Women in the Bible

As evident in this course, the Bible introduces us to several women whose lives provide important lessons as God uses them to reveal certain truths. Some of the women studied in this class include Eve/Original Sin, Sarah, Sarah & Hagar, Rebecca, Leah & Rachel, Ruth & Naomi, Bathsheba, Tamar, Esther & Song of Songs, Delilah & Jezebel, Deborah & Jael, and Rahab & Daughters. Each of these women provides valuable lessons that can be imitated as God took them through different experiences throughout their lives. Generally, women in the Bible provide as many valuable lessons as men.
One of the valuable lessons from women of the Bible studied in this class is the need to trust in God. Trusting in God is a basic fundamental principle of the Christian faith. The need to trust in God is an important lesson from the life of Sarah who gave the most human reaction when she was promised a son in her old age. As evident in Sarah’s case, believing and trusting in God is not always easy, especially when situations are very difficult. However, we need to always trust in God because there is nothing too difficult for him. We should not doubt the goodness of God by focusing only on what we see or know with our eyes as shown in Eve/Original Sin case. When we don’t trust in God, we end up creating and following our own plans, which do not work out. Our plans can sometimes be a cause of problems that are passed down to other generations. For example, Sarah did not trust in God and hatched a plan that involved Hagar in order to fulfill her longing for a child. While Hagar ended up being sent away with her child, her story reminds us that God sees us and knows our every struggle and pain. The desire to fulfill our own plans could result in misery just like Rebecca whose desire to have her way changed her charm to viciousness. The daughters of Zelophehad were single women who trusted in God’s provision for them.
Secondly, Leah & Rachel teach us that women are meant to a gift to one as we are called to be better than that. Women should create relationships and friendships in which they support each other instead of creating stressful environments characterized by jealousy. Such relationships and friendships between women are shown in the case of Ruth & Naomi. Ruth & Naomi demonstrate that good friendships can be created with others and act as sources of encouragement, support, and affirmation. Non-blood relationships can be stronger than blood or family relationships through loyalty.
Similar to today’s women, some of the women in the Bible experienced sexual violence. The third lesson from the women studied in class that God redeems victims of sexual violence and all victims of injustice. Tamar, who was a victim of injustice, shows there is hope for love, healing, and justice. As part of redemption, women need to be brave and stand up for their beliefs and rights. Esther shows that being brave is essential for redemption as she constantly faced the threat of abuse and death. However, she stood up for herself and her people, which demonstrates the sort of courage today’s women need (Hertzenberg par, 4).
The other valuable lesson drawn from women discussed in the class is that corruption, anger, and vengeance can be a source of pain and death. Delilah and Jezebel used corruption and anger to instill pain and even cause the death of others. While the fate of Delilah is unknown, Jezebel’s actions ended up causing her a painful death in which she was thrown from a window and most of her body devoured by dogs.
As shown in the case of Deborah & Jael, some of the women in the Bible teaches us the importance of acting on opportunities that God brings our way. Jael took advantage of the God-given opportunity and used available resources (Martin par, 10). Rahab also demonstrates the significance of taking advantage of God’s opportunity by protecting the spies.
Works Cited
Hertzenberg, Stephanie. “8 Powerful Lessons You Learn From Biblical Women.” Beliefnet, Beliefnet, 20 Feb. 2019, www.beliefnet.com/faiths/christianity/8-powerful-lessons-you-learn-from-biblical-women.aspx.
Martin, Jenna. “5 Powerful Lessons from the Unusual Story of Jael.” Biblestudytools.com, Salem Web Network, 5 July 2019, www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/explore-the-bible/5-powerful-lessons-from-the-unusual-story-of-jael.html.