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11 Female Singletons in the Bible Finding single women in the Bible is a challenge! When I was asked to speak to the single women at my church, this idea somehow came to me. I began researching, not knowing how many I would even find. I'm going to name 11 because 11 single women exhausted all of my resources. I went on the premise that these women were single because no other information said they were married. (The reference books are quite explicit when a woman is married.) They might have married at some point after their mention in scripture, but for my purposes, they are single. I think its important to recognize roles, whether large or small, that both singles and women can play in the kingdom of God. Therefore, let me introduce, the "Top 10 Single Women in the Bible!" Tying for the tenth (or last) spot... 10. Euodias and Syntche (Philippians 4:2), could have been either deacons or hostesses of church groups that met in their homes. These women must have argued over something because Paul wants them to resolve their differences and work towards unity. They did work with Paul to spread the gospel. These two women represent both having a ministry that can make a difference and letting petty disputes obscure your focus from that ministry. 9. Mary (Romans 16:6), doesn't have much said about her. Paul concludes this book with greetings to several people and mentions her as bestowing much labor on him. She represents a ministry in serving. 8. Phoebe (Romans 16:1,2), was a deacon in Cenchrea and Paul gave her a personal recommendation to Rome to welcome her. She represents leadership in a church capacity. 7. Susanna (Luke 8:2,3), followed Jesus and supported him financially. Again, not much is said about her, but she was one of several women that did support Jesus' ministry in a financial capacity, according to Luke. She represents ministry through finances. 6. Lydia (Acts 16:13-15, 40) is the first European converted to the Gospel under Paul's preaching at Phillipi. Acts mentions her being quite wealthy (as a seller of purple), 'whose heart the Lord opened' (Acts 16:14). She offers to take care of Paul and his company at her home. She represents leadership by example and godly influence (because her whole house was baptized), as well as a ministry through finances. 5. Damaris (Acts 17:34) became a Christian after Paul's sermon on Mars Hill. To do this, Damaris would have had to overcome a strong Greek culture with a huge pantheon of gods to find Jesus. Much like Lydia, she represents an open heart to the Lord. 4. Dorcas a.k.a. Tabitha (Acts 9:36-42) was well known for her charitable works. She made coats and garments for the widows in her town. When Dorcas died unexpectedly, Peter prayed for her and she was resurrected. This resulted in many believing in the Lord. She represents a ministry of giving of herself in love. 3. Martha, Mary and Lazarus' sister, (Luke 10, John 11 and 12), is well known for serving the Lord as a good hostess, but losing focus of Jesus through her serving. She represents a servant ministry and a personal friendship with Jesus. 2. Mary Magdalene (Matthew 27, Mark 16, and John 19, among others) was delivered from demonic possession by Jesus, followed him, and also supported him financially. She stood by Jesus' mother at His crucifixion, was present at his burial, and was the first person to whom Jesus revealed Himself after his resurrection Jesus changed her life dramatically and she never stopped following him, even to the cross. She represents loyalty to one's faith, and ministry through personal actions and finances. 1. Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus, (John 11 and 12) is my favorite. She was a friend and follower of Jesus and knew how to appreciate His presence. She anointed Jesus' feet with precious oil. She represents the need to appreciate Jesus' presence more than anything else. Because of Mary's actions and willingness to be criticized for the sake of being close to Jesus, she qualifies as my number one single woman in the Bible. For a woman to be specifically named in the Bible was unusual. The fact that the different ministries or actions that these women represented are mentioned is doubly important because their culture gave them every excuse not to make a difference. After all, they were women! Even worse, single women! What better examples to succeed in today's culture than 11 women who broke the mold to serve the Savior!
ninetyandnine.com © Alicia Becton, 1999 ------- Alicia Becton works in the insurance field and coaches a Junior Bible Quizzing team in Nashville. A graduate of the University of Missouri - St. Louis, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Mathematics, she travels the country often - though she tries to avoid the boring drive between Nashville and St. Louis whenever possible. Have an opinion on an article? Let us know how you feel! Click feedback & fill us in. |
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