Life as a Christian Woman

Obedient women are never remembered in history.
Seen on a Bumper Sticker

I saw this bumper sticker on a car, and my mind raced. Imagine what a surprise this statement would be to such obedient women as the Virgin Mary, Ruth, Naomi, Esther, Elisabeth (mother of John the Baptist), Miriam, on and on. These women were both obedient and are revered to this day.

The assumption is that an obedient woman has no mind of her own, cannot think or choose. She is obedient because she doesn’t think, doesn’t care to think, never will think. The assumption is also that an obedient woman cannot lead. Nothing could be further from truth.

Let’s look at Queen Esther. She was obedient to God, which meant bucking the rules and appearing, unbidden, in front of her husband, the king. She interceded for her people, the Jews, and not only saved them. She was instrumental in changing the law, allowing Jews to defend themselves against their enemies.

I’d call that unforgettable!

Do you need a more “modern-day” example? How about Beth Moore, the ubiquitous Christian women’s writer. Remember the story of her experience at the Knoxville airport, when God told her to brush a man’s hair? (click here to read). This woman has been obedient to our God, going where He told her to go, and writing the words that He has laid on her heart. Her books and teachings have brought thousands of women to the Father, and millions more into closer communion with Him. Because of her obedience, God has used her to further His kingdom.

Finally, what about female missionaries, located around the world, including in Muslim countries. These women follow our Lord, bowing before Him and leaving the comfort of their lives to enter into danger, all in the name of obedience. Yet, while their names may not be known worldwide, their actions will be remembered by the ones that they lead to the Lord, souls that would have been lost had they not been obedient to His call. And their names are written upon His heart for eternity.

We should all be so forgettable!

The third woman we will look at from the New Testament is not even named. We know her as simply “Peter’s [Simon's] wife’s mother.” In other words, Peter’s mother-in-law. Although she is not named, her brief story must be considered important because it appears in three of the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. If one considers the story, it becomes significant not only because of the miracle of healing by Jesus, but because of her actions immediately following.

First, I should point out that Matthew uses the name Peter, while Mark and Luke refer to her as Simon’s wife’s mother. Remember that this is the same person and does not indicate a contradication in stories: “And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.” (Matt. 4:18).

The healing of Peter’s mother-in-law occurs early in Jesus’ ministry. He has entered Capernaum after coming down from the mountain where he taught His disciples. He has healed a leper and the centurion’s servant. He then enters Peter’s house.

“And when Jesus was come into Peter’s house, he saw his wife’s mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.”

(Matt. 8:14, 15)

What is striking about this story is the reaction of Peter’s mother-in-law to her healing. She did not run out into the street shouting that she was healed. She did not scurry to the temple to show the priests that she was alive and walking. She did not join the ancient equivalent of Toastmasters and begin the rounds of speaking engagements.

Her immediate response was to serve Jesus. She went straight back to the source of her healing and dedicated her time directly to Him. I think sometimes we forget to do that. We throw ourselves at God’s feet in prayer when we need something. Then, when that prayer is answered, we tell everyone about it except the One who brought it about. We end up thanking God only in a round-about way when we tell others what He did for us.

Peter’s wife’s mother returned in quiet service to the Jesus that healed her. She must have eventually shared her experience, because it appears that by the time the Gospels are written, her salvation is a well-known story. But before all else, she went to the Lord in the greatest way we can honor Him — by serving Him. She gave Him the first fruits of her praise and thanksgiving.

Do you always remember to go to God first with your praise as well as your prayers? I can think of times when maybe I didn’t. We can learn the lesson from Peter’s mother-in-law that glorifying God is not always about shouting His name from the rooftops for all to hear. Sometimes, it is accomplished by simply giving Him the recognition first in service to Him.

Image source: ChristiansUnite.com

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Many times in the Bible God chooses to accomplish His will beginning with a special birth. The birth of a child is a both a blessing upon the mother and father, and a special bond between the child and God. One of those stories is that of Zacharias, Elisabeth and John, who will come to be known as John the Baptist.

Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.

Elisabeth was a descendant of Aaron, and was also a cousin of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Although Elisabeth would become pregnant six months before her cousin Mary, the birth of her child was vital to the life of Mary’s child. After Mary is visited by the Angel of God and told she will bear God’s Son, the Angel also tells her of Elisabeth’s pregnancy. Mary goes to visit her, and Elisabeth knows right away of the special child Mary carries.

Luke 1:39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.

In that brief passage telling of Elisabeth’s words to Mary lie the foundation of the ministry of Jesus. Elisabeth’s child would be born to herald the coming of the Lord, and Elisabeth herself, with John still in her womb, begins his important work.

1. John lept in her womb at the sound of Mary’s voice. He knew from the very beginning of his life, as the Lord said he would, the true parentage and purpose of Jesus. That parentage and purpose would be the whole of John’s ministry.

2. Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost, even though her husband was a priest. Jesus was coming for all people, men and women alike.

3. Elisabeth announced even before John the Baptist that Mary and her child were blessed by God.

4. Elisabeth did not feel she was special, and yet the Lord visited her through his mother Mary. Just as the Lord visits all who open the door for Him, no matter who they are.

5. “There shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.” Elisabeth knew from the beginning that Mary’s child, Jesus, would perform miracles.

Mary stayed with Elisabeth for three months, returning to her home just before John’s birth. The two cousins, John and Jesus, would not meet until Jesus visits John for His Baptism. Through Elisabeth, the first glimpses are given of the special child Mary carries. Elisabeth in her own way was a prophet of Jesus, and gave birth to His greatest prophet who lay down his own life for Him. John the Baptist would be imprisoned and executed before the end of Jesus’ ministry.

No mention is made again of Elisabeth after she names her son on his eighth day, according to the Jewish tradition, when he is circumcised. We do not know if she was still alive when John was killed, or if she got to see any of her foretellings come to pass. But Elisabeth believed the things told her through the Holy Ghost. As long as we believe the Lord and allow Him to use us for His work, what need have we to see the end? She passed on her work to her son as the Lord required. Like Elisabeth, we may not always see the end of our works. But if we begin them as God bade us, the end is certain whether we see it or not.

Image Source: Saint Takla Church

If you missed the first in this series, see Parenting Lessons from Mary.

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An exploration of women in the New Testament logically begins with Mary, the mother of our Savior. She is second only to Jesus in the amount of written material and studies of her life. All Christians revere her, and she is an integral part of the worship of Catholics. So when I was thinking about what to write about her, I must admit I was a bit daunted. Many biblical scholars more knowledgeable and eloquent than I have provided wonderful studies of Mary. So, what could I possibly add to any discussion?

As I pondered the stories in the Bible of Mary and how they relate to women today, one thing came to mind — her parenting of Jesus. She was charged with raising the son of God, after all. From his birth to his death, she was his earthly mother, his early teacher and caretaker. She experienced all the same concerns and emotions that mother’s today go through, only worse. She knew the truth of his conception, his life and his death.

Mary knew that Jesus was the son of Almighty God. She had been chosen by God himself because of her devout Jewish faith and her bloodline as a descendent of David. And as a devout Jewish woman, she was intimately familiar with the prophecies of the Savior. Among those prophecies were included, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel [literally "God-With-Us].” (Is. 7:14). It was also foretold that He would be born in Bethlehem and would be a Nazarite.

Just as Mary knew the scriptures of the Messiah’s birth, she also knew those of His death. There are 300 prophecies of the first coming of the Messiah, and within those 300 are details of His betrayal by the people, his torture, and his death by hanging on a tree.

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chatisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. (Is. 53:4-5).

In the fact that Mary knew these prophecies at the time she knew the truth of her Son, we find one of the most important lessons we can ever learn as a parent.

Trust in God’s plan for your child.

It’s that simple. And that complicated. For in those words lie the most important duties of Christian parents. Before you can trust in God’s plan for your child, you must first do these things:

1. Teach your child the truth of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
2. Teach your child to have a personal relationship with God and depend on His guidance.
3. Teach your child to pray not for his own desires, but for God’s will for his or her life.
4. Trust your child’s relationship with God enough to know when to step back and accept that God’s will is being carried out.

Mary absolutely trusted God’s plan for her son Jesus and accepted that He was the Savior, that He would be ridiculed for His heritage, and He would die a horrid death so that mankind would be saved. She supported His ministry, knowing what it would lead to. She encouraged Him to begin God’s work (his first miracle turning water to wine) with the certainty of how that work would end. She stood silent at the cross and watched as her son, God’s Son, was tortured, died, and pierced with a sword.

Could you be the kind of parent Mary was? Can you accept that the Lord’s plan for your child may not be an easy one? Do you trust the relationship you have nurtured between your child and God enough to accept what your son or daughter says God is leading them to do?

You want your child to be a successful doctor, or lawyer, or teacher, or even preacher. You want them to have a life of comfort, and possibly the things you couldn’t have for lack of money or love or opportunity. Maybe God wants them to visit a war-torn country to take His word to the midst of squalid refugee camps. God’s plan may lead them to work in a homeless shelter in the most dangerous neighborhood in the country. God’s plan may be for your daughter to be a stay-at-home mom where she will care for orphans or foster children with emotional and psychological traumas.

You may not know what the Lord wants for your child. But you can know this, by learning your parenting from Mary: God expects you to trust Him with even your most precious possessions.

Image courtesy of Public Domain Images, http://karenswhimsy.com.

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Starting on Monday, we will begin taking a look at the women in the New Testament. There were many women who played very important parts not only in Jesus’ ministry, but also in the days of the early church following His death and resurrection.

We learn in the Bible about specific women and their deeds. We also learn about some of the prevailing views of women in general and what their place should be. At times, there seems to be contradiction in the things taught about women and the stories shared of the historical women and their deeds.

I want us to take an indepth look together at the stories and teachings in the Bible and the interpretations by Biblical scholars. There have been many theories put forth over the last 2000 years. We will also look at both the words and actions of Jesus concerning women, and how they were rather radical for His time on earth.

I am asking you to do a little homework before Monday and read back over the passages in the New Testament concerning women. You are already very familiar with Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mary and Martha. But there are many others you may not remember, such as Tabitha and Priscilla. Finally, there is the female imagery used throughout the book of Revelations.

Please share your own thoughts and comments as we go through this topic. If you have any questions you would like to look into further, feel free to let me know either by leaving a comment or using the contact link in the “About” section. I will do my best to answer them if I can or direct you to a resource. I may post some of these questions and answers from time to time, so be sure to let me know if you prefer your question to be answered privately.

I’m excited about taking this in-depth look at the Biblical teachings on women. I hope you’ll join me each day. The whole purpose of me starting this site was to help you and me discover what it means to be a Christian woman. I hope to learn from your experiences and studies as much as my own.

I have written before on women from the Old Testament. If you missed them, you may be interested in also taking a look at Shiphrah and Puah: Hebrew Midwives, Blessed Liars and What is a Jezebel?

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The book of Exodus recounts the story of the enslavement and oppression of the nation of Israel by the Egyptians, and God’s deliverance after hearing their cries. The midwives Shiphrah and Puah played an important role in saving God’s chosen people. The Hebrews had followed Joseph after the famine in Canaan and were allowed to settle there by the pharaoh, with whom he had found favor by saving Egypt from the same fate. “So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly.” (Gen. 47:27). “And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation. But the children of Israel were fruiful and increased abundantly, mutiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them. Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.” (Ex. 1:6-8).

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The term “jezebel” today is often used to refer to a woman who is sexually promiscuous. She enjoys power over men and sways them to sin. Although in today’s society a jezebel is not necessarily viewed as terrible as she once was, the original Jezebel was a sinner of, as they say, Biblical proportions.

We first meet Jezebel in 1 Kings, chapter 16. She was a daughter of the king of the Sidonians, Baal worshippers. King Ahab took her as his wife and brought her religion to Israel. Once among the Jewish people, she set out to summarily wipe out the worship of God and replace it with Baal, sparing no thought against any means to accomplish her goals. King Ahab ruled a nation and defeated the Syrians on the battle field, but in his own home Jezebel held the power. “Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.” (1 Kings 16:33 NKJV). Her influence over her husband was so great, even in that strictly patriarchal society, that God raised up Elijah the Prophet to lead His people away from her false religion and back to Him.

Jezebel was a murderer, a prophetess of Baal, power hungry, greedy, and sexually immoral.

“For so it was, while Jezebel massacred the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah had taken one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with bread and water.” (1 Kings 18:4). This passage tells us specifically that it was Jezebel, not Ahab, who had the prophets killed. She so stongly believed in her religion of Baal, that she showed no mercy in doing away with the holy men of Israel. She also had a man named Naboth killed so that King Ahab could have his vineyard. “She wrote in the letters, saying, Proclaim a fast, and seat Naboth with high honor among the people; and seat two men, scoundrels, before him to bear witness against him, saying, ‘You have blasphemed God and the king.’ Then take him out, and stone him, that he may die.” (21:9-10)). Naboth was falsely accused and killed at Jezebel’s orders for pure greed.

Jezebel was also power hungry, and wielded the power of a ruler in her husband’s name. Not only was she the one that gave the orders for the Lord’s prophets to be killed, but she wrote the letters which sealed Naboth’s fate, and sealed them with King Ahab’s official seals. “And she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, sealed them with his seal, and sent the letters to the elders and the city nobles who were dwelling in the city with Naboth.” (21:8). This verse reveals that Israel’s leaders were most likely used to following her orders just as if they came from the king. Even though those letters were sealed in the king’s name, when the deed had been accomplished, “Then they sent to Jezebel, saying, ‘Naboth has been stoned and is dead.’ ” (21:14). The city leaders knew that the orders to kill Naboth had come from Jezebel, not the king, and yet they still did as she commanded. Ahab had simply gone home and pouted when Naboth would not give him his vineyard. It was Jezebel who took matters into her own hands and took by force whatever she or her husband desired.

Jezebel also threatened the life of Elijah, but the Lord protected and hid him from her. God did not deal with her kindly. “And concerning Jezebel the Lord also spoke, saying, ‘The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.” (21:23). When her fate caught up with her, Jezebel heard Jehu had come to Jezreel “and she put paint on her eyes and adorned her head, and looked through a window.” (2 Kings 9:30). We get the impression that Jezebel intended to use her looks, and possibly her body, to keep Jehu from killing her. But her power over men was lost, and she was thrown from the window “and some of her blood spattered on teh wall and on the horses; and he trampled her underfoot.” (9:33). When the soldiers went later to get her body, all they found was her skull, her feet, and the palms of hands. The Lord’s wrath had been delivered, and Jezebel was eaten by dogs.

What lessons can we learn from Jezebel today? There are many, and some are obvious such as the sin of murder and of worshipping other gods. But we also learn about relationships. A wife is meant to stand beside her husband, not in front of him. To use your husband’s name for your own gain subverts the marriage. Decisions and actions should be taken together as man and wife. To use your own body in sexual immorality leads only to destruction. Jezebel was eaten by dogs, but today’s sexual promiscuity leads to your body being eaten by disease. We also learn that ruling others through fear or intimidation only produces enmity, and eventually revolt. Ahab was a king and a success on the battlefield, but the picture we get of him at home is of a simpering, pathetic man who allowed his wife to overtake him. Intimidation takes away from others the dignity and self-worth that all men and women are accorded by God. In the end, both King Ahab and Jezebel met their deaths at the hands of those they had attempted to control by fear. We can work with others to accomplish our goals for God. Working over them disintegrates the Lord’s gifts.

All in all, Jezebel is an example of everything a woman should NOT do.

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