They Could Bring Home the Bacon and Fry It Up in the Pan

Years ago I was asked to design a Bible study that would highlight women in the Bible who, in addition to being wives and mothers, made a difference for good in their world.

Yes, the roles of women were severely restricted. Yes, they were seen as the property of men.

But many of them broke out of the mold anyway.

Following are four of my favorite "take no prisoners" women from the Old Testament. I'm adding the Bible verses so you can look it up if you don't believe me.

Deborah - She was the only female Judge of Israel. Her hobbies were leading armies into battle and writing song lyrics. She told Barak to go to war. He was scared and said "You go with me." She did and they cleaned house.

Jael - (Same story) In the heat of battle, she lured the bad guy into her tent, put him to sleep with some warm milk, and then drove a tent peg through his head. End of battle. End of story. Judges 4 & 5

An interesting aside: When I was traveling in Israel my guide was named Jael. Only in Israel would parents name their little baby girl after this character.

Huldah - Some guys were repairing the Temple when they found an old scroll. What to do? Huldah, a prophet and the only person smart enough to interpret the scroll was called in. She read it, authenticated it and told the king he needed to make some big changes. He did. I Kings 22.

Abigail - She was married to this mean guy who disrespected David. This made him stupid as well. (His name means "fool.") When Abigail got wind of what he'd done she went to David and apologized profusely for her husband, thereby saving his life, her life and the lives of all their servants. When she got back home she told her husband what she'd done. He had a stroke and died. Then she married David. The end. I Samuel 25


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