By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
March is Women’s History Month. Several national sponsors have added their support in “commemorating and encouraging the study, observance, and celebration of the vital role of women in American history.”
It’s an interesting topic, and more can be learned about it at the Women’s History Month website.
Recently, however, I’ve been reading about some lesser-known women who lived long before the United States was founded—interesting biblical women I didn’t learn about in children’s Sunday school.
Most of us have heard of Deborah, Ruth, Esther, and Eve. But what do we know of Asenath, Jehosheba, and Rizpah?
These women don’t have names that have crossed cultural boundaries over the centuries, appearing in English-language baby-name books. But they are worth noting for their contributions.
Asenath became the wife of Joseph after his rise to authority from captivity in Egypt. Historical references argue her origins, but she is known as the daughter of an Egyptian priest and the mother of Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, who are included in the tribes of ancient Israel (Genesis 41:50).
Rizpah was a grieving mother who watched over the bodies of her slain and unburied sons, driving away scavenger birds and wild animals, and finally prompting the king to bury the men. It’s a lengthy and complex story, but her faithfulness and unwavering determination moved the king’s hand (2 Samuel 21:10).
Jehosheba was an aunt who paid attention to political intrigue in the palace. She spirited away her infant nephew and hid him for six years from those who wished him dead (2 Kings 11:2-3). In the line of kings, he himself became a king at the age of seven and faithfully ruled Judah for forty years.
What if these women had not stepped into the gap? Had not responded to the need or said the equivalent of “It’s not my problem”? Would history have been altered?
The New Testament also mentions remarkable women like Mary, Elizabeth, and Mary Magdalene. But have we considered Priscilla, Phoebe, Lydia, and Dorcus? Common everyday women who merely did their part caring for their families and others, contributing their talents and skills.
If you are a woman reading this post, don’t feel as if you can’t measure up to the History-Makers highlighted this month. Instead, remember that you have a purpose and God has a plan. Fame and recognition have nothing to do with it. It’s more important than that.
God sees you. And you are His precious daughter.
~
“You are the God who sees me.”
Genesis 16:13
Mae Ann left Cade to his chores and returned to the house. The garden had been abandoned because the men had not tended it, the women had, and they were gone—his sister and mother. The kitchen had fared somewhat better because men must eat. But the absence of a woman’s touch was evident in the spare larder and the limp, dusty curtains.
The window framed a perfect view of the neglected patch. Had Cade’s heart been left in similar condition after losing his mother, sister, and the—well, the woman Willa had mentioned?
An idea sparked in Mae Ann’s breast. A tiny flare that hinted at purpose. Could God use her to break through Cade’s wintered soil and stir life there again? Perhaps that was why she was here and not with—
No. God had not taken Henry’s life. She had to believe that.
As soft as the parson’s blessing had whispered earlier that morning, words she’d learned at her mother’s side rippled through her like a silken thread. All things work together for good to them that love God.
She did love God, but did she love Him enough? He’d allowed her mother to die penniless and abandoned by Mae Ann’s father, yet still the dear woman had insisted God was working all things together.
And He’d allowed Henry to be gunned down in cold blood—an act she would never understand. How did God plan to work that together? ~An Improper Proposal
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So encouraging. It is so important to remember that if we are where God wants us to be, doing what He has called us to do, we are important to Him. In 200 years no one may remember who I was, but the only recognition that will matter is my name is written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Yes, Elaine. We are important to Him no matter what. Such grace!