Sarah 2

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

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

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

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

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...

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..

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

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

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

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)

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

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

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

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...