Do Biblical women have anything to teach those of us who live in the modern world? They do because while their circumstances were different and they lived in the Ancient World, we can take many universal lessons from these women and their stories because those lessons transcend time and history. There’s a reason why God put their stories in the Bible.
Photo Credit Unsplash/Aaron Burden
Do Biblical women have anything to teach those of us who live in the modern world? They do because while their circumstances were different and they lived in the Ancient World, we can take many universal lessons from these women and their stories because those lessons transcend time and history. There’s a reason why God put their stories in the Bible.
Faith in God’s Promises
Sarah: Trusting in God’s Timing (Genesis 21:1-7)
Sarah, Abraham's wife, had a tough time getting pregnant. We don’t always know why God lets us go through struggles like infertility or anything else that we might face in life. We have two choices in life: to trust God even when we’re struggling with our problems and doubts or not to trust God and become angry at him.
When God disguised himself and visited her and Abraham and told her she would be a mother in her old age, Sarah doubted, and she actually laughed. God’s timing isn’t our timing. Sometimes, God wants to teach us certain lessons while we’re waiting, such as patience, forgiveness, kindness, etc.
Sarah’s lesson also teaches us that we are not behind in life and don’t have to follow the timelines for reaching life, which marks how society teaches us to have to. It is okay to do things later in life. Nothing is impossible with God, regardless of our age and circumstances, and many times we have sinned.
What is the alternative for us as human beings and Christians? Do we stay bitter because life hasn’t worked out according to our plan, or do we accept reality as it is and trust God with our future? Yes, we could become bitter and angry at God, or we could trust God to guide us through our pain and to the other side of it.
It is okay to grieve and even cry for the life plan you wanted and that you didn’t get to have. Sometimes, you have to let it all out to God. God accepts all of our emotions and pain. He can take it. He knows the challenge of being human. He also wants you to rise up and trust him. What path would you want to choose? Personally, I want to walk with God in this life journey and trust him even when life is tough.
We don’t always know why God allows certain things in our lives, but we can choose every single day to trust Him even when it’s tough. You can choose to pray and trust Him even when life doesn’t go according to plan, and God will guide you and bring about His promises when it’s His timing. Personally, I love Sarah’s story. It shows you’re never too late to become a parent or achieve any other life dream.
Miriam: Praising God in Deliverance (Exodus 15:20-21)
Miriam, Moses's sister, has known the worst of circumstances: slavery. Once the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, she decided to lead the women in a song and a dance. God wants us to be grateful and express that gratefulness back to Him. Be an encouragement to those around you, and you don’t have to be talented; you have to be willing.
Elizabeth: Trusting in God’s Miracles (Luke 1:5-25)
Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, is another strong Biblical woman who conceived in old age. Much like Sarah, she had years of infertility. She chose to trust God; it’s interesting that when her husband expressed doubt, the angel who told him he would have a son made him mute until his son was born.
That’s weird, right? Why would an angel of God do that? Well, who needs negativity and doubt when you’re getting a message from God? Sometimes, as people, we need to get quiet and trust God. We don’t always need to debate with God about the impossible things He will do in our lives.
Accept the happy miracle and stop doubting. Maybe the angel was allowed by God to do this to not be negative around his family and friends but particularly his wife, who was probably happy she would finally get to have a baby, and she probably didn’t need to hear her husband’s doubts for the entirety of her pregnancy. God can create miracles out of nothing.
Anna: Devotion Through Worship (Luke 2:36-38)
Many of the prophets in the Bible are men, and one of the few women is Anna. She was a prophetess who dedicated her life to worship, fasting, and praying. She recognized Jesus as the Messiah as a baby and was delighted. What impressed me about this story is how much she loved God and spent much of her time in the temple.
To her, worship wasn’t something she dreaded; it was something she loved to do and looked forward to each day. She recognized the Messiah, but other religious leaders at the time didn’t recognize the Messiah even though they were religious leaders in the temple.
That is fascinating, actually. It’s because they were more obsessed with rules than with an actual living and dynamic relationship with God. In the end, God doesn’t want a bunch of formalities; He wants our hearts. Anna’s story also reminds us to put our time and effort into the things that matter in life.
Courage in Adversity
Esther: Boldness in the Face of Danger (Esther 4:13-16)
Esther was an orphan taken in by her cousin Mordecai, who was like a daughter to him after her parents died. Esther was a beautiful young lady, and because of the King’s orders, young women like her were taken to his harem. She won the King’s attention and his favor, and with the encouragement of her cousin Mordecai, she refused to stay silent and stood up for the Jewish people. She was Jewish as well.
Esther’s story can be applied in many places, such as our communities, workplaces, homes, etc. Never be afraid to speak up for what is right and to advocate for others and yourself. It is fascinating that God is in the background for much of the Book of Esther. God ensured that “Esther won the favor of everyone who saw her.” (Esther 2:15, NIV).
It is essential to recognize and act on God's opportunities in your life. God is working on your behalf, whether you realize it or not, just like he worked on Esther’s behalf.
Rahab: Risking Everything for Faith (Joshua 2:8-14)
Rahab’s story is one of my favorites. She’s the prostitute with a heart of gold. She was a foreigner, a Gentile, a Canaanite woman on top of that. She helped hide the Israelite spies; in return, they helped save her and her entire household. On top of that, she married an Israelite, and through her lineage, she’s part of the ancestry of Jesus.
I always thought it was interesting that she married an Israelite and that her husband forgave her past, I’m assuming since he married her. We don’t know the exact circumstances of why she went into prostitution. According to the Bible, “Rahab, her father and mother, her brothers and sisters and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.” (Joshua 6:22-25)
That’s a lot of people, but we don’t know if her parents were disabled or sick or why she chose prostitution for her work. She lived in a society that saw it as an acceptable job for women, and when something is normalized in a society, people don’t always question it.
God doesn’t care if someone has a past, is a foreigner or a Gentile, He will redeem whoever he wants to redeem. From the Old Testament, she’s one of the non-Jewish people who came to know the God of Israel. She recognizes the God of Israel as the true God. Rahab’s story shows that God can give us a fresh start, no matter who we are and where we come from.
After all, He is the one who created all people and set us all over the Earth. No one is irredeemable. Her story is an excellent reminder that God is the author of our story and can transform us and our lives.
Influence and Leadership
Ruth: Loyalty and Devotion (Ruth 1:16-17, 4:13-17)
After her husband’s death, Ruth decided to stay with her mother-in-law, Naomi. The two were close, and Ruth heeded an older woman’s guidance in finding a new husband named Boaz. Ruth is also found in the lineage of Jesus.
Ruth’s story shows us the importance of building relationships with people, whether they are family members, co-workers, acquaintances, etc. Not fake relationships but deep ones; it’s important to be loyal and help one another, and when you’re struggling, those people will end up helping you in return.
Her story isn’t full of action like Rahab’s or Deborah’s, but it does show that loyalty and love don’t have to be bound by blood. God honors faithfulness even from “outsiders,” and I love how the Old Testament has stories of Gentiles who eventually heard of the God of Israel and wanted to know Him because He was the true God. Because God created all people, anyone is welcome to join His family.
Ruth’s story also shows that God knows your needs and wants. Ruth needed a new husband who was a good man who would provide for her and love her. This story isn’t about overcoming a military enemy, dealing with the devil, or the end times.
She was dealing with everyday life: the death of her first husband, how she would support herself and her mother-in-law, how she would deal with the future, and if she could get remarried, what her future would be like in the everyday.
Often, when people, and yes, even Christians, think of Biblical women, they think of women who simply obey and don’t have much substance. However, if we take the time to really read the Bible, we can see that Biblical women were intelligent, courageous, talented, and faithful. Biblical women show us that we don’t need perfect circumstances to trust God, that God can work through the worst circumstances, and that God can make miracles happen.
