Bible Characters

Micah...

2012-01-09T21:13:00.000-05:00

this is not Micah the prophet... this is a man from the days before Israel had a king...

his mother had some money stolen and spoke a curse on the person who stole the money... so he comes to her and tells her that he took the money and gives it back.. she uses this money to have an idol created.. in honor of her son.. but supposedly a representation of who we know as God.. who we all know HATES idolatry... so first he sets one of his own sons up as a priest in his house... then a levite from bethlehem was traveling and he hires this priest to be the priest for his home... the levite agrees.. later on.. the tribe of dan comes and takes the idols and the priest and set them up in the temple for the tribe...

the bible states twice in this reading (judges 17-18) that this was a time when there was no king and so all men did whatever they thought was right... I find it strange that they felt they needed a king to lead them to what was right... why wouldn't the word of God be what was used to lead them on the right path... why wouldn't you follow a priest rather than a king in the things of God...

I imagine a piece of this issue would be because the towns were far apart.. the houses and land large.. so if you didn't have a priest on your own land.. then you wouldn't be likely to be able to travel to the temple more than once or twice a year...

strangely though.. the entire tribe of dan forgets the teachings of moses and worships this idol... I wonder how often this happens to us.. although of course we would say never... how often are we pulled off course by someone else's thoughts and ideas.. yet we know what God really said to us... yet we follow someone else...

I heard someone say that they thought people want a god they can control.. I don't think that is the majority of the issue.. truly.. you cannot control a wooden idol anyways.. it has no power.. there is no control in that... I feel it is about a god we can touch... I think that is how we are so often led astray.. we want a god we can touch and feel.. one we can hear the voice of in an audible way.. one that leads us and guides us... I think that is how kings got so much love and respect from the people.. maybe they couldn't touch him themselves.. but they know someone could.. and they could see him.. and they could hear his voice...

is this why we need a priest? need a head? need a ruler?

some of our greatest issues are the fact that God is unseen... if we can get past that.. we will surely be further ahead... but just because we cannot see God.. cannot feel Him.. we cannot allow ourselves to be mislead.. to go down the wrong path.. to worship someone or something other than the Living God... we must instead be sure that we go to God in prayer.. be sure that we spend time in His word.. know Him... Love Him... receive His love for us... spend time in the temple.. under a true priest.. one who worships the only Living God.. a true and righteous man of God...

this is how we walk the right path while we cannot see or feel our God... know that He leads us daily.. despite the fact that He is unseen...

Sarah 2

2011-11-04T18:55:00.000-04:00

I think that many times when we think about bible characters.. we think about stories.. not real life.. not that we don't believe they are true.. I know I do.. but we don't really put our own emotions on them.. instead we think of them as these super spiritual people who always were able to hold on to God's word or God's thoughts.. always believing... not really looking at them as we feel ourselves..

the example I am thinking about it sarah.. and her giving the maid to her husband because she couldn't have kids.. that is really not all that unrealistic... look how many couples do surrogate mothers.. and nowadays they don't have to actually sleep with them.. but it really wasn't that long ago that they did...

and my thought was.. like all of us.. if you have ever had someone cheat on you.. you think about how mad you are at that man... how you are really not sure you can overcome this.. and true to form for us females.. she hated this woman for sleeping with her husband... she is mad at him.. but thinks if the woman is not in her face then she can get over it about him...

and I was thinking.. man.. she really must have cried and felt all that we feel... she must have felt betrayed and unloved... think back to our own circumstances.. what did it take for us to get over it.. or did we never get over it at all...

I think with me.. I didn't get over the betrayal.. I mean.. I forgave him... I couldn't continue in the relationship though... it takes a very special woman to be able to really stay with a man after that... it's not about the sex part.. it is the emotional thing.. the idea that he may have loved her more than me.. and in my own situation.. that was reality... she really was the woman I believe was his soul mate.. the one who really connected with him... or look at my situation when I was with a married man... he stayed with her because I left.. but he really did love me... that is really hard to swallow or accept...

I can absolutely see some of sarah's thinking.. she is 90 years old... even if their years aren't the same as ours.. it said that her body was dead.. meaning she had been through menopause... so since God had promised her a child... I can see her saying to him.. that she is too old to have a child so sleep with this younger woman to have a child that I have been promised.. I can admit in real life that thought has also crossed my own mind.. not that I would tell him to do it.. just that maybe it would happen and that would be where the baby came from... LOL! that is so crazy... LOLOLOL!!

Herodias

2011-08-26T18:03:00.000-04:00

3 For Herod had arrested and imprisoned John as a favor to his wife Herodias (the former wife of Herod’s brother Philip). 4 John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry her.” 5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of a riot, because all the people believed John was a prophet.

6 But at a birthday party for Herod, Herodias’s daughter performed a dance that greatly pleased him, 7 so he promised with a vow to give her anything she wanted. 8 At her mother’s urging, the girl said, “I want the head of John the Baptist on a tray!” 9 Then the king regretted what he had said; but because of the vow he had made in front of his guests, he issued the necessary orders. 10 So John was beheaded in the prison, 11 and his head was brought on a tray and given to the girl, who took it to her mother.

this is a woman.. who marries her husband's brother... truly.. that type of thing happens even today... how many of us have been caught up in such a thing?
so John the baptist tells the new husband to be... the brother of the current husband.. that he cannot marry her.. that it is against God's law for you to marry her... (it is incest and adultery all rolled into one... and it would surely make a person defiled in God's eyes...)
Herodias... instead of recognizing her sin when God exposes it.. decides she wants the messenger dead.. (there comes the saying "don't kill the messenger"...)
so she enlists her daughter... the daughter of Phillip.. who is the first husband... to dance for the new husband... that by itself isn't quite right to me... I have a 20year old daughter who is very beautiful.. I promise you I will never want her to dance for my new husband who is not her father... anyways.. the daughter is pleasing to the new husband.. alarms and bells should be going off at this point.. but instead.. all Herodias is thinking about is wanting John the baptist dead... so she has the daughter say that what she wants for her dance is John's head on a platter...
Herodias is willing to sacrifice her daughter's honor in my opinion by allowing her to dance for this man.. and then what is she teaching the girl by having her want a man's head on a platter??? what young woman should be so filled with hate that she would even utter the words? what kind of mother is this.... all because John pointed out her sin...
Herod Antipas as the new husband was called felt bad to kill John but had said it in front of all these people... so now his pride is on the line... and he has John beheaded...

look at how Herodias affected just these two closest people in her life.. instead of being a light shining in their lives.. she was a sword and a dagger.. she was death from the pits of hell.. she allowed the enemy to use her to destroy all of these lives.. including her own...

because of Jesus death on the cross.. all of these people had a chance to get their lives right with God and be forgiven of their sin.. there is no record of this in the bible... they are remembered for the wrongs that they lived... not the rights...

we will all be remembered for something... what will you be remembered for? are you a light? or a cloak of darkness and evil?

Barzillai

2011-06-28T21:04:00.000-04:00

Nehemiah: 63 Three families of priests—Hobaiah, Hakkoz, and Barzillai—also returned. (This Barzillai had married a woman who was a descendant of Barzillai of Gilead, and he had taken her family name.) 64 They searched for their names in the genealogical records, but they were not found, so they were disqualified from serving as priests. 65 The governor told them not to eat the priests’ share of food from the sacrifices until a priest could consult the Lord about the matter by using the Urim and Thummim—the sacred lots.

okay.. this one really disturbed my spirit....
first.. the background...
1 Kings 2: 7 “Be kind to the sons of Barzillai of Gilead. Make them permanent guests at your table, for they took care of me when I fled from your brother Absalom.

the 'original' Barzillai protected David from the rebellious Absalom...
so I realize he was a good man.. this is a good man... I get that part..
but biblically.. all blessing flows from the head.. a man is the head... (sorry.. that is the truth.. you don't have to like it or even accept it.. God said it.. I didn't..)so this is a man.. who's original name we don't even know because he took on the name of a woman he married... and even though her name was a good name... he couldn't inherit the blessings from that family.. he couldn't be traced to that family.. because the name of a family comes through a man... so his family.. supposedly was a good family... he was a LEVITE.. A PRIEST.. what would cause you to give up your own good name??? I don't understand... so what happens is that as the people are coming back into Israel from Babylon.. they are being separated by tribe.. and this man wants to be counted as a levite, which was his family tribe.. and he can't.. because he gave up his name.. for a woman... so now.. he can't claim the inheritance based on the wife's name... and he can't claim the inheritance based on his own name either...

men: take up your place as head of the family... the family is blessed based upon you and your name... the value of your family comes through you biblically... lay hands upon your children.. bless your family in word and in deed... stand up and be a godly man.. stand up and lead your family...

women: read the bible... accept the role that God created for you.. be happy that God chose to cover you.. be the godly woman that we are called to be... submissive... loyal... a helpmeet... a man without a woman is helpless... help him.. quit trying to run him.. all this leads to is blocking the blessing the Lord is trying to give you through the head of your household...

Lord teach us to stay in our roles... teach us to be who you have called us to be... teach us to treat one another with love and respect... always.. always putting YOU first... I love you Father.. I praise you!

Tamar

2011-04-28T21:55:00.000-04:00

this is one of the most tragic stories of the bible...

Tamar was born the daughter of King David... how much better does life get than that... other than to be his wife... and as he had many wives.. maybe the daughter was the better role anyways... so she was a virgin.. she was beautiful... the ultimate life so we would think...

then she is told to go prepare food for her half brother Amnon... who is supposedly sick... she goes.. she prepares him food.. he wants her to take it into his bedroom and feed it to him... (first thought.. she was a remarkable woman to be willing to hand feed a grown man... )she apparently had no strange thoughts about this request.. she obeys him... he asks her to sleep with him... she logically asks him not to do this thing.. (as a woman.. she had no rights.. she could not stop it if he was determined..) she tells him to go to their father and that he would allow them to marry... he does not want to do this.. he wants her right now.. he rapes her... then.. she again begs him to marry her... he throws her out of the house..

after he has had her he hates her... isn't that about the most horrifying thing? he forces her to do something that she knows is wrong and then he hates her because he had no self control...

she goes to her brother Absaloms house and tells him what happened.. she never leaves his house again... she spends the rest of her days in sackcoth and ashes.. mourning.. because a man destroyed her and she had no control over it...

worse yet her father.. the king... while he was angry about it.. he did nothing to rectify the situation... according to jewish law he should have been forced to marry her... I don't know if that would have been better or worse... it would have been worse because he hated her because of his own shortcomings... it would have been better because she would not have to spend the rest of her life in guilt and shame and having never been given justice.. never had her worth restored to her... she was the daughter of one of the greatest kings of all time.. yet she is worth nothing because of the selfishness and greed of a man...

Father... whatever our situation is... whatever has been done to us.. whatever we have done to ourselves... allow us to see our value through your eyes instead of the eyes of men... change the men of this world.. cause them to stand up and take responsibility of their actions.. to commit to us.. to love us instead of lust us... to be pure and moral... show us our own value so that we do not allow our bodies to be the only value we see... the only attribute that we see as something we can give a man... cause us to see instead that our true value is in our spirit.. the spirit of God living within us.. allow us to only give away the God within us until a man commits to us... show us how to be upright and just.. how to be moral and pure... help us to be all that you have caused us to be.. in Jesus name I pray.. amen.amen.amen. thank you Lord.. I love you so much... truly Lord.. truly I do...

Reuben

2011-03-21T10:00:00.000-04:00

the firstborn son of Jacob... the son of Leah... in the jewish culture, being the firstborn held a lot of weight.. this should have been the most prominent of Jacob's sons.. yet somehow.. as often we find through the bible, this does not turn out to be the case...

when Leah names him, her thoughts are "the Lord has seen my misery, surely my husband will love me now" because it was so important for a man to have a son to carry on his family lineage... so she thought this would make him love her... to give her value.. yet it does not... but she realizes that the Lord has seen her sorrow...

when Reuben was a young boy he brings his mother some mandrakes which were said to cause fertility.. which Leah sells to Rachel for a night with Jacob...

the next thing we hear is that Reuben has slept with Bilhah, his father's concubine.. who was Rachel's servant... this is a horrendous thing to do in jewish history.. to sleep with the same woman as your father has slept with.. it is a form of disrespect.. a form of belittling your father...

Reuben was the one that saved Joseph's life when the brothers plotted to kill him... Reuben's intention was to have Joseph thrown in a well then to go back and get him out afterwards without letting his brother's know he did this... it turned out though that Judah and the other brothers sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites without Reuben knowing it... he was distraught when he came back to save Joseph and he was gone...

later on.. when they take Benjamin to meet Joseph, although they do not know who Joseph is, Reuben tells his father that if Benjamin does not return.. then he can take Reuben's two sons...

Jacob says of Reuben... in his dying days when he is pronouncing the blessing on his family... “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength,the child of my vigorous youth.You are first in rank and first in power.
But you are as unruly as a flood, and you will be first no longer. For you went to bed with my wife; you defiled my marriage couch."

so Reuben lost his standing of firstborn because of having sinned against his father... but when Moses blesses the tribes of Israel later.. his blessing was... “Let Reuben live and not die, nor his people be few.”

so he was blessed or at least his descendants were.. by Moses later on...

I think that Reuben was a good man.. his downfall seemed to me to be jealousy or bitterness.. as it is with so many of us... Reuben may have seen his mother hurt by his father and Rachel for many years.. he surely saw the favoritism that his father bestowed upon the sons of Rachel... and these things caused him, and the other brothers too, to lash out in jealousy...

we have to be careful when we allow feelings to fester into bitterness.. we need to continually lay before God and give up our emotions of having been wronged... that is the only way to remain pure before God... we will all be wronged at some point in this life.. yet somehow we have to give these hurts to God and allow Him to do His will toward people.. for vengence is Mine says the Lord.. we do wrong when we try to go against those who wrong us...

Hezekiah...

2011-03-16T12:38:00.000-04:00

Hezekiah became king when he was 25 years old... can you imagine running a country when you are only 25 years old.. I am honest enough to admit that I did not have a lick of sense at 25 and would have been NO GOOD in leadership... he was king of Judah and within the first week of his reign he began opening up the temple that had been closed by the previous kings... he appointed priests from the levites to purify themselves then begin to restore and cleanse and purify the temple.. it took only 16 days.. they began again to worship God as they had been taught by their ancestors.. they sacrificed before the Lord... they again began to hold the feasts that were commanded in the law.. they celebrated God as they did in the previous days... he was pleasing to God...

he rebelled against the Assyrian king whom the Judeans had previously paid tribute to... the Assyrian army intended to destroy him as they had done to the previous kings of Judah.. but Hezekiah trusted God and God told him through Isaiah the prophet not to worry.. that God would rescue him.. and surely while the Assyrian king talked much noise about God being unable to rescue them.. they were defeated while they were sleeping by the army of the Lord.. and Hezekiah did not even fight against them.. they went running back home.. and the Assyrian king (Sennacherib) was killed by his own sons...there was peace in the land of Judah while Hezekiah was king because he was pleasing in the eyes of the Lord...

Hezekiah developed a boil and was on the way to death... Isaiah came and told him to get his affairs in order that he was going to die.. and he cried out to the Lord and reminded God how faithful he had been to him.. so God sent Isaiah right back in the room to tell him he would live.. giving him 15 more years... Isaiah told them what to use to make an ointment and Hezekiah was healed... God moved the sundial back 10steps as a sign of his healing.. meaning God moved back time.. (I am unsure how much time is measured by a step on a sundial)

a babylonian king came to visit Hezekiah and to wish him well... Hezekiah took him all through the palace showing him everything that Hezekiah had.. God considered this pride.. and later on.. the babylonians took everything that was in the palace... and Hezekiah was just thankful that it did not happen in his lifetime... (I could see me thinking like that.. but I wouldn't want my sons to endure it either...)

Hezekiah did good in the eyes of the Lord...

Gomer..

2011-03-15T10:13:00.001-04:00

well you can't look at Gomer without revisiting Hosea...
Hosea 1: 2 The first time God spoke to Hosea he said: "Find a whore and marry her. Make this whore the mother of your children. And here's why: This whole country has become a whorehouse, unfaithful to me, God." 3 Hosea did it.

well.. how about if GOD calls you a whore... sheesh... and how about if the FIRST time God speaks to you this is the message you get... imagine THAT!!

okay.. well my heart goes out to Gomer somewhat... let's try to see her side of this whole thing... first of all.. what makes a woman promiscuous? what is it that gives us a 'whore' mentality? I would say.. she is actually looking for love I believe.. but when the world is all our mind knows for love.. our vision is distorted.. our desires are distorted.. and what we THINK makes us happy is distorted...

I would by no means call myself a whore ever in my life.. but I imagine God would have.. as I was so afraid of love.. that all I wanted was sexual satisfaction.. without emotional attachment... now I have issues though.. so me personally.. I have not been with many men.. but I think this is the beginning of that type of thing happening to someone...

so Hosea marries Gomer.. and she has some children by him.. but she leaves him... she goes off with other lovers... and she has children that are not from her husband... Hosea goes to these men who now believe they own her.. which makes me imagine she was literally a prostitute with a pimp.. and he buys her back... because this is what God has commanded him to do...

he makes her stay celibate for a while... before he will be close with her again.. so as not to defile himself.. now while I understand why he had to do that.. can you imagine how she must have felt.. this man buys her back then won't be close to her because she is defiled.. she is dirty.. she is unclean... and we wonder why she would rather be with the street man.. who is also defiled.. so what does he care if she is defiled.. for him it is just a good time... he likes her...

this is the last we hear of Gomer.. when Hosea buys her back and he is commanded to love her as God loves the people of Israel... we don't know what happened.. did she stay.. did she run... did Hosea father these children alone?

as this story is the replica of God loving the children of Israel.. and the people DO return to God and they DO love Him.. they ARE thankful that He is such a loving Husband... then we also have the right to believe that this also happened in the story of Gomer and Hosea... because Hosea was faithful to God and did what God commanded.. I choose to believe that Gomer responded to the love of her husband.. and came to serve her husband's God and also to love her husband... again.. this is not in the bible.. there is no ending in the bible.. this is how I CHOOSE to BELIEVE God's love story ends... as I know God loves me in spite of my past unfaithfulness to Him...

Michal

2011-03-04T08:42:00.002-05:00

michal... the daughter of saul.. given to david as a wife.. the bible tells us that she loved david and saul was pleased.. saul.. who was king.. gives his daughter to david as his wife... david must have wanted her pretty badly as he killed 100 philistines and brought to saul their foreskins as the price for the bride... basically.. he bought her with the lives of 100 of the enemies men...she must have loved him in the beginning because she helped him on to escape her father trying to kill him when he was in his jealous rage...

they were separated for a while because david fled.. but he went back for her... I wonder what happened during the time they were separated... because you hear nothing more until David brings the ark into Jeruselum and the bible tells us that michal is watching from the window and she depises him in her heart..

david was in the street... praising the Lord... thankful for the ark being brought into Jeruselum because the ark represented the presence of God.. so this was bringing God back with him.. of course he was praising and very happy... look how we act when we get in the presence of the Lord.. but michal was angry that he was our in the streets taking off his clothes and causing women to look at him... now in the natural.. if my husband were in public drawing attention from females to himself.. of course I can understand her anger.. but this is not natural.. it is spiritual... and he didn't even consider the people around him.. as far as David was concerned.. the only two there were him and God... and he just got caught up...

the cost.. she was never to have children... that was the price she paid for the way she spoke to the man in authority over her...

he was coming home to bless his household... her.. he was coming home to bless HER and she meets him at the door with harsh words and jealousy... and he returns her harsh words.. and she is cursed... we expect the one we love to rejoice with us.. yet sometimes.. they are so caught up in their own thoughts that they cannot see yours...

I wonder what happened during the time of separation that caused her to seem as though she no longer loved him... how often do we harden our hearts toward the one we are in covenant with... and then we divorce.. we walk away.. we take on foreign men and women.. all because we did not keep the love alive within our heart during a time of separation...

Jonah

2011-02-28T10:24:00.001-05:00

most of us know the story of Jonah... God called him to go and preach the word of God to a particular city.. and he did not want to do it... so he ran in the other direction... he gets on a ship headed for a city far away from where God was sending him and God sends a storm... and everyone is going to die on the boat... so he tells the sailors to throw him over and that the sea will calm... and God sends a great fish.. we all imagine to be a whale... and it swallows him up.. but he doesn't die... he sits in the fish for 3 days.. and then tells God he will surely go to ninevah.. the fish spits him out.. he goes to ninevah.. he preaches of God and the city is saved... but then.. amazingly.. instead of being glad.. he is angry with God... as though he did not want them to be saved...

can you imagine being on the ship.. and the storm beginning... I won't ask can you imagine running from God.. we all run from God.. to the darkest place we can find thinking that God will not follow us there... but He does... strangely.. God doesn't seem to care where He has to go to get us.. He will come get us and pull us up out... how many times has a storm begun because we have run from God... maybe not a storm like Jonah dealt with... but a storm of another sort... financial distress... illness.. whatever it is that God uses to get our attention... and maybe it only lasts as long as till we see that God is the one in control... just like Jonah's storm... his time in the fish only lasted until he was willing to go the direction God wanted him to go.. when will we ever realize that God's way is the only way there is... we try to run.. we try to hide... there is no where to go that God is not there... funny.. God uses the EXACT same words in Chapter 3 of Jonah as He does in Chapter one... telling Jonah that he is to go to ninevah... we keep thinking God is going to change His mind if we don't like something... the bible says that God is not a man that He should change His mind... when He says something.. He means it.. and sometimes He will go silent until we decide to do what He said...

I think we all need to be cautious about trying to take God's glory on ourselves for our little part of kingdom work.. I think Jonah was angry.. not because they were saved.. are we really ever angry when someone is saved? I can't imagine that is the issue.. I am thinking it is because he thought he would get there.. he would preach and the whole city would be destroyed and HE WOULD GET ALL THE ATTENTION... that he was such an awesome man.. and God used him to wipe out all these heathens... and clean up the world.. using HIM... all emphasis being on HIM.. none being on God.. and he gets mad.. because God is getting all the attention and all the glory... that is a terrible thing.. it comes down to being prideful...

I am thankful that God is gracious.. He gives us another chance when we fall... He doesn't take away our promises just because we have disobeyed.. He brings His will to pass in spite of us... yet still using us... He changes us.. changes our minds.. changes our hearts until we can line up with His will... I am thankful...

Rachel

2011-02-22T10:30:00.001-05:00

I have never been loved like this... every woman wants a man to love her like Jacob loved Rachel...

first comment would be that Rachel was a worker... she was a shepherd.. I don't know how often women would work with the animals... I find it strange that she did not work at the house like I would expect women to work... but maybe.. that made her special to Jacob... if we remember back.. Jacob sat up under his mother at the house... he was not a good worker.. but he could cook.. he had soft hands and skin because he did not work outside while his brother... Esau worked the fields...

Genesis 29: 18 Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.” 19 Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. 21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.”

first thought is.. 7 years were only a few days to him... I don't know about you but when I am waiting for something I want it seems to make time drag on... not get shorter... greater thought being... give me my wife... he already considered her his wife.. all the time before they were married... and.. I want to make love to her... not that he wanted to be satisfied... he wanted to show her how much he loved her... in the physical form of making love... what a thing to have a man say... it wasn't about him.. it was about her...

God allowed Rachel to remain childless because she was loved so much by her husband... it was a kind thing to do for Leah.. but it wasn't Rachels fault that she was loved by her husband and he was given her sister that he did not love... her father did this to them.. yet they had to pay the price for it.. so she has her servant sleep with her husband to give her children... I don't care what the situation is.. I am not okay with my husband sleeping with someone else.. I am SURELY not going to send him off to do it... Genesis 30: 22 Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.” disgraced because she did not have children.. that makes it more understandable to 'need' children.. some part of the woman's value was in her ability to bear children... and God granted her wish.. twice.. and the second one cost her life...

Genesis 31:19 When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household gods. Laban chased them as they left claiming that someone has stolen his idol. Jacob curses the person that has the idols... Genesis 31:31 Jacob answered Laban, “I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force. 32 But if you find anyone who has your gods, that person shall not live. In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself whether there is anything of yours here with me; and if so, take it.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods. could this have been the reason she died at a young age? we all have to be careful to never allow anything to come before God...

Ruth 4:11 Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.

regardless of the fact that Rachel died at a young age.. or the fact that she had only two children.. Rachel is remembered for two things in my opinion... one being that Jacob loved her greatly.. enough to work 14 years to marry her... the other being the fact that she and her sister Leah were the mothers to the tribes of Israel... that is a very great honor indeed...

Dinah? (the wife of Job)

2011-02-18T11:27:00.001-05:00

well.. I never knew the wife of Job was supposedly the daughter of Jacob! what do you think about that? now I am surely not saying it is the truth, just something written about the woman...
there was no need for her name in the bible in my opinion.. she was not worth remembering for who she was.. she is more worth remembering for who she is not...

when we read proverbs, especially 31.. it gives us the qualities of a godly wife.. the qualities a man needs in a wife... things we should strive toward being... it tells us things to avoid being.. such as nagging.. complaining... proverbs 12: 4 A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones.

so we look at the wife of Job.. Job 2: 9 His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.” 10 But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.

that is how this woman is remembered... telling her husband to curse God and die... how will we be remembered? as a wife? as a woman of God? are we encouraging? are we uplifting? are we covering our husband in prayer and protection? is our home a place of peace and rest? does he look forward to coming home? does he think of love when he thinks of us? are we a shining example of love for him? regardless of his actions or circumstances.. who he is has nothing to do with what is required of you...

Job 42: 12 So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters. 14 He named his first daughter Jemimah, the second Keziah, and the third Keren-happuch. 15 In all the land no women were as lovely as the daughters of Job. And their father put them into his will along with their brothers.
16 Job lived 140 years after that, living to see four generations of his children and grandchildren. 17 Then he died, an old man who had lived a long, full life.

this woman.. despite her negativity.. despite her not being a good wife.. someone that stands by you when things go badly.. she was still able to receive the blessings that God bestowed upon her husband...

we cannot only stand by a man when things go our way.. if that is the type of person we are.. what value are we? are we striving to be a crown on his head or a decay in his bones... yet the blessings from God come through a man... although I know women do not want to hear that.. they feel they are equal.. find it in the bible... find a place in the bible where God enters a covenant with a woman... stand up and be a woman of God.. a woman of proverbs 31.. be remembered for the positive things you say and do.. not the one hateful line that you have spoken.. allow the positive to far outweigh the negative... be a light for a man to come home to.. instead of a cold draft on a cold night...

revision: according to the apocryphal Testament of Job (which is a book of Jewish descent that was not added in the bible)(I have been told by my pastor that these books don't count for validity and I can't use them as a source when arguing with him.. LOL!) states that the FIRST wife of Job was named Sitis, she is the one that was quoted, she supposedly died during his trials (as if they weren't bad enough.. sheesh..) and he afterward married Jacob's daughter Dinah... again... the truth of these statements is unsure as they are not quoted in the bible...

Esther

2011-02-16T08:13:00.000-05:00

we all think of Esther as such a lucky woman.. she was the queen.. not just one of the wives.. but the QUEEN... the first lady to a KING... of course there were other wives.. concubines.. but she was able to know that she was the very favorite...

but lets dig a little deeper... first of all... her whole life's purpose was in this position... and while on the outside.. we may feel it was a leisurely life.. a life of luxury and of happiness... things usually are not what they appear... any of us who have the smallest amount of insecurity would be able to see this from an entirely different perspective..

1. she did not marry for love.. her whole life she was being prepared for this position that without God's purpose in it.. she would never have even gotten.. she missed out on alot of things in her young life because of this preparation... everything that she was.. was for this one man... she probably didn't even know him other than what he wanted in bed.. it's not like he talked to her.. his talking was with his advisors.. her whole purpose in the palace was to please him.. sexually... or whatever other way he wanted at the time... we don't know if she ever loved him.. but my thought is that God controls our hearts.. and he will put love in us so that we can be happy in the situation He plans for us...

2. he had LOTS of other women.. who do you know that wants to share a man with other women? those women had the same purpose to him that you did.. satisfying him... what a great life that is.. right? how would you ever feel a man loved you when you have to share him with a vast amount of other people.. and as women.. we need to be given affection more than sex.. we want to be held and whispered sweet things to..

3. her position was given to her because of her appearance and performance... all of us know that beauty fades.. so what would happen to her then? and as far as her performance goes... well.. many of us have special gifts and qualities... that does not make who we are... it is not hard to keep a man... especially if God has gifted you... but eventually someone would be younger.. prettier... just as gifted.. without love.. do you have stability? surely as Vashti was put out just before her, she was probably insecure..

but it so happens that because God put Esther in the position.. she would have stability... it happens that the king actually did love her.. again.. none of this due to her, but instead due to God's favor on her... her true purpose... to save the jews from the evil man wanting to destroy her uncle and in so doing, destroying ALL the jews.. so she has to go see this man.. who is supposed to be her husband.. but she has to REQUEST TO SEE HIM.. on top of that.. she was really not allowed to do that.. she was supposed to wait until he called for her.. but in her obedience to God.. she puts her life on the line and asks to see him... I am sure she was thinking... why did God put me in this position just to kill me?

but because of God's purpose for her position and for her life... the king is favorable toward her.. and she rescues the jews from being destroyed...

that is all we ever hear about her... don't you wonder what else happened? but she had served her purpose so there is no need to tell us anything more.. I pray I am faithful to fulfill my purpose regardless of whether or not it is pleasant or easy... I pray that God will give me strength and understanding to know that my only value is in Him.. not in man... and I pray that God will give me love from a man in the process of fulfilling His ultimate will and purpose...

Leah

2011-02-09T09:08:00.000-05:00

there is not much written about Leah that makes her likeable.. my personal thought is that we all wish to be a Rachel.. not a Leah.. but do you think God felt like that? I don't.. I think Leah was possibly more special to God than Rachel ever would be...

Jacob wants to marry Rachel.. so he works 7 years for her.. the night he is supposed to go in to complete the covenant and sleep with her... it turns out to not be her.. it is instead Leah... Laban, their father, has sent Leah into Jacob stating that the older daughter had to marry first... now personally... I don't care HOW dark it is... you KNOW who you are sleeping with... my thought is that he didn't care at the moment... you can't make me believe that he didn't realize she didn't feel like or smell like or talk like Rachel... but.. because covenant comes from blood being shed.. or seed being spilled.. he is stuck with Leah... he gets Rachel too but he has to work 7 more years for her..

if you read the bible.. Leah seemed to be a quieter disposition.. she seems more meek and mild tempered.. she prays to God who opens her womb and she bears all these children for a man that doesn't realize he loves her... through this marriage... she fulfills the purpose of a woman.. all along she plays second place to her sister Rachel... she continues on... I imagine in this time she realizes that despite her relationship with her husband.. all that she really can find comfort or love in is God... I believe her relationship with God is real and righteous regardless of her circumstances...

Rachel dies as an early age.. she is buried on the side of the road as they are traveling... Leah lives a long life with Jacob... she is buried beside him... Rachel may have gotten all the recognition from Jacob early on.. but in the end.. Leah was what he needed.. she was constant.. she was trustworthy.. she was faithful... no matter what mistakes we make in life.. God will turn them to the good.. His will is going to happen.. all we have to do is trust Him and wait upon the Lord...

Genesis 29:31 When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben,for she said, “It is because the LORD has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.”

we can see that it is an issue for Leah that she was not loved by Jacob.. it was obviously an issue for God too.. He continued to bless her with children... I believe she had a special relationship with God because of this... God loved her...

Job

2011-01-27T08:37:00.001-05:00

Job was a righteous man... God loved him and he loved God... he was prosperous... he had a good life... all in a few days... the enemy went to God to say that Job only loved God because of what God has given him and done for him.. God knew that was not true so he allowed satan to 'test' Job.. to take everything from him slowly... even his health.. he lost his possessions.. he lost his children.. he lost his health... and on top of all that misery his wife tells him to just curse God and die.. which he still will not do... despite what he feels... or what has been done to him..

then he has 3 friends who have determined to come and ride this out with him.. off and on... and tell him that he needs to figure out what his sin is and to repent from it so that God will be good to him again... and he has thought and prayed and he is sure that he has not done anything that he has not asked forgiveness of.. he doesn't know what is wrong.. or why this is happening.. but he knows he has been true to God...

what about us... have you ever been in a situation where you have not sinned.. yet you are persecuted.. you cannot leave the situation... you get no reprieve from the pain it causes you... and you wonder where God is.. you don't doubt Him.. you just wonder why you have to go through this... it doesn't seem fair.. but God is not fair.. He did not ask you what you felt when He chose you... He just determined that you will walk through it...

and while we wonder if there is any end in sight... look to chapter 40 where the voice of God comes to Job... I have no idea how long it takes to get to 40 chapters... but I know it is a long time in my own life... and I am not at chapter 40 yet.. where God takes me out of this darkness where I cannot see and I cannot hear and I have to rely on what He said while it was still light... I have to believe that God is not a man who changes His mind as the scripture says... He will stand true to what He said and by my chapter 42... just like Job... God will restore me... at this point.. all I really need is the lights turned back on... I would be thankful for God's hand of blessing but more important to me than that would be the sound of His voice... the touch of His love... that is what I really desire to be restored... as I am sure Job did too... yet God will give us so much more than what we need if we will only be faithful till He gives us the relief that we need...

trust God.. even on the hard days... it will be to your benefit...

Elizabeth

2010-12-14T11:00:00.003-05:00

we find the story of the mother of John the Baptist in Luke 1. she is an old woman and her husband is an old man. well past child bearing years it would seem. her husband is a priest in the temple. the angel Gabriel comes to him to tell him that God has seem his faithfulness and intends to bless him with a special child. this man, Zechariah is his name, doubts that this could be real. and for this doubt he is stricken with silence until the child is born.

it seems that Elizabeth has no such fears and she is thankful and gives God all the credit for this miracle. Luke 1:25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

she had been looked upon with disgrace because she could not have children. in those times that seemed to be looked upon as though God was not pleased with you. I guess it actually is still looked at as though something is wrong with you. maybe not a curse, but surely as an abnormality.

we often feel as we get older that we are no longer of use to God. or that He will not use us in a spectacular way. instead of doubting God, what would happen if we would all begin to believe all that He puts in our spirit? can you imagine the massive move of God that would transpire if we would just believe Him and take His promises as truth and be thankful.

God chose to use her. He chose to bless her with a favored son and she was thankful.

Judith

2010-10-15T11:32:00.002-04:00

okay... this woman is not in the bible we read daily.. she is in the so called Lost Books of the Bible...

she is hailed as a hero.. yet I wonder...

she lived in the time when the Assyrians were attacking Israel.. she is a widow and apparently a beautiful woman... it is first stated that she lived alone, well.. she had a maid that lived with her.. she was left well taken care of by her late husband who had been very wealthy... she was to have given up the rich clothing she wore when she was married and living a meager existance in prayer and supplication... that is the beginning of the story...

in comes this general of the Assyrians named Holophernes... and the Israelites were afraid of him... and they did not go and attack him because of their fear... she hears the Jewish leaders talking and they are not talking of coming against this general who leads under the king Nebuchadnezzar... so as they are not intending to do anything about this man... she takes it upon herself and she goes out of the city gate at night... goes to the Assyrian camp.. and says she has information for Holophernes...

she has put on all her rich clothing that she used to wear when her husband was alive... made herself attractive under the guise of seduction... and is led into this man... he gets drunk... she cuts his head off and carries it back to the Israelites....

okay... here are the questions/issues with this story... that are still in question with us today... does the end justify the means?

women throughout the bible are not given leadership roles... this is just a bible fact.. I am sorry if you do not like it.. a man is to be the head... all the time.. women really were not to be outspoken like we are... they were to be in submission to a man... as are we... so... she had remained humble and lowly all that time.. which was right... then she dresses herself up for seduction... of a 'pagan' man... and cuts his head off... taking the lead role... the role of a liar.. the role of a murderer... yes... she did cut the head off of someone trying to attack God's people... but does that make it right? should it not have been a man that stepped up and led the country to victory? and while we as women like to say that men are not stepping into leadership roles... well of course they aren't.. when do we ever give them an opportunity to? are we quiet enough long enough to allow it to happen? and trust me.. GOD controls the heart of a man... when GOD was ready to step a man up to be against that general... He would have...

Genesis 3:16 To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."

Proverbs 7: 10 Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent. 11 (She is loud and defiant, her feet never stay at home; 12 now in the street, now in the squares, at every corner she lurks.) 13 She took hold of him and kissed him and with a brazen face she said: 14 "I have fellowship offerings [a] at home; today I fulfilled my vows. 15 So I came out to meet you; I looked for you and have found you! 16 I have covered my bed with colored linens from Egypt. 17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon. 18 Come, let's drink deep of love till morning; let's enjoy ourselves with love! 19 My husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey. 20 He took his purse filled with money and will not be home till full moon."

we as women need to be cautious what type of woman we are portraying... are we loud and rebellious, always trying to gain control? or are we God fearing women that allow God to be the true Head of our lives?

Zipporah

2010-06-15T13:54:00.007-04:00

Zipporah was the wife of Moses... I have to give interpretation here because there is conflicting interpretations... the bible only has scripture about Zipporah in Exodus 4 and Exodus 18... surely you should read and determine what you gather for yourself...

Moses married Zipporah from the land of Midian.. her father was Jethro, he was a priest... Moses met her when he fled from the land of Egypt after he killed an Egyptian and was confronted about it by two Hebrews...

she saved the life of Moses... in Jewish law... the male child was to be circumcised on the 8th day... this is the outward sign of man accepting the covenant with God.. and as Moses was working on the whole freeing the people of Israel from Egypt thing... he overlooked this... and God was going to kill him.. (Exodus 4:24-26) but Zipporah, his wife.. took a flint knife and cut off the foreskin of her son and threw it on Moses' foot (although some interpret feet to mean on his genitals), covering him in the blood.. and God relented... and didn't kill him..

one of the roles of a wife is to cover her husband.. sometimes he might get so caught up in the day to day working (as providing is their role) that they often forget details.. and if we as wives don't keep them covered... God may strike them down... I don't think women fully understand the role of the wife... sometimes we feel as though our role is not as important because a man is to be the head and we desire to control everything... but that is not our position... that is the responsiblity of the man... but imagine if we are not doing our part... what God has ordained for us to do... covering him in prayer... supporting him in his decisions... (even if we don't really agree) I think women don't realize that your husband will not be all that he can be if you are not all that you are supposed to be...

then.. in chapter 18 (still in Exodus) Moses sends Zipporah back to her father... now that is really disturbing to me... because this is the last time that she is mentioned... and I am wondering if he sent her back to her father to live forever...

later in numbers 12 it says Moses was married to a Cushite woman... now I had always assumed these two women were the same woman but I am unsure if these are the same woman... I am not sure if Cush and Midian would be the same place... some scholars say they are the same woman... others say they are not...

if they are the same woman, Moses later had to deal with Miriam and Aaron being mad about him marrying a dark skinned woman and God came to the rescue and struck Miriam with leprosy... Moses prayed it off of her but it was a lesson hard learned I am sure...

my thought is that while she was not an Israelite woman she was obviously a woman that served the God of Israel.. she was a good wife... there is nothing negative written about her at all... she was a woman that covered her husband in prayer and in action... she dealt with racism and hatred from her own husband's family... above all.. .she was a woman of God...

Hosea

2010-04-27T14:56:00.002-04:00

Hosea was a prophet... he was called by God to go and marry a prostitute... and he really did it... and she was unfaithful to him... he even went to get her back from off another man... and he had to BUY her back...

before I even start on the spirit side of this... let's look at the human side... have you ever had someone cheat on you and sleep with another person? there are not many things that are as devastating as that... it seems to go much deeper in you than the physical betrayal... it causes you to doubt your self worth... your looks.. your value in general... it also causes you to doubt that this person ever really cared about you to begin with... we can say that it is just a physical act but when you really love someone... it is hard to push that thought from the brain into the heart... and this man is called by God to go back and get her again... does he trust her? could he possibly? does he still love her? can you imagine the amount of love and commitment it would require to actually go through this?

now spiritually... this is what each and every one of us has done to the God that we supposedly love... we keep putting the calling He has placed upon our lives on hold so that we can continue doing what we really want to be doing... this is spiritual adultery... and we expect Him to be faithful... to be there every time we call on Him... we expect Him to love us despite what we do or do not do... but are we loving anyone in that same manner that we want to be loved...

it has been said that this didn't really happen... that it is just an analogy used to help us to understand what God feels about us sometimes... I don't believe that.. I believe that each and every one of us... in our relationships in life are living out an example of what goes on with God and man... but we don't see it that way... if we take the focus off of us and onto God... what would we see? how do we treat God in comparison to how He treats us...

the story never tells us if the woman changes her ways... it doesn't tell us that she ends up loving Hosea... he may have lived his entire life fathering children that were not his in the name of the Lord... he may have lived his life with a woman that never loved him... never wanted him.. to be an example of the love of God to God's people... how many of us love God this seriously?

Bathsheba & David

2009-09-23T15:43:00.004-04:00

The story starts out saying... in the time when kings go to war... David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army... So David, the king, didn't go... Lesson #1. Try not to be in the wrong place at the wrong time...
So this woman, Bathsheba, her husband is away at war. She is taking a bath and David sees her and likes what he sees. So far, she has no control over any of that. David sends for her, she purifies herself and goes with the men he has sent and he sleeps with her. Again, she has no control over this. He is the king. A woman at that time was less than a slave and had no rights whatsoever. He is not just a man. He is the king of the whole country. Now lets be a little real here, they say David was VERY easy on the eyes (eye candy they call it some places...) and I think David was a very appealing man in personality. He certainly had plently of women. Jonathan loved him. He had a heart after God's own heart. He was obviously a good man. So maybe this wasn't too hard to fall into. She was married though, so no matter what the case, it was wrong. He defiled himself. He defiled the woman. He brought sin between both of them and God. Wouldn't you just know the woman becomes pregnant. Now we don't know here if it was especially good and he kept going back or if God caused this to happen on the very first hit. So now, David needs to come up with another plan... Lesson #2. Don't make a bad situation worse.
So David, Mr. Slick, decides to call the husband back to sleep with the woman and deceive him into thinking it is the husband's child... Now let's look at all the ways that is horrific. 1. The child is the king's child and will never get any of the benefits due it. 2. The woman now has to be intimate with another man, yes, this one is her husband, but that is nasty either way to be jumping between men. 3. This man, if he really did sleep with the wife, would believe he has a child and it really is not his. 4. David, first you just had to have the woman, now you want to just throw her to the street. Obviously having no feelings whatsoever, ready to cast her off like an unwanted jacket for whoever would wear her next. (definitely annoyed with David right now)
The husband, being a man of INTEGRITY (where was David's integrity when needed???) does not even go home, feels too wrong because his soldier friends are out fighting so how would he be sleeping up under his beautiful wife... that he doesn't even know just got up off David... Ends up David sends the man to the front lines because he refused to sleep with the woman or even go home. Can we imagine how sick this woman must be feeling right about now? I'm am betting her feelings toward David are not so favorable right here. The man goes to the front lines and is killed. David then takes the woman back to the palace. Lesson #3. Two wrongs don't make a right.
Bathsheba goes to the palace, has a son to David. But God, (always fatal words) does not have a good feeling about all this. He struck the child with illness. David has asked forgiveness of the sin, this is the consequence to the sin. David acts like he is about to die, not eating and wailing in prayer, for 7 days, then the child dies. David then gets up. Lesson #4. There is always consequences to your sin.
So David then goes and comforts the wife, Bathsheba. Issues with this part. For SEVEN days you laid on the floor not caring that the wife is about to fall apart. Not only has she recently lost a husband, now she has lost a son too. ALL BECAUSE OF YOUR LUST AND SELFISHNESS.... He lays with her again (oh yeah, that is surely the right thing to do...) She gets pregnant again. Gives birth to Solomon. Wisest man ever born.Lesson #5. God is always good to us. His mercy endures forever.
Isn't God amazing the way He turns an ugly situation better? Thank God David repented. Thank God David married her and didn't just leave her to the wolves. Thank God He is willing to give her another son. This time a son of covenant and promise. God is good in spite of us....

Mary Magdalene

2009-09-16T15:39:00.003-04:00

This might be a controversial one...
Who really was Mary Magdalene?
Biblically... Per Luke 8:1-3 Mary was the woman that Jesus sent seven demons out of. She, along with some other women, financially supported the ministry of Jesus and the disciples. It is also stated in all four of gospels that Mary Magdalene was at the cross when Jesus was crucified. It is stated that she went to the tomb the next morning to anoint the body of Christ with oils and spices and He was gone. She is the first person He appeared to. She tried to hug Him and He told her that she couldn't touch His body because He had not yet ascended to the Father. He told her to go tell the disciples that He has risen. That is what we know from the bible that we read.
Here is where the controversy could start. This is a woman that was with Jesus and the disciples much of the time. If you look closely at the picture done of the Lord's supper, the person next to Jesus, with the red on, appears to be a woman. Of course this could be just the artist's interpretation. And from my personal viewpoint, that woman looks as though she could be pregnant. That is just my opinion. When the bible was being put together, religious leaders were very selective in what they put into our bible. Their reasons might have been pure. Part of the reason stated is so that people do not have doubt in their faith. Part of the reason may have been to lead people in the way they 'see'. There are many other ancient manuscripts that can be read and much of them agree with our bible.
Mary Magdalene wrote such a manuscript and some of it was burned so that you cannot determine what is really said. I have read what is in this manuscript, or what is left of it. Some of it is conversation between her and Jesus before He ascended. Basically in this writing all that is said that He told her was to go and teach the teachings that He had taught them. Teaching people about God and teaching that Jesus was the Messiah. Peter was angry with her and told her that Jesus would not have appeared first to a mere woman and that He would not have told her to go tell the good news because she was a woman. That right there doesn't sound all that far fetched to me.
Now there are also writings stating that Mary and Jesus were married. There is supposedly documentation of a daughter born and that Mary Magdalene and Jesus are the parents. There is no biblical basis for this story or this belief. There are churches that are said to have ancient documentation of these things. People sometimes have a hard time believing this story to be possible. Somehow they feel it would make Jesus sinful. I am not really understanding that idea. Why would Jesus being married and having a child with his wife make him sinful? I think it might be the catholics that are against this as they also feel that priests are to be celibate. (we can see where that is getting them...) I don't know if any of this is true or if it is folklore. I don't have a problem with Jesus loving a woman and marrying her. I don't have a problem with him having a child. I don't think any of those things make Him wrong or less pure. If anything, that would be a sign to me that God really does not desire for any of us to be alone. The thing that makes that story somewhat believable to me is that she was at the tomb to anoint him. It is written that in those days the only one that could have gone to the tomb would have been the next of kin. Which would be the wife. Or the mother. If she saw Jesus first, then what would have made them let her into the tomb?
The thing that bothers me is that He told her to go and tell the story. Some people feel that is a basis for women to being called into ministry/preaching. I have a problem with that. I am not telling you that I am right, only that scripture tells me that women are not to be in a position of authority. I believe there are women who are called to evangelize and to teach. I just don't hear the whole pastor thing. Again, I am not saying I am right. I am just saying this is what I read biblically. Women tend to make emotional decisions, myself included and that can sometimes cause problems if you are in a position of authority.
One thing is certain. Mary Magdalene was a servant of Jesus. She put her money where her heart was, into His ministry. There is nothing written anywhere that would lead you to believe that she was not a good woman, a Christian woman.

Ahab

2009-09-11T14:42:00.003-04:00

I have been struggling with writing this one because I really don't like this man... but here we go...

Ahab was a king of Israel when the nations were split. His capitol was in Samaria. He was already disrespectful of the ways of God, then to make matters worse, he marries an EVIL woman named Jezebel. Yea, we have all heard something of Jezebel, but are not quite sure about her. I may do her next. Men, you have got to be more careful of who you choose to allow yourself to be influenced by.

The first thing the bible says is that he worshipped baal and set up altars to him. First mistake, first commandment, thou shalt have no other god's before Me. Bad beginning already. Then he sets out and rebuilds the walls of Jericho at the cost of his first born son being sacrificed at the laying of the foundation and the youngest son at the setting up of the gates.

Despite his evil ways, God still tried to get Ahab to know that He was the true God. He wanted Ahab to turn from his evil ways and serve the living God. I am not sure if God was so interested in Ahab himself, or the Israelite people in general. He could have just been faithful to the people and so Ahab received some of the blessing of that.

God decided to attack Ben-Haddad who was king of Aram at the time. He was to be put to death. Ahab decided to make a covenant with him after God had given Ahab the victory of battle. He did not kill Ben-Haddad as he was supposed to. A prophet tells Ahab that because he disobeyed the word of God that it would be Ahab's life for Ben-Haddad's. Ahab's people for Ben-Haddad's people. On top of this, he killed a man named Naboth and took his vineyard. God sent Elijah to confront him about his sin. Elijah tells Ahab, "The very spot where the dogs lapped up Naboth's blood, they'll lap up your blood—that's right, your blood.And because you've bought into the business of evil, defying God. I will most certainly bring doom upon you, make mincemeat of your descendants, kill off every sorry male wretch who's even remotely connected with the name Ahab. And I'll bring down on you the same fate that fell on Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah—you've made me that angry by making Israel sin." As for Jezebel, God said, "Dogs will fight over the flesh of Jezebel all over Jezreel. Anyone tainted by Ahab who dies in the city will be eaten by stray dogs; corpses in the country will be eaten by carrion crows." (pretty rough, right?)

So when Ahab hears this, he becomes quiet and repentant. He becomes submissive to God and in his graciousness, God chooses to spare the doom pending until after Ahab is dead. Ahab dies in a chariot while in battle against Aram. He had been shot with an arrow. The king was brought to Samaria and there they buried him. They washed down the chariot at the pool of Samaria where the town whores bathed, and the dogs lapped up the blood, just as God's word had said.

Isn't it amazing how faithful God is to His people, even when they are evil. Not that Ahab didn't have destruction, but he was one of the most wicked kings in the history of Israel yet God tried repeatedly to get him to turn and repent of his sin. When he does show some semblance of remorse God decides to honor it and not bring doom during his lifetime. What a merciful God we serve...

Queen Vashti

2009-08-27T09:02:00.003-04:00

Vashti was queen, wife of Xerxes... Xerxes was a generous king.. he was having a celebration... a feast and all of the officials and rulers of the time were there... at the same time, Vashti was having a similar celebration for all the women of the men...
during this celebration Xerxes decides that he wants Vashti to come and stand before the men in her royal crown so they could admire her beauty... she refused to go... now I heard someone say that they thought possibly he wanted her to come out naked, with only the crown on... I tend to disagree with that because in my own experience, men don't want any other man to ever see or think he could see what is his... so while Xerxes may have wanted the men to say that he was really lucky to have her because of her beauty, I don't think he would have wanted them to think about her in a way that might lead them to desire her for themselves... I could be wrong, but I am just saying this is what I think...
well, because she refused to go to him, he was really mad... and all these "advisors" tell him that he cannot let this go unpunished because soon all the women of the country would be rebelling against their husbands... so what they tell him to do is to take her title from her as queen and that she could never be in his presence again... and he agrees...
actually, a woman in those days could have been one of hundreds of wives... or she could have been a concubine, which is basically a slave that is set aside for the kings pleasure... so for her to even be considered the queen in the first place was a very high honor... she was obviously very beautiful, or he wouldn't have wanted to display her... he was proud of her... she must have carried herself in a very regal manner...
my personal opinion is that he loved her... because after he decreed that she could not be queen and could never be in his presence again... then he started to have second thoughts about it, started missing her.... so these advisors... then determine that he needs to get a new woman and in a hurry so he doesn't go back on his word...
all of us are beautiful in one way or another... I think that God gives all of us the ability to use something He has given us to draw others to us... for some it is physical beauty... some it may be a wonderful personality... some it may be intelligence... some it may be the ability to talk others into things... whatever your gift is, make sure that you are using it to the glory of God... not self glory...
I don't know that I think Vashti was wrong... well, that's not true... she was wrong because she had an authority figure over her and she did not submit to the authority... I think she should not have been subjected to parading herself in front of drunken men... but she didn't have a choice in the matter... she made the choice to rebel and it cost her dearly...
I think this is a story to show us that maybe the authority figure in your life might make bad choices for you... but that doesn't change the fact that he is still the authority... we like to think that we shouldn't have to listen if something is wrong... I don't see it that way... one of the good things about being a female, and having a man over you is that what he does is between him and God, not him and you... if he makes a bad choice, it is for God to fix... he stands between you and God... I would surely think you should pray and cry out to God, asking Him to open the man's eyes, but in the end, he still is the one in charge... she could have been so much more powerful in the position of queen, but instead, she allowed pride to get in the way and her position was taken from her... be careful what we allow pride to get in the way of... we may just lose our position...

Ruth

2009-08-19T13:14:00.006-04:00

Ruth was married to a man from Judah named Mahlon (I don't know why I know which one she was married to, I just do...) Mahlon's father took his mother, him and his brother from Bethlehem to Moab. There was a famine in the land, so they moved. As time went on, the two men, Mahlon and Kilion took Moabite women to marry. The father dies, then the two brothers were killed 10 years later. It doesn't say how they died. Because her family was dead, Naomi, the mother in law, decides to go back to Bethlehem where she originally was from. She releases Orpah and Ruth, the wives of the sons to go back to their own families. Orpah goes back. Ruth refuses. She tells this woman that Naomi's people are her people and Naomi's God is her God and where Naomi dies is where Ruth will die also. So they go on to Bethlehem.

When they get there, Ruth goes into the fields to glean (pick up scraps basically...) behind the men that are harvesting the grain. There is a man there that owns the field and he asks who Ruth is. The men that are working tell him that she is the daughter in law of Naomi. The man tells the workers to look out for her, to leave extra behind them for her to pick up. He also goes to her and tells her to stay in this field and that his workers will protect her from danger. She drops to her knees before him (there goes that bowing down to a man thing again...) and asks him why would he be so kind to her and that she is exceedingly thankful. She continues to glean in his fields. He continues to watch her and watch over her. It doesn't say that he said anything else to her, just watched over her.
So Naomi, decides to tell Ruth that Boaz (the owner of the field) is in relationship to their family and called a kinsmen redeemer. In those days, if your husband died, you were handed down to the next family member in order to keep the family name going. (yeah... pretty sick.. I know it... ) So she tells Ruth to go the the threshing floor while they are working in there, but to go at night, after everyone is asleep. To lay at this man's feet and that he would cover her. Now to anyone that doesn't know what any of that means... that is really bold... really bold... When I have read this for the last 100 years I really never understood it. But for personal reasons, I decided to go look it up. First of all, a woman should not be in the presence of a man in the middle of the night who is not her husband, basically, she was offering herself to him by even going there. THEN... to lay at his feet... turns out this meant she asked him to marry her... CAN YOU IMAGINE??? Oh I am so sure that she had NO IDEA what this meant when she did it... and when he covered her, he accepts... sheesh... But he tells her that there is another who is eligible to redeem her before him and that he would speak with that man the next day. Luckily, he was a gentleman, he realized that she was clueless about what she really did and so he didn't take her up on the offer of herself physically.... (good grief...)
So Ruth, clueless as can be, goes back to scheming Naomi and tells her what happened and Naomi, beaming says that the man will not rest until it is taken care of.

She was right, Boaz goes the very next day and asks the man who is next in line if he intends to redeem the property of Naomi's husband. Doesn't talk about the woman/women he makes this all about a business deal. What a typical man thought, right? So the other man says yes, he will take the property, then slick Boaz says.. well there is Naomi and her daughter in law involved too... So the other man decides he doesn't want to do it because it would affect his own household. So Boaz says that he will do it then.

Boaz married Ruth and they have a child named Obed. He is the grandfather of David....

What does this story say to me? God will have us do ridiculous things in order to work His will out in our lives. (it is better when we don't even know what we really did...) God will use who he chooses to use. Ruth was a Moabite. There are times when God tells the men of Israel that they cannot marry foreign women. Ruth's 1st husband died. I am sure she was heartbroken at the time, but God works ALL things for the good of those who love Him.

Samson

2009-08-11T08:09:00.002-04:00

Samson's mother's name is not mentioned in the bible. It says that she was barren and childless and the the angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, "You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son. Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean, because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines." So the husband prayed and asked God to send the angel back to teach them how to raise their son. And God in his graciousness sends the angel back so Manoah asked him, "When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule for the boy's life and work?" The angel of the LORD answered, "Your wife must do all that I have told her. She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or other fermented drink nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her." So not only must the boy be raised a particular way, but the mother must change the way she eats too. I found it interesting that the angel comes back and tells the husband exactly what the wife told him, but he had to hear it for himself. (men... I tell ya...)
This child was born into this world with a purpose in his life. God is still in the business of birthing children of purpose. Are the parents of the children of this day bothering to ask God how their children are to be raised? What is the rule for the child's life and work? Are we even consulting God about our children from birth at all? Or are we instead doing the best we can and only start the true praying after the problems start?
So the bible says that the woman gave birth to a son and they named him Samson and he began to feel the spirit of the Lord at an early age. Samson's gifts were the spirit of the Lord, riddles, and amazing strength. No one was stronger than Samson. But Samson had a weakness, it was foreign women. And instead of staying with the women of his own God, he had relationships with women who did not know his God. And his parents arranged a marriage for him with a woman from Philistia. Now wasn't that about amazing? The angel had told the woman before the boy was born that he would be used to destroy the Philistines... yet the father gives in and arranges a marriage with one of the very people he was born to destroy. That was just amazing to me. The marriage was actually arranged by God though and there was a fight at the wedding. Samson killed 30 men. The bride was given to the best man. Amazingly, Samson goes back to sleep with her some time later and her father had to tell him that she had been given to the best man. Samson destroys the Philistines. He rules over Israel as judge for 20 years.
I would like to end the story there, but it is not to be so....
Samson falls in love with a woman that the Philistine rulers use to find the secret to his strength. He doesn't give in to telling her what it is right away. But as she keeps nagging him, saying that he must not love her, eventually on the 4th time.. he tells her the truth. The Philistines are in wait and they come in and she has cut his hair (the symbol of his strength) and they tie him up and gouge his eyes out and have him pushing this grinding stone. I wonder if he had known that the true source of his strength was God, not his hair, would this have turned out differently for him? Eventually his hair starts to grow back and his strength is returning with it. The Philistines were going to use him as some sort of circus act at a big feast, and he prays and asks God for strength just one more time, to destroy the Philistines. God grants his request, and he pushes down big pillars that are holding the building up and he along with many, many Philistines die.
God can make good come of any circumstance and the will of God will always be fulfilled. Even if we screw up the way that it is supposed to happen, He will still get His end result. I don't know if Samson screwed up or if things worked out exactly as God planned. The bible doesn't tell us that. It seems to me though, that if he had been obedient to the ways of God, God still would have raised him up as the ruler/judge over Israel and possibly he would have reigned even longer. Possibly he would have destroyed the Philistines in wars instead of the way it worked out. My thoughts are not the thoughts of God. I don't know which way was His planned outcome. I just know that He worked all that Samson did to still have the same ending.

Abigail

2009-08-04T08:36:00.002-04:00

Abigail was beautiful and intelligent. That is how she is described. Strangely, she was married to a man named Nabal and he was a fool. How often are intelligent people married to fools? More often than we care to admit I am sure.
And so it happens that during the time that David was hiding out from king Saul who was trying to kill him, David and his men protected the livestock and servants of this man named Nabal. When it was shearing time, they had big festivities and feasts. David sends a messenger to Nabal and says to him, we have protected your servants and your livestock, please send us whatever you will to provide for us. He could have demanded a specific price, but he knew that his true Provider was God above, so he said whatever you will. Nabal, fool that he was, sends the message back stating that he did not even know David and owed him nothing. Needless to say, David is surely on the way to destroy the entire house as he is a warrior.
One of Abigail's servants comes and tells her what Nabal said to David. She quickly puts together meat, wine, and bread along with blankets and other items David and his men may need and puts this on the back of donkeys and sends it ahead of her. She then gets on a donkey herself and goes to David. She did not tell her husband the fool, what she was doing. She goes out to meet David as he is on the way to destroy her entire household. She falls down on her face, bowing low before him and she tells him to place all the blame on her. She asks him to forgive her, that she was not there when his servant came to her house and that she hopes the gifts she brought will be enough for him to spare her household. David tells her to rise and that she is very much appreciated for saving him from destroying the house of Nabal. He tells her to go home, that she will receive what she asked him for, meaning her house would not be attacked.
She goes home, Nabal is drunk so she cannot tell him what she did right then, and she decides to go to bed and tell him in the morning. She wakes up, he is sober, she tells him how she saved his household. God strikes his heart and it becomes a stone in his chest, which means he went into a coma. He was in the coma for 10 days, then the Lord struck him again and he died.
This is what I find amazing about Abigail... She is in an ugly situation, her marriage was not chosen by her, her family arranged it and she is married to a fool. There is no out, no divorce, no options. So she tries to work around her situation and save her servants and the fool too. She falls down in humility before David. He had already been annointed as the king of Israel, and she gives him the respect of his future position. She talks sense into an angry man. How often will we yell back instead of trying to diffuse the situation? Obviously it is better to try to diffuse it. She did this with both David and Nabal. With David, she tried to appease him and give him more than enough to compensate for the wrong of Nabal. With Nabal, she tried to wait until the right time, then calmly tell him the truth, willing to accept the consequences of her actions. On both occasions, God stepped in and fixed the situation.
The ending of the story is that David sent his servants back to Abigail and asked her to be his wife. She tells the servants of David, that she is a servant to their master and willing to wash the feet of his servants. This is an amazing show of humility. She is willing to put herself below the place of the servant and wash their feet. She goes back and marries David. Man gave her a fool in marriage, God gave her a king.

Hannah

2009-07-30T08:53:00.002-04:00

1 Samuel 1:20 So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the LORD for him." 24 After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh. 25 When they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli, 26 and she said to him, "As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD. 27 I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. 28 So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there.

Hannah's husband had 2 wives. Hannah and Peninnah. We cannot imagine such a thing. We could kill a man that cheats, much less one that we had to share on a regular basis, although many women do just that. That is surely another story for another day. Peninnah is mean and she is having babies and that is supposed to be the worth of a woman in those days. So Peninnah is pretty much letting Hannah know that she is worth nothing.
Hannah goes to God and begs for a child stating that if God gives her a child, she will give the child back to God. And she really does. After the child is weaned.... no one is really too sure exactly what that means. The child may have been weaned as we think of it, possibly as small as 3-4 years old. He may have been any age under the age of 12. Apparently at the age of 13 a Jewish son is considered a man (anyone who has a son can testify that it is NOT the truth... anyone who has had a man under 40 can probably testify to it too....) so he would have been younger than that.
So when the child is weaned, she takes him to the temple and leaves him there. Let's really look at this. She did not live in the city where she left her child. She only went there once a year to sacrifice at the temple. Can you imagine? She sees her son only once a year and she brings him a coat she has made with her hands every year.
1 Samuel 2:21 And the LORD was gracious to Hannah; she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the LORD.

God was gracious to Hannah and gave her 5 other children, but I promise you, as a mother, they did not replace the one she gave back to God.. I see a couple of amazing things about this woman. First being that her commitment to God was out of this world. Anyone who has carried a child in their own body and gives birth in pain can understand how unreal the idea of giving your child away would be. Even if it were in commitment to the child, such as an unwed or teenage mother. Or in commitment to God, as this woman did. I do not know that I would have been strong enough to carry out the vow she made to God. She stayed commited to the child, continuing to care for his needs throughout his life. Because of her commitment to God, one of the greatest prophets ever born was able to be the man he was called to be. Many times as a parent, we try to hold on to our child because of what we want for them, instead of what God has for them. We do an extreme disservice to God and to the kingdom when we do this. There are women today that have only been born in order to give birth to and raise a man or woman of God. If we are not true to our purpose with our children, how can the kingdom of God be furthered?
My daughter leaves for college in just a few days. While part of me is very proud of her and glad that she is moving forward, another part of me is distraught. My daughter was given a vision of her purpose when she was yet a young girl. And she has been walking toward it ever since. I went past her bedroom this morning and she has started packing. Much of her belongings are now packed and ready to be moved. As a mother I grieve for the child I am giving to the world. As a woman of God I rejoice for the woman I have had a part in raising.
Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
What are you doing to train up a child? If you do not have your own child, you surely have the ability to affect another's child in a positive manner. You will be blessed for your act of love toward a child. It takes a village to raise a child. Not just one parent, not just two. Stand up this day and sow into the life of a child. You will not know for years to come, just who that child will be.... but you will know that you have made a difference....

Enoch

2009-07-29T08:50:00.002-04:00

Genesis 5: 21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.
Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.
Jude 1:14Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him."

This is the 7th man from Adam.... the bible tells us that "he walked with God for 300 years". Can you imagine literally walking with God? Adam walked with God in the garden in the cool of the day. I would LOVE to be chosen to walk with God physically. We can walk with Him in spirit, that is all I know about.

There are only 2 people in the entire bible that did not experience death. Enoch and Elijah. Enoch was no more and Elijah was caught up. God must have really had special relationship with them for them to be spared from death.
I guess all we can do is to daily try to walk closer to God than the day before. Dying to our own thoughts and desires continually. In order to have a righteous walk before God.
The scripture from Jude is important because it tells us that the ungodly will be judged for the things they say against God. The things that we say out of our mouths are very important. We should be cautious to say only what is necessary. This is surely a lesson I am learning the hard way.

I find it amazing that God chose particular people for particular reasons to be entered into the bible... of course there are actually many other manuscripts that people don't know about because as they were putting the bible together, for one reason or another, certain men did not want some things included... Enoch wrote a book... the book of Enoch.. I have read this book and it tells much about what you see in heaven... the things that are written by Jude about Enoch come from that book..

Cain

2009-07-27T10:08:00.002-04:00

Adam and Eve gave birth to a child and Eve says, with the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man... I had a son and I didn't think I had given birth to a man... I think that is significant that she realized he was a man from birth...

So in the course of time... Cain gave an offering to God from the soil and Abel from the flocks... and God rejected Cain's offering but received Abel's offering. That had always bothered me until a short time ago when my pastor stated that Abel's offering was from the "first fruits" and Cain's was not. Meaning, that Cain gave what was left over and Abel gave before he worried about what he needed for himself or his family. Wow... How often do we do that? How often do we pay our bills and after that is done, decide what we can give God.... Or worse yet, we pay our bills, buy what we want, and after all that is done, decide if we will give God anything.... Yet we expect so much from Him... even if it were not material things, we expect peace and health and mercy and grace, yet struggle with giving offerings to the God who gives all... sheesh... we are about a sickening lot of people...

So, when God does not look at what Cain gave with favor, Cain is mad and his face is downcast and God says to him... Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
Sin is crouching at your door and it desires to have you... but you must master it.... How often do we realize that sin is really crouching at our door? How often do we realize it desires to have us? How often do we do what is right in order to be accepted?

Then Cain calls Abel out in the field and kills him... When God asks where Abel is, smart alec that Cain is, he says am I my brother's keeper... Can you imagine speaking to God in such a way??? Whew... So God says that The LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth." Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me." But the LORD said to him, "Not so; if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. So Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

How very like us... Cain kills Abel, then thinks it is unfair that someone might kill him... What in the world? The worst part of all this to me would be to have been driven from the presence of the Lord. Can you imagine? Just on days that God is far from us or silent, we struggle... but to literally be driven from the presence of the Lord... But just like God... He didn't give up on Cain... He continued to help him... to prosper him... to love him... Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.
Before we are driven from the presence of God... We need to recognize Him in all His glory and majesty and honor and give to God the first fruits of our labor...

Rahab

2009-07-24T08:18:00.001-04:00

Rahab was a prostitute... many times we try to clean up what someone was in the past... the bible does not try to pretend she was anything other than a prostitute...
what would we say about a prostitute? we would in our righteous self say that she is filthy and nasty and does the unmentionable things that real women will not do... whatever... my perception of a prostitute is someone who is very skilled at a trade... and lets put it out there... women get mad worrying that their skills are not comparable... that is why she has to be looked at as so dirty... but what I really see a prostitute as is someone that a man can be free with... he can be open and honest with her and know that she has been so judged in her life that she would not judge him... they say that many times men pay women (prostitutes) just to talk... isn't that a sad situation if he has a wife that he cannot tell her his innermost thoughts... how do you become a wife that your husband can't talk to?...
back to Rahab... so the spies of Israel are hidden by Rahab the prostitute.. and they promise her their lives for her families lives... they spare her family because she spared them... one of the amazing things of the story is the fact that God spoke to her, even though she was not an Israelite... she states that she knew that God had given the land to them and that God had opened the Red Sea and that all the people of her country were afraid of them because of who their God was... we tend to think that God only speaks to the saved and that is not true... He speaks to whomever He chooses....
so as the story goes on... that the Israelites overcome the city and kill everyone in it with the exception of Rahab and her family and over time.. Rahab is given in marriage to Salmon... one of the men who had been at her house as a spy... and she is one of the few women that is listed in the geneology of not only David... but Jesus...
how often do we judge people not by their heart, but by their appearance or their past.... and the bible tells us that God looks not upon the countenance of a man... but upon the spirit within him... I can't tell you how thankful I am that God is willing to overlook who we were and who we still are and focus on our spirit and who He sees us as in the future...

02.22.11 I read back over this.. and while I agree with what I wrote.. I am amazed at how God has transformed my mind over this period of 2 1/2 years... thank you Lord!!

Eve

2009-07-22T12:42:00.000-04:00

Can you imagine being Eve? The first woman created. No question of who she is created for. No question of who her husband should be or if she has made a mistake. The mother of all mankind. One thing for sure, she couldn't look at anyone else's husband and wonder why hers didn't act like that.
I guess the thing we attribute most to Eve is the fall. But the bible says she was deceived. She was deceived while Adam sinned openly, meaning he had knowledge of it. How many times have you been deceived? She had children. She had heartache from them. One of her sons killed his brother. The first murder. But God gave her another son. Genesis 4:25 Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, "God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him." 26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time men began to call on the name of the LORD.
The bible says at that time men began to call on the name of the Lord. In other words, they started preaching the words of God. Eve had relationship with God. She had relationship with her husband and she had relationship with her children.
So to me, although we can see that Eve was not perfect and that we have all suffered because of her deception, she was still a good woman. After her sin, she got back up and lived. She did not dwell on her wrong doing. She asked forgiveness and turned from the sin. Maybe instead of remembering Eve for the fall, we should remember her as the mother of mankind, the example of a wife she was. I know that I do not want to be remembered for my sins.