How could a marriage so broken, weighted by the burden of abuse and unchecked addiction, bring any good to Abigail? And yet, God had a magnificent purpose in this apparently mismatched couple, as Abigail’s story reveals.
Rebekah: Single-Hearted Faith
Rebekah is most remembered for her elaborate—and successful—plan to fool Isaac into giving Jacob both the birthright blessing and the Abrahamic blessings, the promises of God. Her intelligence, persevering faith, and costly sacrifice are often forgotten in the negative reading of her account. Lessons about consequences and familial dysfunction are drawn from her story, but seldom is her single-hearted devotion to God and to God's word highlighted.
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Martha: From Burdened to Beatified
Most of us remember the Martha depicted in Luke’s Gospel, the busy beaver who is reprimanded by Jesus, and chastened to be more like her spiritual sister Mary. Or, at least, that is the sermon I’ve heard many a time. But I do not think that is the Martha Jesus knew and knows to this day. Imagine, with me, a very different story.
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Leah: Tender-Eyed Faith
How could God allow such an unhappy marriage of unrequited love, intense loneliness, continuing rejection, and Leah’s broken heart, with seemingly no hope for change? And yet the Lord did have a plan in mind, a purpose so crucial it involved the salvation of the world: for the faith that matured in Leah was the faith her sons would grow up in.
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Mary of Bethany: Choosing the Better Part
"... And it will not be taken from her." Mary of Bethany's account reveals an emotionally sensitive and spiritually attuned disciple of Jesus, one who was ready to break through the barriers of her culture and time. Each of the scenes in her story place her at Jesus's feet, in some of the more intimate moments in Jesus's own life.
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The Witch of Endor, Unexpected Grace
The Witch of Endor has been much vilified over the course of these thousands of years. She was, after all, a necromancer, one who communicated with the dead. God had expressly forbidden such interactions, not because the dark arts were counterfeit, but rather because God forbade intercourse with any other spiritual powers than God alone. Israel’s covenant was one of express fidelity to Almighty God and no other. Still, on second and third read, intriguing possibilities and perplexing questions arise.
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Free Bible Studies
This series of Bible studies seeks to retell the stories of women who were divinely called and empowered to do great things. Many of them rose to the occasion, and a few very famously did not. Often, the tragedies and triumphs in their lives are missed, and their stories are told from perspectives other than with the honor and dignity they deserve.
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HER STORY: Christ’s Ministry, Woman Caught in Adultery
Most Bibles point out that the earliest manuscripts do not include this story, and sometimes it appears in Luke However, Jerome, in 383 AD, included it in his translation of the Gospel of John, right after chapter 7, where it is usually found today. Jerome noted that many ancient Greek and Latin manuscripts at his … Continue reading HER STORY: Christ’s Ministry, Woman Caught in Adultery
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HER STORY: Christ’s Ministry, Herodias
Herodias’ story is introduced in both Mathew’s gospel and Mark’s with Herod Antipas hearing reports about Jesus’ astonishing miraculous powers. "Some were saying, 'John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; and for this reason these powers are at work in him.' But others said, 'It is Elijah.' And others said, 'It is a … Continue reading HER STORY: Christ’s Ministry, Herodias
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HER STORY: Kings and Queens, Esther
There is some debate as to whether the book of Esther is historical, or possibly written as a play or allegory. Haman’s seventy-five foot gallows, the difficulty in establishing which king—and more notably, which queen—Esther’s story describes, and the depiction of a few unlikely scenes such as a massive, three-day civil war which is completely … Continue reading HER STORY: Kings and Queens, Esther
