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Print In a society saturated with choices, sometimes it’s nice to receive some knowledgeable recommendations. --------- I enjoy studying remarkable women of the Bible. What wonderful stories of women—sometimes virtuous, sometimes just plain evil—yet all of them can provide lessons to strengthen our spiritual lives. Unfortunately, I have found this source of spiritual examples to be largely untapped by ministers and speakers. I can think of no recent message that referenced any woman of the Bible. Well, maybe there was a passing reference to Mary, the mother of Jesus, at Christmas and/or Easter. Other than Sunday School, I seldom hear of Miriam, Deborah, or Abigail, whose lives are presented in rich detail with numerous explanations critical to successful Christian living. And never have I heard a minister mention Huldah or the daughters of Zelophehad. I do still love to hear messages about David, Noah, the disciples of Jesus, and Paul, but why limit messages to the exploits of biblical men? I challenge you to discover the valuable lessons from women of the Bible. Here are a few references to get you started. Every Woman in the Bible by Sue and Larry Richards, Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1999 An excellent source when you just need to identify a woman in the Bible, but far more than that. Each entry examines the woman’s role in the Bible, a close-up view of her character, concluding with how that character serves as an example for us today. With charts, illustrations, topical and scriptural indexes, biographical entries, and chapters on the culture of the different eras represented, Every Woman in the Bible makes for fascinating reading, as well as an indispensable reference tool for Sunday School teachers and ministers. Amazing how many of these I had never before noticed! This is my personal favorite. Men and Women of the Word: 45 Meditations on Biblical Heroes by JaroslavVajda Concordia Publishing House, 1996. Written as devotions, the author discusses only well-known biblical women (Sarah, maid of Naaman’s wife, Mary, Dorcas) and they are far outnumbered by the illustrious men. However, the profiles provide inspiration for all of us as we read of the wisdom, love, courage, and trust of both Old and New Testament characters. Bad Girls of the Bible: And What We Can Learn from Them by Liz Curtis Higgs Waterbrook Press, 1999 Higgs says we can learn plenty from the “bad” girls of the Bible. She fictionalizes the stories to provide insight into what we can learn from these characters, such as Eve, Lot’s wife, Delilah, and Sapphira. Each chapter concludes with “Good Girl Thoughts Worth Considering,” and a study guide of additional scriptures for each woman provided at the back of the book. Higgs has a second volume entitled Really Bad Girls of the Bible: More Lessons from Less-than-Perfect Women (Waterbrook Press, 2000). Written in the same contemporary fictionalized format, Higgs discusses more “bad” women from whom we can learn, such as Herodias, Tamar, Athaliah, and the medium of En Dor. Notable Women of Scripture by Ken Gurley, Word Aflame Press, 1994. Gurley shares the scriptural account of 17 biblical women and insight into the lessons we should learn from their lives. Also included are examples of other biblical and historical characters, as well as anecdotes of modern-day people to make his comments even more interesting. After having read this book, I no longer view Queen Vashti in a negative light. Gurley says that she is to be admired for not giving in to the king’s request to appear before him and his (probably drunken) friends. And he likens Abigail to one’s conscience, a completely intriguing thought to me. ninetyandnine.com © 2004, Shirley McDonald --------- Shirley McDonald is a copy editor for ninetyandnine.com when she’s not working, or finishing up her doctoral program.
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