

²⁴ At a lodging place on the way the Lord met him and sought to put him to death. ²⁵ Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses'^[c] feet with it and said, “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!”²⁶ So he let him alone. It was then that she said, “A bridegroom of blood,” because of the circumcision. (ESV)

Well, there's a story that didn't get flannelgraph characters. (Thought it did get a lego Bible scene.) That's the entirety of the story in the scripture. Then Moses and Aaron meet up and head to Pharoah. We know from chapter 18 that Zipporah and her sons travel back to Midian at some point as Moses and his wife and children (and father-in-law) are reunited in 18:2 in the wilderness.


Benefit of being in seminary: I have access to countless theological journals.  While reading through some of articles on this passage I had two primary thoughts initially:

1) I totally recognize these terms and scholar names from my Pentateuch class!
2) Apparently, I'm not the only one completely confused by this passage.


Here are a few interesting things I read:

from "Zipporah to the Rescue" by Bernard P Robinson   (Vêtus Testamentum, 4, 1986)

One of the earliest interpretations, from before 200 B.C.E. has the figure fighting with Moses to be the angel of death - - that same (type of) angel that comes during the Passover in Egypt that kills the firstborn. In Egypt is the blood of the lamb that saves the first born. Here, it is the blood of the firstborn that saves Moses. This article also points out that Jewish tradition often relates the blood of circumcision to the blood of the Lamb. (page 453, paraphrase)


from "The Circumcision Performed by Zipporah" by Fred Blumenthal (Jewish Bible Quarterly 35, 2007)

Blumenthal highlight the symbolism of this act. Moses: born an Israelite but raised an Egyptian. Then he fled to Midian where he lived for many years as a Midianite. Blumenthal suggest that perhaps this journey that Moses thinks he's going on is a "goodwill," justice mission. Perhaps he plans to return to the land of his wife's people after setting his people free.

 Zipporah, his wife, who stands as the symbol for his link to Midian, is the one who can and does terminate whatever lingering connection Moses may still harbor. The allegoric story of the circumcision, carried out by her, terminates her and her sons' symbolic status as a connecting link to Midian. When she performs the only ritual which at that time connects the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to their God she expunges whatever loyalty to his immediate past Moses may still have carried. (356-257)

and:

The transformation of Zipporah from a symbol of Midianite religion to a companion on their way ahead is the essence of the story told in these three short sentences. Moses becomes her "bridegroom," her newly-acquired husband, because they both were culturally new persons. The expression hatan damim [bridegroom of blood] refers to the blood of circumcision which erases any preceding affiliation and allegorically seals the appointment of Moses to the leadership of his people(259)

Scholars seem to argue over who was in danger of death in this passage (Moses, the son, someone else?)   Who was touched with the blood (Moses, the Lord/the angel) and where exactly the blood and the foreskin was placed on whoever was touched (feet, leg, genitals).


I love the symbolism reading from Blumenthal - but I just love symbolism. A number of scholars agree that much of the story was probably lost to time - or perhaps it was a story that the original people would've been able to make more sense of.


At the end of the day, confusing pronouns and strange, abbreviated, stories aside: here's what we know:


Zipporah, the daughter of a Pagan priest, performed the action of a covenant that satisfied the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 


Since I have started this series, I have been floored by the monumental things women of the Bible have done that are largely unknown to the Christian population.

Moses in particular owes his life to numerous women: Shiphrah and Puah,  his mother, Miriam, the daughter of Pharoah. And, here, his wife Zipporah.

Women are there in this ancient text. They are influential and smart. Selfish and wise. They are sinful and righteous. They encompass the same breadth of character and devotion as their male counterparts and their stories are largely unknown. Some of their names populate the ancestors of Christ - a mosaic of peoples and skin tones and languages.

Yes, Israel is the chosen people of God - but from the very beginning - He has grafted in and used an entire world to save and bless his people, all the peoples of the earth. If Zipporah had not rushed to perform the circumcision - what would have happened to Moses? What would have happened to the Israelites?





This is part of an ongoing series on Women and Female Imagery in the Bible. Click the "FeminineFridays" tag for more!

Abigail

Today I am honored to have my talented friend Cynthia writing for me. Cynthia blogs at The Hippie Housewife about faith, parenting, and intentional living.  She writes beautifully and full of grace and easily ranks on my list of "favorite people ever."  I hope you'll enjoy what she shares here today!

My name is Abigail, and I fear for my life.

My husband, stubborn and foolish man that he is, has insulted David and his men. These men have shown us nothing but kindness and protection, and yet he refused to give them even the barest of provisions in return! Now there are four hundred men coming this way to kill us. If not for the warning of one of our servants, I would have known nothing of this until the men were already upon us.

But, praise be to the LORD, the young man did tell me, and now it us upon me to save our home and our lives.

* * *

Two hundred loaves. Two skins of wine. Five prepared sheep. Five seahs of parched grain. One hundred clusters of raisins. Two hundred cakes of figs. All of this I have had laid on donkeys, and now I follow the donkeys down the mountain to meet this man who is coming to seek his revenge.

* * *

I can see him now. Leaving my donkey, I run to him and fall at his feet. I plead with him to hear my words as I ask him to disregard my husband's foolishness - foolish by name, foolish by nature! - and accept instead the gifts I have brought. I remind him that is the LORD who takes away life and the LORD who saves, hoping against all hope that he will restrain himself from vengeful bloodshed. May his enemies be to him as my foolish husband! For he is fighting the battles of the LORD, and his life shall be bundled in the care of the LORD. I ask that when the LORD has fulfilled His promise and appointed this man to be ruler over Israel, he will remember me and the way I protected his conscience from the guilt of having taken the LORD's work into his own hands.

I fall silent and await his answer.

"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me!"

I let out the breath I didn't realize I was holding. He continues.

"Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand! For as surely as the LORD lives, not one male would have been left alive had you not hurried to come and meet me. I accept your gift. Now go in peace to your house. I have heard your request and I will obey it."

Retold from 1 Samuel 25

_____________________

Courage and intelligence. Discernment and initiative. Humility and wisdom. These were the qualities that saved Abigail, Nabal, and their household from death at the hand of David and his men.

With discernment, she did what needed to be done.

In wisdom, she concealed her plan from Nabal.

In courage, she traveled to meet David.

With humble grace and tact, she appealed to him to stay his hand.

In faith, she took his mercy for granted and asked that he remember her when he became ruler over Israel.

All of this Abigail did despite a difficult life married to a drunken fool who was known for being stubborn and harsh. Rather than allow her circumstances to get the best of her, she remained wise, humble, and faithful to God. She was honest about her lot in life, acknowledging her husband's foolishness before David, but she did not allow it to destroy her nature by becoming bitter and vengeful. She lived with integrity in the situation she had been placed in.

In the end, her wisdom and courage won the heart of David, who took her as his wife after Nabal's death.

Had she become an angry and bitter person, she would have been ineffectual and unable to follow God's leading. Had she become vengeful, she would have allowed David to carry through with his intentions instead of saving him from the guilt his actions would have brought upon him. Had she used her station in life as an excuse for inaction, not one man in her household would have been left alive.

But instead Abigail remained near to God, open to His leading and ready to do His work. Crediting Him for having sent her to stay David's vengeful hand, Abigail brought glory to God through her decisive action.

Abigail's life was marked by wisdom and usefulness. May it be so with us as well.

This is part of an ongoing series of posts on women and female imagery in the Bible. Click the "FeminineFridays" tab for more!

Feminine Fridays: The woman, the blood, and the garment

I told a friend a few weeks ago that by October I would hopefully be back in the swing of writing here. Here, it is October and I am trying to write once more.

Today I want to look at a familiar story. It's found in Matthew 9, Mark 5, and Luke 8. The Mark version has the most details, so we'll go with that one.

25 Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, 26 and had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse. 27 When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. 28 For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”

29 Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My clothes?”

31 But His disciples said to Him, “You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’”

32 And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. 33 But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.”

Mark 5:25-34


I have most often heard this story from the context of imagining the physical pain and suffering the woman must have been going through as she suffered with the "flow of blood for twelve years." That is surely monumental, but I want to focus on today is the social stigma and the isolation she would have faced under the Mosaic law. 

In Leviticus we see the rules for when a woman is unclean because of blood. There are rules for the standard menstrual cycle which render her unclean for seven days. However, 

²⁵ ‘If a woman has a discharge of blood for many days, other than at the time of her customary impurity, or if it runs beyond her usual time of impurity, all the days of her unclean discharge shall be as the days of her customary impurity. She shall be unclean. ²⁶ Every bed on which she lies all the days of her discharge shall be to her as the bed of her impurity; and whatever she sits on shall be unclean, as the uncleanness of her impurity. ²⁷ Whoever touches those things shall be unclean; he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and be unclean until evening.²⁸ ‘But if she is cleansed of her discharge, then she shall count for herself seven days, and after that she shall be clean. ²⁹ And on the eighth day she shall take for herself two turtledoves or two young pigeons, and bring them to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of meeting. ³⁰ Then the priest shall offer the one as a sin offering and the other asa burnt offering, and the priest shall make atonement for her before the Lord for the discharge of her uncleanness.

Leviticus 15:25-30

This woman we see in the gospels has been unclean for twelve years. Continuously. For twelve years she has been vigilant about where she slept and where she sat. She has not been allowed to touch anyone without making that person unclean for the day.  

Twelve Years. I can't even fathom that. 

Twelve years ago it was the year 2000. I don't know how many chairs I've sat on, beds I've slept on, or people I've touched in those years. This woman knew. She could likely count on one hand the number of people who she had (accidentally?) touched. She knew right where the chairs and the beds were that were hers alone. Did anyone else ever willingly let themselves be unclean for just a day in order that she might feel the comfort of a hand on hers or even a hug? Did anyone speak to her?

This woman, desperate for touch, desperate for a life that didn't involve not only the physically draining illness but a life that was free from the religious and social stigma.She sought medical help - she spent all she had until not only was she sick and ostracized, but she was destitute and impoverished. 

Then she heard of Jesus. She heard of his miracles and his message. She heard enough about this Rabbi, this Jewish teacher, to know that he would not recoil when a woman who could make him impure would touch him. Her faith was evident to Jesus. His power flowed from him to her. He could have simply kept walking and it would've been a secret healing - only he and this woman knowing of her joy and peace. But he turned around in the crowd and  pointed her out in front of his disciples and the others. 

This woman who was most likely shunned and avoided for her impurity was center stage for this moment. Jesus said to her "you are healed" and the message to the crowds was "I make things new, and pure, and clean. I release you from the bondage of the law." 

I wonder at the week after this for the woman. She had to wait seven days to offer the sacrifice before she could officially be considered clean. Did she wake each morning and check to be sure that she was still healed? Did she grow anxious on day six? Her promise so close and yet the twelve years of isolation closer still.  Or, was the absence of her disease enough to keep that faith strong, eagerly waiting for that seventh day when she would finally be free of the law. Eager to fully claim the freedom of Jesus Christ. 

What a blessing it is to not have a seven day waiting period in between believing in the power of Jesus Christ and fully living in his freedom. 


This is part of an ongoing series on Women and Female Imagery in the Bible. Click the "FeminineFridays" tag for more!

Guest Post: Waiting to Taste the Miracle

I am in the midst of a busy month and I've asked some friends to share with you their thoughts on some women in the Bible. Today my dear friend Natasha Metzler shares with us about the prophetess Anna



It will soon be five years since I said my vows. Years that flutter away with the spinning of time. Years that I pray are simply the beginning of a lifetime.

Anna, daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher (i.e. a Jewish woman in the New Testament) was married for seven short years before laying her husband to rest. During a time-period when the average marrying age was fifteen, she would have become a widow about the age when I began my married life.

Translators are a bit undecided if Scripture says that she was then a widow until 84 years old or a widow for the next 84 years. (Luke 2:37 text and footnotes) Either way, she was a widow a very long time.

I’ve been writing about my personal journey lately. Inscribing the story of how God has taken my pain and redeemed it and how I believe that He will continue to redeem the broken pieces that are left.

It may simply be that my mind is wrapped up in this concept but when I read the few short verses about Anna—I am reminded again of the way that God redeems pain.

Scripture says that Anna never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. She had buried a husband while {probably} in her twenties and then spent dozens of years alone. I think I would have crumbled but Anna became a prophetess instead.

And God gave her the most wondrous of gifts. A taste of redemption so vivid, so breathtaking, that it makes me want to dance in joy for her. To this woman who bore her pain to the throne room of God—He gave the chance to see the ultimate redemption in flesh. Jesus. Born to save the world.

And she knew. It says that she “gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:38) She knew who it was. And the years of standing in the temple, worshiping and praying, were redeemed in a single moment.

Now my mind won’t let it go—the echo that her life leaves in the pages of my Bible. God hears every single cry. He is not ignorant of our pain and the miracle of His redemption is coming. I want to be faithful. I want to hold firm to Him. I want to know His voice like Anna knew His voice.

And even if it takes eighty-four years, I want to wait and taste the miracle.



***********************
I have known Natasha for about ten years. She is a constant source of encouragement to me and her writing beautifully captures the beauty of redemption. Read more from Natasha at her blog.


This is part of an ongoing series on Women and Female Imagery in the Bible. Click the "FeminineFridays" tag for more!

Out of Her Poverty

In Mark 12 we find Jesus sitting in the temple, watching people put money into an offering box. The rich people are dropping in large sums. And then a widow comes up and drops in two small copper coins. If I am doing the math right, that's about the equivalent of pay for eight minutes of work. We're talking about a dollar or less in our modern equivalent, but it is all she had. It is the end of her rope, the last two coins, the entirety of her financial security.

Jesus recognizes and honors this offering. He calls the disciples over and makes sure they notice. He tells them, "this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on."

I sometimes get frustrated at the lack of details in the Biblical stories. Why was that all she had left? Who was not taking care of her? What were her plans after she left the temple? One great thing about not having the details is that we don't get to judge her feelings and thoughts. Surely Jesus knew her heart, but it is not for us to know. She could have tossed in the coins in defeat. Why not give it all when all she had mattered so little? It could've been with a hopeful prayer, "All for you, God, I trust your provision." We do not know the state of her heart, all we know are her actions, and those Jesus respected. I have certainly seen God remind me of his truth in my most cynical moments as well as fill me with peace in my moments of hope. One emotion or another does not grant us God's favor.


There are so many other accounts of widows in the scripture. One of the stories that stands out in my memory from my childhood Sunday School days is the story of Elijah and the widow who made him bread. Whoever taught me the stories of Elijah as a child must have been creative, because I can clearly recall acting out the scenes with my fellow sunday-school mates. Ravens by a brook. Fire lapping up the water on an altar. And, a widow, pouring out her last drop of oil to find an unending stream. (1 Kings 17-18)


For those of you who lacked such a creative teacher with a passion for 1 Kings, let me remind you of the details.


The prophet Elijah predicts a drought. He is hiding from Ahab and Jezebel who seek to kill him and camps out by a stream for a while, drinking the fresh water and feasting on the bread and meat that ravens bring him. Eventually, the brook dries up.


God tells Elijah to go to Zarephath. God says, "I have commanded a widow there to feed you." So, Elijah heads to Zarephath. When he gets there, he sees a widow gathering sticks. He asks for water and as she is getting it, he asks her for bread.

She tells him that she has no bread baked, just a small amount of flour and oil. She is here, gathering the sticks, so that she may go inside, bake the last of her supplies into bread that she and her son may eat it, and then die. It is their last meal. It is all she has left. It is not even a day's worth of food. It is too little to even provide a real meal.


The widow was willing to gather water for Elijah from the well. Her initial refusal to give him bread is not defiance nor is she being inhospitable. It is simply that she has so little that it would not do much for Elijah, but it is one last meal she can provide her son.

Elijah encourages her on, telling her that if she makes the bread, "the jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty until the day the Lord sends rain upon the earth."

And she did it. We don't know if she poured out the drop of oil with a faithful, expectant heart. Or, if it was with resignation that the supplies would not matter much to she and her son anyway so she might as well give it away. But she did as Elijah said and it was true. She had an unending supply of flour and oil.

Her last bit of sufficiency became great, it became enough.

Based on the next part of their story I tend to think that her baking of the bread was not without doubt or uncertainty.

Her son became sick, and eventually he stopped breathing. She accuses Elijah, "You have come to bring my sin to remembrance and to cause the death of my son!" Elijah asks for her son and he takes him to an upper room, where he prays and stretches out over him and asks God for the child's life back.


It is then, after her son is restored to life, that the woman says to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord is in your mouth."


A widow gave her lasts drops of oil. It nourished a prophet, saved her son, and showed her the truth of the word of the Lord.

A widow gave her last two coins. It stood out to the Messiah, taught the disciples, and showed the world through scripture what the Lord desires.


This is part of an ongoing series where I look at females and feminine imagery in the Bible. Click the "FeminineFridays" tag for more!

There and free to speak

I was flipping through the gospels, scanning the pages for a "she" or "her" and looking for a topic for this week.


My eyes stopped on two verses in Luke 11:

"As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, 'Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts an which you nursed!' But he said, 'Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!" (27-28)

As this series is focused on women and not on teachings, I'm not going to elaborate on what the beatitude means/doesn't mean here, but I will say that based on other scriptures, we can safely say that Jesus was not "dissin' his mama" here. It is simply an instruction that true blessedness comes not through biological relationship, but through obedience to the word of God. (And, of course, Mary was indeed obedient)

Since the passage started with "as he said these things" I flipped back to get some context.

The end of Chapter 1 has Jesus at the house of Mary and Martha. Chapter 11 begins with Jesus "praying in a certain place" where the disciples come to him and ask to be taught how to pray. That transitions us into The Lord's Prayer. After that lesson for the disciples, there is a rather abrupt transition to Jesus casting out demons and the people watching had reactions ranging from marvel to being certain he worked in the power of Satan, to being curious but skeptical. Jesus addresses these concerns to them. He goes on to explain more.

He's drawing a crowd with his talk, the people are interested. Some doubt and are looking for signs. A pharisee will invite him to dinner at the end of the chapter and Jesus will accept.

But in the middle, there is a woman, who shouts above the crowd and lets her voice be heard.

I want to point out a couple of things.

First, she is there. In this crowd of people made up of disciples, pharisees, lawyers, and the demon-possessed there is at least one (and most likely more) woman in their midst. For whatever reason, she is there.

Perhaps she stopped in the midst of her daily errands. Perhaps she followed Jesus there. She is a part of this story, she has recorded text. She spoke directly to Jesus and he answered her.

Second, she spoke, and loudly. I so often hear the command for women to be quiet, sit down, stop making a scene. I know those words and general thought exist in this same set of scripture. And yet this lady exists too. This lady whose "outburst" was affirmed by a response by Jesus himself.

Her shout seems to be authentic praise. It is a woman speaking from a knowing-heart about what a blessing it would be to raise a man like this. What a blessing to call him son. What a blessing to know that your womb, your breast, nourished this man.

It is perhaps, also a longing. For a culture in which the fate of women were subject to the prosperity of their husbands and sons - perhaps our woman-in-the-crowd imagined what her life could be if she had a son who could do such miraculous things. Perhaps she wondered what it would be like to be the mother of a man who drew crowds and performed miracles.

And Jesus, his response, opens the door to her. "Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it." An invitation to all to join in the blessedness. An invitation to her.

You, woman who dares to raise her voice in a crowd of men, you too can be blessed.



This is part of an ongoing series where I look at females and feminine imagery in the Bible. Click the "FeminineFridays" tag for more!

Miriam: Prophet and Leader

I stumbled upon a verse from Micah (6:4) a few weeks ago and Miriam has been on my mind ever since.

God is speaking to the people, reminding them of things He has done:

"I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you MOses, Aaron, and Miriam." (ESV)


"For I brought you up from the land of Egypt, I redeemed you from the house of bondage; And I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam." (NKJV)

"I brought you up out of Egypt
    and redeemed you from the land of slavery.
I sent Moses to lead you,
    also Aaron and Miriam." (NIV)

"Indeed, I brought you up from the land of Egypt
And ransomed you from the house of slavery,
And I sent before you Moses, Aaron and Miriam." (NASB)


With the exception of the NIV which treats Aaron and Miriam as an afterthought - this word of God given to the prophet Micah lists Miriam along with her brothers as the people who lead the Israelites out of Egypt and bondage.

Let's take a look at some other passage that highlight Miriam.




In Exodus 15, right after the crossing of the Red Sea, Moses leads a song and then we see,

"Then Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. And Miriam sang to them:

Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea." (Ex 15:20-21)

Two things I love about this passage. One, she is described as a prophetess, not just the sister of Moses and Aaron. Second, as evidence for her leadership position - she did not call the women to come to her and join in the song, but rather it seems they just followed her.


In Numbers 12 during the Israelites wanderings we find a moment that is not Miriam's best.

She criticizing Moses for marrying a Cushite woman. She complains to her brother Aaron along the lines of "Moses isn't the only prophet! God spoke to us too!"

And, I admit, this passage of scripture makes me laugh a little with the sibling rivalry and the "parental" chastisement feel.

The Lord heard Miriam's complaining and says to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, "Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting!"

The Lord explains himself very clearly here. He says that he makes prophets and he speaks to those prophets in visions and dreams. He doesn't seem to be denying that Aaron and Miriam are prophets, but he gets a little more clear about what the hierarchy is when he says, "Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"

As consequence for her words against Moses, Miriam is struck with leprosy for seven days in which she must remain outside of the camp as unclean.

My guess is that Miriam's objection to the Cushite wife of Moses was that she was unclean. Miriam obviously thought that Moses had made a big mistake, that he had been fooled by love and that she herself was much wiser in understanding this transgression. It wasn't just envy and jealousy - it was superiority and judgmentalness. God made it extra clear to her that Moses is not lacking in wisdom or personal revelation, and then Miriam who was so concerned with things clean and unclean became herself a (temporary) unclean outcast.


There are a few other passages that mention Miriam - her death is noted in Numbers 20, she is mentioned in a few lists of Israelites, and in Deut 24 her case of leprosy is referenced in the laws regarding that disease. And, of course, it's widely believed that she is the sister of Moses that followed the basket down the river as Moses floated into the house of Pharaoh.


Miriam's status of leader and prophetess seems clear. Her status as leader was confirmed through the prophet Micah. Her influence and leadership among the israelites was prominent enough that when she voiced complaint it literally got her called into a conference with The Lord to nip it in the bud. She sang and danced praises to God and the women of Israel followed her and joined in on the dancing.

She was not perfect, but what person of the Bible do we meet that is? Jesus alone.

a woman named Damaris

I borrow the title of my post from the title of a book by Janette Oke. But, as she borrowed it from Acts 17 I don't feel too badly about that.


It's probably been 15 years since I read the short piece of historical(ish) fiction, but I remember the general idea surrounding the name. The woman in the book had always heard that her name was a Biblical name, but didn't know the significance. One day, someone shows her where that name is found in the Bible and how it is a very significant name indeed. As a result of that short novel, the name and it's associated implications has always stuck with me.


Acts 17 is one of my favorite chapters of the Bible. Paul is in the midst of his missionary travels and he is Athens where he gives a message proclaiming Jesus as God while standing at the altar "to the unknown God." The Athenians remind me a lot of our contemporary culture (at least that of the Western developed world) - they spent time listening and asked to hear more, but it is recorded in Acts that "all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new." (17:21)

After Paul gives his message at the Areopagus the crowed reacted in various ways. Some mocked, some said they would listen to more.

However, there at the end of chapter 17 we see that for a few Athenians the words Paul spoke went deeper than simply another new idea. We see that some joined Paul and believed the message. Among them were "Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris" (17:34).

And, that's all we get on Damaris.

Like the character Damaris in the Oke novel, it would be easy to dismiss this as "what's the big deal?" at a literal one-off mention in the entire Bible.

But, indeed, it is a big deal.


In a city of "tolerance," where ideas flowed and people enjoyed the pleasure of thinking without ever really grasping a solid truth, she was one of a few who decided to commit to an idea and believe.

We can assume that the fact that her name was mentioned and that she was at the Aeropagus, the court of Athens, in the first place means she was a woman of some social standing. She likely had something to lose, if only her reputation as a reasonable person, for choosing to believe in Paul's message rather than to just listen. Perhaps the mockery of family or friends. If she was indeed a woman of social standing and wealth, she would likely be giving up that in order to follow Christ. In a culture where it was completely acceptable to entertain ideas without accepting anything specific, she chose to be counter-cultural. It mattered.

While looking up information on Damaris I discovered that there is a street named for her in modern Athens. She is honored as a saint in some Christian traditions. Her legacy of belief is long-lasting.

Shiphrah and Puah engage in Civil Disobedience

At the beginning of the book of Exodus we see the the King of Egypt growing increasingly wary of the Israelites and we meet two women. Their names are Shiphrah and Puah and they are Hebrew midwives.

The king instructs them to commit gendercide at the births of the Hebrew children. The females may live; the males must be killed.

However, "the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live." (Ex 1:17)

They are called in front of the king and he asks them why.

Their response makes me giggle a bit. I can almost see them feigning perplexity, "The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian Women. They are just so strong and full of life that they pop those babies out before we can get there!"

The King seems to accept that all the women of the nation are blessed with speedy labor and deliveries and the Shiprah and Puah do not appear to receive any type of punishment from the King for their inability to follow his orders. Their quick thnking has spared not only the lives of the children, but their response has also seemed to spare them from any anger or repercussion from the king.

Shiphrah and Puah find favor with God for their refusal to obey the order of the King of Egypt. We read "God dealt well with the midwives. And the people multiplied and grew very strong. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families."

The King, however, does come up with a new plan to kill the male infants - he orders all of his people to throw the male babies into the Nile.

At first glance I think, "Ok. They saved one round of births from murder, but ultimately the king still had baby boys dumped into the Nile. Was it really that effective?"

And then I realized, the kings plan B gave the Israelites much more knowledge and notice of the evil happening around them.

I'm certain, that as midwives, Shiphrah and Puah could've found ways to quickly and quietly kill the male babies, making it look like an accident or a natural consequence of birth. As it went on, the people may have begun to suspect something when only female babies survived. But, the king's proclamation spoken to only these two women could've gone undetected for a while.

However, with the womens' fear of God the king's hand was forced into a more overt tactic. He "commanded all of his people" to take the male babies and cast them into the Nile. There is nothing quiet, underhanded, or sneaky about that. He was brazenly declaring his edict and the Israelites knew immediately to fear for the lives of their sons.

At least one family in particular made use of this knowledge and was able to protect their son. Their son's name was Moses.


Had Shiphrah or Puah attended the birth of Moses and followed the king's command, there would've not been time for the familiar story of months of hiding and a float down a river in a basket to be discovered and saved by the house of Pharaoh.

Shiphrah and Puah's civil disobedience did not stop the killing of all of the Hebrew male children, but it did make the king choose another plan. And that change of course enabled a storyline that allowed a child named Moses to grow. A child that would indeed, lead the people to protect their firstborn with the blood of a lamb and ultimately lead them into a promised land of freedom.

Our counter-cultural decisions that we make out of fear and respect for the Lord may not seem immediately beneficial. It may feel as though we only temporarily delayed the destruction we were hoping to avoid entirely, but we must trust that the fear of the Lord and obedience to Him will bring about His purposes and make His name great.

Linking Up

I'm traveling this week, so I'm taking the easy way out and linking you to a blog someone else wrote.

This is a great (if long) summary of some of the female leaders in the Bible:



Who's Who Among Biblical Woman Leaders
By Rachel Held Evans


Enjoy!

Rizpah: A Woman of Passion

Rizpah is the mother of two sons born to Saul: Armoni and Mephibosheth. (Not to be confused with the Mephibosheth who is the son of Jonathan.)

The Story (Found in 2 Samuel 21)
During the reign of King David there was a famine in the land. When David inquired of the Lord concerning the famine, the Lord said, "There is bloodguilt on Saul and his house because he put the Gibeonites to death." So, David called the Gibeonites to see what they wanted in order to make amends for this bloodguilt and hopefully end the famine. The Gibeonites wanted seven of Saul's sons. David chose the two sons of Rizpah along with the five sons of Merab. David "game them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the Lord, and the seven of them perished together."

Rizpah takes a sackcloth, speeds it on a rock, and endures the elements in order to protect the bodies of her sons and the other five men. "She did not allow the birds of the air to come upon them by day, or the beasts of the fields by night."

David is eventually told what Rizpah is doing and in response he gathers the bones of Saul, Jonathan, and the men who were hanged and gives them a burial.

At the end of the story we see, "And after that, God responded to the plea for the land."



When I first began thinking about Rizpah earlier this week my mind immediately went to another grieving mother. In Luke 7 we see Jesus have compassion on a widow who has lost her only son. Not only does Jesus tenderly approach her and entreat her to not cry, he raises her son from death.


However, while I think there can be parallels between the two stories, the more I thought about it the more I saw the striking difference.

Rizpah was not simply grieving, she was passionate and outraged. She literally devoted her days and her nights to keeping the bodies of her sons free from harm. She likely did not have much, if any, of a voice in the culture at the time. She could not hold peace rallies or start an organization to advocate for the cessation of needless violent deaths. She could not theorize or theologize about the implications of hanging young men to erase a bloodguilt. Her voice was most likely silenced, but her presence and her being was not.


If you google "Rizpah" (which I did) you will run across a quotation from a Jewish theologian, Jonathan Magonet, who describes Rizpah as "every mother who sees her sons killed before their time for reasons of state, be they in time of peace or in war. All that remains is for her to preserve the dignity of their memory and live on to bear witness and call to account the rulers of the world." (From his book, Bible Lives)

Her protest, her witness, her ability to get the rulers of the world to face their decisions that leave men hanging in the fields as food for the fowl and the beast brings about a response. David hears of her vigil and he takes the time to bury the bones of her children, to give them that bit of dignity.


And after that. After that. After King David responds to the actions of this woman Rizpah, then "God responded to the plea for the land." (vs. 14)


While the widow of Luke 7 was the first woman I thought of while thinking about Rizpah this week, I come to find that there is a different woman who I think of now.


Another woman who stood and grieved the death of a son hung to die. A man whose life was given to erase a bloodguilt. The men of the time mostly scattered, perhaps convinced now that it was all the same politics and an ending in death is a tale as old as time. Her name is Mary and his is Jesus. The Gospel according to John says that Mary the mother of Jesus was at the cross and then went with the "Beloved Disciple" to his home before Jesus breathed his last. The other gospel accounts tell of women who remained. They watched and kept vigil as he died, they sat across from the tomb after Joseph of Arimathea buried the body of Jesus. Then, when resurrection dawned, it was to one of those women keeping vigil that the risen Lord first appeared.


Rizpah was a concubine. She lost her sons. She had little ranking or power in her world. What we know about her life is found in one chapter of the Bible. And, yet, her story moves us. We identify with the passionate outrage to force people to look at the consequences of their decisions. We understand the grief that will do anything - even camp out on a rock night and day fighting off birds and beast if only we can preserve some time and memories. We relate to wanting to look and to make other people look at the world and the consequences of our actions.

Her actions, and those of women centuries later at the foot of another cross, as well as the response they garnered from Kings of Heaven and Earth are testament to the power of bearing witness.

Hannah or Hagar or Hephzibah

One of the movies I watched over and over again as a child is Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. The seven brothers all have Biblical names in alphabetical order (the oldest is Adam and the youngest is Gideon.) When one of the brothers becomes a father to a little girl, his wife suggests continuing the tradition and naming her "Hannah or Hagar or Hephzibah."

I had two thoughts concerning this suggestion:

1. Uh. Really. Who names a kid Hephzibah?

2. Furthermore, who in the world is Hephzibah?



I'll go ahead and say there are other "H" girl names in the Bible. (There is also at least one boy "F" name, so poor Frank could've avoided that whole Frankincense bit.)


Hannah and Hagar are fairly well known women of the Bible. Hannah is the mother of Samuel - the child for whom she prayed. Hagar is the mother of Ishmael - the child that not the promised one. I may write about them one of these days, Today, though, I'm answering that question from my childhood: Who is Hephzibah?

The name "Hephzibah" appears twice in the Bible.

The first is in 2 Kings 21 where we learn she is the mother of Mannaseh and the wife of Hezzekiah. Both of these men reigned over Judah. We don't know anything else about this Hephzibah as far as I know.


The second time we see the name is in Isaiah 62. This passage is the one that makes me apologize for my crooked face at the suggestion of Hephzibah as a name because it is absolutely beautiful. In Isaiah we find that Hephzibah is God's term of endearment for Israel. Hephzibah literally means, "My delight is in her." The prophet Isaiah records it thus: (NKJV, emphasis mine)


For Zion’s sake I will not hold My peace,
And for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
Until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,
And her salvation as a lamp that burns.
2 The Gentiles shall see your righteousness,
And all kings your glory.
You shall be called by a new name,
Which the mouth of the Lord will name.
3 You shall also be a crown of glory
In the hand of the Lord,
And a royal diadem
In the hand of your God.
4 You shall no longer be termed Forsaken,
Nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate;
But you shall be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah;
For the Lord delights in you,
And your land shall be married.
5 For as a young man marries a virgin,
So shall your sons marry you;
And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
So shall your God rejoice over you.
6 I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem;
They shall never hold their peace day or night.
You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent,
7 And give Him no rest till He establishes
And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
8 The Lord has sworn by His right hand
And by the arm of His strength:
“Surely I will no longer give your grain
As food for your enemies;
And the sons of the foreigner shall not drink your new wine,
For which you have labored.
9 But those who have gathered it shall eat it,
And praise the Lord;
Those who have brought it together shall drink it in My holy courts.”
10 Go through,
Go through the gates!
Prepare the way for the people;
Build up,
Build up the highway!
Take out the stones,
Lift up a banner for the peoples!
11 Indeed the Lord has proclaimed
To the end of the world:
“Say to the daughter of Zion,
‘Surely your salvation is coming;
Behold, His reward is with Him,
And His work before Him.’”
12 And they shall call them The Holy People,
The Redeemed of the Lord;
And you shall be called Sought Out,
A City Not Forsaken


This is where I want to focus this week - on the imagery, specifically the feminine imagery, of this name God gives his people. This is only one of the many instances in the Bible where the recipient of the unyielding, abundant, restorative, and lavish love and grace of God is personified as female and/or feminine.


Let's break down verse four a little more.

You shall no more be termed Azubah, (Forsaken)
and your land shall no more be termed Shemamah, (Desolate)
but you shall be called Hephzibah, (My Delight Is in Her)
and your land Beulah. (Married)
for the Lord delights in you,
and your land shall be married.


I love the comparisons and reversals here. From Azubah to Hephzibah. From Shemamah to Beulah. No longer forsaken and forgotten - - you are the delight of the lord. No longer is your land (the very source of your livelihood) desolate and barren, now it is married - claimed, supported, provided for, and loved.


Recently, I have seen articles and blogs where Christian leaders condemn the "feminization" of the church. They speak against what is considered weak or frilly. They call for toughness and ruggedness and strength. I think these people forget the way God speaks of the church - calling Her one in whom He delights. And, he doesn't simply adorn her as something pretty to look at - no, she is the bright bearer of righteousness and holds the burning lamp of salvation. She is described as the crown of glory and the royal diadem - a sign of victory and authority. I know that it is still common in the English vocabulary to refer to the Church as a feminine pronoun, but somewhere in the battle of the genders and whose place is what, I think we have overlooked just how significant that is. This is not the only passage where the church is referred to as feminine, it is simply one of them in the great extended metaphor of Christ the bridegroom and his bride the Church. God values the feminine. God created the feminine and he describes the feminine with terms of strength, beauty, authority, victory, abundance, and power among other things. The feminine is not weak. Yes, she receives delight and love, but she is anything but passive.

By Association: Zeruiah

It took me a few days to settle on Zeruiah as the woman for the week.

My research differs on the placing exactly, but it's safe to say she is one of the top ten most mentioned women in the Bible. Surprised? I was too.

This made me excited to take a closer look at her until I realized that despite the high number of times her name appears in the Bible (and it is all the same Zeruiah), we have no record of any of her words or actions. We know her only by association to her family.

She was the daughter (perhaps step-daughter) of Jesse, the sister of King David, and the mother of Abishai, Joab, and Asahel.

I wasn't quite sure how I was supposed to go about looking at a woman who I know nothing about except who her family is. But, her name wouldn't leave my mind, so I dug in and started wrestling with the names and stories and timelines of the Hebrew Scriptures.

We'll take a look at what we can infer about her childhood and her motherhood and make some guesses. I feel my lack of theological education deeply here today. Questions like: Just how big of a deal is it that her sons are defined by being hers? Or, is that more about connecting them to their uncle David? Just how often are children referred to in relation to their mothers and only their mother in scripture. Off the top of my head, I can't think of another. If anyone has the knowledge to expand upon these or offer additional insight, please do share!

We'll start with exploring the life of Zeruiah as a daughter and a sister and then move on to her life as a mother.

Daughter and Sister

in 2 Samuel 17:25 we read about Zeruiah's brother-in-law " . . . who had married Abigal, the daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab's mother."

in 1 Chronicles 2:13-16 we read, "Jesse fathered . . .David. . . And their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail."


There are a few theories about the appearance of different parental names here (Jesse and Nahash)

1. Nahash is a woman - Jesse's wife. My instinct says this is not the case since it's uncommon for children to be listed as descendants of their mothers rather than their father.

2. "Nahash" is a typo/error in 2 Samuel 17:25. The name "Nahash" appears just a couple lines below as the father of Shobi, one of the men who brought food and water to David and his men.

3. Jesse married Nahash's widow. So, Nahash is the biological father of Abigail and Zeruiah and Jesse is their step-father. Making the girls the half-sisters of David and the other sons of Jesse.


I lean towards options 2 or 3, but don't have any solid reason to think so. The fact that 1 Chron says Jesse "fathered" the boys and then lists the girls as "their sisters" makes me lean towards 3 a bit more. Option 2 seems plausible to me as well though.

Regardless, Zeruiah was a part of the family of Jesse in some way. She has a connection to King David as his sister.


Let's refresh our memory a bit on the childhood of King David. We'll use it later to make some inferences about Zeruiah's life since all we have to know her by is context and association.

David was our shepherd boy. He slew lions, bears, and giants alike with stones

He was a musician - he played a harp for King Saul to soothe him. A king that later pursued David and tried to kill him.

He was anointed King by a prophet at a young age.

David may have been the baby of the family, but he was clearly blessed and gifted.



Mother:

Over and over we see the names of her sons coupled with her name. It was important to identify these men as belonging to their mother. In a nation dominated by patriarchal heritage we see the mother's name over and over again. To my knowledge, we don't know their father's name at all. Let's take a look at who her sons are and then make some inferences about what that could say about Zeruiah. There is more to these men, I'm just highlighting some parts I found interesting.

All of Zeruiah's sons were part of David's men. Working for him and fighting for him.

Abishai - the eldest: A leader of "David's Mighty Men." These were the thirty chiefs "who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the Lord" (1 Chron 11:10). Abishai, "was the chief of the thirty. And he wielded his spear against 300 men and killed them and won a name . . . He was the most renowned of the thirty and became their commander" (1 Chron 11:20-21)


Joab - the middle son: The head commander of David's army. One of his battles was the fight against the Syrians and he put is brother Abishai in charge of the forces against the Ammonites, suggesting that Joab had a higher military ranking than his older brother. Later we see "Joab was commander of the kings army." (2 Chron 27:34) Joab defeated both the Syrians and then Rabbah (1 Chron 19-20).

When David was "incited by Satan" to count the number of people in Israel - he ordered Joab to do the counting. Joab argued back, disagreeing with this course of action, but ultimately followed through with his uncle King's request, leaving out the counts of the tribes of Levi and Benjamin because the "kings command was abhorrent to Joab." (2 Chron 21:1-6). And, it turns out Joab was right. God struck Israel with a devastating famine and David confessed his sin. (perhaps it was a sin of pride in the size of the nation? I'm not sure). (Side Note: Goodness gracious is David's story full of interesting. I think I'm going to read the Chronicles more. So glossing over things here.)


Asahel -- the youngest: Asahel is described as being "fleet of feet" (2 Sam 2). He was killed in the battle of Gibon and is known as one of David's Mighty Men (1 Chron 11:26)

I encourage you to read the full story in 2 Samuel 2-3, but a very brief summary of the the death of Asahel and his brother Joab's reaction is this:

David's men met with Abner, commander of Saul's army, at the pool of Gibeon. Ish-bosheth, son of Saul, was set up as king of Israel - with the exception of Judah which David was king over. The two armies under the commands of Joab and Abner created a plan to see which army was stronger. It didn't work, 12 men on each side were killed. In the aftermath, Asahel pursued Abner. Abner, perhaps out of either fear or respect for Joab, begged Asahel to stop following him but Asahel continued. Abner killed Asahel. Later, as David was struggling to unite the nation in the midst of a civil war (and doing a good job for we are told his armies were growing stronger and Saul's were growing weaker) he meets with Abner. Joab hears of this meeting and is outraged, certain that Abner is trying to trick David. Joab finds Abner, takes him to the gates of the city, and kills him. David is outraged and grieved. He makes it clear that the death of Abner was not his wish nor his order. He curses the house of Joab (and Abishai gets thrown in there as well) and orders Judah to grieve for Abner. David names Zeruiah while he is condemning Joab's acts, "These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are more severe than I. The Lord repay the evil-doer according to his wickedness!" (2 Sam 3:39)

These men were strong. They were fiercely loyal to their brothers, to their King, and to their God - sometimes to the point of recklessness and sometimes in conflict to each of those loyalties.


Inferences about the life and character of Zeruiah


I wonder if she felt tenderly towards her youngest brother. I can imagine him being the type of boy you are drawn to. Did she adore her young brother who played a harp and tended sheep while the other brothers were away at war? Did she feel proud when he was able to so valiantly defend his flock? Did she know of David's anointing that day? If so, what were her thoughts? Joy, fear, both?

I can't help but think that she must have spoke positively about David to her sons. Three men don't grow up to be so passionate in protecting their uncle king if they grew up listening to the bitter or jealous words from their mother. Perhaps it could've been easy to be envious of young David or to question the authenticity of the prophet Samuel's anointing a shepherd king. I feel like Zeruiah must have believed. Zeruiah must have understood the truth of the destiny of David and she must have taught that to her boys.

To go one step further - Zeruiah must have believed strongly in God and who He said He was. Her sons defended David, but they didn't shy away from questioning his actions when they thought it contradicted God's will. Zeruiah's boys were strong of body and of mind. They had passions and struggled to balance them in a world that demanded big decisions.

Her sons would be among the men who ministered to and took care of David as he ran for his life. They would fight for him, protect him, and stand up to him when they thought he was erring. They would make foolish mistakes and act out of misguided loyalty.

She raised three men to honor their uncle and anointed King, to be sensitve to the leading of God, and to protect each other.

None of these things answer my questions about why she is mentioned by name so often and yet we are left with none of her words or actions. Surely countless women of God raised the men we see in the Bible - teaching them from their earliest days to love God and King and family - and yet their names are not repeated over and over again in connection to their sons. Why Zeruiah? I don't know.

Despite the fact that it seems Zeruiah was an exceptional mother, we have no Biblical record of her sons explicitly "rising to call her blessed" (Prov 31), but I will. Blessed Zeruiah, your name peppers the stories of King David. Over and over I've read it in years past and never gave it pause. Thank you for raising men, imperfect and human as they were, whose stories give us lessons and history. Your name was not a mark of shame upon them. It was not a cause for concern that they were identified as your sons rather than of their father. You were given honor. While I wish I knew more about you and who you were, I'm thankful that I now know your name and know that whatever it is you did was powerful and it mattered to the entire nation of Israel and, consequently, the world.

Athaliah and Jehosheba: Two women among the Kings of Judah

This first entry in this series involves two women whose stories are intertwined. This is the story of Athaliah - a Queen of Judah who reigned for seven years after the assassination of her son Ahaziah. And Jehosheba (aka Jehoshabeath) who rescued her infant nephew, Joash (aka Jehoash), from his murderous grandmother, Athaliah. Joash later becomes King of Judah, restoring the Davidic line.


Their story, and that of their contemporary relatives, is found in both 2 Kings 8-12 and 2 Chronicles 21-24.


I created a basic family tree above (to the best of my ability) in hopes that it will help you keep the people organized. While it seems clear that Jehosheba was the sister of Ahaziah - I couldn't find anywhere that gave the name of her mother. (I'm assuming that they shared a father, but that she wasn't Athaliah's daughter since it never refers to them as such)


Here is a brief synopsis of their story:

Athalia was the daughter of Ahab. The family was known for it's worship of Baal. Her husband, Jehoram, ruled Judah for eight years and worshipped Baal as well. One of his first acts as King seemed to be to kill all of his brothers - we're not talking about positive family values going on around here. His reign ended when, as predicted by the prophet Elijah in punishment for his sin, he contracted a disease of the bowels which caused them to fall out. It says he died in great agony. 2 Chronicles tells us that he departed with "no one's regret." (21:20)

Then, Jehoram and Athalia's son, Ahaziah, ruled Judah. He was assassinated after only a year, and that's when Athalia decided to rule rather than passing the reign down to a son of Ahaziah. She had the entire royal family murdered in order to secure her place on the throne.


However, here was another woman though that showed bravery. Her name was Jehosheba. As Athalia began her murderous rampage Jehosheba "the sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the kings sons who were being put death." She hid him and his nurse away in a room and he remained with her and her husband, the priest Jehoiada, hidden in the house of the Lord for six years.


Eventually Jehoiada would organize an overthrow of Athalia. One day, Athalia heard noise of the guards and of the people and she went to investigate. There in the house of the Lord she found the young crowned King Joash. There were captains and trumpeters standing near the king. The people were rejoicing. It was too much for Athalia who had thought she had destroyed all of the successors of her son Ahaziah. Her rule had come to an end so she tore her clothes and cried, "Treason! Treason!" and then Jehoiada had her put to death outside of the house of the Lord.


This child-King earns the coveted words proclaiming that he "did right in the eyes of the Lord" - however it limited to the days of Jehoiada. Once Jehoiada died, Joash began to listen to the opinions of others rather than the Lord. God sent a prophet to call him back, but Joash had the prophet killed - the prophet was the son of Jehoiada.

There's much more to the story of Jehoram, Ahaziah, and Joash - but I want to focus on Athalia and Jehosheba.

When I was first glancing at the story of Athaliah, I thought, "A queen of Judah? I didn't know they had a queen who ruled! How cool!" And then read a bit more and realized she is solidly in the column of those who did not honor God in their rule. Part of me is shocked that a woman could be so cruel as to murder her entire family in order to falsely secure the throne for herself. But she is not the only person in the Bible who murders for the sake of power and authority. It is an intoxicating goal that has destroyed many. She has the title of the first and only Queen of Judah - but it not a title of honor.

And then I got to Jehosheba, and I cheered for her. I wanted her bravery to save the world, to matter. And it did, but it didn't make everything perfect. While Jehoiada was around, Joash listened to him. However, as soon as Jehoiada died it seems Joash fell into the ways of his grandmother's family: honoring power and authority rather than honoring God. Even so, Jehosheba still did something great. She saved an heir to the throne and raised him in the Lord. She couldn't control the future or how his reign would ultimately unfold, but that was not her job nor a power she seemed to seek. She did what was right at the time and that is a good and honorable thing. In the much greater scheme of things: this woman, Jehosheba, saved the Davidic line, the next heir in the tribe of Judah. Many generations later, it will be into that line that Jesus will be born. In that generation, her actions didn't seem to change the world or set the Kings of Judah on an unshakeable path of righteousness, but its effects down the line were irreplaceable.

My story-loving, detail-oriented brain longs to fill in the gaps. What was Athalia like as a child? When she learned she would be married to the King of Judah was she then beginning her plot for how to claim the authority for herself? Or, did that idea spark when she heard of her son's death? Did she pause at all before ordering the deaths of her grandchildren? And Jehosheba. She was raised in this environment. What is the love story of her and her God-honoring husband? Did Jehosheba act as quickly to save her nephew as Athalia acted in order to murder him? Did she tremble as she walked through the halls of the palace or were her movements confident and sure? How is it that Jehosheba and Jehoaida raised one young man (Joash) who would turn from the ways of the Lord and another who would die proclaiming it?

These are not answers we're given in the recorded story. If someone ever fictionalized the story of this family, I would certainly want to read it.

As I've been thinking on these two women for the past week I've been trying to come up with some lesson or application or great revelation. Something strong to write as I close out this first entry in the series. All I keep hearing in my head is, "Just tell their story."

I said that I wanted this just to be about shining some light on the many women of varying character and personalities in the Bible and not about engaging in some doctrine battle on women's "place" in the context of church. I'm hoping that as I continue God will teach me something, but for now I just want to "see" these women. To know who they are. For the time being I have no great revelation, no gem of truth from their lives to guide me on my path. I simply know now something I didn't ten days ago: they existed. They lived and breathed and made decisions that altered the course of a nation, of a world. God saw fit to have their stories included not once, but twice, into the collection of writings we now call The Bible. It is good for me to see them, whether they come with clarifying truth about my life or not.

Women, female personification, and feminine imagery in the Bible: a series

Over the past year or so I have been thinking about women, myself in particular, in relation to the church. When I was younger it was simple: I would love God and then eventually I would love my husband and my children and those would be my primary ministries. However, as I have continued to age as a single, childless person I started questioning what my role was within the church (both the church as a institution and as the larger body of believers). I imagine even women who do have a husband and/or children often end up with similar questions as well. The debate about women's role within the Christian contest is old and vast. I'd like to undertake this study not trying to answer those questions (as much as I can seperate myself from my culture and context). Rather, this is time and space for me to focus on where we see girls, women, and female imagery and personification in the Bible. I pray that I will be sensitive to the voice of God whatever it has to teach me at this time in my life and that it will be beneficial to others who read -both men and women.


Even with my attempts to not make this a series with the point of defining the role of women, I recognize that I am here writing this because of a variety of thoughts in my head and circumstances in my life. My contemplations on finding myself a single woman without the predictability of transitioning into the "plan" of a wife or mother, the thoughts from many others questioning the dominant cultural beliefs about women in the church, my own journey into a theological education as I prepare to begin seminary in the fall, and personal studies that are focusing on women of the Bible have all lead me to a desire to really study both the women and the feminine imagery in Scripture. Eve, Wisdom, Mary, the Church, the prostitute in Revelation. If there is a "she" or a "her" I want to take the time to examine it. I won't write about every instance. This is, obviously, a long and extensive undertaking. I'm hoping it will inspire me to write a bit more consistently here. (We'll see what happens when I'm in the midst of grad school and internships in the fall!) Look for these posts showing up here on a regular basis on Fridays! I've got my first entry in progress and am excited about it. Please feel free to suggest passages and stories you'd love to read about.

I look forward to being here a bit more!