The Many Facets of Miriam

Posted on March 18, 2013 by womenfromthebook

Caregiver

Miriam was born in Egypt. Her parents, Amram and Jochebed, were Hebrew slaves in Pharaoh’s work force. Miriam was the oldest of their children, and she helped care for her younger siblings. As a child, she was responsible, nurturing, and assertive.

Sometime after Amram and Jochebed married, Pharaoh ordered a massive infanticide. He intended to control the slave population by systematically killing Hebrew male infants. Amram’s second child, Aaron, may have been born before the edict went into effect because he was already three years old when the story begins.  The edict was in force, however, when the second son was born. Sympathetic midwives did what they could to save the infants, but Pharaoh eventually required all Egyptians to take part in the killings. When all Egyptians were on the lookout, it was difficult to conceal any boys the midwives saved. Read the rest of this entry →

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Two Mothers, One Son

Posted on March 14, 2013 by womenfromthebook

In a previous post, we considered the identity of Pharaoh’s daughter and concluded there does not seem to be enough evidence to settle on any one name with confidence. However there is information about daughters of pharaohs in general which could have a bearing on the Moses story.

Who is her mother?

Though we can’t answer the following conclusively, we’ll explore a couple of general questions regarding this elusive princess:  who her mother was, and where she might have lived. If she was a daughter of Pharaoh’s principal wife, it’s probable that she would have lived in the environs of the royal palace. If, however, she was the daughter of a secondary wife, she and her mother could have taken up residence in one of many royal compounds scattered throughout Egypt. In that case, Pharaoh would visit or call for them as he desired.

“‘The pharaohs of the New Kingdom period (c. 1570-1085 B.C.) maintained residences and harim not only in the great capitals of Thebes, Memphis, and Pi-Ramesse (Ra’ amses) but also in other parts of Egypt, especially in pleasure resorts….Papyrus documents indicate that this Harim was no prison of enforced idleness for its inmates in pharaohs [sic] absence; the royal ladies supervised a hive of domestic industry, spinning and weaving done by servants….’”[1]

Women of substance

Some may wonder about the role of women in Egypt.  According to Nahum M. Sarna, in his book, Exploring Exodus (1986),  the social and legal position of an Egyptian woman was considerable. “Descent was strictly matrilineal, so that property descended through the female line. This meant that the woman possessed inheritance rights and could dispose of property at will. As a result, she enjoyed a certain measure of economic independence” (p. 31).  It should not seem strange that Pharaoh’s daughter made several on-the-spot decisions with confidence and without apparent reservation (Ex. 2:1-10), likely based not only on her position generally, as a woman in Egyptian society, but especially on her place within the royal family.

The princess commissions a wet-nurse

Wet-nurses were hired to care for foundlings. Ancient Mesopotamian legal texts provide specifics for proper payment regarding such services. Typically, a wet-nurse suckled and reared a child in her home for a specified period of time, usually two to three years, until it was weaned. Then it was returned to the finder for adoption.[2]

The account in Exodus 1 records an interesting departure from the normal procedure. Royal wet-nurses were generally members of elite families, perhaps wives or mothers of high officials. This connection brought with it a certain prestige, one which could result in possible advancement in rank for their husbands and sons.[3] For Pharaoh’s daughter to listen to a young Hebrew girl and follow her suggestion to enlist the services of an unknown woman, represents, to my mind, evidence of the providence of a much higher Power in this whole episode.

Moses and Jochebed

Moses and Jochebed (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The role of Jochebed

Of course, there is no doubt as to Jochebed’s ability to nurse her own baby. Her breasts were probably aching for relief by the time Moses was once more in her arms. However, what she might have done additionally, in the long term, is well worth contemplating.

There are those who speculate that this mother had carefully planned for her baby’s rescue, positioning him deliberately in a place where Pharaoh’s daughter would find him.[4] Why, one might wonder. Had she secretly watched this princess over time, and knew vicariously her disposition for kindness? Did she have a God-given understanding that hers was no ordinary son and that his future would require the best education the world of her day could offer?[5] Did she feel that the safest place for him would be in the care of this royal princess–one whom Jochebed knew to be influential and strong-minded enough to set aside her father’s bloody policy?

Training her child

Others discuss a different matter. Since Jochebed likely had Moses for three years or longer, what did she do during that time? Several feel she carefully laid a foundation for his eventual worshipping of the God of Israel. She was a daughter of Levi (Ex.2:10) and according to one source her name (Hebrew yokebed) apparently means “YHWH is glory.” She is noted as the first person in the Bible to have a name with the divine element yah, a shortened form of YHWH.[6] Does her name indicate that she came from a family of believers who worshipped the true God? Such a notion seems worth considering.

Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary offers the following opinion concerning Ex. 2:10: “His [Moses’s] age when removed to the palace is not stated; but he was old enough to be well instructed in the principles of the true religion; and those early impressions, deepened by the power of divine grace, were never forgotten or effaced. He had remained long enough to be thoroughly imbued with the true national feeling of a Hebrew; and though he may have actively engaged in the varied scenes to which his royal station afterward introduced him, he never ceased to cherish a spirit of sympathy with the race from which he had sprung.”[7]

If the ruling pharaoh was indeed Thutmose III, he worshiped a form of the sun god (sometimes depicted as a sphinx), Amun-Re. It would have been important to introduce knowledge of the true God of Israel to Moses early on. Stephen, in Acts 6:20, says “Moses was born and was well-pleasing to God,” indicating that God was already involved in his life, beginning with his brave and faithful mother.

Grooming a royal prince

While Jochebed likely concentrated on the religious upbringing of her young son, his adopted mother provided the means for a formal education. At about the age of four, boys in the royal court began attending school from early morning until noon–a routine lasting for approximately twelve years. Strict discipline was maintained, backed up with corporal punishment. “The school curriculum largely centered on reading, writing, and arithmetic,” with writing being especially important. “The art of penmanship and the cultivation of style were both highly esteemed as the indispensable prerequisites for a sound education. Drill and memorization seem to have been the chief pedagogic techniques.”[8]

As for Moses’s childhood, John Davis writes: “Children were generally carefree, and played much like children do today….Swimming, horseback riding, hunting, playing with household pets would all be part of the experiences of a young boy in Egypt.”[9] 

Mummy Portrait of a Boy

Mummy Portrait of a Boy (Photo credit: Taifighta)

The young prince would have sported the typical haircut for Egyptian boys of his day—a shaved head except for one long lock on the side, which was braided.[10]

Teen to early adulthood

Moses undoubtedly spent much time perfecting his skills at archery and horsemanship—both favorite pastimes of that dynasty. Learning languages and the geography of his land would have been important as well. Slowly and surely he was being equipped with skills that would serve him in the challenging days to come. In Davis’s words, what we know is a “remarkable example of the excellency of the providence of God” (p. 56).

One last piece

Moses spent forty years in Egypt before he went into exile in Midian. We’ve managed to piece together a collage of what life might have been like into his early adulthood. The Jewish historian Josephus records another bit of his story in The Antiquities of the Jews, Book 2, Chapter 10. According to his account, when Moses had reached full maturity, he was appointed general of the Egyptian army, went against their enemies, the Ethiopians, conquered them, and returned victorious. The Bible nowhere mentions this activity.

One yet to come

So far we have noted five memorable women whose presences figured prominently in the epic story of Moses: Shiphrah and Puah, Pharaoh’s daughter, Jochebed, and Zipporah —all heroic figures, all courageous in dangerous times.

One woman yet remains—Miriam—the subject of our next post.

[1] Citation in Moses and the Gods of Egypt (1971), John J. Davis, p. 52.

[2] See Exploring Exodus, p. 32.

[3] Women in Ancient Egypt (1993), Gay Robins, p. 89.

[4] See Barnes’ Notes and Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary regarding Ex. 2:4-5.

[5] Josephus seems to think so. See The Antiquities of the Jews, Book 2, Chapter 9.3; 9.4.

[6] Women in Scripture (2000), Carol Meyers, Gen. Ed., p. 103.

[7] Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 1997, 2003 by Biblesoft, Inc.

[8] Exploring Exodus, p. 33.

[9] Moses and the Gods of Egypt, p. 55.

[10] Ibid. Davis comments that this hairstyle was actually found on a mummy of a young boy.

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A Woman Named Zipporah

Posted on March 12, 2013 by womenfromthebook

We first meet Zipporah at a well in Midian where she and her sisters watered their father’s flocks. On that day, Moses stepped in to defend the women from brutish shepherds who had driven them away from the well. Moses watered the flocks and later accepted the hospitality of Jethro, Zipporah’s father.

Moses Defending the Daughters of Jethro

Moses Defending the Daughters of Jethro (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Based on his dress and grooming, Moses appeared to be an Egyptian (Ex.2:19). He was born in Egypt and was the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter. Moses had lived a princely life until, in a fit of anger, he killed an Egyptian.  To escape the wrath of Pharaoh, Moses fled to Midian. The day he met Zipporah, Moses was an exile from home, the natural son of Hebrew slaves, and a man without a country.

Jethro took Moses into his family. The two of them seemed to get along amiably. In time Jethro arranged a marriage between Moses and Zipporah. Moses named their first son Gershom, foreigner, because Moses considered himself, “a foreigner in a foreign land” (Ex. 2:22). Over the next forty years, Moses cared for the flocks of his father-in-law.

Jethro was a priest in Midian. There was some similarity between the religious beliefs of Jethro and Moses, because both men traced their roots back to Abraham…and the God of Abraham. But there were differences in how they understood God’s will, such as the proper manner of circumcision. “The Midianites practiced circumcision on a groom right before his marriage instead of circumcising male infants.”[1] The difference in the timing of circumcision[2] became the occasion of a harrowing event.

As Moses, Zipporah and their sons were on the road to Egypt, God suddenly confronted Moses and “sought to kill him” because Moses had neglected to circumcise his son. Zipporah, realizing that her husband’s life was at stake, grabbed a sharp stone and circumcised the child herself (Ex.4:24). Then she threw the foreskin at Moses’ feet, saying,

Surely you are a husband of blood to me!  You are a husband of blood![3]

Back to Midian

Moses later sent his wife and sons back to live with Jethro. It may have been that Zipporah instigated the separation after the ordeal with God. It appears they did not see Moses again until a few months after Israel had left Egypt. Jethro, Zipporah and the two sons visited Moses at a campsite near Mt. Sinai (Ex. 18). They stayed together as a family and discussed what had happened in Egypt. The elders of Israel joined them for meals. Jethro remained long enough to advise Moses on organizing his administration, then departed.

A faded figure

Scripture doesn’t mention Zipporah after this visit. Did she stay with Israel or return to Midian? It’s not known. Over time she has become an enigmatic figure known for her defining action in saving her husband’s life. From there, she fades into obscurity. —Mary Hendren

[1] Nelson Study Bible NKJV, 1997, note on Ex. 4:24.

[2] In Genesis 17 specific instructions were given concerning circumcision. Every male child was to be circumcised when he was eight days old. An uncircumcised male risked being cut off from his people (vv 10-14),

[3] This passage has puzzled many and regardless of the many possible scenarios put forward, there is no clear-cut explanation.

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Who Was Pharaoh’s Daughter?

Posted on March 7, 2013 by womenfromthebook

“Then the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river. And her maidens walked along the riverside; and when she saw the ark among the reeds, she sent her maid to get it. And when she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby wept. So she had compassion on him, and said, ‘This is one of the Hebrews’ children'”(Ex. 2:5-6).

While Cecil B. DeMille cast Rameses II as Pharaoh in The Ten Commandments, and millions of viewers have probably never questioned his choice, scholars know there are other historical contenders. But without a definitive Egyptian chronology by which to trace the rule of various kings, experts are often frustrated by gaps and inconsistencies.

Wikipedia comments, “While the overwhelming majority of Egyptologists agree on the outline and many of the details of a common chronology, disagreements either individually or in groups have resulted in a variety of dates offered for rulers and events.”

And the Pharaoh is…

The proper identification of the pharaoh of the exodus likely holds little interest for the average reader of the Bible account, but it is key to discovering, if possible, the identity of the royal daughter who defied her father’s edict and rescued a tiny Hebrew infant from the banks of the Nile.

Egyptologists still puzzle over this obstinate king. Was he Amenhotep I? Thutmose I? Thutmose III? Or Rameses II? Perhaps producer director DeMille simply accepted the current wisdom of his day by choosing the latter to be his villain. But I, for one, would like to narrow down the list in hopes of answering an intriguing question–who was Pharaoh’s daughter?

Father/daughter connections

Let’s explore a couple of possibilities. Take DeMille’s choice, Rameses II, for starters. Nahum Sarna, in his book, Exploring Exodus (1986), fills in an interesting detail concerning this pharaoh: “If her father was indeed Rameses II, she would have been one of his fifty-nine [emphasis mine] daughters!” (p 31). That fact alone would make it difficult to determine which one was associated with the Exodus account.

Closeup shot of a large granite sphinx bearing...

Closeup shot of a large granite sphinx bearing the likeness of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut. Dating to the joint reign of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III, circa 1479-1458 B.C. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Perhaps Hatshepsut?

Some scholars put forth another name—Thutmose I,[1] and his daughter Hatshepsut. If he were the one, imagine what DeMille could have done with the twists and turns of this story line. Hatshepsut, daughter of Thutmose I and Aahmes, both of royal lineage, was the favorite of their three children. When her two brothers died, she was in the unique position to gain the throne upon the death of her father.

To have a female pharaoh was without precedence in Egyptian annals. When Thutmose I died, his son (by a commoner), Thutmose II, ascended the throne, bolstering his claim by marrying his half-sister, Hatshepsut. She, in turn, was not shy in pursuing her own ambitions during his reign.

There are archaeologists who believe Thutmose II died of a skin ailment after ruling for only a few years. Hatshepsut, his half-sister and wife, had produced no offspring with him, but he had sired a son by a commoner named Isis. This son, Thutmose III, was in line for the throne, but due to his young age, Hatshepsut seized the throne as regent and reigned for twenty plus years before he finally assumed his rightful place as the sole ruler of Egypt.

Current opinions

John J. Davis, in his book, Moses and the Gods of Egypt (1971), writes the following: “It is the view of many that Queen Hatshepsut was the one responsible for caring for Moses in his early years. Following her rule, Thutmose III finally regained the throne as sole Pharaoh and was destined to become one of Egypt’s greatest” (p.34).

The Woman’s Study Bible  tends to agree in its note on Exodus 2:15: “The current pharaoh was Thutmose III. His first 20 years of reign were dominated by Hatshepsut, who was his mother-in-law as well as his father’s widow and half-sister….He may have viewed Moses as a personal threat, since Moses, as the adopted son of a pharaoh’s daughter may have been the son of Hatshepsut herself” (p. 100).

By other names

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary lends its support: “’Pharaoh’s daughter’ may have been the very famous Eighteenth-Dynasty princess and queen Hatshepsut. Eusebius records the tradition that her name was Merris….Josephus calls her Thermuthis….but others claimed her name was Tharmuth…Bityah…Bithiah.” (See Vol. 2, Exodus 2, Note 5, p. 310.)

Still an indistinct figure

A painting by Konstantin Flavitsky of Pharaoh'...

A painting by Konstantin Flavitsky of Pharaoh’s daughter finding Moses, who is in a basket. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So was Hatshepsut the one? Though opinions presented here seem to be weighted in her favor, for me, in lieu of hard facts, Pharaoh’s daughter continues to be the indistinct figure whose actions changed the course of history for the nation of Israel.

In a future post we’ll look at the grooming of Moses as an Egyptian prince.

[1] Sometimes read as Thutmosis or Tuthmosis.

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The Midwives

Posted on March 6, 2013 by womenfromthebook

Pharaoh’s growing problem

Pharaoh was anxious. The increasing size of the Israelite presence in Egypt’s Delta region was worrisome, and in spite of his imposition of harsh servitude, they just continued to multiply. These people were a strong, valuable workforce, and he knew they couldn’t arm themselves and turn against Egypt. After all, they were in bondage and dependent on Egypt for food. However, if his slaves ever aligned with an enemy, that would pose a significant threat. Three million slaves lived in Goshen and 600,000 of them were men—potential warriors. Something must be done.

A depiction of the Hebrews' bondage in Egypt, ...

A depiction of the Hebrews’ bondage in Egypt, during which they were forced to make bricks without straw. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Pharaoh had to deal with the number of slaves without destroying slavery. His solution was to decrease the number of Hebrew males. Harsh servitude hadn’t worked. Perhaps a systematic elimination of baby boys would lower the slave birthrate, and the forcing of the females to marry Egyptian men or become household slaves in Egyptian homes would produce children loyal to Egypt. So he devised a plan.

He would require midwives to do the extermination. They assisted at Hebrew deliveries and could quickly drown the babies before suspicions were raised.[1] They could report that the infants had been stillborn.

Who were these midwives?

Scripture does not say if Shiphrah and Puah were Egyptian or Hebrew midwives. Likely they were Hebrew because of their Semitic names and their fear of God (Ex.1:17). The two women probably represented of a guild of midwives, and that may have been why Pharaoh singled them out. He explained the procedure they were to follow at the birth of a Hebrew boy and expected them to pass on the order.

When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools,[2] if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.

Looking back over 3500 years, it’s hard to imagine what happened when Shiphrah and Puah stood before Pharaoh. Did they say anything in his presence? Did they remain silent and feign compliance? Did they tell the other midwives to secretly disobey? How did they evade his order? Scripture doesn’t say. But they were successful for some length of time because “the people multiplied and grew very mighty” (Ex.1:20).

Amazing Intervention

Eventually Pharaoh realized that the Hebrew baby boys were being saved, and he asked the midwives for an explanation.

Why have you done this thing, and saved the male children alive?

Shiphrah and Puah came up with what seems like a barely credible excuse for all the live baby boys.

The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women, for they are vigorous and give birth before a midwife can get to them.

As Pharaoh listened, God must have endowed their words with believable-ness, creating a reasonable delusion in his mind—His plan wasn’t working because Hebrew women had faster rates of delivery than Egyptian women.

God blessed the midwives in additional ways: Pharaoh didn’t execute them for disobedience; the Egyptian king shifted the responsibility for killing babies to the Egyptian people; and God provided households for the midwives (Ex. 1:20).

Legacy

The names of Shiphrah and Puah[3] were recorded in Exodus for succeeding generations to understand that their courage mattered to God. It made a difference in history.[4]

I wonder if they ever knew that one of the baby boys who lived was Moses—the one destined to become the deliverer of Israel.—Mary Hendren

.

 

 

[1] According to John J. Davis, in his book Moses and the Gods of Egypt (1971), p. 50, midwives aided at childbirth by “taking the newborn child, cutting its umbilical cord, washing the baby with water, salting, and wrapping it.” Some propose that babies were to be drowned under the guise of washing them immediately after their birth.

[2] Egyptian women were often delivered while squatting on two large bricks. There is some evidence that, at least in the New Kingdom, birth took place, if possible, in a specially built structure erected perhaps in the garden or on the roof of the house. (See Women in Ancient Egypt, Gay Robins, 1993, p. 83.)

[3] It is interesting that the specific names of the midwives are given, but the pharaoh of the Israelite oppression remains anonymous and a subject of continuing debate and discussion. (See Exploring Exodus (1971), Nahum Sarna, pp 24-5.)

[4] The Nelson’s StudyBible, NKJV, 2007, p. 91, note on v. 15.

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Silhouettes from the Book of Exodus

Posted on March 4, 2013 by womenfromthebook
Pharaoh, the king of ancient Egypt, is often d...

Pharaoh, the king of ancient Egypt, is often depicted wearing the nemes headdress and an ornate kilt. Based on New Kingdom tomb paintings. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is the time of year when one can expect to see the 1956 epic movie The Ten Commandments airing somewhere on network or cable channels available to viewers worldwide. So far its appeal has managed to endure, as it is currently listed number ten of the top ten epic movies produced.

Wikipedia says, “The Ten Commandments is one of the most financially successful films ever made, grossing over $65 million at the U.S. box office. Adjusting for inflation, this makes it the sixth highest-grossing film domestically, with an adjusted total of $1,025,730,000 in 2012.[2] The box office website “The Numbers” lists the domestic gross at $80 million.[1]

While Cecil B. DeMille was obviously good at making a blockbuster movie, he was also good at embellishing the facts with his own imagination and interpretation. For instance he introduces the storyline of a fictional romance—that Moses loves Nefritiri, the throne princess who must marry the next Pharaoh. The Bible does not even hint at such a thing.

DeMille assigns names to some of the characters, possibly based on the prevailing scholarly opinion of the time: Rameses II as Pharaoh, and Bithiah, as the princess who rescued Moses. But when one reads the account of Moses in the opening chapters of Exodus, such details are noticeably missing. Instead the reader encounters shadowy figures made comprehensible only when placed against the cultural tableau of their time.

The next posts will explore the lives and environment of several personalities, including six women who appear in the Moses story, in an attempt to add, if possible, a personal dimension to these otherwise inscrutable silhouettes.

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Barter

Posted on February 12, 2013 by womenfromthebook

To barter is to do business by exchanging one thing for another. Words related to barter are trade, switch, swap, bargain and haggle. Ancient Israel, like most countries then, had a monetary system of exchange alongside a bartering system. A barter economy “usually exists parallel to monetary systems” of exchange.[1] So men and women in Israel purchased things with coins, exchanged commodities, negotiated services and gave offerings in coins, agricultural products and animals.

There are a number of Old Testament accounts that feature swapping, bargaining and haggling. Jacob was a “premier bargainer.” He had a knack for making favorable deals for himself—a birthright; passage to Syria; a wife; flocks; protection. Jacob’s ultimate deal-making experience must have been wrestling with God for a blessing (Gen. 25:32-33:16).

One husband and two sisters

Jacob’s sons and wives picked up his bargaining ways. It was only natural because Jacob “played favorites” with his wives and children. He had at least twelve sons, one daughter named Dinah and possibly more unnamed daughters, but he loved Joseph more than the other children. He married two sisters and had two concubines, but he loved only one of the four, Rachel. It’s not surprising that relationships in Jacob’s family were more competitive than cooperative.

On one occasion the sisters argued over some mandrakes Leah received from Reuben. Because mandrake roots resemble a human torso, the plant was associated with magic rituals and superstition. Mandrakes belong to the Nightshade family (Atropa mandragora) and are poisonous. Depending on how much of the plant is ingested, the toxins therein can cause nausea, vomiting, paralysis, delirium, hallucinations, memory loss, personality disorder and death.

In spite of their dangerous side effects, mandrakes were thought to arouse sexual desire and promote conception, so the two wives both wanted them.

Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

 But Leah said to her, “Wasn’t it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?”

 “Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”

 So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.”

 This agreement did not work out the way Rachel hoped. She did not get pregnant through Leah’s mandrakes (Genesis 30:14-21). However, the negotiation between Leah and Rachel is a good example of two women making a bargain using an agricultural product in place of cash.

There are four other women from the Old Testament who made significant non-cash transactions. Three of the women were diplomatic and daring. One of them was deceptive and fearless. All four succeeded in getting what they wanted.

 Hannah

After years of dealing with the shame and humiliation of being barren, Hannah turned the matter over to God in the form of a vow.  Her declaration was a promise to God that if He did something for her, she would do something for Him (I Samuel 1:11).

Then she made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.”

 God, knowing all that Hannah had been through and having a high purpose in mind, blessed her with a son. When Samuel was weaned, Hannah fulfilled her part of the agreement and presented him at the Temple for service to the LORD.

Tamar 

Judah and Tamar (1840 painting by Horace Vernet)

Judah and Tamar (1840 painting by Horace Vernet) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Tamar’s husband died before they had children. Her father-in-law, Judah, told Tamar to remain a widow until his son Shelah was old enough to marry her. Judah broke his word, though, and didn’t arrange the marriage. So Tamar disguised herself as a harlot, and negotiated sex with Judah in hopes of becoming pregnant within her husband’s family (Genesis 38:16-19).

Judah said, “Please let me come in to you” for he did not know she was his daughter-in-law.

 So she said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?”

 And he said, “I will send a young goat from the flock.”

 So she said, “Will you give me a pledge till you send it?”

 Then he said, “What pledge shall I give you?”

 So she said, “Your signet and cord, and your staff that is in your hand.”

 Tamar conceived and gave birth to twins, and Judah confessed his guilt. Their encounter was illicit, but their conversation is an example of a negotiation using personal articles of identification—signet, cord and staff—rather than money.

Abigail

When Abigail heard that David planned to kill the men in Nabal’s household, she placated his anger with a lavish gift of food—enough to feed his army. She followed up with a humble appeal to David’s honor and his exalted position in God’s eyes. She asked that David leave vengeance to God, that he accept the food and that he disregard Nabal’s offense (1 Samuel 25:32-35).

Then David said to Abigail, “Blessed is the LORD God of Israel who sent you this day to meet me! And blessed is your advice and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand…so David received from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your voice and respected your person.”

English: Esther Before the King (Est. 5:1-8) Р...

English: Esther Before the King (Est. 5:1-8) Русский: Есфирь и Артаксеркс (Эсф. 5:1-8) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Esther

 Because of Haman’s plot to exterminate the Jews, Esther was forced to negotiate for the lives of her people. But she first had to gain access to the king, the ultimate decision-maker in Persia. She called a fast among those sympathetic to her purposes and rolled out a daring plan. Once Esther had the king’s attention, she put him at ease by hosting two banquets in his honor. When he was relaxed and unperturbed, Esther made a dramatic plea for life (Esther 7:3-4).

Then Queen Esther answered and said, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request. For we have been sold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated.”

 The king granted Esther’s request and arranged for Haman’s plot to “return on his own head” (Esther 9:25).

Women find ways.  ♦ Mary Hendren

[1] Wikipedia, “Barter.”

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The Widow of Zarephath

Posted on February 7, 2013 by womenfromthebook

Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country.  But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land;  but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.  Luke 4:24-27

Bad news to a bad king

Delivering a message to Ahab, King of Israel, was not a job for cowards. Especially when it was bad news! Elijah the Tishbite[1] stood[2] boldly before the one who provoked Israel’s God more than any king before him, and proclaimed: “As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word” (1 Kings 17:1). Then he left.

His first recorded commission complete, the prophet followed the word of the LORD’s direction, making his way to the Brook Cherith,[3] some twenty-five or more miles from Samaria. Morning and evening, glossy-feathered ravens[4] miraculously delivered bread and meat to satisfy his hunger, and water from the brook slaked his thirst. As the drought worsened, the vital stream dwindled to a trickle until finally its precious liquid vanished.

Into pagan territory

The word of the LORD came again to Elijah: “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there” (v.9). Elijah did not question his new instructions, but he must have considered their ramifications. This town, seven miles south of Sidon on the Mediterranean coast,[5] was under the rule of a Baal-worshiping king, Ethbaal, who happened to be Ahab’s own father-in-law; and it was undoubtedly immersed in the heathen practices that Israel’s God loathed.

Bartholomeus Breenbergh - Elijah and the Widow...

Bartholomeus Breenbergh – Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath – WGA3154 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It took some time to travel to Zarephath, perhaps several days, and when he arrived, Elijah was thirsty and hungry. The LORD had already made provisions: “….I have commanded a widow woman there to provide for you” (v.9). Entering the city, he encountered the widow, just as promised. When he called to her with his astonishing request—water and bread in the midst of a punishing drought—she immediately set about tending to his needs.

Some of the larger fresh streams possibly still flowed enough for her to fetch a little water, but having enough on hand to provide a “morsel of bread” was quite another matter. “As the LORD your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar,” she answered. “….See, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die” (v.12).

Not so, Elijah countered. “’Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the LORD sends rain on the earth’” (vv.13-14).

Rejuvenated by these words of hope, the widow was quick to believe. She was not disappointed. Her bin of flour never ran out, and her jar of oil never went dry for as long as He withheld rain from the wicked land.

Not the end of the story

As if enduring famine was not enough, the widow faced another devastating blow. Her son fell ill, so ill in fact, he died. Turning to Elijah, she cried in her anguish, “What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to kill my son?” [6] 

English: Elijah Raises the Son of the Widow of...

English: Elijah Raises the Son of the Widow of Zarephath (1Kings 17:1-24) Русский: Пророк Илия воскрешает сына вдовицы Сарептской (3Цар. 17:1-24) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The prophet, himself deeply affected by her loss, took the child’s limp body, and carried him to his own bed in the loft. Then he stretched himself upon the boy three times, beseeching God, “O LORD my God, I pray, let this child’s soul come back to him” (v. 21). God answered. Her precious boy revived. When Elijah brought him to his distraught mother, alive, she said with reverent conviction, “Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is the truth.”

God reigns supreme

What a testament to God’s power and mercy within the precincts of a city steeped in Baal worship—not only to His ability to sustain life, but to restore it! I feel certain there were two fewer idolaters in Zaraphath after that day, and that Elijah, the true prophet of God, was not without honor there, at least in eyes of this poor Gentile widow.

[1] Elijah was probably from Tishbe, thought to have been located 22 miles south of the Sea of Galilee, in the land allotted to Gad. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tishbite. Also http://www.bible-history.com/geography/ancient-israel/ot/tishbe.html.) This town was a substantial distance from Samaria where likely Ahab was when Elijah delivered his ominous message.

[2] The Bible does not furnish the location of this exchange. Perhaps it occurred in Samaria at Ahab’s royal palace.

[3] The exact location of the brook is up for discussion. I used the map which places it very near Tishbe. Others describe it as due north of Samaria nearer Sidon. (See http://www.bible-history.com/geography/ancient-israel/ot/tishbe.html)

[4] Some have suggested the word “ravens” be translated “Arabians,” made possible by altering the vowel points of the Hebrew word. Others posit that the original word stands for “merchants,” i.e., men from a nearby village who would come twice daily with Elijah’s food. Neither of these positions is provable, and so this author prefers to take the Bible at its word. These birds were miraculously sent by God to feed His prophet. Further discussion on this can be found in Elijah: His Life & Times, by W. Milligan, D.D. (James Nisbet and Co. London, publishers), p.23.

[5] The Women’s Study Bible, note “Widow of Zarephath,” p. 581.

[6] Some puzzle over the widow’s response. She trusted the prophet’s word during the famine, and their lives were spared. Why now was she ready to assume that this same Elijah was responsible for her son’s death? Had she committed some sin and feared this was a punishment sent from God, they wonder. After all, her culture was one of vengeance, and of worshipping a god that demanded human sacrifice. Or was it a matter of blaming someone else for a loss in an attempt to deflect from deep-seated feelings of personal guilt on some level?

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A word of explanation

Posted on February 3, 2013 by womenfromthebook

My apologies to you the readers of WomenfromtheBook Blog who have found no new posts for several days. Due to some serious health issues in our family, I haven’t been able to devote any time to this blog. Mary and I will have to discuss how to go on from here. As we are taking it day by day, future posts may be rather sporadic for awhile.

Thank you for your patience, and I look forward to having our blog back on a regular schedule hopefully in the very near future.

Flowers are common subjects of still life pain...

Flowers are common subjects of still life paintings, such as this one by Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Facing famine

Posted on January 22, 2013 by womenfromthebook

Now

In 2011, the world agonized over pictures of starving mothers and their children in the African country of Somalia. The reason? Prolonged drought and eventual famine. The videos and photos from international news agencies put faces, gaunt and grim, with haunting, hungry eyes, to the statistics. While humanitarian efforts poured into the stricken area, thousands continued to die—many of them children.

Recent reports say the drought cycle has broken in Somalia, as predicted by meteorologists and others. “But conditions are still precarious, United Nations officials warned, with many Somalis dying of hunger and more than two million still needing emergency rations to survive.”

A  July 20, 2012 UN report remained guarded: “In spite of the progress made one year after the declaration of famine in parts of southern Somalia, some 3.8 million people there are still in need of assistance, the United Nations said today, appealing to countries to provide funding for humanitarian aid.

‘Last year, we were able to halt the downward spiral into starvation for hundreds of thousands of people. Famine conditions have not been present since January,’ said the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Mark Bowden, in a news release.

‘However, the humanitarian situation in Somalia remains critical with 2.51 million people in urgent need of aid and a further 1.29 million at risk of sliding back into crisis,’ he added.”

English: Laure Souley holds her three-year-old...

English: Laure Souley holds her three-year-old daughter and an infant son at a MSF aide centre during the 2005 famine, Maradi Niger (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Now the same deadly specter hovers over other African countries like Chad, Niger, and Burkina Faso, reportedly the poorest region on the continent.

Recognizing the cycle

It’s not difficult to trace events leading to famine: first, no rain for several growing seasons; crops diminish and eventually fail; stockpiles dwindle; money becomes non-existent; and finally there is no food.[i] The grim result: death by starvation and disease, unless, that is, aid comes from some outside source, or, if one relocates to find sustenance elsewhere.

Then

Drought and famine were all too familiar to people of the Old Testament. Sarai, for instance, faced such conditions during her lifetime. She and Abram had the means to relocate to Egypt until the rains returned (Genesis 12:10). Later Rebekah traveled with Isaac to Gerar for the same reason (Genesis 26:1-7). Probably the best-known survivor is Naomi, who, with her husband and two sons, journeyed to Moab, and plenty (Ruth 1:1-2).

However, there was one mother—a widow, undoubtedly poor—who found herself caught in the deadly cycle, apparently with no option to leave. Resigned to a morbid outcome, she prepared to feed her child one last meager meal and wait for the end of their miseries. With a miraculous turn of events, her life changed forever. We’ll revisit her story in the next post.

[i] For a fascinating Bible account of this cycle playing out during the life of Joseph, please read Genesis 41-47.

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