There are
lessons to be learnt from every character in the Bible. However, we
habitually focus on the popular characters such as Adam, Eve, Abraham, Sarah,
Isaac, Joseph, Esther, Mary, Paul, Peter, John and the rest. (I do not want to
include the Lord Jesus Christ as one of the ‘characters,’ for HE is the central
theme of the Bible.)
Examining
the life of every popular character in the Bible to gain vital life lessons is
appropriate, but do we then surmise that there is nothing much to be learnt
from the lesser known characters of the Bible? I do not think so.
A Christian
woman is the most vital cog of the Christian family (cf. Proverbs 31: 10-31). Hence,
let us examine the lives of a few lesser known women in the Bible and the
potential influence they can be on us.
Job’s Wife
Job’s wife
is an infamous example of do-not-be-like-that-person. Apart from the more
popular Eve, who is often crowned as the cause for the fall, Job’s wife, being
lesser known, would still adorn the Biblical Hall of Shame.
St.
Augustine referred to her as “the devil’s accomplice” and John Calvin labeled
her as “a diabolical fury.” What did she do to merit such wrath? She exhorted
Job to dispense with his integrity and curse God, “Are you still maintaining
your integrity? Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9, NIV). It was also quite possible that
she threw a tantrum at Job during his severe trial, for Job said, “My breath is
offensive to my wife…” (Job 19:17, NIV).
We cannot curse
God under any circumstance. We cannot motivate anyone to dispense with their
integrity. Nevertheless, Job’s wife cannot be relegated to the Bible’s infamous
Hall of Shame, for there is a very good lesson to be learnt from her life.
The Bible
narrates three devastating events that occurred in her life. These,
certainly, would have inflicted severe emotional trauma upon her. Consider
these events:
(1) She
experienced severe financial loss (Job 1: 13-17).
(2) Her
children died (Job 1:18-19).
(3) Her
husband Job was inflicted with extremely painful illness (Job 2:12 & Job 3).
These
events and the consequential emotional trauma could have motivated her to
advise Job to curse God and die. But there is a significant point to note. God did not rebuke Job’s wife as HE
rebuked Job’s friends (Job 42: 7-9). Instead, when God blessed Job, HE also
indirectly blessed her. In other words, she shared in Job’s blessings:
(1) She
gave birth to ten more children (Job 42: 12-15).
(2) She
shared the “doubled wealth” that God blessed Job with (Job 42:10).
Hence, we deduce
that she was faithfully present with her husband during his most painful period
of his life, serving him, to the best of her abilities, to endure the most severe trial of his life. To not
cause the spouse further emotional trauma during severe trials, and to diligently
serve the spouse with faithful service and constant encouragement to enable
a successful triumph over trial is a beautiful lesson taught by the life of
Job’s wife.
Lois & Eunice (Acts
16:1-3; 2 Timothy 1:5; 3:14, 15)
Paul, in his letter to Timothy,
extols the faith of Timothy’s mother and grandmother to an extent where he says
that their faith has brought about Timothy’s faith, “I am reminded of your
sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lo′is and your
mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you.” (2 Timothy 1:5, RSV).
When women
display exemplary spirituality, which in this instance was faith in God, that
faith will certainly be rubbed off on the other members of the household. The
lives of Lois and Eunice contributed to the enriched spiritual life and
diligent service of Timothy. As Paul testifies, Timothy is the spiritual derivative
of his grandmother and mother, “But as for you, continue in what you have
learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you
learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are
able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy
3:14-15, NIV).
Similarly, may our faith and love for the Lord
be passed on to the members of our household so that they love and serve the
Lord with all their strength and mind.
Philip’s Four
Daughters (Acts 21:8, 9)
There is
just one short reference in the Bible about the four daughters of Philip the
evangelist (the same Philip who ministered to the Ethiopian eunuch), “And he
had four unmarried daughters, who prophesied.” (Acts 21:9, RSV). This miniscule
detail about Philip’s four daughters may be bypassed as a mere narrative without
any further implications. But the context of Philip’s existence and the
presence of two key words in this narrative (unmarried and prophesied) warrant
a deeper thought.
Philip and
his four daughters lived among unbelievers. Hence, the fact that all four
Philip’s daughters prophesied, carries greater significance. To prophesy or to
serve God amidst unbelievers is not an easy task, for persecution would have
been a certain possibility. So the fact that all four of Philip’s daughters
prophesied amidst persecution reveals not only their faithfulness and
dedication to God, but their courage to serve God despite the persecution.
The fact
that they were unmarried could be a testimony to their celibate life, and they
may even be the forerunners to celibacy in women (cf. 1 Corinthians 7:8-34).
Celibacy, as Apostle Paul rightly words it, paves way for a greater service to
the Lord, “the unmarried woman or girl is anxious about the affairs of the
Lord, how to be holy in body and spirit; but the married woman is anxious about
worldly affairs, how to please her husband.” (1 Corinthians 7:34, RSV).
Although
very little has been said of Philip’s four daughters, we can learn much from
that very short narrative. They were faithful and dedicated to God’s work, and
they displayed remarkable courage to serve the Lord. We would be better off if
we possess these traits in us.
Priscilla (Acts
18:2, 18, 26; Romans 16:3; 1 Corinthians 16:19; 2 Timothy 4:19)
Priscilla,
a Jew, was the wife of Aquila. Apostle Paul was much appreciative of their service to the
Lord.
How joyful and
blessed it would be to see both the husband and the wife serving the Lord
together! The Bible always mentions Priscilla and Aquila together, never apart.
Priscilla and
Aquila did not care for their life while serving the Lord. Tradition reveals
that Priscilla and Aquila were martyred for the sake of Christ. Their diehard
determination to serve the Lord - come what may - is a great lesson to us.
Priscilla
and Aquila’s knowledge of the Christian truth was profound and deep, yet they
were simple and humble. Their knowledge of the truth in concert with their
humility, helped them to serve as mentors to Apollos, who developed as a mighty
preacher of the gospel:1
The eloquent and fervent Apollos
with all his brilliance and power suffered a sorry limitation as a preacher. He
knew only “the baptism of John” (Acts 18:25, 26). He knew nothing of salvation
through the cross and the accompaniments of salvation. The larger truths of the
Gospel of Redemption were as yet unknown to him. Priscilla and Aquila followed
the crowds who went to hear this most popular and persuasive preacher.
As they listened, Priscilla and
her husband detected the negative defects of the preaching of Apollos. He
taught no positive error, denied no essential of the faith. What he preached
was true as far as it went. Apollos knew the truth, but not all the truth, and
so in the quiet way, with all humility, Priscilla and Aquila set about
correcting the apparent deficiency of Apollos. Inviting him to their home they
passed no word of criticism on what they had heard him preach but with
consummate tact instructed him Biblically in the truth of the crucified, risen
and glorified Saviour. “They expounded unto him the way of God more carefully”
(asv)
What was the result of that
Bible course which Apollos received from those two godly, Spirit-enlightened
believers? Why, Apollos became so mighty in the Gospel that he was called an
apostle. In fact, he became so effective as a true gospel preacher that some of
the Corinthians put him before Peter and Paul. But all that Apollos became he
owed, under God, to the quiet instruction of Priscilla and Aquila. In Apollos,
Christ gained a preacher whose spiritual influence was second only to Paul
himself…
If we cannot be great, by God’s
grace we may be the means of making others great. Quiet, unobtrusive Andrew
little knew when he brought his brother Peter to Christ that he would become
the mighty Apostle to the Jews. As husband and wife, and humble tentmakers,
Aquila and Priscilla greatly enriched the ministries of Paul and Apollos whom
God, in turn, used to establish churches.
To
conclude, our lives would be greatly influenced if we study the lives of women
and men in the Bible. Our spiritual life would exceedingly be enriched if only we
allow their lives to shape ours – all for the glory of God and the extension of
HIS Kingdom on earth.
Endnotes:
1https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/all-women-bible/Priscilla
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