Women of the Bible : A One-Year Devotional Study of Women in Scripture

by Ann Spangler and Jean E. Syswerda

• ISBN13: 9780310223528
• ISBN10: 0310223520
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-09-01
• Publisher: Zondervan

Summary

Women of the Bible focuses on fifty-two remarkable women in Scripture -- women whose struggles to live with faith and courage are not unlike our own. Far from being cardboard characters, these women encourage us through their failures as well as their successes. You'll see how God acted in surprising and wonderful ways to draw them -- and you -- to himself. This year-long devotional offers a unique method to help you slow down and savor the story of God's unrelenting love for his people, offering a fresh perspective that will nourish and strengthen your personal communion with him.

Author Biography

Ann Spangler is the former editorial director and vice-president of Servant Publications. Most recently, she was a senior acquisitions editor at Zondervan Publishing House. She lives with her two daughters in Belmont, Michigan. Jean E. Syswerda is an editorial and publishing consultant and former editor and associate publisher for Zondervan Bibles. She and her husband live in Allendale, Michigan.

Table of Contents

Eve	p. 17
Sarah	p. 25
Hagar	p. 32
Lot's Wife	p. 40
Rebekah	p. 47
Rachel	p. 55
Leah	p. 64
Tamar, Daughter-in-law of Judah	p. 71
Potiphar's Wife	p. 79
The Mothers of Moses: Jochebed and Pharaoh's Daughter	p. 86
Miriam	p. 93
Rahab	p. 100
Deborah	p. 107
Jael	p. 114
Delilah	p. 121
Naomi	p. 128
Ruth	p. 136
Hannah	p. 144
Michal	p. 152
Abigail	p. 160
The Woman of Endor	p. 168
Bathsheba	p. 175
Tamar, Daughter of King David	p. 185
The Wise Woman of Abel	p. 193
Rizpah	p. 201
The Queen of Sheba	p. 208
Jezebel	p. 215
The Widow of Zarephath	p. 224
The Shunammite Woman	p. 231
Athaliah and Jehosheba	p. 239
Huldah	p. 247
Esther	p. 256
The Woman of Proverbs 31	p. 265
The Shulammite Woman	p. 273
Gomer	p. 282
Elizabeth	p. 289
Mary, the Mother of Jesus	p. 297
Anna	p. 308
The Woman of Samaria	p. 316
The Woman Who Lived a Sinful Life	p. 325
The Woman with the Issue of Blood	p. 333
Herodias	p. 341
Joanna	p. 349
The Syrophoenician Woman	p. 356
Martha	p. 363
Mary of Bethany	p. 372
Salome, Mother of the Zebedees	p. 380
The Widow with the Two Coins	p. 388
Mary Magdalene	p. 395
Dorcas	p. 404
Lydia	p. 412
Priscilla	p. 420
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

ABIGAILHer Name Means “My Father Is Joy”Her Character: Generous, quick-witted, and wise, she is one of theBible’s great peacemakers.Her Sorrow: To have been mismatched in marriage to her firsthusband.Her Joy: That God used her to save lives, eventually makingher the wife of David.Key Scripture: 1 Samuel 25:2–42Mo n d a yHER STORYBlockhead, numskull, nincompoop—the words strike us both harshly and humorously. But any woman married to a man worthy of such labels would have little to laugh about.Abigail must have felt suffocated, having been paired with justsuch a husband. Her father may have thought the wealthy Nabal was a catch, little realizing the man’s domineering attitude might one day endanger his daughter’s well-being. But fools and ruin often keep close company, as Abigail soon discovered.For some time Abigail had been hearing of David: his encounterwith Goliath; his ruddy good looks; his prowess in battle; his rift with King Saul. Recently, he had become her near neighbor in the Desert of Maon, west of the Dead Sea, where he had taken refuge from Saul.Since David had arrived with his six hundred men, marauders kept clear of her husband’s livestock, and Nabal’s flocks prospered as a result. But when David sent ten of his men to ask Nabal for provisions,Nabal, who had grown richer by the day thanks to David, nearly spit in their faces. “Who is this David? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?” Rich though he was, Nabal had just foolishly insulted the region’s most powerful man.Aware of their danger, one of the servants ran quickly to Abigail,begging her to intervene. As Nabal’s wife, she must have suffered his arrogance every day of her life. But this time his folly jeopardized the entire household. Wasting no time, and without a word to her husband, she loaded a caravan of donkeys with gifts for David and his men—freshly baked bread, skins of wine, red meat, and various delicacies—and took them to David’s camp. As soon as she saw him, shefell to the ground at his feet, making one of the longest speeches by a woman recorded in the Bible:“My lord,” she pleaded, “let the blame be on me alone. May mylord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name—his name is Fool, and folly goes with him. But as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my master sent. Please forgive your servant’s offense, for the Lord will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my master, because he fights the Lord’s battles. Let no wrongdoing be found in you as long as you live. Even though someone pursues you, your life will be held securely by the Lord your God. But the lives of your enemies he will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling.”These last words, of course, reminded David of his success against Goliath, erasing his anger and enabling his gracious reply: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. If you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak.” In addition to saving lives, Abigail’s wisdom had spared David from sinning, reminding him that vengeance belongs only to God.After her encounter with David, Abigail went to Carmel, whereNabal had been shearing his sheep and celebrating his good fortune.Once again, she found him playing the fool. Oblivious to danger, he was drunkenly presiding over a festival banquet, like a great king. Shewaited until morning, when he was sober, to tell him what had happened.As soon as Nabal heard the news, his heart failed. Ten dayslater he was dead.Arrogance, greed, and selfishness had conspired to rob Nabal ofany good sense he might once have possessed. Thinking himself a great man when he was only a small one, he lost everything. Abigail was Nabal’s opposite, a woman whose humility, faith, generosity, intelligence, and honesty made her wise. Rather than putting others at risk by an ungoverned tongue, her gracious words saved lives. Few husbands and wives were ever so illsuited to each other.When David heard the news of Nabal’s death, he sent word toAbigail, asking her to be his wife. This time it was Abigail’s choice whether or not to marry. She accepted, becoming David’s third wife and eventually mother to his second son, Kileab.Unlike Michal, who had been a mere pawn on a chessboard, Abigail was a woman who rose above her circumstances to change the course of events. Though Scripture doesn’t offer details regarding her daily life, it is logical to suppose she was a good wife to Nabal. Even her entreaty to David was the act of a good wife. Perhaps her virtues were not inborn, but developed in the midst of a difficult marriage.Or perhaps her marriage was actually the catalyst for her character, helping her to cultivate contrasting virtues to Nabal’s vices. Regardless, through her quick-witted action, she spared her husband’s life and goods. It was God, not Abigail or David, who paid Nabal back for his arrogance and greed.

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Excerpted from Women of the Bible: A One-Year Devotional Study of Women in Scripture by Ann Spangler, Jean E. Syswerda
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