Verses that Strike Me in Ecclesiastes

Day 143: Ecclesiastes 5-8

Ecclesiastes 7:1: "A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth."

Ecclesiastes 7:27-28:
"Look," says the Teacher, "this is what I have discovered:
"Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things—
while I was still searching
but not finding—
I found one [upright] man among a thousand,
but not one [upright] woman among them all.

Ecclesiastes 8:17b: "No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. People toil to search it out, but no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it."

These are a few verses that stood out to me in the reading for today.

Advice from Women

Day 140: Proverbs 25-28

If women had contributed to the book of Proverbs, I wonder what they would have written. The main reason I ask this question is because there is a lot about living with a quarrelsome wife or being married to a nag. I recognize that there is wisdom in these references, but it has got me thinking that I'm sure women have wisdom to add about being married to men, too. Advice they could pass on to future generations. I wonder why God didn't include any of these proverbs in the Bible. I'm sure part of it was a cultural thing and the specific role delegated to women, but there are women prophets in the Bible, and stories about women as well. There are even prayers by women, such as Hannah's and Mary's prayers. So why not have a woman contribute a proverb or two?

If you are a woman reading this, what advice would you contribute? What wisdom would you impart to future generations? I think it's interesting to consider.

Reality TV? Nope, it's the Bible.

Day 92: Esther 1-4

Esther. The second book in the Bible named after a woman (the first was Ruth).

The Cast of Characters:
Queen Vashti. She was the wife of King Xerxes and in chapter 1, she is dethroned because she refuses to dance naked in front of the king, nobles, and other men for whom King Xerxes was throwing a party. How dare she! The king wanted to show of her beauty (um, objectify her) to his friends. I'm proud of Vashti for standing up to her misogynist husband whose request was oppressive and demeaning. She lived in a culture in which women had few rights, yet she chose to do the right thing and not objectify herself in this way--even when it cost her security, wealth, honor, and privilege. The men didn't want other women behaving like Queen Vashti, so the king ordered a law saying that men are the heads of household and women should do everything they say (Note that this is not God saying this.).

King Xerxes. He really comes across--at least to me in this day and age--as a misogynist pig. In a queen, he only looks for someone with beauty and he holds a competition for queen. This book reads like a reality show in some places, especially when Xerxes is involved and asks the women to promenade in front of him like a Miss America pageant.

Esther. A Jew. Mordecai's beautiful cousin who participated in the Miss American pageant, um, the competition to became the next queen. She completed 12 months of beauty treatments before appearing to the king. Xerxes becomes attracted to Esther more than any of the other women (why not, right?), so she becomes queen. Esther did not tell Xerxes she was a Jew. (You can hardly blame Esther for participating in this pageant--she lived in a culture where she had few rights, and with her belief in God, this would provide quite an opportunity for her).

Mordecai. A Jew who raised his cousin Hadassah (Esther) because she didn't have parents. When Esther becomes queen, he uncovers an assassination plot against King Xerxes and saves Xerxes' life. He does not bow down to Haman and, as a result, Haman orders the annihilation of all Jews.

Hanan. He was elevated to the highest position in King Xerxes' court and because Mordecai would not bow down to him and pay him honor, he plotted to kill the Jews. King Xerxes gave his approval to kill all the Jews, even women and children.

To be continued...

Do You Know THIS Prophet?

Day 73: 2 Kings 21 to 25

I was quite surprised to read today about a female prophet I knew there were female judges and even a deaconness, but I had never heard or read anything about a female prophet before. Also, she's not one of the "major" or "minor" prophets, and she doesn't have a book named after her (I don't think any woman has a book named after her). I had to go back and re-read it to make sure I wasn't reading it wrong.

Anyway, this prophet named Huldah told servants of the king that the Lord has heard their prayers and that the King Josiah would not see all the disaster the Lord was going to bring on Israel because he was faithful and righteous. She delivered a message of God to men in power.

I just think it's interesting because I often think of Bible times as very patriarchal, yet here you have a king--a good and noble king at that--seeking advice from a woman.

I know that people feel differently about women's role in the church, and I'm not going to get into all that here. What I will say, however, is that God used women in the Old and New Testament, and He still uses us today. He allows women to play a role in matters of spirituality and counsel, at least in this case. Whatever your opinion might be, I do hope you recognize that, here, God chose a female prophet to accomplish his work.

Sin, Consequence, and Prayer: David and Bathsheba's Story

Day 61: 2 Samuel 9-12

David is known for many things: a man after God's own heart (I Samuel 13), a king of Israel, the father of Solomon, the best friend of Jonathan, the husband of Michal and Abigail, a harpist, a foe of Saul, a shepherd boy. But he is also known for one terrible sin: having an affair with Bathsheba, getting her pregnant while she is married to someone else, and then killing her husband Uriah the Hittite so that David could take Bathsheba as his wife.

David's sins here are terrible, and God is very displeased with David. As a punishment for these sins, God decides to kill the child born to David and Bathsheba. After the son is born, David prays fervently to God to change his mind and let the child live. He weeps and prays until the day his son dies--at just seven days old.

There is a lot going on here, and this is a very complicated story. But there are two main aspects I'd like to focus on here: sin/consequence and prayer.

1. Paying the consequences for our sins.
When I was growing up, I often hoped that there were things I wouldn't do. Bad things that I knew were sins. However, as time went on, I began to sin. I didn't just make mistakes; I sinned. And I sinned "big." Sins that I said to myself that I would never do. And these sins changed me. In some ways, I still live with the consequences of some of my sins: whether it's from feeling guilty or suffering from anxiety or being affected mentally or emotionally. However, because I have sinned, I know more about the saving grace and redemption of Jesus Christ. I am forgiven. I am healed. I am pure. All because of the blood of Jesus. 

When I hear of someone committing an awful sin, I'm not too surprised anymore. Sure, some of my attitude is probably because I've become desensitized to it. But I think it's more about realizing that we're all human and not feeling so prideful about myself. We all do things that are completely out of our nature--things that we promised ourselves we would never do. And so I try to approach people and life more by viewing us all as sinful beings--no matter how "bad" the sin is--and not be so judgmental about myself or them when we do sin. Sure, we have to pay the consequences for our sins, but no one is better than someone else just because "Well, hey, at least I didn't do that." We are all sinful, yet we are also saved and forgiven because of the blood of Christ.

2. When the answer is NO.
David prays fervently for God to spare the child, but God says, "No." We often wonder why God tells us "No" when we pray to him. Maybe we haven't sinned as David did when God tells us no, or maybe we have. But it's interesting that we have an example of someone begging God to change his mind, but God's answer remains the same--He will kill the baby. This situation--even though God does not allow the baby to live--changes David. David is a different person through this process of dealing with the consequence of his sin. He's also different due to the prayers he prayed to the Lord--even though God's answer was no. David is probably more understanding, more forgiving. He recognizes that he is not invincible, and he is forever a changed man.

While I firmly believe that prayer can change God's mind, I also believe that prayer changes people. Just like when we have a fulfilling and open conversation with a friend, we leave feeling happy, elated, and content, when we have a conversation with God, we are changed, too. I've often wondered what the purpose of prayer is, and David's example here gives us a glimpse into one such purpose.

Changing History: The Story of Abigail and the Witch of Endor

Day 58: I Samuel 25-31

The Bible is full of stories about men. From Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and Aaron to Samuel, Saul, and David (and these are just the ones I've read so far), stories of men dominate the Bible. This was a patriarchal society, so it's not very surprising that women aren't brought up as much. Because stories of women aren't as prevalent in scripture, when we do read about a woman in the Bible, the story stands out more.

Two women play key roles in the passages for today: Abigail and the medium (or witch) of Endor.

1. Abigail: Abigail is married to Nabal, and they are very wealthy. Nabal makes some mistakes with David, and David is ready to kill him until Abigail pleads to David to forgive her husband and not murder him. David is listens to Abigail and thanks her for reminding him that he shouldn't take revenge into his own hands. David spares Nabal's life, but 10 days later, Nabal is struck dead by the Lord. Abigail really impacts David, and after Nabal dies, she becomes David's wife. 

2. The witch of Endor: After Samuel dies, Saul does not get any response from the Lord, and so he summons a medium to help him get in touch with Samuel.The witch successfully summons Samuel to the room, and they engage in a seance. Samuel prophesies to Saul that Saul and his three sons will die the next day in battle with the Philistines.

These two women are major factors in the unfolding of the biblical story. Abigail's humility in persuading David alters the course of David's life and of her own. David realizes how he must always go to the Lord first, and Abigail becomes the wife of a future king. Likewise. the witch of Endor plays a major role in Saul's life, particularly in his journey towards repentance.

While women may not be mentioned as often as men in the Bible, they, too, serve important roles in the kingdom of God. Even within a patriarchal society in which women were systemically oppressed, the authors of the Bible still give some women a voice, which demonstrates to me that God values the contributions and perspectives of women, too.

The Miraculous Gift

Day 52: I Samuel 1-3

Not all women want to be mothers, but for those mothers who want to become one and can't, well, that has got to be so painful. I have known a lot of women who have either had a hard time getting pregnant or who never were able to conceive a child. They prayed fervently asking God for a child and either had to wait for years or were ultimately told no. I'm not sure how women deal with that and I do wonder why God won't say yes to their prayers. What's more is that I can't think of a specific instance in the Bible where God doesn't say "yes" to a barren woman's prayer.

Here at the beginning of I Samuel is Hannah. She, like Sarah, Rachel, Samson's mom, and Elizabeth (John the Baptist's mom to come) is a barren woman who desperately wants a child. She has to wait a long time, and she prays and prays for a child. She even tells God that she will dedicate her child to him if he blesses her with one. Eventually, Hannah does conceive, and she gives her son Samuel to the Lord.

What's unique about Samuel (and Isaac, Joseph, Samson, and John the Baptist) as opposed to all those other children born in Israel or elsewhere is that Samuel is a gift from God. Yes, all children are gifts from God (they're miracles, I believe), but Samuel (and the other four boys) are more than just gifts for their families; they are gifts from God for the entire community. Samuel is going to be a gift for the Israelites. God uses him.

God also uses these women who struggle getting pregnant. They are the ones who turn to the Lord for hope. They are the ones who dedicate their children to the Lord. Who trust God at his word. Who help train and guide their children. The process these women go through during their struggle to have a child changes them. They grow in the Lord. They grow in their faith, and I can imagine that they are different mothers than they were before.

While the Bible may not provide examples of women who try to conceive and can't, it does show us women who are examples of hoping and trusting in the Lord. During their lowest points, they find strength and faith in the Lord. We, too--no matter what situation we find ourselves in or whether we personally deal with this personal struggle or not--can look to these women as models of where to turn when something does not turn out as we thought it would, or even as we had hoped. These women point us to the Lord--the one in whom we can find our strength. The faith of these women forever changed the outcome of their communities; it changed the story of Israel and the one in which we, too, find our identity.

Like these women, we are on our own journeys, and no matter what pain or suffering we are experiencing, we can find strength through the physical and faith struggles of these five women.

Power and Purpose

Day 45: Judges 1 to 5

My father's occupation while I was growing up was a judge. Every day, he drove downtown to the courthouse where he would spend most of his day in court, hearing pleas, testimonies, and trials from people who had committed felonies. He was a judge over the worst crimes committed.

I often went down to the courthouse to see what life was like for him on the job. I was always entertained. When there wasn't a trial going on, I got to sit in the jury area and listen to the pleas. When there was a trial going on, I watched the defendant, the lawyers, and the family's of the victims react to the events. When the courtroom was empty, I even got to sit in the witness chair and give "testimony" through the microphone. I also got to sit in my dad's chair on the bench and bang the gavel like I had seen on TV but that I had never seen my dad do.

When court was in session and my dad entered the courtroom, everyone stood. The room was so quiet at this moment that you could hear the tapping of my dads boots as he walked up to the bench. The room had an aura of respect, and the judge seemed very powerful.

Now I'm not sure how the culture worked back in the Old Testament, but I'm sure judges were seen as powerful then, too. Which is why I am so impressed (astounded, even) by the fact that there was a female judge. Deborah, a prophetess, became a judge. What must God have been thinking? In a culture where women didn't seem to have roles beyond mother and wife, here you have a woman who was a judge. I couldn't tell from the text if Deborah was married or if she had kids (it does say she is the "Mother of Israel," but that doesn't necessarily mean she was a mother herself). Regardless, here God is using a woman--a person who probably wasn't very valuable in the eyes of her society--to accomplish his purpose.

God uses all sorts of people, especially those who might not be viewed as "powerful" in the society to make them powerful in other ways. Thankfully, God has used many women since Deborah to continue on the path that Deborah began.