Mother

Mo

s

ther

of the

o

Bible

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Mother

Mo

s

ther

of the

o

Bible

Ann Spangler

Ann Sp

Jean E. Syswerda

Jean E. Syswerd

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Mothers of the Bible: A Devotional

Copyright © 2006 by Ann Spangler and Jean E. Syswerda

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.

AER Edition January 2009 ISBN: 978-0-310-29761-1

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Spangler, Ann.

Mothers of the Bible / Ann Spangler and Jean E. Syswerda.

p.

cm.

Adapted from the authors’ Women of the Bible.

ISBN-13: 978-0-310-27239-7 (alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 0-310-27239-4 (alk. paper)

1. Mothers in the Bible. 2. Mothers — Religious life. 3.

Motherhood — Religious aspects — Christianity. I. Syswerda, Jean. II. Title.

BS579.M65S63 2006

220.9'20852 — dc22

2005032792

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® . NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means — electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other — except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

06 07 08 09 10 11 12 • 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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To Dorothy Eileen Spangler

My favorite mother and friend

To my mom, Gertrude Bloomer,

and my mother-in-law, Lucile Scott Syswerda (1912 – 2002)

With gratitude for years of love and ser vice

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Contents

Introduction 9

Eve

13

Sarah 25

Hagar 39

Rebekah 53

Rachel 69

Leah 83

The Mothers of Moses

97

Hannah 109

Elizabeth 123

Mary, the Mother of Jesus

137

The Syrophoenician Woman

153

Salome, Mother of the Sons of Zebedee

165

About the publisher 177

Share Your Thoughts 178

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Introduction

Shortly after Jean Syswerda and I first published Women of

the Bible, the larger book from which Mothers of the Bible is drawn, a publishing colleague confided how astonished he

was by the book’s immediate success. After encountering it in

a local bookstore, he had confidently predicted it would never

sell. He smiled as he told me this, glad for our sakes that his

prediction had been proved wrong.

I think my colleague made an understandable mistake.

He had underestimated the hunger women have for authentic

stories about other women who reflect their own struggles to

live with faith and hope.

In this book, Jean and I have selected twelve prominent

mothers of the Bible, believing that their lives still speak to

mothers today. This is true despite the fact that their culture

differs vastly from ours. Whether struggling with infertility,

the temptation to play favorites among their children, the chal-

lenge of single motherhood, or the struggle to believe God’s

promises regarding their children, these women responded in

ways both negative and positive that can help to shape our

own experience of God.

In order to help you understand the significance of their

stories, we have developed a unique devotional program, com-

bining five different elements: inspiration, background infor-

mation, Bible study, Bible promises, and prayer. Here’s how

each of the twelve weeks, focusing on a particular mother of

the Bible, unfold:

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Monday: Her Story — an inspirational portrait of one

mother’s life.

Tuesday: Her Life and Times — background information

about the culture of her day.

Wednesday: Her Legacy in Scripture — a short Bible study

on her life with application to your own.

Thursday: Her Promise — Bible promises that apply to

her life and yours.

Friday: Her Legacy of Prayer — praying in light of her story.

By focusing on one mother for five consecutive days,

we hope to help you read, reflect, study, and pray in a way

that will draw you more deeply into God’s presence, helping

you to experience his grace as you live out your own call to

motherhood.

As in Women of the Bible, we suggest beginning with

Monday’s portrait, designed to help you understand the main

elements of the woman’s story. After that you may want to

read the specific Scriptures that pertain to her life, those

mentioned as “Key Scriptures” in the introduction that im-

mediately precedes her story. Though Monday’s inspirational

retelling at times relies on fictional techniques to bring out

various dimensions of a story and the character’s emotional

responses, every effort has been made to remain close to the

original text, drawing out reasonable implications from Scrip-

ture’s account.

Tuesday will give you an inside look at a particular aspect

of the life and culture of the woman whose story is told.

Wednesday is designed to balance Monday’s inspirational

account by sending you straight to the Bible so you can un-

derstand and apply the Scripture to your own life.

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Thursday’s promises take you a step further, offering Bible

verses that can be meditated on, memorized, or copied onto

cards that can be placed as reminders at work or at home.

Friday’s prayers are designed to build on everything you

have already studied and reflected on during the week. By

including a balance of praise, thanksgiving, confession, and

petition as a basis for your prayer, this section is designed to

lead you into deeper communion with God.

Jean and I know that being a mother is one of the most

difficult and rewarding challenges in the world. We hope that

Mothers of the Bible will offer you an opportunity, alone or

in a small group, to perceive God’s love and faithfulness in

fresh ways, blessing your children through the work he does

in your life.

We owe special thanks to associate publisher Sandy Van-

der Zicht for her continuing insight, encouragement, and ad-

vocacy for this book, and to senior editor Verlyn Verbrugge

for his careful and discerning editing. We are grateful also

to creative director Cindy Davis for using her considerable

talents to enhance the design of the book and to Zondervan’s

marketing and sales teams for their sustained efforts to make

it available to as many readers as possible.

INTRODUCTION h 11

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Eve

Her Name Means Life-giving or Mother of All Who Have Life h

Her Character: She came into the world perfectly at peace with her God and with her husband, the only

other person on the planet. She lived in Para-

dise, possessing every pleasure imaginable. She

never knew the meaning of embarrassment,

misunderstanding, hurt, estrangement, envy,

bitterness, grief, or guilt until she listened to

her enemy and began to doubt God.

Her Sorrow:

That she and her husband were banished

from Paradise and the presence of God, and

that her first son was a murderer and her sec-

ond son his victim.

Her Joy:

That she had once tasted Paradise, and that

God had promised that her offspring would

eventually destroy her enemy.

Key Scriptures: Genesis 1:26 – 31; Genesis 2 – 4

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Monday

Her Story

The woman stirred and stretched, her skin soft and supple as

a newborn’s. One finger, then another moved in gentle explo-

ration of the ground that cradled her. She could feel a warmth

filling her, tickling her throat as it tried to escape, spilling

out in the strong, glad noise of laughter. She felt surrounded,

as though by a thousand joys, and then a touch calmed her

without diminishing her joy.

Her eyes opened to a Brightness, her ears to a Voice. And

then a smaller voice, echoing an elated response: “This is now

bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called

‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” Adam took hold of

her, and their laughter met like streams converging.

The man and the woman walked naked and unashamed

in Paradise. No shadows filled Eden — no disorder, discord,

or fear.

Then one day a serpent spoke to the woman. “Did God

really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’? You

will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it

your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing

good and evil.”

The woman listened. She remembered the Brightness, the

Voice of God that had filled her with joy. Could she really

be like God? Pressed hard by desire, she took the fruit and

then shared it with her husband. Suddenly darkness spread

across Eden. It came, not from the outside but from within,

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filling the man and the woman with shadows, cravings, and

misery. Order gave way to disorder, harmony to discord, trust

to fear.

Soon Adam and Eve heard the sound of their Creator

walking in the garden, and they hid. “Where are you, Adam?”

God called.

“I heard you in the garden,” Adam replied, “and I was

afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

Sin had driven its wedge inside their hearts, and God

banished them from Eden, pronouncing judgment first on

the wily serpent that had tempted the woman and then on

her and on her husband. To the serpent’s curse he added this

promise: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and

between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head,

and you will strike his heel.” To the woman, God said: “I will

greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will

give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband,

and he will rule over you.”

Then God warned Adam that after a lifetime of hard

labor, his strength would decrease until his body would finally

be wrapped in the dust from which God had formed him. The

curse of death fell suddenly upon the new world.

So Adam and his wife were forced to flee Paradise, and

Adam named her Eve, because she would be the mother of all

the living. But her firstborn, Cain, became a murderer, and

her second son, Abel, his victim.

As the years passed, sorrow chased sorrow in the heart of

the first woman, and the last we see of her we imagine her not

as a creature springing fresh from the hand of God, but as a

woman in anguish, giving birth to another child. Her skin

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now stretches like worn canvas across her limbs, her hands

claw the stony ground, grasping for something to hold on to,

for anything to ease her pain. She can feel the child inside,

filling her, his body pressing for a way of escape. The cries of

mother and child meet like streams converging. And Seth is

born.

Finally, with her child cradled against her breast, relief

begins to spread across Eve’s face. With rest her hope returns,

a smile forms, and then, finally, laughter rushes from her lips.

Try as she might, she cannot stifle her joy. For she remem-

bers the Brightness and the Voice and the promise God gave:

Sooner or later, despite many griefs, her seed would crush the

serpent. In the end, the woman would win.

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Tuesday

Her Life and Times

Childbirth

Eve was the first woman to conceive a child, the first to

harbor a fertilized egg in her womb. Did she understand the

miracle taking place within her as her belly swelled and her

child began to move? Did she know the wonder of love for

a child yet unborn? The Bible doesn’t give us those answers.

But it does tell us that Eve recognized that life was in God’s

control. At Cain’s birth she exclaimed, “With the help of the

LORD I have brought forth a man” (Genesis 4:1).

God’s judgment on Eve — “with pain you will give birth

to children” — was no doubt exactly what Eve experienced in

birthing this first child. It’s the process we appropriately term

labor. Eve likely bore the pain and went through the entire

birth with only Adam’s help.

Later, Hebrew women had the help of experienced mid-

wives, who knew remedies for common delivery difficulties.

Midwives’ responsibilities after the birth included cutting the

umbilical cord, washing the newborn, rubbing it with salt for

cleansing, and then wrapping it in swaddling cloths.

The birth stool referred to in Exodus 1:16 was probably

a low stool on which the mother-to-be squatted, allowing the

force of gravity to aid in the birth process. The midwife and

possibly other close relatives held the mother’s hands to give

comfort as well as stability as she bore down.

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Women throughout the centuries have borne the results

of Eve’s sin. Their pain in childbearing unites them in a com-

mon bond of an experience shared. The experience is an un-

usual combination of the earthly and at the same time the

unearthly. The pains, the panting, the mess and disorder con-

nected with the birth of a child are of the earth, of Eve herself.

But what is brought forth, and the bond between the mother

and the child of this experience, is unearthly, something only

the Creator of life could forge.

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Wednesday

Her Legacy in Scripture

Read Genesis 2:21 – 23

1. Describe Adam’s situation. In this paradise, what need

did he have that was not being met that only a woman

could fulfill?

Read Genesis 2:24 – 25

2. What does being “one flesh” in a marriage mean,

both physically and spiritually?

3. Think of a couple who truly seems to be “one flesh.”

What is their relationship like?

Read Genesis 3:1 – 5

4. This is one of the saddest passages in Scripture, but

also the one that sets the stage for all that is to come.

How easily do you think the serpent deceived Eve?

Do you think she ate of the fruit the first time he ap-

proached her, or did he wear her down over a period

of time?

Read Genesis 3:6 – 7

5. What three reasons for eating the fruit are given in

verse 6?

6. Eve is rationalizing her sin here. Even though she knows

it is wrong, she can come up with a variety of reasons

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for eating from the tree anyway. What sorts of reasons

do you come up with to rationalize your sin?

Read Genesis 3:8 – 13

7. Adam and Eve act out a classic scene of passing the

blame: Adam blames Eve; Eve blames the serpent. Is

any one of the three participants any more or less to

blame? What do the curses God pronounces on each

tell you about who is “at fault”? (For the serpent, see

3:14 – 15; for Eve, see 3:16; for Adam, see 3:17 – 19.)

Read Genesis 3:20 – 24

8. What is the first thing God does for Adam and Eve

after he declares what their punishment will be?

9. Making clothing for Adam and Eve is a practical but

also a thoughtful act. What does this tell you about

God? What do you think he is willing to do for you

after you have sinned and repented?

Read Genesis 4:1 – 2

10. Whom does Eve acknowledge as the source of life?

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Thursday

Her Promise

Embedded in the very curse put on Eve for her sin is a won-

derful promise. God promises her, and succeeding generations:

You “will give birth to children” (Genesis 3:16). God’s grace

and mercy are marvelously evident, even when he’s pronounc-

ing his judgment. He promises that the human race will con-

tinue even as he announces that death will now be inevitable.

Throughout Scripture, God’s grace is often most beauti-

fully evident within his judgments. When the world was so

full of sin that he had to destroy it, God’s grace saved Noah

and his family. When the Israelites rebelled so thoroughly that

captivity was inevitable, God’s grace promised restoration.

While judgment fell on David for his sin with Bath sheba,

God’s grace gave them Solomon as a son and successor.

When you are at your lowest, on your knees before God’s

judgment, never forget that his grace is still at work. And that

is truly amazing.

Promises in Scripture

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one

blessing after another.

— John 1:16

But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,

so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might

reign through righ teous ness to bring eternal life through

Jesus Christ our Lord.

— Romans 5:20 – 21

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Friday

Her Legacy of Prayer

So God created human beings in his own image, in the image of

God he created them; male and female he created them.

— Genesis 1:27

Reflect On:

Genesis 2:15 – 25; 3.

Praise God:

Because he created you in his own image,

making you a woman capable of reflecting

his love, truth, strength, goodness, wisdom,

and beauty.

Offer Thanks: That imbedded in God’s judgment of Adam

and Eve is the promise of a Redeemer who

will crush the head of our enemy, the devil.

Confess:

Your own tendency to mar God’s image in

you by preferring your will to his.

Ask God:

To help you surrender your life, so that he

can fulfill his purpose for creating you.

Lift Your Heart

Find a peaceful setting, surrounded by the beauty of cre-

ation, to meditate on what life must have been like in the gar-

den of Eden. Think about what your life would be like if you

experienced peace in all your relationships, if you never suf-

fered physical or emotional pain, if you were never confused

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or ashamed or guilty, if you always experienced God’s love

and friendship. Let your imagination run riot as it fills in the

details of God’s original intention for your life and for those

you love.

Then consider this: You were made for paradise. The joys

you taste now are infinitesimal compared to those that await

you in heaven, for “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no

mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who

love him” (1 Co rin thi ans 2:9).

Father, give me a greater understanding of your original plan for

our world. Help me to envision its beauty so I might live with a

constant awareness that you intend to restore paradise to all who

belong to you. May I surrender every sin and every sorrow to you,

trusting that you will fulfill your purpose for my life. In Jesus’

name I pray, Amen.

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Sarah

Her Name Means Chieftainness or Princess

h

Her Character: Beautiful enough to attract rulers in the ancient world, she could be strong-willed and

jealous. Yet Sarah was considered a loyal wife

who did what was right and who didn’t give

in to fear.

Her Sorrow:

That she remained childless for most of her

life.

Her Joy:

That at the age of ninety, she gave birth to

Isaac, child of the promise.

Key Scriptures: Genesis 12:1 – 20; 16:1 – 8; 17:1 – 22; 18:1 – 15; 21:1 – 13; Galatians 4:22 – 31

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Monday

Her Story

Sarah was sixty-five, the age many of us retire, when she

began a journey that would lead her into uncharted spiritual

territory. Leaving behind their homeland, she and her hus-

band, Abraham, moved hundreds of miles south to Canaan,

a land fertile with the promises of God but barren of every-

thing cherished and familiar. God had promised the land to

Abraham and his offspring. From him would come not just

a family, clan, or tribe, but an entire nation, a people who

would belong to God as no other people had.

The promise spread like ripples from a stone pitched in

water. If Abraham was to father a new nation, surely Sarah

would be its mother. Yet she longed to give birth, not to a na-

tion, but to one small child she could kiss and cradle.

At first Abraham and Sarah found it difficult to support

themselves, let alone children, in their new homeland. Soon

a famine made life so severe that they moved on to Egypt,

where Abraham, fearful of Pharaoh, suggested a deceptive

maneuver to save his skin: “I know what a beautiful woman

you are. When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is

his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. Say you

are my sister [she was his half sister], so that I will be treated

well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”

So Sarah did as her husband asked, and Pharaoh soon

added her to his harem of beautiful women. For the privi-

lege, he paid Abraham in the currency of the day — a bevy

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of sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and servants. But though

the two men seemed satisfied with their bargain, God was

not. He proceeded to strike Pharaoh and his entire household

with diseases. The Egyptian ruler soon summoned Abraham,

demanding an explanation. As soon as he heard the truth, he

allowed both Sarah and Abraham to leave, taking with them

all the riches they had gained in Egypt.

So the couple moved home again. By now, several years

had passed since Abraham and Sarah had heard the remark-

able promise of God, but still there was no child. So Sarah

took matters into her own hands. Following a practice com-

mon in the ancient world, she gave Abraham permission to

sleep with her Egyptian maid, Hagar. Sarah’s slave would be-

come a surrogate mother for the promised child.

Before long, Ishmael was born. But the child brought only

discord between the two women.

One day several years later, the Lord appeared to Abra-

ham while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent.

“Where is your wife Sarah?”

“There, in the tent,” Abraham replied.

Then the Lord said, “I will surely return to you about this

time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”

Now Sarah, who had been eavesdropping from inside the

tent, laughed and said, “After I am worn out and my master is

old, will I now have this pleasure?”

But the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh

and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is

anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the

appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son.”

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Because Sarah was afraid, she lied and said, “I did not

laugh.”

But the Lord pressed her, saying, “Yes, you did laugh.”

A year later, Sarah gave birth to Isaac, whose name means

“laughter.” Of course the joke was not lost on the ninety-year-

old mother, who exclaimed: “God has brought me laughter,

and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”

But Sarah’s humor was short-lived. Fireworks flared once

again between the two mothers until Sarah forced Hagar and

Ishmael from Abraham’s household, leaving them to wander

in the harsh desert. And though God provided for the two

outcasts, it was through Isaac that he would keep his promise

of a new nation and a deliverer for his people.

Sarah died at the age of 127 and was buried in Hebron.

Between Isaac’s birth and her own death lay thirty-seven

years, ample time to reflect on her life’s adventure with God.

Was she ashamed of her treatment of the ill-fated Hagar? Did

she remember laughing when God told Abraham she would

bear a child at the age of ninety? Did she appreciate the echo-

ing irony in young Isaac’s laughter? Did she have any idea she

would one day be revered as the Mother of Israel — indeed, a

symbol of the promise just as Hagar was to become a symbol

of slavery under the law? Scripture does not say. But it is heart-

ening to realize that God accomplishes his purposes despite

our frailties, our little faith, our entrenched self-reliance.

True, Sarah’s pragmatic attempts to help God keep his

promise caused plenty of anguish. (Even in our own day, the

struggle between Israel and her Arab neighbors stems from

the ancient strife between two women and the children they

bore.) Still, despite her jealousy, anxiety, and skepticism about

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God’s ability to keep his promises, there’s no denying that

Sarah was a risk-taker of the first order, a woman who said

good-bye to everything familiar to travel to a land she knew

nothing about. A real flesh-and-blood kind of woman who

lived an adventure more strenuous than any fairy-tale hero-

ine, an adventure that began with a promise and ended with

laughter.

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Tuesday

Her Life and Times

Names

In Bible times, names had a significance they often do

not have today. The names that the mothers and fathers of

these times gave to their children give us a glimpse into their

personal experience, sometimes reflecting their emotional re-

sponses to a situation. When Sarah was ninety years old, God

told her that she and Abraham would finally have the child

for whom she had wished for so long. She could hardly believe

it! “After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have

this pleasure?” she exclaimed (Genesis 18:12). When her son

was born, Sarah named him Isaac, which means “he laughs,”

and she said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone

who hears about this will laugh with me” (Genesis 21:6).

Perhaps one of the Bible’s most poignant scenes is played

out when Rachel, in great pain and knowing she was dying,

named her son Ben-Oni, meaning “son of my trouble.” But

Jacob, the child’s father, loving this little one even in his sor-

row, renamed him Benjamin, “son of my right hand” (Genesis

35:16 – 20). When Hannah’s son was born, she named him

Samuel , which sounds like the Hebrew for “heard of God,”

because God had heard her cries for a child (1 Sam uel 1:20).

Many of the Old Testament prophets had names that spoke of

their mission: Isaiah’s name means “the Lord saves,” Obadi-

ah’s name means “servant of the Lord,” Nahum’s name means

“comfort,” and Malachi’s name means “my messenger.”

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Throughout Scripture, God gives to his people names that

offer a picture of their significance and worth to him. We are

his “treasured possessions” (Exodus 19:5; Malachi 3:17), the

“people of his inheritance” (Deuteronomy 4:20), and “sons

of the living God” (Hosea 1:10). We are his “friends” (John

15:15). No matter what your given name, God knows it. In

love, he calls you to him by your name, and you belong to

him (Isaiah 43:1).

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Wednesday

Her Legacy in Scripture

Read Genesis 17:15 – 16

1. Sarah means “princess,” revealing Sarah’s place as a

mother of a nation. Do you know the meaning of

your name? What significance does its meaning have

for you?

2. If you were to ask God to change your name, what

would you want your name to be, or to mean?

Read Genesis 18:10 – 15; 21:1 – 7

3. Put yourself in Sarah’s position. Do you think you

may have laughed also? Why or why not?

4. God fulfilled his promise to Abraham and Sarah in

his own time. Describe how you think they felt about

God’s timing.

5. Have you ever waited for God to fulfill a promise? For

what are you waiting right now?

6. As you reflect on the story of Sarah and Abraham,

how can you best wait for God to fulfill his promises

to you?

Read Genesis 16:6; 18:12, 15; 21:10

7. Choose five adjectives that describe Sarah. In what

ways are you similar to Sarah? In what ways are you

unlike her?

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8. God used Sarah in spite of her failings, her im-

patience. How can God use you in spite of your

imperfections?

Read Genesis 21:1 – 7

9. What did Sarah say when she gave birth to Isaac?

Why do you think she said this?

10. Describe a time in your life when God “brought you

laughter.”

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Thursday

Her Promise

How hard it was for Sarah (and is for us as well) to remember

God’s promises and to wait for him to fulfill them. God’s

promises are revealed and fulfilled in his own timing, which

is often on a calendar far different from our own.

Waiting patiently for God to work may be one of the most

difficult experiences of our Chris tian walk. We live in an age

of the immediate. We think waiting, and doing so quietly, is

somehow less worthy, perhaps even a bit lazy. We’re great “do-

it-yourselfers,” but we often get in God’s way when we take

things into our own hands.

Do you have something you’re waiting for God to do?

Have you asked him for the salvation of your husband? Of

a family member? Are you praying for a rebellious child to

come home? Whatever the circumstances, God’s timing is

the best timing. When you’re tempted to step in and make

things happen on your own, think of Sarah. Her attempts to

fulfill God’s promise of a son through her servant Hagar had

disastrous results. Remember that God has his own timetable,

and rest in the assurance that he loves you and will fulfill his

promises to you.

Promises in Scripture

Wait for the LORD;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the LORD.

— Psalm 27:14

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I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,

and in his word I put my hope.

— Psalm 130:5

Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you;

he rises to show you compassion.

For the LORD is a God of justice.

Blessed are all who wait for him!

— Isaiah 30:18

But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD,

I wait for God my Savior;

my God will hear me.

— Micah 7:7

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Friday

Her Legacy of Prayer

God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no lon-

ger to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

— Genesis 17:15 – 16

Reflect On:

Genesis 17:1 – 22.

Praise God:

Because he keeps his promises.

Offer Thanks: That God has a gracious plan for you that will unfold in his time, according to his way.

Confess:

Your anxiety and self-reliance.

Ask God:

To help you wait with a listening ear and a

ready heart to do his will.

Lift Your Heart

God hints at his purpose for you by planting dreams with-

in your heart. Sarah’s dream was to give birth to a son. Find

a quiet place and spend some time focusing on your dreams.

Ask yourself what dreams you’ve been too busy, too afraid,

or too disappointed to pursue. Write them down and pray

about each one. God may be telling you to wait, or he may

be giving you the go-ahead to pursue one in particular. If it’s

time to take the plunge, you might just find yourself joyfully

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echoing Sarah’s words in Genesis 21:6: “God has brought me

laughter.”

Father, thank you for loving me despite the fact that my soul still contains shadows that sometimes block the light of your Spirit.

As I grow older, may I trust you more completely for the dreams

you’ve implanted in my soul, the promises you’ve made to me.

Like Sarah, may I be surrounded by laughter at the wonderful

way you accomplish your purpose despite my weakness. In Jesus’

name, Amen.

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Hagar

Her Name (Egyptian) May Mean Fugitive or Immigrant

h

Her Character: A foreigner and slave, she let pride overtake her when she became Abraham’s wife. A

lonely woman with few resources, she suf-

fered harsh punishment for her mistake. She

obeyed God’s voice as soon as she heard it

and was given a promise that her son would

become the father of a great nation.

Her Sorrow:

That she was taken from her homeland to

become a slave in a foreign land, where she

was mistreated for many years.

Her Joy:

To know that God cared, that he saw her suf-

fering and heard her cry, and that he helped

her when she needed him most.

Key Scriptures: Genesis 16; 21:8 – 21; Galatians 4:22 – 31

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Monday

Her Story

An Egyptian slave and Sarah’s bitter rival, Hagar still had one

thing going for her that her mistress never enjoyed: a personal

revelation of God, who lovingly intervened on her behalf, not

once but twice. It happened when she was alone and afraid,

without a shekel to her name — but that’s getting ahead of the

story.

You may remember that Abraham, whom we honor as the

father of faith, showed little evidence of that faith when he

and Sarah first entered Egypt to escape a famine in Canaan.

Certain the Egyptians would kill him once they caught sight

of his beautiful wife, he advised her to pose as his sister. Soon

enough, Pharaoh added Sarah to his harem and rewarded

Abraham with an abundance of camels, sheep, cattle, don-

keys, and servants. But God punished Pharaoh for his unwit-

ting error so effectively that, when he found out that Sarah

was actually Abraham’s wife, he ordered the two of them to

leave Egypt with all their belongings. Possibly, Hagar was

part of the booty Abraham and Sarah took with them — a

gift they later regretted.

Still, of the three parties involved in the scheme to make

Hagar a surrogate mother, she was perhaps the only innocent

one, a slave with little power to resist. When Sarah told Abra-

ham to sleep with her maid, she opened the door to spiritual

catastrophe. As soon as Hagar discovered her pregnancy, she

began lording it over her mistress, hardly a smart move for a

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young foreigner up against a woman entrenched in her hus-

band’s affections.

In fact, Sarah made life so difficult for Hagar that she fled

into the desert, a desperate move for a pregnant woman who

was so far from home.

She hadn’t gotten far before she heard a voice calling,

“Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and

where are you going? Go back to your mistress and submit

to her.” But then, as if to sweeten the order, came a word of

assurance: “You will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael,

for the Lord has heard of your misery.”

Remarkably, Hagar didn’t argue but returned to Abra-

ham and Sarah. Like a stream of water in the desert, God’s

word had penetrated the wilderness of her heart. Her bond-

age, her bitterness, her anxiety about the future — God had

seen every bit of it. He knew about the child in her womb,

naming him Ishmael, meaning “God hears.” In the years to

come, whenever Hagar would hold her son close, watch him

play, or worry about his future, she would remember that God

was near, listening for the child’s cry. Little wonder that she

had responded to the voice in the desert by calling the Lord

“the God who sees me.”

Some sixteen years later, Hagar found herself once again

in the wilderness, this time by force rather than by choice. In

a crescendo of bitterness against her younger rival, Sarah had

expelled Hagar and Ishmael from their home. Dying from

thirst, Hagar placed her son under a bush and withdrew, un-

able to witness his agony.

Her weeping was soon broken by an angel’s voice, “Do

not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.

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Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him

into a great nation.” With that, the angel of the Lord opened

Hagar’s eyes so that she discovered a well of water nearby that

would save her son’s life. (The well became known as Beer

Lahai Roi, or the “well of the Living One who sees me.”)

The last we see of Hagar, she is living in the Desert of

Paran in the Sinai Peninsula, busy securing a wife, and there-

fore a future, for Ishmael. God had made a way in the wilder-

ness for a single woman and her son, without friends, family,

or resources to help her. He had seen, he had heard, and he

had indeed been faithful.

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Tuesday

Her Life and Times

Slavery and Surrogate Motherhood

Slavery was common practice in ancient Eastern culture,

so common that God’s laws made provision for its safe and

fair practice but not for its destruction. Slaves were obtained

in any of a number of ways: captives from war became slaves,

particularly virgin women (Numbers 31:7 – 32); men and

women and their children went into slavery to pay debts (Le-

viticus 25:39); slaves could be purchased (Leviticus 25:44);

and sometimes slavery was even voluntary, as when a male

slave who could have gone free remained in servitude in order

to stay with a wife he loved (Exodus 21:2 – 6).

Hagar, an Egyptian, probably became a slave to Abraham

and Sarah when they left Egypt (Genesis 12:20). Leaving her

homeland behind, she made herself useful and proved herself

trustworthy, thereby becoming Sarah’s maidservant, a posi-

tion of some importance in the household.

Sarah must have had some confidence and perhaps even

affection for Hagar to want her to be the surrogate mother of

her son. Such practices were fairly common in that day. Infer-

tile women urged their husbands to take their maidservants

in order to gain a child and heir for the family. Female slaves

were often made the concubines or wives of the master or one

of his sons. Their children became the property and some-

times the heirs of their masters. As female slaves, they had no

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choice in the matter. They were alone, with no rights and no

one to defend them.

Many women today are in a position similar to Hagar’s.

They may not be actual slaves, but they are in positions of

weakness, with no one to defend them. No one except God.

The same God who defended Hagar and heard the cries of

her son in the desert hears the cries of helpless women and

their children today. When we are at our weakest, God is at

his best, ready to step in and say to us as he said to Hagar,

“Do not be afraid” (Genesis 21:17).

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Wednesday

Her Legacy in Scripture

Read Genesis 16:1 – 4a

1. Sarah’s proposition was a customary one of that day.

Hagar had little say in the matter, but she must have

had some reaction to it. What do you think Hagar’s

reaction might have been?

2. What sort of reaction do you have when you find

yourself in a position over which you have no con-

trol? How can God help you when you are in such a

position?

Read Genesis 16:4b – 5

3. Why do you think the pregnant Hagar began to de-

spise Sarah?

Read Genesis 16:6 – 8

4. The area to which Hagar ran away was probably

pretty barren and sparsely populated. Describe how

desperate she must have been to run away from a dif-

ficult but safe situation to the “desert.”

5. Have you ever been that desperate? What were the

circumstances?

Read Genesis 16:9 – 12

6. God’s words to Hagar here are words of assurance

but also of prophecy. Her descendants would be “too

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numerous to count,” but the son through whom those

descendants would come would “be a wild donkey of

a man.” What picture of Ishmael does that put into

your mind? What kind of a man do you think he

was?

7. Do you have family members who, like Ishmael, “live

in hostility”? How do you respond to them? What

can you do to improve your relationship with them?

Read Genesis 21:8 – 21

8. Even though Hagar and Ishmael were outcasts and

alone, God lovingly cared for them. Describe how you

think Hagar felt when she laid Ishmael down and went

away because she “could not watch the boy die.” How

did God meet her needs?

9. In what ways has God met your needs when you were

despairing and alone?

10. Are you in a desperate situation right now? Read Gen-

esis 21:19 again. Might there be a “well” to which you

can go for sustenance, if only you could see it? Ask

God to open your eyes to the way out of your situa-

tion just as he opened Hagar’s eyes and aided her in

her desperation.

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Thursday

Her Promise

A thin young woman sits huddled in the front seat of her

car. She covers her ears to block out the sound of her little

son as he whimpers with cold in the backseat. Her husband

abandoned her and the boy two months before. Left without

resources, she was soon turned out of her apartment. The car

is now their only home. It has long since seen its last drop of

gasoline, and its worn interior provides little protection from

the winter winds outside.

This modern-day Hagar is no further from God’s prom-

ises than was Hagar herself as she poured out her sorrow in

the desert. God sees her heartache, just as he saw Hagar’s.

Though you may not be as desperate as Hagar or her modern

counterpart, you may have experienced times in your life that

made you fear for the future. Whether you are living in a

wilderness of poverty or loneliness or sorrow, God’s promises,

love, and protection are just as available to you now as they

were to Hagar.

Promises in Scripture

I will lie down and sleep in peace,

for you alone, O LORD,

make me dwell in safety.

— Psalm 4:8

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My comfort in my suffering is this:

Your promise preserves my life.

— Psalm 119:50

Though I walk in the midst of trouble,

you preserve my life;

you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes,

with your right hand you save me.

— Psalm 138:7

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Friday

Her Legacy of Prayer

“What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard

the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

— Genesis 21:17 – 18

Reflect On:

Genesis 21:8 – 21.

Praise God:

Because he is an all-knowing Father who

hears the cries of his children. Nothing that

happens to us can ever escape his notice.

Offer Thanks: That the Lord runs after the weak and the helpless, to show them his mercy and his

plan of blessing for their lives.

Confess:

Any pride, selfishness, or other sin that may

have contributed to difficulties in your life.

Ask God:

To open your eyes to the way he is protect-

ing and providing for you and your children.

Ask him to help you live each day, not as a

slave to the law but as a child of grace.

Lift Your Heart

Invite a couple of close friends to share a Middle Eastern

feast with olives, figs, pita bread, nuts, hummus, tabbouleh,

and your favorite drink. Pray a special grace thanking God for

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providing so richly for you even when you felt you were living

through a desert season in your life. Share stories with each

other about how God has provided even when you weren’t

sure he was listening to your prayers.

Hummus

In a food processor blend 2 cups of cooked or canned

chickpeas, drained, with 2/3 cup sesame paste (tahini), 3/4

cup lemon juice, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste, and

2 peeled garlic cloves. Stir in 1/4 cup finely chopped scallions.

Makes about 3 cups. A great dip for bread, chips, or fresh

vegetables.

Tabbouleh

1. Place 3/4 cup uncooked cracked wheat in a glass bowl

and cover with cold water for 30 minutes; then drain

completely. (For a softer texture, cover with boiling

water and let stand for one hour before draining.)

2. Add 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh parsley; 3 medium to-

matoes, chopped; 5 green onions, thinly sliced (with

tops); and 2 tablespoons chopped fresh or 2 teaspoons

crushed dried mint leaves.

3. In a separate bowl, mix 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup

lemon juice, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pep-

per. Pour over cracked wheat mixture and toss.

4. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour. Serve with a

garnish of mint leaf. Makes 6 servings, about 3/4 cup

each.

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Lord, sometimes I feel abandoned, as though no one understands

or cares about me. Please show me that you really are near and

that you see and hear everything that happens. Refresh me with

your presence even when I am walking through a desert experi-

ence. And help me, in turn, to comfort others when they feel hope-

less and alone.

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Rebekah

Her Name Probably Means Loop or Tie

h

Her Character: Hard-working and generous, her faith was so great that she left her home forever to

marry a man she had never seen or met. Yet

she played favorites with her sons and failed

to trust God fully for the promise he had

made.

Her Sorrow:

That she was barren for the first twenty years

of her married life, and that she never again

set eyes on her favorite son, Jacob, after he

fled from his brother Esau.

Her Joy:

That God had gone to extraordinary lengths

to pursue her, to invite her to become part of

his people and his promises.

Key Scriptures: Genesis 24; 25:19 – 34; 26:1 – 28:9

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Monday

Her Story

The sun was dipping beyond the western rim of the sky as the

young woman approached the well outside the town of Nahor,

five hundred miles northeast of Canaan. It was women’s work

to fetch fresh water each evening, and Rebekah hoisted the

brimming jug to her shoulder, welcoming its cooling touch

against her skin.

As she turned to go, a stranger greeted her, asking for a

drink. Obligingly, she offered to draw water for his camels

as well. Rebekah noticed the look of surprised pleasure that

flashed across his face. Ten camels could put away a lot of

water, she knew. But had she overheard his whispered prayer

just moments earlier, her astonishment would have exceeded

his. The man had prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abra-

ham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master

Abraham. May it be that when I say to a girl, ‘Please let down

your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll

water your camels too’ — let her be the one you have chosen

for your servant Isaac.”

A simple gesture. A generous response. A young wom-

an’s future altered in a moment’s time. The man Rebekah

encountered at the well, Abraham’s servant, had embarked

on a sacred mission — to find Isaac a wife from among Abra-

ham’s own people rather than from among the surrounding

Canaanites. Like her great-aunt Sarah before her, Rebekah

would make the journey south to embrace a future she could

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hardly glimpse. Betrothed to a man twice her age, whose

name meant “laughter,” she felt a sudden giddiness rise inside

her. The God of Abraham and Sarah was wooing her, calling

her name and no other, offering a share in the promise. God

was forging a new nation to be his own people.

Isaac was forty when he first set eyes on Rebekah. Perhaps

his heart echoed the joy of that first man, “Here at last is bone

of my bones and flesh of my flesh!” So Isaac and Rebekah

entered the tent of his mother Sarah and made love. And the

Bible says that Rebekah comforted Isaac after the death of his

mother.

Rebekah was beautiful and strong like Sarah, yet she bore

no children for the first twenty years of her life with Isaac.

Would she suffer as Sarah did the curse of barrenness? Isaac

prayed and God heard, giving her not one, but two sons, who

wrestled inside her womb. And God told her: “Two nations

are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be

separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the

older will serve the younger.”

During the delivery, Jacob grasped the heel of his brother

Esau, as though striving for first position. Though second by

birth, he was first in his mother’s affections. But his father

loved Esau best.

Years later, when Isaac was old and nearly blind, he sum-

moned his firstborn, Esau. “Take your quiver and bow and

hunt some wild game for me. Prepare the kind of meal I like,

and I will give you my blessing before I die.”

But the clever Rebekah overheard and called quickly to

Jacob, suggesting a scheme to trick the blessing from Isaac.

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Disguised as Esau, Jacob presented himself to his father for

the much-coveted blessing.

Isaac then blessed Jacob, thinking he was blessing Esau:

“May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be

lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow

down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those

who bless you be blessed.”

Isaac had stretched out his hand and passed the choic-

est blessing to his younger son, thus recalling the words spo-

ken about the two children jostling for position in Rebekah’s

womb. The benediction thus given could not be withdrawn,

despite the deceit, despite Esau’s tears, and despite his vow to

kill Jacob.

Afraid lest Esau take revenge, Rebekah persuaded Isaac

to send Jacob north to find a wife from among her brother

Laban’s daughters.

As the years passed, Rebekah must have longed to em-

brace her younger son, hoping for the privilege of enfolding

his children in her embrace. But more than twenty years

would pass before Jacob returned. And though Isaac would

live to welcome his son, Rebekah would not.

When Rebekah was a young girl, God had invited her

to play a vital role in the story of his people. He had gone to

great lengths to pursue her. Like Sarah, she would become a

matriarch of God’s people, and like Sarah, her heart would

divide itself between faith and doubt, believing that God’s

promise required her intervention. Finding it difficult to rest

in the promise God had made, she resorted to trickery to

achieve it.

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The results, mirroring her own heart, were mixed. Though

Jacob indeed became heir to the promise, he was driven from

his home and the mother who loved him too well. In addi-

tion, he and his descendants would forever be at odds with

Esau and his people, the Edomites. Two thousand years later,

Herod the Great, who hailed from Idumea (the Greek and

Roman name for Edom) would slaughter many innocent

children in his attempt to destroy the infant Jesus.

Yet God was still at work, graciously using a woman

whose response to him was far less than perfect, in order to

accomplish his purposes.

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Tuesday

Her Life and Times

Jewelry

“Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on

her arms.” . . . Then the servant brought out gold and

silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to

Rebekah.

— Genesis 24:47, 53

A nose ring! Often taken as a sign of rebellious youth

today, a nose ring was an acceptable form of adornment in an-

cient times. When Abraham’s servant realized Rebekah was

the woman Isaac was to marry, he immediately got out the

jewels he had brought along for the occasion. He gave her two

gold bracelets and a gold nose ring. Rebekah quickly slipped

the jewelry on and ran home with shining eyes to tell her fam-

ily what had occurred.

A nose ring is mentioned only two other times in Scripture

— in Proverbs 11 and Ezekiel 16. In Ezekiel 16, God is de-

scribing in allegorical terms how much he loves the city of

Jerusalem. He lovingly bathes her, then dresses her in wonder-

fully rich clothing and soft leather sandals. He then tenderly

adorns her with jewelry. “I put bracelets on your arms and a

necklace around your neck, and I put a ring on your nose, ear-

rings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. So you

were adorned with gold and silver” (Ezekiel 16:11 – 13).

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The Old Testament mentions jewels and jewelry numer-

ous times. Women and men both wore earrings (Exodus 32:2).

They also commonly wore “armlets, bracelets, signet rings,

earrings and necklaces” (Numbers 31:50). The Israelites took

most of their jewelry from others while at war; gold and silver

and gemstones are often listed among the booty taken during

a raid. According to 2 Sam uel 8:11, David gained enormous

amounts of gold and silver and bronze when he conquered the

nations surrounding Israel. He dedicated all of it to the Lord,

and his son Solomon used it to build the fabulous temple in

Jerusalem. Believe it or not, Solomon had so much gold in his

kingdom that he “made silver and gold as common in Jerusa-

lem as stones” (2 Chron icles 1:15).

In the NIV, the Greek word for various female adornments

is translated “jewelry” only once. In speaking to wives, Peter

urges them to pay more attention to their inner beauty than

their outward beauty. “Your beauty should not come from

outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of

gold jewelry and fine clothes,” he says. “Instead, it should be

that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and

quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight” (1 Peter

3:3 – 4). Evidently, the women of New Testament times were

as fascinated with jewelry as the women of Old Testament

times — and the women of our times. How easy and common

it is to look in the mirror to assess our outward appearance,

but how seldom do most of us spend as much or more time

examining our inner appearance!

Tomorrow morning, when you put your rings on your fin-

gers, also put on a spirit of peace. When you put your earrings

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on your ears, put them on with a cheerful attitude. When you

clasp your necklace around your neck, clasp a sweet spirit to

your heart also. The jewelry you wear won’t make much dif-

ference in your day, but the spirit you wear will.

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Wednesday

Her Legacy in Scripture

Read Genesis 24:15 – 27

1. What does this first information about young Re-

bekah tell you about her looks and her character?

2. How are you like Rebekah? How are you different

from her?

Read Genesis 24:28 – 50

3. In these verses Abraham’s servant tells Rebekah’s fam-

ily how he met her, emphasizing the Lord’s blessing

and involvement throughout. How does Rebekah’s

family respond?

Read Genesis 24:51 – 58

4. Three simple words in verse 58 changed Rebekah’s

life forever. Who was she like in her willingness to go

where she had never been before?

5. How would you react if God called you away from

home and family? What would have to happen to

make you obey?

Read Genesis 24:67

6. These are some of the sweetest words about marriage

found in the Bible. In your own words, describe what

you think Isaac and Rebekah’s marriage was like in

these early days.

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Read Genesis 25:28

7. These are some of the saddest words about parenting

found in the Bible. Describe how you think the favor-

itism of Isaac and Rebekah affected Jacob and Esau

and their relationship.

8. Many children grow up thinking their parents are fa-

voring one sibling or another. If you have children,

how can you avoid such thinking in them?

Read Genesis 27:1 – 28:9

9. Why do you think Rebekah resorts to trickery to gain

the promise given to her when she was pregnant?

10. Describe how you think Rebekah may have felt ten

years later. Do you think she regretted her actions?

11. How are Rebekah’s actions like those of her mother-

in-law Sarah?

12. The story of Rebekah is rich and colorful. In one sen-

tence summarize what you would like to learn from

her life.

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Thursday

Her Promise

Rebekah heard Abraham’s servant describe how he had prayed

and how he was sure she was the woman God intended for

Isaac. God himself had divinely orchestrated the events. Re-

bekah seemed to have known that, and when asked she an-

swered simply, “I will go.”

Did Rebekah fully realize God’s plan for her? Was she

open to following that plan? Or was she simply entranced with

the romantic notions of a young girl looking for her knight

in shining armor? Whatever her motivation, the events were

planned by God, and he was able and willing to faithfully

continue to fulfill his promises through her.

God’s faithfulness, despite our waywardness and contrari-

ness, is evident both throughout Scripture and throughout

our lives. He will be faithful; he promises.

Promises in Scripture

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is

the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thou-

sand generations of those who love him and keep his

commands.

— Deuteronomy 7:9

The LORD is faithful to all his promises

and loving toward all he has made.

— Psalm 145:13

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Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he

who promised is faithful.

— Hebrews 10:23

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Friday

Her Legacy of Prayer

“Our sister, may you increase to thousands upon thousands; may

your offspring possess the gates of their enemies.”

— Genesis 24:60

Reflect On: Genesis

27.

Praise God:

Because unlike Isaac, who had only one

blessing to give his children, God has bless-

ings uniquely designed for each of us.

Offer Thanks: That God doesn’t wait until we are perfect to involve us in his plans.

Confess:

Your tendency to try to control the future,

rather than trusting God to shape it accord-

ing to his timetable.

Ask God:

To protect you from playing favorites with

your own children and to trust that he has a

generous plan for each one.

Lift Your Heart

Take a few minutes this week to write a blessing card for

each of your children. Use a simple index card or decorate

the card with stickers, stencils, or line drawings. (If you don’t

have children of your own, you can do this for a niece or

nephew or another special child in your life.)

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Start by praying for each child, asking God’s blessing on

their lives. Then write out the blessings you sense God wants

for them. Tuck the blessing cards under their pillows or place

them next to their dinner plates. Tell them these are some of

the ways you are asking God to bless them. Be sure to keep a

copy of each card for yourself so you can make those blessings

a subject of frequent prayer.

Lord, you give us the power to bless our children, through our

example, our teaching, our love, and our prayers. May our chil-

dren surpass us in faith. In all their struggles may they sense your nearness, and may their joy be renewed each morning. May each

of them become the kind of person that attracts others to you. I

pray this in the name of Jesus, Amen.

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Rachel

Her Name Means Ewe

h

Her Character: Manipulated by her father, she had little say over her own life circumstances and relationships. But rather than dealing creatively

with a difficult situation, Rachel behaved

like a perpetual victim, responding to sin

with yet more sin, making things worse by

competing with her sister and deceiving her

father in return.

Her Tragedy:

That her longing for children ultimately led

to her death in childbirth.

Her Joy:

That her husband cherished her and would

do whatever was in his power to make her

happy.

Key Scriptures: Genesis 29 – 35; Jeremiah 31:15; Matthew 2:18

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Monday

Her Story

Was it better to have love with no children or to be unloved and yet be mother to a house full of sons? The question battered Rachel like a strong wind slamming the same door over and over.

Leah had just given birth to her fourth son, Judah. In her

joy she had shouted, “I will praise the Lord!” Her firstborn,

Reuben, meant “see, a son,” Simeon, “one who hears,” and

Levi, “attached,” as though Jacob could ever be attached to

his plain wife! Rachel was sick to death of this habit her sis-

ter had of naming her sons in ways that emphasized Rachel’s

own barrenness.

Leah had become Jacob’s wife through her father’s treach-

ery, but Rachel had captured his love from their first meet-

ing at the well outside Haran. Every touch communicated his

favor. Yet favor could not make children any more than wish-

ing could make riches. Rachel should have been his first, his

only wife, just as Aunt Rebekah was Uncle Isaac’s only wife.

Rachel’s father, Laban, had promised her to his nephew,

Jacob, provided he work for him for seven years. Seven years

was a long time to wait for a wife, yet Jacob had thought it a

good bargain. And that made Rachel love him all the more.

But as the wedding day approached, Laban hatched a

scheme to trick seven more years of labor out of Jacob. Rachel’s

day of happiness dissolved the moment Laban instructed her

older sister, Leah, to disguise herself in Rachel’s wedding

gar ments.

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After dark he led Leah, veiled, to Jacob’s tent, and the two

slept together as man and wife. As the first light crept across

the tent floor, Jacob reached again for Rachel only to find

Leah at his side. Laban’s treachery stung him. It was beyond

belief. Even so, despite the recriminations and the tears, the

marriage could not be undone.

But Rachel felt undone, her blessing seized by stealth. La-

ban’s convoluted plan, however, was still unfolding. He struck

another bargain, giving Rachel to Jacob the very next week in

exchange for seven more years of labor. So now the two sisters

lived uneasily together, Leah’s sons a grating reminder that

Rachel, the second wife, was cheated still.

“Give me children, or I’ll die,” Rachel screamed at Jacob

one day — as though he could take the place of God and open

her womb. So she gave him Bilhah, her maid, who conceived

and bore her two sons. When Napthali, the second son, was

born, Rachel proclaimed to anyone who would listen, “I have

had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.” But

the wrestling match between Rachel and Leah was far from

over.

Rachel’s bitterness again eased when she herself gave birth

to a son, naming him Joseph, meaning “may he add” — a pro-

phetic prayer that God would add yet another child to her

line.

Then one day God spoke to Jacob, telling him to return

to the land of Isaac, his father. More than twenty years earlier,

Jacob had wrestled the blessing from Esau and then had fled

his murderous wrath. Had the long years paid him back two-

fold? Had Laban’s treachery and the wrestling match between

Rachel and Leah reminded him of his own struggles with

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his brother? Would God — and Esau — call it even? Only the

Lord could protect him in this matter with his brother.

As Jacob gathered his flocks, his servants, and his chil-

dren, preparing to leave, Rachel stole her father’s household

gods, small idols thought to ensure prosperity. After ten days

on the road, Laban overtook them in the hill country of Gil-

ead, accusing his son-in-law of theft. Unaware of Rachel’s de-

ceit, Jacob invited Laban to search the camp, promising to

put to death anyone discovered with the idols.

Having learned a trick or two from her crafty father, Ra-

chel tucked the idols into a saddle and then sat on it. When

Laban entered her tent, she greeted him with a woman’s ruse,

saying, “Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in

your presence; I’m having my period.” Her trick worked,

much as Jacob’s had when he deceived his own father, and

Laban finally gave up the search. Later, Jacob made sure that

all the old idols were purged from his household.

As they made their way across the desert, Jacob faced his

brother Esau, and the two reconciled. But tragedy soon over-

took them as Rachel struggled to give birth to a second son,

the answer to her many prayers. Ironically, the woman who

once said she would die unless she had children was now dying

in childbirth. Rachel’s last words, “He is Ben-Oni, the son of

my trouble,” capture her anguish at the birth of this son.

But Jacob gathered the infant in his arms and with a fa-

ther’s tenderness renamed him Benjamin, “son of my right

hand.”

Like her husband, the beautiful Rachel had been both a

schemer and the victim of schemes. Tricked by her own father,

she viewed her children as weapons in the struggle with her

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sister. As so often happens, the lessons of treachery and com-

petition were passed from generation to generation. Rachel’s

own son, Joseph, would suffer grievously as a result, being

sold into slavery by his half brothers, Leah’s sons.

Yet God would remain faithful. Through a remarkable

set of twists and turns, Rachel’s Joseph would one day rule

Egypt, providing a refuge for his father and brothers in the

midst of famine. Step by step, in ways impossible to foresee,

God’s plan was unfolding — a plan to heal divisions, put an

end to striving, and restore hope. Using people with mixed

motives and confused desires (the only kind of people there

are), he was revealing his grace and mercy, never once forsak-

ing his promise.

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Tuesday

Her Life and Times

Menstrual Cycles

“Rachel said to her father, ‘Don’t be angry, my lord, that

I cannot stand up in your presence; I’m having my period.’

So [Laban] searched but could not find the household gods”

(Genesis 31:35). Rachel’s words here are the only mention in

Scripture of a typical monthly menstrual cycle, other than

the ceremonial laws covering menstruation found in Leviticus

and referred to again in Ezekiel.

Rachel knew without a doubt that her ploy would suc-

cessfully deter her father. By claiming to have her period, she

not only kept the false gods she had stolen, she kept her very

life, since Jacob had promised to kill whoever had stolen the

idols from Laban.

During the time a Hebrew woman had her period, she

was considered “unclean,” not really surprising consider-

ing the untidy nature of a monthly flow, especially in these

days, long before the invention of feminine sanitary products.

But the laws were more stringent than just to cover the very

personal nature of a monthly period. Those who touched a

woman at this time, even by chance, became unclean until

evening. Wherever the woman slept or sat also became un-

clean. Anyone who touched her bedding or her seat was con-

sidered unclean until they washed their clothes, bathed, and

waited until evening.

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A woman was considered unclean for seven days, the nor-

mal length of a woman’s monthly period. She then custom-

arily bathed in order to cleanse herself. This is probably the

bath that Bathsheba was taking when spotted by King David

(2 Sam uel 11:2 – 4). Since she had just had her period, David

could be sure Bathsheba’s child was his when she told him she

was pregnant (her husband was a soldier off to war).

The natural flow of a woman’s period didn’t require sacri-

fices for her to be cleansed; merely bathing and waiting for a

prescribed time was enough. A longer, less natural flow, usu-

ally caused by some infection or disease, required a sacrifice in

order for the woman to be clean. Neither implied any moral

failing on the part of the woman, but since blood was seen as

a source of life, anything surrounding it became an important

part of ceremonial law.

Many women consider their monthly period, and the

discomfort and irritability that often come along with it, a

monthly trial — something women must bear, and men, lucky

creatures, are spared. However, it is only through this particu-

lar function of her body that a woman can reproduce and

carry a child. Although at times messy, at times a nuisance,

at times downright painful, only through this process does a

woman have the opportunity afforded to no man — the op-

portunity to bear new life. And in so doing, to be uniquely

linked to the Creator of all life.

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Wednesday

Her Legacy in Scripture

Read Genesis 29:30

1. How do you think most women would respond to the

situation in which Rachel found herself? With love

and concern for her unloved sister? Or with a spirit of

superiority and pride?

Read Genesis 30:1

2. The agony expressed by Rachel’s words here is an

agony experienced by many women over the centu-

ries. How did Rachel’s close relationship with Leah

increase her pain? Is there any way their relationship

could have eased her pain instead?

Compare Genesis 29:30 – 31 and 30:1

3. These two sisters each had something the other want-

ed. What did Rachel have that Leah wanted? What

did Leah have that Rachel wanted?

4. Discontentment is an insidious thing, trapping us into

thinking that which was enough is no longer enough,

and that which was satisfying is no longer satisfying.

Do you ever feel discontent because you don’t “have it

all”? What can you do to resist such sentiments?

Read Genesis 31:19, 30 – 34

5. Why would Rachel even have such idols? Why do you

think she hid them from her father?

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6. When have you been in a situation that caused you to lie

or cheat to protect yourself or someone else? Describe

it. What could/should you have done differently?

Read Genesis 35:16 – 20

7. Given the fact that they were on a journey, describe

in your own words the situation under which Rachel

likely gave birth.

8. It’s one of the paradoxes of life, revealed here in this

tragic story of Rachel’s death, that what we most want

from life we often can only gain by giving up some-

thing else that’s equally important to us. Can you

think of an instance in your own life in which gain-

ing something you wanted required giving up some-

thing else?

9. Jacob renamed his new son Benjamin, which means

“son of my right hand.” What does this new name

reveal about Jacob’s hope for the future?

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Thursday

Her Promise

Genesis 30:22 says “God remembered Rachel; he listened to

her and opened her womb.” God remembered Rachel, but he

had never really forgotten her. When the Bible uses the word

remember, it doesn’t mean that God forgets and then sud-

denly recalls — as if the all-knowing, all-powerful God of the

universe suddenly hits his forehead with the heel of his hand

and says, “Oops! I forgot all about Rachel. I’d better do some-

thing quickly!”

No, when the Bible says God remembers something, it ex-

presses God’s love and compassion for his people. It reminds

us of God’s promise never to abandon us or leave us without

support or relief. He will never forsake us. He will never for-

get us. He will always remember us.

Promises in Scripture

Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and

opened her womb.

— Genesis 30:22

Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love,

for they are from of old.

— Psalm 25:6

You understand, O LORD;

remember me and care for me.

— Jeremiah 15:15

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The Mighty One has done great things for me — holy is

his name.

— Luke 1:49

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Friday

Her Legacy of Prayer

Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her

womb.

— Genesis 30:22

Reflect On:

Genesis 30:1 – 24.

Praise God:

Because he never for a moment forgets about

us. He is present and attentive, aware of our

deepest desires, even when we’re certain he’s

lost track of us.

Offer Thanks: That God alone is the Creator. Because of him, every human life is sacred.

Confess:

That we sometimes use our children, our

husbands, our homes, or even the size of our

paychecks to compete with other women.

Ask God:

To help you form deep and loyal friendships

with other women so you can know the joy

that comes from being sisters in Christ.

Lift Your Heart

Think of one woman you would like to get to know better

in the next few months. Then pick up the phone and make

a lunch date, or invite her to a play, movie, or concert. Make

sure you build in a little time to chat so you can begin to

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build a relationship. One expert says it takes an average of

three years to form a solid friendship. Don’t waste another

moment!

Father, forgive me for letting my identity rest on whose wife or

mother I am or what kind of job I have. I don’t want to view

other women as my rivals but as potential friends and even soul

mates. Please lead me to the friendships I desire, and help me to

be patient with the process. Amen.

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Leah

Her Name May Mean Impatient or Wild Cow

h

Her Character: Capable of both strong and enduring love, she was a faithful mother and wife. Manipulated by her father, she became jealous

of her sister, with whom, it seems, she never

reconciled.

Her Sorrow:

That she lacked her sister’s beauty, and that

her love for her husband was one-sided.

Her Joy:

That she bore Jacob six sons and one

daughter.

Key Scriptures: Genesis 29 – 35; Ruth 4:11

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Monday

Her Story

We buried my sister Rachel today. But she is still alive. I catch

glimpses of her in Jacob’s broken heart, in dark-eyed Joseph

and squalling little Benjamin, his favorite sons. Rachel’s sons.

I can hear my beautiful, determined sister weeping loudly for

the children she might have had, stubbornly refusing to be

comforted. Yet who takes note of my tears? Should they flood

the desert, no one would notice.

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dinah,

and then Gad and Asher by my maid — these are the children

God has given me and I have given my beloved Jacob. And

still he loves her best. Should my husband and I live another

hundred years, I will never be his only wife.

h

Contrary to what Leah may have felt, God had taken

note of her sorrow. Knowing well that Jacob’s heart was too

cramped a space to harbor both Rachel and Leah, he made

Leah a mother, not once, but seven times, extending her in-

fluence in Jacob’s household.

With the birth of each child the unhappy Leah hoped to

secure her husband’s affection. But each time her disappoint-

ment grew. She felt the old curse asserting itself: “Your desire

will be for your husband and he will rule over you” (Genesis

3:16).

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Perhaps Jacob still resented Leah for tricking him on

their wedding night, disguising herself as his beloved Rachel.

Surely Leah’s love had been passionate enough to deceive

him until morning. She felt both glad and guilty for her part;

though, truth to tell, she had little choice but to obey her

father, Laban, in the matter. And she thanked God each day

for enabling her to bear Jacob’s children. Still, children often

caused a mother untold sorrow.

Dinah, her only daughter, had been raped by a local prince

on their return to Jacob’s homeland. Leah hardly knew how

to comfort her. To make matters worse, her sons Levi and

Simeon avenged their sister by savagely murdering a town-full

of people. Then Reuben disgraced himself by sleeping with

his father’s concubine Bilhah.

Hadn’t God promised to protect them if they returned to this

land of promise? How, then, could such things happen? Leah wondered. True, God had watched over them as they faced

Esau and his four hundred men. But Leah’s joy at the broth-

ers’ friendly reunion was eclipsed by her sorrow at once again

being proved the lesser-loved wife. Jacob had made it plain

enough by placing Rachel and her children last in their long

caravan, giving them the best chance of escape should Esau

prove violent.

But Jacob’s love could not prevent Rachel from dying

in childbirth. Leah, not Rachel, was destined to be his first

and last wife. Alongside her husband, the father of Israel, she

would be revered as a mother of Israel. In fact, the promise of

a Savior was carried not through Rachel’s Joseph but through

Leah’s Judah, whose descendants would include David, Isra-

el’s great king, and Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah. In the

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end, Jacob was laid to rest in the Cave of Machpelah, next to

his first wife, Leah, rather than his favorite wife, Rachel, who

was buried somewhere near Ephrath.

The two sisters, Rachel and Leah, remind us that life

is fraught with sorrow and peril, much of it caused by sin

and selfishness. Both women suffered — each in her own

way — the curse of Eve after she was expelled from her gar-

den paradise. While Rachel experienced great pain in giving

birth to children, Leah experienced the anguish of loving a

man who seemed indifferent to her. Yet both women became

mothers in Israel, leaving their homeland to play essential

roles in the story of God’s great plan for his people.

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Tuesday

Her Life and Times

Marriage Customs

The customs of marriage were far different in ancient bib-

lical times from our own modern customs. Seldom did a man

or woman marry for love. Jacob is a notable exception when

he expresses his love for Rachel and his desire to marry her.

Jacob married both Rachel and her sister, Leah, a practice

that was later forbidden by law (Leviticus 18:18).

Usually the bride and groom were very young when they

married. The bride was often only around twelve and the

groom around thirteen. Their marriage was arranged by par-

ents, and their consent was neither requested nor required.

Even so, such marriages could prove to be love matches, like

that between Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 24:67). By New

Testament times, the marriage ceremony itself was usually

very short, but the festivities connected with it could go on

for many days. The groom dressed in colorful clothing and

set out just before sunset, with his friends and attendants and

musicians, for the home of the bride’s parents. There the bride

would be waiting, washed and perfumed and bedecked in an

elaborate dress and jewels. The bride and groom then led the

marriage procession through the village streets, accompanied

by music and torchbearers, to the groom’s parents’ home. The

feasting and celebration began that night and often continued

for seven days.

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God’s design for marriage to be between one husband and

one wife was often not practiced in early biblical times. Leah

shared her husband Jacob with not only her sister, Rachel, but

their maids, Zilpah and Bilhah. Although polygamy was less

common after the Exodus from Egypt, Gideon had a number

of wives (Judges 8:30), and, of course, Solomon had many

(1 Kings 11:3). But, as the New Testament indicates, a union

between one husband and one wife continues to be God’s

design and desire (1 Tim othy 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6).

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Wednesday

Her Legacy in Scripture

Read Genesis 29:30

1. Pick one word you think best describes how Leah felt

about this marriage to Jacob.

2. Many women today have husbands who love some-

thing more than their wives: their jobs, their position,

their money, sports. Many things other than another

woman can put a wife in Leah’s position. If you know

someone who is a “Leah,” pray daily for her and be an

encouragement to her when given the opportunity.

Read Genesis 29:31

3. Leah is an unparalleled example of God’s willing-

ness to give “beauty” for “ashes” (see Isaiah 61:1 – 3).

How has God worked this way in your life? How

has he worked this way in the lives of your friends or

relatives?

Read Genesis 29:32 – 34

4. In each of these verses, Leah expresses her desire for

Jacob’s affection, an affection she knew she didn’t

have. In your own words, describe how Leah prob-

ably felt and acted toward Jacob. What do you think

Jacob’s reaction was?

5. Have you ever felt unloved by your husband, your

parents, or someone else? How did you feel and act?

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What is your only possible source of comfort when

you desperately want a love you don’t have?

Read Genesis 49:29 – 31

6. Jacob was buried next to the wife he loved less rather

than next to the wife he loved more. What does this

say not only about Leah’s position as a wife, but also

as a mother of the Israelites?

7. Although Leah was, of course, unaware of the position

she was awarded in death, what do these verses con-

tinue to reveal about God’s involvement in her life?

8. Leah had a full life with many sons and wealth. How-

ever, she is best known for what she didn’t have: the

love of her husband. God noticed what she did have

but also what she lacked. What one thing do you want

to learn from Leah and from her God?

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Thursday

Her Promise

“When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her

womb” (Genesis 29:31). The Lord noticed Leah’s misery. The

God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Leah’s husband) looked

down and saw a woman who was lonely and sad because

her husband loved his other wife better than he loved her.

So, to ease her sorrow, to provide her comfort, God gave her

children — beautiful, upright, strong children, one of whom

would found the lineage of the priests of Israel and another

who was an ancestor of Jesus himself.

This same God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Leah is

our God. He sees our miseries, no matter how small or how

large. He knows our circumstances, our feelings, our hurts.

And, just as in Leah’s life, he’s willing to step in and create

something beautiful in and through us.

Promises in Scripture

He [God] has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim freedom for the captives

and release from darkness for the prisoners . . .

and provide for those who grieve in Zion —

to bestow on them a crown of beauty

instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness

instead of mourning,

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and a garment of praise

instead of a spirit of despair.

— Isaiah 61:1, 3

I will turn their mourning into gladness;

I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow.

— Jeremiah 31:13

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Friday

Her Legacy of Prayer

When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her

womb, but Rachel was barren. 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.”

— Genesis 29:31 – 32

Reflect On:

Genesis 29:16 – 31.

Praise God:

That though human beings often judge by

outward appearances, God always sees the

heart and judges accordingly.

Offer Thanks: That God is moved by our sorrow.

Confess:

Your tendency to compare yourself with

other women, judging them and yourself

merely by appearances.

Ask God:

To enable you to base your identity on your

relationship with him rather than on what

you see in the mirror.

Lift Your Heart

Take five minutes a day this week to pay yourself a com-

pliment by thanking God for making you the woman you

are. Call to mind everything you like about yourself — your

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quirky sense of humor, your love of great literature, your

compassion for other people, your curly hair, even the shape

of your toes. Resist the temptation to think about what you

don’t like. (Imagine for a moment how God must feel when

he hears us complaining about how he has made us!) Instead,

decide now to honor him by your gratitude. At the end of the

week, treat yourself to lunch with a friend or a leisurely latte

at your favorite café in celebration of all the natural gifts with

which God has blessed you.

Lord, I don’t want to be critical of how you’ve put me together,

relying on what others think of me for my sense of well-being.

Make me a woman who is confident that I am lovable, not be-

cause of my outward beauty but because you have loved me from

the moment you called me into being.

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The Mothers of Moses

Jochebed: Her Name Means The Lord Is Glory

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Her Character: Her fierce love for her son, coupled with her faith, enabled her to act heroically in the

midst of great oppression.

Her Sorrow:

To live in bondage as a slave.

Her Joy:

That God not only preserved the son she

surrendered to him but that he restored her

child to her.

Key Scriptures: Exodus 2:1 – 10; Hebrews 11:23

Pharaoh’s Daughter

h

Her Character: The Jewish people honor men and women

whom they designate as “righ

teous Gen-

tiles.” These are people who, though nonbe-

lievers, have assisted God’s people in some

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significant way. Surely, Pharaoh’s daughter

should top the list of righ

teous Gentiles,

courageously and compassionately deliver-

ing a child from death, a child who would

one day act as Israel’s great deliverer.

Her Sorrow:

That her adopted son, whom she had taken

care of for forty years, had to flee his home in

Egypt in order to escape Pharaoh’s wrath.

Key Scripture: Exodus 2:1 – 10

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Monday

Their Story

Three hundred years after the death of the patriarch Joseph,

a baby boy was born in Egypt, his lusty cries muffled by a

woman’s sobs. Jochebed’s heart was a tangle of joy and fear.

This son, his fingers forming a tiny fist against her breast, was

so striking a child she hardly believed he was hers. Tenderly

she raised the small hand to her mouth, pressing its warmth

to her lips. Her gesture calmed them both. She could feel the

stiffness in her back dissolving, her muscles relaxing as she

watched the night shadows evaporate in the morning’s light.

Slave though she was, she was yet a Levite, a woman who

belonged to the God of Abraham and Sarah, of Isaac and Re-

bekah, of Jacob, Rachel, and Leah. She knew the stories. She

believed the promises. God was faithful. Hadn’t her people

already grown as numerous as the sand of the sea, just as he

had said they would?

In fact, the Israelites were so numerous that the pharaohs

feared they might one day welcome an invading army and

betray the nation from within. Over time, the Egyptians

had tightened their grip, finally enslaving the Israelites, until

Pharaoh’s paranoia produced an even greater evil — a com-

mand to murder each Hebrew male child emerging from the

womb. But the Hebrew midwives feared God more than the

king and refused to follow his orders, excusing themselves by

claiming that Hebrew women were stronger than Egyptian

women, giving birth before the midwives even arrived.

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So Pharaoh commanded his soldiers to search out and

smother every newborn male in the waters of the Nile. Jo-

chebed could hear the screams of the mothers echoing regu-

larly across the Hebrew camp as their children were torn from

them. Her arms tightened around her own child as he slept

quietly against her breast. This one, she vowed, would never

be fodder for the Egyptian river god. She and her husband,

Amram, would pray. They would plan. And they would trust

God to help them.

For three months, as long as she dared, she hid the infant,

managing to keep Miriam and three-year-old Aaron quiet

about their new baby brother. Finally, she acted on an idea

that had been growing in her mind. Pharaoh had commanded

her to consign her son to the Nile River. All right then. Her

own hands would put him into the water.

Remembering how God had spared the child Isaac on the

mountain of sacrifice, she bent down and laid her son in a

basket of papyrus, waterproofed with tar and pitch. Then,

with a whispered prayer and a last caress, she wiped her eyes,

begging God to preserve her baby from the crocodiles that

swarmed the river.

She could not bear to watch as the child drifted away from

her. Instead, young Miriam kept vigil, following at a distance

to see what would become of him.

Soon Pharaoh’s daughter arrived at the riverbank with some

of her attendants. Spotting the basket among the reeds, she

sent her slave girl to fetch it. As soon as she beheld the brown-

eyed baby, she loved him. The river had brought her a child

whom she would cherish as her own. She could not save all the

innocent children, but she could spare one mother’s son.

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Was she surprised when a young slave girl, Miriam, ap-

proached, asking whether she could go after a Hebrew

woman to nurse the baby for her? Did she suspect the truth

when Jochebed gathered the boy in her arms, this time as his

nursemaid?

Whatever was in her mind, she named the child Moses,

saying, “I drew him out of the water.” For the next forty years,

she educated him, a prince in the courts of Pharaoh himself.

God kept Moses safe in the very midst of extraordinary

evil and danger — first in crocodile-infested waters and then

right under Pharaoh’s nose. And he used the Egyptians to pro-

tect and educate him in ways that must have made Moses even

more effective in his eventual role as his people’s deliverer.

Year after year, Jochebed would surely have reflected on

the marvelous faithfulness of God. Her ingenuity, courage,

and faith should inspire even the most weak-kneed among us.

Two women — a slave and a princess — preserved the life

of Israel’s future deliverer and so preserved the entire Jewish

race.

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Tuesday

Their Life and Times

Baskets

Such an ordinary object, used to such extraordinary pur-

pose. Imagine with what love and care Jochebed coated the

papyrus basket with tar and pitch before placing her precious

son within it. Few baskets throughout the centuries likely re-

ceived as loving and careful a touch.

Baskets were just one of the many types of vessels used

to store and carry various items in the ancient world. In the

home, women used baskets to store household items as well

as fruit and bread. Brick makers carried their clay in baskets.

Travelers used them to carry the supplies they needed for their

journey. Priests in Israel used baskets to store the bread and

wafers that were a part of worship in the tabernacle (Exodus

29:3, 23, 32).

Typically made from some sort of plant material — leaves,

twigs, or stalks — baskets came in a variety of shapes and

sizes. The smallest could be carried in one hand. Baskets just

a bit larger were carried on the back or on the head and were

often used to hold provisions on a trip. The disciples used

twelve of these large baskets to gather up the leftovers at the

feeding of the five thousand (Matthew 14:20). An even larger

basket was used to let Paul escape out of a window in the wall

at Damascus (Acts 9:25), so it must have been quite large and

sturdy.

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God’s use of the ordinary to bring about the extraordi-

nary is as much in evidence here in the early events of Exodus

as anywhere in Scripture. His tendency to bring about his will

through ordinary items, ordinary people, and ordinary events

is no less at work today than it was in Jochebed’s. If you look

for the signs of his presence, you are sure to discover them.

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Wednesday

Their Legacy in Scripture

Read Exodus 2:1 – 2

1. In your own words describe the events of these two

verses. Look behind the scenes. How do you think

the family kept the baby quiet? If a close neighbor

heard the newborn’s cries, what do you think he or

she would have done? What if that neighbor had her-

self just lost a newborn to Pharaoh’s decrees? Why at

three months could Jochebed “hide him no longer”?

2. How do you think you would have reacted in these cir-

cumstances? Like Jochebed? Like the other mothers?

Read Exodus 2:3 – 4

3. The events here go straight to a mother’s heart. How

do you think Jochebed felt as she walked away from

the river?

Read Exodus 2:5 – 6

4. Pharaoh’s daughter, a member of the royal family,

part of the race that was oppressing the Israelites, now

enters the picture. What is most obvious about her

from these verses?

5. Why do you suppose she was allowed to disobey her

father’s harsh edict?

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Read Exodus 2:7 – 10

6. Compare verses 9 and 10. What conflicting emotions

do you think Jochebed must have felt?

Reread Exodus 2:10

7. What is the significance of the words “he [Moses] be-

came her son”?

8. What purpose of God was at work here?

Read Hebrews 11:23

9. This verse says that Moses’ mother and father acted

“by faith.” Their one goal was to protect and save their

child. Fear for our children’s safety — for their spiri-

tual and physical lives — seems to be an inescapable

part of parenting. What part does faith play in child

rearing? What is your greatest fear for your child?

How can you “by faith” respond to your fears?

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Thursday

Their Promise

Moses’ mother, Jochebed, had one thing in mind when hid-

ing her son and leaving him in a basket in the river. Her goal

was to preserve his life for one more day, one more hour, one

more moment. She could not have known how God planned

to work in her life or in the life of her son. Nor did she realize

he was putting into place a divine plan to rescue his people

from the very oppression she was resisting.

God’s ways are beautiful in the extreme. He uses the de-

voted, intense love of a mother for her child to bring freedom

to an entire race. Like Jochebed, our goal should be to hang

on, trusting that God has his own purpose at work and that

we and our children are part of it.

Promises in Scripture

The plans of the LORD stand firm forever,

the purposes of his heart through all generations. . . .

The eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him,

on those whose hope is in his unfailing love.

— Psalm 33:11, 18

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD,

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give

you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and

come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will

seek me and find me when you seek me with all your

heart. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD.

— Jeremiah 29:11 – 14

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Friday

Their Legacy of Prayer

When she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for

him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child

in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.

— Exodus 2:3

Reflect On:

Exodus 2:1 – 10.

Praise God:

That even the worst enemies we encounter

are weak compared to him.

Offer Thanks: For God’s power to save.

Confess:

Any failure to trust God for the lives of our

children.

Ask God:

To help you be an encouragement to another

mother who is concerned about her children’s

well-being.

Lift Your Heart

Find another mother, perhaps a teenage mom or a friend

who is having difficulty with her own children right now.

Put together a gift basket for her, filled with small gifts like a

scented candle, dried fruit, a coffee cup, and some small cards

inscribed with encouraging Scripture verses. Tell her you will

be praying for each of her children by name every day for the

next couple of months. Don’t expect her to confide in you,

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but if she does, cherish what she tells you by keeping it confi-

dential and letting it shape your prayers.

Father, thank you for the gift and calling of motherhood. Help

me to remember that my love for my children is merely a reflec-

tion of your own love for them. With that in mind, give me grace

to surrender my anxiety. Replace it with a sense of trust and calm as I learn to depend on you for everything. Amen.

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Hannah

Her Name Means Graciousness or Favor

h

Her Character: Provoked by another woman’s malice, she refused to respond in kind. Instead, she poured

out her hurt and sorrow to God, allowing

him to vindicate her.

Her Sorrow:

To be taunted and misunderstood.

Her Joy:

To proclaim God’s power and goodness, his

habit of raising the lowly and humbling the

proud.

Key Scriptures: 1 Sam uel 1:1 – 2:11; 2:19 – 21

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Monday

Her Story

It was only fifteen miles, but every year the journey from

Ramah, to worship at the tabernacle in Shiloh, seemed longer.

At home, Hannah found ways to avoid her husband’s second

wife, but once in Shiloh there was no escaping her taunts.

Hannah felt like a leaky tent in a driving rain, unable to de-

fend herself against the harsh weather of the other woman’s

heart.

Even Elkanah’s arm around her provided no shelter.

“Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are

you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?

Yes, she has given me children, but it’s you I love. Ignore her

taunts.”

How could Hannah make him understand that even

the best of men could not erase a woman’s longing for chil-

dren? His attempt at comforting her only sharpened the pain,

heightening her sense of isolation.

Hannah stood for a long time at the tabernacle, weeping

and praying. Her lips moved without making a sound as her

heart poured out its grief to God: “O Lord Almighty, if you

will only look upon your servant’s misery and remember me,

and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give

him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will

ever be used on his head.”

The priest Eli was used to people coming to Shiloh to

celebrate the feasts, eating and drinking more than they

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should. Watching Hannah from his chair by the doorpost of

the temple, he wondered why her shoulders were shaking, her

lips moving without making a sound. She must be drunk, he

concluded. So he interrupted her silent prayer with a rebuke:

“How long will you keep on getting drunk? Get rid of your

wine.”

“Not so, my lord,” Hannah defended herself. “I am a

woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine

or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. Do not take

your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here

out of my great anguish and grief.”

Satisfied by her explanation, Eli blessed her, saying, “May

the God of Israel grant your request.”

Early the next morning, Hannah and Elkanah returned

to their home in Ramah, where Hannah at last conceived.

Soon she held against her shoulder the tiny child she had

yearned for, the son she had dedicated to God. After Samuel

was weaned, she took him to Eli at Shiloh. Like Jochebed

placing the child Moses into the waters of the Nile as though

into God’s own hands, she surrendered her child to the

priest’s care. Even tually Hannah’s boy would become prophet

and Israel’s last judge. His hands would anoint both Saul and

David as Israel’s first kings.

Like Sarah and Rachel, Hannah grieved over the children

she could not have. But unlike them, she took her anguish

directly to God. Misunderstood by both her husband and her

priest, she could easily have turned her sorrow on herself or

others, becoming bitter, hopeless, or vindictive. But instead of

merely pitying herself or responding in kind, she poured out

her soul to God. And God graciously answered her prayer.

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Each year Hannah went up to Shiloh and presented Sam-

uel with a little robe she had sewn. And each year, the priest

Eli blessed her husband, Elkanah, saying, “May the Lord give

you children by this woman to take the place of the one she

prayed for and gave to the Lord.” And so Hannah became

the mother of three more sons and two daughters.

Her great prayer, echoed nearly a thousand years later by

Mary, the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:46 – 55), expresses Han-

nah’s praise: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my

horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I

delight in your deliverance. . . . The Lord sends poverty and

wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the

dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap.”

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Tuesday

Her Life and Times

Infertility

Praying through her tears, so overwrought that Eli thought

she was drunk, Hannah expresses for women throughout the

ages the agonizing experience of infertility. The deep, unsat-

isfied longing for children, the pain of watching others bear

one child after another, the anguish of watching a mother kiss

her baby’s face — Hannah experienced them all.

The Israelites saw children as a particular blessing from

the Lord, recognizing his power to open or close a woman’s

womb. Women who couldn’t bear children were considered

subfemale, unable to fulfill their divine purpose on earth.

When a woman was unable to fulfill this “duty,” her emo-

tional pain was tremendous. And more than likely, barren

women also felt they were denied the possibility of being the

one chosen to bear the Messiah.

Infertility brought with it not only a debilitating personal

sorrow but also the reproach of a woman’s husband, the disap-

proval of a woman’s family, and the rejection of society. Hus-

bands looked to their wives to produce many sons to help in

supporting the family. A woman’s extended family, both her

own and her husband’s, looked to her to continue the family

line and saw her as one who had not fulfilled her responsibil-

ity when she didn’t produce children. And the social circles

of young women of childbearing years by their very nature

included many other young women, women who were often

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producing one child after another. Their fertility mocked the

infertility of the barren woman every time she went to the

market or to the well or to a community social event.

Scripture tells the stories of a number of women who were

barren. Sarah laughed when told she would finally have a son.

Rachel clutched Jacob and begged him to give her sons, as if

he could open her womb. Hannah’s pain made her seek help

from the only One truly capable of providing it.

If Hannah had never had a child, she would still have

gone down in Scripture’s narrative as a woman of faith. Han-

nah is not a woman of faith because she bore a child; she is

a woman of faith because she sought God when she was in

her deepest distress, because she realized that only he could

answer her questions and that only he could provide the con-

solation and purpose in life she so desperately sought.

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Wednesday

Her Legacy in Scripture

Read 1 Sam uel 1:1 – 8

1. What sort of response does Hannah’s childlessness

cause in each of the people involved: in Hannah her-

self? in Peninnah? in Elkanah?

2. How have you reacted to disappointments or failures

in your life?

3. What impact did the reactions of those around you

have on you?

Read 1 Sam uel 1:9 – 14

4. Hannah stood in this very public place and poured

out her pain to the Lord. Notice Eli’s reaction. Do

you think she was unaware of the reaction others may

have had, or do you think she just didn’t care?

Read 1 Sam uel 1:15 – 18

5. What caused the change in Hannah recorded in verse

18? Is there anything here that would make her sure

she would now bear a son? If not, why then was she

comforted?

6. When has God answered your prayers after a time

of disappointment or difficulty? When have your

prayers gone unanswered? How did God provide in

those troublesome times?

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Read 1 Sam uel 1:19 – 20

7. How did God answer Hannah’s prayer? What is the

significance of the name Samuel?

Read 1 Sam uel 1:21 – 28

8. These verses record Hannah’s fulfillment to her

vow, recorded in verse 11. What would have made

Hannah’s vow difficult? What would have made it

necessary?

Read 1 Sam uel 2:18 – 21

9. Describe Hannah’s actions during the years when Sam-

uel was growing up in the temple. What do you think

those years were like for her?

10. How did God reward Hannah for her faithfulness?

11. Hannah dedicated her son Samuel to the Lord by giv-

ing him up to the Lord and to the work in the temple.

Are your children dedicated to the Lord? If so, what

are you doing to help them grow up in him?

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Thursday

Her Promise

When God met Hannah at the temple in Shiloh, he not only

answered her prayer for a child, he answered her prayer for

comfort in her misery. He gave her consolation in her disap-

pointment and strength to face her situation. Scripture does

not say that she went away sure she would bear a child, but it

does make it clear that she went away comforted: “Her face

was no longer downcast” (1 Sam uel 1:18). What even the

love and care of her husband Elkanah could not provide, God

could provide.

God is willing to meet us just as he met Hannah. What-

ever our distress, whatever hard situations we face, he is willing

— more than that, he is eager — to meet our needs and give us

his grace and comfort. No other person — not our husband,

not our closest friends, not our parents, not our children — can

render the relief, support, and encouragement that our God

has waiting for us.

Promises in Scripture

My comfort in my suffering is this:

Your promise preserves my life.

— Psalm 119:50

We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so,

but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know

that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, char-

acter; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint

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us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts

by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

— Romans 5:2 – 5

And we know that in all things God works for the good

of those who love him, who have been called according

to his purpose.

— Romans 8:28

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Friday

Her Legacy of Prayer

In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the LORD.

And she made a vow, saying, “O LORD Almighty, if you will only

look upon your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget

your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the LORD

for all the days of his life.”

— 1 Sam uel 1:10 – 11

Reflect On:

1 Sam uel 2:1 – 10.

Praise God:

That he knows our hearts.

Offer Thanks: For already answering so many of your

prayers.

Confess:

Your tendency to pour out your heart to ev-

eryone but God, making him a last, rather

than first, resort.

Ask God:

To give you the grace to trust his strength.

Lift Your Heart

One way to build your confidence in God is to form a

habit of remembrance. It’s so easy to forget everything he’s

already done by being preoccupied with what you want him

to do right here, right now. But by forgetting his blessings,

you form a habit of ingratitude. By frequently thanking God

for what he’s done, you build a habit of gratitude, which will

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also deepen your trust in God’s compassion, mercy, faithful-

ness, and power.

Find a blank notebook or a lovely scrapbook that can be-

come your Remembrance Book. In it, write down ways in

which God has answered your prayers. Keep letters, photos of

loved ones, or newspaper clippings — anything that reminds

you of answered prayers. Let your Remembrance Book be a

tangible way of keeping God’s faithfulness in the forefront of

your heart.

Father, thank you for all the prayers you’ve answered during my

lifetime. You’ve answered small prayers and big prayers, evening

prayers and morning prayers, soft prayers and loud prayers, anx-

ious prayers and peaceful prayers. May my own prayers be shaped

according to your faithfulness, becoming less selfish and frantic

and more calm and trusting with each day that passes. In Jesus’

name, Amen.

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Elizabeth

Her Name Means God Is My Oath

h

Her Character: A descendant of Aaron, Elizabeth was a

woman the Bible calls “upright in the sight

of God.” Like few others, male or female, she

was praised for observing all the Lord’s com-

mandments and regulations without blame.

She was the first to acknowledge Jesus as

Lord.

Her Sorrow:

To be barren for most of her life.

Her Joy:

To give birth to John, later known as John

the Baptist, the Messiah’s forerunner. His

name, divinely assigned, means, “The Lord

is gracious.”

Key Scripture: Luke 1:5 – 80

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Monday

Her Story

Her eyes were a golden brown. Like currants set in pastry,

they winked out at the world from cheeks that had baked

too long in the sun. Snowy strands of hair straggled from be-

neath a woolen shawl, tickling her wrinkled face. Small hands

rested tenderly on her rounded belly, softly probing for any

hint of movement. But all was still. From her vantage point

on the roof of the house, she noticed a figure walking up the

pathway and wondered who her visitor might be.

She and Zechariah had been content enough in their quiet

house these last few months, secluded in their joy. Each morn-

ing she had opened her eyes as though waking to a fantastic

dream. Sometimes she shook with laughter as she thought

about how God had rearranged her life, planting a child in

her shriveled up, old-woman’s womb.

Six months ago, Zechariah had been chosen by lot to

burn incense before the Most Holy Place, a once-in-a-life-

time privilege. But during his week of priestly ser vice in the

temple, he had been frightened half to death by a figure that

appeared suddenly next to the altar of incense. “Your wife

Elizabeth will bear you a son,” the angel told him, “and you

are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight

to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will

be great in the sight of the Lord.” It was Sarah and Abraham

all over, Rebekah and Isaac, Rachel and Jacob. God was once

again kindling a fire with two dry sticks.

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For the life of her, Elizabeth couldn’t understand her hus-

band’s response to the angel that had so terrified him. Once

you’d laid eyes on a heavenly being, how could you fail to be-

lieve that anything was possible? But Zechariah had blurted

out his skepticism and suffered the consequences. His voice

had been snatched away and would not be given back until

the angel’s words came to pass. These days he communicated

by scribbling on a wax tablet.

Elizabeth looked down again at the figure advancing up

the path, a green sprig of a girl. The older woman stepped

carefully down the stairs and into the house to welcome her

guest. But with the young woman’s words of greeting came

something that felt like a gale force wind, shaking the beams

and rafters of the house. Steadying herself, the older woman

felt suddenly invigorated. Her unborn baby leapt inside her as

she shouted out a welcoming response:

“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child

you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my

Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greet-

ing reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to

her will be accomplished!”

Mary had made the journey all the way from Nazareth to

visit her relative, Elizabeth. The same angel who had spoken

to Zechariah in the temple had whispered the secret of the

older woman’s pregnancy to the virgin, who was also with

child. The magnificent song of praise that burst from Mary’s

lips during their meeting may have taken shape during the

course of her sixty-mile journey south, to the hill country of

Judea where Elizabeth lived:

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My soul glorifies the Lord

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has been mindful

of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed,

for the Mighty One has done great things for me —

holy is his name.

His mercy extends to those who fear him,

from generation to generation.

He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost

thoughts.

He has brought down rulers from their thrones

but has lifted up the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things

but has sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,

remembering to be merciful

to Abraham and his descendants forever,

even as he said to our fathers.

The two women held each other, their bonds of kinship now

so much stronger than what mere flesh and blood could forge.

For Israel’s God — the God of Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Leah,

Miriam, Deborah, Naomi, Ruth, Abigail, and Hannah — was

on the move again, bringing the long-ago promise to fulfill-

ment. And blessed was she who did not doubt that what the

Lord had said to her would be accomplished.

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Tuesday

Her Life and Times

Incense

Elizabeth’s husband, Zechariah, had been given a spe-

cial, very serious privilege. When it was his priestly division’s

turn to serve in the temple, he was chosen by lot — which

was God’s way of making the choice — to burn incense in the

temple. Each morning and evening he took fire from the altar

of burnt offering and placed it on the golden altar of incense

that stood before the curtain separating the Holy Place from

the Most Holy Place. He then poured the dusty incense from

a golden urn onto the fire. While Zechariah performed this

duty, all the worshipers who were at the temple that day stood

outside and prayed. The smoke and aroma of the incense

symbolized their prayers rising up to God. The fragrance also

served to fumigate air tainted with the odor of the blood of

animals killed for the sacrifices.

The earliest historical records about worship include infor-

mation on the burning of incense. All the nations surrounding

Palestine appreciated the sweet smell of incense permeating

not only their places of worship but also their homes. The

incense Zechariah burned in the temple was made according

to a special “recipe” (Exodus 30:34 – 38) of spices and salt that

had been ground to a powder. This holy incense could be used

only in the temple in worship, never for ordinary, everyday

purposes.

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The prophet Jeremiah often condemned the Israelites for

burning incense to false gods. But he could be even more

scathing in his denunciation when they burned incense when

their hearts weren’t in their worship (Jeremiah 6:20). God

made it clear that the mere burning of incense didn’t please

him; it was only a symbol. He was looking for hearts that

were turned toward him with faithfulness and trust.

Isn’t that application obvious for us today as well? In all

our forms of worship — our hymns and praise songs, our lit-

urgies and dramas and readings — what is important to God

is our hearts. Are they turned toward him in faithfulness and

trust?

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Wednesday

Her Legacy in Scripture

Read Luke 1:5 – 7

1. What important things do these verses tell you about

Elizabeth and Zechariah? Do you think the words of

verse 6 mean they were perfect? If not, what do these

words mean?

Read Luke 1:8 – 22

2. Why do you think Zechariah didn’t believe the angel?

Was he so afraid? Was the announcement so unbe-

lievable? Why do you think he was punished for not

believing?

3. Imagine an angel coming to you with some unex-

pected and unbelievable announcement. What would

your reaction be?

Read Luke 1:23 – 25

4. Why would Elizabeth say she was disgraced among

her people?

5. Describe how the infertile woman feels today. Is dis-

grace a part of her feelings? If you know someone who

is struggling with infertility, how can you be a friend

and support to her?

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Read Luke 1:39 – 41

6. Do you think the reaction of Elizabeth’s baby to

Mary’s arrival was just coincidence? What do you

think prompted the baby to “leap” just then?

Read Luke 1:42 – 44

7. Elizabeth didn’t just smile and offer a quiet prayer

when Mary arrived. She “exclaimed” and praised God

“in a loud voice.” What would have to happen for you

to exclaim your praise to God in a loud voice?

Read Luke 1:45

8. What is the focus of Elizabeth’s praise: what God has

done in her life or what God has done in Mary’s life?

What does this reveal about Elizabeth?

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Thursday

Her Promise

God always keeps his promises! For hundreds of years, God

had been telling the people of Israel that he would send a

Messiah. One who would do away with all the sacrifices and

priesthood. One who would provide a direct bridge to God

himself. One whose sacrifice would provide redemption for

all time. The events in this first chapter of Luke are just the

beginning of the fulfillment of God’s greatest promise to his

people. With Mary we can say: “My soul glorifies the Lord

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!”

Promises in Scripture

But for you who revere my name, the sun of righ teous ness

will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out

and leap like calves released from the stall.

— Malachi 4:2

John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the

Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

— John 1:29

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance:

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

— 1 Tim othy 1:15

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Friday

Her Legacy of Prayer

Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!

— Luke 1:45

Reflect On:

Luke 1:5 – 80.

Praise God:

That he is the Creator who shapes every

child in the womb.

Offer Thanks: For the gift of children.

Confess:

Any tendency to cheapen the value of human

life, including unborn life.

Ask God:

To restore our appreciation for the miracle of

human life.

Lift Your Heart

A person’s a person, no matter how small!

— From Horton Hears a Who by Dr. Seuss

Mary’s visit to Elizabeth probably occurred when Eliz-

abeth was in her sixth month of pregnancy. The younger

woman may have stayed long enough to help the older one

with her delivery. In any case, Mary would have been in the

first trimester of her pregnancy and Elizabeth in her third.

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Here’s what would have been happening to the children grow-

ing in their wombs:

Jesus:

18 days — his nervous system appeared.

30 days — most of his major organ systems had begun to

form.

4 weeks — his heart began beating.

7 weeks — his facial features would have been visible.

8th week — all his major body structures and organs

were present.

10th week — tiny teeth were forming in his gums.

12th week — his brain was fully formed and he could

feel pain. He may have even sucked his thumb.

John:

6th month — he could grasp his hands, kick, do somer-

saults, and hear voices and sounds outside the womb.

Take a few moments to praise your Creator with beautiful

words from Psalm 139:13 – 16:

For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

your eyes saw my unformed body.

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All the days ordained for me were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

Dear God, you are the Lord and Giver of life. Help me to respect,

protect, and nurture it no matter what color, no matter what

age, no matter what gender of human being I encounter. I ask

this in the name of Jesus, the bread and water of life, Amen.

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Mary, the Mother of Jesus

Her Name May Mean Bitterness

h

Her Character: She was a virgin from a poor family in an obscure village in Galilee. Her response to

Gabriel reveals a young woman of unusual

faith and humility. Her unqualified yes to

God’s plan for her life entailed great person-

al risk and suffering. She must have endured

seasons of confusion, fear, and darkness as

the events of her life unfolded. She is hon-

ored, not only as the mother of Jesus, but as

his first disciple.

Her Sorrow:

To see the son she loved shamed and tortured,

left to die like the worst kind of criminal.

Her Joy:

To see her child raised from the dead; to have

received the Holy Spirit along with Christ’s

other disciples.

Key Scriptures: Matthew 1:18 – 25; 2; Luke 1:26 – 80; 2; John 19:25 – 27

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Monday

Her Story

She sat down on the bench and closed her eyes, an old woman

silhouetted against the blue Jerusalem sky. Even the wood be-

neath her conjured images. Though she could no longer recall

the exact curl of his smile or the shape of his sleeping face rest-

ing next to hers, she could still see the rough brown hands,

expertly molding the wood to his purposes. Joseph had been

a good carpenter and an even better husband.

These days the memories came unbidden, like a gusty

wind carrying her away to other times and places. Some said

drowning people see their lives unfold in incredible detail just

before they die. Age had a similar effect, she thought, except

that you could relive your memories with a great deal more

leisure. . . .

h

A cool breeze teased at her skirts as she balanced the jug

on her head, making her way toward the well. A stranger,

she noticed, was approaching from the opposite direction.

Even in the dusky light, his clothes shone, as though bleached

bright by the strongest of fuller’s soap.

“Greetings,” he shouted, “you who are highly favored!

The Lord is with you.”

No Nazarene, she was sure, would ever dare greet a maid-

en like that. But with each step his words grew bolder, not

softer, rushing toward her as water plunges over a cliff:

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“Do not be afraid, Mary. . . .

You have found favor with God. . . .

You will give birth to a son. . . .

He will be called the Son of the Most High. . . .

The Holy Spirit will come upon you. . . .

Elizabeth your relative is going to have a

child in her old age.”

Wave after wave broke over her as she listened to the angel’s

words — first confusion and fear, then awe and gratitude, and

finally a rush of joy and peace. Her whole being drenched in

light. Then she heard more words, this time cascading from

her lips, not his:

“I am the Lord’s servant.

May it be to me as you have said.”

Though the angel departed, Mary’s peace remained. The

Most High had visited the lowliest of his servants and spoken

the promise every Jewish woman longed to hear: “You will be

with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the

name Jesus. The Lord God will give him the throne of his fa-

ther David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever;

his kingdom will never end.”

The moon hung like a smile in the night sky as she lifted

the brimming buckets and began walking across the fields. As

the water swayed and splashed to the rhythm of her movements,

she realized that she too felt full and satisfied — as though she

had just finished a favorite meal. Questions, she knew, would

come with the morning. For now, it was enough to look up at

the stars and know that God was at work shaping her future.

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h

“Mama, Mama,” he yelled, running toward her, chubby

arms flung out beseechingly.

“Jesus, what is it now, child?” she smiled, scooping the

chunky boy into her arms before he could topple over in the

usual tangle of arms and legs. But he was all kisses, squealing

and nuzzling his curly head against her breast, as though to

bury himself in her soft, warm flesh. She sighed contentedly.

How many mothers had she known? But none had adequately

described the sheer wonder of a child — the laughter, the con-

stant surprise, the tenderness. Not to mention the fear and

worry that were also part of the bargain.

But this was no time to entertain such thoughts. The

men from the East had recently left. How strange these Magi

seemed, with their tales of a star that had led them all the

way to Bethlehem in search of a new king. They had bowed

before her dark-eyed child, laying out their treasures of gold,

incense, and myrrh — as though paying homage to royalty.

One morning, however, they had packed in haste, saying only

that a dream had warned them to return home without re-

porting news of their successful search to the king. Even the

mention of Herod’s name had filled her with dread. Bethle-

hem lay just six miles south of Jerusalem — dangerously close

to a man who had murdered his own children out of jealousy

for his throne. How would such a ruler respond to rumors of

a child-king in Bethlehem?

Two nights ago Joseph had shaken her awake, shushing

her with details of the dream he had just had: “Mary, an angel

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appeared to me. We must leave before sunrise. Herod plans to

search for our child and kill him!”

Now they were on their way to Egypt, reversing the steps

of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, who had led her ancestors to

freedom so long ago. Mary wondered, as they rested, if they

would ever see their homeland again.

h

“Woman,” he breathed the word softly, painfully, through

lips encrusted with blood, his lean arms flung out on either

side of him, as though imploringly. The palms of his hands

were pinned with spikes. He looked at her first and then at

the young man standing beside her. “Here is your son.” The

words came haltingly.

Then to the man, he sighed: “Here is your mother.”

She wanted to reach for him with all the might of her love,

to bury his sorrow in her breasts, to tell him he was the son

she needed most. Would not the God who pitied Abraham

also pity her? Would he allow her to suffer what even the pa-

triarch had been spared — the sacrifice of a child? All her life

she had loved the God whose angel had spoken to her, calling

her “highly favored.” But how could a woman whose son was

dying on a Roman cross ever consider herself “favored”?

Suddenly her own words came back to her, as though a

younger version of herself was whispering them in her ear: “I

am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.”

The midday sky had blackened, but she could still see

her son’s twisted form on the cross, his eyes searching hers.

Thorns circled his forehead in the shape of a crown, a crude

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reminder of the sign the Roman governor had fastened to the

wood: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”

She thought of the Magi and their priceless gifts. The

gold and incense, royal treasures that had helped them sur-

vive their stay in Egypt. She had always wondered about the

myrrh. Now she knew — it was embalming oil for the king

the wise men had come to worship.

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” His cry

pierced her like a sword. The earth shook violently and she

fell to her knees, barely able to complete the words of the psalm for the man who hung dead on the cross:

“O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,

by night, and am not silent. . . .

But I am a worm and not a man,

scorned by men and despised by the people.

All who see me mock me;

they hurl insults, shaking their heads. . . .

Yet you brought me out of the womb;

you made me trust in you

even at my mother’s breast.

From birth I was cast upon you;

from my mother’s womb you have been my God. . . .

they have pierced my hands and my feet.

I can count all my bones;

people stare and gloat over me,

They divide my garments among them

and cast lots for my clothing.

But you, O LORD, be not far off;

O my Strength, come quickly to help me. . . .

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You who fear the LORD, praise him!

All you descendants of Jacob, honor him! . . .

future generations will be told about the Lord.

They will proclaim his righ teous ness

to a people yet unborn —

for he has done it.

— Psalm 22

h

By the time Mary opened her eyes, the setting sun had

turned the city into a golden land. She smiled, wiping the

tears from her wrinkled face. How true the angel’s words had

been. No woman from Eve onward had ever been blessed as

she, the mother of the Messiah, had been. Yes, the past was

alive inside her, but it was the future that filled her with joy.

Soon, she would see her son again and this time it would be

his hands that would wipe away the last of her tears.

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Tuesday

Her Life and Times

Angels

Mary cowered in fear when the angel Gabriel appeared to

her — not an uncommon reaction. Most often in Scripture,

when an angel appeared to a human being, the reaction was

one of fright. While we’re not told exactly what angels look

like or how they appear, one description in Matthew says the

angel’s “appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were

white as snow” (Matthew 28:3). Certainly it’s obvious from

the reactions of those who saw them that angels are super-

natural beings and therefore frightening.

The 291 references to angels in Scripture give us a varied

picture of their duties. Angels in heaven stand before God’s

throne and worship him (Matthew 18:10). An angel helped

Hagar and Ishmael when they were in trouble in the desert

(Genesis 21:17). An angel freed the apostles from prison (Acts

5:19). An angel directed Philip to the desert road where he

met and witnessed to the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26). An

angel appeared to Paul to comfort him (Acts 27:23 – 24), to

Elijah when he was worn out and discouraged in the desert

(1 Kings 19:3 – 9), and to Daniel and his friends in places of

danger (Daniel 3:28; 6:22). Sometimes God uses angels to

punish his enemies (Genesis 19:1; 2 Kings 19:35).

Angels played an important role in the life of Jesus. After

first appearing to Zechariah, Mary, and Joseph, angels an-

nounced Jesus’ birth to the shepherds (Luke 2:9). Angels

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came and ministered to Jesus after he was tempted in the des-

ert (Matthew 4:11) and when he was in the garden just before

his crucifixion (Luke 22:43). A violent earthquake accompa-

nied the angel that came to earth and rolled back the stone

over Jesus’ tomb (Matthew 28:2). When Jesus ascended into

heaven, two angels, “men dressed in white” (Acts 1:10), told

the disciples he would be coming back in the same way.

In the book of Revelation, John describes a glorious scene:

“Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, num-

bering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times

ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living crea-

tures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: ‘Worthy is

the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and

wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!’ ” (Rev-

elation 5:11 – 12).

Imagine the sight: hundreds of thousands of beings —

purest white, like lightning — all moving in concert around

God’s throne. Listen: Can you imagine their loud, supernat-

ural voices praising Jesus? Worthy is the Lamb! Then “every

creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on

the sea, and all that is in them” (Revelation 5:13) will join

in with them, singing the same song of praise. What a sight!

What a sound! Mary will be there praising her son. Will you

be there praising your Savior?

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Wednesday

Her Legacy in Scripture

Read Luke 1:26 – 35

1. Put the angel’s greetings into your own words. Why

do you think this greeting troubled Mary?

2. If an angel were to visit you today, what sort of greet-

ing do you think he would give you? What would the

greeting reveal about your character and about your

relationship with God?

Read Luke 1:36 – 37

3. What two things does the angel tell Mary in these

verses? Why would he tell her about Elizabeth? Why

would he tell her that “nothing is impossible with

God”? Didn’t Mary already know this?

4. If truly “nothing is impossible with God,” what area

of your life or circumstance do you need to turn over

to him? What is keeping you from doing this?

Read Luke 1:38

5. What does Mary’s response tell you about her? Do

you think at this point she truly realizes what her fu-

ture holds? How will the attitude apparent in these

words help her in the difficult times in the future?

Read Luke 2:1 – 7

6. These words are so familiar and the story so well-known.

The birth of God on earth becomes commonplace,

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ordinary. Reread these verses, considering while you do

the emotions Joseph and Mary must have experienced,

what they may have said to each other, how they may

have prayed. Then contemplate the actual event: not

just the birth of a baby but the birth of the Christ!

Read Luke 2:41 – 52

7. Whom does Mary call Jesus’ father? Who does Jesus

say his father is? Why is this significant?

8. Verse 51 says Mary and Joseph “did not understand”

what Jesus meant by what he said to them. However,

verse 51 says that Mary “treasured all these things

in her heart.” Contrast the two verses. What do you

think is meant by “treasured”?

Read John 19:25 – 27

9. It is hard to put into words the agony Mary must have

been experiencing as she watched her son die. Seeing

her distress must have added to Jesus’ torment. What

does this scene tell you about their relationship?

10. Watching a son or daughter die is perhaps the most

painful experience known to the human race. Where

is the only place to go to find comfort when such

painful events enter our lives? Why?

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Thursday

Her Promise

When God says nothing is impossible, he means it. He is all-

powerful, omnipotent, the Savior of the world. No matter

what he has promised, no matter how hard or impossible that

promise seems to fulfill, he can and will do it.

Promises in Scripture

For the LORD your God dried up the Jordan before you

until you had crossed over. . . . He did this so that all the

peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the

LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the

LORD your God.

— Joshua 4:23 – 24

With man this is impossible, but with God all things are

possible.

— Matthew 19:26

For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and

the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

— 1 Co rin thi ans 1:25

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Friday

Her Legacy of Prayer

“Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

— Luke 1:28

Reflect On:

Luke 1:26 – 38.

Praise God:

That nothing is impossible with him.

Offer Thanks: That a woman’s body became the dwelling

place of divinity.

Confess:

Any tendency to devalue yourself as a woman.

Ask God:

To make you a woman, like Mary, who

brings Jesus into the world by expressing his

character, power, forgiveness, and grace.

Lift Your Heart

Choose one episode in the life of Mary — her encounter

with Gabriel, the birth of her child, the scene with the shep-

herds, the presentation in the temple, the Magi’s visit, the

escape to Egypt, her son’s agony on the cross, or her presence

with the disciples in the Upper Room. Imagine yourself in

her place. What are your struggles, your joys? What thoughts

run through your mind? Does anything or anyone take you

by surprise?

Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your reflections, to help you

imagine the sounds, sights, and smells that will bring each

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scene to life. Let the Scriptures feed your soul with a deeper

understanding of God’s intention for your life. Pray for the

grace to be like the woman who said: “I am the Lord’s ser-

vant. May it be to me as you have said.”

My soul is full of you, my God, and I cannot hold back my glad-

ness. Everyone who sees me will call me blessed because you have

noticed me. You saw my lowliness and my need and filled my

emptiness with your presence. Form your likeness in me so that,

like Mary, I can bring you into a world that desperately needs

your love. In the name of Mary’s son I pray, Amen.

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The Syrophoenician Woman

h

Her Character: Though a Gentile, she addressed Jesus as

“Lord, Son of David.” Her great faith re-

sulted in her daughter’s deliverance.

Her Sorrow:

That her child was possessed by an evil

spirit.

Her Joy:

That Jesus freed her daughter from spiritual

bondage.

Key Scriptures: Matthew 15:21 – 28; Mark 7:24 – 30

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Monday

Her Story

Her body jerked and twisted, arms thrashing the air. Wide-

eyed, the little girl spoke to ghosts her mother could not see,

her face changing as rapidly as clouds in a sudden storm. Fear,

surprise, and then a crazy kind of laughter, as though some-

one had stolen her soul. Dark hair stuck in gummy strands

against her cheeks.

Her mother wondered what had become of the sweet

child who had followed her like a puppy wherever she went.

How she missed those soft kisses and the button nose that had

nuzzled her cheek. She had hardly slept these last few nights

for fear of what her daughter might do to herself. Neither of

them, she thought, could stand much more.

Just that morning she had caught wind of a Jewish healer

who, friends said, had come to Tyre hoping for relief from the

crowds that mobbed him in Galilee. It didn’t matter that Jews

seldom mingled with Gentiles. She would go to him, beg his

help, throw a fit herself if necessary. She would do whatever it

took to get him to listen. It didn’t take long to find him.

She approached Jesus, pleading, “Lord, Son of David,

have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from

demon-possession.”

But Jesus ignored the woman, making no reply.

Finally, his disciples said to Jesus, “Send her away, for she

keeps crying out after us.”

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But Jesus knew it would not be that easy to get rid of her.

He told them, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

Hearing him, the woman fell at his feet again, imploring,

“Lord, help me!”

Then Jesus turned and said, “It is not right to take the

children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

But the woman would not give up. “Yes, Lord,” she said,

“but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s

table.”

“Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted,”

Jesus said.

So the Syrophoenician woman returned to her daughter,

who was delivered from the evil spirit the very same hour that

Jesus had spoken.

Scripture doesn’t describe the little girl of this story in

any detail; it says only that she was possessed by a demon.

But judging from similar incidents, such as that of the Ger-

asene demoniac, whose story is told in Luke 8, or the little

boy in Matthew 17, who kept throwing himself in the fire,

the signs of demonic possession were probably both obvious

and frightening.

But why did Jesus seem so rude to the poor woman, ig-

noring her request and then referring to her and her child as

dogs?

His response may sound a little less harsh when you re-

alize that the word he used for “dogs” was not the derisive

one Jews ordinarily reserved for Gentiles. Instead, it was the

term used for little dogs kept as pets. Jesus was also making it

clear that his primary mission was to the Israelites. Had Jesus

performed healings and miracles in Tyre and Sidon, he would

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have risked the same kind of mob scenes he had just left be-

hind in Galilee, thus inaugurating a ministry to the Gentiles

in advance of his Father’s timing.

The woman couldn’t have known the reason for his si-

lence, however, and it must have tested her faith. But rather

than give up or take offense, she exercised her quick wit, re-

vealing both a deep humility and tenacious faith. It was a

combination Jesus seemed unable to resist — fertile soil in

which to grow a miracle. The Syrophoenician woman must

have rejoiced that day to see the daughter she loved safe and

sane, grateful for the life-giving bread that had fallen from the

Master’s table.

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Tuesday

Her Life and Times

Demon Possession

The New Testament teems with stories of people pos-

sessed by demons. Demons are fallen angels, emissaries of

Satan, sent to earth to oppress human beings and lead them

astray. Under Satan’s control, their only goal is to further his

purposes. They have supernatural powers here on earth: su-

pernatural intelligence — they know and try to hide the truth

(1 John 4:1 – 3) and they recognize Jesus as God’s Son (Mark

5:7); and supernatural strength — a man possessed by demons

could break away even when chained (Luke 8:29).

Though supernatural in their strength, demons are not

more powerful than God or his Son. Whenever demons came

face to face with Christ or his disciples in the New Testament,

they trembled and did their bidding.

What the New Testament describes as demon-possessed

people we would today depict as having an illness of some

sort, physical or mental. How much distinction can be made

between the two is uncertain. After Jesus cast a demon out

of one man, he was described as “sitting there, dressed and

in his right mind” (Mark 5:15). The man’s demon posses-

sion could easily have been extreme mental illness. At times,

demon possession caused muteness or blindness or convul-

sions (Matthew 9:32; 12:22; Mark 9:20). We can only spec-

ulate whether today we would view these illnesses as purely

physical.

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It is interesting to note that demons are mentioned only

twice in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 32:17; Psalm

106:37), yet over seventy times in the New Testament — all

but a few of those in the Gospels. Perhaps Jesus’ ministry to

the sick exposed demonic activity as never before. Or perhaps

Satan focused an extraordinary amount of his strength and

power over the land of Israel while Jesus walked and healed

there.

When Jesus left this earth, he sent the Holy Spirit to in-

dwell his people. The life of Christ within us, as believers,

is our defense against the forces of evil. We may suffer from

physical, emotional, or mental illnesses that seem like demons

within us, and God often uses the power of medical treat-

ment to heal us of those illnesses — but let’s not discount the

power we possess within ourselves as children of God. That

power forms a hedge of protection around and within us as

we maintain a close relationship with God the Father, Christ

his Son, and the Holy Spirit, our strength and comfort.

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Wednesday

Her Legacy in Scripture

Read Matthew 15:21 – 22

1. What about these words makes it obvious that this

woman and her daughter were both suffering?

2. If your child were the one possessed, how would you

approach Jesus for healing? What would you say?

How would you act?

Read Matthew 15:23

3. Why do you suppose Jesus at first ignored the woman?

What was her response?

4. Was it okay for this woman to keep “crying out”? Why

or why not?

Read Matthew 15:24 – 26

5. This woman was not an Israelite. What might have

been her response to Jesus’ statement that he had

come “only to the lost sheep of Israel”? Why do you

think she didn’t give up?

6. How persistent are you in prayer? Do you give up eas-

ily? Or do you keep praying until you get a definite

answer?

Read Matthew 15:27 – 28

7. What was meant by the “crumbs” in verse 27? What

was this woman saying?

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8. What was Jesus’ response? Why did he respond in the

way he did?

9. When have you asked for little and received much?

Were you surprised? How often do we settle for the

“crumbs” when Jesus really wants to give us the whole

loaf?

Reread Matthew 15:23, 28

10. What is the difference between how the disciples re-

sponded to the woman and how Jesus ultimately re-

sponded to her?

11. When a needy person approaches you, do you respond

like Jesus or like his disciples? How do you respond if

the person is emotionally needy — continually stick-

ing close to you, interrupting your conversations with

others, asking questions you can’t answer, and gener-

ally wanting more than you wish to give?

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Thursday

Her Promise

What possible promise can be found in a pagan woman whose

little girl was possessed by an evil spirit? The Syrophoenician

woman wouldn’t have known what to do about her daughter

had she not heard about Jesus. Somehow, she was given the

faith to believe that he was the only one capable of saving her

child.

Evil spirits, unfortunately, are not creatures of a former

age. We too must fight the evil powers in own lives. The dif-

ference now is that Jesus has won the ultimate victory on the

cross. As believers, we share in his victory. He has given us

authority over the evil forces in our lives. We may still be

fighting the battle, but, absurd as it sounds, the victory is

already won!

Promises in Scripture

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

— Ephesians 6:10

Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come

in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not

acknowledge Jesus is not from God.

— 1 John 4:2 – 3

The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in

the world.

— 1 John 4:4

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Friday

Her Legacy of Prayer

Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your re-

quest is granted.”

— Matthew 15:28

Reflect On:

Matthew 15:21 – 28.

Praise God:

For his power to deliver us from every form

of evil.

Offer Thanks: For the deliverance you have already ex-

perienced.

Confess:

Any hopelessness about your children or

others you love.

Ask God:

To give you the same “terrier-like” faith that

the Syrophoenician woman had, so that you

will never give up praying for the salvation

of your loved ones.

Lift Your Heart

Though most of our children will never suffer from ac-

tual demonic possession, all of them are engaged, as we are,

in a spiritual battle. As a mother, your prayers and your life

play a role in the spiritual protection of your children. This

week, pray Psalm 46 or Psalm 91 for the spiritual protection

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of your family. Or take a few moments to pray these verses

from Psalm 125:

Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion,

which cannot be shaken but endures forever.

As the mountains surround Jerusalem,

so the LORD surrounds his people

both now and forevermore.

Imagine that every member of your family is surrounded

by God, just as mountains surround the city of Jerusalem.

Offer each one to him, placing them in his care. When you are

worried about a particular family member, pray a quick prayer

asking God to surround him or her with his protection.

Lord, surround my children like the mountains surrounding Je-

rusalem. Encircle our family with your power and peace. Deliver

us from evil now and forever. Amen.

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Salome, Mother of

the Sons of Zebedee

Her Name Means Peace

h

Her Character: A devoted follower of Jesus, whose husband ran a fishing business, she shared the common misconception that the Messiah would

drive out the Romans and establish a literal

kingdom in Palestine. Her name was prob-

ably Salome.

Her Sorrow:

To have stood with other women at the cross,

witnessing the death of Jesus of Nazareth.

Her Joy:

To have seen an angel at Christ’s tomb, who

proclaimed the resurrection.

Key Scriptures: Matthew 20:20 – 24; 27:56; Mark 15:40 – 41; 16:1 – 2

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Monday

Her Story

Salome loved Jesus nearly as much as she loved her own two

sons, James and John. She would never forget the day they had

left their father and their fishing nets to follow him. Lately, she

too had come to believe that Jesus was the Messiah of God.

She had smiled when she heard Jesus had nicknamed her

boys “the Sons of Thunder.” Surely he had recognized the

seeds of greatness in the two feisty brothers from Capernaum.

Why else would he have invited them into his inner circle,

along with Simon Peter? She had heard how Jesus had led the

three up a high mountain. When they came down, her gar-

rulous sons could hardly speak. But then the story came out.

“Jesus’ face was blindingly bright like the sun. . . .

“Moses and Elijah appeared and spoke with him. . . .

“Suddenly a cloud surrounded us and a voice from heav-

en said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well

pleased. Listen to him!’ ”

Salome had listened. She had seen the glory and the power

that radiated from the man. Though she had heard ominous

rumors that Jerusalem’s men of power hated Jesus, she also

knew that the great King David had faced his own share of

enemies before establishing his kingdom. And hadn’t Jesus

promised his disciples that they would sit on twelve thrones

in his kingdom? “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or

sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake,”

he had said, “will receive a hundred times as much and will

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inherit eternal life.” How could she doubt him? Even with

faith small as a mustard seed, mountains could be moved.

Salome had left behind her comfortable home on the

northwest shore of Galilee to join her sons. Now, as they jour-

neyed up to Jerusalem, she remembered other words Jesus

had spoken: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you

will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” She

would no longer deny herself the one favor her heart desired.

Prostrating herself before him, she begged, “Grant that one of

these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at

your left in your kingdom.”

But instead of replying to her, Jesus turned to James and

John and said, “You don’t know what you are asking. Can you

drink the cup I am going to drink?”

“We can,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink from my cup,

but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These

places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by

my Father.”

Jesus, who knew Zebedee’s sons better than anyone, real-

ized that Salome was only voicing their rising ambitions. Like

any loving mother, she had simply asked for what she thought

would make her children happy. But as Jesus’ reply and subse-

quent events proved, this mother didn’t begin to comprehend

what she was asking. Soon, the man she had approached as a

king would himself die on a cross, and she would be one of

the women who witnessed his death.

After it was over, Salome may have remembered the an-

guished faces of the men who had been crucified with Jesus,

one on his right hand and the other on his left — an ironic

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reminder of her request on the way up to Jerusalem. Such a

memory would only have increased her terror for what might

now happen to her sons.

Along with other faithful women at the cross, Salome

was present on the morning of Jesus’ resurrection. Surely the

angel’s words — “He has risen! He is not here!” — would have

comforted her later in life when her son James became the

first martyred apostle, dying at the hands of Herod Agrippa.

Instead of asking Jesus what he wanted for her sons, Sa-

lome acted as though she knew exactly what he needed to

do on their behalf. She must have forgotten that Jesus had

exhorted his followers to leave behind not only houses, broth-

ers and sisters, fathers and mothers for his sake, but also chil-

dren. In Salome’s case, it didn’t mean turning her back on

her children but surrendering them to God. It meant putting

Jesus above everything and everyone, loving him better than

her own sons. Only then would she understand the meaning

of what they would suffer as followers of Christ. Only then

would she really know how to pray.

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Tuesday

Her Life and Times

Mothering

In biblical times, when a man married, he gained another

possession. Every wife was under her husband’s absolute au-

thority. When a man decided “to marry a wife,” the meaning

of the phrase was closer to “become the master of a wife.” But

even though a woman’s position in the household was one of

subservience to her husband, she was still in a higher position

than anyone else in the household.

A woman’s principal duty was to produce a family, prefer-

ably sons, who could ensure the family’s physical and finan-

cial future. Mothers generally nursed their youngsters until

they were about three years old. During that time, husbands

and wives did not usually engage in sexual intercourse, a nat-

ural form of birth control that gave the mother time to devote

herself to her youngest child.

Mothers had total care of their children, both sons and

daughters, until they were about six years old. The children

helped their mother with household tasks, and she taught

them basic lessons on living in their culture. After six years

of age, most boys became the family shepherd or began to

spend the day with their father, learning the family business.

David, as the youngest son, took care of his family’s sheep and

goats (1 Sam uel 16:11), and Jesus probably spent time with his

father Joseph learning his carpentry trade (Mark 6:3). Daugh-

ters stayed with their mothers throughout their growing-up

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years. Mothers taught them spinning and weaving and cook-

ing, as well as how to behave and what to expect in their future

roles as wives and mothers.

Gradually the role of mothers came to include activities

like those described in Proverbs 31. Throughout Scripture,

the role of mothering is given dignity and significance, so

much so that God describes his love for us as his children

in terms of mothering. “As a mother comforts her child, so

will I [the Lord] comfort you” (Isaiah 66:13). Paul describes

his care for the Thessalonians as the care of a mother for her

children: “We were gentle among you, like a mother caring

for her little children” (1 Thes salo nians 2:7).

When you find yourself lost in the chaos and clutter of

caring for young children, remember the important part you

play in keeping their world safe and happy. When you find

yourself buried in the mess and muddle of raising elementary

school children, remember how much they rely on you for

their security. When you find yourself struggling with the di-

saster and disarray of raising teenagers, remember how much

you love them and how much they need you to believe in

them. Never forget: If you have children, they are one of your

greatest legacies.

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Wednesday

Her Legacy in Scripture

Read Matthew 20:20 – 21

1. What did James’s and John’s mother really want? Do

you think she was asking only for honor for her sons,

or did she also want something for herself?

2. How do you react when your child is honored? How

do you react when your child is passed over for some

honor? How are you like Salome?

Read Matthew 20:22 – 23

3. What “cup” is Jesus talking about here? Do you

think the disciples answered his question glibly or

seriously?

4. Would it be wise to prevent all suffering in the lives of

your children? Why or why not?

Read Matthew 20:24

5. Why were the other disciples upset with James and

John instead of with James’s and John’s mother? Do

you think James and John had some part in their

mother’s actions?

6. If you had been there, what would you have said to

Salome? Have you ever said something similar to the

mother of one of your child’s friends, perhaps not to

her face but at least to yourself? Why are mothers so

eager to protect and elevate their own children?

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Read Matthew 20:25 – 27

7. With these words, Jesus totally overturns the natural

reactions of his culture and ours. How do you think

the disciples and Salome reacted to his words? What

do you think Salome may have been thinking at this

point?

8. How easy or hard is it for you to play the role of ser-

vant? Define servant leadership. What has to change

in your life for you to truly become a servant leader?

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Thursday

Her Promise

Though the typical woman in biblical times was in a subservi-

ent role, her position as a mother is exalted by Scripture. God

the Father recognized from the very beginning the important

role a mother would play in her children’s lives, and he prom-

ised to bless her. Those same promises apply to you today.

Promises in Scripture

God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you

are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I

will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will

bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings

of peoples will come from her.”

— Genesis 17:15 – 16

He settles the barren woman in her home

as a happy mother of children.

— Psalm 113:9

Her children arise and call her blessed;

her husband also, and he praises her:

“Many women do noble things,

but you surpass them all.”

— Proverbs 31:28 – 29

Can a mother forget the baby at her breast

and have no compassion on the child she has borne?

— Isaiah 49:15

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Friday

Her Legacy of Prayer

“Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right

and the other at your left in your kingdom.”

— Matthew 20:21

Reflect On:

Matthew 20:20 – 28.

Praise God:

That his Son has shown us the true meaning

of greatness.

Offer Thanks: For all the ways, large and small, that God has served you.

Confess:

Pride and misguided ambition.

Ask God:

For the grace to make the connection that

the way down leads to the way up, that it is

the humble woman who will be considered

great in the kingdom.

Lift Your Heart

Many women have heard the message of servanthood and

internalized it in unhealthy ways. Instead of realizing their

inherent dignity as women, they have defined their worth

primarily in terms of others. But both men and women are

called to model themselves on Christ, who was not a per-

son who suffered from low self-esteem. His humility wasn’t a

cover for a sense of unworthiness.

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If you have made the mistake of living your life through

your husband or your children, ask God for the grace to

change. Admit you are a human being who needs care, con-

sideration, and replenishment. Ask God to restore balance in

your life. But as you go through the process of finding bal-

ance, don’t eliminate the word “humility” from your vocabu-

lary by embracing a life of selfishness. This week, ask each

day for eyes to see another’s need. Then ask for grace to serve

in a way that truly models the humility of Jesus.

Lord, forgive me for any pride that has crowded you out of my

heart. Whenever I am tempted to think or act with selfish ambi-

tion, place a check in my spirit. Give me, instead, the courage to be a servant. Make more room in my heart for your love, I pray.

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Table of Contents

Introduction 9