Pamela L. McQuade - The Top 100 Women of the Bible

2007 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.

Print ISBN 978-1-64352-728-4

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Read some Bible commentaries and you may see only minor references to events involving women. But the female prophets, wives, sisters, and mothers of the Bible are strong, active, and often powerfully faithful. These people made a difference in the world, and without them, how much smaller our faithand the biblical recordwould be.

Read the scriptures, and youll find women portrayed in politics and in the home, in the temple and in the workplace. No corner of human activity goes unreported by the Word. And nowhere does God denigrate women or their importance to the spread of the Gospel. Indeed, women are honored and blessed for their faithfulness to God.

In this book, The Top 100 Women of the Bible, youll find women of all sorts. Some are strong and faith filled, others are weak or wicked. A handful hold positions of worldly importance, while otherssimple peasants, reallyhave changed the world even more than their seemingly more powerful sisters. In these stories youll admire one womans faith, while wondering what another was thinking in the path she pursued. But each woman inspires, warns, or leads us. And her example can turn us away from sin or draw us closer to God.

As you read, draw from the lives of these women. Learn from them how to live faithfully in a fallen world. And, as you turn to the scriptures that describe them, delight also in the Bible that brings them to you. For there, lived out before your eyes and placed in your hands to read again and again, is a record of what it means to be a faithful Christian.

God has a special place in His heart for women, as youll discover from the ones that fill the pages of His Book.

His name was Nabal and his wifes name was Abigail.

She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband was surly and mean in his dealings.

1 S AMUEL 25:3

Here is one of the Bibles great mismatched couples. Since it was the custom of the day to arrange marriages, Abigail had probably been wed to Nabal for his wealth, not for any meeting of the hearts. While she was a faithful and savvy woman, he was not only named Fool (the meaning of Nabal), his actions showed he was one.

Though women of that day generally had much less respect and authority than men, the Bible speaks highly of Abigail while recording only the mean-spiritedness and wrong-headedness of her husband. The two were certainly spiritually incompatible. While Abigail had faith, her husband had no time for Godcertainly his attitudes and actions were not those of a faithful believer. Still, though theirs could not have been an easy relationship, resentment didnt crush Abigails spirit. Instead, she used her many personal gifts and graces to bring the best to her household.

At the festive sheep-shearing time, the surly and greedy Nabal intentionally offended King David. Recognizing the danger, one of the wealthy landowners servants knew whom to approach; he reported the situation to Nabals wise wife. Immediately, Abigail understood the foolishness of turning down a polite request for support from the displaced David. Though the newly anointed king was fighting Saul for the throne, his warriors had protected Nabals fields and clearly deserved some recompense. Food for his band of men did not seem an unreasonable request. Nabal had much, and the common custom of the day would have demanded that he share with those who had protected him and his household from harm.

Instead of wasting time arguing with her husband, Abigail prepared food for Davids men and set off to approach their leader to make peace. She mounted her donkey not a moment too soon. On the road to Davids camp, she met the warrior-king and his men, headed in her direction and intent on exacting retribution.

Abigail knew her husbands attitude had risked all his holdings and placed her in a difficult positionyet her dependence lay not on her spouse but with God. Understanding that David was doing Gods work and required her support, she provided it. That simple intervention and her humble words and attitude before Israels anointed-but-on-the-run king prevented unnecessary bloodshed.

David immediately appreciated Abigails faith and good qualities and praised God for her quick actions. If Nabal did not know how to recognize his wifes value, the king did. He turned aside his wrath because of this faithful womans generous response.

While Abigail worked out a peace plan, her husband partied. She returned to find him drunk, so not until the next day did she explain how shed spent her day. Hearing what his wife had done, the brutish Nabal literally had a fitperhaps experiencing a stroke. A few days later, he died.

David saw Nabals death as Gods justice and immediately sought Abigails hand in marriage. In a moment, faithful Abigail moved from a fools wife to a kings bride.

In Abigail we see many examples of faithfulness. When difficult relationships become part of our lives, we can follow her example. Will bitterness and resentment overwhelm our faith? Or, like her, can we trust God will make use even of our hardest situations? Do we do the good that falls our way, knowing that Gods wisdom will bring benefit to ourselves and others?

Though matched with an unbelieving spouse, Abigail remained faithful to her Lord. Like her, do we resist allowing unsatisfactory relationships to stall us out in our faith and continue on, trusting our God?

Humility clothed Abigails strength. No radical, angry woman, she paved the way for all women of strength to walk humbly before their God and make peace in broken relationships. God alone brings tranquility to broken lives. Abigail experienced that, and so can we. And, like Abigail, we may find that when weve passed through the troubles, God gives us a better life than we ever expected.