Women of the Bible Part 3

- Genesis 24:47, 53 A nose ring! Often taken as a sign of rebellious youth today, a nose ring was an acceptable form of adornment in ancient times. When Abraham's servant realized Rebekah was the woman Isaac was to marry, he immediately got out the jewels he had brought along for the occasion. He gave her two gold bracelets and a gold nose ring. Rebekah quickly slipped the jewelry on and ran home with shining eyes to tell her family what had occurred.

A nose ring is mentioned only two other times in Scripture - in Proverbs 11 and Ezekiel 16. In Ezekiel 16, G.o.d is describing in allegorical terms how much he loves the city of Jerusalem. He lovingly bathes her, then dresses her in wonderfully rich clothing and soft leather sandals. He then tenderly adorns her with jewelry. "I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck, and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. So you were adorned with gold and silver" (Ezekiel 16:11- 13).

The Old Testament mentions jewels and jewelry numerous times. Women and men both wore earrings (Exodus 32:2). They also commonly wore "armlets, bracelets, signet rings, earrings and necklaces" (Numbers 31:50). The Israelites took most of their jewelry from others while at war; gold and silver and gemstones are often listed among the booty taken during a raid. According to 2 Samuel 8:11, David gained enormous amounts of gold and silver and bronze when he conquered the nations surrounding Israel. He dedicated all of it to the Lord, and his son Solomon used it to build the fabulous temple in Jerusalem. Believe it or not, Solomon had so much wealth in his kingdom that he "made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stones" (2 Chronicles 1:15).

In the NIV, the Greek word for various female adornments is translated "jewelry" only once. In speaking to wives, Peter urges them to pay more attention to their inner beauty than their outward beauty. "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes," he says. "Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in G.o.d's sight" (1 Peter 3:3 - 4). Evidently, the women of New Testament times were as fascinated with jewelry as the women of Old Testament times - and the women of our times. How easy it is to look in the mirror to a.s.sess our outward appearance, forgetting to spend much time at all examining our inner appearance.

Tomorrow morning, when you put your rings on your fingers, also put on a spirit of peace. When you put your earrings on your ears, put them on with a cheerful att.i.tude. When you clasp your necklace around your neck, clasp a sweet spirit to your heart also. The jewelry you wear won't make much difference in your day, but the spirit you wear will.

Wednesday HER LEGACY IN SCRIPTURE.

Read Genesis 24:15 - 27.

1. What do you notice about young Rebekah's looks and character?

Read Genesis 24:67.

2. These are some of the sweetest words about marriage found in the Bible. In your own words, describe what you think Isaac and Rebekah's marriage was like in these early days.

Read Genesis 25:21 - 28.

3. Verse 28 contains some of the saddest words about parenting found in the Bible. How do you think their parents' favoritism affected Jacob and Esau?

Read Genesis 27:1 - 13.

4. Why do you think Rebekah resorted to trickery to gain what G.o.d promised her when she was pregnant?

5. Do you see yourself anywhere in Rebekah's story? How are you like or unlike her?

Thursday HER PROMISE.

Rebekah heard Abraham's servant describe how he had prayed and how he was sure she was the woman G.o.d intended for Isaac. G.o.d himself had divinely orchestrated the events. Rebekah seemed to have known that and, when asked, answered simply, "I will go." Did Rebekah fully realize G.o.d's plan for her? Was she open to following that plan? Or was she simply entranced with the romantic notions of a young girl looking for her knight in shining armor? Whatever her motivation, the events were planned by G.o.d, and he was able and willing to faithfully continue to fulfill his promises through her.

G.o.d's faithfulness, despite our waywardness and contrariness, is evident both throughout Scripture and throughout our lives. He will be faithful; he promises.

Promises in Scripture Know therefore that the Lord your G.o.d is G.o.d; he is the faithful G.o.d, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

-Deuteronomy 7:9 The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.

-Psalm 145:13 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

- Hebrews 10:23 Friday HER LEGACY OF PRAYER.

Our sister, may you increase to thousands upon thousands; may your offspring possess the gates of their enemies.

- Genesis 24:60 Reflect On: Genesis 27.

Praise G.o.d: Because unlike Isaac, who had only one blessing to give his children, G.o.d has blessings uniquely designed for each of us.

Offer Thanks: That G.o.d doesn't wait until we are perfect to involve us in his plans.

Confess: Any tendency to try to control the future rather than trusting G.o.d to shape it according to his timetable.

Ask G.o.d: To protect you from playing favorites with your own children and to trust that he has a generous plan for each one.

Lift Your Heart Take a few minutes this week to write a blessing card for each of your children. Use a simple index card or decorate the card with stickers, stencils, or line drawings. (If you don't have children of your own, you can do this for a niece or nephew or another special child in your life.) Start by praying for each child, asking G.o.d's blessing on their lives. Then write out the blessings you sense G.o.d wants for them. Tuck the blessing cards under their pillows or place them next to their dinner plates. Tell them these are some of the ways you are asking G.o.d to bless them. Be sure to keep a copy of each card for yourself so you can make those blessings a subject of frequent prayer.

Lord, you give us the power to bless our children, through our example, our teaching, our love, and our prayers. May our children surpa.s.s us in faith. In all their struggles may they sense your nearness, and may their joy be renewed each morning. May each of them become the kind of person who attracts others to you. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Rachel.

HER NAME MEANS.

"Ewe"

Her Character: Manipulated by her father, she had little say over her own life circ.u.mstances and relationships. But rather than dealing creatively with a difficult situation, Rachel behaved like a perpetual victim, responding to sin with yet more sin, making things worse by competing with her sister, and deceiving her father in return.

Her Sorrow: That her longing for children ultimately led to her death in childbirth.

Her Joy: That her husband cherished her and would do what ever was in his power to make her happy.

Key Scriptures: Genesis 29 - 35; Jeremiah 31:15; Matthew 2:18 Monday HER STORY.

Was it better to have love but no children or to be unloved and yet mother to a house full of sons?The question battered Rachel like a strong wind slamming the same door over and over.

Leah had just given birth to her fourth son, Judah. In her joy she had shouted, "I will praise the Lord!" Her firstborn, Reuben, meant "See, a Son"; Simeon, "One Who Hears"; and Levi, "Attached," as though Jacob could ever be attached to his plain wife! Rachel was sick to death of this habit her sister had of naming her sons in ways that emphasized Rachel's own barrenness.

Leah had become Jacob's wife through her father's treachery, but Rachel had captured his love from their first meeting at the well outside Haran. Every touch communicated his favor. Yet favor could not make children any more than wishing could make wealth. Rachel should have been his first, his only wife, just as Aunt Rebekah was Uncle Isaac's only wife.

Rachel's father, Laban, had promised her to his nephew, Jacob, provided he work for him for seven years. Seven years was a long time to wait for a wife, yet Jacob had thought it a good bargain. And that made Rachel love him all the more.

But as the wedding day approached, Laban hatched a scheme to trick seven more years of labor out of Jacob. Rachel's day of happiness dissolved the moment Laban instructed her older sister, Leah, to disguise herself in Rachel's wedding garments.

After dark he led Leah, veiled, to Jacob's tent, and the two slept together as man and wife. As the first light crept across the tent floor, Jacob reached again for Rachel only to find Leah at his side. Laban's treachery stung him. It was beyond belief. Even so, despite the recriminations and the tears, the marriage could not be undone.

But Rachel felt undone, her blessing seized by stealth. Laban's convoluted plan, however, was still unfolding. He struck another bargain, giving Rachel to Jacob the very next week in exchange for seven more years of labor. So now the two sisters lived uneasily together, Leah's sons a grating reminder that Rachel, the second wife, was cheated still.

"Give me children, or I'll die," Rachel screamed at Jacob one day-as though he could take the place of G.o.d and open her womb. So she gave him Bilhah, her maid, who conceived and bore her two sons. When Napthali, the second son, was born, Rachel proclaimed to anyone who would listen, "I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won." But the wrestling match between Rachel and Leah was far from over.

Rachel's bitterness again eased when she herself gave birth to a son, naming him Joseph, meaning "May He Add" - a prophetic prayer that G.o.d would add yet another child to her line.

Then one day G.o.d spoke to Jacob, telling him to return to the land of Isaac, his father. More than twenty years earlier, Jacob had wrestled the blessing from Esau and then had fled his murderous wrath. Had the long years paid him back twofold? Had Laban's treachery and the wrestling match between Rachel and Leah reminded him of his own struggles with his brother? Would G.o.d - and Esau - call it even? Only the Lord could protect him in this matter with his brother.

As Jacob gathered his flocks, his servants, and his children, preparing to leave, Rachel stole her father's household G.o.ds, small idols thought to ensure prosperity. After ten days on the road, Laban overtook them in the hill country of Gilead, accusing his son-in-law of theft. Unaware of Rachel's deceit, Jacob invited Laban to search the camp, promising to put to death anyone discovered with the idols.

Having learned a trick or two from her crafty father, Rachel tucked the idols into a saddle and then sat on it. When Laban entered her tent, she greeted him with a woman's ruse, saying, "Don't be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I'm having my period." Her trick worked, much as Jacob's had when he deceived his own father, and Laban finally gave up the search. Later, Jacob made sure that all the old idols were purged from his household.

As they made their way across the desert, Jacob faced his brother Esau, and the two reconciled. But tragedy soon overtook them as Rachel struggled to give birth to a second son, the answer to her many prayers. Ironically, the woman who once said she would die unless she had children was now dying because of a child. Rachel's last words, "He is Ben-Oni, the son of my trouble," capture her anguish at the birth of this son.

But Jacob gathered the infant in his arms and with a father's tenderness renamed him Benjamin, "Son of My Right Hand."

Like her husband, the beautiful Rachel had been both a schemer and the victim of schemes. Tricked by her own father, she viewed her children as weapons in the struggle with her sister. As so often happens, the lessons of treachery and compet.i.tion were pa.s.sed from generation to generation. Rachel's own son, Joseph, would suffer grievously as a result, being sold into slavery by his half brothers, Leah's sons.

Yet G.o.d would remain faithful. Through a remarkable set of twists and turns, Rachel's Joseph would one day rule Egypt, providing a refuge for his father and brothers in the midst of famine. Step by step, in ways impossible to foresee, G.o.d's plan was unfolding - a plan to heal divisions, put an end to striving, and restore hope. Using people with mixed motives and confused desires (the only kind of people there are), he was revealing his grace and mercy, never once forsaking his promise.

HER LIFE AND TIMES.

Tuesday MENSTRUAL CYCLES.

Rachel said to her father, 'Don't be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I'm having my period.' So [Laban] searched but could not find the household G.o.ds" (Genesis 31:35). Rachel's words here are the only mention in Scripture of a typical monthly menstrual cycle, other than the ceremonial laws covering menstruation found in Leviticus and referred to again in Ezekiel.

Rachel knew without a doubt that her ploy would successfully deter her father. By claiming to have her period, she not only kept the false G.o.ds she had stolen, she kept her very life, since Jacob had promised to kill whoever had stolen the idols from Laban.

During the time a Hebrew woman had her period, she was considered "unclean," not really surprising considering the untidy nature of a monthly flow, especially in those days, long before the invention of feminine sanitary products. But the laws were more stringent than just to cover the very personal nature of a monthly period. Those who touched a woman at this time, even by chance, became unclean until evening. Wherever the woman slept or sat also became unclean. Anyone who touched her bedding or her seat was considered unclean until they washed their clothes, bathed, and waited until evening.

A woman was considered unclean for seven days, the normal length of a woman's monthly period. She then customarily bathed in order to cleanse herself. This is probably the bath that Bathsheba was taking when spotted by King David (2 Samuel 11:2 - 4). Since she had just had her period, David could be sure Bathsheba's child was his when she told him she was pregnant (her husband was a soldier off to war).

The natural flow of a woman's period didn't require sacrifices for her to be cleansed; merely bathing and waiting for a prescribed time was enough. A longer, less natural flow, usually caused by some infection or disease, required a sacrifice in order for the woman to be clean. Neither implied any moral failing on the part of the woman, but since blood was seen as a source of life, anything surrounding it became an important part of ceremonial law.

Many women consider their monthly period, and the discomfort and irritability that often come along with it, a monthly trial-something women must bear, and men, lucky creatures, are spared. However, it is only through this particular function of her body that a woman can reproduce and carry a child. Although at times messy, at times a nuisance, at times downright painful, only through this process does a woman have the opportunity afforded to no man-the opportunity to bear new life. And in so doing, to be uniquely linked to the Creator of all life.

Wednesday HER LEGACY IN SCRIPTURE.

Read Genesis 29:26 - 30:24.

1. How do you think most women would respond to the situation in which Rachel found herself at the beginning of her marriage (Genesis 29:30)? How would they treat the other sister/wife?

2. Many women over the centuries have suffered the agony Rachel expresses in Genesis 30:1. How did Rachel's close relationship with Leah increase her pain? How could their relationship have eased her pain instead?

3. Discontentment is insidious. It traps us into thinking what was enough is no longer enough. Yet it's normal to long for things like love and children. What do you long for that you don't have? How can you tell if your longing has crossed the line from good desire to harmful discontentment?

Read Genesis 35:16 - 20.

4. Given that they were on a journey, how would you describe the situation under which Rachel likely gave birth?

5. What Rachel most wanted-a child-cost her life. Think about what you long for. What price would you pay? What price, to yourself or others, is too high?

Thursday HER PROMISE.

Genesis 30:22 says, "G.o.d remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb." G.o.d remembered Rachel, but he had never really forgotten her. When the Bible uses the word remember, it doesn't mean that G.o.d forgets and then suddenly recalls - as if the all-knowing, all-powerful G.o.d of the universe suddenly hits his forehead with the heel of his hand and says, "Oops! I forgot all about Rachel. I'd better do something quickly!"

No, when the Bible says G.o.d remembers something, it expresses G.o.d's love and compa.s.sion for his people. It reminds us of G.o.d's promise never to abandon us or leave us without support or relief. He will never forsake us. He will never forget us. He will always remember us.

Promises in Scripture Then G.o.d remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb.

- Genesis 30:22 Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.

-Psalm 25:6 You understand, O Lord; remember me and care for me.

-Jeremiah 15:15 The Mighty One has done great things for me-holy is his name.

-Luke 1:49 Friday HER LEGACY OF PRAYER.

Then G.o.d remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb.

- Genesis 30:22 Reflect On: Genesis 30:1-24.

Praise G.o.d: Because he never for a moment forgets about us. He is present and attentive, aware of our deepest desires, even when we're certain he's lost track of us.

Offer Thanks: That G.o.d alone is the Creator. Because of him, every human life is sacred.

Confess: That we sometimes use our children, our husbands, our homes, or even the size of our paychecks to compete with other women.

Ask G.o.d: To help you form deep and loyal friendships with other women so you can know the joy that comes from being sisters in Christ.

Lift Your Heart Think of one woman you would like to get to know better in ^S the next few months. Then pick up the phone and make a lunch date, or invite her to a play, movie, or concert. Make sure you build in a little time to chat so you can begin to build a relationship. One expert says it takes an average of three years to form a solid friendship. Don't waste another moment!

Father, forgive me for letting my ident.i.ty rest on whose wife or mother I am or what kind of job I have. I don't want to view other women as my rivals but as potential friends and even soul mates. Please lead me to the friendships I desire, and help me to be patient with the process. Amen.

Leah.

HER NAME MAY MEAN.

"Impatient" or "Wild Cow"

Her Character: Capable of both strong and enduring love, she was a faithful mother and wife. Manipulated by her father, she became jealous of her sister, with whom, it seems, she never reconciled.

Her Sorrow: That she lacked her sister's beauty, and that her love for her husband was one-sided.

Her Joy: That she bore Jacob six sons and one daughter.

Key Scriptures: Genesis 29 - 35; Ruth 4:11 HER STORY.

We buried my sister Rachel today. But she is still alive. I catch glimpses of her in Jacob's broken heart, in dark-eyed Joseph and squalling little Benjamin, his favorite sons. Rachel's sons. I can hear my beautiful, determined sister weeping loudly for the children she might have had, stubbornly refusing to be comforted. Yet who takes note of my tears? Should they flood the desert, no one would notice.

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dinah, and then Gad and Asher by my maid-these are the children G.o.d has given me and I have given my beloved Jacob. And still he loves her best. Should my husband and I live another hundred years, I will never be his only wife.