There are many female role models mentioned in the Holy Scriptures but out of them all, Hannah has come to be one of my favourites. We are introduced to Hannah, her husband Elkanah and his second wife, Peninnah in the first chapter of the book of 1 Samuel. At this time, Israel was at one of its lowest points in history. This was a time of great moral and spiritual failure, a time when disrespect for God was rife, and a cycle began where they would briefly return to God under the leadership of a divinely appointed judge, only to go back again into disobedience. Enter in Elkanah, Hannah and Peninnah. In the midst of the chaos in Israel, Elkanah and his family are seen as being faithful to the Lord as we are told that year after year they went up to worship and sacrifice to the Lord in Shiloh (verse 3). We are also told that Peninnah had children but Hannah had no children.  Polygamy was culturally acceptable in this day, even though it was never God’s design for marriage (see Genesis 2), and high priority was placed on having many descendants to carry on the family name and inheritance. So it is very possible that Elkanah married Peninnah so that she could bear him children even though we are not told that in the text. Barrenness was a disgrace in Old Testament times and Hannah’s life was one of despair in her childlessness. It also didn’t help matters that she had a rival who had sons and daughters and who constantly provoked her to the point of tears, grief and pain (verses 6 and 7). It is clear from the text, however, that it was the sovereign Lord that closed Hannah’s womb and that Elkanah loved Hannah very dearly even in her barrenness (verse 5).

In the midst of all this pain and suffering, Hannah was a woman of prayer and praise. She went up to the tabernacle “in bitterness of soul and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish” (verse 10). When the situation had become unbearable, she didn’t turn to her husband who had tried to comfort her, instead she turned to the Lord in prayer. And while in prayer, she made a vow to the Lord saying, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.” (verse 11).  Now to make a vow to God is a very serious thing indeed and what a vow Hannah made! Most of us would probably have ended that prayer at “Lord, give me a son” but Hannah did not end the prayer there. She said, “Lord give me a son and I will give him right back to You for all the days of his life.” The one thing she wanted more than anything in the world she was willing to give right back to the Lord. How could she do that? She could because she was God-centred; her relationship with the Lord was one of trust and complete surrender to Him. Now while she prayed to God in her heart, Eli, the priest, observed her lips move but no sound come out of her mouth and he came to the conclusion that she had been drinking. Imagine that! She gets it from Peninnah constantly and now the priest was accusing her of being a drunkard. How would you have responded to such an accusation? I probably would have been very mad. But Hannah responded graciously to this false accusation, not in anger (verses 15 and 16). She conducted herself as a true woman of God. There is a lesson there for us today. She explained to Eli that she had been pouring out her soul to the Lord and after her exchange with him, Hannah went away no longer sad. She didn’t know what the outcome would be but all she knew was that she had poured out her heart to the Lord and all she had to do was trust in Him.

The days went by; Elkanah knew his wife and the Lord remembered Hannah. And it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son and called him Samuel (verse 20). At that time the vow she made to God must have come back to her and she didn’t relinquish it. She nursed and taught the child for a few years, probably for 3 years as was the custom then, until she had weaned him and took him to the house of the Lord in Shiloh. She kept her word to the Lord and she had the full support of her husband. I believe she was able to do that because she was a true woman of God and she trusted in Him. This makes Hannah a superb role model for us and what it means to be a true woman. This also reminds us that our children aren’t really ours, they belong to God. He lets us have them, permits us to touch their minds and hearts, teach them about the Saviour, but in the end they are His and His alone.

Hannah should be an example to us all of true motherhood, womanhood and complete faith in God. Although her decision to give her son to the Lord would seem foolish to the human mind, it was an act that showed her commitment to God. And the Lord blessed her with more children; 3 sons and 2 daughters (1 Samuel 2: 21). Samuel grew up to become a gifted prophet and a pivotal spiritual leader who turned the nation of Israel toward the Lord. Hannah prayed for a boy who changed a nation. There is something for us to learn here; whether or not you have children, we can be spiritual mothers to the children that God has put us in contact with through prayer. May we also, like Hannah, be women living God-centred lives, learning to trust Him completely for everything and saying “Yes” to Him. Amen.

Rachel Barkey, a 37 year old wife and mother of two who was diagnosed with terminal cancer four years after beating breast cancer, shares her testimony of trusting God even in the face of death. Because of her relationship with Jesus, she is convinced that death is not dying. Listen to her inspiring story by clicking the link below. I pray you are all blessed by it.

http://deathisnotdying.com/fullvideo/

I’ve been doing a lot of studying on the distinctions between the man and the woman and learning a lot about biblical manhood and womanhood, which has ultimately led me to learning about God’s design for marriage. The more I study, the more I am amazed by the beauty of marriage the way God intends it to be, so it’s only normal that I desire to get married one day (sooner rather than later, Lord willing…lol). There’s just one slight problem; there’s no groom in sight! Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of eligible bachelors out there, but I strongly believe that it’s the man’s role to initiate and the woman’s to respond (call me old-fashioned and out-dated but think about this, the only woman you find pursuing men in the Bible is the immoral woman, the crafty harlot of Proverbs 7!)

So today I’m having one of my “marriage pondering” sessions and one question came to mind; is it harder for us women, or for the men? I mean is it harder for us to have to wait to be pursued by a man, all the while fighting off any distractions? Or is it harder for the men to do the finding and pursuing? This question came to mind because, once again, I was finding waiting difficult. (When I talk about waiting, I don’t mean just sitting around doing nothing. As single women hoping to be married one day, Lord willing, we should be cultivating attributes of biblical womanhood including learning about what it means to be a godly wife, nurturing children, staying pure, learning to be home-makers [see Titus 2:4-5 and Proverbs 31:10-31]) By “wait” I mean that seemingly lengthy, never ending period of time before that godly young man starts his pursuit of you. I am tempted to say that it is harder for us women but I have to admit that that would be foolishness on my part. I am not a man so I can’t know how difficult (or not) it is for them. Plus, when you think about it, they kinda bear most of the risk especially the risk of rejection. Imagine having to work up the courage to approach a woman and make your intentions known to her, only for her to turn around and say no! Boy!

But as I pondered all this I came to the realisation that, whether you are a man or a woman, you have to have faith in the Lord and trust in Him completely concerning this issue of marriage; the woman while she patiently and prayerfully waits to be “found”, and the man while he also patiently waits as he prayerfully considers the woman he is going to pursue. As we all wait on the Lord, we should remember to…

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I was thinking today about the many discussions I have had with friends and acquaintances alike about the role of women in the home and in the church and I noticed a trend forming in these conversations. After pointing out, through the Scriptures, that men are called to be servant leaders both in the home and in the church, and women are called to be submissive, one retort usually comes up; “but the men aren’t taking up and fulfilling their roles as leaders so if a woman wants to lead and is capable of leading, then why not?” Why not? Well because the word of God says so, it’s as simple as that. I strongly believe in the authority and sufficiency of Scriptures and sometimes I come across some passages that are very mind boggling or that make me “uncomfortable” (I remember the first time I read 1 Timothy 2, that was a very uncomfortable moment for me indeed! And the first time I read “wives submit to your own husbands” in Ephesians 5:22) but I came to realise that these uncomfortable feelings were as a result of my selfish desires to go against the word of God. I have to repent of this and submit myself totally to the authority God and His word. All Scripture is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16) – every page, sentence and word – who am I to question it?

It’s very easy to shift blame to the men, saying that they are not fulfilling their God-ordained roles, but I have to ask this, ladies, are you fulfilling yours? We see or claim that men are not fulfilling their roles, and rather than stay true to God’s word, we respond in disobedience and so the “war” of the sexes begins. Think about how many arguments or disputes you have been involved in. Did they start as a result of the other person saying or doing something nasty to you? Or did they start as a result of your response to what they did to you? If we are very honest with ourselves, we’ll admit that most of the time they started because we responded sinfully to sin that was committed against us, rather than in love. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t intend on playing a blame game in this note. What I am trying to point out is that there is something more at work here. I believe that this attack on the complementary roles of men and women is a spiritual one. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 10:3, “For though we walk in the flesh we do not war according to the flesh”, and also in Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” God created man and woman and marriage to display the glory of Christ in the most beautiful relationship in the world; the relationship between Christ and His blood-bought church. It’s no surprise then that the devil is seeking to destroy this; he knows that godly men and women who live out their God-ordained roles willingly and in obedience to the command of God and with a desire to please God display the glory of God to the world and promote the gospel.

I am reminded of 1 Peter 3:1-2, “Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear.” Peter wrote this to the believing women in Asia Minor, some of who were more than likely married to unbelieving men. He urged them to continue their duty as wives, to be subject to their husbands and to respect them (see Ephesians 5:33), that these unbelieving husbands may be won by their conduct. If ungodly husbands can be won over by the conduct of their godly wives, imagine the effect it could have on godly men.
So next time you are confronted by those verses in 1 Timothy, or encounter the “s” word, examine the motive of your heart behind your response. Are you responding with a heart that wants to please God and submit to the authority of His word, or otherwise?

I’ll just let the song speak for itself…

“For You formed my inward parts;
         You covered me in my mother’s womb.
 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
         Marvelous are Your works,
         And that my soul knows very well.
 My frame was not hidden from You,
         When I was made in secret,
         And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed.
         And in Your book they all were written,
         The days fashioned for me,
         When as yet there were none of them.” (Psalm 139:13-16)

So I came across this blog, “A Boomer in the Pew”, thanks to my friend Doug. To celebrate it’s first birthday, they are giving out a free ESV Study Bible! The ESV Study Bible is an excellent tool and I recommend it to anyone, so for your chance to win this gorgeous Bible visit the blog. And even if you don’t win, it’s a great blog to follow.

Paul Washer delivers again! In the feminist world that we live in, where women chasing after men and initiating relationships with men is the norm, this is such a refreshing message on Biblical womanhood that all Christian women (and men, if you are wondering what type of woman you should be with) must hear…

 

Is being a Christian about wearing a T-shirt or a badge? Sadly, for many youth today that is exactly what it is. They wear their “Jesus Loves Me” hoodies and their “Jesus is my Logo” badges and they think that’s it, they have done their bit for the kingdom of God. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think there is anything wrong with wearing a t-shirt or a badge but are you living your life for Jesus Christ? Are you standing for the truth and saying…YES JESUS IS LORD!!! Like Paul, do we say, “For me to live is Christ…”

Paul Washer delivers this message…fasten your seat belts people cos this may not be an easy pill to swallow. But I just pray that this message stirs up something within you all…

In Part 1 of this series, we introduced biblical womanhood by looking at the creation of the woman and how the distinctions between manhood and womanhood display the glory of Christ in relationship to His blood-bought bride, the church. In this part, we’ll examine further what it means to be a woman who displays biblical womanhood by looking into whatthe Bible says about the conduct, dress and beauty of a godly woman and I pray that as we look into God’s word, He will open the eyes of our hearts to see wondrous things from His law.

As women of God we should conduct ourselves in a way that is pleasing to God and that gives us a reputation for being women of godly character and moral virtue. The dictionary defines the word virtue as moral excellence, goodness and righteousness; conformity of one’s life and conduct to moral and ethical principles (dictionary.com). The Bible is filled with the lives of women who should serve as role models for all Christian women. One woman that springs to mind is Ruth, the Moabitess. She stands in history as a model of true womanhood; she was joyfully willing to break with her past and faithfully follow God. Boaz and all the people recognized her as woman of virtue…

“Then he said, “Blessed are you of the Lord, my daughter! For you have shown more kindness at the end than at the beginning, in that you did not go after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman.” (Ruth 3:11-12).

And who could forget the virtuous wife of Proverbs 31! We are not told who she was, but what she was. Now, admittedly, she is a woman who appears to be the embodiment of perfection but I’m sure that was not the case; she was only human after all. She probably had her “off” days as we all do. But she was a wise and kind woman of virtue. Proverbs 31:26 reads, “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness.” As we read through Proverbs 31:10-31, we see that this woman was an epitome of virtue; she was trustworthy, industrious, organised, kind and loving. What stands out most, to me, about this woman was that she feared and reverenced the Lord. I believe this was the key to her “success”. Proverbs 31:30 reads, “Charm is deceitful and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.” “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her…” (Proverbs 31:28). What a woman!

Godly women should also preserve modesty in the way they dress. 1 Timothy 2:9-10 reads,

“…in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.”

First, let’s look at these verses in context. When Paul instructed men and women in his epistles, he mainly addressed disturbances within the worship assembly and one source of disturbance caused by women was their dress. One commentary suggests that…

“Some women might have been dressing in a flashy, even sensual, manner acceptable in their former pagan lifestyle but out of place in the church. Others might have been dressing to reflect their higher social status. For the great majority, who were from lower classes, this ostentatious attire could have proven a barrier to their sharing in the life of the church.”

So how does this relate to us today? I’ll be the first to admit that most of the fashion trends today don’t make it easy for women to dress modestly. In fact, we live in a culture where modesty seems non-existent. Women dress in ways that draw attention to their physical bodies and this is seen as normal. I’m not going to go into too much detail but I’m sure you know what I mean. As Christian women, we should not conform to the world’s ideas about beauty and fashion. We should avoid the ostentations and extravagances that call attention to ourselves or that cause people to be distracted from the Lord, especially in the church assembly. Godly women should not dress in a way that encourages men to have lustful thoughts and desires. The wardrobe of a godly woman should portray a spirit of moderation and purity; her clothing styles should draw attention to the heart and spirit of Christ within her.

Apart from dressing modestly, we should also ask ourselves this question; do we focus all our time and energy into looking good outwardly rather than on cultivating inner spiritual beauty? 1 Peter 3:3-4 reads,

“Do not let your adornment be merely outward – arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel – rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.”

This is not to say that the outward appearance is unimportant and that we should let ourselves go and not look good, but that the inner qualities are more important. Some of us spend hours “getting ready” – plucking and primping and grooming and applying our make-up and what not – but find it difficult to spend even half an hour in the presence of the Lord, studying His word. Ladies, this outward beauty is corruptible and will fade as we grow older. A woman who is truly beautiful is one whose beauty radiates from within. This hidden beauty of the heart is displayed by a “gentle and quiet spirit”. This has nothing to do with your personality traits – some people are more outgoing than others, and some people never say much – but it is the inner attitude of heart of a woman who trusts completely in the Lord. A gentle and quiet spirit is one that is not anxious about anything but knows that God is in control over everything. She is very precious to God and is also a joy to those around her. She is more concerned about growing in her relationship with the Lord than about being fashionable, stylish or physically attractive. She desires to please God more than she desires the approval of others. She has an inner beauty that is as a result of a spirit that is yielded to and trusts in the Lord and that lives constantly and consciously in recognition of His presence in her life.

Modesty is so much more than just about what we wear; it’s an expression of the heart. The clothes we choose to wear are a statement of the motivation of our hearts. Revealing, seductive, extravagant and flashy clothes are the attire of a woman who wants to draw attention to herself rather than bring glory to God. Pastor John MacArthur puts it like this:

“How does a woman discern the sometimes fine line between proper dress and dressing to be the centre of attention? The answer starts in the intent of the heart. A woman should examine her motives and goals for the way she dresses. Is her intent to show the grace and beauty of womanhood? Is it to reveal a humble heart devoted to worshipping God? Or is it to call attention to herself and flaunt her beauty? Or worse, to attempt to allure men sexually? A woman who focuses on worshipping God will consider carefully how she is dressed because her heart will dictate her wardrobe and appearance.”

Ladies for the sake of every man on the pursuit of holiness and purity I urge you to be modest. Not only do we honour God when we dress modestly, we also serve our brothers in Christ and protect them from sin. This is not to say that what a woman wears is solely to blame for the lusts of a man, but we must make sure that we are not stumbling blocks to them or the fuel that intensifies the fire of their lust. Our modesty brings glory to God and testifies to the power of the gospel of Christ in changing our lives. Don’t waste your womanhood by being immodest or by focusing too much on your outward appearance. “Charm is deceitful and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.”(Proverbs 31:30).

This is a video featuring my good friend S.O speaking on the power of the gospel. I hope you are all blessed by it…

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…” (Romans 1:16)