Women of the Bible Part 15

Thursday HER PROMISE.

Jezebel's end (2 Kings 9:33 - 37) is exactly what Elijah had earlier prophesied for her (1 Kings 21:23). No doubt judgment for her wicked life was swift and sure. It's hard to reconcile this aspect of our G.o.d with our image of him as loving and compa.s.sionate, yet he is a G.o.d who hates evil and will surely punish it. If, however, we come to him for forgiveness and reconciliation, he is also a G.o.d who loves to show mercy.

Promises in Scripture Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.

-Jonah 2:8 Where sin increased, grace increased all the more.

-Romans 5:20 We implore you on Christ's behalf Be reconciled to G.o.d. G.o.d made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of G.o.d.

-2 Corinthians 5:20 - 21 Mercy triumphs over judgment!

-James 2:13 HER LEGACY OF PRAYER.

Who knows the power of your anger?

For your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

-Psalm 90:11 - 12 Reflect On: 2 Kings 9.

Praise G.o.d: That he does not allow evil to go unpunished.

Offer Thanks: For justice, even when it seems delayed.

Confess: Any tendency to take G.o.d's mercy for granted.

Ask G.o.d: To give you a healthy fear of offending him.

Lift Your Heart Had Jezebel thought more about her inevitable end, her story may have been remarkably different. As much as we like to pretend we're never going to die, it's healthy to consider our own demise from time to time. Doing so humbles us, strips away our illusions, reminds us we are creatures answerable to a creator. Take thirty minutes to imagine your last day on earth. With whom do you want to spend it? What kind of memories do you want to leave behind? Do you have any lingering regrets, any unfinished business, any unfulfilled dreams? Ask G.o.d to guide you through this exercise. Let him show you what in your life can be affirmed and celebrated and what still needs to be transformed by his grace. Then tell him you're willing to do whatever it takes to become the woman he wants you to be.

Lord, I don't want to fear you for the wrong reasons, but for the right ones-to stand in awe because of who you are. Gracious G.o.d, let me never make light of your justice or your power. Instead, let me live in a way that honors you. For you are Wonderful Counselor, Mighty G.o.d, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

The Widow of Zarephath.

Her Character: A Phoenician woman, she showed extraordinary hospitality to one of G.o.d's prophets, providing a safe harbor for him during a period of famine.

Her Sorrow: To suffer extreme poverty, famine, and the loss of husband and son.

Her Joy: To experience repeated miracles of G.o.d's provision.

Key Scriptures: 1 Kings 17:8 - 24; Luke 4:25 - 26 Monday HER STORY.

Her arms were spindly and rough, like the dry twigs she had gathered for kindling. Her body shook as she stood over the fire, greedily sipping and sucking the steam from the pan, as though the smell of frying bread could fill her belly and soothe her fears. She had lived her life a stone's throw from the Mediterranean, at Zarephath, seven miles south of Sidon, in a territory ruled by Jezebel's father. She had always loved the sea, but now its watery abundance seemed only to mock her, reminding her of all she lacked.

Tears escaped her eyes, try as she might to blink them back. How hard it was to suffer her fears alone, to wake in the night with no one to warm her, no one to whisper sweet lies about tomorrow. If only her husband were alive to squeeze a harvest from the fields. But he had died before the drought, leaving her with a small son, a house, and little else. Every night she hoped for rain, but every morning she woke to a brilliant sky.

Though she starved herself to feed her child, his distended belly accused her. His need condemned her. She had failed in the most basic ways a mother could, unable to protect, nurture, and provide. These days she stood with shoulders hunched as though to hide her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Today she had sc.r.a.ped the last bit of flour from the barrel and poured the last drop of oil from the jug. She began to prepare for a final supper for herself and her child.

But then a stranger had called to her: "Woman, would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?"

Graciously, she had gone to fetch it, only to have him call after her, "And bring me, please, a piece of bread."

Is the man mad? she wondered. He might as well ask me to snap my fingers and produce a cow to feast on.

She turned on her heel and replied, "As surely as the Lord your G.o.d lives, I don't have any bread-only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it-and die." But the man had persisted. "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the G.o.d of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land.' "

Instead of cursing the stranger for his callousness, as we might expect, the woman did exactly as he had requested, feeding him the food she had reserved for herself and her son.

The woman from Zarephath wasn't a Jew, but a Phoenician. She had no idea that the stranger was Elijah, a prophet who had the gall to inform King Ahab that G.o.d was withholding rain to punish Israel's idolatry. She would have been astonished to learn that this same G.o.d had instructed Elijah to "go at once to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow in that place to supply you with food."

The widow of Zarephath had felt utterly alone, not knowing G.o.d had his eye on her. Yet for some reason she believed Elijah and acted accordingly, giving him everything she had.

After that, every time she dipped her hand into the flour, every time she poured oil from the jug, the widow saw another miracle unfold, another sign of favor, additional evidence of G.o.d's provision. Just as Elijah had promised, the supply of flour and oil lasted day after day, month after month, never failing until at last the rains came and revived the land.

How like G.o.d to construct a parable of grace during a time of judgment, to display his mercy and power in the midst of weakness and need. The widow's faith saved not only her son and herself but actually provided a refuge for Elijah, who may have wondered why G.o.d chose such flimsy protection-a dest.i.tute woman who lived in the territory of his worst enemy, Jezebel.

Later, the widow's faith would again be tested when her young son died. But she would also be the first woman to witness G.o.d's power to raise the dead, which he did in response to Elijah's repeated prayers on behalf of her child. As a woman who endured extreme difficulties, her story reveals G.o.d's power to provide what we need the most-a commodity of the heart called faith.

Tuesday HER LIFE AND TIMES.

WIDOWS.

The widow of Zarephath lived in a country that treated widows as second-cla.s.s citizens, ignored them, and allowed them to go hungry. When Elijah came and asked the widow for bread, it appeared as though he was asking her to give up the last food she had for herself and her son. Actually, he was providing her with sustenance that would last until the famine was over.

Since a woman alone seldom had any way to provide financially for herself, she was dependent on her sons if she had any, and on the community around her if she didn't. The Bible tells how G.o.d himself has a special love and care for women who have lost their husbands (Psalm 68:5; 146:9). He commanded the Israelites to treat widows with compa.s.sion and to provide for them. When the prophets declared the Israelites to be disobedient, they often proved it by exposing their lack of concern for the widows around them (Isaiah 1:23; 10:1 - 2; Ezekiel 22:6-7; Malachi 3:5). When someone cared for the widowed, it was worthy of note (Job 29:13).

In the New Testament, Paul gave instructions to widows, telling them that if they were young, they should remarry. The church had to take care of a widow only if she was over sixty and had no other family members to provide for her (1 Timothy 5:3 - 16). The touching story of Dorcas in Acts 9:36 - 42 shows how much a simple act, done for a widow who is truly in need, can mean.

Today's church is also responsible for caring for the widows in their communities. Often, insurance payments, Social Security, and the like may take care of a widow's financial requirements, but her needs go far beyond having enough money in a checking account. Fellow believers can show their love by freely giving emotional support to the woman, by helping out physically with child care or household ch.o.r.es, or by providing friends.h.i.+p.

Wednesday HER LEGACY IN SCRIPTURE.

Read 1 Kings 17:7 - 24.

1. Why do you suppose the G.o.d of Israel sent the prophet of Israel to get help from a pagan widow?

2. The woman is searingly honest with Elijah in 1 Kings 17:12. What is she telling him here?

3. Why do you think she does what Elijah asks her?

4. In 1 Kings 17:17 - 18, where does she place blame for her son's death? If her reaction surprises you in any way, tell how.

5. What do you think you're meant to take away from this story? What does it say about G.o.d?

Thursday HER PROMISE.

G.o.d doesn't ignore the needs of those who cannot help themselves. He doesn't urge them to pick themselves up and get going when they have no resources to do so. He doesn't pat them on the back and say he's sorry life is so tough. Instead, he sometimes intervenes by miraculous understatement, in this case by making sure that a little bit of oil and flour -just enough for a small loaf- didn't run out.

An unexpected check comes just when you need it. Another mother gives you her kids' outgrown clothing so you can clothe your own children. G.o.d uses something or someone to change your husband's heart just when you thought he didn't love you anymore. Our G.o.d is still a miraculous provider, granting what we need sometimes in the most unexpected ways.

Promises in Scripture From your bounty, O G.o.d, you provided for the poor.

-Psalm 68:io I will bless her with abundant provisions; her poor will I satisfy with food.

-Psalm 132:15 But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to G.o.d. The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in G.o.d and continues night and day to pray and to ask G.o.d for help.

- i Timothy 5:4 - 5 Friday HER LEGACY OF PRAYER.

Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of G.o.d and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is the truth."

- i Kings 17:24 Reflect On: 1 Kings 17:8 - 24.

Praise G.o.d: For his constant attentiveness.

Offer Thanks: For all the ways G.o.d has already provided for you and for the ways he will provide in the future.

Any tendency to act as though G.o.d really doesn't care about what's happening to you.

Confess: Ask G.o.d: To make you a woman who relies on him daily for her physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

Lift Your Heart Whenever we spin anxious scenarios about the future, we waste precious emotional energy. This kind of worrying represents a negative use of the power of our imagination. As such, it can be a misguided attempt to control the future. But instead of controlling the future, we soon discover that anxiety controls us. Jesus said, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matthew 6:34).

Begin to form habits that will help you break the power of worry in your life. Start by thanking G.o.d each morning for some small sign of his goodness: a loving friend, a beautiful garden, a child's smile. Grat.i.tude will increase your sense of G.o.d's presence in your life. Then, set aside some time to think about ways G.o.d has taken care of you in the past. Write them down and make them part of your faith a.r.s.enal, so that when you are tempted by anxious thoughts you can remind yourself with concrete examples of how G.o.d has already provided for you.

Father, how easy it is to let anxiety snuff out my grat.i.tude. Help me to linger thankfully in your presence rather than simply rus.h.i.+ng on to my next desperate request. Use my weakness and need as a showcase for your strength.

The Shunammite Woman.

Her Character: Generous and hospitable, she was a wealthy and capable woman who showed great kindness to one of G.o.d's prophets.

Her Sorrow: To lose the son that had been promised her.

Her Joy: To experience just how deep G.o.d's faithfulness goes.

Key Scriptures: 2 Kings 4:8 - 37; 8:1 - 6 Monday HER STORY.

Just a few miles north of Jezreel, where Jezebel's story had drawn to its grim conclusion, lived a wealthy Israelite woman whose sharp eye kept track of travelers from Nazareth to Jerusalem. One of the more colorful characters who frequented the road outside her house was Elisha, the prophet who succeeded Elijah.

One day the Shunammite woman invited Elisha to linger for a meal. Afterward, she said to her husband, "Let's make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us."

Moved by her kindness, Elisha inquired, through his servant, Gehazi, whether he could use his influence with Israel's king on her behalf. But the woman wasn't looking for favors at court, so Elisha pressed his servant, saying, "What, then, can be done for her?"

Gehazi merely pointed out the obvious: the woman and her aging husband were childless, without an heir to carry on the family name.

So Elisha summoned the woman and made an incredible promise: "About this time next year you will hold a son in your arms."

"No, my lord," she objected. "Don't mislead your servant, O man of G.o.d!"

Yet, a year later, just as Elisha had foretold, the woman held a squalling infant in her arms, laughing as she told others the story of G.o.d's surprising gift. Unlike so many of her female forebears - Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Tamar, Hannah - the Shunammite woman seemed content without children. Elisha's promise, however, was an arrow homing straight to its target, fulfilling the unspoken desire of her heart.

One morning, a few years later, a servant entered the house with the little boy in his arms, explaining that the child had complained of a headache while visiting his father in the fields. Perhaps he had lingered too long in the sun.

The boy's face was flushed, his forehead hot as his mother caressed it, hus.h.i.+ng him with soothing sounds and songs. But despite murmured words of rea.s.surance, she felt her own fear spreading. The tighter she held him, the more his spirit seemed to retreat. His breathing was labored, his eyes listless. At about noon he died.

Without a word, she carried his small body to the prophet's room, laying it tenderly on Elisha's bed. Closing the door, she summoned a servant and left immediately for Mount Carmel, where she hoped to find Elisha.

Spotting her in the distance, the prophet wondered aloud what could prompt her to make the twenty-five-mile journey north. "Run to meet her," he urged Gehazi, "and ask, 'Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child all right?' "

But the woman merely brushed Gehazi aside with polite words and rushed straight to Elisha, exclaiming: "Did I ask you for a son, my lord? Didn't I tell you, 'Don't raise my hopes'?"

Immediately the prophet instructed Gehazi: "Tuck your cloak into your belt, take my staff in your hand, and run. If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my staff on the boy's face."

The woman, however, wasn't about to settle for a stand-in. So the prophet hurried to Shunem just behind Gehazi, who had gone on ahead to carry out his master's orders. When Elisha arrived, he found the boy lying quiet and cold on his couch. Elisha closed the door behind him. Praying, he stretched his body across the boy's so that hands, mouth, and eyes touched. As he lay there, he could feel the chilled body warming beneath him. He got up and paced the room for a while. At last he stretched himself across the lifeless body again and prayed. The boy's chest lifted. Then he sneezed! Then sneezed again.

The Shunammite woman may, in fact, have heard the story of how Elijah had raised the son of the widow of Zarephath in similar circ.u.mstances. If so, that miracle would certainly have fueled her hope, giving her the courage to seek her own miracle rather than collapse under so great a weight of grief. Now, as she saw for herself the irrefutable sign of G.o.d's loving-kindness, she fell at Elisha's feet and bowed to the ground. G.o.d had been true to his word, fulfilling his promise to her and then preserving it in the face of impossible circ.u.mstances.

Tuesday HER LIFE AND TIMES.

HOSPITALITY.

Elisha stayed for a meal at the Shunammite woman's house after she "urged" him to do so. He felt so well taken care of, so comfortable, and so at home that he made a habit of coming to her home whenever he was in the area-often enough that the woman asked her husband to have a special room added just for Elisha.

Hospitality played an important role in the lives of the people of the Middle East. Desert travel was strenuous, and Holiday Inns hadn't yet been invented. When travelers came to a town at the end of the day, they would stop in the town's center or near the town gates and wait for an invitation for the night. If no invitation came, they would spend the night outside.

Hosts were responsible not only to feed and provide sleeping arrangements for their guests but also were expected to ensure the safety of the guests, protecting them from robbery and harm (Genesis 19:8). When meals were served, the host acted as a servant, serving the guests and watching over their needs. If one guest was particularly favored over another, he or she would be served an extra large or extra special portion of the food (Genesis 43:34).

Examples of hospitality are plentiful in the Scriptures. Abraham made a sumptuous meal for the three strangers who visited him (Genesis 18), preparing bread, a tender calf, curds, and milk. Rebekah practiced a basic form of hospitality when she offered water to Abraham's servant and his animals (Genesis 24:15 - 21). Solomon fed everyone in his palace, plus aliens and visitors to the region. His list of daily provisions in 1 Kings 4:22 provides a picture of what was required to feed a staggering number of people. Nehemiah not only refused to demand "the food allotted to the governor," he also generously fed at least 150 people each day (Nehemiah 5:17 - 18).

Six times the New Testament exhorts believers to be hospitable. There's no talk of fatted calves or extravagant dinners in these pa.s.sages, just a simple exhortation to make sure you care for those around you. As Romans 12:13 puts it, "Share with G.o.d's people who are in need. Practice hospitality." You never know, you just might entertain angels without knowing it (Hebrews 13:2)!

Wednesday HER LEGACY IN SCRIPTURE.

Read 2 Kings 4:8 - 37.

1. Why do you think stopping at this woman's house became a habit for Elisha?